Doepfer

> Not sure if there's anything euro format out there, but one module you
> might look at is a Blacet Miniwave. There is a PlanB conversion kit
> to make it work with the Doepfer power bus.
> I'm not sure if there's anything else like it. Works as a wavetable
> "oscillator", quantizer, and you can get some very interesting
> modulations running an LFO through it.

I'd second that the A-112 Sampler Wavetable has an interesting number  
of capabilities in comparison.

Looking at other brands from an analog standpoint, the Livewire AFG  
is capable of numerous waveshapes and variations that don't even have  
names and even more are accessible through internal jumpers which I  
understand will be eventually controlled by an add-on module. Since  
the waves are the result of mixing and waveshaping internally, one  
great outcome is there is much to modulate. I think waveshape change  
through modulation opens up worlds more than simply having another  
shape to access.

Then if you have linear FM inputs on one module and another VCO + a  
VCA to control FM input  you have another modulation dimension to  
work in. Sync can be another with a second vco.

Mark mentions MANY MANY VCOs, and that certainly doesn't hurt since  
you can summon more to build up dense sounds an more modulation.  
Sheer numbers do get you additive synthesis potential as well as more  
complex modulation. The practicality is you have to control them all  
and in many cases control them accurately to get best result. But as  
a basic premise there's no question that numbers of vcos mulitiply  
the number of timbres you can create.

Historically it's sometimes amusing to see a few non-standard shapes  
early builders included.  The EML 101 has 4 VCOs but only one of them  
has a saw wave available. You do get a cosine wave and some other odd  
but simple shapes. Early gear with a variable sine to some more  
complex shape is a direction Moog and his inspired by followers  
didn't go but is a very useful thing to have. EMS did something  
similar though with no CV control while Buchla did sines to nearly  
standard shapes with VC.

> Primarily the interest is sonics. I am wondering if there is some
> interesting possible sound that we don't really have easy access to
> with subtractive synthesis. Or maybe just a cool shape that is some
> way much different from the standards.

Well there has to be plenty because the whole mid 80s to mid 90s  
digital era wouldn't have kicked out the analog gear if that weren't  
so ;-(
I might add that it is kind of funny that after that so many  
"virtual" synths now simply give you some very basic analog  
subtractive synth simulation capabilities and stop there. But really,  
if you look at digital synthesis techniques you do find a lot of them  
that easily create sound spectra that are extremely difficult to  
duplicate with analog gear. You might need to answer how interesting  
to you these sounds are but you can crunch numbers to create waves  
you won't easily get when modulating the basic analog shapes.

Another thing to consider is the visual nature of shape created by  
sonic spectra. It's well known that you can make very different  
looking shapes that have humanly indistinguishable timbres. So it's  
really about creating a sound that has an inspiring or contrasting  
harmonic and possibly inharmonic content.

Nick