The Lab Report Episode 1: Building on the Past

video upload by Pittsburgh Modular Synthesizers

"This Lab Report explores the original Voltage Research Laboratory along with the upcoming Voltage Lab 2.

The Pittsburgh Modular Voltage Lab 2 is a cutting edge synthesis laboratory that offers a new palette of analog textures and waveforms to sonic researchers. Newly developed wave shaping capabilities paired with powerful synthesis tools, and a deep, performance oriented controller join together to create a complete sound design laboratory. This instrument has a very physical sound. The tones it creates feel natural and alive, with traditional waveforms becoming the seeds of unique new shapes and sounds that shift between analog physical modeling and more unfamiliar, abstract timbres."

New Pittsburgh Modular Module Safari Patch Lab with Richard Nicol

video by Pittsburgh Modular Synthesizers

"Richard demos the Modular Synthesis Safari Series 1 modules. Gibbon Chaotic Shift Register, Crow Overdrive Filter, and Giraffe Attenuverting Mixer module."

Interesting front panel designs.

via Pittsburgh Modular

A glimpse into our design process, the Safari modules give Richard and Michael an opportunity to highlight interesting concepts, test ideas for future instruments, and scratch their creative itch. We have built 200 of each of the Series 1 modules and because these designs are meant to be a proof of concept or work in progress, we do not plan on making more.

Series 1

Giraffe
How much mixer can you fit in 4hp? Perhaps not groundbreaking analog synthesis research, but we were running low on mixers at the workshop. The Giraffe is an attenuverter version of our 2+2 mixer and can be patched as a 4 channel mixer, a pair of 2 channel mixers,4 independent attenuverters, 2 attenuverters and a 2 channel mixer, or 1 attenuator and a 3 channel mixer.

Crow
Black on black and inspired by an afternoon Richard and Michael spent surrounded by a murder of crows at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, the Crow was designed to destroy beautiful sounds. “How far can we push our overdrive circuit?” was the question this module needed to answer, and now we know. Probably further than anyone should ever go.

Gibbon
A pseudo-random shift register research facility along with a peek into the chaotic side of the upcoming Voltage Lab 2, the Gibbon expands on the random shift register concept from original Voltage Research Laboratory with more options and deeper control. Originally inspired by the random source on the Buchla Music Easel, the Gibbon has evolved into it’s own unique species

Pittsburgh Modular Superbooth 19 Update DVD Extras "The Path"

Published on May 13, 2019 Pittsburgh Modular Synthesizers

"Richard shows us the path he at lunch on during Superbooth 19. Soundtrack by the Voltage Research Laboratory."

Pittsburgh Modular Documentary Films Presents: the Microvolt 3900 - Season 3

Published on Jun 22, 2019 Pittsburgh Modular Synthesizers

Teaser tracks showcasing the Pittsburgh Modular Voltage Research Laboratory eurorack format synthesizer.

Cre8audio East Beast and West Pest Synth voices - Sonic LAB Review

video upload by sonicstate

"We're looking at a pair of desktop synths (also mountable in Eurorack) from Cre8Audio - as in previous releases, these are made in collaboration with Richard Nicol from Pittsburgh Modular - he knows how to make great sounding Oscillators, Filters and Wave folders, in fact the core technology of the East Beast (subtractive single VCO synth voice) comes from the VCO, VCF and VCA of the SV-1 Blackbox - which we think sounds pretty fine. The West Pest however has the VCO, Wavefolder and Dynamics from the highly prized Voltage Research Laboratory System - with a rich Wavefolder and resonant Low Pass Gate for a more West Coast sound."

Pittsburgh Modular Lifeforms Voltage Research Laboratory Synth + Touch Control w/ Original Boxes

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via this auction

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Perfect Circuit Chat w/ Richard Nicol of Pittsburgh Modular Hosted By BboyTech and Trovarsi

Published on Apr 27, 2020 Perfect Circuit

"Thursday 4/30/20 at 6PM PST on Perfect Circuit Chat we have Richard Nicol of Pittsburgh Modular on to talk with our hosts BBoyTech and Trovarsi. Richard will be doing a short performance and then talking with us about Pittsburgh Modular's eurorack and semi-modular synthesizers, including the Voltage Research Laboratory. Join the live chat to ask questions and join the chat.

Pittsburgh Modular modules and synths available here: https://www.perfectcircuit.com/pittsb..."

New Voltage Research Laboratory - Season 4 Episodes

Episodes 6 - 10 added to the playlist here.

Livewire Dual Cyclotron

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via this auction

"Livewire has been fairly tight-lipped about their new module, the dual cyclotron. the rumor going around is that the design is based on a schematic hastily scribbled on a paper napkin that was reverse-engineered from a charred fragment of circuitry pinched from the site of a purported roswell ufo crash in 1947.

the net result of this extensive research is the development of the livewire dual cyclotron oscillation machine.

due to the enigmatic nature of the source technology, the machine's functions are a bit difficult to explain. in general, one could think of it as a pair of non-concentric, asymmetrical low frequency semi-periodic resonators (or cyclotrons) controlling a subordinate pseudorandom voltage generator.

the subsequent output voltage which is produced can be used to modulate vcos, vcfs, vcas, or any other devices that is voltage controllable. the dual cyclotron can be adjusted for extremely long cycles producing slowly changing soundscapes evolving over long periods of time, or ultrahigh cycle rates for totally sick sideband oscillation.

every dual cyclotron oscillation machine is assembled under sterile laboratory conditions and undergoes thorough radiation decontamination prior to shipping.

this module has a maximum current draw of 60ma. it requires 28 HP space in a eurorack frame"

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The Polyphone & Hugh Le Caine

"The Polyphone (860004), an analogue polyphonic synthesizer, was built by Le Caine's National Research Council (NRC) lab in 1970, at the same time that the last two Sackbuts were being completed, and ten years before polyphonic synthesizers became commercially successful. Each key of its touch-sensitive keyboard had its own pitch control and wave form control. Essentially it was a bank of 37 key-operated oscillators, able to produce 37 separately defined tones.

Above the keyboard were several control devices that were typical of synthesizers at the time: low frequency oscillators, envelope generators, and filters, all of which could influence aspects of the overall sound produced by the instrument. Below the instrument was a pressure-sensitive pedal keyboard that controlled other aspects of the overall sound. The instrument provided extremely comprehensive resources and was potentially a very powerful tool; however, it was difficult to learn to play, a problem it shared with most synthesizers."

Title link takes you The Polyphone page on the Canada Science and Technology Museum website. Make sure to check out some of the other interesting bits while there.

For more on Hugh Le Caine check out Hugh Le Caine.com. The following was pulled from the biography:

"Canadian scientist and composer Hugh Le Caine (1914-1977) has been called one of the "heroes" of electronic music. He was brought up in Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay) in northwestern Ontario. At an early age he began building musical instruments and experimenting with electronic devices. In his youth he imagined "beautiful sounds" that he believed could be realized through new electronic inventions."

"At home he continued to pursue his interest in electronic music and sound generation. He established a personal studio in 1945, where he began to work independently on the design of electronic musical instruments such as the Electronic Sackbut, a sophisticated monophonic performance instrument now recognized as the first voltage-controlled synthesizer. Le Caine later developed voltage-control systems for a wide variety of applications."

"Perhaps the most important aspect of Le Caine's designs for his instruments was the "playability" that he took care to build into them. His fixation with "beautiful sound" led him repeatedly to design electronic instruments capable of producing a nuance-filled expression typical of the orchestral tradition. He had an acute sense of what performers needed if they were to be able to create the performance gestures that he believed formed the essence of music.

Touch sensitivity was an essential ingredient in this, and was used in keyboards, mixers, and other components, applied mechanically, electronically, and through light sensitivity. Le Caine's designs were so advanced in this respect that some of the features that he developed found their way into commercial designs only in the late 1980s."
Image of Le Caine with the Sackbut.

via Frederic.

Update via slabman in the comments: "He did some pretty amazing stuff with the technology of the day - some of it still unmatched. For example, the Sackbut has a touch sensitive 2D timbral mixer control that balances various overtones & waveforms. Made the sound very controllable & dynamic, but also made the instrument more difficult to master. It's interesting to think of how there's a kind of Bell curve of synthesizer technology: one one end you have the laboratory instrument type approach (Buchla, Serge); at the other end, you have people inventing new instruments like the Sackbut & Theremin. Commercial gear mostly occupies the bump in the middle of the curve. It would be great to see some more activity at that 'new instrument' end."