Phase Displacement Oscillator

MKII version of the PDO changes

• Better CV handling
• 16 HP
• single PCB instead of stacked boards

An upgrade path is available for those with MKI versions, contact us for more information.

Overview

Introducing the WMD Phase Displacement Oscillator (PDO). This hybrid VCO has all the feel of an analog VCO but with the benefits of digital waveshaping. The PDO will easily find a home in your system!

The PDO exists to utilize the phenomenon of Phase Modulation (PM). This allows for the relative phase difference of its outputs to be set or modulated, producing very interesting sounds. The result is similar to Frequency Modulation (FM) but affects the output to a greater degree without affecting the stability of the initial frequency. This is where the "displacement" comes in.

When you use frequency stable phase displacement, you create phase distortion which sounds like wavefolding and is very useful for dynamic textures and powerful sounds.

PM has the same benefits of quadrature filters/sine wave generators and greatly exceeds their capabilities at audio rate modulations. PM is highly useful for for creating metallic and bell tones and very controlled harmonic interactions.

Because PM affects the relative phase and not the frequency of the waveform generated, the PDO can self modulate its PM inputs. This creates complex harmonic signals that seem to vary in frequency but are quite stable.

Phase Modulation is also quite powerful when using the PDO as an LFO. Adjusting the relative phase of each output allows for very precise modulation of other modules. Each output can have any of the available waveforms simultaneously.

Features

Analog Sawcore VCO
Temperature Compensated
Linear or Expo FM
Calibrated 1V/Oct Input
Hard Sync Input (LFO Reset)
~.0012Hz (14min) to >=10kHz
Digital Waveshaper
Four Separate Waveform Outputs
Phase Modulation for Outputs 2,3,4
Global Phase Input
Invertible CV Inputs for Phase Mod
Any waveform on any output
14 Bit Input, 12 bit Output
100kHz Sample Rate
Channel Indicator LEDs
Sum output of all channels
Normaled Sum output
Expandable
Expand/Jack CV simultaneous

Expansions

There are two expansions for the PDO.

Quad Anti Aliasing Filter - http://www.modulargrid.net/e/wmd-quad-aaf
This 4HP expansion module consists of four independent -24dB/octave Butterworth Low Pass Filters. They all share a common frequency input and bias knob. The QuadAAF independently filters each output from the PDO, providing an anti-aliased (smoother) output. There is also a sum output of all four filtered signals.

Triple Bipolar VCA - http://www.modulargrid.net/e/wmd-triple-bipolar-vca
This 8 HP expansion module contains three independent polarizing VCAs. This allows for Mod mode to be used which will produce stable wavefolding without patching. By applying envelopes and other signals, very dynamic patches can be produced.

http://www.wmdevices.com/pdomkii.php