M-Thing

Email me at serendipity.synth@gmail.com with any questions or comments, or if you are interested in obtaining a device.

The Semi-Modular Thing

The Semi-Modular Thing, in future simply the M-Thing, is a small device designed to work alongside a semi-modular synth (such as the Moog Mother-32, or Arturia Minibrute) and provide additional utilities, modulation sources, and mixing. Available in a folded aluminium case, or as a 32HP Eurorack module.

For the standalone version, you will need a standard 12V, centre-positive power supply for this, 500mA is ok, 1A is better since there are 2 power only USB sockets on the back that you might want to use for a MIDI controller or other small device.

M-Thing Specifications

  • Digital LFO (Uses the Electric Druid TAPLFO chip)

    • 0.5Hz to 20Hz (roughly)
    • 16 waveforms, organised in 2 sets of 8
    • 1x, 2x and 4x speed options using a toggle switch
    • clock out
    • external sync (within the supported frequency range)
    • normal and inverted outputs available simultaneously
    • uni-polar (0 to 5V) or bipolar (-5V to 5V) output

  • White Noise

  • Sample & Hold

    • signal input normalled to white noise
    • clocked by the LFO

  • Crossfader

    • 2 arbitrary inputs
    • default fades between a low-pass (brown-ish) noise to a high-pass (blue-ish) nosie

  • Sub-oscillator

    • Square wave output at -1 or -2 octaves
    • Optional mixed output (full original signal with adjustable sub level)

  • Attenuverters/mixer

    • 3 attenuverters
    • switch controls inclusion in a mixed output
    • each is normalled to 5V (so it gives -5V to 5V), the LFO and the S&H respectively
    • usual scale is from -1 to +1 times the input, but jumpers on the board can switch them to -1 to +2 times (up to 10V).

  • Multiples

    • 2 three way multiples

Here is a step-by-step demonstration of how the M-Thing can add a bit extra to a Mother 32, before playing along with a D-Thing/DFAM pair, then a Matriarch, and finally a Roland System 100.

This demo of the prototype examines the individual functions in more detail.