Vcf - Schippmann ebbe und flut User Manual

PREFACE
EBBE UND FLUT (which means 'ebb and flow') is the very first comercial product by SCHIPPMANN e-
lectronic musical instruments. It took me almost two years to finish the first prototype. Within this pe-
riod, a couple of 'evolutional mutations' from the basic idea to the final 'ebbe und flut' used to exist.
The core of this machine was intented to be a filter. I used to have a certain 'vision' of a VCF's sonic qua-
lities and in parallel a circuit design, drawn on a simple sheet of paper just before i started my e-
lectronics degree. Nevertheless this idea lay fallow for the following twenty years, it never went com-
pletely out of my mind. Half a year before starting the project, i finally took out the design again and
realised it.
The filter should be well supported by a compressor, distortion unit and a VCA. Since modulation
capabilities are even more important, there should be lots of them in order to achieve highest sonic
potential and dynamics. Powerful envelopes, LFO, S&H, follower and an excellent audio trigger had to
become part of the concept.
It was my very intention to create a machine – totally free from any computer aided control – that is
capable to offer very flexible sonic results out of pure audio and is far ahead of just being a 'useful tool' .
Both VCFs are NOT identical, each of them has its own sonic qualities: While VCF1 provides 'cutting
edge' , 'powerful' and 'loud' sounds, VCF2 surprises with a 'silky' and 'warm' character. No need to say
that the unit is made to process mono-signals.
Of course, a certain philisophy can be found in the whole concept but it seems more importand to me
to encourage the user to become most familiar with the unit, in order to explore its vast capabilities by
himself. The basic philosophy of 'ebbe und flut' is simple:
•
Flat user interface stucture which means, all functions can be intuitively found on ONE level.
No menu structures with subsubsub...menus!
•
All parameters have direct access and can be tweaked without any conversion delay or quan-
tisation.
• Pure true analogue concept – this is most important! The sonic differences to processor-gene-
rated sounds are so obvious, that they cannot be displaced or simulated.
•
Directly connected is the dynamic control of parameters like e.g. cutoff frequency, oscillator
frequency by real analogue, electric voltages. This level of imediate parameter access and pa-
rameter value alteration is directly audible and cannot be achieved by any processor based
system.
•
Since one of the basic principles in music is modulation – pitches are modulated into melo-
dies, changes of overtone-ratios or other musical parameters – two basic ways of modulation
should be provided: One-shot modulations (transitions), where a specific start level is led into
a final level (e.g. pitch, cutoff frequency) and periodic modulations (e.g. vibrato). Both ele-
ments can be found here in envelope generators and LFO.
•
Modular structure. Nearly all modules like VCFs, compressor, envelopes etc, allow independent
use by access via numerous in- and output sockets.
•
There is no total recall capability, because 'ebbe und flut' should be played like a real musicial
instrument. Nevertheless all of the parameter settings are very stable and once made settings
won't drift within weeks.