If you buy after clicking affiliate links on this site we might receive a commission from companies such as eBay, Amazon etc This does not affect the price you pay.
If you buy after clicking affiliate links on this site we might receive a commission from companies such as eBay, Amazon etc This does not affect the price you pay.
Click here to see similar items on eBay, and to buy.
BE AWARE! This is a deliberately lo-fi module – if you want crystal clear sound reproduction, fidelity or whatever then you won’t find it here. The module relies on the properties of a photo-transistor to generally dirty up any signal coming passing through it; think of it as kind-of like a low-pass gate with built in distortion and a few other properties too.
In the beginning there was the OptoThing – it was an interesting piece of kit in that it sometimes behaved a bit like a VCA, or maybe a filter, or maybe somewhere in between. It was a classic example (I think) of how something with a relatively low parts count could do weird and wacky things to your sound.
Things have moved on a bit since then – the OptoThing hasn’t been available for a while and I figured that it was about time for a revamp, so here it is. Not a lot has changed, really, except that the new version of the module packs two optocoupler gates into a 4HP module – double your opto, double your thing. Operation is the same – give it a CV, and input and an output and twiddle the pot until you get a response that you like.
The two CV inputs are normalled together, so any CV presented to the top half of the module will also appear in the bottom half _unless_ there’s something plugged into the lower CV jack.
Use it as a ‘ghetto’ VCA with an envelope-type waveform or use swept voltages to create bizarre, filter-like effects. Whilst the opportunities aren’t quite endless, there are still quite a few of ’em.
Panels are made from laser-cut and engraved, 3mm, opaque black perspex – also provided are suitable mounting screws (M3x10). There’s no power cable as this is a fully passive module – the module is finished with Alpha pots and Davies style knobs; the colours of the knobs will vary – if you want a particular colour then I shall endeavour
If you’d prefer to fab your own panels, you can get the design files here: https://bitbucket.org/yorkmodular/eurorack-panels/src/master/OptoThing3-panel/
You can hear it in action here: https://soundcloud.com/yorkmodular/optothing-ghetto-vca
IMPORTANT NOTE: These items are handmade – this means that some imperfections are inevitable; I endeavour to clean excess flux from boards but little bits and pieces may remain. If this bothers you, then don’t buy the module – simple.
All modules are tested prior to shipping.
All modules are provided with panels made from laser-cut and engraved 3mm perspex and are provided with an appropriate number of M3x10 machine screws for mounting purposes. Any modules which require power are supplied with a Eurorack power cable – passive modules aren’t (obviously)
This combination works for 99% of cases – if you’re one of the outliers (eg. you use M2.5 or 4-40 screws) then you should be prepared to supply your own mounting hardware.
I get that some people don’t dig the perspex panels, so if you’d prefer to fabricate your own, let me know at checkout time and I can supply design files in DXF (AutoCAD) and/or FPD (Front Panel Designer) formats.
If you buy after clicking affiliate links on this site we might receive a commission from companies such as eBay, Amazon etc This does not affect the price you pay.
Click here to buy, and to see similar items on eBay
Category: Musical Instruments:Pro Audio Equipment:Synthesisers and Sound Modules
Location: York