How to resolve AdBlock issue? Modbap Modular introduces the wavetable oscillator Osiris
Breaking the BI-FIDELITYTM sound barrier by bringing sonically-fertile Osiris wavetable oscillator to bear on Eurorack
Modbap Modular by BeatPPL, a black-owned developer of Eurorack modular synthesizers and instruments made in America, introduces Osiris - operating powerfully as a (frequency modulation- and phase modulation-including) seven-plus TIMBRE MODE 12HP BI-FIDELITYTM WAVETABLE OSC (oscillator) module, neatly-packed with an independent sub-oscillator, LOFI processing, extensive CV (control voltage) modulation capabilities, a PITCH quantiser, four banks of 32 x 32 wavetables per bank, the ability to load user wavetables via Micro SD card (not included), and its own free open-source wavetable editor (OsirisEdit) - at Knobcon Number Nine, Hyatt Regency Schaumburg, IL, USA, September 10-12, 2021…
Following hot on the heels of Modbap Modular by BeatPPL’s Per4mer, perfectly portraying its inaugural offering as a 14HP quad performance effects Eurorack module inspired by beat-maker/DJ performance styles when launched late last year to widespread critical acclaim, Osiris seems set to also make musical waves as a powerful and neatly-packed 12HP wavetable oscillator module. More meaningfully, it is designed to be used as a powerful bi-fidelity wavetable oscillator, bolstered by the sensational-sounding BI-FIDELITYTM WAVETABLE OSC wording giving the game away across a front panel made to match the distinctive black, blue, and magenta colour scheme of its Per4mer partner module. More than just an oscillator, Osiris is designed - developed in close collaboration with Ess Mattisson of Fors - to be used as a powerful wavetable oscillator with an added sub-oscillator.
Featuring four banks of 32 wavetables - 128 wavetables in total, each of which has 32 waveforms at 256 samples per waveform while running at 96 kHz for high-quality sound output, Osiris is only just getting started since its added sub-oscillator includes a dedicated SUB V/OCT input, SUB MIX knob, and SUB mono output for further flexibility.
Thanks to its SUB WAVE knob, Osiris allows for the selection of said sub-oscillator’s waveform with Square, Sine, Triangle, -1, and -2 as available options. Digging deeper, Square, Sine, and Triangle are basic waves at a lower frequency than the main oscillator so all add weight, while -1 and -2 respectively represent a copy of the wavetable at one or two octaves below the main octave.
On top of that, TIMBRE MODE accesses a set of selectable forms of waveshaping - namely, Unison (layers a second oscillator that detunes from slight beatings up to an octave); Bend (compresses the waveform to a thinner shape); Fold (introduces symmetric two-stage wave- folding by first mirroring the waveform and then folding it); Sync (repeats the cycle count of the waveform within a Hanning window, making the edges softer); Noise (adds a window-synced noise to the waveform); FM x 1 (applies phase modulation to the oscillator using the same waveform); and FM x 8 (uses frequency modulation to smoothly scan through ratios of one up to eight, with mixed stages in between). All are available via one knob to allow for smooth morphing between modes, making for some stunning blended timbres in between them. TIMBRE AMT (amount) allows for dialling in as much or as little of the selected timbre as needed. Needless to say, TIMBRE MODE vastly expands Osiris’ range of sound possibilities.
Put it this way: with its LOFI settings, Osiris can control the FIDELITY of its oscillators - from subtle degradation to complete destruction! It introduces sample jitter, phase drift, and resolution reduction. As a knob - not just a simple on/off switch, dialling in the right amount of LOFI is easy and able to be modulated via the FIDELITY CV input. It even takes some inspiration from old Amiga audio characteristics, resulting in a classic, pleasing, and musically gritty lo-fi flavour.
Other Osiris features well worth noting include its inbuilt Micro SD card slot (for loading user wavetables), CV control over all major parameters, SYNC button, DECAY control knob, pitch QUANT (quantiser) button, and VCA (voltage controlled amplifier) control knob with TRIG (trigger) input.
In the final analysis, Osiris helpfully comes complete with OsirisEdit, a software editor designed to assist users with creating their own wavetables. It is based on Wave Edit, an Open Source wavetable editor, enabling a dedicated wavetable editor that is modified to produce wavetable banks that are compatible with Modbap Modular by BeatPPL’s Osiris, truly a sensational-sounding BI-FIDELITYTM WAVETABLE OSC module for Eurorack.
Set for release on September 24, 2021, Osiris is available to preorder directly from Modbap Modular by BeatPPL for $359.00 USD via its dedicated webpage.