#107

Looks like it has a resonant LPG mode too. neat!

#108

Newbie question: is there a difference between an LPG and an LPF that has CV control of frequency? I understand that LPGā€™s often have a vactrol controlling frequency response and so those can have a nice organic-ish response to a plain trigger or gate, but Iā€™m not sure thatā€™s what would make an LPG an LPG. thanks!

#109

I also know this is Googleable so curious for folksā€™ interpretations and/or personal experience.

#110

My impression is that an LPG is effectively a VCA+LPF together. When you close a VCA, the frequency response doesnā€™t change. When you close an LPF, the amplitude below the cutoff frequency doesnā€™t change.

Many LPGs (Buchla, Doepfer, Pittsburgh, Sputnik) are designed with switches to select whether it acts as a VCA, LPF or both.

IIRC, on the Dopefer LPG the resonance does have an effect in LPG mode.

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#111

the thing that makes LPGs different for me is that the frequency and the amplitude are linked (well, unless theyā€™re not), so you get frequency shaping that aligns closeish to what our ears expect from listening to acoustic instruments.

So I tend to think of an LPG as where I shape a signal into notes, which lets me use my filter for other shaping in addition to/besides that.

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#112

The balance of filtering vs. amplitude varies a lot with different LPGs. Some passive ones are almost indistinguishable from VCAs, though the DPLPG has a nice balance. Natural Gate (my favorite!) skews a little heavier toward filtering as does the Sputnik. But then, the Sputnikā€™s VCA is kind of hyperexponential and a little difficult to dial in with some EGs.

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#113

Thanks for responses! Part of the reason I asked is, Iā€™ve found I can use a LPF closed to zero with an envelope effectively as a note shaper. It sounds different than using a VCA for that, but itā€™s still tenable. So, it made me wonder what made an LPG an LPG, but simultaneous amplitude shaping makes sense.

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#114

Yeah, I occasionally use just an LPF, or an LPG in LPF mode, just to shape notes.

#115

i have plenty of lpgs and fewer vcas, but i have the amazing 4ms vca matrix that while eating up hpā€™s for breakfast has an awful lot of possible uses, plus the mute buttons with leds for monitoring signal voltage are a great addition.
heres my listā€¦

LPGs:
-optomix
-lxd
VCAs:
-vca matrix (4x4 vca mixing matrix with kill buttons and level knobs on each of the 16 points,incredibly useful for modulating modulators,panning,sends and especially feedback loops both on audio and cv)
HYBRIDS:
-a-101-2 (vca-lpf-lpg with modes switch controlled by gate inputs)
-streams (very seldom i use the lpg emulations)
-er-301 (can be whatever you want :smiley: )

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#117

Itā€™s so hard to do comparisons because even two Optomixes can sound very different. In general, the lxD has a more resonant channel, which is very apparent in its sound. The Optomix has more mixing options and you can control the amount of ringing after itā€™s been struck (although this also depends on the unit you have - some ring very long and the damp parameter makes a huge difference while some ring so short that itā€™s rather subtle).

I generally prefer the Optomix because there are more options for patching it.

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#118

agree with @x2mirko , very difficult to compare them. i mainly bought the lxd as an expander for my optomix. the second channel of lxd sounds really similar to the two channels of my optomix (itā€™s a mk1), so i can just take the out of lxd and put it into the aux input of opto and then take the sum out of opto to my main mixer. pretty great compact setup for three percussion sounds or three plucked sounds when you donā€™t want or cant use envelopes and stuff. the first channel of lxd is something else. i sometimes use it for ā€œacidā€ basses, putting an offset into the control cv jack, the resonance is nice.
BUT: if you want a resonant lpg i have to suggest the a-101-2. it doesnā€™t get much attention but itā€™s truly a beast!!! when used in lpf mode i conjure some monster kick drums just by crankin up resonance,closing the cutoff and sending an expo envelope from maths into cv in. huge, huge self oscillation sound!

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#119

Optomix is the only module I have returned so far. Possibly my version given the variability on vactrols, but I could never get a decent response without an initial ā€˜clickā€™.

Iā€™ve got the DLPG and the Future Sound Systems one; both are good value, I need to work on both a bit more, I struggle to get decays that arenā€™t too long for me. I know they are supposed to ring out, but they are not quite there.

This presumably makes me a prime candidate for a Natural Gate. Or the new WMD one.

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#120

I really like my Optomix, but the two channels behave wildly differently so I imagine that there must be equally large variation between modules.

Does anyone have experience with a QMMG? Is every channel a new adventure ?

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#121

You could try putting a regular VCA after the LPG.
That way you have the LPG sound but you can control the overall envelope more easily.

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#122

For some reason I never considered this; I guess just because it feels it a bit unnecessary in principleā€¦

#123

It adds a small amount of extra patching and a module to the equation but if it achieves what youā€™re after then Iā€™d say worth it :slight_smile:

What are you using to open/close the LPG at the moment - an envelope of some sort or going straight in with a trigger/gate?

#124

Looking for some module recommendations as well as advice on the ā€œfull-featurednessā€ of VCAs in a larger Eurorack system.

I have a few small cases right now that Iā€™m going to be consolidating into a much bigger one in a few months. Iā€™ve also recently expanded by a number of fun and sexy modules so Iā€™m finding myself short on utilities - especially, of course, VCAs.

It occurred to me I could just buy a handful of the same VCAs to sprinkle throughout the case and be all set, but would that be unwise compared to trying a lot of different ones out and acquiring them one at a time?

If I do go the former route, Iā€™m trying to consider whatā€™s most important to have in these ā€œbasicsā€ - like if I already have my favorite super snappy VCA, and my favorite tube distortion VCA, how fully-featured should I aim for with the ones that often might just be on attenuation duty?

Considerations:

  • must be DC coupled
  • does it amplify or just attenutate?
  • do I need more than one CV in?
  • linear or exponential, and if both, is it enough to switch between them or should there be adjustable curves?
  • multiple ins allowing for use as a mixer?
  • size

Would love any recommendations from those working with larger systems or just anyone who has a favorite general purpose VCA. :slight_smile:

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#125

I like Tangle Quartet for the ā€œgeneral purposeā€ category for when I need a handful of VCAā€™s to do fun things with like modulating modulation.

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#126

I love my ADDAC 802 Quintet Mixing Console. Itā€™s a VCA at heart, with CV for each channel, solo outs, mute per channel, and more. Its five channels are probably more than my (180HP) setup needs, so maybe itā€™s right for a larger setup:

http://www.addacsystem.com/product/addac802-vc-mixer

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#127

What about Veils/Blinds or Intellijel Quad VCA? Sounds like theyā€™ll cover your bases and a good bang for your buck!

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