More compact footprint (10-HP), with sliders instead of knobs for the main gain/CV control. Gain indicator LED. Positive offset control (0 to 8V) for direct use of bipolar modulation sources.
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WHO SAID YOU NEVER HAVE ENOUGH VCAS?
Veils provides four VCAs with an adjustable response curve and offset control.
Veils’ outputs are daisy-chained, allowing adjacent groups of 2, 3, or all 4 channels to be mixed together.
The cornerstones of modular patches
VCAs are absolutely essential in a modular system, for example for:
Shaping the amplitude or timbre of a tone with an envelope. Animating a mixture of several oscillators. Controlling the amount of filter modulation with a random source or a touch controller. Applying an envelope on the linear FM signal hitting an oscillator.
Specifications
All inputs DC-coupled. All inputs handle audio-rate signals. Input impedance: 100k for all inputs. Gain scale: a +5V CV translates to a gain of 1 (0dB), both in linear and in exponential mode. Large gains above +20dB (sufficient for amplifying line-level signals) achievable in exponential mode. Offset control adding an adjustable voltage from 0 to 8V to the gain CV.
"Made in February 2020 with Eurorack modular synthesizer and Minibrute 2.
The system implements five separate synth voices (shortly described further down), plus the eighth note pulse. CV/gate for every voice is provided by a custom-made module powered by Arduino (link below), which is controlled using manual buttons to advance through the 53 melodic patterns of "In C".
Bass (1) is from Minibrute 2 double VCO, with both on-board VCF and VCA controlled by the on-board ADSR. Mild resonance and Brute Factor are used to shape the tone.
Mid-bass (2) is from MFB OSC-02 third VCO. It is filtered by WMD/SSF Pole Zero with an ADSR envelope from Stages, which is also used to open a VCA in Veils.
Mid (3) is from MFB OSC-02 second VCO. It is filtered by Bastl Cinnamon in band-pass mode, with slight distortion (drive plus character). The AD envelope from Pico MOD modulates the VCF and open the VCA in Veils.
Mid-high (4) is from MFB OSC-02 first VCO. Maths CH1 is used to open the first LPG in LxD, sometimes configured like a normal AD envelope, other times like a ramp LFO. The output signal is sent through Pico DSP for a tempo-synced echo effect.
High (5) is a looping stage from Stages used as a VCO. It is not filtered. The VCA in Veils is controlled by the spare AD envelope on the Minibrute 2. Notes as occasionally randomly skipped filtering gates with a Branches clone module. The output signal is sent through Pico DSP for a tempo-synced echo effect.
The eighth note pulse is ModBox Skew LFO used as a VCO, passing through the resonant LPG in LxD opened with Maths CH4 (which is also used as a master clock signal). The S&H from ModBox is scaled in Stages and used to randomly change the pulse volume in Veils.
The audio mix is sent through a couple pedals for reverb and optical compressor. A stereo-widener VST is used to process the mono signal.
"One Last Thing: Patch Notes
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
Yet more patching with my smaller, Mutable Instruments-focused case. Wanted to practice a more ambient, simplistic melody approach, but with "movements" or different sections as variations on a theme.
"Quick jam with the modular and the Roli Seaboard Rise. Sorry for the bad shot. The other camera's video file was corrupted, and the one camera takes a dive in the middle. I didn't want the whole thing to go to waste so I'm throwing it up anyways.
Patch:
Roli controls Braids into Rings and then Clouds. XY pad controls timbre and color of Braids, as well as brightness of Rings. Clouds heavily modulated by ADDAC501 into WMD SSM.
Piston Honda mk II into Polivoks VCF, Veils, Phonogene and then Wow and Flutter. Filter, Veils and Phonogene modulated by ADDAC501/WMD SSM. Sequenced by Turing Machine quantized by ADDAC 207.
Subcon Vampire into Ultrafold, Polaris, uVCA, Veils, and 4MS DLD. Sequenced by Popcorn (fed clocks from Little Nerd/Pamela's workout). Polaris FM'd by Vampire. DLD modulated by ADDAC501/WMD SSM.
Verbos Harmonic Oscillator into Ripples. Sequenced by Rene and modulated by Expert Sleepers/Silent Way.
Kick from Peaks into Malgorythm, modulated by ADDAC 501/WMD SSM.
Snare from Peaks into Malgorythm and then Clouds #2, modulated by ADDAC501/WMD SSM.
Blinds is in there somewhere mangling CVs. Envelopes from Intellijel Quadra and dual ADSR."
"Hello. Here's an experiment in chord progression. Recorded straight to stereo, No overdubs or remixing. What you see is what you hear...
I wanted to make a simple patch using a two row sequencer, to create a chord progression where each chord contains four notes. How do you do this when your sequencer can only play two notes at once? If you're a seasoned modular-head, the answer may be obvious, but if you're new to this, here's the answer: You can cheat… Here's what's going on: I'm using four Doepfer oscillators for the notes. The Doepfer Dark Time Sequencer is providing the CVs and gates.
Row 1: CV to one oscillator. This is the top note of the chord.
Row 2: CV to two oscillators, the second oscillator is playing one octave lower than the first.
The big cheat is that the fourth oscillator isn't receiving any CV; it's just tuned permanently to C. The other three notes move around the C, making some nice clusters here and there. It's just an eight chord sequence and I could have expanded it further, with additional oscillators tuned to other intervals, but I wanted to show that you can play chords with basic modules (yes, I'd like an ER101!). The rest of the chord patch is roughly like this.
4x Oscs into 4x channels of Veils VCA.
Dark Time gate goes to A143-2 Quad Envelope Generator, which in turn is fed to Veils. I'm switching the envelope lengths from short to long, so the notes go from staccato to legato.
Veils audio output goes to the AM Snowfall filter. This is modulated by three channels of an A143-1 Complex Envelope Generator, helping to give it a brassy sort of filer envelope.
Then it got out of hand and I added a bunch of other stuff and made a little jam. Here are the other patches:
1. The soft-sounding plinky-plonky stuff is the 4MS SMR. Level CVs are controlled by AS EGs, which in turn are randomly triggered by the A149-2 Digital Random Voltages.
2. AS SQ8 playing an extra top line from Rings. This goes into Clouds. Clouds is being randomly (clocked random) frozen by the A149-2.
3. AS SQ8 is playing the MS20 for the first bass line
4. Stepper Acid is playing the Minitaur for the second bass line. Minitaur filter is being modulated by the Doepfer MAQ 16-3.
5. The slow overdriven legato melody comes from an SQ8 into Maths, which I'm using as a dual oscillator here. The pitch CV is slewed. Audio goes to an A116 Waveform Processor, then to the Dave Smith Character, then to the Eowave filter and finally to the 4MS DLD.
6. Next is Radio Music, going into the Shapeshifter for vocoding. Audio output goes to the AQA Dual SVF. This patch is being run by a TipTop Z8000 and a 4MS SISM.
7,8,9. There are three synth sequences.(from about 2'15") One is Metropolis and Atlantis. The other two are Doepfer MAQ 16-3 into two A110s and Doepfer filters and envelopes.
10. Finally, a thuddy bass drum from an AS SY-03 filter and cymbal-type sound from the TipTop One.
Everything goes into the little Mackie mixer and I've got the Z-DSP Valhalla on an aux send.
This is what happens when I have an afternoon off..
Thanks for watching!"
"VCAs are the cornerstones of modular patches: shaping the amplitude or timbre of a tone with an envelope, animating a mixture of several oscillators, controlling the amount of filter modulation with a random source or a touch controller, applying an envelope on the linear FM signal hitting an oscillator… are all possible uses of these super versatile building blocks. That’s why you never have enough of them. What about four more?
Veils provides four VCAs with an adjustable response curve. Veils’ outputs are daisy-chained, allowing adjacent groups of 2, 3, or all 4 channels, to be mixed together.
Technical characteristics
All inputs DC-coupled.
All inputs handle audio-rate signals.
Input impedance: 100k for all inputs.
Gain scale: a +5V CV translates to a gain of 1 (0dB).
Gain range: 2 (+6dB) in linear operation, 10 (+20dB) in exponential operation.
12-HP.
Current consumption: +12V: 50mA ; -12V: 50mA.
Open-source hardware."
"Happy Delia Darbyshire day (23rd Nov! https://deliaderbyshireday.com/) - Here's a bonus clip I've never uploaded here before, from when I made the Morphagene Demo - inspired by how Delia Darbyshire used piano to tune her vocals for 'Blue Veils and Golden Sands', which she turned into a reedy instrument sound (using 1960's tape studio magic, not really what I'm doing here...)."
Delia Derbyshire/Blue Veils and Golden Sand
Published on Apr 17, 2009 iiishtar
Blue Veils & Golden Sands
Published on Jun 17, 2012 Dave Kahn
"Martyn Wade's radio play about the composer and electronic music pioneer Delia Debyshire."
"From The Social Network original soundtrack (2010, The Null Corporation).
I was trying to recreate the easiest parts of my favorite track from The Social Network's OST in my modular system. It soon became an exercise in using all the modules simultaneously. Recorded in February 2019.
Both drum sounds are created feeding signals from MFB OSC-3 into LxD vactrols, which are opened with Maths envelopes; the kick drum is a pitch-modulated triangle wave, the hat is from the white noise output. Intellijel Shifty is used like a gate sequencer to alternate kick/hat triggering. Two segments from Mutable Instruments Stages are used as faders for controlling drums' volume in Veils.
The bass sound is made with the Minibrute 2 using two saw oscillators one octave apart, with the LP filter controlled by an AD envelope from Stages. Pitch CV is manually triggered tapping buttons on the Korg SQ-1 in "step jump" mode; CV Out is sent to the SSF Modbox S&H for tempo quantization and to a slew-limiter made with Stages for slight portamento. The Minibrute mod-wheel is patched to increase the decay time of VCA and VCF envelopes, so it can be used to gradually control legato.
The 64-notes arpeggio is a square wave from MFB OSC-3, sequenced with the Minibrute (whose pitch CV is free to be used since does not control the on-board bass sound) and filtered with Bastl Cinnamon. A button on the second SQ-1 track is used to control Veils to un-mute the arpeggio at will. Digitech Obscura Altered Delay's mix and repeat controls are used to create the messy ending.
The piano-like long notes are pre-recorded in the Morphagene. A "distortion effect" is applied in real-time using the Minibrute's metalizer wavefolder, modulated by Morphagene's envelope follower. The sample doesn't loop, it's triggered using clock divisions.
Everything is mixed and sent through three guitar pedals: OBNE Dark Star for shim reverb, then a little room reverb and a compressor at the end."
"Flight of the Long Lost: Patch Notes
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
A modular performance featuring my giant right arm, and mostly Mutable Instruments modules.
Involved modules
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Intellijel 1U Random/Clock
4ms Rotating Clock Divider (RCD) and Breakout
Mutable Instruments (MI) Rings
MI Clouds
MI Rings
MI Veils
MI Tides
2 x MI Peaks
4ms Spectral Multiband Resonator
TipTop ONE
Intellijel 1U Quadratt
Intellijel 1U Buffered Mult
Intellijel 1U Digitank Reverb
2hp Reverb
2hp Delay
2hp 3:1
Transient Modules 6ch Mixer
Pittsburgh Outs
Routing/Control
-----------------------
As you can see from the video, I did a lot of manual wiggling for this jam. But there’s a background of random modulation going on via massively multed and modulated slewed random.
Smooth voice: Tides in oscillator mode, Bi output. Shape, Slope, and Smoothness modulated by semi-random LFO from Peaks #1 channel 1, which is in turn modulated (via Veils) by multed 1U Random slewed output, attenuated via Quadratt. Envelope by Peaks #1 channel 1, with manual changes here and there. Lots of manual wiggling of the wave shape controls. V/oct driven by O+C in Quantermain mode. Output into 1hp Delay, then Verb, and on to mixers.
Various melodic bits: Rings in sympathetic strings mode, polyphony mode 1. Rings Brightness, Damping, Position modulated by multed slewed random from above (lots of Stackcable hopscotch going on!). Lots of wiggling of parameters including Structure. Output into Clouds in looping delay mode. Clouds triggered by /8 of RCD (“Spread” is on, so I guess it’s really /16?). Occasional wiggling of the regeneration/feedback control.
Rhythm: Tiptop ONE timed by RCD.
Background Drone: 4ms SMR in self-generating resonator mode, with Rotation and Spread modulated by multed Random output of 1U Intellijel Clock/Random, attenuated via Quadratt. Output mixed with rhythm track via Quadratt, on to 1U Digitank reverb, and final mix.
Sequencing/Timing
-----------------------
Everything timed by RCD getting its clock from the 1U Clock/Random module.
Audio/Video Notes
=========
Camera: Sony A6000 mounting a Leica 28mm Summicron-R
Audio recorded on a Zoom H2 using the mic input (the line input is busted). Managed to avoid distortion except at about 09:36. Bummer, but I think I actually distorted the Delay or Verb module, rather than the H2 being overloaded.
Patch Notes Mangrove sending square into both Tides V2 for harmonic oscillator. Stages modulating Tides V2 and Rings. Marbles sending Gate/CV to Tides V2 and Rings. Just Friends modulating Veils. Everything is sent into TXn to pan and into Clouds.
Playlist:
Modular Jam : Lords of the West : Rings, Elements, Clouds, Peaks
Modular Melody: Church of Meta Q - Tides (Parasite), Function, Clouds
Modular Jam: SynthTech E350/E355/E440, Mutable Instruments Elements/Clouds, Pittsburgh SV-1/KB-1
Modular Patch/Performance: Slow to Go
Modular Patch/Performance:- The Big Build
Modular Patch/Performance: Sargasso
Modular Patch/Performance: Fair Winds
Modular Patch/Performance - Over the Clouds
Modular Patch/Performance: March of the Shift Register
Modular Etude #1
"Mutable Instruments System ~ even in the odds 29/8
5x Stages , Yarns,Marbles.Grids,Blinds,Kings,Elements,Edges,Frames,Streams,Clouds,
2x Links,2x Rings ,2x Braids,2x Beads,2x Ripples V1,3x Tides, 3x Blades,
6x Shades, 6x Ripples V 2, 6x Stages, 6x Veils V 2,12x Plaits
Eurorack 2x R B 182 to DMX Light by Sound Machines SY1 Synesthesia to
Fun Generation LED BARbara 24
Tunefish Modular 3x Ornament and Crime Mixolylian Scale
29.02.2024
video # 2346"
"Mutable Instruments System ~ even in the odds 29/8
5x Stages , Yarns,Marbles.Grids,Blinds,Kings,Elements,Edges,Frames,Streams,Clouds,
2x Links,2x Rings ,2x Braids,2x Beads,2x Ripples V1,3x Tides, 3x Blades,
6x Shades, 6x Ripples V 2, 6x Stages, 6x Veils V 2,12x Plaits
Eurorack 2x R B 182 to DMX Light by Sound Machines SY1 Synesthesia to
Fun Generation LED BARbara 24
Tunefish Modular 3x Ornament and Crime Mixolylian Scale
29.02.2024
video # 2347"
"A fun patch with Sarah Mac, which were enjoying playing with enough to share…
This started as an ambient idea with Rings, but it got out of hand! Mixed straight to stereo, no overdubs or fiddling afterwards. The only computer involvement was to record the stereo audio from the little Mackie mixer.
Geek notes below.
Main clock is the Doepfer Dark Time Sequencer.
1. DarkTime - Rings (pitch, strum and structure from the Dark Time) - AQA Dual SVS in band pass - Z-DSP (valhalla).
Modulation: Maths Ch1 - Rings Position. Maths Ch 4 - Z-DSP reverb time.
A-145 LFO - Z-DSP wet/dry mix.
2. Bass: Korg MS20. Pitch CV from Analogue Solutions SQ8. Gate from 4MS RCD
3. Bass Drum: Atlantis triggered from an SQ8
4. Descending ambient line: Metropolis - A-110 VCO (saw) - Dave Smith Curtis Filter
5. Radio Music Voice: Turing Machine - RadioMusic - A-120 VCF
6. Radio Music frozen in Clouds. Triggered from a clock divider as a percussive element.
7. Low warbly sound: 4MS RCD - AS EG - A-110 pitch CV - (saw) Shapeshifter pitch input - AM Snowfall VCF. Not sure how the Shapeshifter was configured, but it was a nutty little sound on its own!)
8. 4MS SMR - 4MS DLD. The SMR is receiving modulation from Tides and a Moog CP-251
9. 80s-style synth line. This one is a bit nuts… The Stepper Acid - (pitch) two A-110 VCOs - AS Unity Mixer - A-106 VCF (LP) - Veils VCA. Then…
Stepper Acid gate - A-143-1 Complex EG. Ch 1 - Veils. CH2 and Ch3 are firing in series and modulating the filter.
There's a second chain here, starting with the inverted output of the AS Unity Mixer - A-105 SSM VCF.
Stepper Acid accent output - A-143-2 Quad ADSR. Three channels, firing in series, feeding the three CV inputs on the filter. The overall effect of this makes a nice complex sound for a simple synth sequence.
All the audio went into a little Mackie desk. 2 FX sends:
Aux 1: Deeper Spring Reverb
Aux 2: Moogerfooger Clusterflux.
We could have done more with this patch to refine it, but really it’s just a Jam!
Thanks for watching."
"Thanks for watching! #modular #eurorack #moonlightsonata
This time around all sounds that are being heard, come from the modular system, but the entire sequence is comprised of 4 monophonic MIDI tracks inside of Ableton. Each of the tracks has a CV Instrument plugin from the CV tools package. I am using my Expert Sleepers ES-9, which is a DC-coupled interface, which allows me to send clock data, CV, and Gate outputs directly from Ableton into eurorack modular without a need of a MIDI interface. I am using 4 monophonic tracks because the interface has 8 DC-coupled outputs, which are being used as follows: 1- Gate for melody track 1 The first gate out is going into the first input on the Ornament & Crime Digital Multi-function module in 4 x EG mode, which gives it 4 variable-clock envelope generators with a visual oscilloscope. From there, gate output from o_C goes into Mutable Instruments Plaits as a trigger input. The output of plaits goes through the first channel of Qu-Bit Tone for filtering, and then into the first channel on a quad VCA, and then into the first audio output on the ES-9. 2- Pitch/CV for melody track 1 The first pitch/CV out is going into the 1V/Oct input on the Mutable Instruments Plaits, to control the pitch of it, directly from Ableton’s first monophonic track. 3- Gate from melody track 2 The 2nd gate out is going into the Ornament & Crime’s (o_C) second envelope generator. Then it goes into the Strum input on the Mutable Instruments Rings, which is the 2nd oscillator in this patch. From Rings we have the identical signal patch as on the first track, but on the 2nd channel of each subsequent module. (Filter → VCA → Out) 4- Pitch/CV for melody track 2 The second pitch/CV out is going into the 1V/Oct input on the Mutable Instruments Rings, to control the pitch of it, directly from Ableton’s second monophonic track. 5- Gate for melody track 3 The 3rd gate out is going into the Ornament & Crime’s (o_C) second envelope generator. Then it goes into the CV input on 3rd channel of my VCA: Mutable Instruments Veils. Then it goes right into the audio output 3 on the ES-9. 6- Pitch/CV for melody track 3 The third pitch/CV out is going into the 1V/Oct input on the Instruō Cš-L (Dual Complex Oscillator), to control the pitch of it, directly from Ableton’s third monophonic track. 7- Gate for melody track 4 The 4th gate out is going into the Ornament & Crime’s (o_C) second envelope generator. Then it goes into the CV input on the 4th channel of my VCA: Mutable Instruments Veils. Then it goes right into the audio output 4 on the ES-9. 8- Pitch/CV for melody track 4 The fourth pitch/CV out is going into the second channel’s 1V/Oct input on the Instruō Cš-L (Dual Complex Oscillator), to control the pitch of it, directly from Ableton’s third monophonic track.
Now we get into the surround and miscellaneous modulations, which control the piece’s stereo movement, giving it spaciousness and an emotional feel. The output from Mutable Instruments Plaits is split, the first route is going just like it is described in the first 2 points above. The split output is going into the Mutable Instruments Clouds (which is being heavily modulated by the Divkid øchd module (8 drifting LFO). And then from there, it is going stereo l/r out into the ES-9s extra inputs. The Rings output follows the same convention, as it is also being split, but it on the other hand goes through Instruō Arbhar, and then into Instruō Lúbadh for additional processing. The stereo output from Arbhar is going into the ES-9, and one of the outputs from there is being split to also go into the Lúbadh. (Arbhar is a granular processor, and Lúbadh is a digital 2-track reel-to-reel tape machine)
Additional multi-band compression, EQ, and Limiting are done in the post inside of Ableton on the Bus level to minimize the unnecessarily large amount of processing, for a clear modular tonality.
Perks of being a member include Patch from scratch videos, behind-the-scenes, HD pictures of gear and such, unreleased music, sample packs, and many more :)"
"Hello! This emotive and enigmatic track was created entirely with the eurorack modular synthesizer through a randomly generated melody created by Mutable Instruments Marbles. Marbles also triggers Plaits which is then being filtered by QPAS before passing through beads for some added textures. Full patch notes are availabe above on my Patreon page. I hope you enjoy the beautiful soundscape of the frozen tundra.
