MSK 015 release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Quad VCA is a Eurorack problem solver
TORONTO, Ontario - May 2, 2023 - North Coast Synthesis Ltd.'s newest product packs four high-quality voltage controlled amplifiers into a 20HP Eurorack module that can solve patching problems in both small and large installations.
"How many times have you run out of VCA channels when you're in the flow of building a patch?" asks North Coast module designer Matthew Skala. "They say you can never have enough VCAs, but with four in this module you should be set for at least a little while. And I separated out positive and negative control voltages so it can do things like cross-fading, panning, and even four-quadrant multiplication for ring mod effects."
The detailed patch suggestions in the new module's user manual lay out how the normalling and add/subtract outputs let the musician combine channels for stereo effects, and little details like the adjustment range of the offset knobs point at the problems this module can solve.
"I hear a lot of complaints from people who think their VCA modules that they maybe bought from the discount VCA barn, you know, are 'bleeding,'" says Skala. "That means they hear sound in between the notes when it's supposed to be silent, and they blame the VCA, and then they go on a snipe hunt looking for a bleedless VCA. Eventually they figure out that it was actually an offset in the control voltage and not the VCA's fault. But maybe the VCA can help with it anyway. I designed this VCA to help eliminate bleed: you can turn down the offset a little below zero, and then even if something else is pushing the control voltage up and your zero isn't quite zero, the MSK 015 will fully turn off when you want it to turn off. That's the difference between getting the cheapest possible utility module, and getting a real musical instrument intended to be actually used."
North Coast's Web storefront sells the MSK 015 Quad VCA module for $600 Canadian, including worldwide shipping. There is also an SDIY kit version, and for the month of May they are offering a 10% discount to customers who buy the Quad VCA along with a Gracious Host or Middle Path module (the two other most recent North Coast releases), using the coupon code AWHVGRDY .
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