Endorphin.es Terminal - function generators & LPGs

 I just received this in the mail. It's an Endorphin.es Terminal.

I think they were first produced in 2013 ???

 

 

This module is now discontinued and replaced with the Grand Terminal.

Though the original Terminal doesn't have the 8 filter types of the Grand Terminal I couldn't resist the old school dual voltage controlled AD/AR/looping envelope generators & analog vactrol LPGs.

 

Together with a Furthrrrr Generator module the Terminal creates one full West Coast voice. 

It's quite a complex and dense module, with lots of functionality.  Reminds me very much of a Maths.

The whole module uses the analogy of flying.

The 2 envelopes of the Terminal are called airplanes ... the takeoff and landing being analogous to attack / decay. There is a airport terminal, gates, exits, trip selectors, check-ins, cabin pressure & relative height.

As the module uses real vactrols I was hoping I could get similar sounds to my Buchla & Serge systems.

I'm not disappointed.

 

It's a fun module to own if you like DIY electronics.

The rear of the module has sockets for a quick and simple exchange of vactrols.

You can use the factory supplied opto-couplers, replace them with other ones or even roll your own.

 

You can use the Terminal to create envelopes, LFOs, and even Oscillators.

 

It's very reminisent of the Serge DUSG ... dual universal slope generators.

Just like in Buchla systems, the  gates are VCA/VCF combos.

The two red centre knobs open up the VCA and the two opto-coupler-controlled 

Sallen-Key 12 dB lo-pass filters.

The VCA/Filter section is in the centre of the module. 

These are called gates.

 

As mentioned earlier, they use vactrols which impart a "natural sound".

 

This occurs because altering the gates offsets changes both frequency cutoff and amplitude of the signal.

This gives a "natural musical" response, similar to acoustic instruments. 

 

Each gate has attenuverting CV input and gate A (left) has an attenuverting audio input.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you open the gate, you will hear the sound getting louder and clearer. 

You can patch the gate to get other filter types apart from LP.

To get a high pass effect plug the same signal into both gates. 

Then invert the gate A using the bipolar attenuverting audio input.

The high pass effect is created by the mixing of the LP signal in gate B, with the inverted signal

of gate A.

 

The aux input and the attenuverters allow you to create hipass, bandpass gates, etc

There is no resonance control by patching the mono final output (marked with a loudspeaker) 

into the input of a gate. It's a feedback loop. It's probably better to send this into gate A since you will have additional control over the input phase and volume, given by the attenuverting knob.

 

The envelopes are on the left and right. 

In the Buchla world, they are called Function Generators.

In the Endorphin.es world, they are referred to as Airplanes.

The envelopes have 3 modes -- called the trip selectors.

1. cycling / looping

    (trip selector in far left position). Use this for LFOs or

    an oscillator depending on 

     the frequency of the cycle. Self triggering.

 

2. transient

    (trip selector in the middle position).

    This is a simple A/D envelope with no sustain.

    " the Airplane performs a take off after an incoming trigger 

     signal (may be short trigger or constant gate higher

      than 0.65 volts). Reaching the top of the ascent level, 

       the Airplane immediately performs a landing" (Endorphin manual).

 

3. cruise

    (trip selector to the far right)

    an Attack/sustain/ Decay envelope.

    " the Airplane takes off to thee highest level after 

      receiving a trigger/gate (higher than approximately 0.65 volts 

      constant signal) and stays in cruising mode as long as the

      gate signal remains high. At any moment the gate signal drops, 

      the Airplane performs  the landing. 

      During landing the Airplane will immediately gain altitude when a

                                                               trigger/gate arrives." (Endorphin manual).

You can either manually or with CV set the slope of these envelopes from linear to exponential or Log.

This is set via the 2 bottom black knobs/jacks on each airplane.

 

 

Each airplane also has unipolar(right) and bi-polar outputs(left) output jacks.

The bipolar one flashes red/green.

These are called Exits.

 

 

Trigger outputs are sent at the "End of (each) Stage", (end of Rise, end of Fall), of the envelope.

 

The gates can be pinged (opened) with a short trigger like the ones that come from the end of stage outputs.

 

This pinging of the gates sound is often referred to as the Buchla Bongo. To achieve this sound the trigger should be connected to the gate’s CV input and the attenuverting knob in full clockwise position.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cabin Pressure

This is a digital effect. It's a sort of echo/reverb/chorus.

It's intended for adding air to live performances.

 

Relative B height / Peak detector

This is useful for creating ADSR type envelopes.

The attenuating knob decreases the height of airplane B (relative to airplane A) .

Triggering both airplanes creates the combined envelope.

The peak detector tracks both airplanes and outputs the max of both. 

The CV output is the jack to the right of the Relative B height  attenuating knob.

The Attack and Decay stages are defined by the take off and Landing rates of Airplane A.

Sustain will be defined by the ‘relative Airplane B height’ knob and Release by the Landing rate of AirplaneB

 

 

 

 

Links

+ Official 

+ Manual