E-480

Contour Generator

Left column:
trig/gate input + LED
rate knob + LED
first integrator time knob
first integrator output jack + polarity LEDs
second integrator time knob
second integrator ending decay knob
second integrator output jack + polarity LEDs

Right column:
8 three-position switches (down/stay/up)
offset knob

E-480 module creates control voltage based on internal clock, position of 8 switches, integration time knobs settings and offset knob setting. Can work as one-shot (sequence of all 8 steps passes once, started by rising edge of input trig/gate) or sequence can be cycled while input gate is active. One shot mode or cycled mode is jumper-selectable (top jumper, jumper header set = one-shot mode). Second (bottom) jumper can set retrig mode (unfinished sequence starts again from first step – jumper set) or disables retrig (8-step sequence must be finished first to allow retrig – jumper header removed).

Rate knob sets processing time in range from 4ms/step (32ms/cycle) to 0,5s/step (4s cycle). Switches are used for setting “direction” – where voltage should go in entire step (down/stay/up) but it depends on offset knob setting too. “Direction” voltages from switches are integrated in two serial integrators, first integrator creates linear curves (integration time is set by knob). Output of first integrator is inverted, setting an switch to “up” makes falling voltage on first integrator output for entire step. Generated linear signal then goes into second integrator creating exponential curves (with different integration time). Endind decay is set by last knob. Offset knob affects outputs dramatically. All variable parameters depend on each other – if rate is set to an slow value, integration time should be set slow too else output can reach power supply limits easily. Offset amount is integrated too so it should be set near centre as basic setting. There are over 6500 switch combinations + different integration time and offset settings…

E-480 can be used for generating unusual envelopes (self clocked – independent of input gate length(!) in one-shot mode) or better for creating rich attach portion of an envelope (if output CV is mixed with an “standard” envelope), as example imagine more initial peaks for say trumpet simulation. In cycle mode can be used as gated LFO creating unusual waveshapes.

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