noise embedded.

3 More TH-VCO1 Modules and a Mixer to Make Them All Sing Together! As already mentioned in the previous post, I got 11 PCB sets for the TH-VCO1. I decided to build 4 of them for my own rack. I also had to build a mixer module to utilize all the signal sources. Almost Mass Production! I had already built one TH-VCO1 so building the rest of them was pretty straightforward. I tried to avoid the issues I discovered with the first unit. Figuring out what to do next and where each component should go takes significant time so I decided to assemble all three at the same time. It did save time but was more frustrating because it took much longer to get anything ready. Mass Production. Assembling all three units in parallel. This time I left out the IC socket. Now THAT340 and Tempco resistor fit nicely under the potentiometer board. I added some thermal compound under the Tempo resistor. I don't know if it is necessary because the first unit seems to be stable also wit...

The Very Beginning of the Signal Chain Voltage controller oscillators, or VCO's, are the root of everything in subtractive synthesis. That's the place where the sound is born and everything after that is just modifying it. VCO really creates the sound. It is also the component that defines pitch and thus makes melody and harmony possible. Rest of the signal path is mostly about timbre. (And rhythm of course.) I started my modular synth by building a Doeper DIY Synth so I only had one VCO. It really limited things so I had to get more. Things got a bit better when I added another Doepfer DIY Synth to the rack but 2 oscillators is still not that much. There's two reasons to add more oscillators. First one is to be able to play multiple notes at the same time to generate harmony. The second one is to configure multiple oscillators to play the same note to generate more complex sounds. Analog VCO's are always more or less out of tune so the sound will get thick...