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February 2022 Eurorack module round-up

This month’s best modules include function generators from After Later and Tesseract, dual filters from ALM and Xaoc, plus a killer digital distortion from WMD.

Among a host of new arrivals in our warehouse this month, a few modules stand out as being particularly interesting for the way they go about achieving similar results.

ALM’s MCFx2 and Xaoc’s Zagrzeb are both dual-channel analogue filters which land at a similar price point, but despite their similarities they have plenty which sets them apart. The Xaoc Devices Zagrzeb is explicitly intended as a stereo module, with two linked channels of multi-mode filter circuits, inspired by 1970s Roland synths but not a clone of any circuit in particular. It’s a smooth, classy filter which is ideal to pair with a true stereo sound source. You can hear it in action in our First Look video above.

The ALM MCFx2 is a new module which riffs on the MCF filter found exclusively in the brand’s excellent System Coupe. Once again it’s a two-channel state-variable multi-mode filter, but in this case the two channels are entirely separate, allowing you to feed from one into the other, run them in parallel or link the two together for stereo operation. With separate CV inputs for each channel, you can modulate cutoff and resonance for both independently (there are also separate V/oct inputs for both filters, allowing you to set them up for keyboard tracking or play them as oscillators with the resonance cranked up). There’s huge fun to be had from feeding the first channel into the second and running them in series with different modulation sources patched into each of the channels. Which is best? It completely depends what you’re trying to achieve. For stereo sounds the Zagrzeb has the edge, but the versatility of the MCFx2 makes it more of an all-rounder. You can’t really go wrong either way. Proof if it were needed that there’s more than one way to skin a cat.

It’s a similar story for our next pair of modules. The After Later Audio QARV is described as a quad attack/release and VCA module, while the Tesseract Modular Selam is a six-channel function generator, but dig into the two modules and you’ll discover that they’ve got a lot more in common than just their black-and-gold panel colour schemes. Starting with the Selam, it’s a fairly simple and beginner-friendly module which offers a straightforward six identical channels, each with fast and slow modes. It’s an excellent way to learn about generating and modulating CV signals: with no input signal, each channel generates and LFO; plug in a gate or trigger input and you can generate simple envelopes; insert a CV signal and the channel acts as a slew limiter. Channels 1+2+3 and 4+5+6 are mixed to two separate outputs for complex modulation. Excellent stuff at a good price.

Despite its lower channel count, the After Later Audio QARV takes things to the next level thanks to more extensive controls, built-in VCAs and CV control of attack and release times. It’s the same kind of concept but with a lot more versatility, although it must be said that the simplicity of the Selam still gives it plenty of appeal. The QARV is twice the price of the Selam, which reflects its more extensive CV control options and built-in VCAs. If you can deal with the slightly more limited options of the Selam, it represents great value. For more advanced processing, the QARV gets the nod.

Finally this month, the WMD Geiger Counter is a typically aggro offering from a team which doesn’t shy away from the more extreme ends of the sonic spectrum. Based on the brand’s flagship Geiger Counter guitar pedal, the Eurorack version follows the same kind of approach, pairing a high-gain pre-amp with an 8-bit computer for a blend of analogue and digital distortion. The digital side of things is key here, with a mixture of sample-rate and bit-rate reduction, plus waveshaping via 252 wavetables with different characteristics. The Geiger Counter does do subtlety, but things get particularly interesting when you modulate the parameters via CV, with every parameter having its own dedicated control input. You can create some particularly unique effects with envelope generators routed into the bit depth and sample rate inputs, while modulating the wave table setting with a random sample-and-hold LFO can give you unique tone with each new note you play. Fun, dirty and creatively interesting in a way that most distortion modules struggle to match.