Introducing TAZM-O - Analog Thru Zero Oscillator - ALM036 

Except Make Noise

Yes! exclusively for next week - then available at all stockists.

Dear all VCO makers! y'all got it backwards

@@kidko kind of prefer having coarse on the big knob tbh, but then again i gave up on staying in tune with euro

Almost definitely through the SSI2130 IC

@@M_orcan yeah the feature-set looks very SSI2130; TZFM (or PM with a capacitor installed) with VCA, built-in waveshaper, mixer, sub outs and level VCA. Very similar to the LA67 T-Zed, which uses the SSI2130, with the cap installed for PM instead of FM.

My knowledge of electronics is amateur at best, but here goes. TZ is generally achieved by taking a copy of the modulating signal, sending it through a phase inversion circuit and then feeding this signal to the carrier, via an analog switch e.g. DG-series CMOS, whenever the modulating signal goes below zero. Why this results a more stable pitch, is beyond my current level of knowledge, I just know this from reading the build docs of the excellent 2V2 VCO by Weston Precision and from reading the original Electro Notes paper/design, that TZ VCOS like 2V2, Dannysound EN129 (i.e. Electro Notes 129) and NLC Plague of Demons, are based on. A lot of the newer TZ VCOs that have been released, like the ALM Tazm-O (just speculating at this point), Befaco Pony, Patching Panda Operat and LA67 T-Zed, are using VCO chip, the SSI2130, designed/manufactured by Sound Semiconductor (the guys behind classic synth ICs like the SSM2164 VCA, used in many classic analog filter designs). I don't know for certain, but my guess is that the same phase duplication/reversal/switching trick is being used, albeit, with most/all of the requisite functions being handled on the chip itself. If you search for "Sound Semiconductor SSI2130" and take a look at the datasheet, the first page has a nice summary of all of the features that are possible to implement A very powerful IC for synth design, hence why so many manufacturers are making use of it. IIRC The Sequential Circuits Take 5 uses the SSI2131 and SS2144, also from Sound Semiconductor, as the VCO and VCF chips, respectively. The Setonix Rottnest VCO Eurorack module also uses the SSI2131 and Mutable Ripples v2020 (and its clones) use the SSI2164 VCA IC. I believe the Weston Precision SF1 also uses the SSI2164, but that's only a guess based on them using the IC on their 2V2 VCO (i.e. they are comfortable working with it) and that it has a similar, liquid-like tone to Ripples (according to YT and shop demos) Thank you for coming to my TED talk xD Edit: fix typos and improve formatting for clarity.

@@BappinProductions Oh that makes sense actually! Thanks for the detailed explanation.

Don’t touch my big knob

I think that's you :)

Idk, sounds really off …

@@mikedurden yeah it made my ears perk up too

Yep

It is extremely out of tune!