New North Coast Synthesis MSK 010 Fixed Sine Bank

via North Coast Synthesis Ltd.

"Everywhere A Sine

Never run out of modulation sources again. With the MSK 010 you get eight fixed-frequency LFOs with nice smooth sine waveforms in 8HP, which is one of the best LFO to HP ratios in the Eurorack world.

The MSK 010's Wien-bridge oscillator cores produce low-frequency sine waves natively, in a fully analog way with a minimum of harmonic distortion. There are no glitches from waveshaping or stair-steps from insufficiently filtered digital-to-analog conversion. Modulate synthesis parameters with these for smoothly evolving timbres and mind-expanding soundscapes. Because the cores are fully independent and will not synchronize, a patch using multiple LFOs will not repeat its modulation state for a long time, if ever.

Choose one of three variants of this module, each with its own set of eight nominal frequencies and cycle times. There are no duplicate or near-duplicate frequencies between different variants, so with two or three, you get the full benefit of a larger modulation palette. Note that the nominal frequencies are just that; every module will have its own one-of-a-kind pattern of exact output frequencies within a few percent of the nominal values, due to component tolerances.

Variant A - 16mHz, 60mHz, 190mHz, 410mHz, 720mHz, 1.3Hz, 4.8Hz, 16Hz (63s cycle time down to 63ms)
Variant B - 34mHz, 88mHz, 160mHz, 280mHz, 600mHz, 1.8Hz, 3.4Hz, 11Hz (30s cycle time down to 94ms)
Variant C - 28mHz, 72mHz, 130mHz, 340mHz, 2.2Hz, 4.1Hz, 7.2Hz, 8.8Hz (35s cycle time down to 110ms)
The MSK 010 is available as a pre-built 8HP Eurorack module or for do-it-yourself construction, with prices as low as zero (if you download the plans and source all the parts yourself). Imagine having enough LFOs to modulate everything.

All-new design, not a clone or imitation of anything else
Fast starting - full amplitude oscillations within one cycle of power-up, unlike the usual behaviour of an oscillating filter
Through-hole design for easy hand construction and maintenance
Connectors between boards, and panel components, mounted on the boards; no flying wires
All three variants build from the same bill of materials; one full kit or PCB set can be used to build any one variant of your choice.
No compromises on component quality: real aluminum panel, not PCB material, with colour printing; nickel and gold plating on the circuit boards; close-tolerance fixed resistors and integration capacitors.
Complete technical documentation released under GPL
Specifications

8HP Eurorack synthesizer module, 43mm deep including mated power cable.
Maximum current requirements in normal use: 40mA +12V, 40mA -12V. Reverse-connection protected.
Build difficulty: easy. All through-hole. No adjustment or trimming."

New North Coast Synthesis MSK 008 Dual VC Octave Switch

via North Coast Synthesis Ltd.

"Master of Melodies

The MSK 008 Voltage-Controlled Octave Switch is a multifunction voltage processor. The module has two channels, each containing a whole-volt quantizer that maps its input to the nearest integer number of volts from -2 to +2; a three-position toggle switch that shifts the quantizer boundaries up or down by a volt; and a precision adder (with optional subtraction function).

If you simply route a pitch CV through one of the unquantized CV1 inputs, it can be a performance control, allowing easy transposition up or down an octave at the flip of a switch. That might be useful for VCOs without their own built-in octave switches. With no input signal, it generates a selectable offset of -1, 0, or +1 volts; feed that into an attenuated exponential FM input somewhere and you get the same tactile control over any other interval transposition you choose.

But the possibilities really open up when you start using more inputs. An LFO into the quantized input gives the effect of flipping the octave switch under CV control, keeping your hands free to wiggle elsewhere. Using the unquantized inputs, which are normalled across the two channels, you can transpose one sequence by another. The CV2 input can add or subtract, selectable during build by a solder jumper on the circuit board; in a default build, CV2 adds on the left channel and subtracts on the right, but do-it-yourselfers can change this selection, or design their own expanders to make it switchable on the fly.

Combining the two channels, with or without other utility modules, allows more complex melody-shifting effects. And it doesn't have to be just for oscillator pitch control. Switching fixed-voltage offsets on filter cutoffs also makes for great drops and timbral shifts. (And try putting the result through a slew limiter!) The default sum and difference configuration allows the module to act as a "mid-side" encoder or decoder. With other patching it can be a flip-flop or a wavefolder.

The MSK 008 is fast enough to work on audio. The quantizer is built from hardware comparators, without a microcontroller, and it can do simple bit-crushing effects across the whole audio spectrum. Each channel can also be a unity mixer for audio, with two regular inputs plus the output of the bit-crusher.

The MSK 008 is available as a pre-built 8HP Eurorack module, a do-it-yourself kit, or bare boards. Prices can be as low as zero (if you download the plans and source all the parts yourself). It has blinky red and green lights on it.

Two channels and multiple CV functions in a small space
Flash-style comparator quantization - no microcontroller
Through-hole design for easy hand construction and maintenance
Connectors between boards, and panel controls mounted on a board - no flying wires
No compromises on component quality: real aluminum panel, not PCB material, with colour printing; nickel and gold plating on the circuit boards; close-tolerance metal film fixed resistors; multiturn trimmers.
Fully open design - no lock-in
Specifications

8HP Eurorack synthesizer module, 43mm deep including mated power cable.
Maximum current requirements in normal use 45mA at +12V, 50mA at -12V. Reverse-connection protected.
Build difficulty: easy. All through-hole. Accurate voltmeter (or a tracking VCO and some way of measuring its frequency) needed for adjustment."

New North Coast Synthesis MSK 007 Leapfrog VCF

And we have a new maker featured on the site.

via North Coast Synthesis Ltd.

"Not Your Grandmother's Synth Filter (Yet)

There are hundreds of analog synthesizer VCFs, but only a few core designs. You've got your Moog transistor ladder and imitators that use diodes or other substitutes; you've got your two-pole state variable filter, maybe cascaded to get additional poles; and that's about it. Your grandmother was making electronic music with these designs in the 1960s, and not much has happened since. There are a few more options available in digital and semi-digital (such as switched-capacitor) architectures, but most analog designers have given up trying to create really new filters. Instead, they compete on how well they can imitate or clone specific "vintage" filters.

The North Coast Synthesis MSK 007 Leapfrog is new and different, with a sound all its own. The fifth-order "leapfrog" core topology, with five integrators and multiple feedback loops, originates in scientific work more recent than the 1960s and as far as we know never before available in a modular synth VCF. The near-elliptic response curve has an extremely sharp cutoff, with ripple in the passband and nulls in the stopband at frequencies chosen to be musically relevant.

Sweep the cutoff and hear each harmonic pop into existence and wobble around before the next one arrives. Choose a timbre, and the temperature compensated volt per octave tracking will keep it consistent across the frequency range. Change it up with exponential and linear frequency modulation. There's even a built-in VCA, because you can never have too many VCAs.

The MSK 007 is available as a pre-built 16HP Eurorack module, a DIY kit, or as bare boards. It's the perfect gift for Grandma or any other electronic musician in your life.

All-new design, not a clone or imitation of anything else
Ultra-sharp five-pole near-elliptic low-pass response, 61dB/octave at the least steep part of the main cutoff slope, with peaks and nulls at musically relevant frequencies
Built-in VCA switchable to feedback or output modes from the front panel - no jumpers
Temperature compensated V/octave tracking
Through-hole for easy hand construction and maintenance
Connectors between boards, and panel controls mounted on a board - no flying wires
No compromises on component quality: real aluminum panel, not PCB material, with colour printing; nickel and gold plating on the circuit boards; smooth-touch conductive plastic panel potentiometers rated for one million operations; polystyrene integrator capacitors; close-tolerance metal film fixed resistors; multiturn trimmers.
Fully open design - no lock-in
Specifications

16HP Eurorack synthesizer module, 58mm deep including mated power cable.
Maximum current requirements in normal use: 70mA +12V, 65mA -12V. Reverse-connection protected.
Build difficulty: intermediate to advanced, because of the number of parts and adjustment steps. All through-hole. Multimeter and dual-trace digital oscilloscope are recommended for adjustment, with other options possible."