Zlob VC F3DB

[gb2]

very nice, is there any feedback on the sounds here or just filtering?

i didn't use the module's feedback path, no. but i'm a big fan of no-input mixing, so i will definitely try to explore that aspect more.
there are some subtle feedback loops in the chain (mixer's sum out into compressor back into mixer, for example) and i had all of the envelope followers out into cold mac to modulate envelopes, vcas, etc. i guess it was more a network than a loop.
it's crazy how deeply you can control and alter core aspects of a sound with the f3db. and yet it's a bit unpredictable sometimes, in a good way.

[moustachioed]

Just saw that kits and panel/pcbs are available at Exploding Shed, looking forward to rack this bad boy!

[Kosmikos]

Just saw that kits and panel/pcbs are available at Exploding Shed, looking forward to rack this bad boy!

Arghh, aren’t any coming to Thonk yet? I can’t just leave these awful blank panels for ever in my rack

[EASYBOY]

Just saw that kits and panel/pcbs are available at Exploding Shed, looking forward to rack this bad boy!

Damn. Sounds like this build is above my DIYskillLevel....

[Severed head]

so if you make your own panel you can add switches for all those routing options.

Do I sense a DIY expansion module???? (As a possibility???)

Looks like a fun module

[Severed head]

Damn. Sounds like this build is above my DIYskillLevel....

If there’s no calibration or smd
Just think of it in stages and not be stressed that it’ll take 5x as long to build

Get the components, separate them into 5 bins
Crack them out 1 by 1 then snap it together!!!

That Kinda process has helped me get through projects I thought were out of my league and build my skills on things.

Plus all the support around here people will assist you!!!
You got this dude crush it and share a vid!!!!

[EASYBOY]

Damn. Sounds like this build is above my DIYskillLevel....

If there’s no calibration or smd
Just think of it in stages and not be stressed that it’ll take 5x as long to build

Get the components, separate them into 5 bins
Crack them out 1 by 1 then snap it together!!!

That Kinda process has helped me get through projects I thought were out of my league and build my skills on things.

Plus all the support around here people will assist you!!!
You got this dude crush it and share a vid!!!!

thanks for the Support.
I need to bring my debugging skills up first. (Still chewing on a broken kassutronics slope)

[onurkalaycioglu]

Just saw that kits and panel/pcbs are available at Exploding Shed, looking forward to rack this bad boy!

Arghh, aren’t any coming to Thonk yet? I can’t just leave these awful blank panels for ever in my rack

sorry havent been too active in the thread. been too busy building f3dbs..

thonk got the package of f3db today actually. but it will take time for them to put it up on the site. maybe get in touch with them if you want to reserve one. exploding shed still has kits and pcbs, 3u shop has pcbs left as well.

gb2 cool clips, thanks for sharing. im glad you like the module.

as for built ones making it to europe it's going to be a while(months) until i can get through all the orders already paid for f3dbs through my site.

@severedhead
i talk about the expander earlier in the thread. not to sound too discouraging, but the diy build for the f3db isnt as easy as just go slow and mod wiggler will help you fix your mistakes. although i made the build docs for the module as detailed as i could. the build does require calibration, but calibration is not too complicated(same as my vcas). you make a good point, of course soldering is not a race and if you pace yourself and go slow over multiple sessions you are a lot less likely to make mistakes. but there are over 400 through hole parts to solder, arranged very compactly, and with many small pcb traces, so this is more than an advanced build and you might need a lot of eurorack diy troubleshooting experience. but if you are familiar with a lot of my diy builds then it's possible to work your way up to this one.

[Kosmikos]

thonk got the package of f3db today

Looks like an interesting and intense build. I’ll get my soldering iron at the ready

[Severed head]

Damn. Sounds like this build is above my DIYskillLevel....

If there’s no calibration or smd
Just think of it in stages and not be stressed that it’ll take 5x as long to build

Get the components, separate them into 5 bins
Crack them out 1 by 1 then snap it together!!!

That Kinda process has helped me get through projects I thought were out of my league and build my skills on things.

Plus all the support around here people will assist you!!!
You got this dude crush it and share a vid!!!!

thanks for the Support.
I need to bring my debugging skills up first. (Still chewing on a broken kassutronics slope)

Yeah man!!!
I totally understand that to…. I’ve been there a few times, had a time or two or 3 I’ve had to get some assistance. And there are somethings I just don’t like working on.
Like repairing my store bought pedals even basic things like the button I just prefer sending them off.

[moustachioed]

After 5 days (1 PCB/day) and roughly 12 hours of soldering, I finally got to play with this beast. Not necessarily a beginners build, but also not too difficult, just a lot of parts and fairly cramped PCBs.

I love it! It’s my first foray into fixed filterbanks, and boy, it’s just amazing what you can do with this thing. So far I dove into acoustic sounds (e. g. sampled an accordion and AM-modulated different bands with the individual outputs of the Generate 3, in turn phase-modulating the Generate 3 with the envelopes of different bands, and I gotta say: damn ), and the possibilities with the feedback and different clipping circuits are incredible. Really happy with this thing!

Just have a few questions about the gain stage to make sure my build works as intended: How much gain am I to expect? When turning the gain knob, I get a lot of distortion past 8-9 o'clock (with hard clipping, soft clipping, individual band clipping and gain feedback all in off position (down) and no feedback). When engaging hard or soft clipping I have to crank the gain knob past 1-2 o'clock to make of for loss of gain (in comparison to the gain stage clipping off). Does this sound about right?

Already looking forward to the expander and chaining multiple banks together. Thanks for this awesome module!

[Kosmikos]

It’s in stock at Thonk btw, I’ve just received mine. Not sure when I’ll have enough time to do it. I’m not in a hurry.

[Wavtekt]

I wonder how the spectrum is being combed by VC F3DB and are there any frequency gaps. It will be great if Zlob can show the spectrograph of the filter bank for 'normal' applications, e.g. odd / even / sum output spectrum.

P.S. - I am waiting patiently till the end of November

[skinpop]

I finally finished my build today. It sounds great and I'm super happy with it. Haven't had much time with it yet but I can already tell I will love the no input feedback stuff. Took me three evenings and half a day to build the thing. Despite the noob warnings I did not find it to be very difficult. I've got about 15 builds under my belt so I have some experience but I'm definitely no expert! Btw, I really have to commend the excellent build docs and kit packaging. It's a very comprehensive and complete guide. My last kit from another maker came with missing parts and ambiguous instructions. Nothing like that with this one.

My only complaint is with the position of the power connector. I would have preferred for it to sit on the motherboard but maybe that wasn't an option. With its current location the cable sticks out too much to use power cables with "grab handle" connectors, and even with the supplied cable I was barely able to fit it on the right edge of my case. Since the cable is pushed up against the wall of my case I'm a little worried that it might be putting stress on the pcb card but I think it should be fine.

[djd_oz]

Looks like a pretty deep module

[Phitar]

I finally finished my build today. It sounds great and I'm super happy with it.

Good on ya!!

I'd also like to nominate you for the "Most Neat and Clean Workbench" award! Mine isn't that tidy even right after I clean it off! Right now I couldn't even tell ya what color the countertop is....

[skinpop]

I finally finished my build today. It sounds great and I'm super happy with it.

Good on ya!!

I'd also like to nominate you for the "Most Neat and Clean Workbench" award! Mine isn't that tidy even right after I clean it off! Right now I couldn't even tell ya what color the countertop is....

The work area on those pictures is still messy by my standards.

[Wavtekt]

Looks great!

VC F3DB reminds me of Bastl Dark Matter, which also utilizes EQ & no-mixing feedback technique, but this is the next level

[WarpHead]

Any chance of built modules being available from EU retailers?

Edit: just saw the comment addressing this issue from mid-September. I'll be eagerly awaiting news of these finally (and hopefully) making it to retailers EU-side.

[tl3ss]

Got mine today! Love it so far. Here it is with the Pulsar-23.

[Aleksey]

Got mine today! Love it so far. Here it is with the Pulsar-23.

This is nice. Congrats!

[tl3ss]

Got mine today! Love it so far. Here it is with the Pulsar-23.

This is nice. Congrats!

Thank you! I’m really enjoying it so far. It makes me realize I would love some mutes elsewhere in my system.

[Naenyn]

F3DB # 37 showed up in my mailbox today! This thing is a beast. And I can certainly see now why the backlog is long. It’ll definitely be worth the wait.

[toni_b]

... the build does require calibration, but calibration is not too complicated(same as my vcas). ...

Hi onurkalaycioglu!
I just about finished soldering the VC F3DB DIY and have a few questions:

• Should the module be calibrated while connected to power?

• Why is there a 10 - 16 pin power cable included in the DIY? (the module and eurorack case both have 16 pins)

• How do I connect the (10-16 pin) power cable correctly or do I need to get a 16-16 pin cable?

• Is there a user manual (PDF) to download somewhere?

Many thanks in advance!

[toni_b]

Hi skinpop!

• Did you calibrate the module while connected to power?

• Did you also receive a 10-16 pin power cable in the DIY kit? If so, how did you connect the cable?

Cheers