September 2022 Eurorack module round-up
This month’s best new Eurorack releases include an exciting sequencer from ALM, another Versio module from Noise Engineering and Verbos’s twist on an envelope generator. Greg Scarth checks out the latest offerings.
ALM Busy Circuits ASQ-1
Every new ALM Busy Circuits release is a big deal, but the ASQ-1 feels like an instant hit. Designed for immediacy, ease of use and creative inspiration, the ASQ-1 is a multi-part step sequencer, with two channels of melodic CV/gate sequencing inspired by the Roland SH-101, four channels of x0x-style trigger sequencing and the ability to quantise CV signals to a programmed scale in real time. There’s a built-in clock to trigger everything and memory for sequences, but the most unique aspect of all is the use of computer keyboard-style mechanical keys to create a basic single-octave keyboard.
In use, the ASQ-1 is immediate and fun from the off. It’s not the deepest, most complex sequencer around, but that’s pretty much the point. Instead, it’s a sequencer which encourages you to lay down ideas quickly and jam out performances by transposing and muting patterns. There’s not a huge amount of hidden depth, but there are nice touches like the option to divide down the playback speed of sequences or set uneven pattern lengths across channels. The bad news is that our first batch sold out immediately, so don’t forget to sign up for email notifications if you want to make sure you don’t miss the next batch.
Noise Engineering Polydactyl Versio
By now most people reading this round-up are probably familiar with the concept of Noise Engineering’s stereo Versio modules. Based around identical DSP platforms and hardware, each module in the Versio range offers different firmware which changes the functionality in a major way. The benefits are that Noise Engineering save on development costs by not developing new hardware every time, keeping module prices down, but you also keep your options open as an owner because you can reprogram any Versio module with the firmware from any other (you can even buy replacement front panels if you want the settings to match your chosen firmware).
The Polydactyl is Noise’s eighth release in the Versio series, this time offering a multi-band dynamics processor, designed to work well on entire stereo mixes as well as individual sounds. There are similarities to the single-band Librae Legio module, but the settings and tuning are nicely designed for added multi-band versatility here. Controls for multi-band processors can be confusing, but what’s particularly pleasing is how the Polydactyl keeps things user-friendly with fixed frequency bands, bipolar compression/expansion knobs, simple ‘ceiling’ controls for each band and a nice saturation control which is applied to all individual bands plus the stereo mix. It’s a great all-rounder which can do simple basics like subtle compression as well as more extreme multi-band effects.
Doepfer A-121s Stereo Multimode Filter
It can sometimes be tricky to decode the brand’s naming conventions, but Doepfer’s A-121s is a fairly straightforward one, effectively a stereo/dual version of the A-121-2 filter, which is also available as the slimline A-121-3. We’ve seen a lot of stereo modules lately and the A-121s fits the bill on that front, but even if you’re not interested in the dual-channel aspect, the ability to use the two sections independently, in serial, or in parallel sets the 121s apart from the single-channel 121 modules.
It’s a 12dB/oct multi-mode design with bags of character, capable of doing some smooth and gentle basic filtering, but the A-121 is at its best when you crank the input levels and push the circuits into saturation. Winding up the (voltage-controllable) Q/resonance setting also pushes the module into some lovely self-oscillation. At very little more than the price of two A-121-2s, the 121s is great value, offering much more than just twice the functionality.
Klavis Two Bits
Klavis’s range skews towards utility modules at very reasonable prices, and the Two Bits dual logic processor certainly fits into that category, offering a variety of logic functions which are the fundamental building blocks of digital processing. For those unfamiliar with binary logic operations, it’s all about those fabled ones and zeroes. Take the AND function, for instance: the output will only be a positive if both inputs are positive. The OR function, by contrast, gives a positive output if either one (or both) are positive. XOR (exclusive or) gives a positive if just one input is positive, but not if both are. The most obvious applications here are for trigger processing/sequencing and modulation, but there’s a lot more to it than that, not least because the Two Bits can handle audio rate signals and CV processing, which breaks away from the strict binary operation. Luckily the documentation is also good, and helps guide you through figuring out the many applications. For under £120, you get a total of 15 different logic functions spread across two channels, with a dizzying wealth of potential uses. An interesting module which is worth checking out even if you’ve never considered logic before.
Verbos Electronics Polyphonic Envelope
Something of a cult hero of electronic music on every level, readers of this column are likely to be familiar with Midwest-born, Berlin-based Mark Verbos. An innovative, forward-thinking player in the mid-90s techno scene, he’s now just as well known for his range of synth modules which draw on Don Buchla’s West Coast synthesis principles. As Verbos puts it, he’s interested in “the idea of building a musical instrument rather than an electronic tool”. The Polyphonic Envelope module fits that brief, applying those slightly more esoteric approaches to sound design in the form of four independent or polyphonic attach-hold-decay envelope generators which can be used to generate a lot more than just your standard curves, thanks to the option to chain them together.
The range of envelopes you can generate includes shapes such as ADAsR (attack, decay, attack, sustain, release) and AHDsR (attack, hold, decay, sustain, release), which might sound a bit wacky at first but quickly prove quite interesting, not just in terms of the obvious VCA modulation of an audio signal but in terms of modulation of other parameters alongside a more conventional amp envelope. The Polyphonic Envelope isn’t cheap at just under £470, but you get a lot for your money. One for those who are serious about modulation!
Modul8 Magazine #1
Finally this month, something a little unusual. Modul8 is a new tech-focussed print magazine coming from Australia. Issue #1 is a small but interesting 56-page volume, with features including an interview with YouTuber Dub Monitor on the problems with gatekeeping, Paleman on ‘the vastness of choice’ and synth DIYer Stevie Richards on Buchla improvisation. It isn’t exclusively about modular – or even just about tech – but the ‘analogue breathing’ ethos is likely to appeal to Eurorack heads. A solid start, and definitely one to watch for the future.
Greg Scarth