Herzlich Labs OMEN / DUAL PASSIVE RESONANT LPG with BITE / quick playthrough

video upload by BRiES

"This is a short video demonstrating the basic sound and functionality of OMEN. There's two channels of LPG goodness which both sound really different, and you can further shape the sound with the on board switches and knobs. It's possible to use the channels seperately (for different sound sources) or to use the two channels of OMEN linked with just one signal going into the first input. You'll hear that this sounds really wonderful!

You can download the user guide poster I made for OMEN here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Opq...

Herzlich Labs hand-builds a variety of modules, but one of the things that they're extra proud of is the MMI. This module is a MAN-MACHINE-INTERFACE that lets you modulate parameters around your rack by touching the different capacative plates on the frontpanel. If you're interested in something like that you should definitely check out their Etsy or Reverb webshops (links below). If you have any questions about the Herzlich Lab modules, send LB a direct message, he's usually really quick to respond.

Herzlich Labs on Reverb: https://reverb.com/shop/herzlichlabs
Herzlich Labs on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HerzlichLabs

DISCLAIMER: LB from Herzlich Labs sent me this unit to explore and demonstrate. I think it's interesting to shine a light on some makers that are not as well known as the big names in the field, as sometimes they make really great designs and usually these modules are relatively affordable. I hope that by watching the video you can figure out if OMEN is right for you or not."

"The Omen is a dual LPG with a bit more than you might be used to. Like you, I once was lost in the world of low pass gates, seeking something more, something bigger and somehow juicier. The inspiration came to me as I was reading a particularly heavy book on passive filters, and I realized it was possible to make far more interesting LPG designs than the standard we've become so accustomed to.

In a convergence of old-school LPG design and more modern components, the Omen boasts two -6dB resonant filters, custom built vactrols, built in CV attenuation and no less than three cutoff modes per filter. Filter 1 is soft and light, imparting a gentle, naturally gated touch of filtering on your sound, while Filter 2 is darker and more resonant, and can turn downright growly and distorted when left wide open.

Designed to give you as many creative options as possible, the Omen has the unique ability to function as either two discrete LPG, or as one 4-pole resonant LPG. When plugging a signal in to Input 1, and with no signal plugged into Input 2, the output will be present at both Output 1 and Output 2, with Output 2 producing the signal as it passes through both filters. Tweaking both filters independently will generate a wide array of soft and sometimes harsh tones, ranging from Buchla bongos to early synthesis brass and organ sounds. There is much to love here.

CV is similarly handled, by plugging in only one CV source, it will act on both channels - this is useful for creating musically similar outputs as well as when using the dual filter operation. However, the dual filter mode greatly benefits from having two CV inputs: use an envelope in CV1 to act as a VCA, and an LFO in CV2 to create tremolo, for instance.

Using custom designed, hand built vactrols, care has been taken to mitigate the less desirable aspects of passive LPGs - in most modules, the user can expect zero bleed through on the LPG channels, and signal attenuation is minimal even with the 4-pole filter settings engaged. Of course, many of the natural features of vactrols remain, such as subtle memory effect when engaging the vactrol for long periods.

Finally, you receive maximum blinkenlights as LED's on the front panel simulate the action of the vactrols, so you'll always know what's going on under the hood. No collection of fancy LPG's is complete without the Omen."