i ve purchased a freq box and i would like to use it as a 3rd oscillator…but i don’t have cv outputs so i will sent my lp to factory for CV outputs upgrade.
What i wanted to ask: for a 3rd oscillator use of a freqbox, i ve to connect pitch CV output of LP to Freq CV input control of the freqbox, then the freqbox audio output to audio in of LP…is this setup right?
Someone could explain his experience about using freqbox as a 3rd oscillator? There is a real improove in the sound fatness or there is no so much difference to use the 2 basic oscillator of lp without freqbox oscillator? and what about the tuning stability of freqbox VCO?
I’ve got that exact setup (CV-out to Freq) and it works nicely.
You can certainly take the OSC out (which is extremely hot) and push it back through the Phatty input as to be affected by same Vol and Filter envelopes, or (what I prefer), send to 101 Lowpass filter and either leverage the Phatty’s ENV CV to drive cutoff with different poll setting, offset cutoff or resonance, or with a completely different envelope as driven by MIDI sync (via note-on trigger) envelope from Multipedal.
Tracking is good if you have reasonable length high quality cable. As for tuning stability, I cannot comment as I have my setup in a room directly beneath the thermostat so it never varies. If you were dragging this out to a live set and were near a kitchen door or something strange, I would expect some fluctuation but this is modern equipment and I wouldn’t expect anything drastic to occur. It’s not like it’s 1975 and you are Emerson playing live in a stadium in the snow.
The VCO freq and ENV. Amount knobs give very fine control over tuning as well.
very interesting the solution with 101 low pass, but maybe i will go before inside the phatty filter just because i don’t have mf 101 right now. unfortunely there are some difficults in my country to get this cv upgrade, but i will try :
thansk again
I bought the Freqbox because I was going to buy a Modusonics Moog module to go with my micro and build upon that amodular synth. I didn’t have the money, so I bought the Freqbox and Cp251.
As an extra Osc, the Freqbox is fully functional with the Micro. It will fatten up the sound just like you would expect another osc to. Since the Micro is a 1 osc synth, it worked very well with the micro, except that they are different voltages.
Getting the Freqbox to track can be difficult, because if you feedback the Osc out to Audio in on the freqbox (not really necessary) Then the Frequency pot becomes a coarse knob and the envelope becomes a fine tuning knob. But once you get it to track (isn’t too dificult with Voyager) it will give you all of the benefits of a three osc synth.
I think the Freqbox could be improved with an Octave switch.
I have both a video and a high quality audio demonstration of the freqbox being used as a second osc to the micro.
THe first part of the audio clip I show the Micro, then I show the Freqbox, and then both together, usually with the Freqbox taking the upper register.
I highly reccomend the cp251 along with the Freqbox, because just those two modules together is like having an extra voice/modulation. And if you want to have your external osc take on the modulation of the phatty (vibrato, etc), then you need a cv mixer. You can hear the Micro being modulated, but the Freqbox stays constant.
yes i have a cp-251. So to get a right tracking from freqbox i need to use the cp-251 mixer? what’s the cables setup i have to do?
to control freqbox volume could i use output level knob onboard or is better from cv mixer of cp251?
thanks again for your help
You should be able to get the Freq to track with the LP pitch out, to 107 Freq in, then 107 osc out to external audio in of the LP. I don’t know if the LP has a volume knob (the voyager does so this isn’t an issue). Im also not sure if the 107 needs attenuation of the pitch cv signal on the Voyager/Phatty because its ben so long since I used the Freq in that way. If it needs attenuation, then just send the Pitch cv to the attenuators first then to the freq.
But if you wanted to apply vibrato, you would need to apply that voltage (from the LP Mod Bus) in addition to the Pitch cv to the 107 Freq input. You would need the cv mixer for that. If you notice in those files I linked to, the Micro would react to the modulation but the Freqbox would not. So the Mirco is Sample and holding its voltage, and the Freqbox stays the same. This is because I don’t have a Modulation output cable for my micro.
Volume,
THe output and drive knob are only associated with whatever signal is coming in through the Audio Input. Like a regular modular oscillator, when you apply power, the oscilator is sending out a signal. So it is this direct signal that is present at the Osc Out, and that is why it is so hot. Having a cp251 is handy because you can adjust the volume of the Freqbox prior to sending it to the Phatty.
If you really want to know the best way to get the Ringmod and Freq to track, check out the Lord of the Ringmod Article on Knob Tweak. Its a great resource.
Sorry I can’t be of more specific help in regards to whether or not the Freqbox needs attenuation…i am leaning towards Yes it needs to be attenuated. THe Ringmod is easier to track than the Freqbox and has a greater range. Just remember that the 107 was primarily built to be an effect, not a full blown oscillator. It has no temp compensation, so it is subject to drifting, but nothing too major.
thank you very much for these precious informations. I see, the volume knob doesen’t refer to oscillator level but to the incoming signal.
i ve joined KnobTweak group (a real resource to learn about moog gears!) but i didn’t find the article you wrote me (“Lord of the Ringmod”)…where i can find it?
thanks again
Another way to control the Freqbox from the Phatty is to use some cheap Midi to CV converter which converts midi note data to cv and gate. I know this is not really an ideal setup, but if all you want is a three oscillator sound then it should work perfectly. I’ve tried this setup using my LP in connection with a Rogue and also via the CP-251 and back into the LP. Fun for days for very little money. Check on ebay. You can probably pick up a midi to cv converter for about $50 or so.
I realize this post is quite some time later, but it seems relevant to this thread:
Can you beef the Phatty up to 4 oscillators if you used the same technique described above for the Freqbox + LP, but also connected the OSC OUT of the Freqbox to the FREQ IN for the Ring Modulator? And then mixed together the Audio Output from the Freqbox and the Ring Mod back to the Audio In for the LP?
Based on the videos I’ve seen, believing the Freqbox suffices as a thrid oscillator is only dreaming. Perhaps for static sounds, but not for playing. The tracking is quite poor, with the rate of oscillator beating changes drastically as one goes up or down the keyboard.
One thing to keep in mind is that the Little Phatty doesn’t have any onboard volume control for external audio, and the oscillator out from the freqbox is extremely loud. In my experience, it hasn’t worked to attenuate it through an MF-101 or any other Moogerfooger because the signal overdrives the buffer into the red even on a minimum setting. So what I have is a small volume box (just a pot with two jacks) that I put between the Freqbox and the LP.
In terms of making it work, here are two other options to consider:
If you get an MP-201 multipedal instead of the LP CV mod, it has the advantage of very scalable CV pitch output – so you can maximize the accuracy of Freqbox tracking. This is the setup I currently have … MIDI out from the LP into the MP-201, then a MIDI-to-CV channel on the multipedal controlling the Freqbox frequency, and then the Freqbox output (CV, not Audio) going through the passive volume box into the LP external audio in jack. This works quite well, although as some have noted the tracking is kind of funky and difficult to dial in even with the scalable CV on the multi pedal.
Another option to consider, which I also use, is to get a DSI Mopho or something similarly small and analog, and use that as your third oscillator. When I do that, I have a patch on the Mopho which is just a straight oscillator, drive it with the LP MIDI out, and route it to the LP external audio in. The advantages here are that you have precise pitch tracking, easier tuning, and a volume control built into the Mopho. I do find that the Freqbox oscillator sounds a bit more “Moogy,” but the Mopho also gets the job done very well and with more precision. Another option with similar control and predictability might be the Doepfer Dark Energy, but I haven’t tried that one.
