2hp - Pluck (Karplus Strong Plucked String Eurorack Voice)

It's immediately obvious within the first plucked note that the new 2hp Pluck sounds good. It's a physical modelling synth voice in a 2hp eurorack module. The module uses a karplus strong algorithm to model plucked strings.You can control the dampening which works like a tonal shift similar to what you'd get from adjusting the length of a string and also the decay which takes it from tight snappy transients through to sustained infinite harp like tones.
Once I go through the features and core sound I get into freezing the 4 polyphonic voices, sequencing 1 voice over 3 held voices, filtering and external processing to create new tones / movement and then using it as a percussion source and in a larger full track/patch.
This is also the start of a new series #2hpTuesdays where I'll be bringing you a video on the 2hp series of modules each Tuesday. Enjoy!
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[@blixxa]

I can’t believe all this sound came from a 2hp module…. that’s crazy!!! Man that sounded good!

[@ParalysedGekko]

Brilliant module. And a brilliant review. I really love that musical approach you spent on this one, i'm just stunned. Thank you :)

[@DivKid]

Thanks Gekko appreciate that.

[@resonanzfilter6997]

Everything he touches turns into Gold :-) And I like his accent :-)

[@DBPawlan]

OMG...those are gorgeous textures. Really looking forward to this module. I thought that I'd see some arpeggiated chords being fed in as well. Looking forward to mating it with the 2HP Arp module.

[@DivKid]

well it would be a potent pairing for the ARP video I have to come for #2hpTuesdays

[@scottgodon-decoteau430]

YES!!!! Thanks for doing this overview! I just got mine the other day and can't stop noodling with it.

[@DivKid]

it's great fun, a couple of them for some stereo stuff would be great too.

[@scottgodon-decoteau430]

definitely!

[@bfinoradin]

Man your demos are always so perfect! Exactly what I was looking for 🙂

[@ericjmorgan]

I was on the fence about getting this module...now I need it. Great demo of the capabilities. Well done! E

[@sliceofsparta8985]

AMAZING video; you couldn't have done a better job showing off all the cool things the module can do. Your video absolutely pushed me to purchase Pluck. So, you know. Go ahead and call 2hp up for your commission.

[@immersiveworlds]

Just received mine today. I have it running through Clouds on a simple pattern and it's so pleasing to listen to. How great!

[@DivKid]

Yeah really nice pairing to just let a patch play away.

[@immersiveworlds]

Yes indeed. Finally got my Bastl solenoid/DC motor modules up and running. kzbin.info/www/bejne/joWlhaGlYrisjLs

[@mikechildress8410]

I realize I’m a bit late in posting to an older thread, but oooohhhh, my! This is the voice of angels (albeit ones who are probably trancing away at a rave!). Lovely stuff and soon to be racked, for sure.

[@DivKid]

nice one Mike.

[@precarious333]

Great demo! You really tapped into the less apparent features/uses.

[@DivKid]

thanks, I always try. :)

[@DaveBessell]

I know you can't include everything in these videos, but as you touched on percussion. The classic way of getting a range of percussion sounds from Karplus String is to combine some noise modulation with the usual CV in the pitch input. By juggling the relative levels of the noise and steady pitch you can get all sorts of percussive things. Run the noise through a band pass filter for even more variety.

[@Cluless02]

Excellent complexity in a plucked transient/timbre - pretty cool!!

[@DashGlitch]

I need this :) incredibly versatile for it's size!! KS synthesis is my favourite in terms of the audio that it produces, however I've struggled to find either good software for it, or a module that is a good price for my local market. This is definitely on my xmas list, thanks!

[@DivKid]

ah cool well I hope it fills a stocking for you.

[@iantheorem]

Your synth videos are marvelous. I appreciate all that you do brother ✌🏼

[@DivKid]

thank you, appreciate the comment.

[@_thanksdavid_]

Maybe I just haven't been following you for long enough but man you've recently been putting together the best modular demo sets I've heard. Probably something to do with the whole being in jazz for the day job (If I recall correctly)

[@DivKid]

Hi David, thank you appreciate that. I've worked pretty much exclusively with music in some form for the past few years. Production, running a dance label, producing sample packs, media library music, teaching schools / colleges etc. So I think that helps and generally keeps me really happy to be around all the various things I am all the time. I'm rambling but it all definitely influences each other.

[@johntbd]

Just ordered one. Thanks a bunch for the inspiration.

[@PatchMonger]

Oh man.... just got marbles (which I now got ☺️) and stages. And then I see this video.... it's going to be an expensive month!!! That was a sweet review. Loved the different modes/sounds you got with a very simple looking module. Many thanks 🙏

[@DivKid]

A great pair of modules to use with it at least :D

[@PatchMonger]

Hehe absolutely!!

[@jfklmk13447]

This is truly amazing ! Great work

[@DivKid]

Thanks Artem.

[@RandomNeeds]

I loved this video, seems like pluck/marbles/eloquencer make a great musical combo.

[@DivKid]

yeah definitely, all top modules.

[@ChuckLeone]

Great demo video as always! I recently sold my Rings so this might be a great way to get those tones back into my skiff and the 4 voice polyphony would also add some nice depth.

[@opwave79]

Those two modules play well together!

[@DivKid]

Marbles and Pluck? Absolutely.

[@jsogman]

Randomly opened this at around 5:30. So damn glad I did so beautiful!!!

[@DivKid]

great thank you.

[@johnnymidnight2982]

True this is a physical modeling voice, but I wish 2hp came out with a physical yodeling voice.

[@DivKid]

They have a Cat module.

[@meerkatzThe23]

@@DivKidwas not sure if you are joking,but they have indeed one!😅

[@TayTayMakesBeats]

Impossible. Yodeling isn't physical, it's spiritual.

[@keisisqrl]

That’s the verb I think

[@synkrotron]

That four note polyphony, with hold, is amazing...

[@DivKid]

absolutely.

[@TroyBlackford]

Really great sound amd very different to load into any 2hp slot: now the 2hp gap in my modular rig is blinking at me. Gotta stay strong! (Or get $150 sometime, whichever comes more naturally.) Haha What a great demonstration of the range of this incredible module. I really love how it can do everything from floaty pads, thumping bass, percussive burbles, to harp-like arpeggiations. It's certainly a versatile thing, all the more valuable in a rack for how different it is to most sound sources. 2hp really know how to build 'em.

[@oldsoulsound]

Thanks Ben. This thing sounds awesome. I’ve been “plucking” away with a roundabout KS rig using 4 to 5 modules but the 1v/oct on the chronoblob just doesn’t go very far. I’ve been eyeing Rings for so long and thinking that maybe this baby can satisfy my plucked string desires.

[@DivKid]

If it's just a simple plucked string, this is the one!

[@micheledellacroce9654]

Instant purchase! Thanks for the review

[@DivKid]

enjoy it

[@TooSlowTube]

Are all those modules powered up at the same time, @ 10:55? How much current does all that draw? Were you using it as a space heater?

[@marzbitenhaussen]

thank you for awesome videos!

[@LittleZdy]

Great review thanks!!

[@whatintheworld6501]

Great video thanks

[@boristheodd2644]

huh?? how did that chord at ~4:47 works, like the marbles outputs the different notes like a very fast burst? didn't understand that part, or was it a sound in the off before you turned up the volume?

[@DivKid]

I think I'd turned the volume down then back up as I was taking at that point. The chords come from decay up full and sending in new notes on top.

[@boristheodd2644]

thank you :)

[@WiredBrain]

Hard to resist this one ...

[@DivKid]

great little space fillers

[@jimkeen7674]

0:41 - SOLD!

[@DivKid]

:)

[@___Benedetto]

The 2hp lunch box ( picnic basket group of modules) will be my first my first Baby steps in to eurorack . What do you of this decision ?

[@ZombieWarfare200]

1:33 Everybody gangsta til the matrix turns up the Deja Vu knob.

[@MmostlyRandom]

sounds amazing. brilliant demo as ever.

[@DivKid]

cheers!

[@MmostlyRandom]

just put one in my rack... as you say.. GLORIOUS. again thanks for all your vids they are great to go back to revise :)

[@paulmitchum8658]

0:43 and probably later reminds me of 'Big Business' by Talking Heads. Useful modules for less than $200 make me happy.

[@DivKid]

nice one Paul.

[@AcidBattle]

thank you, a very nice demo. in plaits you have nearly the same, but then it can't be used for other things, that's why i got the 2HP Pluck ;-)

[@DivKid]

Yeah this just as a small simple stand alone thing is great!

[@verbosemusic]

DivKidVideo I’m unable to do the same with Plaits physical modeling. The 2 voices keep strumming even with no trigger or v/oct change. With a Keystep this could be a quick chord module! Any other VCO out there with this type of polyphony?

[@BartdeBoisblanc]

2:20 That one sounds like thumping a PVC pipe with the palm of your hand.

[@DivKid]

absolutely, love those sounds.

[@KPsTboy]

Is modulation being more pronounced so to speak by the reverb @ 5:39 ?

[@Natemasterflex]

Nice video👍 I want one!

[@DivKid]

Cheers Nathan, it's a great little voice.

[@summercityzach]

looped/retriggered envelope trick was cool... quasi tremelo vibes

[@MartinDoudoroffLLC]

Impressive.

[@DivKid]

definitely, cheers.

[@sergelectric]

Sold + Arp on its way... 😍

[@DivKid]

Arp is good fun too.

[@ScottofOakland]

Divkid, ok, sounds like the v/oct calibration on the Pluck is off. It's readily apparent once you increase the voltage coming from Marbles to 5v. I might be wrong. I don't know. I'm getting my Pluck today so ill be experimenting. 6:09

[@DivKid]

Yeah little flat when going up multiple octaves as we've discussed.

[@Digiphex]

Where the hell is it? Oh I see it there. Have to squint.

[@DivKid]

yeah tricky to film as it gets lost easily.

[@yanneckgaensebluemchen1107]

Around 5:00 min. video sounds like a modular fairy tale! How do you record your voice?

[@DivKid]

Hey Yanneck, I record my voice with a cheap condenser mic which is an sE2200.

[@nealohara782]

few of these with Harmonaig would be nice.

[@DivKid]

oh boy yes!

[@monoclevideo]

Great little voice! how would you describe Pluck sound quality in comparison with the rings or/and mysteron ?

[@DivKid]

quality, they're all high quality and right up there. Rings and Mysteron are capable of a lot more but it's not like one is of lesser sound quality than the others.

[@MadelnMachines]

That's beautiful. What's the spring reverb you're using? I've no idea what marbles is doing.

[@DivKid]

Marbles (watch my long demo video :) if you give me a time for the video I'll go back and tell you though. Spring Reverb will have been the Music Thing Modular Spring Reverb mkII though. Marbles - kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXapZmSwdrqla8U Spring Reverb - kzbin.info/www/bejne/moLPaYyveNmafqc

[@ktm3killthemachin355]

Great demo, thank you for covering this great module! Can you tell me the spring reverb you’re using in the video? Thanks again!

[@DivKid]

Most likely the Music Thing Modular Spring Reverb v2 - kzbin.info/www/bejne/moLPaYyveNmafqc

[@steveoath]

This module sounds utterly brilliant! Would love to hear it with 2HPs verb.

[@DivKid]

well I have that here for a video soon too. Watch out for #2hpTuesdays

[@HelderMusic107]

Great demo. It seems like when you twist the decay, damp or pitch knob in this module only the last played note is changed - is this correct? If so it’s great, as in Rings it seems to change all ringing notes which is not ideal for me. Any users’ experiences? Thanks.

[@DivKid]

yes previous notes stay as they are. That's what allows you to build up the chordal texture with multiple notes and pitches ringing into each other.

[@HelderMusic107]

DivKidVideo thanks man. But just to be sure: even changing damp and decay only changes the last played note or all? I see in your video that changing pitch changes the last note only, but not sure about decay and damp...thanks again.

[@DivKid]

just the next note is changed (90% sure but don't have mine to hand to check).

[@JohnTrasher]

I dont get it to Play notes... from my midi to cv interface it only gets Infos by the trigger.what does the marble do to play different notes in tune?

[@LazarusGordon]

noob questions sry, is not only about this module. If i want to tune it with another "sound source module" (VCO or whatever) how to do it? is there some tricks or i have to do it by hand and by ear?. i have "synch socket" in my VCO 2hp yet how to use it to synch the pitch with the pluck? is not possible? Anyway how to tune pitches of two modules in general? i thought a quantizer would have been enough... it isn't right?

[@BenG64646]

5:49 f-ing beautiful!

[@DivKid]

cheers

[@matthsmatthsmatths]

At 4.47 when you strike the Pluck - it immediately appears to play a chord when its struck? I thought the 2hp requires a succession of notes to play a chord? Not sure what happened there.

[@DivKid]

ah my bad, that was me fading out audio prior to that while I was talking them turning it back up. You can see the sound is always still playing yet it fades out under my voice, then I just brought it back up again. Sorry for the confusion.

[@mondellomusic]

I have one and I notice that something is able to lock up the module (it stops working) - perhaps when the peak-to-peak signal voltage at the 1v/oct input gets too high. Or possibly the input frequency is too high. A hard restart is needed to get it working again. Has anyone else had this problem? Any insights appreciated.

[@movax20h]

Out of curiosity, is it using analog or digital Karplus-Strong algorithm? AFAIK it is usually done digitally, but it can be analog way too with BBD and low pass filter.

[@TooSlowTube]

Are the 2HP modules all microcontroller / DSP based? Other than passive multis, that is.

[@DivKid]

Cant' speak about them all generally but this is DSP yeah.

[@TooSlowTube]

Fair enough. Thanks.

[@jc3drums916]

How deep is the module? Is it too deep to fit in something like a Make Noise or Erica Synths powered skiff case?

[@DivKid]

What are the depths of those cases? The manual for lots of their modules says "47mm (Skiff Friendly)"

[@jc3drums916]

The Make Noise skiff has a max module depth of 51mm over the bus board. Someone reviewed the Erica Pico case at the Perfect Circuit website and claimed it can only fit ~30mm modules, even though at least some Pico modules are deeper than that. Regardless, I hope their other, larger skiff cases are deeper than the Pico. None of the online stores seem to have a depth for the Pluck. Since it's one of the modules 2hp does not describe as "skiff friendly" on its website, I was worried that I would need to spend more money on a deeper case.

[@TerekkiTerekki]

Great demo, what a pain of a module to tune though

[@resonanzfilter6997]

Sold me at 5:16 It's already in my Cart :-)

[@ScottofOakland]

Divkid, notice the higher octaves are out of tune with the lower octaves? Maybe that's just the nature of 12TET, i dunno.

[@DivKid]

Not sure where that's coming from sequence source, 1v/oct trimming or the code itself. I'll have to check.

[@ScottofOakland]

DivKidVideo pls let me know. I'm getting my pluck probably this week. I'll see if mine is in tune through the octaves as well.

[@TomasBodin]

Sweat!

[@DivKid]

Sweat! It's hot under this lighting rig! haha.

[@wooki321]

is it fair to think of it as a budget rings?

[@DivKid]

Kind of, not budget in sound. Of course smaller, less features. It's also not a resonator like Rings which is amazing for processing things (something people don't seem to do much) as it's just a full simple voice on it's own.

[@ablex7]

Ooh what's doing the chord at the end

[@DivKid]

I aren't sure to be honest, could be multiple oscillator tuned and mixed together into a filter by the sounds of it.

[@VictorSteiner]

How can this have Polyphony if it only has a single input for notes?

[@DivKid]

As you can see and hear in the video it's a case of the notes overlapping polyphonically. You can't play more than one note at once but with longer decays the notes will keep ringing allowing you to pluck a new note that will ring and overlap like playing a "let ring --------" arpeggio on a guitar where the strings keep playing but you pluck them one at once. This is also in the Mutable Instruments Rings module.

[@VictorSteiner]

DivKidVideo aaah ok, thnx. I thought something like this but thought that polyphony means something else.

[@DivKid]

it does, it's commonly mis-used as is paraphonic and duo phonic. Then you look at musical examples, not synth examples and the meaning of the words changes again.

[@MeatyController]

Sounds like a Koto!

[@DivKid]

Definitely got that vibe.

[@scttcmpbll]

Homerun for 2HP

[@DivKid]

definitely, they keep smacking them out of the park.

[@theTerribleFamiliar]

Yes they are small and individually "inexpensive", but you keep selling me on them and it's getting expensive! Lol. Thanks?

[@DivKid]

haha

[@LostForWords]

Sounds really lovely but the big question is ... I've got Rings, do I need Pluck too?

[@sklgy]

Thinking the same here, but it's so small and everyone has space for a 2hp module.

[@LostForWords]

[ Edit: Ordered one! :-) ] I've got exactly 2hp to fill - so this is a top contender. I think the difference to Rings is enough. 2hp brand modules are very good.

[@DivKid]

Yeah well worth both Rings for the more complex modulated voice, odd and even outputs (lovely in stereo) and it's other modes and this to sit alongside it. Great pairing.

[@jasevaughan7829]

Belting vid Ben

[@DivKid]

nice one, cheers Jase!

[@apparently_sonam]

Doesn't that amount of euro just make you sick..?! sick with GAS

[@DivKid]

GAS!