E350 Morphing Terrarium

The module comes shipped with 3 banks of 64 ëbasicí waveforms (192 total). Each bank of 64 waves is arraigned in memory as an 8 x8 array (like a chess board). The ërowsí are called ëthe X directioní and the columns are ëthe Y directioní. The 2 panel controls and the 2 external control voltages (MORPH X and MORPH Y) are used to ìpointî to where in the array we use for the data that is the XY OUT. The third control voltage is called ëZ MORPHí, and it determines the waveshape at the Z OUT. The Z control voltage ëscansí then wavetable bank from wave #1 (think as Row 1, Column 1) to wave #64 (Row 8, column 8). For example: if X MORPH is set to 2, and Y MORPH is set to 5, the signal at XY OUT is the waveform stored at Row 2, Column 5 (the 13th wavetable). The Z OUT is completely independent of XY OUT, so if the MORPH Z knob is at 48, then the 48th wavetable (Row 6, Column is the output.

This module is now available for sale in Europe.

The Synthesis Technology E350 Morphing Terrarium is a unique wavetable VCO with 2 independent waveform outputs. Unlike similar designs, the E350 is a fully self-contained, 1V/oct VCO. What sets the E350 apart from previous wavetable oscillators is the voltage-controlled morphing.

The module comes shipped with 3 banks of 64 basic waveforms (192 total). Each bank of 64 waves is arranged in memory as an 8 x 8 array (like a chess board). The rows are called the X direction and the columns are the Y direction. The 2 panel controls and the 2 external control voltages (MORPH X and MORPH Y) are used to point to where in the array we use for the data that is the XY OUT. The third control voltage is called Z MORPH, and it determines the waveshape at the Z OUT. The Z control voltage scans the wavetable bank from wave #1 (think as Row 1, Column 1) to wave #64 (Row 8, column 8). For example: if X MORPH is set to 2, and Y MORPH is set to 5, the signal at XY OUT is the waveform stored at Row 2, Column 5 (the 13th wavetable). The Z OUT is completely independent of XY OUT, so if the MORPH Z knob is at 48, then the 48th wavetable (Row 6, column 8) is the output.

The wavetables in the 3 banks are very carefully ordered by rows. In general, scanning in the X direction will generate a smooth progression of timbre. Each row, however, is different! There are sine banks, pulse width modulations, filtered noise and even male/female vocal formants. So, then you can see that scanning in the Y direction (in a column) will be extremely varied. And the beauty is that you can scan in both directions simultaneously if you want.

We were not content with just indexing through the wavetables 1 at a time. Instead, the E350 implements a proprietary smoothing/anti-aliasing algorithm that allows the 2 outputs to be a continuous blending of one wave to another. The algorithm calculates 128 in-between waveforms, so that the 192 basic waveforms are really expanded to over 24 *thousand* individual timbres! So as you adjust the panel controls, or add external modulation (from LFOs, EG, etc) the E350′s outputs are glitch-free and will provide you with a near infinite range of tonal possibilities. For people that like the glitches of older wavetable VCOs, there is a jumper option on the pc board to add these back in.

But, we wanted to do more, so we added a 3-position Range switch for using the E350 as the world’s best LFO. At the lowest setting, the E350 will cycle once every 13 minutes and be repeatable within 20usec. The SYNC signal can be used to reset both outputs to zero (‘hard sync’) like any other VCO. The ‘C’ bank of waveforms are specifically designed to be used in LFO settings (although they will output audio timbres as well). The LFO waveshapes are everything from chirps, sequences of individual notes to noise gates, S&H effects to exponential/log sweeps. Like quadrature outputs? The E350 can have variable phase outputs under CV control.

There is nothing like the E350 in any modular format. In many patches a VCF is not needed: the timbres that are generated are already smooth and harmonically ‘correct’. From the precise tracking to over 24,000 waveforms possible, the E350 sets the standard in modular oscillators.