Cmon

Yeah.

A-143-1 Modification

Adding voltage control and a combined trigger output to Doepfer's Complex Envelope Generator. An update to these posts (1, 2).



The A-143-1 is king of the shonky rhythm. There's something about the swing generated by its four chained envelopes and comparators that is hard to replicate with a VC-LFO and sequencer. This modification provides two features I wanted when using the A-143-1 as a wonky clock: a combined pulse stream to control other modules and an automated means of influencing the rhythm.

For the latter, I chose to add simultaneous voltage control to the threshold of all four comparators. For me, this is the parameter that makes the A-143-1 tick. It means a single CV can be used to stretch and shrink the rhythm without affecting its inherent groove. Think 'Funk Soul Brother'. Just as importantly, the modification can be accommodated on the original panel.

The Comparator outputs are chopped down to 1ms pulses, so they can easily be mixed without the need for a 'proper' logic circuit. They are also hot enough to ping filters. Add a Sample & Hold to grab values from the A-143-1's bipolar mix out and the results can sound like this:

a-143-1_mod.mp3



The star of this mod is the H11F1 Photo FET Optocoupler. It may not have the cachet of a VTL5C3, but this vactrol alternative might make a better choice for some synth mods. It's smaller, cheaper and, most importantly, has a fast, linear response.

The circuitry used in this mod is simple. The difficulty arises out of the need to quadruple the parts. You can download my build-notes here (the usual DIY disclaimers apply!) to see how I went about it. See this thread for more A-143-1 modification ideas.

To close, today's Patch of the Day offers a musical example of this modification:



The patch uses just two envelopes, sometimes chained, sometimes running as LFOs. The new combined trigger was multed to ping a Cwejman RES-4 and trigger a S&H and CTG-VC envelope. The A-143-1's mixout was sampled by the S&H and sent to the RES-4's FCV and CTG-VC's Attack CV-in. The RES-4's audio output was sent to a VCA-4MX and multed to an A-199 Spring Reverb. The 100% wet signal was sent to a second VCA/ mixer channel and opened by the CTG-VC's envelope. Altering the threshold changes the timing and also the CV that is sampled from the mix output.

Basic Electricity - Concert Today!

A reminder about tonight's gig with Derek Holzer, Vanessa Ramos-Velasquez and JenaMu6. The venue is the Kino on Kastanienallee 77, 10435 Berlin Prenzlauer Berg. Doors at 21:00, music at 22:00 sharp.



I won't be playing, but had some fun with this patch last night:



Inspired by the sound of Japan's Gentlemen Take Polaroids, it features a Plan B M15 VCO FM'd by Doepfer's A-143-9 QLFO. The gated sound was fed to an A-199 spring reverb with the feedback routed through Cwejman's FSH-1 frequency shifter. I added a touch of Logic's Ensemble, but 90% of the effect is the shifting reverb. Lovely.

Look forward to seeing you tonight at BE#6!

PotD - Mutant Horse 2

A gentle gallop into Basic Electricity #5 on Friday. This is a take on the patch Tom & I played at BE#4, likened by Ian Boddy to "riding a mutant horse".



A Sport Modulator provides both timing information and CVs, driving Maths, a VCO-2RM, Triple Wave Folder, A-112 Sampler/ Delay and VCA-2P panner. The oscillators are FM'd before being gated, folded and sampled. A stepped and manual CV controls the rhythm, delay time and panning. Flipping between track- and sample-and-hold on the SM delivers the final crack of the whip.

PotD - Swings & Roundabouts

How to patch a thru-zero frequency shifter with two quadrature VCOs and ring modulators.



I love my Cwejman FSH-1 for its wide range and smooth analogue tone. The one thing it lacks is thru-zero capability. At slow settings, frequency shifters yield beautiful spatial effects. Thru-zero is the icing on the cake as it allows the up & downshift channels to 'swap sides'. Heard in stereo, this can sound great - or disconcerting, depending on the amount of shift!

So, how to go about patching one?

James Clark's Nord Modular tutorial on spectrum shifting explains the workings of a frequency shifter but stumped me on the need for all pass filters/ Hilbert Transformers. A post by Matt Jones at the Synthedit Yahoo Group offered the necessary clue:

"Out = (Input) * (Sine oscillator) + (Input shifted by 90 degrees) * (Cosine oscillator)
Changing the + sign to a - switches the amount of the shift from up to down …"

Here's the proof of concept:



In the recording you can hear me manually sweeping a DC voltage from positive to negative, biasing the modulator and causing the shifts to move from left to right.

My patch (see below) has three caveats: one, you need a Zeroscillator or similar to provide the thru-zero shifts (!). Two, unless you have the means of generating a cosine from your complex input signal, you're limited to simple sines. Three, it's fiddly and not 100% precise. That said, the results sound great:



The patch details: the ZO is used as the modulator. Set its bias to zero and patch the 0 & 90 degree outputs to the CV inputs of two ring modulators (e.g. A-133). I used the Doepfer A-143-9 QLFO as my signal as it provides the necessary outs. The 0 & 90 degree outputs were patched to the respective ring mods. The Toppobrillo TWF can be used to generate a cosine from another source, but I wanted to keep the patch as simple as possible.

To generate the upshift, I mixed the result of the 0 and 90 degree multiplications. To get the downshift, I subtracted the 90 from the 0 degree via an external inverter. The Cwejman VCA-4MX was used as the output to my final mixer. It's perfect for this task as it allows you to independently tap the mix of channels 1&2 and 3&4, which you can then pan left and right.

The fiddly bits: to bias the ZO correctly in both directions, I had to tune two voltages (+ve & -ve, Maths or Fonik's mh-01) and send them to the linear FM input via a sequential switch. It would have been easier to use the pulse output of the clocking LFO, but this didn't give me equal positive and negative bias i.e. the side-swapping effect was compromised. You can hear this in the first recording where I apply the bias manually. The second detail you have to watch is the mix/ subtraction balance to ensure clean up & down shifts, but this isn't too tricky. Just use your ears for both.

The ZO makes this patch possible. With zero bias, the oscillator comes to a stand-still. Any voltage you apply to the linear input will cause it to jump into action. Reverse the bias voltage and the ZO changes direction causing the shifts to swap sides. You could use a second A-143-9 as modulator, but would then lose this ability. Still, two QLFOs, an A-133 and mixer/ inverter offer an inexpensive single-sideband-modulation patch.

Buy Swings & Roundabouts.

Patch of the Day - Basic Variations

Two takes on a theme. One involving FM, the other AM techniques. My Basic Electricity #2 epilogue.



This first patch was inspired by Richard & Rastko's jam on Friday night. It features the FM and Low Pass Gate action of the former and the lo-fi Ciat-Lonbarde sound of the latter. I recorded two passes of a Wogglebug & Maths driving Plan B's models 15 & 13 and Doepfer's A-112 sampler delay.





This second patch has a similar core, but the sound is based on amplitude modulation. The dual peak sine of a Cwejman MMF-1 modulates a VCA-2P. The carrier was the sine of an A-143-9. I altered the C:M relationship throughout the patch. Delay was courtesy of the EHX SMMH.



These patches show the types of complex timbres that can be achieved with modulation. With the current trend for 'West Coast' synthesis, FM is a familiar technique. AM seems to be regarded as ring modulation's poor cousin, but it can be a rich source of sounds.

For me, part of its strength lies in the fact that the carrier, effectively the fundamental, is still present in the resulting signal. To get the most from AM, you'll need two VCAs and possibly some form of offset/ attenuation. As ever, Gordon Reid has the dope.

Thanks to everyone who came to the gig and to Rastko, Hayden & Richard for the wonderful performances.

PotD - Return of the PLL Arabesque

Using a min/max analogue logic module as a phase comparator. Inspired by dougcl's classic PLL patches (1, 2) and this post by Giftnudel.



PLLs seem to be a hot topic again. The jury is still out on whether they're used in the Buchla 259. Make Noise and WMD have announced PLL-equipped VCOs. They form part of the Wogglebug's chaotic heart and can be heard sputtering in the Hertz Donut's bad tracking modes.

I'd read about the inner workings of Doepfer's A-196 and PLLs in general in Horowitz/ Hill's Art of Electronics, but only just tried Giftnudel's patch. The A-196 employs a linear VCO, but as you can hear, the patch works just as well with standard, exponential VCOs:


minmax-pll (master left, slave right)

Two VCOs are compared in a min/max module like the Doepfer A-172. The minimum signal is subtracted from the maximum and the difference fed back to the 'slave' via a slew limiter, thus generating a CV. Depending on the initial frequency difference between the two VCOs and the lag time, you can imitate the wonderful glitches made famous by dougcl.

One nice thing about using this method over traditional sync is that it doesn't affect the sound of the slave as much. The other is that the slew limiter offers control over how well, or poorly, the oscillator tracks.

Patch Tips #21 - Getting Animated

Doepfer's A-137-2 'Wave Multiplier II' does more than just super-saw.



This module uses a set of comparators to generate four 'fake' phase-shifted versions of the input material. The offset of each saw can be modulated, generating a large sound from a single oscillator. As the module is DC-coupled, it can also be used to process CVs.

When I first got the A-137-2, I considered building an expander to gain access to its pulse outputs and avoid having to unscrew the module from the system to remove stages from its output. Two discoveries I've made this week happily mean this isn't necessary.

The first relates to the manual shift knobs: when set at zero, a stage is effectively removed from the output. This is great news if, for example, you only want one additional animated saw. It also has implications when using the A-137-2 as a comparator-based timing delay.

Secondly, the A-137-2 will function without the usual input. Activate a stage by setting its manual shift to something other than zero and feed your signal to its CV input. The result: those hidden pulses! With some careful setting, you can get some mad waveforms:



I'm not sure if this is a bug or a feature - a comparator needs two signals - but, as you can hear from today's Patch of the Day, it offers an additional palette of sounds.



To use the A-137-2 as a shonky beat machine à la A-143-1, feed it a ramp LFO. I've found using a positive-only CV from Maths works best as the comparators switch on both the rising (on) and falling edges (off) of a wave. Patch its output to an A-162 or similar to get clean pulses.

The A-137-2 is another Doepfer gem, offering several uses for not much money. If you want to learn more about the workings of this module, read the ETI article on the Digisound Waveform Multiplier or, if your French is up to it, the Elektor article linked at the bottom of the Doepfer product page.

Feedback Looper

A DIY expander for the Doepfer A-112 Sampler/ Delay/ Wavetable Osc.



Since re-buying the A-112 earlier this Summer, it's become a frequent feature in my music. The one thing I wished it had was a built-in feedback function for delay duties. This can be patched, but ties up a mixer, usually a four-channel, 8HP one. This passive 4HP mixer is dedicated to that task. It also incorporates a mod to bypass the A-112's filter and AC-coupling circuit which allows one to record and process CVs.

The source signal is mixed with the output of the A-112 via resistors. Feedback is controlled via a pot. A mult of the return signal is used as the main output. You can download the schematic and extra pictures here. Experiment with the values of the resistors to get the best results for your set up. I'm sure an active circuit would have been better, but to paraphrase Nicolas Collins: if it works and doesn't smoke, don't sweat it!

As with Bitsy, I used a PCB blank, this time from MFB. Thanks to Schneidersladen for the spare Cliff jacks and Cwejman-style knobs. They're D-shaft, but that's nothing a quick blast with a drill can't solve.

Today's Patch of the Day is a jam with two feedback paths: the output of the A-112 was first sent to the A-199 spring reverb before being returned to the mixer. The oscillator was the A-143-9 QLFO, itself receiving a little feedback to bend its sine into a triangle.



DIY can be fun and frustrating but it's worth the effort, especially if you end up with a module that meets your own needs. As ever, the usual disclaimer: modding your A-112 will void your warranty, carry out at your own risk!

Doepfer A-199 Spring Reverb

With so many cool new modules being released, it's easy to overlook some of the classics. Similar to my A-156 quantizer epiphany, I've only just discovered the Doepfer A-199 Spring Reverb. Primitive though the effect may be, it's breathed new life into my system.



Here's a demo of how it sounds and some ideas for patching the feedback path:

Doepfer A-199 Spring Reverb Demo by navs

I'd tried the A-199 before, but wasn't taken by it: I guess I was looking for reverb, when I should have been listening to the effect for what it was. While on a recent hiking holiday, I came across an old, rusted gate. Because of its age and construction, opening and closing it generated wonderful, resonant/ reverberated sounds. I 'played' this gate for a full five minutes and spent the rest of the walk thinking about how one might recreate its sound. The A-199's time had come.

Today's Patch of the Day features a Cwejman RES-4, the A-199 and Metasonix R54 in the feedback path:



The one criticism that's leveled at the A-199 is its tendency to hum, but, keeping the module far enough away from the PSU and the springs outside the case, I haven't noticed this to be too bad. I'm also happy with the sound of the stock Belton tank, but if you want to change it, consult this spring reverb wiki compiled by Tim Stinchcombe for a suitable replacement.

The A-199 is a lot of fun. It can add simple ambience to sounds or be patched as a special effect. This module was the missing element in my system, adding space, colour and character - spring reverbs and modular synths seem to be made for each other.

Patch of the Day - Ping

Live patch featuring a modified Doepfer A-162 Trigger Delay to ping filters, including a Cwejman MMF-1, RES-4 and a Metasonix R-54.





I love the sound of a pinged filter and normally use Maths' EOA to convert a gate signal into the short pulse necessary to achieve this. Having only one Maths in my system, this can be an 'expensive' use of the module, so I wondered whether the A-162 could be a cheap alternative.

At 10V, the A-162's output is hot enough to push a filter into oscillation. Unfortunately, the stock module's minimum time is only just short enough to avoid a double-trigger. I first replaced the standard 10 uF timing capacitor with a 1 uF, but, despite shortening the range by a factor of 10, it didn't give the scope I wanted, so I settled on a 0.1 uF blocking cap!

At the beginning of the recording, you can hear the effect the pulse width has on the MMF-1's ring as I increase the length up to the point where it double-triggers and back. With a 0.1 uF cap, the pulse is so short it can also be used to FM the filter to add a percussive edge.

If you want to try this mod on your Trigger Delay, or other Doepfer module with a timing capacitor, there's more info here.

See an update to this post here.

Patch of the Day - Define Time

Thru-zero linear FM fun with the Cyndustries Zeroscillator and Toppobrillo Sport Modulator.





Today's PotD showcases some of the lovely linear FM timbres and stereo effects that the ZO is capable of. It's a single-pass recording of the 0 and 270 quadrature outs, panned hard left and right, with only a little plate reverb from Audio Damage's Eos added. I used a self-oscillating Cwejman MMF-1 filter as modulator, manually offsetting its pitch with four pre-set voltages from a Fonitronik mh01.

The Sport Modulator drives the patch, delivering both CVs and gates. The cycle/ sample times were nudged manually, with some cross-modulation and the stepped random signal of a Wogglebug. The latter's smooth out modulated the attack time and loop trigger of a Cwejman CTG-VC. At high speeds, the envelope amplitude modulates the VCA-2P used as the final gate, adding further sidebands to the mix.

Patch of the Day - Lagtyme

Featuring the Toppobrillo Sport Modulator as VC divider and Triple Wave Folder as VC Multiplier.



Today's PotD is based on the 'VC divider' patch with the added twist of a multiplied pulse train courtesy of the TWF. Mult your clock source to four destinations: the TWF, Env1, SM1 S/H and SM2 S/H. Set both sections of the SM to cycle in 'hold' mode, send the output to two VCOs (in this case for pitch and PWM) and the End Out to envelopes 2 & 3. Take the TWF's pulse output to trigger a fourth envelope. In the recording, the first sound you hear is paced by the source clock, the two VCOs by the divisions generated by the SM and the hi-hat by the TWF stream.

You might not want the pitch changes generated by patching the SM's outs to the VCOs, but in this case it allowed me to generate some noise bursts by flicking each section's mode button from S&H to lag and hold. I also added some variation to the patch by sending three CV variables from Pressure Points to the two Toppobrillo modules.

For more patch ideas, see the Sport Modulator page and manual here.

PotD - Brains Releasequence

Today's Patch of the Day showcases some of the features that make the combination of Brains, Pressure Points and Maths such a flexible & tactile sequencing package.



Here are the patch details:

Cycling Maths Ch1 acts as clock. EOR > Brains CLK.
Linear, R = 0, Fall = 14:30
Envelope controls VCA depth + VCO FM Index.

Maths Ch4 slews Press CV from PP buss (use input, not trigger).
R + F ca. 15:00, exponential.
Slewed CV > VCA (dynamics), Brains 'Run' + Maths Ch2.
Set Ch2 to ca. 22:00 (-ve) and patch to Ch1 Fall VC

Patch PP rows 1-3 > sequential switch. PP row 1 gate > A-152 clock.
Digital out 4 > reset, common I/O > quantiser > VCO.

And here's what's happening:

Although Maths is cycling and providing Brains with a clock, the sequence is blocked from running until the press CV exceeds 1V. On release of the touch plate, the Press CV fades out, allowing the sequence to continue running until it again falls below 1V. An inverted mult of the press CV, which is fed to Ch1's Fall VC via Ch2, controls the speed of the clock. The harder you press, the faster the clock. As the press CV fades, the clock slows. Try different rise and fall times for both channels 1 + 4 and the amount of fall VC from Ch2 to taste. You could, for example, have the sequence get faster as the volume fades. The remaining connections (Ch4 EOC > Brains reset, PP rows 1-3 > multiplexer etc.) are non-essential, but nice.

Release: Best of Patch of the Day

I've just released The Best of Patch of the Day Vol. 1, which is available from my bandcamp page for three Euros.



The EP contains some patches from the past plus one new recording. Prebloom is a live performance featuring a Cwejman RES-4 & CTG-VC, Toppobrillo TWF, Doepfer A-143-1, Plan B Model 15 & Harvestman Hertz Donut VCOs, Makenoise Pressure Points and f(h) Choices joystick. I'll leave you to figure out the patch configuration from my previous examples!

4MS Rotating Clock Divider

First impressions of the 4MS Rotating Clock Divider.

This colourful module is an update on the classic clock divider design, offering even and un-even divisions of 1 to 64 and a unique rotate function to shift the resulting triggers along its eight outputs.

Here's a run-through featuring four voices. Towards the end, a random CV is applied to the rotate function.



The next example focusses on the rotate function, which is addressed via a CV. While this is more complicated than stepping with a gate, it allows programmed timing-changes with a sequencer or preset controller like Pressure Points.



The RCD outputs triggers, rather than gates. This is useful for percussive material, but has implications for certain logic gating functions. In this example, the main clock is AND-gated by the /4 output, first with a Doepfer A-160, then with the RCD.



The RCD will also function as an audio sub-divider. Here too, the results are different to the A-160 because of the lack of gates.



Sine wave source mixed with 'divided' signal. Choices joystick used to first rotate and then also change pitch.

The following example uses the RCD as a simple three-voice sequencer. The clock is reset on the first beat of the bar until the 1:25 mark (shortly after the FM index riser). Thereafter, the divisions are allowed to run free until about 1:50 (after the decay of the open high hat is lengthened) when it is snapped back into sync. A joystick was used to provide the rotate CV.



This was a lot of fun, but it did highlight an issue common to both the RCD and A-160: neither play 'on the one'. This is apparent when the drums are faded in (0:30). The cymbal denotes the down-beat, the RCD is playing off-beat. This can be 'corrected' on the A-160 with a logic inverter but, as the RCD outputs triggers, this is not possible. Another thing that became clear was the need for some planning with a programmer to set appropriate divisions, rather than wiggling a joystick!

The RCD got me thinking and working in a way I hadn't previously and I wanted to see whether the A-160/ 1 could compete. In this recording I mimicked the previous patch with the Doepfer clocking modules and fed four different reset triggers via an A-151 sequential switch which I stepped with a manual gate.



This resulted in less drastic changes than rotating divisions, but the shifting rhythmical patterns were no less musical or interesting. I also got the impression that the Doepfer divider had a bit more 'funk' than the 4MS, but this might just be down to timing inaccuracies on the part of the A-160.

The 4MS Rotating Clock Divider is mesmerizing, immediate and a lot of fun. Having easy access to un-even divisions was a revelation and the reset possibilities allow for complex rhythmic patterns. I'm not sure I'd want it as the only clock divider in my system, but it could certainly fulfill that role.

To wrap things up, today's Patch of the Day features the RCD and Plan B's M23 ASR.


shufti

Two VCOs, panned left and right receive shifted pitch and trigger information. A Wogglebug provides a random CV to rotate the RCD, modulate Maths' envelope length and transpose the sequence.

PotD - Patch Collective

Live performance patch featuring 4 VCOs, 2 LPGs, 4 EGs, quantizer, analogue shift register, mux, Choices, Pressure Points, a bunch of mixers & VCAs and a pair of hands.

PotD_Patchcollective  by  navs

As you can tell from the long list of modules, this patch took some setting up, but was quite simple once I knew what I wanted. The combination of PP & Choices offered a variety of control options and made this patch come to life.

You can probably guess most of what's happening in the recording, so I won't go into detail. One tip I'd like to share with you, though, is how I controlled the Low Pass Gates as this was key to the patch. I mixed Choices Y output with the envelopes to open the LPGs for the sustained sounds and then close them for the short note runs. Really simple, but effective.

And if you're wondering how I achieved the slow, rising pitch in the sustained passages, that's the sound of a voltage-loaded but un-triggered Plan B M23 ASR!

Toppobrillo TWF Update

Some more examples of the wonderful Toppobrillo Triple Wave Folder.



Self-running patch comprising two VCOs & VCAs, Maths & Wogglebug. One VCO is folded, the other modulates the TWF's Bias, WB is triggered by Maths' EOR, stepped out to pitch, envelope slopes and WB clock.

Recorded in response to Rechner7's Stockhausen-esque Noise Ring/ Pressure Points patch.

Wavefolders respond to dynamic changes, so I gated both the carrier and modulator before sending them to the TWF. This can have a dramatic effect and this patch would not have sounded the same had I gated the output post folding.

This is an example of using the TWF to achieve linear-FM-like sounds: tbtwf_doublebass

Again, the VCO was first sent to a VCA. An envelope modules the bias, manual tweaks to envelope times and DC offset. Pure sine first, then folded.

This sort of sound is normally quite tricky to achieve via analogue FM, because of phase and tracking issues.

Here's an evolving sound featuring a sine wave some light envelope modulation of bias and manual tweaks: tbtwf_evolve

The Triple Wave Folder has so many sweet-spots for this kind of tonal shaping and the output is clean enough so you don't need further filtering.

Lastly, here's an example of the TWF's saw to sine function: tbtwf_saw2sine and a PDF with software 'scope pictures.

As you can hear, it does a great job. I asked Josh about the rounding of the saw evident in the 'scope shot and he confirmed that this is normal. He also explained how he achieved the panning effect in his demo: the resulting sine is 90 degrees out of phase so all you need is a multi-output LFO/ oscillator. Thanks Josh!

PotD - Toppo Banjo & the Wonky Beat

Two patches/ applications featuring Toppobrillo's Triple Wavefolder: first as a traditional audio waveform multiplier, then processing an LFO to generate syncopated rhythms.

Toppo Banjo

Although the TWF is capable of creating more extreme sounds, especially when fed with polyphonic or FM'd material, in this first recording I've kept the settings fairly tame.

For the plucked banjo sound two stages of the TWF processed a single sine wave which was then filtered by a Wiard/ Malekko Borg. The bias was modulated with an envelope. The guitar sound was similar, with the exception that I modulated the DC offset with an LFO. The Hammond/ Leslie-like sound was the result of three stages folding an exp. FM sound from a Cwejman VCO-2RM, an oscillator the TWF seems to love.

In this second example I used the TWF to multiply an LFO to mess with an otherwise straight rhythm:

BeatFolder

The kick drum is triggered by the pulse out of a Doepfer A-147 VCLFO, the FM click sound by the folded signal and the FM klonk by a subdivision of the same (A-160). In the first 40 seconds I adjusted the bias settings of the three folding stages, thereafter I altered the DC offset. This was a lot of fun and the results are certainly useable.

The Toppobrillo Triple Wavefolder has been a revelation to me - despite having built my own CGS Lockhart Wavefolder and tried Doepfer's A-137 and the Bananalogue/ Serge WVX, I never quite 'got' wavefolding/ multiplying. The Toppo sounds fantastic - to my ears, the best of the bunch - and its open nature makes it a flexible tool: you could, for example, tap the output at stage two, send it to a resonant filter it and then return it to stage three for some final folding. I managed to coax subtle plucked harp sounds through to aggressive sync-like 'digital' basses from this module, all with minimal fuss. Its taken me a while to cotton on, but the Toppo has opened my ears to wavefolding and got me inspired.

Thanks to Herr Schulz at Schneiders for his almost missionary zeal in recommending the TWF!

PotD - We All Pass Out

Using the All Pass output of one of favourite filters - Plan B's Model 12 State Variable Vactrol Filter - to create a phasing effect. Inspired by this old thread at modularsynth.net




PotD - We All Pass Out

FM'd self-oscillating Cwejman MMF-1 filter sent to both a mixer and the M12, All Pass out returned to mixer. Gated by a Bananalogue/ Serge VCS which is responsible for much of the sequence's funk due to its inability to re-trigger.

The phase cancellations are clearly audible at around the 10 second mark as I fade in the all-pass signal to the mix.

The balance between original and all-passed signal is key to getting the phasing right. The M12 is capable of some very musical distortion (more on this below) and I think I pushed the filter's input too much in the first example. To compensate for the source material's lack of harmonics and to help set a better balance, in this example I first processed the sequence with my Ken Stone Lockhart wavefolder:


M12 as Phaser

This last clip demonstrates the Model 12's characteristic 'vactrol fuzz'. An FM'd Hertz Donut is fed into the filter, Maths sweeps the cutoff while I manually adjust the filter input level. I also compensated for the increased volume at higher fuzz levels by turning down the final VCA accordingly.


M12 Vactrol Fuzz

Normally, this is just the right amount of fuzz for my liking but, if you remember this, you'll know that the M12 is capable of some truly molten sounds.