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Second batch of the old school VCA has landed. A few minor changes have been implemented in the design to get rid of the annoyances I encountered using them. And since I’m the C-level executive of S&C, whatever I say goes! I also empty the trash bin and mop the floor, comes with the perks of being a one-man company. But, more to the point:

  • It’s has a black front panel now.
  • An extra CV input has been added for all your tremolo or other CV shenanigans. One of the CV’s goes directly to the VCA while the other one has an attenuator. This makes much more sense.
  • The output has been boosted a little bit.
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For another project I’m working on I needed a multimode filter. For the uninitiated, its a single filter that has a HP/BP/LP function, and does it all simultaneously. An OTA design is fairly common for this type of filter, so that’s what I did. Now, there are a zillion different implementations to be found online, so why not adding one more to the confusion. After all, chaos reigns supreme.

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I don’t normally give modules names as I think it’s kind of confusing, but while working on this module, a fitting name popped into my head and there it stuck. And from that moment on this module shall be called ‘the leech’.

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I accidentally, a filter. Who knew that could happen. Maybe I’m picking something up about that whole electronics stuff after all. One can dream. But here it is and I proudly call it VCF-2, quite original, I know. But I ran out of cool sounding names a while back so I’m going the descriptive route.

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We don’t often like to admit it, but we all like the blinking lights in our studio. I don’t use many leds in my modules, only when I feel it would add something to the usability, but this one is all about the fancy lights (also this is posted close to Christmas, so that might have something to do with it.)

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There’s that saying that you’ll never have enough VCA’s in your modular system. IMHO you never have enough of anything in a modular, but let not digress. VCA’s are useful little buggers that you simply can’t do without. I’ve build a variety of them in the past, mostly incorporated into other more complex modules, but I thought I might as well just make a few standalone ones. I’ll probably post more approaches to the VCA issue in the future.

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This one has been in my own rack for a long time already. At the time I hadn’t taken the habit of writing my schematics down consistently. But last week the power got plugged in backwards, which, obviously fried a bunch of stuff. Since I was already taking it apart for repair, it seemed like the ideal occasion to note down the schematics.

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This one started out as a stupid idea when coming across a cheap bluetooth module on ali-express. Why not build it in an Eurorack module? Could be fun, maybe even useful for that odd field recording or weird voice message.

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Attenuators are handy in modular circuits. Not all modules have input attenuation so they come in handy. Attenuverters are even handier (is that even a word?). It combines attenuation and inversion of the incoming signal.

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According to wikipedia, A Phaser is a “an electronic sound processor used to filter a signal by creating a series of peaks and troughs in the frequency spectrum. The position of the peaks and troughs of the waveform being affected is typically modulated so that they vary over time, creating a sweeping effect. For this purpose, phasers usually include a low-frequency oscillator.” This sounds like a lot of fun.

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You cannot build a modular without any mixer modules. I’ve made quite a few mixer modules by now and I noticed I hadn’t put anything up online. So, I’m rectifying this oversight with this post.

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One needs an LFO. How else could you go wob-wob-wob?

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I’ll be hosting a DIY workshop at the Pulse Modular Music Fest where you can build the VCF-1 from kit. Entrance for the event is 10€, the workshop is an extra 25€, which includes the kit (PCB, Front panel and all components) So if you’re in the area, don’t hesitate to come and participate, there are plenty of fun things to do.

More info: http://pulsefestival.be
Tickets: https://www.nostamusic.be/agenda/pulse-modular-music-fest/

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I’ve been asked if I could do a workshop about synth building. While there are no solid plans to do so yet, I was thinking about what to build during such a workshop. It would be cool to have something to take home you’ve build yourself during the workshop, and even better if it was actually useful. While I was thinking more along the way of simple CMOS based noise-making machines, I was asked whether a filter would be possible. People like filters and if it could be CV controlled, it could be useful even for more advanced synth enthousiasts.

(edit: a workshop has been planned @ the pulse modular music festival in Opwijk, Belgium on 15/06/19)

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