uTides v2 (Tides 2018) — Black Panel | 8HP Tidal Modulator

The 8HP version of Mutable Instruments' Tides 2018 — the full function generator in a little over half the width. Designed by Jakplugg.

Build and provenance — please read: This is a DIY build, not a factory unit. uTides v2 is Jakplugg's 8HP adaptation of Tides 2018, built from Émilie Gillet's open-source design files released under CC-BY-SA. SMD components machine-placed by JLCPCB. Through-hole assembly, testing and calibration done by hand. Not manufactured by or affiliated with Mutable Instruments.

What it does:

Waves that go up and down, from minute-long cycles to audio rates. A digital asymmetric triangle function generator in the lineage of the Serge DUSG and Buchla 281, followed by two stages of shaping.

Three operating modes: AD envelope, AR envelope, and looping (VC-LFO or VC-DO).

Three frequency ranges: low (2 minutes to 2 Hz), medium (0.125 Hz to 32 Hz), high (8 Hz to 2 kHz). The range widens further with an offset on the V/OCT input.

The shaping chain: a wavetable waveshaper provides linear, exponential, logarithmic, sinusoidal or arc-sinusoidal shapes for the A and D segments. A second processor then either applies a 2-pole low-pass filter to smooth the edges, or a rubbery wavefolder that adds kinks and bounces. Both under CV control, along with slope/asymmetry.

Four output modes — the reason the 2018 revision exists:

• Different waveshapes — main signal, asymmetric triangle, EOA gate, EOR gate
• Different amplitudes — controllable dispatching of the main signal across outputs
• Different times — voltage-controlled phase and apex shifting
• Different frequencies — harmonically related variations

External clocking and PLL: runs at a multiple of an external clock or clean audio reference, from 1/16 to 16x. Generate subharmonics or harmonics from an incoming oscillator.

Built to run at audio rates with minimal aliasing, every parameter under voltage control — it works as a self-contained voice as readily as a modulation source. All of that in 8HP.

Specs:

• 8 HP
• Power: +12V 55mA / -12V 5mA
• Cortex-M4 ARM processor
• Output levels: bipolar ±5V for cyclic signals, unipolar +8V for gates and envelopes
• Firmware updatable over audio