The SoundForce DCO is an oscillator for Eurorack based on the architecture of the Juno-60/106 oscillator section. It is a modern homage to that sound using technology from the future. It provides true analog waveforms with digital stability. The new updated 2021 version includes a mini-jack (either type A or type B) MIDI interface for even better tuning and allows you to avoid lossy digital -> analog -> digital conversions. The tuning has been improved further with little more stability at both extremities of the VOCT range. The audio path is the same as the original DCO and you can expect the same pleasing sound quality.
Some tech-talk:
A DCO is not an all-analog VCO but also not a digital oscillator. It’s an hybrid design that combines the best of both. Similarly to many VCO’s, the DCO generates its core waveform, the saw wave, by charging a capacitor in an op-amp integrator configuration. A VCO will restart the waveform cycle when the signal has reached its maximum amplitude. But the DCO starts an new cycle when a micro-controller, a small computer chip, commands it to. The micro-controller also controls the rate at which the capacitor is charging, hence the frequency of the oscillator. As with a digital oscillator, the DCO acquires the CV input voltages and turns them into numbers that will later set the frequency of the oscillator. This is done inside the micro-controller using 16 bits sigma-delta analog to digital converters. All signals are true analog signals. The PULSE wave is derived from the SAW wave using a comparator and the SUB oscillators are generated using a flip-flop IC. Furthermore, the use of a very modern micro-controller with built-in 32 bits timers have improved the frequency accuracy a lot compared to the original design.
If you want to dive deeper in the technicalities of DCOs, check out this video from GOLT! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqY6cVJS9fo
Price and availability:
It’s available right now to order at 269 euros (222 euros outside of Europe) on the SoundForce webshop and at my dealers. US customers can order directly from Perfect Circuit Audio.
Features:
The SoundForce DCO features 10 slide pots (faders) reminiscent of the Roland synths. 5 sound sources are available: SAW, PULSE, SUB1 (1 octave lower), SUB2 (2 octaves lower) and NOISE. The built-in mixer allows you to mix them together using the faders and the MIX output jack. The PULSE has manual pulse width control, as well as PWM with a CV input and an attenuator. An FM input is also available with an attenuator. The oscillator can be hard synced to another oscillator using the SYNC input. The SYNC input jack is shared with the MIDI interface GATE output. A little switch at the back let you choose between the two.
MIDI interface:
The new MIDI input allows you to connect the DCO directly to your computer’s MIDI interface or any hardware with a MIDI output (no USB-MIDI). For totally flawless MIDI tuning, a switch at the back allows you to deactivate the Coarse/Fine tuning sliders and VOCT CV input. In that mode, the FM input and FM attenuator are functional and you can still affect the MIDI tuning if you’d like to. The other mode is combining the incoming MIDI notes (if you are sending some), the CV inputs and the Coarse/Fine sliders to generate the DCO’s frequency.
Specifications:
– 16HP
– Frequency range : 20Hz – 14kHz
– Depth: 38mm (including power connector)
– Power: +12V 100mA, -12V 30mA
– V/OCT input range -3 to 7V
– FM input range -5V to 5V
– PWM input
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
The SoundForce DCO is an oscillator for Eurorack based on the architecture of the Juno-60/106 oscillator section. It is a modern homage to that sound using technology from the future. It provides true analog waveforms with digital stability. The new updated 2021 version includes a mini-jack (either type A or type B) MIDI interface for even better tuning and allows you to avoid lossy digital -> analog -> digital conversions. The tuning has been improved further with little more stability at both extremities of the VOCT range. The audio path is the same as the original DCO and you can expect the same pleasing sound quality.
Some tech-talk:
A DCO is not an all-analog VCO but also not a digital oscillator. It’s an hybrid design that combines the best of both. Similarly to many VCO’s, the DCO generates its core waveform, the saw wave, by charging a capacitor in an op-amp integrator configuration. A VCO will restart the waveform cycle when the signal has reached its maximum amplitude. But the DCO starts an new cycle when a micro-controller, a small computer chip, commands it to. The micro-controller also controls the rate at which the capacitor is charging, hence the frequency of the oscillator. As with a digital oscillator, the DCO acquires the CV input voltages and turns them into numbers that will later set the frequency of the oscillator. This is done inside the micro-controller using 16 bits sigma-delta analog to digital converters. All signals are true analog signals. The PULSE wave is derived from the SAW wave using a comparator and the SUB oscillators are generated using a flip-flop IC. Furthermore, the use of a very modern micro-controller with built-in 32 bits timers have improved the frequency accuracy a lot compared to the original design.
If you want to dive deeper in the technicalities of DCOs, check out this video from GOLT! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqY6cVJS9fo
Price and availability:
It’s available right now to order at 269 euros (222 euros outside of Europe) on the SoundForce webshop and at my dealers. US customers can order directly from Perfect Circuit Audio.
Features:
The SoundForce DCO features 10 slide pots (faders) reminiscent of the Roland synths. 5 sound sources are available: SAW, PULSE, SUB1 (1 octave lower), SUB2 (2 octaves lower) and NOISE. The built-in mixer allows you to mix them together using the faders and the MIX output jack. The PULSE has manual pulse width control, as well as PWM with a CV input and an attenuator. An FM input is also available with an attenuator. The oscillator can be hard synced to another oscillator using the SYNC input. The SYNC input jack is shared with the MIDI interface GATE output. A little switch at the back let you choose between the two.
MIDI interface:
The new MIDI input allows you to connect the DCO directly to your computer’s MIDI interface or any hardware with a MIDI output (no USB-MIDI). For totally flawless MIDI tuning, a switch at the back allows you to deactivate the Coarse/Fine tuning sliders and VOCT CV input. In that mode, the FM input and FM attenuator are functional and you can still affect the MIDI tuning if you’d like to. The other mode is combining the incoming MIDI notes (if you are sending some), the CV inputs and the Coarse/Fine sliders to generate the DCO’s frequency.
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.
