User Manual

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When a signal distorts symmetrically, additional Odd Order harmonics are produced, specifically third
order up from the fundamental frequency dominates, with the successive 5th, 7th harmonics appearing in
reduced amplitude. Odd Harmonics are known to have enharmonic qualities. One example of this would be a
square wave, which consists of a summation of only odd-order frequencies. See the Fourier Analysis section of
this wiki article if you are unfamiliar with this concept. We also see this happening on an oscilloscope when we
add a lot of gain to a sine or triangle waveform – as we add gain the signal begins to clip and look more and
more like a square wave. We also hear the additional odd harmonics produced as the signal becomes increasing-
ly square shaped.
But we digress, the alternative to this symmetrical distortion and production of enharmonic overtones is
to have the ability to asymmetrically distort a signal in order to enlist a dominance of Even Order, more musical
sounding 2nd, 4th and 6th harmonic overtones. This is where some of the intentional or rather sometimes unin-
tentional parameters of vintage audio imparts the magical effects we have exploited. So, by adding a DC offset
to an input signal, we can emulate the ability to produce sweeter and more musical sounding harmonics when
distortion is applied. This effect comes without the disadvantage of allowing this offset to either physically offset
the input signal within the mix, or sum into the final output of the mix itself. This means that any signal that has a
bias offset applied will always physically remain symmetrical about ground, while the asymmetrical clipping
effects remain intact.
Thank you for choosing to include Vortices in your modular system. It is my hope that this section offered
you some insight into the design intention and has inspired you to use Vortices creatively and sparked some
ideas for you to experiment with. Thank you for your support.
Technical
Power Consumption: +110mA, -105mA
Width: 16hp
Depth: 26mm
Vortices:
Power Consumption: +0mA, -0mA
Width: 2hp
Depth: 23mm
V-CV: