Blades

Mutable Instruments Blades - Dual Multimode Filter

A CV-controlled overdrive circuit capable of wavefolding.

A clean 12dB / Octave multimode filter self-oscillating cleanly across the audio range.

Times two. And this could have stopped here.

For all the in-betweens...

What sets Blades apart is that options commonly presented as multiple choices (low-pass or high-pass? Serial or parallel?) are presented here as a continuum, ready to be explored at the twist of a knob or with a CV.

The filter response is continuously variable between low-pass, band-pass and high-pass and delivers immediate shelving responses, for more nuanced spectral colouring.

A dual crossfader circuit allows the routing between the two filters to smoothly vary from single to parallel to series.

And more....

Originally thought as a complex filter, Blades turns out to be capable of much more:

•           A dual distortion with spectral colour control?

•           An oscillator mixer with crossfading, wavefolding and enough filtering to clean up the mess

•           A voice, using one filter as an oscillator, then distorting, folding it and filtering it with a second filter?

•           A complex oscillator capable of FM, PM and AM?

An essential overdrive circuit

•           A CV-controlled overdrive stage precedes each of the two filters.

•           Overdrive response continuously adjustable between soft-clipping and 2-stage wavefolding

Two rich multimode filters

•           Clean 2-pole (12dB/Octave) state-variable design

•           CV-controlled filter response, continuously variable between low-pass, band-pass and high-pass.

•           CV inputs with attenuverters for cutoff and resonance.

•           Unattenuated frequency CV input, calibrated for 1V/Oct tracking

•           Clean self-oscillation across the audio range, extending into very low frequencies, with constant amplitude

•           Modulating the filter response is akin to modulating the phase of the self-oscillation tone.

Unique routing possibilities

•           Continuously variable (and CV-controlled) routing from single to parallel to series.

•           With a signal patched into filter 2's audio input, the routing knob and CV act as a crossfader

•           Filter 2's cutoff can be set relatively to filter 1's cutoff.

Features

•           Fully analog, based on the V164 quad VCA chip.

•           Frequency knob range: 8Hz to 18Khz

•           Audio input impedance: 30k

•           DC-coupled audio inputs

•           Filter mode CV input impedance: 50k

•           Other CV inputs impedance: 100k

•           All CV inputs handle audio-rate modulations

•           There is no mention of stereo on this page, ykinmkbykiok

Specifications