Pittsburgh Modular Voltage Lab 2: A Synthesis Sandbox of Limitless Wave Crafting

Shop the Pittsburgh Modular Voltage Lab 2 👉 sweetwater.sjv.io/Pittsburgh_...
Richard Nicol cofounded Pittsburgh Modular with fellow aural engineer Michael Johnsen back in 2012, sharing a vision that the so-called golden age of analog synthesis was only the beginning of a sonic odyssey yet to be fulfilled. In the ensuing 10-plus years, Richard and his team have embarked on a quest to push the outer boundaries of analog sound, unconvinced that the best it had to offer came and went in the 1970s. Instruments like the Taiga, and the East Beast and West Pest of sister operation Cre8audio, demonstrate Richard’s ethos of innovation, and the Voltage Lab 2 distills over a decade of unwavering commitment into a single multidimensional synth. With over 100 patch points, unfathomable versatility, and a slew of never-before-heard wave-crafting technologies, it is truly a bona fide laboratory. Daniel Fisher, Sweetwater’s synth scholar, hosts Pittsburgh Modular’s archon of analog, Richard Nicol, for a comprehensive deep dive into this standalone analog laboratory to excavate sonic possibilities the world has never heard. Check it out!
00:00 - Intro
00:23 - Voltage Lab History
00:56 - Panel Layout
02:13 - 4-hand Performance 1
03:11 - Fully Modular CV & Audio
04:06 - Oscillator 1
04:31 - Analog Aesthetics, Digital Control
05:14 - Wavefolding
06:39 - Oscillator 2
09:56 - Audio Processors
10:47 - Dynamics Processors
04:06 - Florist: Shimmering Multimode Flanger & Chorus
14:28 - Echos: Dark Bucket-brigade Delay
16:06 - Touch Controller & Sequencer
19:50 - Voltage Lab 2 Summary
20:18 - 4-hand Performance
23:00 - Thanks for Watching!
Explore the analog aesthetics of Pittsburgh Modular’s voltaic Taiga keyboard 👉 • Pittsburgh Modular Tai...
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[@sweetwater]

Which innovative features of this synthesis laboratory are you eager to experience for yourself? Sound off in the comments, and be sure to drop by Sweetwater for an in-depth look at the Pitsburgh Modular Voltage Lab 2 👉 sweetwater.sjv.io/Pittsburgh_Modular_Voltage_Lab_2

[@DaveMcCall]

"Analog has to be better because it's better." I love the way Richard thinks about synthesis.

[@oracle-0018]

We waited sweetwater prevailed/provided! This really is excellent 👍

[@indigosnow_]

How epic! I was saving up to invest getting into modular but now ill just save up to cop this. It reallynis beautiful and the touch strip seems super neat

[@obsidiananvil9719]

So glad to see this come to fruition. Congrats to PM for persisting. Well done.

[@cardboardmusic]

I'm glad for them, bravo. I'm still using my Lifeforms SV-1b which I think is the perfect little semi-modular instrument. Still one of the best filters out there too.

[@raffaelesantabarbara1449]

I like that they’re trying to make analog worthy again. I love it.

[@ewencousin]

This is interesting !

[@strangersun7721]

This is a beautiful instrument. Love love love it

[@noveltycrusade]

that thing looks amazing

[@i_never_asked_for_an_alias]

I love the Lab Oszilloscope.. it's nerdy and most likely cheaper then a Mordax Data. ;-)

[@johnnybeaver8351]

Beautiful machine that I’ll never own, but will always want to.

[@obsoletecd-rom]

I love my taiga. This looks pretty interesting.

[@DaveMcCall]

19:35 it sounds like this would pair well with your taiga.

[@gwugluud]

I’ve given up shopping their site, as they never have anything in stock.

[@ronaldcoleman9370]

If they had four years to design the new Voltage Lab 2, then why in the world didn't they move the CV's somewhere that they wouldn't get in the way of the knobs!!! I still like it but it would make sense to be able to be hassle-free knob functioning!!

[@p.meyerhiggins3157]

I think it shows that different people have different preferences... I have Dreadbox and Moog semi-modulars with CV in a patchbay at the right, as well as a SER-2020 and original Voltage Lab (Blackbox/Sound module) with CV along the bottom, and definitely prefer the sockets along the bottom near their respective targets/sources.
Perhaps try shorter cables (or right-angle plugs) so that they don't get in the way?
Maybe I've smaller hands/fingers.

[@etcot8220]

Yeah! Good point. I’ve noticed it at the end, it can be a distraction, especially if the key pad was designed for performance. Adding extra gear to it will literally hide the controllers. Its so small and compact that its bound to have flaws.
Personally, I love the size of it and I will find or someone else will find a makeshift solution to the problem. Idk, some sort of hollow handle bar, some sort of elongated U on top of it. Or simply the right size towel paper holder.

[@soysos.tuffsound]

I just use the shortest possible cable for each connection and it not a problem.