video by SYNTHFOX Channel
"Overviewing my newest module, SLEDGEHAMMER. This is a wicked dynamics and harmonics processor with huge feedback play capabilities!"
SYNTHFOX Reverb Shop
"Meet SLEDGEHAMMER, a vactrol gate core experimental dynamics and harmonics processor. This module serves many needs, such as mixdown, wavefolding, waveshaping, distortion, VCA, suboctave generation, and much more. The three signal inputs - one with a dedicated thru-zero VCA, and four differently processed outputs provide endless tonal possibilities and a core module for creative patch-programming.
SLEDGEHAMMER is intended for heavy feedback usage. The INPUTS section mixes down three signals (audio or CV) for further processing. The first and second inputs have dedicated attenuators. The third input is special: it is a voltage controlled crossfader that fades between the negative and positive copy of the input signal. The FOLD output is normalized to input 2, and the SHARP output is normalized to input 3, so patching audio to input 1 and adjusting other inputs' volumes already creates a self-patched feedback loop.
The heart of this module is a vactrol-based dynamics processor ('gate') similar to the widely known low pass gates. It processes the mixdown of the three inputs from the INPUTS section: the big LEVEL knob, two Level CV (LCV) inputs and the PING input control both the amplitude and the slight filtering of the signal: from quiet and dark to loud and bright. The first LCV input has a dedicated attenuverter; the second one has a simple attenuator. The PING input expects a gate, and upon receiving one, will strike the gate with a sharp decay-only envelope. This input has a simple passive circuit behind it, which can be creatively exploited: for example, striking it with stepped voltages, e.g. a S&H output, will make the circuit skip some strikes, and the remaining strikes will have different velocity. The DULL / VIVID switch on the left chooses the type of the response: the DULL setting yields daker, quieter tones, while the BRIGHT setting makes the gate sound more open and loud. Both modes are useful in different applications.
Finally, the output of the gate core is passed through different harmonic processor to create the four SLEDGEHAMMER outputs: GATE, FOLD, BEND and SHARP.
