DISC Mutable Instruments Braids Macro Oscillator

Full Description

For a Mutable Instruments Braids sound demo click here.

Powerful Parameter Controls

The Mutable Instruments Braids is full of intricate digital synthesis algorithms. Each of these algorithms features two continuously variable parameters that are voltage controllable. These two parameters are TIMBRE and COLOR, and instead of being directly assigned to the intricate details of the synthesis algorithm, they work as meta-parameters going through all of the sweet spots. These parameters often simultaneously affect several dimensions of timbre, creating very complex movements that would be difficult to create with a traditional setup.

Controls & I/Os

• LED Display & Rotary Encoder: When the module starts, the LED display shows the name of the active synthesis model, and the encoder can be used to select a model. Clicking the encoder displays a lit of additional settings and options, selects and option to modify its value, and takes you back to the list of options. Selecting the first option (WAVE) saves the current setup to the memory and brings you back into the model selection mode.
• Fine & Coarse: Two controls that give you the ability to adjust the frequency either finely, or coarsely.
• FM: Frequency Modulation Attenuverter that controls the amount and polarity of modulation applied to the frequency from the FM CV input jack.
• Timbre: Controls the main evolution and motion of the timbre. For example, pulse width for a square oscillator, or modulation index for an FM model.
• Modulation: Modulation attenuverter that controls the amount and polarity of modulation applied to the TIMBRE parameter, from the TIMBRE CV input jack.
• Color: Controls a second dimension of sound. For example, the symmetry of an oscillator, or the modulation frequency for an FM model.
• TRIG: Trigger input that serves three purposes:
  • 1: Braids' physical models need to be "excited" by an impulse on this input to give birth to a sound
  • 2: The other models will treat the trigger as a reset signal, bringing the phase of the oscillator(s) to 0
  • 3: This input can also be used to trigger an internal AD (attack-decay) envelope applied to the parameters of your choice, to create sound animation and attacks without an external envelope module
• V/Oct: 1V/Oct frequency CV input.
• FM: Frequency modulation CV input. The scale and polarity of this signal is set by the FM attentuverter.
• Timbre & Color: Control voltages for the TIMBRE and COLOR parameters. A value of 0V corresponds to the minimum position of the knob. A value of +5V corresponds to the maximum position of the knob. This CV is offset by the current position of the knob.
• Out: This is the signal output. Loudness is model-dependent. For example, a pure sine wave is always at maximum amplitude, while a ring-modulated sine-wave will have peaks and valleys due to amplitude modulation, and will thus sound quieter.

Features

Synthesis models

The classics

• CS-80 style sawtooth with a notch
• Continuously variable morphing between triangle, sawtooth, square and pulse, with character control
• Square/sawtooth with pulse width control
• Triangle to sine morphing, with wavefolder

Direct digital synthesis

• Band-limited dual pulse train, with detuning
• Dual square or sawtooth oscillator with hard sync
• Triple saw, square, triangle or sine
• Stack of three ring-modulated sine waves
• Swarm of seven sawtooth waves
• Comb-filtered sawtooth wave
• Circuit-bent sawtooth generator with sample rate reduction and bit toggling
• Direct synthesis of filtered waveforms, casio CZ style
• Low-fi or hi-fi vowel/formant synthesis
• Harmonic oscillator
• FM with various feedback paths

Physical and percussive models

• Plucked string (Karplus Strong)
• Bowed string
• Reed and flute
• Bell and metallic drum
• 808 bass drum, cymbal noise and snare drum

Wavetables

• 256 waveforms, organized as 21 wavetables or as a 16x16 XY map
• 4-note chord synthesis

Noise sources

• Noise processed by a tuned multimode filter
• Noise processed by a dual BP filter
• Clocked digital noise
• Cloud of sinusoidal grains
• Particle synthesis

Additional settings

These settings are accessible through a menu, and are not CV controllable.

• Bit-depth (from 4 to 16 bits) and sample rate (from 4kHz to 96kHz)
• Quantizer on the CV-input with a large selection of scales
• Analog VCO-style linear detuning of higher frequencies
• Analog VCO-style pitch drifting
• Waveform quirks, unique to each module built
• Built-in AD envelope, assignable to the oscillator frequency, the COLOR and TIMBRE parameters, and to the amplitude
• META mode enabling CV-controlled model selection with the FM input

Specifications

• All inputs: 100k impedance, DC to 4kHz
• 12-bit CV capture
• 96kHz, 16-bit audio processing (some algorithms are 2x or 4x oversampled)