#128

I think if you can find a 4ms VCA Matrix you could be delighted but i think you need a pretty big system for that to make sense.

there are plenty of quad options (intellijel, MI veils, tangle mentioned above) and i guess check MI Blinds for a slightly different interpretation of what a VCA can be. I like the ‘jel and MI designs bc patch out creates different sums.

personally, I have two Zlob Dual VCAs (2hp) bc i only have a 6u or 3u active and I love a sum out. these are not perfect but do DC as well and are 2hp.

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#129

I think if I were going to replace my VCAs it’d be an Intellijel Quad VCA.

I’ve found that I like having onboard bias and CV attenuation controls.

I prefer linear VCAs over exponential (they work better for AM and feel more controllable in general) but then, all my envelopes have lin/exp curvature controls anyway.

Two CVs is kind of neat for combined AM/envelope or velocity/envelope, but internally that’s just two VCAs in series anyway, so you might as well patch that yourself when you need it.

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#130

I like Veils for audio VCA duties. It amplifies and distorts nicely, especially when using a more exponential profile. I also appreciate that the exponential <–> linear response can be dialed in rather than being an either/or switch.

I like the Zlob Vnicursal VCA for its density, though that can be another word for cluttered. I tend to use it more for CV modulation and for relatively clean audio summing, though you need to be careful to keep the channels well trimmed in order not to clip in the latter scenario. I also have a Zlob Dual VCA which I would assume is the same basic circuit in a smaller format.

I have heard good things, including on video, about the Abstract Data ADE-50, but have not used it myself.

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#131

Thanks for all the feedback!

Glad to find that a majority of the recos are things I have tried before, or already own. So now I’m leaning towards the Intellijel Quad VCA as the one I might get multiple of…great on features/value, I already have one, the only thing I kind of don’t like about it is the jack layout but that’s not a big deal.

@Starthief I think you’re right, combined CVs is something I can patch up when needed, not essential to have in one unit.

@disquiet the 802 was not on my radar, looks great! Might grab one if I find I could use the soloing functions.

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#132

Onboard bias is really nice. The original uVCAs had this. It makes the VCA really playable imo.

#133

Does anyone have any experience with Livestock MIR?

Seems to have plenty of functionality:

  • 4 channel, compact
  • Lin and Exp
  • Inverted outs
  • Mix 2 signals on one channel
  • Logic gate functions

Am I missing a downside here?

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#134

I also think the Intellijel Linix is a pretty great VCA with 6 channels - more than anyone could ever need right?.. :smirk:

#135

I second the ADDAC 802. That for audio and MI Blinds for CV will take you very far in not much space, but both don’t feel cramped to me.

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#136

If you find yourself needing a slightly smaller VCA in your arrangement, one perk of the Tangle Quartet I’ve found tons of use for: tapping any out removes it from the independent mix out, so you can mix your uses to your heart’s contentment without having to think about it.

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#137

Does anyone have much experience with the Doepfer A-101-2 LPG? I would like to get an LPG into my system and while the lxd and optomix are out of stock everywhere at the moment this caught my eye (and its pretty cheap!). I am curious if anyone had much luck with using the two gate inputs for the mode switching (vca-lpf-lpg) and what that sounded like. I am also a little confused about what the two cv inputs do.

#138

There’s a few threads on muffwigglers forum

https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=43481&sid=cfa3bea9c13cbc53a2b8a0683eaabe0b

https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=85733&sid=b48182842c6bdfd1035c9985a0516a14

Also check this video - after watching that, I actually prefer the sound of the Takaab which is funny, because it’s built in Thailand, and it’s were I live!

One thing worth mentioning is it’s pretty important what voltage and envelope / triggers you are sending and even the same manufacture LPG, will sound slightly different. I think, if whenever possible, match your designers lpg with the same companies envelope / trig out. I use a Maths with an Optomix mk1 + an Envelator with a Borg 1 and a 281e and a 292e - everything matches voltagewise.

Even in the video below it’s not exactly a fair comparison because the same voltage / trigger is applied when each one could behave different depending on a different trigger /envelope voltage

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#139

I had an A-101-2. It was alongside a Natural Gate (tough competition!) and a Dynamic Impulse Filter as well as the stripped-down DIF built into Double Helix. (Before that I’ve had a Sputnik Quad VCF/VCA, DPLPG, Dynamix, and briefly Streams.)

The A-101-2 was one I let go of. Natural Gate is my favorite hands down, and DIF has a certain oddball character that sometimes works really well. The sound of the A-101-2 is quite good; I just had too many LPGs at the time.

The vactrol in mine was way too fast for my liking and I always used envelopes rather than “pinging”. I also feel similar about the DIF even though its decay is simulated by a circuit rather than vactrol-based…!

The two CVs are just for convenience and extra control; I didn’t frequently use both but sometimes it was nice to combine envelopes or envelope+AM.

The mode gates are kind of weird. I used them in a patch once but mostly didn’t find them useful; the response and overall volume are different in VCA vs LPG vs LPF modes.

Having a level control separate from LPG openness is a useful thing.

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#140

I wanted to try an LPG I build the Synthrotek LPG. It works well and has two LPGs in 3 or 4hp (I forget). It’s also got Resonence and a VCA mode.

I have Streams which has an LPG mode.

#141

I have to admit that I haven’t read this whole thread, so I’m sorry if this has been touched on recently.

Can anyone speak to the positives and negative of the Bastl Quattro Figaro? How does it sound? Can it drive a signal above unity gain?

#142

Sure. The QF was one of my first modules, seemed (and still seems) a great combination of functionality in a small package. The inversions and normalisations make it really flexible.

To answer your questions:

  • Yes it does go above unity gain by a factor of 2, according to the manual
  • This introduces a bit of distortion/clipping, which is nice for audio but means if you are looking to use it to amplify CV, this won’t be perfect.
  • The one issue with it - and to be fair, it doesn’t claim to be anything else - is that it has a linear response. So you might want to use an exponential envelope or something?

I’ve got a load of other VCA options, so I typically use it for more drones or to submix oscillators prior to shaping the dynamics of the sound with an envelope. But I do use as a straightforward audio VCA too.

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#144

Yes I have 2 Takaabs and they do sound great, the switch on them gives it a good variety of tones, also for me it is nice that the maker lives in Thailand and I could go down to his place to test out more than 10 LPGs till I found the vactrols I liked. Don’t think I could do that in too many other places :smiley:

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#145

Does the DPLPG require pinging or some other kind of voltage to open? I’m not sure how it’s used since it has no knobs.

I have an Optomix, which has knobs… I understand that… But I figure without knobs, there’s got to be some way to set levels…

Thanks…

#146

yes, the DPLPG is a lot like Make Noise’s LxD in that regard. You can open it by hitting the CV input with any positive voltage you’d like, including triggers, gates, envelopes and offsets. In fact, patching one of the middle channels of Math in as an offset gives you that knob you’re missing.

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#147

Thanks, that makes sense.

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#148

Sadly, it appears that the blue DPLPGs are no longer being made; they were BEAUTIFUL.

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