Patch it up

The Microvolt’s 39-point patchbay isn’t as extensive as that of some of its rivals, but it has some handy tricks up its sleeve. There are inputs and outputs for most of the synth sections, making it easy to rearrange and experiment with the sound engine. There’s an external input too, which feeds into the mixer, and combined with the headphone out can be used to create a feedback loop with level control.

The most handy element, however, is the combined mixer/splitter/inverter. This has two inputs and two outputs. Input A has a trim control that can both attenuate and invert the incoming signal. When no input is connected, this trim control is patched to an internal 5v source, which itself can be attenuated and inverted, or blended with a signal fed into input B.