diff --git a/_posts/2023-07-14-the-prologue-VCF.md b/_posts/2023-07-14-the-prologue-VCF.md index 2893b8b..005b915 100644 --- a/_posts/2023-07-14-the-prologue-VCF.md +++ b/_posts/2023-07-14-the-prologue-VCF.md @@ -83,15 +83,27 @@ output confirms this. +Another interesting thing about the VCF circuit is +that the feedback path is split into two: "fixed gain" and +a voltage control variable-gain route. The former sets the +minimum Q to 0.5 (or damping = 2), and the latter increases it. +It does that by pushing more signal in an opposite polarity to +the fixed route, therefore reducing the damping (and increasing +resonance). + Non-linearities ------------ The Prologue is anectotically known for its grit with high-resonance settings. We should anticipate that this results from filter non-linearities introduced by the CA3080 OTAs, which provide -the VCc-controlled gain responsible for setting the cutoff +the CV gain responsible for setting the cutoff frequency, and the differential amplifier used to control the -damping feedback level and the resonance amount. +damping feedback level and the resonance amount. A separate +source of non-linearity is the double-back diodes in the "fixed" +feedback route. This makes the gain in that path actually dependent +on the signal level. It work as an expander, increasing the damping +if the voltage goes beyond a certain threshold. We can clearly see these non-linearities having an effect on the synthesizer output, for resonance levels above 50%,