Tangible Waves

Notes: The VSYSTEM-3 is a complete synth in a case of exactly the size of the Korg Volca synths. t contains the following AE modules:

DRUMKIT (lofi digital drum module):

DRUMKIT 010 consists of 11 8-bit drum sound samples; 6 of them can be triggered in parallel in any combination by the trigger inputs. With a BANK selector knob, different combinations of the 11 samples can be selected. The PITCH knob affects the pitch of all instruments together, and with the REVERSE button the sounds are played backwards - quite a nice effect to be added here and there.
Don't expect high quality from this module - it's by design a nasty, lo-fi drum sound source, but definitely with its own character. Works great together with the analog KICK module.

KICK (analog kick drum):

It has three knobs: PITCH for the overall pitch of the sound; with DECAY the length of the sound can be set and with DRIVE a nice distortion can be added to the sound.
With the pitch decay switch the pitch follows the amplitude, giving a bit different character.
And a trigger button is available to check the sound without an external trigger signal.

SAMPLYR (sample player with micro-SD card, various loop modes, almost unlimited sample length):

The samples are simple 8-bit mono WAV files. Features of the module are:
CV control for pitch with 1V/octave
Gate input
NO (practical) LENGTH LIMIT for the sample playback, because the module plays the samples directly from the memory card
Sample is displayed on the included OLED display
For each sample, following playback parameters can be edited: Sample start/end, loop start/end, loop crossfade, transpose/tune, all this settings are visible in the display and are saved per sample
Different loop modes can be selected: Oneshot, Reverse, Loop forward/reverse/alternating, loop hold (loop remains playing when gate goes to off)
Editing of the different parameters is accomplished with an endless encoder and a small menu
CV control for playback start, loop start, loop length, reverting playback, sample selection
Six buttons can be used for quick switching between six samples of the current folder
Additionally to the audio output, the SAMPLYR provides trigger outputs for loop start point, loop end point, playback end; by this, certain other operations can be triggered at these specific points, e.g. synchronizing to the loop points.
...and all this in a 1-unit AE module!

The sample files are organized as simple folders on the micro SD card named "A"..."Z" and per folder files named "0....wav, 1....wav, ..."

Included with the module is a micro-SD card with some demo samples; and each buyer will receive an update for the factory samples, made by the sound designer "empty vessel" exclusively for the SAMPLYR module (provided as download later in 2024).

The SAMPLYR module is of course not a hi-fi, high quality sampler module due to its 8-bit design. It has the flavour of the early samplers like EMU II, Fairlight CMI IIx, Ensoniq Mirage... The typical, recommended sample rate is 16000 Hz. these samples can be pitched up by approx. 1 1/2 octaves max.

Beyond the 8-bit resolution, the samples can be also encoded as uLaw and aLaw; in this case, the resolution is true 10 bits. For converting your existing samples, the open-source audio editor "Audacity" is great for the conversion and editing process.

Note: The SAMPLYR module is a sample player only; it doesn't offer recording of audio.

MIXER 4-4 (4-channel mixer):

This module consists of:
An audio mixer with 4 inputs and their level knobs
Additional 4 separate inputs that are mixed at full level (especially for mixing CV signals) and a separate output

HEARTBEAT (precise clock source, with BPM setting, and tempo-tapping):

HEARTBEAT is a master clock source for AE modular, with some additional features. The module offers:
Precise BPM setting with an encoder in the range of 30-300 BPM in steps of 0.1 BPM
A graphical display for the tempo and additional info and menu
A big tap button for setting the tempo by tapping it
An illuminated start/stop button
Six independent clock outputs; each of them can be configured by a menu to a time signature between 1/1 to 1/32th plus dotted and triplets.
Inputs for clock, reset and two CV and trigger inputs that can be assigned to different functions
The clock source can be either internal or an external clock (at 1/96th rate which corresponds to MIDI real time

TRIQ164 (4-channel, 16-step trigger sequencer, with repeat/ratched per step):

Four track buttons select the track to be edited; with 16 buttons each step of the track can be activated an is then displayed by an LED.

Stereo Headphone amplifier, 2 IN/OUT sockets via a stereo minijack

It is delivered completely with power wall adapter and patchwires; everything needed to get the modular system started!

This is a REAL modular synth system; all modules can be rearranged and swapped as you like.