Midweek Modular: Timbral sculpting, 101 sequencing and Roots melodies
4,6 / 5,0 | 
This week saw an extraordinary filter folder from FSS, an SH-101 style sequencer from ALM and discovered extraordinary melodies in ROOTS. But what else did we dig up for this week’s Midweek Modular?
The FIL4 from Future Sound Systems is a harmonically stressed adventure playground. It folds nicely like a Buchla and then folds nastily in the resonance circuit while rectifying and multi-mode filtering. The FIL4 is an explosion of tone and not for the faint-hearted. Read more about it here.
Busy Circuits/ALM has brought into being the ASQ-1 sequencer which borrows from the SH-101 style of steps, notes and tests. It has two channels of melodic sequencing and then a 4-channel trigger-based drum machine. All of it run from the deliciously clacky mechanical keys. Read more about it here.
We heard the sad news this week that due to component issues and spiralling costs WMD are going to close by the end of the year. They have the last run of the Metron trigger sequencer to do and three new modules. Subway, Legion and Orion will have a limited run, and everything else will be on sale in the hope they can keep some cash flowing as they cease operations. Read more about it here.
Midweek Modular Bits and pieces
Here are a few more bits and pieces of modular news and coolness that I’m pleased to shine a light on for this week’s Midweek Modular.
Tronix-Audio ROOTS
Well, this is completely brilliant. ROOTS is a musical sequencer generator, triggerable comparator, rhythmic LFO, Sample & Hold, VCA and randomness machine. That’s a lot of craziness in a single 8HP analogue module.
So, on the left side, you have a VCA that’s controlling the level of the LFO. On the right, you have a VCA controlling the level of the random voltage output. Through triggering the inputs, you can generate random patterns of voltage and gates that can be pushed and pulled by the LFO. Now, there’s a lot more going on, but that’s all I can really understand from reading the manual.
The demo video, on the other hand, is complete madness. Roots looks like it’s enormously fun.
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Roots is available now for €159.
- Tronix-Audio website.
Hikari Instruments Dual LFO
Hidden within the slightly baffling front panel is a pair of independent voltage-controlled LFOs that can be combined into complex waveforms. Both sides have a variable-shaped triangle and pulse output and you can select which one you’d like to combine with the other side to emerge from the mixed output.
You have level control over each waveform in the combined output and also an offset slider to get some really interesting things going on.
There is a CV input over the frequency, and via jumpers on the back, you can change the range from really slow up to audio rate. But there’s no 1v/oct calibration, so it definitely prefers life as a modulator rather than a sound source.
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The Dual LFO is available now for €188.
- Hikari Instruments website.
AMSynths SN-101 VCF v2
AMSynths continue to mine the Roland mountain for great takes on classic synthesizer components. The SN-101, as you can probably guess, is a replica of the filter from the SH-101 synthesizer, and AMSynths has taken its original design to the next level.
AMSynths SN-101 v2 · Source: AMSynths
It uses a modern version of the chip plus the same ceramic disk filter capacitors that are found in the original. To bring things up to Eurorack levels, AMSynths has added some buffering Op Amps. The resonance can, of course, be pushed into self-oscillation. The biggest change is adding far more control over the inputs.
The SN-101 has two audio inputs with mixing, and separate attenuated modulation inputs for an LFO and Envelope. It also has a KYBD input for CV keyboard tracking, which is something that SH-101 has but you don’t often see in Eurorack modules. I also really enjoy seeing the cutoff and resonance on sliders.
Erica Synths Link
This is a simple one from Erica Synths. Link provides five channels of Eurorack to Line level conversion. On the left are a column of quarter-inch line level jack sockets, and on the right are minijack Eurorack sockets. The signal is attenuated between them.
Erica Synths Link · Source: Erica Synths
It’s perfect for routing Euroack signals out to effects units or to and from a mixer. Or perhaps for bringing in the sound of external synthesizers for a bit of modular action.
A simple, useful module for €50.
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