Eardrill future modules
2010-01-25 by Chris Muir
After letting the real world get in the way for a while, I've made some time to slave away over a hot drafting table, and I think that these designs are finally far enough along to pull back the curtain. OK, so I don't really use a drafting table, but you get the idea. I have two main projects well underway, the ModuleModule, and Periodicity. ModuleModule - http://www.eardrill.com/modules/ModuleModule/ The ModuleModule is my solution to the problem that I encountered in trying to design the perfect utility module. I initially thought that I could find _just_ the right balance of things to make a utility module or two, but I could never quite settle on just the right things to include. Then it hit me that the problem was overly constrained. I was never going to be able to make a universally useful utility module, because there are just too many problems that different people might have. The ModuleModule lets you put together up to four utility functions of your choosing in one module. I have many ModuleModule modules planned, more than are listed on the page. Given that I'm a tiny shop, all the ModuleModule modules won't be available right away, and reaction to individual ModuleModule modules will determine the order in which I tackle those sub-projects. I also hope that third parties will produce modules in this format. Periodicity - http://www.eardrill.com/modules/Periodicity/ While the 259e and 261e waveform generators have modulation oscillators which can operate as LFOs, there aren't really any dedicated LFOs in the Buchla system. My problem with using the mod oscillators as LFOs is that I almost _always_ want to use them for audio-rate modulation. The 281e function generator can also be pressed into service as an LFO, but I still felt the need for a dedicated LFO in my system. Also neither the mod oscillator nor the function generator goes slow enough for my tastes. The Periodicity module is a feature-rich triple LFO that, among a host of other features, can go really slow. There are still a few issues that I'm working on: the LFO stew section is not 100% firm, and there are still open questions regarding exactly what aspects of LFO 2 & 3 are slaved, when slave is enabled. (Symmetry? Freeze?) --- Both the ModuleModule and Periodicity are pretty far along, but I haven't moved into the layout/parts procurement/assembly phases, so all of these are still a few months away. I'm not taking deposits as I haven't firmed up pricing yet. That said, I would like to get some idea about the interest for these two ideas, and particularly what ModuleModule modules you might be interested in.