Forge TME VHIKK X - First look

video upload by John Schussler

"I have a VHIKK v1, and it's a fantastic drone/texture module. When Forge TME announced the VHIKK X I immediately joined the wait list.

Here's my vid on the original: [posted here]

The wait is over, and it has just arrived. Here's my first play with it.

Like the original, it has so much interactivity that you don't really have to modulate it with anything externally. But of course it gets even more lively when you do.

Here's a general overview of the sounds you get with minimal effort.

Other than a bit of reverb, this is all VHIKK X."

VHIKK X sound demo 1

video upload by Forge TME

"Playing around with Vhikk X.
Just a casual sound demo.. full video manual is in the works.
Apologies for the [lack of] lighting and for constantly obscuring the module...

All sounds are recorded direct from Vhikk X outputs, with some CV control added later in the video. V/Oct tracking is also demonstrated."

See the Forge TME label below for more.

Forge TME - VHIKK multi oscillator voice

video upload by Forge TME

"The vhikk is a multi-algorithm experimental synth voice for eurorack. It combines wavetable oscillators, filters and delay-based effects into one module with 9 different modes."


video upload by John Schussler

"The name of the company is Forge-TME. The module is VHIKK. No, I don't know what any of that means.

The module at its most basic is an oscillator. Several, actually, merged with a variety of self modulation, feedback, and delay connections that make it look, at first glance, like an all-in-one drone.

It ends up being more than that. It tracks 1v/oct just fine, so can be a melodic, even lead oscillator voice. I start this video with the basic drone side of things, but then move over to the sequenced pattern side, which is equally interesting.

I'm not going to try to explain the module in any detail, as its structure is too complicated. You're gonna have to RTFM for that (https://forge-tme.com/vhikk/). On the upside, that complexity doesn't make it hard to use. Wiggle the knobs and lots of great stuff comes out.

Sequencer: Stochastic IG. Envelope: Zadar

00:00 Intro
00:20 Drone - no pitch
04:45 Drone - pitch up
18:28 Slow sequence
23:00 Fast sequence"

"The vhikk twists, convulses and wails in a vortex haunted, spitting dirt and dust and time and raw energy. Rapid shadows, alien physics, pulsating artefacts, sometimes ridiculous, sometimes possessed.

The vhikk is a multi-algorithm sound source capable of traversing sonic planes complex, raw, dense, electric, erratic, dynamic.

The vhikk trades total control/comprehension/repeatability for a [hopefully fertile] dialogical experience and breadth of sonic palette. It is intrinsically ephemeral and is designed to encourage exploration and presence - with low cognitive overhead.

The vhikk is happy alone but thirsty for voltages. The produced output can be quite spectrally and temporally full and doesn't necessarily require [but definitely appreciates] further processing to synthesise musically useful material.

The Vhikk is a multi-algorithm experimental synth voice specialising in [but not limited to] complex drones and basses, rich textures, and dynamic sfx. It combines sound generation and effects processing into one module with 9 different modes.

The nature of the Vhikk makes it suitable for situations where a compact, ergonomic, and self-contained sound source would be welcome - for example smaller modular systems, or large systems where a strange sound source with minimised cognitive overhead would be desirable.

The general architecture consists of a bank of wavetable oscillators [the generator] sent through a filter section which then passes into a delay-based structure [the processor] - with the specific architecture and character of these sections dependent on the selected mode.

Some of the modes implement what is referred to here as 'cluster scanning' - a smooth crossfading scan through sets of frequency/wave pairs. Imagine a wavetable scan parameter but each distinct wave position also has an associated frequency offset. In the modes implementing cluster scanning these wave/frequency offsets are different for every oscillator.

The processor in general consists of a delay-based structure which can be smoothly transformed from something resembling a delay [distinct [albeit processed] repeats] to something resembling a reverb [diffused repeats, increasing echo density, modulation].

There is a frequency shifter integrated into the processor, either post delay-structure or in the feedback loop depending on mode and FEED position.

The X jack is a signal input which is merged with the generator pre-filter and passed into the processor. The graphic in the upper middle of the panel is a level indicator for the X input."

You can find additional details at https://forge-tme.com/vhikk/.