Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 16:06:33 -0400 From: Legion@voicenet.com To: Ross Goniakowski Cc: analogue heaven list Subject: Re: A Doepfer Question Ross Goniakowski wrote: > REGARDING A Doepfer Question > So... has anyone used the A155 seq/trig seq? How about the A126 Freq Shifter? I have the A126 Freq Shifter. It's a unique piece among doepfer modules in that is it a MAJOR sound mangler. It is not subtle or a minor item it really twists the sound and has a lot of control. something I wasn't prepared for was the carrier sine wave is always on so you'll hear a bit of feedback unless it's turned very low in the frequency. it sounds like the bleed through on a putney or 2600 but evidently this is the way the circuit is designed. The three outputs (High/Low/Mix) are very useful for mutating sound. Likewise the CV in for the shift amount works like a charm and since you can set the overall range with the shift knob again you can get a variety of sounds. It has a lot of character to it. As has been pointed out it is *not* a pitchshifter in any way. If you like dissonant ring mod type sounds this is like a ring mod on steroids in sound. But it *is* on steroids and has a tendecy to overpower other sounds if you're not careful. My first reaction was to turn everything up to 11 and gring the sound into fine mettalic dust. now that I'm learning some more restraint I'm discovering it can do some beatutiful and unique sweeps to a sound that can be quite interesting and ambient. I started off saying this was unique for Doepfer and I mean that. First of all it's their most expensive single module item at around $218 US (I think that's what enport has them for). Now that's not a lot of $$ when you realize most other companies start a simple VCA at that price but in Doepfer world you coudl get two VC processors (ie: Phaser,Waveform Processor,etc.) or maybe three or four other modules at that price. It's all relative. Second, it has a character all it's own; it's not a Doepfer version of a module that has been made a couple times by other companies. Serge makes a very high end VC Freq shifter but it works and sounds very different. This is a step forward for Doepfer IMO in that they have made a piece that breaks some new ground. As a result, like something cool and unique like the Blacet Dark Star or the Percussion modules Analogue Solutions is planning, it might not be for everyone. It meets more of a specialized taste than a filter or phaser. Then again for many that's exactly what modulars are all about. I'm so thrilled to see this unique stuff coming out by all these companies I can't reccomend them enough. This is one *great* module IMO. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.