Modular Monthly

Metasonix Tube Units

We first came across Metasonix years ago scouring the web for modular content, when a set of striking big yellow modules with tubes sticking out of them caught our attention. Metasonix had a wider range including pedals, desktop synths and a drum machine. The products offer totally unique, original circuits not used anywhere else, and that’s rare these days. Each of these circuits gives a huge range of distortion effects too. Metasonix products have attitude, sweet spots, tones you’ve not heard before and a world of exploration for those that don’t run away sobbing.

In our modular case for this tutorial is the RK-2 tube VCA and RK-3 Ringer/Shaper. The RK-2 can be a warm tube VCA, subtle driving preamp or mad feedback device, all under CV control allowing you to blend between all of those with voltage control. Metasonix say the RK-2 can be “A bulldozer on fire crushing your nads” (if you’re not into that, back off feedback and you’ll be fine, we promise!)

The RK-3 is a unique and interesting module that’s a combination of weird PLL- (phase locked loop) style affects, tube distortion and ring modulation. The waveshaping is unique as it fires irregular pulses (that try to track pitch but don’t perfectly) into the waveform. This gives a rather erratic and strange resonance which urges you to explore. So modules at the ready, let the nad crushing, gut wrenching and sonic exploration begin!