BeoWolf
[click the image for a full frontal ehm, shot of BeoWolf]
Well, it’s finally done, my BeoWolf software-synth, the companion to my SteppenWolf sequencer.
{for those not knowing the difference between a VCO and a VCF, or those whom generally couldn’t care less about synth geek talk, please move on}
- Dual VCO’s, both with pulse (w/ adjustable PW), sawtooth, double-sawtooth (for extra fatness), triangle, sine and noise waveforms.
- VCO 1 has a waveshaper/sine-folder function to create complex waveforms, alleviating the need for filters in many cases.
- VCO 1 is syncable to VCO 1, smoothly (!) going from soft- to hard-sync. VCO 2’s keyboard tracking can be switched off (mainly for clangerous sounds).
- There’s a Ring Modulator too. Of course.
- BeoWolf has two separate VCF’s, which can be activated independently, or linked in series.
- The mode for VCF 1 can be set from LP over BP to HP (stepless!!). Additionally, its slope can be controlled from 2-pole (12dB) to 4-pole (24dB), also stepless (!!).
- VCF 2 is a classic Moog-style 24dB ladder filter, with settings for 1, 2, 3 or 4 ladders.
- Both VCF’s are not self-resonating.
- There’s three independent Envelope Generators of the rather dull but very effective ADSR design. There’s an EG 1 for both the oscillators, EG 2 for the filters and finally an Envelope Generator for the VCA. All EG’s have Velocity sensitivity and Keyboard tracking.
- BeoWolf has two independent LFO’s as well, each with Pulse (with PW), Triangle, Sine, S/H and Brownian (slow random) waveforms. Phase can be set bi-directionally, and can be locked to an external clock. The frequency (or speed) of the LFO’s can be controlled either with an internal clock (independently of course), or synced to an external clock (that could be a DAW, or the internal Song Position master clock of Reaktor). In the latter case, frequency can be set to any combination of note lengths and bars.
- There is Glide (with timing) too, which is polyphonic (depending on how many voices I have defined - this can be from 1-voice to 64 voices, given enough processor power).
- The VCA is a simple affair, but has a Spread function which allows for widening the stereo image of the final output.
- At the end of the audio chain sits a hi-end stereo delay, with Feedback, cross-modulation and a hi-cut filter. Clock rate can be set internally or synced to an external clock (similar to the LFO’s)… I might implement voltage control over timing and feedback in a later version…
Modulation Routing:
- EG1 can control the pitch of VCO 1 and VCO 2 independently and bi-directional. It can also control the Shaper amount of VCO 1. Additionally, the amount of cross-modulation from VCO 1 to VCO 2 is controllable by this EG as well.
- Both LFO’s can modulate the pitch of VCO 1 & 2 independently (bi-directional), the Pulse-Width and the amount of waveshaping of VCO 1. Of course, uni-directional VCF frequency modulation and VCA amplitute modulation are present too.
- LFO 2 can either control the waveshaper, or the frequency of LFO 1.
- VCF 1’s cutoff frequency can be controlled by EG 2 (bi), and also by VCO 2 (gives for some funky cross-feedback harshness).
- VCF 2 is controlled by EG 2 (bi).
The synth is completely controllable by MIDI, but has internal Gate/Note/CV busses (mainly for connection to the SteppenWolf sequencer). LFO modulation depth and Pitch Bend can be controlled by an external MIDI keyboard. Any function, button or switch is easy assignable to a MIDI CC controller (MIDI Learn function).
And that’s about it.
There’s still some fine-tuning to do on the interface (I designed the skins for the knobs and buttons myself, loosely based on the old Buchla designs), and I might tweak some settings and modulation depths here and there. I’m still experimenting with adding slow randomness to several parameters to make the synth sound more analog…
But overall I’m quite happy with it. BeoWolf can sound Moogey-fat, Oberheim-thin, or crazy bleep-bleep like a Synthi. And I like that flexibility…
Below is the basic structure of the instrument, as it is build in Reaktor (there’s a lot more to it underneath, but I’ll spare you the details, unless anyone of you cares for a mathematically-induced headache).
You know what the uncanny valley [
I am thoroughly ashamed of living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, where hillbilly politicians squabble over nothing for nine months. What was the saying again ? “My dick is bigger than yours.” … Douchebags.
Bummer. Another one of my heroes gone…
