vcf/vca box - audio effect DIY

This might have been done here before...

I've been thinking for a while about designing an audio effect based loosely on the modular synth idea. It would basically be a stereo rack box with a pair of VCFs and a pair of VCAs. Also a couple LFOs and other ways of CV generation/input.

It would have many options for routing and configuration by way of switches or cables/jacks. Maybe a switch matrix of some kind?

You could use it for a panner, tremolo, VCA compressor, sweepable filter and lots of other combinations.

This would not be an audiophile box by any means, more of a dirty-type sound creation tool. It'd be cheap to build, too! (except for all those switches or plugs)

I'd love to hear some more ideas, especially on the CV generation and routing side of things.

I've been a lurker around here for a while, but hope to get more involved. Cheers!

Hi,

the idea sounds like a DIY-Sherman filter-box. I remember Tony Allgood had such kind of project on his page.

http://www.oakleysound.co.uk/filtrex.htm

I think he stopped to share the schematics since he wants to sell his kits. But maybe the spec's give you ideas.

For the CV I find an envelope-follower very important. When I was searching the net for one I found the schematics for the above mentioned filterbox :wink: http://www.physicsenterprises.andrews.edu/diy_archive/schematics/oakley/filter.html

An LFO that can be syced to MIDI-Clock would also be a nice thing to have.

Other usefull resources:

http://home.debitel.net/user/jhaible/additional_schemos.html

http://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs159/


Chris

I have built the filtrex and it is a fantastic little filter. Because of the EG, lfo and follower you can get a lot of sounds out of that little box, every studio should have something similar according to me.

Robert

The Oakley-site is a nice one. I built two of his standalone VCA's.
The Geofex-site ( www.geofex.com ) has info & ideas on all this too.

Bye,

Peter

Those are some great sites, thanks!
I think what I am thinking about would still be different than either the Filterbank or the Filtrex. Probably more flexible routing than the Filtrex, but not as complicated and feature-heavy as the Filterbank.

I'll keep thinking about a feature set and user interface, I'll let you know!

Tony's stuff is really, really good. It would be a
very bad thing not to mention Ken Stone's stuff
also. He has some rather non-traditional modulation
sources and even some tube stuff. :wink:

http://www.cgs.synth.net/


:guinness: :guinness: Chris