Never underestimate the potential of filters, that's for sure. I designed and built a very humble guitar "synth" 15 years ago through guesswork before I had gone to college, but clipping it into a square wave then using a cascade of high-pass and bandpass filters gave me a sound exact to trumpets and saxophones. Truth be told, when I work on electronica that last thing I want to do as a metal shred and sweep player is try to incorporate a guitar and it have traits intact *to reveal the source to listeners.* I should probably build a 2nd generation lol.
This filter has two lives. At first it is like new and it works as a mediocre filter. Then it breaks and - if you are lucky - it becomes a fantastic distortion and drone machine.
I've almost pressed the "buy" button a couple of times, and might be tempted again after hearing this. The only real problem with it is you can buy a complete Wasp clone for about $50 more.
I totally understand. For me, I am in love with the Eurorack format and the flexibility of sending any type of OSC to any type filter run by any gate generator, with plenty of options to cross modulate. I rarely buy standalone. I also know a lot of producers who like to have one standalone synth per function that they can all chain together via MIDI. What is the right thing to buy (if anything needs to be bought at all) really depends on how you like to make music and what your studio looks like!
Wasps? Bastards. I was enjoying a beer by the lake a couple of days ago. A wasp flew into the can without me seeing. When I took a sip, it stung me on the inside of my top lip. I put the can down, and saw it before it flew away, it was one of the big buggers, almost the size of the asian murder hornet, which are common where I live. Not a joke comment. It really happened. So yeah, screw wasps. That said, I am ordering some new Doepfer modules in a couple of weeks, I'll have a closer look at this too.
Yeah, let me paste this message directly from Doepfer: "The module is a copy of the filter used in the EDP Wasp synthesizer which "abuses" digital inverters (CD4069) as operational amplifiers. The disadvantage of this circuitry is that the inverters die now and then. The only solution would be to replace the inverters by standard operational amplifiers but then special character of the Wasp filter would be lost. It's impossible to predict if or when the CD4069 will die and of course we test each A-124 carefully before it leaves the factory. There are A-124 which work flawless since over 10 years, others become defective after weeks, months or years. Fortunately the CD4069 is a very inexpensive standard part (should be US$ 0.5 or less). The circuit is plugged into a socket and can be easily replaced by the customer if required." So it will break some day and can be replaced. I also know some producers preferring the broken Wasp sound to the functioning one (altough I have not heard it myself yet).
Never underestimate the potential of filters, that's for sure. I designed and built a very humble guitar "synth" 15 years ago through guesswork before I had gone to college, but clipping it into a square wave then using a cascade of high-pass and bandpass filters gave me a sound exact to trumpets and saxophones.
Truth be told, when I work on electronica that last thing I want to do as a metal shred and sweep player is try to incorporate a guitar and it have traits intact *to reveal the source to listeners.*
I should probably build a 2nd generation lol.
This filter has two lives. At first it is like new and it works as a mediocre filter. Then it breaks and - if you are lucky - it becomes a fantastic distortion and drone machine.
Yeah, I’ve heard a bit about these particular units breaking and-or dying after a certain period of time … What’s up with that … ?!?! 🤔
I've almost pressed the "buy" button a couple of times, and might be tempted again after hearing this. The only real problem with it is you can buy a complete Wasp clone for about $50 more.
I totally understand. For me, I am in love with the Eurorack format and the flexibility of sending any type of OSC to any type filter run by any gate generator, with plenty of options to cross modulate. I rarely buy standalone. I also know a lot of producers who like to have one standalone synth per function that they can all chain together via MIDI. What is the right thing to buy (if anything needs to be bought at all) really depends on how you like to make music and what your studio looks like!
Wasps? Bastards. I was enjoying a beer by the lake a couple of days ago. A wasp flew into the can without me seeing. When I took a sip, it stung me on the inside of my top lip. I put the can down, and saw it before it flew away, it was one of the big buggers, almost the size of the asian murder hornet, which are common where I live. Not a joke comment. It really happened. So yeah, screw wasps.
That said, I am ordering some new Doepfer modules in a couple of weeks, I'll have a closer look at this too.
This filter is amazing and ive got a lot of eurorack filters....
Yeah! I totally feel the same. There's so much character in that little module
great filter
I’ve heard quite a bit about this particular filter module breaking and/or dying after a certain period of time? What’s going on there?! 🤔 Thanks!
Yeah, let me paste this message directly from Doepfer:
"The module is a copy of the filter used in the EDP Wasp synthesizer which "abuses" digital inverters (CD4069) as operational amplifiers. The disadvantage of this circuitry is that the inverters die now and then. The only solution would be to replace the inverters by standard operational amplifiers but then special character of the Wasp filter would be lost. It's impossible to predict if or when the CD4069 will die and of course we test each A-124 carefully before it leaves the factory. There are A-124 which work flawless since over 10 years, others become defective after weeks, months or years. Fortunately the CD4069 is a very inexpensive standard part (should be US$ 0.5 or less). The circuit is plugged into a socket and can be easily replaced by the customer if required."
So it will break some day and can be replaced. I also know some producers preferring the broken Wasp sound to the functioning one (altough I have not heard it myself yet).