Complex LFO and voltage generator, is it worth it? - with Thorn Audio VC LFO

[@denniso7937]

You are just a great teacher! It's so nice to watch your well structured videos. You explain things on point and don't stretch your videos unnecessarily. Love that! Combined with those super useful flowcharts you're my favorite Modular-Channel. Hope that this channel is as satisfying for you as it is for me!!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Wow, thank you! Nice comments really make the afford worth it! Really happy to do this :)

[@slipknotboy555]

3:29 It's cool that they did this, and they implemented it in a cool way, too. People often act like random (noise) S+H is the only kind of S+H, but there's so much more possible. Some early Roland synths allowed more choices, too

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Absolutley! I did a vidoe an sample & hold and track & hold a while ago, lot's more fun things than your go to stepped random :)

[@slipknotboy555]

@@MonotrailTechTalk Nice! I'll have to check it out sometime, too

[@Elfaki19]

Thank you for this video! Your hard work is always appreciated here.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

It's good to know the're in good hands! All the best :)

[@000aleph]

As always, much appreciated. At 09:35, the gate out to the Osc should be in yellow.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks! And doubted about this but decide to follow my own rules. In my graphics the lines are colored the way the signal is used. An oscillaotr used as modulator will be blue. A aquare LFO used to trigger a drum module wil be orange, and a gate used to modulate a parameter will be blue :) That is why at some points in this vid the same signal even splits up in different collors. Cheers!

[@000aleph]

@@MonotrailTechTalk Very good, thanks!

[@jonaseggen2230]

Wow. A great contender to Batumi. (If anyone reading this feel complied to mention other noteworthy LFO's, please do so here). Love the the simplicity in the complexity, or the other way around... I mean the immediacy and apparent ease of use, but that at the same time that it can do and be used for so much. Amazing. I got some complex modules and learned that I enjoy more hands on modules, where you can see what is going on, and have fun with them "live", like actually playing music. I admit it that with complex patching it is as easy to lose the overwide as with deep menus and button combos, but I found the solution to be to make a basic patch that stays for months, and then whatever cable I add after that, I unpatch after each session. Almost. This way I remember what is going where and doing what as etch newcomer cable is visible so to speak. So an ide for an episode could be methods of work in modular maybe? Anyway, thanks again for your work. You and Loopop are my favorites in this field here on YT.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey, thanks for the kind words and sharing! The feedback via LEDs on this is module is great, and the voltage control over its features is pretty unique to my knowledge. So defenetly not the same feature set. But another LFO I enjoy is the Erica Synths Octasource. Different vibes, but also lead me to creative patches. Methods of work could be very interesting indeed! I keep having to less time, but would love to finish an ep or two, and then elaborate on the work process. One day :) Cheers!

[@cellrok]

I use the Malekko Quad LFO and bought it for the CV Recording feature. It works with sliders for all parameters and you can blend between shapes. When clocked it has a couple of steps it runs through and you can just hold down "Rec" and change any parameter to get some wild but clocked modulations. Furthermore it has a "Distort" which adds some randomness to the curves. It can also be triggered/gated and you get 4 of them, obviously. The clocked playback direction can also be alternated (forward, reverse, pendulum). The only downside is that it is a bit cryptic when it comes to shapes. It is best paired with a oscilloscope so you can see what is going on (or just go by ear). Overall very immediate to use. Hold and twist.. basically. But in exchange it can be frustratingly unpredictable.

[@jonaseggen2230]

@@cellrok Thank you for your reply and thorough review :) An oscilloscope module was one of the first modules I got, for this very reason: "WTF is going on?"

[@vangeliskostoxenakis]

@@cellrok i own the quad too and im torn between this and Synthesis Technology - E355 Morphing LFO

[@berniedurnheim]

If your into building your own modules you should check out the Tap LFO chip by Electric Druid. There are only very small differences between what you can do with that chip and what this module does. It's so similar that it makes me wonder if this module is based on that chip.

[@Waldemar_la_Tendresse]

Very interesting modulator, indeed one of the more interesting ones. And another great video.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you liked the video! Kinda sad they don't make this one anymore, still like it :)

[@temporoboto]

Vey cool, never heard of a complex lfo. Thanks for sharing.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

You're very welcome, hope you got some use out of it. Cheers!

[@NEVERSLEEPmovies]

Another super inspirational video - love it! Thank you so much!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad to hear it, cheers!

[@ChristopherStoppiello]

Thanks for the walkthrough. I have an older version of a Mutable Instruments Tides. I picked it up for cheap but there are few tutorials on how to use it effectively. A lot of the techniques you’ve shared here can be applied to Tides as well.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Nice, I'm glad to hear you get some good use out of it! I have no experience with tides myself :)

[@snörre23]

Finally a video about this interesting LFO module.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Happy to offer some info :)

[@snörre23]

@@MonotrailTechTalk Yes i need to learn to control my modules better and also often less is more.

[@chasethevioletsun9996]

This is so awesome. While I will likely grab one of these modules at some point (particularly if Thom offers a kit), its worth pointing out most of these patches are possible with 1-2 Noise Engineering Clep Diaz, and a Zlob Entropy, or even a Pittsburgh Chain Reactor. The glory of modular - you don't always need the latest and greatest.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad to hear you liked it! And indeed, there are other ways of getting to do this. Also with a regular LFO, a VCA, noise and sample and hold you can get a long way. Beside demoing stuff I always hope to inspire some gereral patch ideas with the flowcharts. Thank for watching in any case!

[@chasethevioletsun9996]

@@MonotrailTechTalk I deeply appreciate your flowcharts, they make the (functional) programming language of modular very easy to grasp. It might even be a fun video to cover common patterns/"phrases" with different modules.

[@mymodularjourney]

This is a really nice module.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

I have to agree, cheers!

[@joseph.nicolaus]

very nice module!!! ... and thanx!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you like it!

[@cidst8]

I love your videos!!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad to hear it, cheers!

[@laokoon303]

Hi! Thanks for the video - it's a good watch/listen! Is the Doepfer Wasp your Lp?

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you liked it! And didn't check all the demos but probably yes :) Mostly use the Doepfer Wasp for Low Pass, and the ADDAC 603 for Bandpass patches

[@chadthecurator1974]

Love this. Any thoughts on this vs. the AJH VC-LFO?

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks! And had to check the AJH but they seem pretty similar! Loads of waveform selection, the tempo division, some waveform modulation and the S&H as well. But a few little differences as well of course :)

[@janhenckell4178]

Anyone have a suggestion for which VCV-rack lfo comes close to the functionality of the Thorn lfo ?

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thought I'd have a quick look and help out, but seems like there are over 200 modules available, so I don't know. I do know that quite some ideas I showed in this vid can be achieved by combining modules. They are free in vcv anyway :) So if you can find an LFO with cv over speed, and preferably waveshaping or waveform select, you can add the other features by using a noise source, random voltage, sample and hold module and a VCA. Edit: *over 200 LFOs

[@drydessert4198]

3:18 Which VCO and VSF are used here? Teia Vast Wave VCO into ADDAC Triple Bandpass Filter?

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

That's exactly right! I did videos on both those modules, ther'e among my favorites these days :)

[@drydessert4198]

@@MonotrailTechTalk I think Robert Leiner used sounds like that on his albums von R&S and Apollo. For example: The Source Experience - Different Journeys.

[@mattissievers1416]

Which 3-5 modules would you recommend for a beginner?

[@Aeon_Replicant]

First think to do IMO is to get a semi-modulat so you've got all the basic stuff: VCO, VCF, ADSR, VCA, LFO and often more... If you are short on money neutron is incredible, if you got enough money there's a lot of brands that are more ethical with best construction quality.

[@drydessert4198]

8:20

[@cidst8]

Not first!!!

[@florafunk4515]

First comment!!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Comments like these mean I am a KZbinr now I guess. Hope you got some use out of it! :)

[@Elfaki19]

2nd reply to first comment!

[@FastRCToys]

Batumi is better… 🐶

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Batumi is different. It offers four independant LFOs, with nice options to create phase shifted versions etc. The VCLFO is just a single LFO, but you have voltage control over wafeshape, sample and hold, random voltages etc. Completely different tools.