Make Noise, the manufacturer behind the 0-COAST synth and the Maths, Morphagene and Mimeophon modules, has announced the release of its latest product.
The XPO, or Stereo Prismatic Oscillator, is a voltage-controlled analogue oscillator module that's based around the idea of "complex circuits being controlled in multiple dimensions in the stereo field by a few powerful parameters." The XPO shares this approach with the QPAS, Make Noise's stereo filter module.
The module can deliver a variety of waveforms (sine, triangle, sawtooth, sub, and what they're calling 'spike' waves) and is equipped with some pretty serious modulation capabilities, in addition to FM and wavefolding. Where the XPO stands out, though, is its exploration of the stereo field. The module can do Pulse Width Modulation, Vari-Timbre and wavefolding in glorious stereo, making possible some brilliantly animated timbres. Watch the video above to hear some examples.
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Tony Rolando, Make Noise's head honcho, shared a statement on their website regarding the inspiration behind the module and his foray into stereo PWM, singling out the Oberheim OB-8 as an influence. "I was lying awake in bed at 3 am thinking about music and synthesizers, on this early morning specifically, the voice panning of the OB-8," Tony says. "So simple, so effective. A bank of 8 analog pan-pots is tucked into the side of the instrument to let the musician choose the exact placement of each voice in the stereo field. As you play the instrument, notes may dance around your head."
We don't yet have any word on price or availability for the XPO. Find a full list of features below, or find out more on Make Noise's website.
- Stereo Analog VCO with eleven simultaneous outputs (five mono outs and three stereo pairs)
- Modulate Timbre via Stereo Pulse-Width Modulation, Stereo Vari-Timbre, and Stereo Wavefolding
- Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth, Spike, and SUB mono outs
- Unique Mono versions of all Stereo Waveforms via Left output normalizations
- Modulate Left and Right channels together or separately thanks to normalization and attenuverters
- Center parameter adds additional timbre control to both sides of Vari-Timbre and Wavefolded outputs
- Linear FM Bus features voltage-control over FM depth and a normalization of SUB to FM input for easy GROWL
- Hard SYNC circuit
- Two 1v/oct inputs for transposition, melody stacking, or richest FM
- Expo FM input with attenuverter
- Designed to pair well with QPAS, Mimeophon, and X-PAN
