Thanks for that about offsets in video! Makes sense. I already have a Passage, and may have to get a second or a Proc due to its input cascading/“multing”. Crucial utility modules, those.
When it comes to audio modular, though, I’d argue offsets are important as well–primarily for working with control voltages. If an audio oscillator doesn’t have a fine enough tune control, attenuating an offset into an FM or pitch input gives super fine control. The larger the knob’s diameter, the finer the tuning (AFG, Richter Oscillator as two good examples), but those “trim pot” style knobs for fine tune are too prevelant on many euro oscs–not good for accurate fine tuning unless their range is greatly restricted. I’ll be adding an offset module for fine tuning DWO3 when I get a chance to tend to my case. Offsets are also useful if you want to introduce asymmetrical clipping/distortion to an audio signal. Then there’s combining offsets and a sequential switch to make a simple sequencer.
Not all audio output modules are AC-coupled, since some believe they can hear the capacitor’s effect on the sound. Other output modules AC-couple/ground lift through a transformer instead (I like these, personally). But it’s not even necessary to have an output module in audio since many mixers, audio interfaces, and digital handheld recorders can easily attenuate the (Eurorack) modular level to line level without clipping. Some may clip no matter what, but most seem to handle it fine.
Completely valid point about the use of offsets in audio modular. I was more referencing what happens when plugging a DC offset directly into your output stage with nothing in between. Biasing your control voltages is essential for fine tuning whether it’s in audio or video land.
Yup, totally hear you on the AC-coupled point, too. Was just hitting the broad generalization that folks can often have an audio output module and it’s not unusual for them to be AC coupled. Luckily modular lets you pick what works for your approach–I just put all of my outputs into a chunky outboard mixer for years and never had any problems.
That mixer is no joke! Nice piece of gear. Haha, I get you re firewire–if it ain’t broke… If I may be so snobby, one of the things I like about us electronic creative types is our relative resistance to planned obsolescence. I love it when I see someone keeping a WinXP/OS9/C64/Atari/etc. computer alive because it runs that software we just need to have because it does that one thing so well–or was the last thing to do it at all.
@scuto “Is there a Gen3 module that has (or down the road will have) the same functions as the upper left Sync Generator section of Visual Cortex? I’ve been getting more out of it than I initially suspected I would, specifically feeding the H and V sync to things to see what might happen…”
You could look into the sync trigger stuff using the newly for sale SCROLLS module, which features a PULSE output for these kinds of experiments. (phase adjustable and capable of scrolling motion).
Wanted to add that the VU009 is great for generating pseud0-VSYNC through a comparator because VU009 has an Offset control. Basically it’s a bias, and if I remember correctly, it clips anything above 1 and below 0. @syntonie
I wouldn’t have realized this otherwise–thanks for pointing it out!
I already have one so this is an interesting suggestion. I used Modulargrid to look up video comparators and saw that Seuils has them (I’ve already been ogling Seuils for its phase shifting and blue-ness).
Also on that MG list was Cadet VIII which leads me to ask if any hard key generator can do this. So far my only hard key gen module is Ribbons, but I’m unsure if being a window key gen is too off the mark to do pseudo V-sync.
(NB I’ve not grokked VC’s keying section yet… don’t even know if it’s working correctly!)
You don’t need a video rate comparator for pseudo-VSYNC. It’s only a maximum of 60 Hz. Any audio rate comparator will work. All you need is a voltage downconverter, since audio rate modules will output variously 5V, 10V, or even 12V
Ok, that was great! Thanks for making this. Learned a bit more about this topic, and it makes more sense. Mutable’s Kinks has been in and out of my video case for a while, so this will bring it back again. And Mystic’s Ana will likely be my comparator. In addition, your shirt rules, and you’re a fellow Firefox user.
And it looks like I can set Mutable’s Ears to spit out a 8v gate at a jumper-selectable level, and 1v is among the choices (2v and 4v being the others). Am I thinking correctly this could be the comparator?
I don’t know about Ears. You certainly don’t want the microphone to be active, you only want the gate to be triggered by the sync signal you supply. The threshold probably needs to be slightly below 1V, unless you preamplify the sync signal to greater than 1V.
multitracked to a DAW for recording.
