Hybrid Music 3000 Expander

The Hybrid Music 3000 Expander adds extra voices and channels to the Hybrid Music system expanding the sequencer from a 16 to a 32 channel sequencer. It was launched in 1990, four years after the Hybrid Music 5000 and you couldn't buy one without providing proof that you owned a Hybrid Music 5000.

The addition of the extra voices allows the Hybrid to create much more complex and rich sounding effects and Hybrid produced albums that specifically took advantage of the extra capabilities the Music 3000 added.

Essentially the Hybrid Music 3000 is a re-badged Hybrid Music 5000 Synthesiser that is configured to be addressed separately. Later versions of the standard Hybrid Music software detects the Music 3000 automatically and the user interface expands to provide control for the extra channels that the module provides.

Converting a Music 5000 to a Music 3000

The conversion process to convert a Hybrid Music 5000 (or a pre-upgraded Music 87 or 500) into a Hybrid Music 3000 is as follows:

1. Cut the following two tracks on the component side of the PCB next to IC 35 pin 10 and just next to the silk screen marking for C38.

2. Add the following wire wrap links on the solder side of the PCB and add two ceramic 220nF capacitors.

• IC32 pin 7 (1MHz Bus D5) -> IC35 pin 10
• IC32 pin 13 (1MHz Bus D6) -> IC14 pin 1

The following image shows the connection between IC32 pin 7 (centre) and IC35 pin 10 (top left) together with one of the 220nF decoupling capacitors connecting pin 6 of IC31 to pin 7 of IC31 (GND)

The second wire connecting pin 13 of IC32 in the image above must be run to pin 1 of IC 14 in the image below and an additional 220nF capacitor added to pins 7 and 8 of IC 10.1

Studio 5000 Mixing Desk - extended for more tracks/instruments/voices

When an updated Hybrid Music System disc is loaded, the Studio 5000 Mixing Desk software automatically detects the Music 3000 Expander and when a user navigates to the far right of the tracks, they can then move on to manage tracks 9 to 16.

As the second screenshot shows, tracks 9 to 16 can have their own instruments assigned which are subsequently played through the Hybrid 3000. By using the Hybrid 1000 Music Amplifier, the output from both the Music 3000 and 5000 is automatically mixed together for a single output to be recorded or listened to in the usual manner.

Chariots of Fire

AMPLINEX disc issue 26 contains a Hybrid Music 3000 compatible arrangement of "Chariots of fire" by Vangelis.