Befaco / DivKid Stereo Strip

MUSICAL FEATURES

Stereo Strip is a channel strip in a Eurorack environment. Equipped with a 3-band EQ, this stereo input / output module implements a VC panning function with a dedicated attenuator, a 3-position mute switch with excellent performance, and a stereo VCA, and also functions as a line-level input / output interface.

This machine is designed to work creatively in every patch,

• synth voice backend
• Adjusting and placing sounds in the mix
• Shaping and modulating stereo FX
• Voltage controllable stereo send
• Output channel strips across patches

Can be used as

Also, by utilizing a gain booster in the input section and a gain reducer in the output section, theConnection with external gearIt can also be used as a stereo input/output interface for external signals, allowing modulation using VCA and VC panning, and sound shaping using EQ.

• 3-band EQ
• VC panning
• VCA level control
• Performance mute function (on, off, momentary)
• Soft clipping limiter (distortion)
• Line level input/output setting

HOW TO USE

INPUTS & OUTPUTS

• AUDIO INPUTS: It has two input jacks that can accept stereo signals.The left input is normalized to the right channel, and the unit also functions as a mono input/stereo output module.A front panel mounted switch allows for both standard eurorack level and line level operation.Also, this unit was designed with audio applications in mind.Can handle CVSo you can also use stereo VCAs and VC panning to modulate the level and routing of CV signals in your patch.
• CV INPUTS: There are two CV inputs for modulating this unit externally.LVLCVcontrols the level of the stereo VCA.If you patch a signal to this input, the manual LEVEL knob acts as an attenuator for the incoming CV.UnderPANCVis the CV input for panning control, with a dedicated CV attenuator that determines how much of the external CV is mixed into the manual control.

CONTROLS

• EQ: Set the level of each EQ with the 3 sliders.These controls have a detent mechanism in the middle so they can be easily set to 0dB for EQ adjustments.
• BREAD: The white knob in the middle of the module is the manual panning control for the signal.Pans the sound between the left and right outputs for mono inputs, or balances the left and right inputs relative to the output for stereo inputs.
• MUTE: A 3-position mute switch with excellent performance in a live environment. The up position is ON, the center position is OFF, and the down position functions as a momentary switch that passes the signal only while it is depressed.
• LEVEL: A large gray knob at the bottom of the module controls the level of the VCA.The value affects both left and right inputs equally. If there is no CV applied to the LVL CV, it will act as a manual control, and if a CV is patched to the LVL CV, it will act as an attenuator that adjusts the amount of external modulation applied.
• INPUT & OUTPUT LEVEL: The left switch toggles the input level between eurorack/line level and the right switch toggles the output between eurorack/line level.

BEHAVIOUR & LEVELS

EQ

The EQ of this unit consists of a low shelf, a mid bell curve, and a high shelf.Each band can be cut / boosted up to 12dB, providing musical and effective shifting capabilities while maintaining controllability for more delicate EQ shifting.The curve of each EQ depends on the level of attenuation or boost, so it has a wide range of overlapping Q settings for a wide range of sound adjustments.The image below shows the approximate EQ curve, and you can see how the EQ responses overlap and change.

EURORACK or LINE LEVEL I / O

The two large and small white dots labeled next to the two switches indicate the input/output level settings.The large dot on the bottom indicates that it is operating at a large level/high voltage range in the Eurorack range, while the small dot on the top indicates a small/low voltage line level corresponding to external hardware, sound cards, etc. Indicates that the width is working.Therefore, set the switch to the down position for Eurorack signals and to the up position for line-level signals.Similarly, set the output level switch to the down position if you want to output eurorack level signals, and to the up position if you want to output line level signals.By implementing these switches, the unit can be used as an external stereo interface that can be used to connect sound cards, other hardware, musical instruments, etc.

LEVEL KNOB GRAPHICS TO AID GAIN STAGING

In the Eurorack world, there is no reference width of voltage required for a VCA to go from fully closed to fully open and pass a signal.Also, they do not have the voltage swing standard that envelopes require, they are primarily used to control the level of a sound.For example, for a VCA that requires 10V to fully open, if the envelope peak is 5V, if the VCA has a linear response, it will be reduced to about half the level, and if the VCA has an exponential response, it will be less than the former. can also obtain significantly smaller levels.Conversely, if you use a 5V envelope for a VCA that requires 10V to fully open, the VCA will either clip, or clip the envelope and drop below 5V again, although there are individual differences. , none of which are ideal.Eurorack format envelope peaks have three different standards: 5V, 8V and 10V. A white dot labeled on the white line around the LEVEL knob indicates what value the knob should be set to keep the signal at unity level.

The voltage required for the Stereo Strip's VCA to open fully is 5V, making it easy to use without using an external utility module.If the applied envelope is 5V, just patch it to the LVL CV and turn the LEVEL knob all the way to the maximum value labeled with the last dot.If the envelope is 8V, set the LEVEL knob in the middle of the three dots, roughly 3 o'clock.Similarly, if the envelope is 1V, set it to the first dot, roughly 10 o'clock.Of course, you can also apply a higher voltage envelope or modulation signal and raise the knob value to get saturation.

SOFT CLIPPING, LIMITING & OUTPUT PROTECTION

Stereo Strip's output stage implements a soft-clipping limiter.This is to protect the output of this unit and other connected equipment and is not intended to be effective at normal operating levels.However, it is possible to gain soft clipping and limiting effects at higher levels, which can be used to create creative and sculptural distortions.You can also use the input settings creatively by switching the input level setting to line level (boost) and patching the Eurorack signal.In this case, the input stage introduces a large gain boost to the signal, resulting in musical distortion. You can use the EQ to shape the distortion, or modulate the level for a CV-controlled saturation effect.If you set the module to distortion this way, you can adjust the output with the level setting switch if necessary.

AUDIO-RATE MODULATION & FREQUENCY LIMITING

The unit's PAN CV input accepts a wide range of modulation signals, from subsonic, audio range, and supersonic.You can patch audio-rate signals and use them like stereo ring modulators, or bring supersonic signals down to near the boundaries of your hearing range to create aliasing-like sound FX.You can also easily create an auto-pan effect by using sequences, random voltages, and so on.

Unlike the response of the PAN CV input, the VCA's LVL CV input has a limited frequency response in order to provide better performance with the mute switch.As a result, you may notice that the overall level drops when modulated with extreme audio rate signals.The point at which the level falls has been tweaked to optimize the performance of the mute switch while still accommodating lower audio rates and musical AM synthesis applications.

TIP: This is true for other VCAs as well as the Stereo Strip, but if you use the oscillator as an audio rate modulator for a standard VCA, you lose half the effect of the modulation signal.This is because the VCA does not respond to negative modulation.This means that for a typical audio signal (bipolar that goes positive and negative), it will be half-wave rectified (cut because it does not respond to negative voltages), losing half of the modulation signal.The level can be restored by activating the input boost of this unit.For this reason, it is recommended to use the PAN CV input for audio rate modulation.The PAN CV attenuator allows you to adjust the balance of the audio rate modulation without limiting the frequency of the modulation applied to the panning.This allows you to explore a wide range of AM synthesis and pseudo-ring modulation timbres in mono, and when applied in stereo, you can enjoy audio-rate panning and wild stereo patching techniques.