Midweek Modular: Zaar Percussion, CubuSynth VCFA and 333modules
4,5 / 5,0 | 
This week we are wowed by the 4-channel Zaar drum module while appreciating the VCA built into the VCFA and discovered cool utilities and bad spelling from 333modules.
Pam’s Workout got a stunning update with a full colour and expanded screen, and a shed load of new features. Pam’s Pro Workout can push clocks all over the place, generate envelopes, patterns and probability over 8 channels. The screen is a lot less cryptic and can show you exactly what’s going on. Read more about it here.
We saw a new analogue module for Expert Sleepers. This time it’s bringing together a bandpass filter and MOSFET distortion in a neatly modulatable module called Pandora. Read more about it here.
Midweek Modular
Here are some of the other modules and modular-related stuff that caught my eye this week.
Zaar Percussion Synth
This looks like a bit of a monster. Zaar is a 4 voice analogue percussion synthesizer that can also do basslines and synths. It has a built-in mixer for the voices, complete with pan control and a stereo output. Each voice gets its own output as well, and you have a rather nice filter built in which can be assigned to voices.
Voice 1 can handle gates and triggers but also an audio input that filters to find percussive tones. You have CV control over the pitch and envelope. Voice 2 gets pitch, pitch decay, depth and decay. For voices 3 and 4, the controls get smaller, and you’re dealing with pink or white noise.
Zaar is an exciting and versatile module with lots of stuff going on.
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CubuSynth VCFA
A voltage-controlled filter with a built-in VCA you say? Yes please. This is a good-looking multimode filter from CubuSynth that has an integrated VCA on the input stage. Once and for all it puts an end to the discussion on whether the filter should go before or after the VCA.
The filter has independent outputs for lowpass, highpass and bandpass modes. You can push it into self-oscillation and control the cutoff with 1v/oct over 2-3 octaves. The Gain knob goes temptingly up to saturation levels.
So, yes, useful filter, and I appreciate the space-saving that the VCA offers in 10HP.
https://www.instagram.com/p/ClGn3FutVdg/
333modules In, Out, Thru and Gates
Here’s a bunch of interesting utility modules from 333modules.
333modules · Source: 333modules
333-Out V2 is an output module and summing mixer with 4 stereo inputs going to a stereo output on 1/4″ jacks. You’ve overall level control and some peak LEDs.
333-In V2 does the opposite, letting you plug in a line-level source and convert that to mono to stereo for your Eurorack.
333-MIDImutesTHRU is an interesting MIDI THRU module with one MIDI input and four MIDI outputs. Alongside each output is a mute switch for killing the MIDI from that port. Makes me wonder why that’s not a standard feature on every MIDI device.
And finally, we have the 333-Puhsbuttom, which, I think, lets you manually generate gates by pressing one of the four buttons.
- 333modules website.
- 33modules on ModularGrid.
Instruo cárn and and update for Lúbadh
Just as I’d finished writing this article Instruo dropped the fascinating super-mixer and processor module, cárn. It’s a 4-channel mixer where each channel can also do its own thing like CV-controlled panning, attenuverting, crossfading and ring modulation. You can read more about it here.
But also, Instruo has released an update for the Lúbadh tape recorder thingy. You can now navigate files and folders in order to load from multiple loop options, enable sample locked linking for stereo playback, recording and saving. 1V/Oct tracking to musically sequence the pitch of your loops. There are new external sync options and tap tempo, vari-speed record for tape-like behaviours. And multiple playheads enabling multi-tap delays, polyphonic or granular-like effects and more.
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