Story

Synth Palace’s portable modular is a compact selection of unlikely combinations of euro-rack modules for you to explore and enjoy.

Intellijel Atlants

Inspired by the architecture and sound of the classic Roland SH-101, the Atlantis—just like the 101—is quick to dial in rich bass and lead sounds; only now you have much more sonic territory to explore. Dual VCOs, Multimode VCF, VCA with Drive, and an ADSR envelope, all of the building blocks needed to expand or start making sound in your rack.

Intellijel Metropolis

The Metropolis is a unique and powerful musical sequencer inspired by the Ryk M-185 (a Roland System 100m format sequencer), but with many additional enhancements and functions.

The Metropolis comprises eight “STAGES,” each with its own assignable gate mode, pulse count and pitch value. Each stage can also have a special slide or skip function activated too. The slide functionality is a constant time portamento very similar to the Roland TB303 (unlike most synths/sequencers that use constant rate portamento) which produces a very musical and interesting result.

In addition to the base sequencer settings set with the sliders and switches there is a full menu of controls and auxiliary modifiers that allows the user to control and manipulate the sequence in many powerful ways including: sequencer direction modes; pitch quantization and scale manipulators; clock dividers; shuffle; and much more.

Features

• 10 Sequencer Modes: Forward, Forward-fixed, Reverse, Reverse-fixed, PingPong, PingPong-Fixed, Random, Random-fixed, Brownian, Brownian-fixed
• Internal quantizing in any key and a choice of 30 different scales
• Shortcut keys and ratcheting
• Two assignable AUX inputs which can control: gate length, transpose, key shift, root shift, sequence length, step division and octave offset.
• TB-303 style slide (constant time portamento) with adjustable time
• Shuffle and Stage Skipping • Can act as a master clock with tap tempo or slave to an external clock
• SYNC output to slave other sequencers via RESET
• SAVE/LOAD panel settings to EEPROM
• All the core original RYK m185 functions are there too. 

Intellijel Quadra

The Intellijel Quadra is a quad-function/envelope generator with four function generators 3 modes: ad (attack – decay), ahr (attack – hold – release), cycle (ad envelope loops). 

Each function can have a linear or exponential curve. Wide time range for attack/decay controls: <0.5ms to well over 30s. All analog and discrete logic for function generation (totally smooth and continuous waveforms).

Critter & Guitari Melody Mill

Note generation module: MIDI Interface/Arpeggiator/Sequencer/Controller

The Critter & Guitari Melody Mill is a note generation module for Eurorack modular synthesizers. It contains a keyboard, CV outputs, CV clock input, built-in arpeggiators, a sequencer, and MIDI capabilities. The Melody Mill brings the fun of the Pocket Piano to modular setups!

With the Melody Mill you can:

• Use the CV output to control oscillators
• Connect your MIDI controller or computer into your modular setup using the MIDI input
• Play notes, record and playback sequences and arpeggios on your favorite modules
• Convert MIDI clock into CV pulses 
• Clock the arpeggiator with an LFO for strange melodies 
• 'Hold' notes for drones 
• Connect the built-in square wave oscillator directly to a filter or an amp
• The Melody Mill generates 1-Volt per octave, trigger, and gate control voltages. These signals are used to trigger other synthesizer modules. Notes may be played on the built-in keyboard or received via MIDI. The notes may be used directly to generate the CV signals, or fed through one of the five arpeggiator modes first. Adding to the fun is a hold button and a simple sequencer to record and playback notes. In addition to the CV outputs, the Melody Mill also outputs MIDI of the note it is generating.
• A ‘smart’ arpeggiator clock selects a clock source depending on what is connected to the Melody Mill: CV clock input, MIDI clock, or internal clock (controlled by the 'Rate' knob).

The six modes are:

• Single Shot
• Up Arpeggio
• Down Arpeggio
• Pyramid Arpeggio
• Alternator Arpeggio
• Random Arpeggio

Snazzy FX Wow and Flutter

After years of people asking us to make the Wow and Flutter in eurorack format, we are happy to say that the Wow and Flutter module is finished, and not only does it live up to the original, it has a bunch of new features.

And since this is for your modular synthesizer, the headroom has increased to 10 volts peak to peak. Effects possible with this module range from subtle tape warble to full-on pitch weirdness, snapback delay, rubbery sounds, dark echo, delayed swells, and self-oscillating feedback madness.

Using it as a regular delay with the Warp knob turned down, the color is dark and soft. Turn up the warp halfway and you begin to get pitched delays and warbly goo.Turn Warp all the way up and it has a unique sound all its own. For those of you who have never tried a Wow and Flutter, it is so much more than a delay. In fact the original intent of the box wasn’t delay at all, it was the sound of the tape machine eating your tape. But it CAN do delay. And it can also do spiky sounds. And boing sounds. You just have to play with it. And using it on drums and synths allows a whole new basket of sounds to crash through your speaker.

We have added CV control of Delay time (attenuated by the Depth knob) as well as an external envelope input AND Cv control of Decay time. So you have external control of 3 parameters. We have also added two feedback modes. With the toggle switch in the top position the feedback is very calm and resembles the original stompbox. With the toggle flipped down, WATCH OUT! At max feedback it only takes a second or two to go into self-oscillating distortion. But turn it down just a touch, and you can get quite a bit of control over your dubbed out explorations.

The attack and decay controls are exactly as they were on the original BUT we have added a jumper on the back of the module for those who wish to take their Warbles into extreme regions. Simply move the jumper into FAST mode.

We have also future-proofed this module by adding an expander port in the back. Coming sometime in late 2013 you can expect an expander which will add even more modulation weirdness and control to your new favorite delay module!

And that’s not all. There are two extra jacks which were not found on the original. WET OUT and ENV OUT. Wet out is fully wet. Use this in combination with the Envelope Input for unique sounds, or just use it to add to your mix.

The ENV OUT allows you to take the Wow’s envelope follower control output and patch it into your filter CV or VCO cv…..create interesting feedback loops where the Wow is responding to the very amplitude and pitch that it is effecting!

There is also a new ENV LED, so now when you dial in the threshold control, you can see exactly when and how intensely the WARP function is going to garble your sound.

So in closing, the new Wow and Flutter module has a bunch of new features, keeps all the old ones, and in the process ends up as a very powerful modulation tool. We have put up some videos to let you hear the Wow processing drums and synths. With just a few knob turns you can really change the entire character of your input.If you have been searching for a delay with the character of a tape delay twisted and melted, look no further.

Thomas Henry 555 VCO (x2)

Hi all, As alluded to previously, I have four projects that have been sitting around way too long and have been panting to get out the door for the past couple of years.

So, here's the first: a VCO using easy to find parts. If I may be so immodest, this is my best design to date. The waveforms look great and if you check the measurements, below, you'll see it's the most accurate I've ever come up with. If I were younger and had more energy, I'd turn this into an article and make some moolah from it. Unfortunately, my strength for such endeavors is ebbing, so instead I'll post it here for you to play with. All I ask is that you respect the rights and don't republish the design or rip it off for any commercial purposes. I'm not opposed to someone doing a PCB for noncommercial uses, but please secure permission from me first.

Okay, without that out of the way, here's the dope. My favorite VCO of all times is the CEM3340, and I've always wanted to approximate it somehow. After nearly thirty years, I finally have a design which comes the closest. The accuracy on my breadboard was very good.

There are ramp, triangle, pulse and sine outputs, all of which are decent looking. The sync is a real treat and basically comes along for free. And, of course, there are the usual VCO features such as coarse and fine tuning, exponential and linear FM, etc. If you're looking for cleverness, then be sure to check out how I did the sync, the ramp, and buffered the sine to keep the chip count down.

So there it is. Have fun with it and be sure to post your results here. Three modules are in the wings and should be out the door in the next week or so. And then school starts yet again and another year evaporates...

- Thomas Henry

Synovatron CVGT1

Euro rack to buchla CV converter

The CVGT1 is an interface that translates signals from the eurorack voltage norm to the Buchla norm and vice versa. Not only you can convert different Buchla voltage characteristics to 1V/octave but also process triggers and gates. Of course the module also acts as a format interface from minijack to banana.

The module consists of four sections:

• voltage converter from Buchla to Eurorack 1V/oct out. The incoming voltage characteristic from your Buchla is switchable (1V, 1.2V or 2V/octave). The offset is either uni- or bipolar.
• Pulse converter: A pulse fro mthe Buchla is output at two minisockets: one gate and one trigger. Activity is displayed with a LED.
• Voltage converter from Eurorack to Buchla. 1V/Octave input, Buchla output (characteristic switchable:1V, 1.2V or 2V/octave). Offset uni- or bipolar. Negative voltages are displayed with a LED
• Pulse converter: generates from a Eurorack-trigger or -gate a Buchla type pulse. Activity is displayed with a LED.

The banana sockets match Buchla´s color code: red for pulses and blue for CVs. A grounding socket for making a ground connection between your Eurorack systems and the Buchla is available.

Downloads

Atlantis

Metroplois

Quadra & Expander

Melody Mill

Thomas Henry

CVGT1