Wiardgroup

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gary Chang" <gchang@calarts.edu>
To: <wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 3:18 AM
Subject: [wiardgroup] note about lowpass gates


>I wanted to post a note about the "Lowpass Gate" and its usage
> throughout electronic music, for the purpose of clarifying why some of
> us have obsessed about them....
>
> From the 200 Series Brochures, circa 1970s:
>
> "The Model 292[Quad Voltage-Controlled Lopass Gate], with the
> capability of simulating the spectral and amplitude changes that
> accompany a receding sound source, is one of several Electric Music
> Box modules that can deal with spatial localization and movement."
>
> There were three opreation modes for these devices - filter, vca and
> dual.  Obviously, when in dual mode, the lopass gate operates as both
> - a filter(6db/oct) and a VCA.
>
> This dual mode is the sound of Mort Subotnick's electronic
> realizations of the 70's.  It has a characteristically "woody" chirp
> to its transient character.  It is this mode that most of us who used
> the old Buchlas miss, hence the quest for "LowPass Gates".
>
> The issue with the recent versions of this circuit is that most of the
> versions of the the LP gate is that they are too slow.  When hit with
> a short transient, they tend to ring excessively, making the "uber
> marimba" patch made famous by Subotnick all but impossible without
> slapping a VCA after the gate to shorten the sound.  The old Buchla
> had only a 1v ptp audio signals, so the vactrol didn't have as far to
> go to open all the way up, compared to the 10v ptp audio signals found
> on Wiard and many other systems, so it was very quick.  As a matter of
> fact, even the new 200e has very slow lopass gates, needing a second
> gate in VCA mode to shorten the ring.  This is not typical of the 70's
> 200 series 292 gates.
>
> Then in comes the Borg2, and we have a perfect 10v ptp lopass gate -
> even better than the original (which are 1v ptp and had a "dual
> linear" - as opposed to logarithmic cv curve).
>
> I also love to use the original Borg Filter for multichannel panning
> with the JAG, because it rolls off the distant channels (just like the
> 227 quad locator of the Buchla 200 system), while opening up to full
> bandwidth where the sound is nearer.
>
> So, that's the lowdown on this LowPass Gate business....
>
> gary
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>
> I wanted to post a note about the "Lowpass Gate" and its usage
> throughout electronic music, for the purpose of clarifying why some of
> us have obsessed about them....
> 
> From the 200 Series Brochures, circa 1970s:
> 
> "The Model 292[Quad Voltage-Controlled Lopass Gate], with the
> capability of simulating the spectral and amplitude changes that
> accompany a receding sound source, is one of several Electric Music
> Box modules that can deal with spatial localization and movement."
> 
> There were three opreation modes for these devices - filter, vca and
> dual.  Obviously, when in dual mode, the lopass gate operates as both
> - a filter(6db/oct) and a VCA.
> 
> This dual mode is the sound of Mort Subotnick's electronic
> realizations of the 70's.  It has a characteristically "woody" chirp
> to its transient character.  It is this mode that most of us who used
> the old Buchlas miss, hence the quest for "LowPass Gates".
> 
> The issue with the recent versions of this circuit is that most of the
> versions of the the LP gate is that they are too slow.  When hit with
> a short transient, they tend to ring excessively, making the "uber
> marimba" patch made famous by Subotnick all but impossible without
> slapping a VCA after the gate to shorten the sound.  The old Buchla
> had only a 1v ptp audio signals, so the vactrol didn't have as far to
> go to open all the way up, compared to the 10v ptp audio signals found
> on Wiard and many other systems, so it was very quick.  As a matter of
> fact, even the new 200e has very slow lopass gates, needing a second
> gate in VCA mode to shorten the ring.  This is not typical of the 70's
> 200 series 292 gates.
> 
> Then in comes the Borg2, and we have a perfect 10v ptp lopass gate -
> even better than the original (which are 1v ptp and had a "dual
> linear" - as opposed to logarithmic cv curve).  
> 
> I also love to use the original Borg Filter for multichannel panning
> with the JAG, because it rolls off the distant channels (just like the
> 227 quad locator of the Buchla 200 system), while opening up to full
> bandwidth where the sound is nearer.
> 
> So, that's the lowdown on this LowPass Gate business....
> 
> gary
>

On May 16, 2006, at 12:18 AM, Gary Chang wrote:

> I wanted to post a note about the "Lowpass Gate" and its usage
> throughout electronic music, for the purpose of clarifying why some of
> us have obsessed about them....
>
> From the 200 Series Brochures, circa 1970s:
>
> "The Model 292[Quad Voltage-Controlled Lopass Gate], with the
> capability of simulating the spectral and amplitude changes that
> accompany a receding sound source, is one of several Electric Music
> Box modules that can deal with spatial localization and movement."
>
> There were three opreation modes for these devices - filter, vca and
> dual.  Obviously, when in dual mode, the lopass gate operates as both
> - a filter(6db/oct) and a VCA.
>
> This dual mode is the sound of Mort Subotnick's electronic
> realizations of the 70's.  It has a characteristically "woody" chirp
> to its transient character.  It is this mode that most of us who used
> the old Buchlas miss, hence the quest for "LowPass Gates".
>
> The issue with the recent versions of this circuit is that most of the
> versions of the the LP gate is that they are too slow.  When hit with
> a short transient, they tend to ring excessively, making the "uber
> marimba" patch made famous by Subotnick all but impossible without
> slapping a VCA after the gate to shorten the sound.  The old Buchla
> had only a 1v ptp audio signals, so the vactrol didn't have as far to
> go to open all the way up, compared to the 10v ptp audio signals found
> on Wiard and many other systems, so it was very quick.  As a matter of
> fact, even the new 200e has very slow lopass gates, needing a second
> gate in VCA mode to shorten the ring.  This is not typical of the 70's
> 200 series 292 gates.
>
> Then in comes the Borg2, and we have a perfect 10v ptp lopass gate -
> even better than the original (which are 1v ptp and had a "dual
> linear" - as opposed to logarithmic cv curve).
>
> I also love to use the original Borg Filter for multichannel panning
> with the JAG, because it rolls off the distant channels (just like the
> 227 quad locator of the Buchla 200 system), while opening up to full
> bandwidth where the sound is nearer.
>
> So, that's the lowdown on this LowPass Gate business....
>
> gary
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

>
> As far as I've been able to tell, there's no difference between the 
> vactrols (VTL2C3) that were used in the Buchla and the ones (VTL5C3)  
> used in the modern lopass gate clones, other than the package.  Is the 
> slowness and ringing really due to the difference in signal level? The 
> Borg2 uses the Silonex vactrols, which are supposed to be much faster 
> than the VTLs.
> 
> Romeo
> 
> On May 16, 2006, at 12:18 AM, Gary Chang wrote:
> 
> > I wanted to post a note about the "Lowpass Gate" and its usage
> > throughout electronic music, for the purpose of clarifying why some of
> > us have obsessed about them....
> >
> > From the 200 Series Brochures, circa 1970s:
> >
> > "The Model 292[Quad Voltage-Controlled Lopass Gate], with the
> > capability of simulating the spectral and amplitude changes that
> > accompany a receding sound source, is one of several Electric Music
> > Box modules that can deal with spatial localization and movement."
> >
> > There were three opreation modes for these devices - filter, vca and
> > dual.  Obviously, when in dual mode, the lopass gate operates as both
> > - a filter(6db/oct) and a VCA.
> >
> > This dual mode is the sound of Mort Subotnick's electronic
> > realizations of the 70's.  It has a characteristically "woody" chirp
> > to its transient character.  It is this mode that most of us who used
> > the old Buchlas miss, hence the quest for "LowPass Gates".
> >
> > The issue with the recent versions of this circuit is that most of the
> > versions of the the LP gate is that they are too slow.  When hit with
> > a short transient, they tend to ring excessively, making the "uber
> > marimba" patch made famous by Subotnick all but impossible without
> > slapping a VCA after the gate to shorten the sound.  The old Buchla
> > had only a 1v ptp audio signals, so the vactrol didn't have as far to
> > go to open all the way up, compared to the 10v ptp audio signals found
> > on Wiard and many other systems, so it was very quick.  As a matter of
> > fact, even the new 200e has very slow lopass gates, needing a second
> > gate in VCA mode to shorten the ring.  This is not typical of the 70's
> > 200 series 292 gates.
> >
> > Then in comes the Borg2, and we have a perfect 10v ptp lopass gate -
> > even better than the original (which are 1v ptp and had a "dual
> > linear" - as opposed to logarithmic cv curve).
> >
> > I also love to use the original Borg Filter for multichannel panning
> > with the JAG, because it rolls off the distant channels (just like the
> > 227 quad locator of the Buchla 200 system), while opening up to full
> > bandwidth where the sound is nearer.
> >
> > So, that's the lowdown on this LowPass Gate business....
> >
> > gary
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>