Molten Modular 16 - Erica Synths Black VCO and Expander Review

The Erica Synths Black VCO is based on the Polivoks core but re-engineered to produce a fully stable and awesomely thick and creamy sound. The Expander adds wave blending, a second sub oscillator and a whole load more treacle. In this video I'll take you through the features and attempt to demonstrate the amazing capabilities of this oscillator using my feeble patching skills.
More on the Black VCO - www.ericasynths.lv
Intro - 0:12
Exploring the Black VCO - 3:17
The waveforms - 4:38
Sending it a sequence - 8:07
Creating a patch - 9:53
Playing with a keyboard - 22:28
FM - 24:48
Sync - 30:38
Summing up the Black VCO - 33:22
Exploring the Black VCO Expander - 34:32
Waveform controls - 36:30
Blending waveforms - 38:19
The subs - 39:28
Creating a patch with the expander - 43:37
So what do we think? - 50:40
Coming up - 53:45
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[@DivKid]

I wish I did talk like that :D hahaha cheers for the shout Robin and nice coverage. Really enjoying the videos.

[@mrotaveria]

Really enjoy your reviews man!

[@villemaki3067]

Thanks for these very detailed videos which are great for beginners like myself! Keep up the good work!

[@Bananskuden]

This is the best ad for any modular system. Great tune at the end!

[@steventaylor3789]

Love the enthusiasm. I reacted the same way when I bought my Make Noise 0 Coast and plugged an additional LFO into from my Erebus. Good to know it's not just me that thinks this sort of thing is so fascinating. Only just found your modular series so working my way through it. Really helpful, thank you.

[@Goldkalb]

Awesome and really inspiring content!thank you very much for this interesting session!

[@QrchackOfficial]

You need more VCAs! They're not just for making sure the oscillator only plays when you want it to play. VCAs are essential when you have something cool and you want to change it over time. Found a cool sound when doing FM between two oscillators? Great, now take the modulating VCO through a VCA and then into the FM input of the other VCO. Now you can have an ADSR or LFO modulate the strength of the FM. You need a VCA every time there's something that you want to change over time. Don't underestimate the power of VCAs!

[@QrchackOfficial]

TL;DR VCA ain't just a mixer, you'd better start using it for CV and prepare your mind to be blown

[@MoltenMusicTech]

Cool, good tips, yes I’m only just beginning to unravel the usefulness of VCAs.

[@QrchackOfficial]

See kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIe9mqurrZl5Z7c for some patch ideas!

[@QrchackOfficial]

I have been looking at Sputnik Modular recently, no knobs though so you'd need to have some attenuator/offset modules to accomodate (unless your modulation sources offer that) www.modulargrid.net/e/sputnik-modular-valve-multiplier

[@QrchackOfficial]

It might very well do and you'll fix the omission that seems somewhat common amongst people: not using the attenuverter/offset part of it at all

[@temporoboto]

Good stuff here! Thanks for sharing.

[@studilocker4439]

My journey of learning producing techno: Started looking at it like playing a guitar, aaah can't be that hard I just will learn it with the time, it will sound great fast.. Half year later I digged like 5 meters deeper into the ground, okay okay techno is a very fiddly topic... 5 meters more.. Okay it's a microcosm most people don't know... Digging 10 more meters deeper... Okay it's a microcosm 99% of musicians can't imagine.. Two years later, still digging, can't see the sun anymore.. From the love to tones to frequencies over to the love to waveforms :D sry for my bad english, I can't really describe it, but I think you understand what I mean

[@K0r0n1s]

I want a Thunderbottom and Spatula VCO asap! :-D

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

I love the dark theme of the Erica Synths gear it looks as cool as it sounds.

[@NKHHOTUK]

Some great sounds

[@DanFingermanOctopus]

From 47:51 onward, that was so killer. I would listen to a song like that. I enjoyed the video! :)

[@mcrmodular3442]

Hey great vid - you can use the middle 2 channels of Maths as a mixer if you want to combine a couple of waveforms before you go into Veils. If you want.

[@dualtrx]

good job mate.

[@MoltenMusicTech]

Thanks!

[@thomasgrobner1567]

I already love modular although I don't own a single module nor case yet 😅 really looking forward to it.

[@MegaBastard]

Thank you for sharing your amazing modular journey, I’m just about to start in a very similar fashion with a DFAM and Mother 32. Would be great to see how you integrated your M32 with the modules as the poor thing looks quite left out during your videos!

[@MoltenMusicTech]

It does get left out and i think that can be inevitable - but it depends. I used it a lot when i was writing an intentional track of music. But it will probably get sold at some point soon in order to generate cash for more modules!

[@MegaBastard]

Molten Music Technology That path as you mentioned right at the beginning is quite scary and a bit intimidating ... but looks like such immense fun! Probably won’t be long before I’m hooked and have to sell all my old synths to accommodate my (dare I say) ‘addiction’.. haha.. Learnt a lot from you so will definitely be supporting your Patreon page. Thanks and keep up the fantastic vids.

[@amundbisgaard7295]

@@MoltenMusicTech I guess it still holds true that if you want to get anywhere in life, you can't keep living with your Mother forever.

[@wahkeen716]

You can always edit your Roland module to become a vca (or two possibly) plus the mother 32 has a vca you can run your vco to the aux in and control it like a vca. Also the mixer on the m32 can act as a vca. Just plug into channel two of the mixer, turn the knob ccw and modulate. Run the mix out to whatever you want.

[@MoltenMusicTech]

Good tips, thanks

[@thestinkyweasel6297]

I've like your content. this was FAT. keep it up!!!

[@robertsyrett1992]

Great demo! You might like to add some reverb to your whole patch with the disting or clouds.

[@MoltenMusicTech]

I did have a little there from the Pico DSP as it happens

[@kostantinosmag2986]

Nice one ...

[@devtank]

I think you should contact the BBC and ask if you can model for their next test-card. Theres something about how you are positioned with your rack and that shirt, which I think that has enough variance to suit their already high standards.

[@PeterWalkerHP16c]

13:23 The Arecibo Observatory started receiving an answering signal from Rigel VII

[@mcolville]

Love to see what you would do with a Loquelic Iteritas.

[@MoltenMusicTech]

so would i

[@robertparenton7470]

Thank You.

[@BadChizzle]

Have been watching many Robin things. He’s Cool!

[@Kkidzz]

I'm already at the cliff's edge: own SV-1, Fusebox, Murmux V2, Vermona PF MKll(with CV board), Tom O. TVP, MFB D1. Just starting to explore patching between them...... should be semi comfortable with all of it by 2028 when I retire. ;)

[@mgscheue]

Nice DivKid impression! :) BTW, there's an effort among his Patreon supporters to get him to wear shirts like yours.

[@MoltenMusicTech]

Ha, he’s a baggy t-shirt man 😀

[@DivKid]

haha Mark is right, I've been asked to where shirts like yours and also shirts like Chris Meyer. I've no idea where it came from! :)

[@MoltenMusicTech]

I thought Chris was just a pair of hands

[@NoirEtBlancVie]

Isn’t the Erica stuff just fantastic!!

[@MoltenMusicTech]

Oh, yes it is :)

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

I want the new Erica Synths Pico II this is a small portable self contained modular unit for under 2k that would be great way to learn modular without going broke.

[@modularcuriosity]

Check out the Befaco Hex Mix VCA kit. For under $200 us (165 Euros) you can get a single 14 HP module with 6 vcas

[@MoltenMusicTech]

That's a good tip - thanks! Assembly instructions are a little on the light side - i like pictures!

[@scottybasp]

you're right; Thunderbottom does feel pretty good on the mouth

[@synthshoot1026]

8:54 I think if you send it one volt it will play what ever note is set on the tune knob + one octave.

[@MoltenMusicTech]

Ahhhh, yep, probably 😀

[@mgscheue]

Yep, increasing it by a volt will always raise it by one octave.

[@MoltenMusicTech]

Yes by the guy above was suggesting it would go up one octave if i sent it 1v - this, i don't think can be concluded. If that's true then every note would forever be another octave higher. Which it isnt. So it would depend on what the oscillator was currently receiving. If 1v is the current voltage then sending it 1v would keep the pitch constant - it's only a change in voltage that elicits a change in pitch right? So if it was receiving no volts then a 1v signal would raise it an octave - but only if that condition is met. I'm getting the hang of this.... possibly :)

[@mgscheue]

The input voltage is an offset to whatever is dialed in from the tuning knob (or you can think of it the opposite way: the knob is an offset to the input voltage). For instance, if you have the knob turned so that it's putting out middle C (about 261.63 Hz) with zero volts into the jack, putting 1 volt into the v/oct input will make it one octave above middle C, which of course is a doubling of frequency. Two volts would raise it by two octaves; 1/12 volt will raise it by a semitone, in this case to C#, etc.

[@mortarmopp3919]

Robin can be very good at explaining things to newbies, but also tends to get caught up in his own fun and things start to break down, instruction-wise. A little more focus would do wonders.

[@kierenmoore3236]

So you've 'made friends' with the Polivoks? I recall you weren't too sure about it at first? :)

[@MoltenMusicTech]

Very true - yes I have. I've had to learn to use it differently to what I expected - and the source material is very important. So yeah, I've got a much better feel for it now.

[@LittleMusicBoxes]

KrinkleBang. My new band name.

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

How many VCAs and VCOs should I start with as a bare minimum?

[@MoltenMusicTech]

You need one of each to build a controllable synth voice.

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

Thanks! The Muff Wiggler guys also confirmed this. I think a quad VCA and quad VCO would give me the 4 voice analog I want in a setup. I am thinking of getting the half rack Erica Synths kit (Drone or Black Polivoks) and the half rack Make Noise kit since it has the modules I want and need plus power and cases. I priced out the modules and cases and it would cost as much if not more to put it together than just to buy the packaged setups.

[@Kkidzz]

23:43 Instant Speak & Spell era DM ;)

[@666DemonCleaner]

I’m calling it the bear vco lol

[@mpingo91]

0:43 :D I love this guy. :P

[@robertparenton7470]

Where can I buy that shirt your wearing?

[@MoltenMusicTech]

www.joebrowns.co.uk

[@ciderfeks]

I was going to ask the same question! :)

[@ekerik]

Maybe "Black Crinklebang"?

[@AxcelleratorT]

Thumbs up for thunderbottom! (1:50)

[@Tom-nm6qf]

Sync causes one oscillator to restart it's cycle whenever the oscillator it is synced to does.

[@MoltenMusicTech]

Yep, that’s what I said I think, but I’m interested in hearing about what you can do with that phenomenon

[@Tom-nm6qf]

Mostly waveshaping for interesting sounds. Try playing/sequencing the oscillator you are syncing to while modulating the synced oscillator's pitch. Note there are two types of sync: Hard sync and soft sync, and they both behave quite differently.

[@MoltenMusicTech]

I guess it makes sense that the original oscillator adopts the pitch of the modulator as it’s cycle/frequency is being restarted and so follows the frequency of the other! Clear as mud 😊

[@mgscheue]

Good demo and explanation of sync from Marc Doty, here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpalh3mPj5t2oqs

[@Hkwad]

Change the pitch of the slave/synced oscillator and all will be clear. In the video you only change the pitch of the master oscillator:)

[@PeterWalkerHP16c]

Black sphincter gristle.

[@jamesbaynton1881]

I learned something about VCAs here. Nice one. But now I also want to buy the Black VCO. Shame on you.

[@tgeo2880]

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