DOEPFER Dark Energy - Page 15

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Dark EnerGy
DOEPFER
Functionality
•XMSourceswitch
Thisswitchselectsthesourceforexponentialmodulationofthecutofffrequency.Theswitchtogglesbet-
weenLFO2,envelope(ADSR)andnosource(off).ControllingthecutofffrequencywiththeADSRisone
ofthemostcommenmodulations,sinceitprovidessimulationofthetypicalcharacteristicsofmostacoustic
instrumentstimbresfrombrighttodull.OfcourseDarkEnergy‘senvelopegeneratorprovidesmuchmore
waystoshapethetimbre.
LFO2formsaperiodicandcontinousmodulation.Lowfrequenciesprovidevibratiintimbre.UsingtheLFOs
highrange,XMgeneratesverynoisysoundsthatcannotbeplayedtonally.Thiswayofmodulationisgreat
foruniqueandinterestingsoundeffects.Feelfreetoexperimentwiththesettingsofcutofffrequency,LFO2
speedandXMknob.
•LMknob
Thisknobsetsthemodulationdepthofthelinearfrequencymodulation-averyspecialfeatureonanalogue
synthesizers.ModulationsourceisalwaystheVCOtrianglewavesignal.IncontrasttoexponentialFM,
linearFMallowstonallyplayablesounds,aslongasVCFcutoffandVCOsignalrunincertainfrequency
proportions.Highlyinterestingsoundscanbeachievedwiththeselfoscillatinglter(highresonanceset-
tings).Feelfreetoexperimentwithcutofffrequency,resonance,VCOtuningandLMknobsetting.Please
notethatevensmallparameterchangescanresultindrasticnewtimbres.
•Resonanceknob(Res)
Thisknobsetstheresonanceintensityofthelter.Thiseffectdependsalotonthecutoffsettingandis
mostintenseatFreq.knobsettingsbetween1and5.Athighresonancesettings,thelterstartstoself
oscillateandgeneratesawaveformclosetoasinewave.Itcanbeusedasanadditionalsignalsourceto
providecertainpopularsoundeffects,e.g.typicalsynthesizerpercussionsoundswhenthecutoffismodu-
latedwithasuitableADSRsetting.
•Whenthelterisselfoscillating(highresonance)andtheVCOisdisabled(waveformswitchincenterpo-
sitionandPWknobinfullyclockwiseorcounterclockwiseposition),thelterrunsasasinewaveoscillator
andcanbelinearmodulatedbytheVCOandexponentialmodulatedbyLFO2atthesametime!TheVCO
frequencycanfollowtheltercutoff.Verycomplexsoundsarepossible.
•Trackingswitch
Thetrackingswitchhasthepositions„half/off/full“.Itdetermines,iforhowmuchtheltercutoffdepends
ontheplayednotes(resp.VCOpitch).Whensetto„full“,highernotessoundmoreandmorebrighter,lower
notesmoreandmoredull.Thiststothetypicalcharacterofacousticinstruments.Whensetto„half“,this
effectisweaker.IfthelterisselfoscillatingandshouldbeplayedtonallyasanoscillatorviaMIDIkey-
board,thisswitchhastobesetto„full“.SoitrecievesthesamecontrolvoltageastheVCO.Thissettingis
alsousefulwhenlinearfrequencymodulation(LM)isusedwiththeselfoscillatinglter.
•VCFFInput
Tomodulatetheltercutofffrequencywithanexternalcontrolvoltageoranexternalaudiosignal,please
usethissocket.Thisinputalsousesan(exponential)1V/Octscaling.SotheselfoscillatingVCFcanbe
played(almost)tunedinhalftones(thescalingisnotaspreciseastheVCObecauseoftechnicalreasons
butmuchbetterasfoundinmanyotheranaloguesynthesizers).Thecontrolvoltagefedintothisinputis
addedtotheinternalCVs(Freq.knob,trackingswitch,XMknob).Pleasenote,thatthesumoftheseCVs
cannot exceed the maximum value of the modulation depth range.
•Ext.AudioInput
Itcanbeveryinterestingandmusicallyusefultoprocessexternalaudiosignals,suchasacousticinstru-
ments,drumloopsorevencompletetracks,withthecomponentsofasynthesizer.Youguessedit–Dark
Energyoffersaninputsocketforexternalaudiosignals,thatcanbeusedasasoundsourcenexttothe
VCOsignals.Signalsconnectedtothissocketarefeddirectlyintothelter.Theinputismonoandproces-
seslevelsupto1Vppwithoutdistorsion.