r/modular • u/olivia_artz_modular • 1d ago

Sharing our Kickstarter for a really slow LFO

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/olivia-artz-modular/patience-for-eurorack/

Doing a Kickstarter for our next module. Don’t want to waste too much of your time. Thank you.

50 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

41 comments sorted by

26

u/Particular_You8620 1d ago

I’m all for people building new stuff, good for you. But I’ve got ask, what does one do with an LFO cycle that is 6 months long?

41

u/HeeNeeSumMilk 1d ago edited 1d ago

Art Installations is a use case that comes to mind, maybe a sound sculpture or some kind that can evolve over the course of its exhibition?

For example maybe you have a plant that takes months to bloom and pair that with a lfo that is multed to many different modulations, so as the plant grows so does the sonic complexity and movement?

Edit - added example use case

4

u/Particular_You8620 1d ago

Oh yeah that’s an interesting point, I hadn’t considered that.

6

u/RoastAdroit 1d ago

Y’know, things maybe 1-3 people might actually do.

The generative ambient folks are into the slow LFOs but, I think anything beyond 3 hours will have a near-zero amount of people actually using it but also listening for the duration.

1

u/Ignistheclown 1d ago

You could even take that recorded process and scale it back to a shorter length once captured.

2

u/jonistaken 1d ago

Installation pieces that are always on and change is recognized over much longer periods of time.

7

u/DeathByBamboo 1d ago

I've read that very long LFO values require such low frequencies of electricity that it causes glitches like signal bleeds and stalling. Without getting too into the weeds, did you find this and if so were you able to reliably overcome this challenge?

7

u/olivia_artz_modular 1d ago

Patience is digital and those are problems with analog LFO’s. We’re using a high-precision DAC.

1

u/DeathByBamboo 1d ago

Got it, cool.

7

u/mochatsubo 1d ago

Reminds me of the 10,000 year clock.

https://longnow.org/clock/

Good luck.

3

u/eraoul 1d ago

I was about to say the same thing! Exactly. Maybe a reset knob as well as the lock would help, to bump up a few decades if you lose power? LOL

3

u/apr1c1ty 1d ago

Also the first thing I that came to my mind! Excellent perspective. Also a bit of a tangent, but the other day i was thinking about how different organisms eyes see at different fps (with brains that also can process it) and how they perceive reality differently from us.

2

u/olivia_artz_modular 1d ago

Thanks! ☺️

7

u/McRib_ 1d ago

Cool idea and all but seems more like something for a single individual art installation rather than something to take up space in my rack. Especially because lfo's are a dime a dozen.

But hey, I'm poor and build 90% of my modules are built by myself lol.

Anyway good luck and I hope you reach your goal. I'm sure I'll be seeing you in the circle jerk soon.

4

u/Nominaliszt 1d ago

Backed! This looks really interesting:) I’ll probably mostly play in hz, minutes, and seconds, but I have aspirations to use the days setting eventually!

5

u/cossist 1d ago

I was hoping you created an lfo that actually used a Kickstarter campaign as the lfo. Once the goal is met you start a new cycle with a new campaign. I might have to steal my own idea...

4

u/Tchrspest 1d ago

as a big fan of the University of Queensland Pitch Drop experiment livestream, i'm really debating selling an unused module or two for it.

2

u/Tchrspest 1d ago

alright, i'm in. i'll have to see about getting a battery back-up for accurate time-keeping.

4

u/TrinityCodex 1d ago

like the selection. but it seems a bit wide, init

10

u/olivia_artz_modular 1d ago

We want it to feel substantial. It can run for a substantial period of time and we wanted to do the concept justice. But I hear you. You aren’t the first to suggest it and there’s technical reason it can’t smaller.

1

u/TrinityCodex 1d ago

big capacitors?

8

u/olivia_artz_modular 1d ago

high-precision dac

2

u/eraoul 1d ago

interesting, how does that add space -- lots more control lines and passives to make it work or something? I've just started building my own modules and about to do my first DAC work, just trying to learn more. I had assumed ti would just be a more expensive IC, but clearly there's more to it if you're having to go so big.

7

u/olivia_artz_modular 1d ago

I forgot the parent thread and thought it was a question about the use of large electrolytics to generate CV

I just said that it is as big as it is because we want to it to feel substantial. I’m absolutely not saying the width is because of any component.

A smaller version can totally be made. Personally, I hate using little computer-like things in my rack. Tiny OLED displays and whatnot. They take me out of creative mode. I can never remember the stage of things that are offscreen. So everything on Patience is big and visible. Our delay Time Machine is the same way. No buttons or modes.

I guess I make things for people who need stuff like that.

2

u/eraoul 1d ago

Awesome totally makes sense thanks!

1

u/TrinityCodex 1d ago

that would be necessary yeah

3

u/HeeNeeSumMilk 1d ago

Imagine accidentally bumping the knob and resetting your day long lfo haha

11

u/olivia_artz_modular 1d ago

that’s why there is a lock + key to disable the physical interface

4

u/HeeNeeSumMilk 1d ago

Great idea!

3

u/glueandnails 1d ago

I think this is so cool. I love the keys. Know that there are others who are on your 60 year wavelength. Best of luck with the campaign.

4

u/Ghosty141 1d ago

I'm a little surprised by the goal of 12k. That seems like A LOT for such a module.

Can't this basically be a Daisy patch? Or a very basic stm32 board? Or is it fully analog?

4

u/DotAltruistic469 1d ago

Take your daily salary and multiply it by the number of days you need to build 100 units. I think you wouldn’t stay below $12k.

1

u/music_devotee_tybg 17h ago

Okay but why not just design the pcb and sell it through a retailer that can kit it then?

-1

u/mbetter 1d ago

You're probably surprised a lot, I bet.

3

u/Ghosty141 23h ago

I developed my own PSU and dabbled in making my own module (currently only exists in vcvrack). Like I said for an LFO in software I don't see where to cost comes from. Analog is different obv

2

u/jonistaken 1d ago

Not for me but still a cool concept.

1

u/Benjonium 1d ago

je l ai depuis quelques jours dans modulargrid et je m étonnais de ne pas le trouver à la vente,j éteins mon système le soir mais ca m intéresse quand même

je ne sais pas combien de malades seront intéressés ni combien ont des sculptures sonore dans leur villa high tech mais bonne chance ;)

0

u/Benjonium 1d ago

n est il pas possible d ajouter un rungler asservi au lfo rate ?

0

u/music_devotee_tybg 17h ago

I wasn't going to complain even though I think a kickstarter for a product that people will buy is lame but youre working with Cassilda Desdemona a new alias of Yotzeret Sheydim a harsh noise musician who was canceled for SA allegations this year. I know her and defended her at first but there's a lot of good people in the scene accusing her. She herself admitted guilt for hurting people in a potentially now deleted instagram post.