Vermona release two new Eurorack modules: uniCYCLE and quadraPOL
Two new Eurorack modules from Vermona give us oscillation and modulation. “uniCYCLE” is an analog voltage controlled oscillator and “quadroPOL” is a voltage controlled polarizer and ring modulator.
uniCYCLE
Not the most dramatic looking module in the world but Vermona are known for their understated quality. As synthesizer designers, they have many circuits to draw upon but Vermona say that this oscillator is reworked in many respects to tailor it for modular systems. It’s designed with stability, tuning and sound quality in mind.
There are 6 waveform outputs; sawtooth, triangle, square, sine, even (only has even harmonics) and an interesting doubled square. Pulse width modulation can be applied to both square waveforms and the even waveform for some added movement. There’s an external sync connection offering hard or soft sync on the waveforms.
The Tune knob has three modes selectable with the switch. In “HI” mode is covers the full audio range. In “OCT” mode it covers a range plus/minus one octave. And in “LO” mode it works as an LFO covering very low frequencies.
It’s only 10hp wide, with those trademark cream knobs and very ordered layout of audio and CV connections. It’s understated, certainly, but also one to consider when looking for a new oscillator.
quadraPOL
quadraPOL is a 4 channel polarizer. It can attenuate any incoming signal, in or out of phase. They have this thing they don’t like about centre-clicks and instead use a “dead-zone” rather than a single zero position. This makes it easy to find the off-position.
Each channel’s output is forwarded to the next one and sums it at the bottom. So far it feels very much like a 4 channel VCA but with a polarising level control. This means that with the level knob at the centre the input is suppressed, nothing comes through. Turn it right to increase the level or turn it left to increase and reverse polarity. This is where the dead-zone becomes useful. Polarisation is most obvious when used on LFO signals. When there’s no input connected the output generates +-5v CV depending on the level knob.
So it can be an attenuator, an inverter, a VCA, a CV source and a mixer. But what about ring modulation? Well, if you apply two waveforms, like LFO signals, to the INPUT and CV IN then ring modulation will be applied. The INPUT is the carrier and the CV IN is the modulator. The two signals are then multiplied together producing sums and differences in their harmonics.
The quadraPOL looks every bit like a regular 10hp VCA with those understated cream knobs, but it has many hidden depths and functions which makes it an attractive option for your next VCA.
No news on pricing yet but you’ll find full information and manuals on the Vermona website.
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