Cre8audio Capt’n Big-O Analog VCO with Waveshaping

Do you like analog waveforms? Well, we do. We also apparently like short sentences. Anyway, Capt’n Big-O is for people who like (or want to like) big massive analog sounds, just like the one’s mom used to make.  You know what we mean, 100% analog components, no oscillator on a chip here…. Fresh and warm, right out of our mom’s synthesizer oven.

Our annoying marketing person won’t let us get away without saying a bunch more so here goes.

The Capt’n was designed in partnership with the very serious folks at Pittsburgh Modular Synthesizers. When we told them that we needed them to cram as much big analog waviness as possible in a voltage-controlled oscillator module, they looked at us seriously and said in a very serious voice, “what the $%*@ are you talking about?” They then promptly hung up. We figured that would be the last we heard from them, but much to our surprise we received a text message later that evening asking if we wanted one of their famous wave folders and a highfalutin newfangled drive circuit they just dreamed up too….. Of course, we do! (who wouldn’t)

And thus the Capt’n was born.

Some Really Boring Facts About Capt’n Big-O

• Width = 14hp

• Depth = 26mm

• 100% analog, original design (not an oscillator on a chip)

• Waveforms – sine, triangle, saw, and square

• Wave folder/waveshaper – routed by default to sine but patchable to any waveform or external source

• Drive circuit – essentially a 75x overdriven VCA (5V output)

• Linear and exponential frequency modulation (FM)

• Hard sync

• Pulsewidth modulation

• 120mA power draw when running +12V rail

• 108mA power draw when running -12V rail

• Frequency range of oscillator: full range – LFO through audible spectrum

• Input voltage range of oscillator = -10V to +10V

Here is a graphic explaining how to tune the drive feature to use as a VCA