©2015 - Compiled by Robert Anselmi
for full manual
Make Noise Richter Wogglebug
Random Generation Module
The
Richter Wogglebug
, among other things, contains: 1 Voltage-Controlled Clock, 1 Sample & Hold, 2 Lag Processors, 1 Random Gate Burst Generator, and
2 VCO Digital Ring Mods. Most of these are patchable via the instrument’s panel, in a system capable of CV and Audio Signal generation and processing.
While the Panel Controls & Input/Output descriptions are found below, please understand that all portions of the Wogglebug interact with each other. For exam-
ple, changing the Ego/Id Balance will affect the Stepped, Smooth, and Woggle CVs, the Smooth VCO, Ring Mod and Woggle VCO Outs. The Woggle circuit is
chasing the Smooth/ Stepped circuit, which is being kicked in the ass by the internal clock. It is very possible to make patches and panel settings which lock up
the Wogglebug, and thus the CV outputs will hang at the last voltage level while the VCOs will drone on almost unchanging. When this happens, adjusting just
about any panel control will disturb and wake the Wogglebug. Finally, consider that many changes in the system are not immediate, because the Wogglebug is
a complex feedback system where several sub-circuits are responding to each other.
SMOOTH VCO OUT:
Shark’s Fin wave audio
rate signal controlled by the External Input, Ego/Id
Balance rotary setting, Influence CV In, and Clock
Speed rotary. 10Vpp.
WOGGLE VCO OUT:
Square Wave audio rate
signal, controlled by Woggle rotary control, External
In, Ego/Id Balance rotary, Influence CV In, and Clock
Speed rotary. 10Vpp.
RING MOD OUT:
Pulse wave
audio rate signal, ring modulated
product of Smooth VCO, Woggle
VCO, and audio rate signal at the
Influence In (if present). It gets
messy fast. The digital nature of
the Ring Mod circuit makes simple
waveforms (Pulse, Square, Triangle,
Sine, Saw) almost necessary to
achieve something remotely musi-
cal, but don’t let that stop you from
pumping Motown samples into this
circuit. 10Vpp.
STEPPED OUT & LED:
At lower Clock rates, the
Stepped Random Voltage appears here: new value
occurring at every clock pulse indicated by the blue
system clock LED. At higher (audio) clock rates, bit
reduction effects may be achieved by inserting an
audio signal into External In and setting Ego/Id Bal-
ance rotary to full CCW. 10Vpp range. The
Stepped
Out LED
gives visual indication of Stepped Random
Voltage value.
SMOOTH OUT:
Smooth CV appears here, the
smoothness of which is set by the Clock Speed
rotary control. Range: 0V to 10V.
WOGGLE OUT:
A of product of the Smooth/
Stepped CV, this voltage quivers, shakes, and
always chases after the heart of the system.
Smoothed by the Woggle rotary; 0V to10V.
BURST OUT & BURST LED:
Square random
gate signal, synced to the clock and influenced by
the Stepped, Smooth and Woggle rotaries. Range: 0
to +10V. The
Burst Out LED
provides visual respre-
sentation of random gates.
CLOCK OUT & INTERNAL CLOCK LED:
Square clock signal from the internal clock genera-
tor. Not influenced by signal at External Clock In.
Range: 0V to +10V. The
Internal Clock LED
pro-
vides visual representation of the rate of the internal
clock. It is not affected by the External Clock In.
EXTERNAL IN:
External input for Sample & Hold.
Signals applied here will be injected directly to the
uncertain, beating heart of the Wogglebug. Accepts
CV or audio rate signals. Expects 10Vpp max.
NOTE:
The gold lines on the Wogglebug denote
the three key areas: 1. Audio at the top (noted
here with gold text), 2. CV in the middle (noted
here with blue text), and 3. Clock at the bottom
(noted here with green text).
Is the Wogglebug my synthesizer’s ID Monster? Yes! Should I beware of the Wogglebug? Maybe.
The Wogglebug is a random voltage generator, originally designed by Grant Richter of Wiard Synthesizers. The Wogglebug’s purpose is to overtake the CV
produced by your keyboard or sequencer during performance and give a voice to your synthesizer’s ID. A continuation of the Smooth and Stepped, flucu
-
tuating, random voltage sources, pioneered by Don Buchla, the core of the circuit is based on the Buchla Model 265 “Source of Uncertainty” module, which
many consider to be the most musical of all random voltage generators. Like the 265, the Wogglebug utilizes a lag processor (low frequency smoothing
filter), a VCO, and a Sample & Hold in order to produce Stepped and Smooth (lagged; slewed) CV in the range of 0V to 10V.
Grant Richter’s Wogglebug design expands on this system to include the otherworldly Woggle CVs (stepped voltages with decaying sinusoids at the edges),
which must be heard in action to be truly appreciated. In a moment of considerable noise, Richter decided to tap into the sound sources at the uncertainly
beating heart of the Wogglebug and bring them forth to the instrument’s panel. He then figured a clever way to Ring Modulate these sounds and that, too,
is on the panel of all Wogglebugs. Thus, the Wogglebug is a complete system. No external modules are required to Woggle; however, all voltage-controlled
systems long to be tickled, bitten, plagued, and eventually destroyed, by the Wogglebug.
The Make Noise Wogglebug is not a clone. Instead, it is a tribute to all that Woggles and is an evolution of the original Grant Richter design. The Woggle-
bug is a single system. It also offers further functionality, such as an Influence In to the Ring Mod circuit, the ability to directly inject a signal to the heart
of the Wogglebug via the Ego In, and a random gate Burst function. All of this has never appeared on any other Wogglebug. The Cluster circuit was also
redesigned, and thus it has been renamed Ego/Id Balance, to reflect its further purposes, allowing for new functionality.
EGO/ID BALANCE ROTARY:
with nothing
inserted at the External Input, this sets the range of
probable values. Turning the rotary CCW, random
values generated by the system tend to “cluster.”
With a signal applied to the External In, it allows
that external signal to be balanced with the internal
signal source, to generate random voltages.
INFLUENCE IN:
CV and/ or Audio Signal input
that performs the following duties: modulates
frequency of Smooth and Woggle VCOs, inputs to
the Ring Mod circuit, and level shifts the Woggle CV
signal. Responds 0V to 10V.
WOGGLE ROTARY:
Sets how quickly (or slowly)
the Woggle circuit is able to catch the Smooth/
Stepped circuit. CW slows the Woggle CV, CCW
speeds it up.
SPEED CV ATTENUATOR:
Unipolar attenuator
for Speed CV IN. Normalled to 8V.
SPEED CV IN:
Unipolar CV In for
Speed
parame-
ter. Normalized to +8V so that with nothing patched,
the associated Speed CV Attenuator will extend the
internal clock generator range up to around 200hz.
Range: 0V to +8V.
SPEED ROTARY:
Dual purpose control that sets
the Rate of the Wogglebug’s internal clock generator
and lag processor feeding the Smooth CV circuit.
Turning CCW slows the system and smoothes its
response. Turning CW quickens the system with the
Smooth CV response becoming jittery. Internal Clock
generator range: 1 minute/cycle up to 40hz (ex
-
tended range pushes upper limit to around 200hz).
EXTERNAL CLOCK IN:
Any signal may be ap-
plied here, allowing for independent control of rate
and smoothness.
SYSTEM CLOCK LED:
Displays rate of Sample
& Hold clock. When a signal is applied to the Ex-
ternal Clock In, this shows the rate of the incoming
clock/rising edge. With nothing patched, this LED
will mirror the Internal clock.
DISTURB BUTTON:
Direct control of the Sample
& Hold circuit. Pressing will sample, and holding
will hold.
