Module A-171-2 is a voltage controlled slew limiter with a lot of additional features beyond a simple slew limiter. It's mostly a licensed copy of Ken Stones VCS which is in turn based on the Serge VCS.
These are the most important features:
Manual control of the Slew-Up time
CV control of the Slew-Up time with polarizer
Switch for linear/exponential shape of the rising section of the response curve
Manual control of the Slew-Down time
CV control of the Slew-Down time with polarizer
Switch for linear/exponential shape of the falling section of the response curve
Signal input: the "to-be-slewed" signal
CV Up Input, affected by the CV Up Control and the corresponding exp./lin. switch
CV Down Input, affected by the CV Down Control and the corresponding exp./lin. switch
CV Up and CV Down sockets are normalled
exponential CV input: named "V/Oct" in the original design but as it's not really exactly 1V/Oct we will name this input probably "exp.CV", mainly used for VCLFO/VCO applications in cycle mode or as common exponential control for both up and down times in slew mode
Trigger input: used for envelope generation or retrigger in VCLFO/VCO mode, a pulse at the trigger input will start the envelope or retrigger the VCLFO/VCO
End output: turns high as the output falls below about 20mV, turns low as the outputs goes beyond about 3.5V, in cycle mode a rectangle signal is generated
Cycle on/off switch: when "on" the End output is internally connected to the Trigger Input to generate cyclic signals like an VCLFO/VCO
Output: the signal output of the module
LED display: displays the slew limiter output signal
Typical applications:
VC Slew Limiter / VC Portamento / VC Low Pass Gate
Cycle switch = off, no trigger signal applied to Trig socket:
Voltage controlled Slew limiter or portamento generator: the signal applied to the signal input is "slewed". The slew up and down times are controlled manually by means of the Up and Down controls, the effect of the CV Up and CV Down control voltages are controlled by the CV Up and CV Down controls, in exponential mode these controls also affect the slew shape (see symbols at the CCW and CW positions of the controls)
If an audio signal is applied an short slew rates are chosen the module works as a simple VCF/VCA combo
A/D Envelope Generator / Pulse Delay / Subharmonic Generator
Cycle switch = off, trigger signal applied to Trig socket, no input signal:
Simple Attack/Decay envelope Generator, the rise and fall times are controlled like the slew up/down times above, including the shape of the falling/rising slope of the envelope, the exp. CV input can be used to change both attack and decay simultaneously
At the End output a pulse appears as the end of the envelope is reached (less than about 20mV), this can be used as a pulse delay
If a series of triggers are applied to the VCS faster than the total rise and fall times, the module will divide the incoming signal by a whole number. In the audio range the output will be the sub-harmonic series.
VCLFO / VCO
Cycle switch = on, no trigger signal applied to Trig socket, no input signal:
Voltage controlled LFO/VCO, the rise and fall times of the waveform are controlled like the slew up/down times above, including the shape of the falling/rising slope
the exp. CV input can be used like the CV input of a VCO or VCLFO, the response is exponential but not exactly 1V/oct
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
Module A-171-2 is a voltage controlled slew limiter with a lot of additional features beyond a simple slew limiter. It's mostly a licensed copy of Ken Stones VCS which is in turn based on the Serge VCS.
These are the most important features:
Manual control of the Slew-Up time
CV control of the Slew-Up time with polarizer
Switch for linear/exponential shape of the rising section of the response curve
Manual control of the Slew-Down time
CV control of the Slew-Down time with polarizer
Switch for linear/exponential shape of the falling section of the response curve
Signal input: the "to-be-slewed" signal
CV Up Input, affected by the CV Up Control and the corresponding exp./lin. switch
CV Down Input, affected by the CV Down Control and the corresponding exp./lin. switch
CV Up and CV Down sockets are normalled
exponential CV input: named "V/Oct" in the original design but as it's not really exactly 1V/Oct we will name this input probably "exp.CV", mainly used for VCLFO/VCO applications in cycle mode or as common exponential control for both up and down times in slew mode
Trigger input: used for envelope generation or retrigger in VCLFO/VCO mode, a pulse at the trigger input will start the envelope or retrigger the VCLFO/VCO
End output: turns high as the output falls below about 20mV, turns low as the outputs goes beyond about 3.5V, in cycle mode a rectangle signal is generated
Cycle on/off switch: when "on" the End output is internally connected to the Trigger Input to generate cyclic signals like an VCLFO/VCO
Output: the signal output of the module
LED display: displays the slew limiter output signal
Typical applications:
VC Slew Limiter / VC Portamento / VC Low Pass Gate
Cycle switch = off, no trigger signal applied to Trig socket:
Voltage controlled Slew limiter or portamento generator: the signal applied to the signal input is "slewed". The slew up and down times are controlled manually by means of the Up and Down controls, the effect of the CV Up and CV Down control voltages are controlled by the CV Up and CV Down controls, in exponential mode these controls also affect the slew shape (see symbols at the CCW and CW positions of the controls)
If an audio signal is applied an short slew rates are chosen the module works as a simple VCF/VCA combo
A/D Envelope Generator / Pulse Delay / Subharmonic Generator
Cycle switch = off, trigger signal applied to Trig socket, no input signal:
Simple Attack/Decay envelope Generator, the rise and fall times are controlled like the slew up/down times above, including the shape of the falling/rising slope of the envelope, the exp. CV input can be used to change both attack and decay simultaneously
At the End output a pulse appears as the end of the envelope is reached (less than about 20mV), this can be used as a pulse delay
If a series of triggers are applied to the VCS faster than the total rise and fall times, the module will divide the incoming signal by a whole number. In the audio range the output will be the sub-harmonic series.
VCLFO / VCO
Cycle switch = on, no trigger signal applied to Trig socket, no input signal:
Voltage controlled LFO/VCO, the rise and fall times of the waveform are controlled like the slew up/down times above, including the shape of the falling/rising slope
the exp. CV input can be used like the CV input of a VCO or VCLFO, the response is exponential but not exactly 1V/oct
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.
