The voltage-controlled filter is a major part of subtractive synthesis.  There are many different ways to design a filter, and although they basically do the same thing, they all sound a little bit different.  The filter is the part of the synthesizer that is most responsible for shaping the tones you get out of it, […]

A VCA, or Voltage-Controlled Amplifier, lets you use a voltage to control the amount of another signal that is allowed through to the output of the module.  The higher the control voltage, the more signal is passed.  At some voltage level, the entire signal is let through. Note: Most VCAs could be more accurately called […]

You’ve probably heard the distinct sounds of a ring modulator before.  They tend to sound metallic or robotic, and sci-fi shows love to use them (“Exterminate!”).  But what exactly do they do, how do they work, and where did the name come from?     A ring modulator multiplies two signals together to create two […]