Date: Mon, 11 May 1998 12:17:07 -0400 From: Legion@voicenet.com To: analogue@hyperreal.org Subject: Dark Star Module Review - Long This is a review of the Blacet Research Music Electronics synth module the Dark Star Chaos. For the record I'm not affilaited with the company and don't get any threats or kickbacks either way for my opinion. For those who don't know, the founder of BRME is John Blacet an avid DIYer and synth designer from way back. John has published many schematics and articles in Synapse and other 70's magazines where he documented such twisted modules as the Time Machine (a voltage controlled delay), the Phasefilter, and a Voltage controlled clock with built in dipswitch sequencer. I noticed his frequency divider was recently integrated into a heavily modified Arp 2600. While he's no longer making any of these products the beat goes on. Full history and info, specs, a picture, and ordering info on the Dark Star can be found at: http://metro.net/blacet/music.html First of all this is a single module which needs to be installed in a modular synth system. It requires a +/- 12-15Vt power supply and must be patched via a gate and CV ins in order to work as it was designed. You *could* make a single power supply source I suppose and make it a mini stomp box of some kind but as it has no enclosure and 1/8" jacks in and out this might be a bit more difficult than it would sound. Best to speak to John about any single use power or mounting options. With that out of the way, what *is* the Dark Star? To be honest I'm been using it every day for over a week and I still can't quite put it in words. The most basic description would be a voltage controlled Noise source but this really doesn't do it justice as it does so much more than that. If you like weird things this is the box for you. The DS has a noise clock, a strange filter, a very thin pitched VCO type sound, PWM, and a manual two knob envelope (Attack and Decay). All these features have knobs and all but the envelope are voltage controlled. It is triggered by a gate in and there is even a small button on it so you can manually trigger it if you want. There is one output that mixes the whole mess together. Given all these goodies you can imagine it goes well beyond the "classic" White/Pink noise generator. Indeed, it sounds more like a cross between a percussion synth (a la Simmons with a noise source) and the freakiness of some EMS gear. The VCO can be combined with the filter to also create a kind of Boss PC2 type chirp. the sound is more "noise" oriented than sharp or low end but with a minimal envelope it can easily mimic more basic percussion sounds. There are knobs for all the parameters as well and to add to the Chaos on my unit they turn from about 3 o'clock (off) clockwise to about 1 o'clock (full on). This is just plain odd as there is no legending for where you are in the spectrum. It takes some getting used to but as all the knobs are precise and work the same way one can only assume this is an intentional design. There is also one LED indicating the playing status. This is very helpful for a visual cue of whether the envelope is open or closed, etc. The knobs themselves have a great smooth feel. They are rubber with a nice thick raised blue line indicating where you are. The pots are plastic and have a comfortable amount of resitance. All the jacks are 1/8" metal and the wiring and assembly of the unit I bought (I got the fully assembled version) was very clean and professionally done. The front pannel is black with whilte legending. Combined with the black/blue pots and silver jacks it's really quite sharp looking and unique. The PC board is vertically mounted on the front pannel and goes back about 7" or so (about twice the length of most Doepfer modules). The CV ins work like a charm. As with many modulars you can adjust the starting point or cv amount with the knob and still have the CV ins sweep within the manually set range. This is kind of the best of both worlds IMO. The liberal external CV control really adds a whole new dimension to this creature as well. Evidently this is a reissue of the original Dark Star module created back in the 70s and he added more CV ins to make it more versitle. It certainly worked as you can sweep the VCO and the Noise filter to get sounds ranging from shrieks to buzzes. Get creative with a clock divider or multiple LFOs and you can have the unit running itself with sounds ranging from recognizable snares to cymbals to explosions to whistles. The size is approximately 3U high so it's ideal for combining into a Doepfer or RS system. Evidently it's about 2mm higher than an actual Doepfer module so if you're using an official case you might need to mount it over the lip of the rack a bit. I just made my own case and left a little space for play and it fit fine. It has a three wire +,-,grnd power connector and in my case John wired it up to the actual cable used on the Buss board for my Doepfer PS so I'm sure it's flexible enough to integrate into most systems. Current prices are $150 for the fully assembled unit and slightly less for an assembled PC board and front pannel "kit" where you do the soldering for the jacks and such yourself. This is a great price IMO. You could theoretically get a couple and have a noise/percussion war or breath voltage controlled life into the more low end modular systems for a small buy in price. I recently put together a 22 module system and this is one of the best pieces in it IMO. It blends in perfect with the more vanilla modules and all the VC stuff allows me to tweak and warp sounds out of basic VCOs and VCFs that I could never do otherwise. Conclusions: The only minus I can think of is that this is a module not a simple box so you'll need to have a little infrastructure to get it going. You'll need a few VC sources to really get it running as well. Also, it *is* so weird it might not for everybody. Saying you won't be able to use this is like legitimately saying someone won't be able to use a VCS3. It's esoteric and strange and will not do basic "musical sounds". OTOH it's weirdness is what modulars and synthesis is all about IMO. I can't imagine anyone who is curious about sound creation not getting something very cool out of this piece but if you want a Tekno Bass(tm) or huge VCO stacked monster sound from your modular YMMV. On the plus side I think this one of the more imaginative units out there. The fact that it's so well built, looks cool, and is reasonably priced is a great bonus. There is a lot packed into this little sucker and it just blows my mind that anyone would even design such a thing let alone sell it so cheap. Evidently this is a limited edition so I advise anyone who might be interested to check it out and not pass up the opportunity. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- HELP WANTED PRODUCTIONS - Http://www.voicenet.com/~legion "Bringing you the best in Organic Electronic music since we started..." Home of the Unusual Instrument and Recording Gallery with pictures and info of Tube recorders, Omnichords, weird guitars, Casios, and more.