7
Getting Started
It’s a VCA, It’s a VCF...
The Low Pass Gate operates simultaneously in the Amplitude and Frequency domains. When a control signal is patched to the
Level Input, as it becomes more positive, the Amplitude of the processed signal increases, with the lower frequencies being more
quickly amplified than the higher frequencies. As a control signal patched to the Level Input becomes less positive, the Amplitude
decreases with the higher frequencies being attenuated much sooner than the lower. The lower frequencies lurk in the spectrum,
while higher frequencies are eagerly diminished.
One way to listen to the effect of the DynaMix is to patch a harmonically-rich audio signal, such as a Frequency-Modulated VCO to
the Signal Input. Next, set the Level Panel Control to Full counter clockwise. You should hear no sound. Slowly sweep the Level
Panel Control to Full Clockwise. Notice as you increase the Level Panel Control, the sound gets both louder and brighter while the
Level LED lights orange.
Though this demonstrates the behavior of the circuit, manual manipulation of the Panel Controls are not the best application of
the VCF-A phenomenon. For best results, patch an exponentially-shaped Envelope/Control Voltage with a fast Rise or Onset, no
Sustain, and a slow Fall or Decay to the Level CV Input. This provides a beautiful example of DynaMix’s ability to produce
acoustic-like Attack & Decay transients.
AM Synthesis
Amplitude Modulation is a classic synthesis technique that should not be forgotten! The Dynamix responds accurately to audio
rate modulation and is well suited for AM techniques. AM is similar to the ring modulation or balanced modulation techniques
the modDemix is typically used for, except the depth of modulation is 50% less. This means there are half the amount of
sidebands created. The sidebands are what add harmonic complexity to the signal and having fewer is useful at times where you
need to better preserve the fundamental of the signal, for example when trying to create harmonically rich melodic musical note
passages. Ring modulation, on the other hand, tends to remove the fundamentals of both "carrier" and "modulator", making its
melodic use unpredictable or incoherent.
To hear a an example of AM, try tuning two VCOs to a simple interval such as octave or fifth, patch one to the Signal Input and the
other to the Level CV Inputs on the DynaMix, and sequence both with the same sequence using a multiple. Depending upon
settings of the Level Attenuator and the relative frequencies of the VCOs utilized, it is possible to achieve a range of timbres.
Note: the modDemix may be used for AM as well, but the resulting sounds have more harmonics than the DynaMix due to
the nature of the modDemix circuit.
Figure 1:
Summary of Contents for DynaMix
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