Sputnik Oscillator

[ngarjuna]

Yeah my feelings of regret were quickly replaced by wonder and awe. I still see the appeal of the 259ish VCOs (just got done watching DivKid's video, some very cool stuff) but these 258ish ones are more up my alley. It's unusual for me to document what I would consider "unmusical" wiggling but I was really kind of taken by where I could go with them.

[MindMachine]

Thanks for this demo. I am still resigned to getting a second Sputnik VCO as my pair of matched VCO's. I also love abd use the STO (and a Richter VCO II), but found the Sputnik FM'd closest to ideal old 258 sounds that I really like. I figure 2 VCO's will be even better than one as they FM each other.

[BLogic12]

does anyone know what the symmetry dial on the back of the sputnik does?
i tried messing with it but didn't hear anything change, but maybe i wasn't listening for the right thing. The manual is pretty skimpy and dosent say anything about any of the pots on the back.

i'm loving this oscillator but the fm knob is so damn sensitive its hard to tune in subtle modulation, mine goes from nothing to extreme in just a hair line of movement so there's not much room for lover levels of modulation. almost need to externally attenuate fm to get less extreme fming out of it (for musical vibrato effects). I've been using the cv input under the v/oct input for this and it's better for it, but still, also really sensitive.

[BugBrand]

does anyone know what the symmetry dial on the back of the sputnik does?
i tried messing with it but didn't hear anything change, but maybe i wasn't listening for the right thing. The manual is pretty skimpy and dosent say anything about any of the pots on the back.

You quite possibly squiffied the sine-wave...
As an example:



Hey wow, some trimmers! Let's twiddle them and see what we can do... Not always the best idea!

[ngarjuna]

does anyone know what the symmetry dial on the back of the sputnik does?
i tried messing with it but didn't hear anything change, but maybe i wasn't listening for the right thing. The manual is pretty skimpy and dosent say anything about any of the pots on the back.

i'm loving this oscillator but the fm knob is so damn sensitive its hard to tune in subtle modulation, mine goes from nothing to extreme in just a hair line of movement so there's not much room for lover levels of modulation. almost need to externally attenuate fm to get less extreme fming out of it (for musical vibrato effects). I've been using the cv input under the v/oct input for this and it's better for it, but still, also really sensitive.

Yeah the FM dial goes from zero to chaos real fast. So far many of my more interesting wiggles with them have involved playing the FM against negative modulation on the CV attenuverter. Or yeah external attenuation.

[BLogic12]

Hey wow, some trimmers! Let's twiddle them and see what we can do... Not always the best idea!

which is why they should be in the manual!
ill check out the sine on an oscilloscope tonight and see if its messed up and if i have to tune it back.

[PM33AUD]

Any word on how stable the oscillator is over time (even during a long session).

Also how well do they track?

[Fiddlestickz]

So I waited all summer for the Dual Oscillator to be released and when it was I decided that I didn't want it…that I really wanted a pair of something resembling 258s and a wave folder (I am waiting for a NC Timbre to cross the ocean right now). I almost went for a pair of STOs as I already have an STO and like it a fair bit. But I decided to go for more diversity and try out the Sputnik Oscillators.

As I was installing them I was sort of regretting my decision: such a simple feature set, so much of what I already have from other sources, blah blah blah. But an hour or so later I patched up something really simple into the Optomix and was simply blown away by the sounds. I've only had a short time to play with them but these do not sound all that much like STOs: the STO waveshaper is arguably more interesting (I think it's doing some kind of wavefolding personally). I also think as a single VCO in a voice the STO is pretty great sounding when you introduce some modulation to FM and/or the shaper; I didn't get quite as interesting a result from a single Sputnik by itself though the raw tones are indeed a bit warmer, more woody, "organic" maybe. But there's something about these Sputniks as a pair that I've never experienced before in my rack (and I do have other dual/pair VCOs), some kind of erratic synergy which spits out some wonderful sounds.

Anyway here is part of that first wiggle:
[video][/video]

would have been nicer not to have to watch the back of your hairy hand all video, try a different camera angle next time..

* edit that sounded rude, sorry didn't mean it too was just quite noticeable..

[ngarjuna]

So I waited all summer for the Dual Oscillator to be released and when it was I decided that I didn't want it…that I really wanted a pair of something resembling 258s and a wave folder (I am waiting for a NC Timbre to cross the ocean right now). I almost went for a pair of STOs as I already have an STO and like it a fair bit. But I decided to go for more diversity and try out the Sputnik Oscillators.

As I was installing them I was sort of regretting my decision: such a simple feature set, so much of what I already have from other sources, blah blah blah. But an hour or so later I patched up something really simple into the Optomix and was simply blown away by the sounds. I've only had a short time to play with them but these do not sound all that much like STOs: the STO waveshaper is arguably more interesting (I think it's doing some kind of wavefolding personally). I also think as a single VCO in a voice the STO is pretty great sounding when you introduce some modulation to FM and/or the shaper; I didn't get quite as interesting a result from a single Sputnik by itself though the raw tones are indeed a bit warmer, more woody, "organic" maybe. But there's something about these Sputniks as a pair that I've never experienced before in my rack (and I do have other dual/pair VCOs), some kind of erratic synergy which spits out some wonderful sounds.

Anyway here is part of that first wiggle:
[video][/video]

would have been nicer not to have to watch the back of your hairy hand all video, try a different camera angle next time..

* edit that sounded rude, sorry didn't mean it too was just quite noticeable..

No apologies needed, definitely not my finest shooting.

[PM33AUD]

Anyone care to comment on tracking/drift?

Thanks!

[ngarjuna]

I haven't noticed anything unusual in terms of tracking/drift. I often use the same pitch CV line to push the Sputniks and an STO or Rubicon; has always been fine for me in a variety of different octaves. Though to be honest the Sputniks probably get the least amount of melodic duties of any VCO in my system just because they lend themselves to many West Coast duties that don't rely on melodic pitch tracking.

[huffnPuff]

Hey'all I was thinking about getting this oscillator to complement my Verbos CO. I prefer to modulate the CO with another osc because the Verbos has DC offsets on both channels (I think they go from 0-10v?) so dynamic FM and stable pitch are mutually exclusive.

Can anyone say if this is the case with the Sputnik (single) oscillator?
[EDIT] Sputnik osc outputs +/- 5v.

Another question regarding the video from ignatius posted above - it seems the sub output is not clean? Should I be concerned about that?

[huffnPuff]

Anyone cares to comment? Auditioning the osc in a shop is not an option for me - unfortunately.

[ym2612]

It should be fine for modulating the Verbos CO. Both this and the Verbos are based on the Buchla 258 core (as far as I know) and should have similar sound, though the FM is likely much deeper on the Sputnik than on the Verbos. If you FM the Sputnik, it loses its pitch center quickly. There is no offset on the Sputnik's oscillator outputs.

I have no use for the sub output and therefore have no experience with it.

[huffnPuff]

Thanks!

[106bestsinth]

Can someone explain the functionality of the sine to saw/square control? How does this differ from the sine and saw/square outputs of another vco being fed into a crossfader?

[LaBelleAurore]

Can someone explain the functionality of the sine to saw/square control? How does this differ from the sine and saw/square outputs of another vco being fed into a crossfader?

In the Sputnik oscillator, sine->square, and sine->saw are achieved by wave shaping the sine wave. The sine wave is literally bent into the square and saw shapes. The final square and saw waves are not perfect shapes. The result when modulating the wave shaper is that it will produce different harmonics in the output than would be produced when cross fading a perfect sine to perfect square or saw. The differences are most noticeable when using heavy modulation. People tend to find the results very pleasing to the ear. It's part of the unique qualities of the Buchla 258 upon which the Sputnik Osc is based.

These are the final saw and square wave forms produced by wave shaping the sine wave:

[106bestsinth]

Thank you for the explanation and oscilloscope shots.

[chysn]

My Sputnik Oscillator arrived recently. I've had about a week with it so far. It's very nice with my STO. For my second oscillator, it was sort of a tossup between the Sputnik and another STO, and I don't think I would have been disappointed with either choice.

My STO/Sputnik pair is complemented by a WMD/SSF Ultrafold. Even though this trio of modules takes up as much space as a DPO or Sputnik Dual Oscillator, I'm very happy with my variety of VCOs.

Everything said here is true; the FM gets crazy really quickly. I think I prefer the STO's response in this regard. The coarse tune knob (the big one) is by far the wiggliest knob in my system. You can't look at it askance without changing the tuning.

I can't claim that it has "that Buchla sound," because I've never played a Buchla. But it's a nice oscillator and I'm glad I have it.

[caetanosfur]

Basically, this question is about what one gains and loses with two single oscillators + waveshapers/folders vs. a dual oscillator. -And what single oscillators might pair best with the Sputnik.

I love my Sputnik single oscillator. FM'd and without FM, it makes sounds I want to hear. -Particularly love tuning it down and using a sine as bass.

When the Sputnik Dual Oscillators were about to disappear from the retail market, I got one to replace my STO, which previously sat in my rack next to the Sputnik Single and a Toppobrillo Triple Wave Folder. I like the way the DO sounds okay, and I like the way it can be modulated okay. Undoubtedly, there's more to learn and experience, but like others here I don't love it the way I love the Single Oscillator.

So, 1) what might pair well with the Single Oscillator? I'd rather go for something complementary in sound and function than get another Sputnik Single Oscillator. However, in terms of sound I'd like something that is more 'organic' sounding--I get why people have objected to this term, but I mean something more like the STO or the Serge NTO than, say, the WMD Spectrum (however ridiculously functional, imaginative, and tank-built is the Spectrum and are all things WMD). -So maybe back to the STO or a Dixie, but what am I losing, in terms of potential interaction between the two oscillators via waveshaping and folding, by say having a Dixie rather than something more robust like say a Rubicon?

And 2) how do any of these possibilities compare to those of other dual oscillators?

Partly this question is fueled by renewed enthusiasm for the TWF and interest in the RandomSource Serge waveshapers/folders.

[ErwinTuijl]

Hey everybody! Just got one of these bad boys, and while testing I noticed something a bit odd.

When I send CV to one of the inputs with an attenuator or attenuverter, there is still CV coming through while the knobs are at zero (or center in case of the attenuverters).

Is this normal behaviour, or is mine faulty?

The sound is great by the way, would hate to have to return it if it were broken

[Peouse]

Hey,

Has anyone tried to calibrate this VCO ? There are two tim pots in back.
INITIAL and V/OCt and I am having a hard time finding any good advice on how to correctly use them ...Also the manual from Sputnik really has no information about any of this.

If someone coud help ?

[Peouse]

Hey everybody! Just got one of these bad boys, and while testing I noticed something a bit odd.

When I send CV to one of the inputs with an attenuator or attenuverter, there is still CV coming through while the knobs are at zero (or center in case of the attenuverters).

Is this normal behaviour, or is mine faulty?

The sound is great by the way, would hate to have to return it if it were broken

Yes I Have the same behavior, the center does not really kill the CV..

[LaBelleAurore]

Hey,

Has anyone tried to calibrate this VCO ? There are two tim pots in back.
INITIAL and V/OCt and I am having a hard time finding any good advice on how to correctly use them ...Also the manual from Sputnik really has no information about any of this.

If someone coud help ? :)

First, you need a meter that has a built in frequency counter.

For INITIAL, you want to turn the main frequency knob fully CCW so that it is pointing at the 5hz marker on the panel. You then want to adjust the INITIAL trimpot so the oscillator outputs a 5hz waveform.

V/Oct is for basic v/Oct calibration.

For 1v/oct calibration you typically need a reliable reference voltage source like a MIDI-CV interface.

You would play A0 on your keyboard and send that as pitch CV to the oscillator. You would then tune the main frequency knob on the front panel so that the oscillator outputs 27.5hz. Then, depending on how many octaves you want the oscillator to reliably track, you would play the highest A on the keyboard you want calibrated. For instance, let's say you want 4 octaves above A0 to reliably track. You would play A4 and then adjust the v/oct trimmer so the oscillator outputs 440hz. You would then go back to A0 and adjust the main frequency knob so it outputs 27.5 hz, then go back to A4 and check that its 440hz adjusting the v/oct trimmer if needed. It usually takes 3-4 back and forth adjustments so that the pitch CV is properly scaled across the A0 to A4 range. You're finished when you play A0 and it outputs 27.5hz and then play A4 and it outputs 440hz.

You don't have to calibrate to 4 octaves, you could try 8 octaves. In that case you would start with A0 at 27.5hz and use A8 at 7040hz as your top frequency.

I get decent 4 octave response from the Sputnik Osc:

[Peouse]

Hey,

Has anyone tried to calibrate this VCO ? There are two tim pots in back.
INITIAL and V/OCt and I am having a hard time finding any good advice on how to correctly use them ...Also the manual from Sputnik really has no information about any of this.

If someone coud help ?

First, you need a meter that has a built in frequency counter.

For INITIAL, you want to turn the main frequency knob fully CCW so that it is pointing at the 5hz marker on the panel. You then want to adjust the INITIAL trimpot so the oscillator outputs a 5hz waveform.

V/Oct is for basic v/Oct calibration.

For 1v/oct calibration you typically need a reliable reference voltage source like a MIDI-CV interface.

You would play A0 on your keyboard and send that as pitch CV to the oscillator. You would then tune the main frequency knob on the front panel so that the oscillator outputs 27.5hz. Then, depending on how many octaves you want the oscillator to reliably track, you would play the highest A on the keyboard you want calibrated. For instance, let's say you want 4 octaves above A0 to reliably track. You would play A4 and then adjust the v/oct trimmer so the oscillator outputs 440hz. You would then go back to A0 and adjust the main frequency knob so it outputs 27.5 hz, then go back to A4 and check that its 440hz adjusting the v/oct trimmer if needed. It usually takes 3-4 back and forth adjustments so that the pitch CV is properly scaled across the A0 to A4 range. You're finished when you play A0 and it outputs 27.5hz and then play A4 and it outputs 440hz.

You don't have to calibrate to 4 octaves, you could try 8 octaves. In that case you would start with A0 at 27.5hz and use A8 at 7040hz as your top frequency.

I get decent 4 octave response from the Sputnik Osc:

Thanks a lot !The problem is the V/Oct trim pot does not allow me to reach 440hz. Its like I reached the maximum potentiometer output. I would get stuck in G4 for exemple if I aim A4.