With 2 Dixie2+ you can’t dial in those classic Kraftwerky 5th chords with C at 12 o’clock.
I just discovered that the dials will not tune up to a 5th above C when C is at 12 o’clock on the dial. Is there any way to adjust this so that C sits a 5th below fully clockwise? Id like fully clockwise to be outputting a G. I see a few adjustment screws on the back but I’d like advice before I start messing with them.
EDIT: They need calibrating. They sent plays in tune together and sound terrible. I got the second one yesterday and just realised that on my first one C is pointing at 4 on the octave switch and on the new Dixie C is pointing at 7.
EDIT: I’ve added a second reply to detail the solution to get the tunings I wanted. It’s perfect now. Super musical.
I just thought I would add a second post for any body else that finds they have bought a Dixie2+ and finds that it is out of tune and not tracking properly (both of mine were).
After a bit of googling I found this muff wiggler post from Intellijel that explains how to do it in a far less techy way than the official post above.
First off what is your CV source??? Are you sure it is actually accurate and correct? If it is isn’t then the Dixie will seem off even if it is perfect.
What are you using to measure tuning to prove that it is out of tune?
All the trim pots are along one edge of the pcb except for one labelled “cv gain” which is in the center of the pcb.
This is essentially the “width” control found on any VCO.
Play two low notes (1 octave apart) and use a tuner (or by ear). If the interval is sharp (the higher note is sharp) then adjust CV gain so it goes even sharper. If it is flat then turn it to go flatter. Now check the interval again.
That should do it and hopefully take 5 minutes.
It is unfortunate that your Dixies arrived a little out of tune but it is hard to know what happens during transportation. If the package has a lot of vibration it can throw the pots off a bit.
Also VERY important. Make sure the Dixie has warmed up for about 5-10 minutes before tuning!!
I got my Dixies tuned exactly how I wanted. Using my Metropolix tuning mode as my voltage source I calibrated them with the dial set fully clockwise and tuned them both to G. This may seem like an odd thing to do but they track perfectly. Doing this means that C now points at the number 0 on the Octave dial rather than at 12 O’clock.
This has 2 benefits.
1-With fully clockwise now playing a G its super easy to tune your other oscillator by ear to a pretty perfect C by ear by dealing in a nice Moogy Kraftwerky 5th power chord at around 10:30/1100 on the dial.You can then retune the first oscillation to that to get 2 perfect C tunings.
2-You get access to some gorgeous classic oscillator tunings at the far ends of the other dials when one is tuned to C when pointing at 0 rather than 12 o’clock. you can’t get those Moogy 5th chords with C tuned to 12 o’clock on the dial.
I found this has made my pair of Dixies a way more musical pairing when you wan to combine your modular with other gear tuned to C.
Hey, just wanted to say that this was a very informative and useful post. I too recently realized that the Dixie’s Fine knob range is only appx. ±6 semitones. Why? I don’t know, but it doesn’t allow the user to get perfect fifth intervals with two Dixies if one osc is at 12:00.
Thanks. I’ve found it far more useful to have it calibrated this way. I’ve just noticed a few horrific autocorrect errors in my initial posts. I hope it made sense.
Also it’s a lesson in checking the calibration as both of mine were badly off when I received them. Transit conditions are probably not great so it’s well worth checking as soon as you buy one.