Replica Buchla 100 series modular synth: LA67 Mort’s Barge

video upload by Tom Churchill

"This video is about Mort’s Barge - a replica mini-system of five Buchla 100 series modules that were used by electronic music pioneer Morton Subotnick in the mid-1960s. I recently built the 4U DIY modules from LA67, and in this video I walk through the features and create a few patches that show what they’re capable of.

My build notes are here:
https://www.modwiggler.com/forum/view...

Find out more about the Mort’s Barge DIY set on the LA67 website:
https://www.lasesentaysiete.com/mort-..."

You can find additional posts featuring Mort's Barge here.



Notes and pics via Tom Churchill's post on Mod Wiggler:

"I thought I’d share a couple of things I learned along the way which maybe aren’t immediately obvious from the BOMs alone, in case anyone else is planning to tackle the build and is looking for some tips.

Some of this stuff has no doubt been covered earlier in the thread, so apologies for any repetition. Also, a lot will probably be obvious to experienced builders, but I’m definitely not in that category yet, so for anyone else (like me) who’s only built Eurorack kits previously, maybe isn’t super-familiar with circuit theory and component sourcing, it might be useful.

Enclosure:
After I ordered the panels and PCBs from LA67 I contacted Julian at The Beast to ask about his 6U Buchla boats. As luck would have it he still had a couple of the special boats he supplied to LA67 for the pre-built Mort’s Barge systems, with matt black coating and pre-drilled holes for power inlet, power switch and grounding banana socket, so I snagged one.
I added some rubber feet to allow a bit of clearance for the screws I used to mount the PSU PCB (see below) and to avoid the underside getting scratched.
For mounting the modules, I bought a pack of 20 M3 speed fasteners (aka captive nuts, aka Tinnermans) from eBay, and secured the modules using M3 6mm screws with plastic washers.
Power:
The PSU PCB doesn’t require any caps and you just need to solder one bridge as marked. (This is now clear on the Mort’s Barge PSU BOM, but it wasn’t at first.)
I mounted the PSU PCB on 8mm M2.5 standoffs via the pre-drilled holes in the bottom of the boat.
I added a 2.1.mm DC inlet and wired a 20mm round rocker switch in series.
I added a single banana socket connected to 0V to provide a ground for any other cases I might want to use with it (and for connecting to Eurorack - see below).
For the AC-DC converter I just used a standard 12V 2A wall wart I had lying around, with a 2.1mm centre positive barrel connector.
I used the 2-pin Molex connectors as per the BOM to distribute power to the individual modules (with the power cables hard-wired to the individual module PCBs)
Component sourcing:
I combined the individual BOMs for the five modules into one master BOM, ticked off what I already had in stock (mostly resistors), then ordered any other required resistors, trimmers, pots, 2N3904/6 transistors and various bits of hardware from Tayda; caps, specialist transistors, diodes, switches, knobs, lamps etc from Mouser.
I’m in the UK and banana sockets worked out slightly cheaper from Thonk, so I ordered those there. I also bought the necessary matched transistor pairs from Thonk to save time (I don’t have the tools or experience to match them myself!)
Changes:
This might be sacrilege to Buchla purists but I went for Switchcraft 3.5mm sockets instead of Tini-Jax - I already have lots of 3.5mm patch cables and it makes for easier integration.
The 910p film caps on the BOM are huge - 10mm lead spacing - and expensive. I ordered them before I realised this, and with a bit of leg straightening/bending they do fit fine in the 158 and 180 boards, but I replaced them with these much smaller and cheaper 1n mylar film caps for the 140 - https://www.switchelectronics.co.uk/1nf ... apacitor-5 - and they work just fine.
The BOM has since been corrected, but slightly annoyingly at the time I was ordering, the part code for the Dialight lamps in the 123 was out of date, so the ones that arrived in my original order were the wrong size. I had to do a separate order for the correct parts, 609-1122-130F. These aren’t cheap, so double check that you’re getting 9mm ones!
On the 158 BOM, there’s a suggestion to use 1n5 instead of 47n for C11 to reduce saw wave distortion. I put sockets in for that and tried both - the 1n5 definitely gives a much cleaner saw so I’ve stuck with that. I also left out C8 as suggested to improve sine shape - I didn’t try it with it included but the sine is definitely a good shape without so I’ll stick without it.
General tips:
I built them in the left to right order they’re shown on the LA67 photos - 158, 110, 180, 140, 123. It was pretty easy to test this way.
Calibration-wise there’s not much to do - the trimmers on the 158 adjust the sine shape and upper and lower frequency limits; use the 110 trimmers to minimise clicking with a raw trigger in; the 140 trimmers set the upper and lower period (I haven’t really touched these)
For the wiring, I soldered pins to the PCB and used a bunch of F-F Dupont jumper wires, cut in half, so if I ever need to take the board off I can simply pull these off and don’t need to desolder anything. For the multiple outputs I mostly just used old resistor legs to bridge them.
Integrating with Eurorack clock is easy - both the 180 and the 123 respond to triggers as low as 5V (e.g. from Pam’s). I don’t use a format jumbler, just a 3.5mm to two bananas cable, with the ground banana connected to the spare ground I fitted near the power switch. I don’t think I’ll ever bother trying to send CV from Eurorack but this way I can at least clock it to the rest of my system if I want to, and maybe even play around with some more complex rhythm patterns.
Anyway, hope that’s handy for someone - I’ll share a bunch of patches on YouTube soon!"

ALM Introduces CIZZLE - Casio CZ Style Digital 'Phase Distortion' VCO Eurorack Module

video upload by ALM TV

Update: 3rd video, pics, and details added below. Check with the dealers on the right for availability.

"The 'CIZZLE' is a dual digital 'phase distortion' VCO inspired by the classic Casio 'CZ' series synthesizers. It brings the specifics of 'CZ' style phase distortion (PD) synthesis into Eurorack with the inclusion of primary and secondary oscillator layering and detuning (with up to 8 voice chord generation), extended morphable PD wave generation algorithms, unique resonance wave generation, plus specific 'end of chain' ring modulation and noise modes that are key to the CZ sound.

The voices also feature built in VCAs and various modulation controls and inputs, a cv-able chord mode, tracking ability, triggered mode switching and can be output independently or mixed with stereo widening.

The 'CIZZLE' finally brings characteristic CZ style synthesis to Eurorack with a rich palette of sounds from mellow ambient tones, 90s Detroit Techno inspired chords, Reese style basses, and synth tones with unique faux resonance squelch."

Time Stamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:08 - Frequency Controls
4:20 - OSC A Controls
12:38 - OSC B Ring Mod
18:08 - OSC B Noise
23:30 - Chord Mode
28:57 - Patches - Acid Bassline
30:58 - Patches - Ambient Chords
32:46 - Patches - Beat
34:38 - Outro

Satoshi & Makoto Meet CIZZLE

video upload by ALM TV

"ALM / Busy Circuits invited artists Satoshi and Makoto, renowned Casio CZ synthesists, to the Clockface Modular shop and studio in Tokyo, Japan to try out the new ALM CIZZLE module. This short film documents the visit and provides a translated interview.

Satoshi and Makoto are a twin duo that received international acclaim in 2017 with the release of their debut album 'CZ-5000 Sounds and Sequences' on Safe Trip. In 2020, their follow up album "CZ-5000 Sounds and Sequences Vol. II” was released, solidifying their dedication to the Casio CZ synthesizer.

The new ALM CIZZLE is a dual digital 'phase distortion' VCO inspired by the classic Casio CZ series synthesizers. It brings the specifics of CZ style phase distortion (PD) synthesis into Eurorack with the inclusion of primary and secondary oscillator layering and detuning (with up to 8 voice chord generation), extended morphable PD wave generation algorithms, unique resonance wave generation, plus specific 'end of chain' ring modulation and noise modes that are key to the CZ sound. The CIZZLE is available now from fine ALM stockists worldwide.

Very specail thanks to Clockface Modular for hosting Satoshi & Makoto.
https://clockfacemodular.com

Satoshi & Makoto's Music:
https://nemutai.bandcamp.com"

Cizzle: a killer Casio CZ-style voice from ALM / Busy Circuits

video upload by Tom Churchill

"Cizzle is a Eurorack synth voice from ALM Busy Circuits based around Phase Distortion synthesis, which Casio pioneered in their CZ series back in the 1980s.

It contains two digital oscillators that would typically be combined and used as one voice, but you can also use them independently. Each oscillator can produce four-note chords and has its own VCA, so all you need is an envelope or two to start using this as a complete voice.

Buy at Signal Sounds:
https://www.signalsounds.com/ALM_Busy..."

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:43 Patch previews
02:10 What is phase distortion?
02:48 Cizzle overview
06:27 Deep house chords
09:34 Ring mod electro synth
12:34 Sweeping synth arpeggios
13:56 Jacking house loops
16:22 Two separate voices
18:12 Dual stepped modulation
20:16 Chord progression sequencing
23:06 Freaky techno loops



The ’CIZZLE’ is a dual digital ’phase distortion’ VCO inspired by the classic Casio ’CZ’ series synthesizers. It brings the specifics of ’CZ’ style phase distortion (PD) synthesis into Eurorack with the inclusion of primary and secondary oscillator layering and detuning (with up to 8-voice chord generation), extended morphable PD wave generation algorithms, unique resonance wave generation, plus specific ’end of chain’ ring modulation and noise modes that are key to the CZ sound.

The voices also feature built in VCAs and various modulation controls and inputs, a cv-able chord mode, tracking ability, triggered mode switching and can be output independently or mixed with stereo widening.

The ’CIZZLE’ finally brings characteristic CZ style synthesis to Eurorack with a rich palette of sounds from mellow ambient tones, 90s Detroit Techno inspired chords, Reese style basses, and synth tones with unique faux resonance squelch.

Feature List
→ Dual phase distortion VCO with direct and voltage controlled parameters.

→ Easy, quick and accurate tuning via an encoder control.

→ 9 morphing phase distortion ’Algorithms’ (Osc A) with direct and CV control.

→ PD Offset ’Shape’ with direct and CV control.

→ Unique CZ resonance waveform (Osc B) with direct and CV control.

→ Multiple Osc B modes; Rez, Ring Mod, and Noise based on classic CZ synthesis.

→ Mode switchable via direct and trigger control.

→ Optional Osc B frequency tracking of Osc A with offset.

→ Voltage controlled chord mode with inversion and up to 8 voices.

→ Dedicated oscillator output level VCAs.

→ Separate dual or mixed outputs with stereo widening effect.

→ Skiff friendly with reverse power protection.

→ 2 Year Warranty.

→ Made in England.

Ideal For

→ Flexible and precise primary digital voice duties in a Eurorack system.

→ Creating basslines, rich chords, drones, morphing tones, percussive hits etc.

→ Unique digital squelch.

Exploring pulsar synthesis with Hieroglyphic Plume

video upload by Tom Churchill

"Plume is the debut module from Hieroglyphic. It’s a digital oscillator based around pulsar synthesis, which is a fairly obscure technique devised by Curtis Roads in 2001, inspired by astronomical observations of neutron stars. In this video I build a few patches to explore the range of sounds it can produce - from complex stereo leads to West Coast-style wavefolded tones to rich, modulated drones.

Thanks to Hieroglyphic for supplying the module."

Chapters:
00:00 Patch previews
01:01 Introduction
02:16 A guided tour of Plume
11:37 Adding a sub-oscillator
16:11 Simulating Sofia-style synthesis
22:01 Plume as a complex LFO
25:45 West Coast wavefolded tones
27:46 Evolving ambient pads

Xaoc Devices Rostock & Drezno II: new patch ideas for the Leibniz Binary Subsystem

video upload by Tom Churchill

"In this video, I’m taking another look at the Leibniz Binary Subsystem from Xaoc Devices. This is a set of Eurorack modules that let you convert analogue audio and CV into 8-bit digital signals and then process them in all sorts of unique and interesting ways. Using various combinations of Leibniz modules, you can do everything from waveshaping and bitcrushing to sequencing and drum pattern generation.

Xaoc Devices recently sent over the latest modules in the system for me to check out. Drezno II is a new and improved version of their original analogue to digital and digital to analogue converter module which acts as the main front-end for the system. And Rostock is a binary data pipeline, or digital shift register, which lets you delay, loop, scramble and reclock the 8-bit data stream. In the video, I build a few patches that explore some of the musical applications of these tools."

Chapters:
00:00 Intro & patch previews
03:22 Drezno II / Leibniz 101
07:22 Rostock overview
10:33 Complex stepped modulation
16:56 Sequence canons
21:52 Digital chorus and flanging
27:13 Looping drum patterns
32:18 Clock-based destruction
36:20 Generative sequencing

Exploring clocks, loops and chaos with Rung Divisions from Fancyyyyy Synthesis

video upload by Tom Churchill

"This video is about Rung Divisions, by Fancyyyyy Synthesis. It’s one of the most inspiring modules I’ve used recently, but it’s also quite a hard one to sum up in one sentence.

It has two main components. The first is a clock divider which outputs pulses that you can combine in two buses to create polyrhythmic patterns. That drives a universal shift register which outputs pseudo-random, chaotic or looping stepped voltage patterns. It’s an evolution of Rob Hordijk’s Rungler circuit, which is at the heart of the Benjolin synth. And there are dozens of interesting musical applications for it - a few of which I explore here.

Find out more at https://www.fancysynthesis.net/

NB: Fancyyyyy Synthesis sent me this unit to check out, but I don’t get any other sort of payment. This is a demo, not a review, and this channel is a hobby, not a job, so I only showcase things that I’m genuinely enthused about.

More stuff from me:
https://tomchurchill.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/tomchurchill
https://www.instagram.com/tomchurchill/

Chapters:
00:00 Intro and patch previews
02:46 Rung Divisions overview
05:54 Drum trigger sequencing
09:54 Melodies from pulse divisions
14:14 Shift register sequencing
20:15 2-channel pitch sequencing
24:00 Patching a voltage-controlled clock divider
27:42 Shift register as a VCO
30:22 Rungling for chaotic sequencing"

​Rung Divisions combines a universal shift register, a “divide by n” pulse divider, analogue noise, and several logic and binary operations. These functions synthesise an array of predictable and unpredictable digital signals at arbitrary time scale.

Rung Divisions’ primary use is as a complex polyrhythmic gate generator that drives a chaotic / pseudo random / looping stepped cv pattern generator, with voltage control over the pattern “direction”, length, and chance of the pattern looping. The combination of these features can be used to generate auditory illusions similar to a stroboscopic effect – like the visual aliasing of a wheel that appears to stand still and reverse direction at speed. Rung Divisions is built with solid state & discrete logic blocks to work at frequencies between 0–40kHz. The module is designed to drive multiple voices with gate patterns and CV, or to generate audio rate mayhem - these functions can be combined through patching with other modules that can take input signals over a wide frequency range. ​

Rung Divisions behaves in many surprising ways with feedback and self patching - the module has propagation delay compensation to allow for all outputs to be used in feedback loops.

Polyrhythmic Clock Divider
Random / Looping Sequencer
Chaotic Stepped Signal Generator
​​
12hp
35mm deep
+12V 58mA
-12V 42mA
​
Complete redesign of the 2018 module, building on the original features in multiple ways:
Universal shift register - can shift data in two directions​
Dual gate bus with three position switches
CV over pattern length, shift direction and chance of loop
Analogue noise output
Clock pulse width affects all outputs
1-bit, 3-bit and 8-bit data encodings
All solid state and discrete logic, runs at wide bandwidth
Expander ports for upcoming dual oscillator, cv addressable clock divider, bit sieve and random voltage sources

Putting synths and drum machines through the MFX Pedal from ALM Busy Circuits

video upload by Tom Churchill

"The MFX Pedal from ALM Busy Circuits is a standalone version of the MFX Eurorack multi-effects module, and it’s designed to work with guitars as well as line-level sources. I’m definitely not a guitarist, but I do have a few synths and drum machines in my studio, so for this video I thought it might be fun to try putting them through it. I don’t go through all 18 programs or demonstrate every parameter, but I pick six of my favourite effects and offer some real-world examples that hopefully show off some of its range. Thanks to ALM for sending it over!"

Chapters:
00:00 Intro & patch previews
01:53 Controls overview
03:14 Almicon Reverb on Super 6
06:05 2051 Bit Corrupter on DRM1
09:24 Digi-PCM Echo on Model D
12:26 Slinky Reverb on Mort’s Barge
15:03 TH-30 Distortion on Volca Beats
17:49 Crumbular Echo on Elmyra 2

8 patch ideas for 8-step sequencers feat. Glasgow Synth Guild Oct Tone

video upload by Tom Churchill

"Two and a half years ago I made a video about 8-step sequencer techniques which ended up being one of the most popular things on my channel. So when the Glasgow Synth Guild asked if I fancied making a video about their Oct Tone sequencer, I thought it would be a good opportunity to revisit the topic with 8 more patch ideas.

A lot of the things I’m going to show you can be applied to any 8-step sequencer, so you’ll hopefully get some ideas for things to try no matter what you’re using."

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:09 Playing with step triggers and pattern length
05:07 Deriving two parts from one sequence
07:09 Splitting a sequence between two voices
09:43 Switching clock speeds with step gates
11:26 303-style accents and slides
16:16 One-finger pattern playback
18:28 Switchable per-step flourishes
20:36 Advancing sequences with a tap

Beanie Bunnie Moo Moo | A very clever dual VCO!

video upload by Tom Churchill

"The Beanie Bunnie Moo Moo is a Eurorack dual oscillator made by the Chinese designer and musician Jeanie. It consists of two identical analogue VCOs with through-zero FM, plus a noise source and a bunch of other smart features that open up a huge sound palette. It's a fantastic analogue patching playground!

You can order one at Perfect Circuit: https://www.perfectcircuit.com/beanie...
Or contact Beanie Bunnie directly: beaniebunnie.info@gmail.com"

3 cool things to do with LFOs & analogue logic, feat. Nekyia Circuits Obsidian

video upload by Tom Churchill

"This video is about using analogue logic to do interesting things with basic LFOs. The module I’m using is the Nekyia Circuits Obsidian, which is a pair of identical LFOs with a built-in analogue logic section - and of course you can achieve similar results with other modules too."

Chapters:
00:00 Intro and patch previews
02:33 Logic for melodic sequences
08:17 Logic for wonky rhythms
13:01 Logic for complex modulation

The AtoVproject Dual Harmonic Oscillator is a monster!

video upload by Tom Churchill

"This is a rich, complex-sounding patch based around the Dual Harmonic Oscillator from AtoVproject. It’s a big, super-powerful module with two triangle-based VCOs that offer four octaves worth of harmonics, as well as regular sine, saw and pulse outputs via the expander. I’ll be covering it in more detail in a dedicated video soon, but in the meantime check out DivKid’s excellent deep dive if you want to know more about it: [posted here]

In this patch, it produces four melodic layers, with everything driven from a simple 8-step sequence out of the Jasmine & Olive Trees Traffic module switched over to the Water firmware. Joranalogue Filter 8 provides some quadrature LFO modulation to control the levels of the harmonics, and ALM Pamela’s Pro Workout provides clock, trigger patterns and transpose voltages. I’m also using the Nekyia Circuits Obsidian for some extra LFOs, and the Sosumi LPG on two voices - full video coming soon on all the Nekyia stuff, it’s great! Reverb is Valhalla Supermassive (in the box).

More on the DHO: https://atovproject.de/products/dho"

Breaking down my first patch with the Tobinski system

video upload by Tom Churchill

"This is a jam and patch breakdown using a new Eurorack case I’ve assembled for 2025, designed as a standalone instrument and based around the range of modules from Tobinski (fka Dannysound). I’ll be doing more in-depth videos on the Sequencer, Harmonic Timing Generator and Interpolating Scanner, so here’s a little taste which will hopefully whet your appetite."

Eurorack drum tips feat. Winter Plankton Dassbrum & Zaps

video upload by Tom Churchill

"This is the first of two videos that I’m making about drums in Eurorack. In them, I’m going to combine some demos of specific modules with more general patching tips and techniques.

In this one, I'm focusing on two modules from Winter Plankton - a collaboration between Winter Modular and Plankton Electronics. I’m using Dassbrum, which is their all-new kick drum module, and Zaps, which has been around for a couple of years now.

I met the guys behind these modules at Machina Bristronica last year, and they’re kindly sponsoring this video. But rather than just doing straight-up sound demos, I thought this would be a good opportunity to dive a bit deeper into various approaches to making beats in a modular synth context."

Atov : lx euclid

Playlist (starting with supporting member Audiorial - click CC on the bottom of the player for subtitles):

1. Atov : lx euclid - A truly fun, easy and powerful euclidean sequenceur. - Audiorial
2. Euclidean rhythms made easy | AtoVproject lx-euclid - Tom Churchill
3. LX-Euclid play the Tiptop & Buchla rig - Stazma

"lx-euclid by AtoVproject & Lucas Bonvin

The AtoVproject lx-euclid is a 4-channel trigger sequencer with a standout feature: two touch-sensitive rings that redefine hands-on control. These rings, paired with full colour circular display, offer an unparalleled, intuitive interface designed for fast, real-time performance. The touch rings make it incredibly easy to interact with your sequences, allowing you to apply mutes, fills, and resets on the fly. This immediate tactile response puts creative control directly at your fingertips, making it perfect for both live improvisation and studio work.

In addition to its touch-sensitive rings, the lx-euclid boasts 4 assignable CV inputs, probability settings, and 8 save slots, offering endless possibilities for pattern creation and variation. The module also introduces new twists on traditional Euclidean rhythms, with Exponential, Inverse Exponential, and Mirrored Exponential algorithms for even more flexibility and evolving beats. Whether you're looking to unlock new creative possibilities or elevate your live set, the lx-euclid’s touch rings bring a whole new level of expression to your modular rig.

Stay weird and wired,

Lucas, Arthur & Chris"

Xaoc Devices Berlin

video upload by Xaoc Devices

Xaoc Devices Berlin: the oscillator that opens up the Leibniz Binary Subsystem

video upload by Tom Churchill

"On the surface, Xaoc Devices Berlin is a simple compact VCO offering square and saw waves with hard sync, FM input and octave switching. The most interesting part lies behind the panel and that is the Leibniz Binary Subsystem interface, namely LBZ out and LBZ in. The frontpanel LBZ LINK button and its corresponding gate input switch between the default saw wave and a signal that has been passed through any Leibniz module (or a combination of Leibniz modules) connected to Berlin. Add Xaoc Devices Jena for wave processing and the output is no longer a simple saw wave – you now have a vintage-style wavetable oscillator with a penchant for the experimental due to its open, hackable nature. Berlin operates in a way similar to the classic PPG Wave and Fairlight CMI synths and employs a variable sample rate of an extremely widerange internal clock. As the sample rate changes with the oscillator frequency, Berlin's internal square and saw waves exhibit no aliasing effect. The whole frequency range spans from 30 seconds in LFO mode up to 250 kHz (!) with the clock reaching an astounding 20 MHz. Add to that voltage control over all parameters and the result is a highly versatile module capable of creating a significantly diverse palette of unusual waveforms.

Xaoc Devices Berlin notable features:

– wide-range VCO with LFO mode (over 20 octaves of tracking);
– Leibniz Binary Subsystem interface;
– extremely widerange clock source;
– manual and voltage control over all parameters (including octave switching and LBZ LINK!);
– simultaneous Square and Saw/Leibniz wave outputs;
– extensive waveshaping potential when combined with Xaoc Devices Leibniz Subsystem modules, e.g., Jena or Rostock"

Joranalogue x Hainbach Collide 4 | Making music with a Quadrature Spectral Computer

video upload by Tom Churchill

"Collide 4 was one of the most talked-about modules of 2024. It’s a collaboration between Joranalogue and the musician and YouTuber Hainbach, and it’s inspired by the lock-in amplifiers used in vintage nuclear test equipment. In this video, I build some patches to show how I’ve been using Collide 4 both a sound source and as a processor for external signals. There are some ‘softer’ musical applications alongside some grittier stuff."

Exploring vactrol filters and modular utilities with Nekyia Circuits Mezcal, Muzzle & Cadence

video upload by Tom Churchill

"In this video I’m checking out three modules from Nekyia Circuits. Muzzle is a vactrol-based filter; Mezcal is a compact multi-utility that includes a mult, rectifier, mixer and comparator; and Cadence is a triple decay envelope generator. Between them they provide lots of really useful analogue tools for a modular synth setup, and they all have some interesting twists.

I build a few patches that not only show what these modules can do but also provide some more general patching tips and tricks for modular synths. Hopefully they’ll give you some ideas for things to try with your own setup if you have modules that can do similar things."

Chapters:
00:00 Intro and patch previews
01:23 Modules overview
03:08 Using 2 trigger patterns for filter animation
10:03 Using a rectifier & comparator to expand a vco
15:43 Using envelope bursts to make drum sounds
18:57 Using a comparator for sequence accents

Acid, pings & alien voices | Nekyia Circuits Root Locus VCF

video upload by Tom Churchill

"Root Locus is an analogue filter from Nekyia Circuits, a new manufacturer based in Greece. It’s a 12dB/octave multimode design that’s based on the classic Serge VCFQ - but it adds a couple of unique twists, like the two audio inputs with a voltage-controlled crossfader, and a variable mode output with CV input.

In this video, I explore some of the weird and wonderful things you can do with it. A lot of these techniques can be applied to other filters too - you might just need one or two extra modules in some cases - so as always, you’ll hopefully get some ideas you can apply to whatever you’re using."

via Nekyia Circuits

"Root Locus is an analog 12dB/octave multimode filter, based on the CGS512 VCFQ filter. It adds a dual input crossfading mixer with gain control and a variable mode output with cv control for sweeps between filter modes, aiming for an extensive tonal variety! It also features a Ping input that allows for an impressively wide variety of percussive sounds. The sub range switch makes it a very versatile CV filter too, able to filter control voltages as well as transforming it to an interesting quadrature LFO while in self oscillation."

Creative modular sampling patches | SebSongs Sampler

video upload by Tom Churchill

"This video is about the SebSongs Modular Sampler. It’s a new DIY kit available from Thonk, who kindly sent one over for me to check out. It’s a simple 12-bit mono sampler with about three and a half seconds of memory and a beautifully crunchy, lo-fi sound inspired by vintage machines like the Akai S612.

In this video, I’ve put together a small case with a few of my other favourite modules - the Blukac Endless Processor, the Serge VCFQ and Resonant EQ, the Pladask Dradd effects unit and the Xaoc Devices Sarajewo BBD delay - and I've built a few simple patches that explore some creative uses of sampling."

Xaoc Devices Lublin

video upload by Xaoc Devices

"Lublin [ˈlublin] is a dual, DC-coupled, high-quality VCA module with exponential control characteristics. It features a gain control circuit that prevents distortion from excessive amplification, which is common with traditional VCAs.

Besides audio and CV inputs, it features additional pinging inputs that use an elaborate analog circuit to model the dynamic behavior of vactrols, allowing you to trigger a carefully crafted gain response that mimics the natural decay of plucked and struck acoustic instruments.

Note that despite this emulation, Lublin is not a lowpass gate type module as it retains the full frequency bandwidth when reducing gain. Unlike many modules that use vactrols, Lublin's dynamic profile can be varied within a wide range.

Dual Voltage-Controlled Amplifier ∙ High quality, low noise and distortion, DC-coupled signal path ∙ Ping inputs for emulating vactrol response ∙ Three variants of ping response ∙ Exponential CV response with adjustable sensitivity ∙ Gain limiting circuit for protection against signal clipping

Timeline:
00:00 - Intro
00:29 - Ping response controls
00:43 - Bass!
00:54 - Combine CV & ping
01:37 - Generate envelopes"

Xaoc Devices Lublin | Dual VCA with vactrol-style envelopes

video upload by Tom Churchill

Chapters:
00:00 Intro & patch previews
01:24 Lublin overview
02:46 Twin VCA with pinged envelopes
07:56 Patching a low pass gate
12:07 Dialling in the perfect kick drum
16:34 Creating vintage hi-hats
19:08 Stereo plucked chords

Xaoc Devices Lublin: pinging for the new era, or strike your VCA!

They say you can never have too many VCAs. So we decided to make another one, actually two in one. After our modern classic that is Tallin, lauded for its inimitable saturation circuit, it's time for Lublin [ˈlublin]! Lublin is a high-quality dual VCA module with exponential CV inputs. On top of that, its two identical channels feature additional inputs for pinging. These inputs use an elaborate analog circuit to model the dynamic behavior of vactrols, allowing you to trigger a carefully crafted gain response that mimics the natural decay of plucked and struck acoustic instruments. Unlike lowpass gate modules though, Lublin reduces gain while retaining the full frequency bandwidth, so it is perfect for harmonically rich signals, like our Odessa additive VCO. The vactrol-like behavior is just a starting point as the envelope may be varied within a wide range using a switch (natural, shortened and prolonged response) and a potentiometer, so you are not stuck with one decay characteristic. Therefore, you can use it not only to create bongos, but also for fat compressed kicks! The built-in gain control circuit (saturating CV instead of the audio signal) prevents distortion from excessive amplification. Lublin is DC-coupled, so you can use it to process CV as well as audio signals.

Notable features:
- Dual Voltage-Controlled Amplifier
- High quality, low noise and distortion, DC-coupled signal path
- Ping inputs for emulating vactrol response
- Three variants of ping response
- Exponential CV response with adjustable sensitivity
- Gain limiting circuit for protection against signal clipping

- width 6HP
- depth 33mm (including cable bracket)
- +40mA/-20mA

PRICE: 170 EUR MSRP, available now!

Check with dealers on the right for details.

u-He Wiretap | Cool stuff to do with a slope detector!

video upload by Tom Churchill

"Wiretap is a 2-channel slope detector, or motion detector, which is a pretty rare type of utility in Eurorack. The basic idea is that you feed in a control voltage, like a pitch CV sequence or an LFO, and Wiretap will generate various triggers or gates based on whether that signal is changing, and which direction it’s moving in. It’s quite a simple concept, but it opens up a world of patching that’s quite hard to achieve otherwise without using fairly complex combinations of slew, comparators and logic. In this video, I walk through various patch ideas."

See the introduction post with additional videos here.