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."

Eurorack Phasers

volume 3 video upload by John Schussler

"I got a Pittsburgh Modular Toad not long ago, and realized I'd not compared the WMD Orion to anything either. Figured I'd put them both together, and throw in the G-Storm Polychrome to help join this video with earlier comparisons of eurorack phasers.

The Orion is now discontinued, and the Toad is a limited edition that will sell out. Only the Polychrome is in continued production. Not that there aren't other phasers, mind you, just saying if you like these....

VCO is a Befaco Pony. Little bit of reverb to make it not so harsh, but not too much. That's about it. Enjoy.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Drone
11:32 Sequence"

Eurorack Phasers - Take 2

video upload by John Schussler

"(This is a 'headphones required' video. You won't hear half of what's going on if you don't listen in headphones.)

This is my second attempt at a video on eurorack Phasers. The first (linked here but not otherwise listed in my channel: Eurorack Phasers) contained a number of mistakes. I'm keeping it around because I actually find those mistakes interesting, and want to be able to remind myself.

In particular, I didn't understand a couple things:

1) The SynthTech E560 input isn't set up for Eurorack levels, it's set up for line levels. If you don't attenuate the input, it distorts rather badly.
2) You have to use BOTH outputs of any module (that has them) if you want to hear stereo phasing. It's the contrast between the source audio and the phased audio that makes the effect, and you need two outputs to make that happen.

So. Once again into the breach, I attempt to compare some eurorack phasers. I think somewhat more successfully this time.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Next Phase
08:19 E560
17:15 Kamieniec"

Previously posted: Eurorack phasers - two new additions

Eurorack TB-303: Three all-in-one modules compared

video upload by John Schussler

"More 303 comparisons. I've looked at the Hydronium and the Bassline before, but have only recently acquired an x0x Heart. Up to this point my favorite 303 emulation has been the Hydronium, but it's much larger than it needs to be, and I'm always on the lookout for something that sounds just as good but is smaller.

No, I don't have an Acidlab M303. I should probably get one. It seems to be the only other module that's an entire 303 behind one small panel.

Sequencer is Next Tuesday, which has slide and accent outs, a critical component when evaluating a 303 style module.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Hydronium
06:47 x0x Heart
12:35 Bassline"

Sovage Engineering - Le Brasier and L'Ecorcheur compared

video upload by John Schussler

"I've had L'Ecorcheur for a while and been very happy with it, so figured I should get a Brasier as well to keep L'Ecorcheur company.

They're similar, but different enough that I understand why they both exist. They have distinctive sounds, and different controls, so it seemed worthwhile to record them back to back.

And apparently their distortion is so meaty they manage to take the camera off angle (without me noticing). That takes some serious gronk.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Le Brasier
10:12 L'Ecorcheur"

New Eurorack Distortion - December 2023 edition

video upload by John Schussler

"New month, new modules.

This month, distortion!

Some are tube, some aren't. It's a mixed bag. But it's interesting to hear tube up against diode to remember how the vibe changes. There are some here that are warm and fuzzy, and others that clearly just want to rip off your ears and throw them in a blender.

So don't crank your volume right away...you'll find out the hard way that I've put no limiting on the audio here....

00:00 Intro
00:20 WGD Modular Tequila
04:27 Sovage Engineering Le Brasier
13:46 Stoel Music Systems Tube Distortion
18:27 Colossus Audio Corruptelam
24:32 Drums"

Roland Juno Chorus eurorack comparison

video upload by John Schussler

"I'm a big chorus fan, and am continually surprised there aren't more of them as stand alone modules in Eurorack. The most famous chorus was originally shipped in the Roland Juno line (6, 60, and 106), and is what's replicated in these two modules I'm looking at today.

The Feedback Chorus 106 has been out for a while, and is now discontinued because they can no longer get some of the NOS (new old stock) parts they use.

The SoundForce uChorus is brand new, and has substituted an STM and some other new bits to make up for the MN3101 driver IC that's no longer available.

Both are following the original circuit behavior as closely as possible.

I compare them here to see if one is better than the other.
Spoiler: I can't hear the difference. Can you? Let me know in the comments.

00:00 Intro
00:20 The basics
01:40 uChorus I+II mode
03:03 106 Chorus overdrive"

The G-Storm electro Feedback Chorus made it's first appearance here in 2019, and the SoundForce uChorus in May, 2023 this year.

SEM vs SEM - November 2023 edition

video upload by John Schussler

"The G-Storm Electro SEM VCF arrived the other day, and I figured I'd give it a listen in comparison to what, up to this point, I think is the best SEM eurorack module: the Studio Electronics SEM VCF.

(Spoiler alert: The G-Storm gives the SE a serious run for its money)

I've also thrown in the Bubblesound SEM20 and an AMSynths Obie XA. The Bubblesound is mostly SEM, but with some MS-10 bits grafted on that makes it more aggro. The Obie XA isn't a SEM at all, different chip, but is also modeled after an Oberheim filter so I figured I'd toss it in for contrast.

VCO is a Befaco Pony, first on saw then on square. Sequencer is a Clank Chaos. Envelope is Zadar.

Be forewarned: a lot of this video is me going back, and forth, and back, and forth, and back and forth between modules. Don't get seasick.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Standard gain
03:43 Gain up
06:46 Resonance up
08:56 Tight envelope
16:00 Square wave"

Eurorack granular synthesis module comparison

video upload by John Schussler

"I've had Beads for a long time but have never really gelled with it. More recently I've acquired Brinta and Mojave, so it seemed like time to come to grips with granular in general, and these modules in particular.

This is a *very* basic comparison based on me reading through the manuals and spending time wiggling knobs. Each module gets a first pass using a simple Pianophonic sequence, then some time with a more complex audio source using some acoustic material from my last CD, 'The Willow Ladder.'

(Available on Bandcamp at schusslermusic.com, I will note. Nudge nudge.)

I'm really just interested in seeing which one gives me more interesting results with less RTFM'ing. I'm not sufficiently impressed by granular synthesis in general to really grind through any opaque interface designs.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Brinta
13:30 Beads
26:04 Mojave"

SSF Steady State Gate vs Erica Synths Black LPG: Listening to resonance

video upload by John Schussler

"A recent thread on ModWiggler brought up the question of resonance on low pass gate modules, and it occurred to me I hadn't really compared the Steady State Gate
from SSF (which has resonance) to the Erica Synths Black LPG (which also has resonance). Resonance isn't wildly common in LPGs, so it seemed worthwhile to listen to both and see what differences I heard.

Yes, there are more LPGs out there that include resonance. I don't have them, I just have these. Yes, they're very different modules with different feature sets, but I figure the resonant part can be examined somewhat separately from the rest.

Maybe not. We'll see.

VCO is a Befaco Pony. Sequencer is a Clank Chaos.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Steady State Gate
08:10 Black LPG"

Clank Thererec 2-channel eurorack cv motion recorder

video upload by John Schussler

Announcement post with pic here.

"There are quite a few cv recorders available in eurorack, including a few that use motion or pressure to indicate gestures. Clank has now released Thererec, which uses proximity sensors to sense your finger motions, and coupled that with recording functionality to loop your gestures.

The name is derived from its inspiration, the theremin, bonded to a recorder.

Where it gets more interesting is in the ability to change the range and speed of the looped gestures, plus a reset jack for syncing to a clock.

Source audio is a Befaco Pony VCO.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Manual
01:35 Recording
03:19 Reset"

Making Sound Machines - Farbshaper

video upload by John Schussler

"I covered the Making Sound Machines Farbfolder in a previous vid: [below]

The Farbshaper is similar, but not such a standard wavefolder design. It has a gain circuit that's unusually responsive to the amplitude of the input signal, giving it a very organic sound and variety of timbres you don't get on other folders.

The input signal is all sine wave from the Befaco Pony VCO.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Source audio
00:45 Sweeps
02:50 Sequence"

Making Sound Machines Farbfolder vs. Joranalogue Fold 6


"Just got the new Farbfolder in from thonk.co.uk and put it together (it's an easy build, just knobs and jacks). I must admit the sexy color LEDs at the top caught my eye. They've 3D printed a light guide and used a transparent panel, so it gives you an excellent show of das blinkenlights. (Die? Das? I've forgotten what little German I had.)

But of course there's always the real question, how does it sound? And how does it compare to others at its size? I figured I'd pair it against the Fold 6 from Joranalogue, which is also 4hp, for a head-to-head.

Source audio is a Befaco Pony VCO sine wave. Envelope from Zadar.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Farbfolder
08:19 Fold 6"

Patching Panda Punch MG - first patch

video upload by John Schussler

"I'm not entirely sure what to call the Punch MG. It's a mixer, it's a VCA, it's an envelope, but also it's none of those things. It's its own thing.

Try this: you put some sounds into it, plus some triggers. It has a decay envelope for each channel that you can adjust so that you can make those sounds percussive. That's part one.

Then you add each channel to the Mute group (or don't). This doesn't really mute the channels in any sense, it ducks them. The signal on one channel affects the envelope of the signal on another, and vice versa.

At least I think that's what's happening. In any case, it makes a group of sounds work really well together.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Source audio
00:45 Basic mixing
04:30 Add sequence
05:17 Mix sequence"

End of chain drum effects

video upload by John Schussler

"I recently got the ADDAC Vintage Clip, and have been playing with it as an end of chain drum mix treatment. I have a few other simple stereo distortions and filters and figured I'd listen to them as a group and see which I liked best in the role of 'final drum effect.'

It's not so much a fair comparison as...just a comparison. There are lots of other modules that could probably serve this purpose just as well, but these are what I have and wanted to listen to. So there you go.

YMMV.

Drums are an SSF Ultra Kick, Prok SN, Prok HH, and WMD Chimera. Sequencer is an Iron Ether Pithoprakta.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Vintage Clip
04:05 Twin Drive
09:24 Stereo Mix
16:34 Roucha Legio
21:34 nw2s D0"

Zlob Folidplier wavefolder - sine edition

video upload by John Schussler

https://zlobmodular.com/

"In my last video I did a comparison with the Zlob Foldiplier [posted here] that involved me using a saw wave as the input audio source.

It was pointed out to me later on ModWiggler that in fact, that's not the best idea. What you really want to do with wavefolders (and distortion) is to use a simple wave like sine or triangle, so the folder can add more magic, particularly on the low end. High-harmonic-content waves like saws are already so busy that you don't get as much of the juice out of the 'folder.

So let's try this again, but this time with a sine wave. Note that I'm not doing the AI Synthesis Wave Animator in this one since it's not technically a wavefolder, and the input wave doesn't matter. I am, however, adding in the Joranalogue Fold6, because like the Foldiplier it's 4hp, and it's currently my favorite.

Let the competition begin....

00:00 Intro
00:20 Foldiplier
08:37 Feedback
13:00 FLD6"

Two New Waveshapers - August 2023

video upload by John Schussler

"New month, new modules.

I built the Wave Animator from the kit: it's very straightforward with a small part count and easy assembly.

I most certainly did not build the Foldiplier. It's got lots of parts and does not look to me like an easy project. (Zlob's web page rates its difficulty at 3.5/5)

They're both waveshapers, but with very different approaches. The Wave Animator is based on an Ian Fritz design that produces two pulses whenever it sees an input wave. The Foldiplier is a more "standard" wavefolder/harmonics generator, with the caveat that it has a feedback mode best described as 'pissed off.'

Both are quite fun.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Wave Animator
07:02 WA growly bits
12:45 Foldiplier
19:45 Foldiplier feedback"

Eurorack cv presets - Traffic, Frames, Morphader, VC Transitions

video upload by John Schussler

"With the arrival of Traffic, a new module from Jasmine & Olive Trees, I find myself with several modules that do similar things around 'cv presets.'

The scenario I'm considering today is putting a single module (e.g. Basilimus Iteritas Alter from Noise Engineering) into different 'states' by simultaneously changing multiple cv inputs going to the module. This way you can get multiple 'instruments' out of a single module, in this case a variety of drums and percussion, which can then be sequenced.

There are other modules that do this as well (e.g. Endorphines Total Control), but these are the ones I happen to have. So, grain of salt and all that.

Sequencer is Pittsburgh Modular Micro Sequence. Clock source is Pam's Pro Workout.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Traffic
04:52 VC Transitions
09:08 Morphader
13:00 Plancks II"

Noise Engineering Versio - Praetereo firmware

video upload by John Schussler

"There's a new firmware available for the Noise Engineering Versio modules
called 'Praetereo.' It's a drifting loop maker, in the same vein as the Soma
Cosmos or Hologram Microcosm.

There's a thread for it on ModWiggler with links and detailed info: https://www.modwiggler.com/forum/view...

No commentary from me in this one, just listening. VCO is a Cwejman VCO-2RM, with one side going to the left channel and one to the right. Seqencer is the OK200 Degree. Envelope: Zadar.

Last in the chain is a Yester Versio module. If you hear a regular delay, it's that, not the Praetereo. And occasionally I bring in the Yester wavefolder. If you hear effects happening but don't see my hand making them, it's the Yester.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Part 1
08:30 Part 2
18:00 Part 3"

Eurorack acid - TB 303 style modules

video upload by John Schussler

"If you listen to techno, you listen to the Roland TB-303. It's the sound of acid, and is such a unique sound that everybody wants and uses it.

Although several makers are selling clones in the original 303 design (with the sequencer and original layout), you may just want to get one in Eurorack without all the fuss of learning the 303 sequencer interface (it's not intuitive).

Here are a bunch of 303 modules that either include all the parts (VCF, VCA, envelope, accent, glide...the works) or just one part (the VCF, which is the most critical bit).

There are others as well, these are just the ones I happen to have...."

00:00 Intro
00:20 Hydronium
07:28 TB-EFA
13:56 Acid Source
24:14 Pico Acid
30:00 Doepfer A-103/120
46:16 Vult Freak

New from Bard Synthesizers - LPG and Ring Modulator

video upload by John Schussler

"I recently got a couple new modules from Bard Synthesizers. The VTG low pass gate is available as part of his normal product lineup, but the ring modulator is a custom build. I'm guessing if you like it you could talk him into building you one as well, but note that it takes a bit longer, what with it being a custom build and all.

Here's a little sampler to get an idea how they sound. Plus some extra from the Erica Synths Fusion Ring Modulator at the end for comparison.

Source VCOs are an Acid Rain Chainsaw and a Befaco Pony VCO.
Envelope from Zadar.

00:00 Intro
00:20 LPG
06:00 Gilbert Ringmod
11:27 Erica Ringmod"

MeloDicer save and recall patterns

video upload by John Schussler

"One of the killer features of the Vermona MeloDicer is the ability to save and recall patterns. Press the C button, select a slot with the encoder, and press the encoder. Saved. Press the D button, select a slot with the encoder, press the encoder...loaded! Easy and quick."