> Step by step

8. Delving deeper with Voltage Modular

1 In our previous tutorial, we created a simple subtractive synth voice. As we left it, it only plays a basic sawtooth sound. We can use the Ladder Filter to roll off some high frequencies, and add a bit of resonance by reducing the Cutoff Frequency to 0 (or 12 o’clock) and the Emphasis to 4.

2 We can further shape the sound by tweaking the Envelope Generator. Reduce the Sustain to nil, and push both Decay and Release up to just under the halfway mark. That’s a decent bass sound – but we can better it by modulating the filter with a second Envelope Generator module. Add that now.

3 For the sake of clarity, let’s click on and drag that new Envelope Generator to a position between the Vintage Oscillator and the Ladder Filter modules. Just as we did before, we’ll route a patch cable from the Gate jack of the CV Outs module to the Gate In jack on our new Envelope Generator. Now both envelopes will be triggered by the same source.

4 We’ll now patch the new Envelope Generator’s Env Out to the Ladder Filter’s topmost Freq Mod jack. Increase the value of the knob associated with that Freq Mod jack to the 3 o’clock position (about 63%). Turning to the Envelope Generator, reduce its Sustain to nil, crank the Release slider, and set the Decay to about 20ms.

5 That’s a more fulfilling bass sound, and it seems like ideal fodder for a sequenced passage. Find an 8-Step Sequencer module from the Controllers category and stick in the rack, just to the left of the Vintage Oscillator. Next, disconnect both Envelopes’ Gates from the CV Outs module and patch them from the 8-Step Sequencer’s Gate out instead.

6 We’re going to leave the cable routed from the CV Outs’ Pitch jack to the Vintage Oscillator for reasons that will soon become clear. Nevertheless, we’re going to route a cable from the 8-Step Sequencer’s Output to the Vintage Oscillator’s Pitch CV input, alongside the first cable that we put there in the previous tutorial.

7 Clicking Start on the 8-Step Sequencer now triggers repeating notes – quite slowly, as the default tempo is 30bpm. Change that to 120. If you want the DAW’s transport to control that of the 8-Step Sequencer, go to the Transport module up top and route cables from its Play and Stop jacks to the similarlynamed jacks on the 8-Step Sequencer.

8 Let’s now tweak the 8-Step Sequencer’s sliders to create a musical pattern. We’re going to program our sequence in C. Why? Because it allows us to transpose the entire sequence depending on the last note played by our DAW or MIDI controller. Now you see why we left the CV Out’s Pitch connected to the Oscillator’s Pitch CV!