This is the first vactrol based module in the A-100 system. A vactrol is a combination of a light depending resistor (LDR) and a LED (light emitting diode) both put into a small light-proof case. For more general details about vactrols please look at the Vactrol Basics page information. Increasing the LED brightness causes a decrease of the LDR resistance (e.g. the light controlled voltage module A-179 is an application of a LDR). This effect can be used in circuits that require variable resistors to obtain the desired function (e.g. VCFs, VCAs, VC phasers, VC trigger delays, VC slew limiters, VC Envelope Generators, VC LFOs, VCOs and many more). The advantage of vactrols compared with other solutions (e.g. OTAs, diodes, transistors or FETs as variable resistors) is that they behave like a normal Ohm resistor and can handle high voltages without causing distortion. This is probably the reason why the sound of vactrol-based circuits usually is described as soft or mellow. Disadvantages are the expenditure and consequently the expenses and the not exactly defined coherence between LED current and LDR resistance. For each vactrol the LDR resistance decreases when the LED current increases but mechanical and electrical tolerances cause that each vactrol will behave a bit different (e.g. because of the differences in alignement and distance between LED and LDR, different brightness of the LEDs at the same current).
Module A-101-1 is a special multitype filter based on an idea by Nyle A. Steiner (published in Electronic Design, issue 25, December 1974, page 96 ff). The circuit uses the standard non-inverting amplifier filter design. Different filter types (low pass / LP, band pass / BP, high pass / HP) are realized by injecting the audio signal into different points of the circuit and using a common output for all filter types. One may feed three different audio signals into the filter simultaneously. Each signal is filtered correspondingly (LP resp. BP resp. HP) and the sum of the three filtered signals appears at the output. Of course it is possible to feed the same signal to all three inputs. In this case one obtains different combinations of LP/BP/HP according to the settings of the three input attenuators for LP/BP/HP. Even a Notch filter is possible (not available in the original design). The filter inputs are normalled, i.e. the BP input is connected to the LP jack socket provided that no cable is plugged into the BP socket (same applies for HP/BP inputs). If you are interested in technical details concerning the A-101-1 we have additional information available: A-101-1 Technical Details.
In contrast to the original circuit vactrols are used instead of diodes as variable resistors for frequency control of the filter. Due to the"crooked" response of vactrols the filter has not an exact frequency control standard (like V/Oct). The inevitable tolerances between different vactrols will lead to an individual sound of each module and individual resonance behaviour. Even the resonance control is realized with vactrols. Consequently this parameter is voltage controlled, too. Resonance can be increased up to self-oscillation. Resonance and consequently self-oscillation may vary with the filter frequency because of vactrol tolerances.
A special feature of the module are the two audio outputs. Out 1 is the output of the original circuit. In the original circuit by Nyle A. Steiner the output level was distinctly dependent upon the resonance (higher resonance = higher output level). Out 2 compensates this behaviour by the usage of an additional vactrol that is connected in series to the vactrol that controls the resonance. This additional vactrol forms an attenuator (or simple VCA) that approximately compensates the level increase for higher resonance settings.
Two LED displays show the current frequency and resonance setting. The LEDs are connected in series to the LEDs inside the vactrols and show consequently the LED illumination inside the vactrols.
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK it's normally around £4 for order values under £150, and free above that. Shipping to mainland EU is typically between £7 and £20, depending on the shipping method and the size and weight of the order.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of Parcelforce, DPD, Royal Mail and UPS for the UK, and for international orders it's either Royal Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 15:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes FedEx or UPS may come a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Shipping times
Since April 2020 the couriers we use have suspended guarantees for shipping times, so even though we're paying them for priority services - 24-48 hours for most of the world - in practice it's often an extra day on top and sometimes it can be longer.
There is absolutely nothing we can do about this unfortunately. If you are outside the UK and it's a life-or-death situation where you absolutely MUST have that passive mult for the next day then... it may be better to find a local supplier.
Saturday shipping
If you're in the UK and you order before 15:30 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday delivery (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). The success rate with DPD is about 95% so it's worth a punt most of the time. Please note that if you select Saturday shipping on an order placed earlier in the week, we'll wait until Friday to ship it.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
Product Overview
This is the first vactrol based module in the A-100 system. A vactrol is a combination of a light depending resistor (LDR) and a LED (light emitting diode) both put into a small light-proof case. For more general details about vactrols please look at the Vactrol Basics page information. Increasing the LED brightness causes a decrease of the LDR resistance (e.g. the light controlled voltage module A-179 is an application of a LDR). This effect can be used in circuits that require variable resistors to obtain the desired function (e.g. VCFs, VCAs, VC phasers, VC trigger delays, VC slew limiters, VC Envelope Generators, VC LFOs, VCOs and many more). The advantage of vactrols compared with other solutions (e.g. OTAs, diodes, transistors or FETs as variable resistors) is that they behave like a normal Ohm resistor and can handle high voltages without causing distortion. This is probably the reason why the sound of vactrol-based circuits usually is described as soft or mellow. Disadvantages are the expenditure and consequently the expenses and the not exactly defined coherence between LED current and LDR resistance. For each vactrol the LDR resistance decreases when the LED current increases but mechanical and electrical tolerances cause that each vactrol will behave a bit different (e.g. because of the differences in alignement and distance between LED and LDR, different brightness of the LEDs at the same current).
Module A-101-1 is a special multitype filter based on an idea by Nyle A. Steiner (published in Electronic Design, issue 25, December 1974, page 96 ff). The circuit uses the standard non-inverting amplifier filter design. Different filter types (low pass / LP, band pass / BP, high pass / HP) are realized by injecting the audio signal into different points of the circuit and using a common output for all filter types. One may feed three different audio signals into the filter simultaneously. Each signal is filtered correspondingly (LP resp. BP resp. HP) and the sum of the three filtered signals appears at the output. Of course it is possible to feed the same signal to all three inputs. In this case one obtains different combinations of LP/BP/HP according to the settings of the three input attenuators for LP/BP/HP. Even a Notch filter is possible (not available in the original design). The filter inputs are normalled, i.e. the BP input is connected to the LP jack socket provided that no cable is plugged into the BP socket (same applies for HP/BP inputs). If you are interested in technical details concerning the A-101-1 we have additional information available: A-101-1 Technical Details.
In contrast to the original circuit vactrols are used instead of diodes as variable resistors for frequency control of the filter. Due to the"crooked" response of vactrols the filter has not an exact frequency control standard (like V/Oct). The inevitable tolerances between different vactrols will lead to an individual sound of each module and individual resonance behaviour. Even the resonance control is realized with vactrols. Consequently this parameter is voltage controlled, too. Resonance can be increased up to self-oscillation. Resonance and consequently self-oscillation may vary with the filter frequency because of vactrol tolerances.
A special feature of the module are the two audio outputs. Out 1 is the output of the original circuit. In the original circuit by Nyle A. Steiner the output level was distinctly dependent upon the resonance (higher resonance = higher output level). Out 2 compensates this behaviour by the usage of an additional vactrol that is connected in series to the vactrol that controls the resonance. This additional vactrol forms an attenuator (or simple VCA) that approximately compensates the level increase for higher resonance settings.
Two LED displays show the current frequency and resonance setting. The LEDs are connected in series to the LEDs inside the vactrols and show consequently the LED illumination inside the vactrols.
Technical Specs
Shipping Details
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK it's normally around £4 for order values under £150, and free above that. Shipping to mainland EU is typically between £7 and £20, depending on the shipping method and the size and weight of the order.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of Parcelforce, DPD, Royal Mail and UPS for the UK, and for international orders it's either Royal Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 15:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes FedEx or UPS may come a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Shipping times
Since April 2020 the couriers we use have suspended guarantees for shipping times, so even though we're paying them for priority services - 24-48 hours for most of the world - in practice it's often an extra day on top and sometimes it can be longer.
There is absolutely nothing we can do about this unfortunately. If you are outside the UK and it's a life-or-death situation where you absolutely MUST have that passive mult for the next day then... it may be better to find a local supplier.
Saturday shipping
If you're in the UK and you order before 15:30 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday delivery (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). The success rate with DPD is about 95% so it's worth a punt most of the time. Please note that if you select Saturday shipping on an order placed earlier in the week, we'll wait until Friday to ship it.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
