ochd

Instruo 4HP
LFO UTILITY

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8 free-running analog triangle LFOs in 4HP. Single global rate knob with CV and attenuverter. LFOs arranged fastest-to-slowest top-to-bottom. Negative CV stalls all LFOs (track & hold).

Patch Ideas · 4

Feedback waveshaping
Patch any LFO back into Rate CV. The attenuverter sets feedback depth; triangles bend into exponential curves, pseudo-squares, or chaotic shapes — and every other LFO inherits the warp.
Walkthrough
  1. Set ochd Rate knob to noon (LFO 1 around 3–7Hz).
  2. Set ochd Rate Attenuverter to fully CCW (zero feedback to start).
  3. Patch ochd LFO 4 OUT → ochd Rate CV input.
  4. Patch ochd LFO 1 OUT → VCO FM input (or any modulation destination).
  5. Patch ochd LFO 8 OUT → Filter Cutoff CV.
  6. Slowly turn the Rate Attenuverter CW past noon — the LFOs visibly skew from triangle toward asymmetric ramps.
  7. Continue past 3 o'clock for fold-over, pseudo-square, and stepped shapes on all 8 outputs.
  8. Try other LFOs (1, 2, 8) into Rate CV for different feedback rates and warp characters.
Signal out ochd LFO 1–8 OUTs — eight bipolar triangle CVs (10Vpp), now waveshaped by feedback. LFO 1 drives VCO FM, LFO 8 drives the filter.
Listen for All 8 modulations stop being smooth triangles. The faster LFOs gain stepped, jagged edges; the slow LFOs warp into long exponential sweeps. Past 3 o'clock the system tips into chaotic, glitchy folding — the same depth knob morphs the entire patch.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 3 modules and 3 connections. Modules: ochd, VCO, Filter. Signals: 3 cv.ochdVCOFilterRate: noonRate Attenuverter: starts CCW, sweep CW for depthRate CVcvLFO 4cvLFO 1cvLFO 8cvFM IncvCutoffcv11. self-patch warps all 8 outputscv
8-parameter granular drifter
Send all 8 LFOs into 8 CV inputs on a granular module (e.g. Instruō arbhar — the manual's own example). Each parameter evolves at a different rate; nothing ever lines up.
Walkthrough
  1. Set ochd Rate knob to noon for a wide spread (LFO 1 ≈ vibrato, LFO 8 ≈ minutes per cycle).
  2. Patch an audio source → granular module audio IN.
  3. Patch ochd LFO 1 OUT → granular SPRAY (or START) CV in.
  4. Patch ochd LFO 2 OUT → granular LAYER (or WRAP) CV in.
  5. Patch ochd LFO 3 OUT → granular SIZE CV in.
  6. Patch ochd LFO 4 OUT → granular PITCH CV in.
  7. Patch ochd LFO 5 OUT → granular TONE / DENSITY CV in.
  8. Patch ochd LFO 6 OUT → granular DUB / FEEDBACK CV in.
  9. Patch ochd LFO 7 OUT → granular MOD / SHAPE CV in.
  10. Patch ochd LFO 8 OUT → granular DRY/WET (or SCAN) CV in.
  11. Take granular OUT → mixer / monitor.
Signal out ochd LFO 1–8 OUTs — eight independent ±5V triangles fanned out across the granular module's CV inputs. Audible result is the granular module's own audio output.
Listen for A granular cloud where every parameter breathes on its own clock. Pitch wobbles a few times a second; size and tone drift over many seconds; dry/wet shifts over minutes. The texture never repeats — exactly the use case the ochd manual demonstrates with arbhar.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 2 modules and 8 connections. Modules: ochd, Granular. Signals: 8 cv.ochdGranularRate: noonLFO 1cvLFO 2cvLFO 3cvLFO 4cvLFO 5cvLFO 6cvLFO 7cvLFO 8cvSPRAYcvLAYERcvSIZEcvPITCHcvTONEcvDUBcvMODcvD/Wcvcv
Audio-rate FM with organic drift
Crank Rate fully CW and use LFO 1 as an audio-rate triangle source for VCO FM. Because all 8 cores drift independently, the FM character keeps moving even with no other modulation.
Walkthrough
  1. Set ochd Rate knob fully CW (LFO 1 climbs into audio range, up to ~160Hz).
  2. Set ochd Rate Attenuverter to noon (no Rate CV influence yet).
  3. Patch ochd LFO 1 OUT → VCO FM (linear) input.
  4. Patch your VCO Out → Mixer / Monitor.
  5. Tune the VCO to a low note so the FM sidebands are clearly audible.
  6. Optional: patch ochd LFO 6 OUT → VCO FM attenuator CV (or VCA in line with LFO 1) so the FM depth itself wobbles slowly.
  7. Optional: patch a slow CV → ochd Rate CV (attenuverter CW) to sweep the whole FM character.
Signal out ochd LFO 1 OUT — bipolar triangle at audio rate (up to ~160Hz, 10Vpp), driving VCO FM. The audible signal is the VCO output.
Listen for A buzzing, vocal triangle-FM tone. Because LFO 1 is analog and free-running, the timbre constantly drifts — there is no perfect sync, so sidebands shimmer and never sit still. With LFO 6 modulating depth, the FM amount visibly ebbs and flows.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 3 connections. Modules: ochd, VCO, Mixer, VCA. Signals: 2 audio, 1 cv.ochdVCOMixerVCARate: fully CW (LFO 1 ≈ 160Hz)Rate Attenuverter: noonLFO 1audioLFO 6cvFM InaudioOutaudioInaudioCVcv121. audio-rate triangle FM2. optional FM-depth wobbleaudiocv
Rhythmic CV freeze (track & hold)
Send a clock or gate into Rate CV with the attenuverter fully CCW. The signal is inverted to negative voltage, which stalls every LFO at its current value — instant 8-channel sample-and-hold on every gate.
Walkthrough
  1. Set ochd Rate knob to noon (so LFOs are clearly moving when not held).
  2. Set ochd Rate Attenuverter to fully CCW (this inverts incoming CV to negative).
  3. Patch a clock or gate source → ochd Rate CV input.
  4. Patch ochd LFO 1 OUT → VCA CV (or any fast modulation destination).
  5. Patch ochd LFO 5 OUT → Filter Cutoff CV.
  6. Patch ochd LFO 8 OUT → a slow destination such as panner CV.
  7. Trigger the clock — every gate-high freezes all 8 LFOs at their current voltage.
  8. When the gate goes low the LFOs resume from where they froze (no reset).
  9. Tighten the attenuverter slightly off full-CCW to let some motion bleed through during gates.
Signal out ochd LFO 1, 5, 8 OUTs — bipolar CVs that hold their last voltage while the gate is high and resume motion when it falls. Eight simultaneous track-and-hold values from one cable.
Listen for Rhythmic stutter across every modulation: filter cutoff, VCA level, panning all freeze on the beat, then crawl again between hits. With slow LFOs feeding pitch CV you get a rhythmic stepped sequence; with the fastest LFOs into VCA you get gated tremolo.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 4 connections. Modules: ochd, Clock, VCA, Filter, Panner. Signals: 3 cv, 1 gate.ochdClockVCAFilterPannerRate: noonRate Attenuverter: fully CCW (inverts gate to negative CV)Rate CVgateLFO 1cvLFO 5cvLFO 8cvOutgateCVcvCutoffcvCVcv11. negative CV stalls all 8 LFOscvgate

Behaviors

Organic Phase Drift free-running

All 8 cores run independently and phase organically over time, producing natural evolving modulation.

LFO Stall / Track & Hold negative CV → Rate CV

Applying negative CV stalls all LFOs at their current voltage, acting as a track-and-hold. Gate → Rate CV with attenuverter fully CCW achieves this.

Feedback Waveshaping LFO out → Rate CV

Patching any LFO output back to Rate CV input creates waveshaped, non-linear LFO shapes on all channels.

Self-modulation output → Rate CV

Patching any output to Rate CV creates waveform folding: exponential curves, pseudo-squares, stepped shapes, or chaotic oscillation depending on attenuverter.

Track-and-hold freeze gate → Rate CV (inverted)

Gate with attenuverter fully CCW stalls all 8 LFOs at current voltage. Simultaneous track-and-hold on all outputs.

Controls

global Rate Sets frequency of all 8 LFOs simultaneously. CW = faster.
LFO1 max: 160Hz · LFO8 min: 25min cycle · center: LFO1 at 3–7Hz
CV input Rate Attenuverter Scales and/or inverts the Rate CV input signal.
CCW: invert · noon: zero · CW: unity

I/O

IN · 1

  • Rate CV bipolar CV
    Bipolar CV for global rate control. Positive extends range; negative stalls LFOs.

OUT · 1

  • LFO 1–8 10Vpp (±5V)
    Eight bipolar triangle LFO outputs, fastest (top) to slowest (bottom).

Expanders

ochd expander 4HP

4HP expander for ochd ([ø]4^2). Adds 16 outputs in four groups derived from ochd's 8 LFOs: full-wave-rectified unipolar LFOs, analog AND/OR diode logic pairs, cascading stochastic triggers, and R-2R 4-bit slow-noise DACs. Connects via two 2x4 IDC expander cables.

Behaviors

Full-wave rectification (f.2) automatic — f.2 group

The four f.2 outputs flip the negative half of LFOs 1, 3, 5, 7 positive. Result: unipolar (0–5V) triangles at twice the original rate — useful for envelopes, attack-only modulation, or drum decays.

Analog AND / OR diode logic automatic — +/- group

Each + jack outputs the higher of its two LFO inputs (OR / max); each − jack outputs the lower (AND / min). Output is bipolar ±5V. Acts as a max/min mixer that creates new compound shapes from LFO pairs (2&3, 6&7).

Cascading trigger normalling leave Trig jacks unpatched to layer

The four Trig outputs are normalled clockwise (top-left → top-right → bottom-right → bottom-left). Each jack sums its own LFO trigger with the previous unpatched jacks' triggers. Tap the bottom-left Trig with all others unpatched to get a four-LFO stochastic trigger stream; patch a Trig jack to break the cascade at that point.

R-2R 4-bit slow noise automatic — R²R group

Four R-2R ladder DACs treat groups of four LFOs as 4-bit binary words. Output is a 16-step stepped CV. Step rate and shape depend on the bit-ordering: LFOs 1–4 is fastest, 5–8 slowest, odd and even groups give two different chaotic flavours.

All outputs follow ochd's Rate ochd Rate knob / Rate CV

There are no controls on the expander itself. Every output speeds up or slows down with ochd's master Rate knob and Rate CV input — including the R²R noise step rate and the trigger density.

Patch Ideas · 3

Push-pull modulation
f.2 LFO 3 (unipolar 2× rate) → VCF cutoff · ochd LFO 3 → VCA CV. Filter pumps at double rate against the original LFO on the VCA.
Walkthrough
  1. Patch ochd LFO 3 → VCA CV.
  2. Patch ochd expander f.2 (LFO 3 rectified) → VCF cutoff input.
  3. Set ochd Rate knob to noon so LFO 3 cycles roughly once every few seconds.
  4. Send a VCO through the VCF then the VCA; monitor the VCA output.
  5. Listen: each LFO 3 swell on the VCA is crossed by two filter sweeps from the rectified output (it runs at 2× rate).
  6. Turn ochd Rate slowly CW to speed both up together — the 1:2 ratio stays locked.
Signal out VCA out — audio whose amplitude follows ochd LFO 3 (±5V) while the filter sweeps at 2× rate (0–5V from f.2).
Listen for A pulsing tone where every amplitude swell contains two distinct filter wah-wahs. Pure ochd alone would give one filter sweep per swell — the rectifier doubles it.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 6 modules and 5 connections. Modules: ochd expander, ochd, VCA, VCF, VCO, Output. Signals: 3 audio, 2 cv.ochd expanderochdVCAVCFVCOOutputf.2 LFO 3cvLFO 3cvCVcvInaudioOutaudioCutoffcvInaudioOutaudioOutaudioInaudioaudiocv
Stochastic drum triggers from one Trig jack
Tap the bottom-left Trig jack with all other Trig jacks unpatched — get LFO 2 + 4 + 6 + 8 triggers layered into one cascading rhythm into a drum module.
Walkthrough
  1. Leave the top-left, top-right, and bottom-right Trig jacks unpatched (this lets the cascade normalise through).
  2. Patch ochd expander Trig (LFO 8 / +prior, the bottom-left jack) → drum module trigger input.
  3. Set ochd Rate knob to noon.
  4. Listen: triggers from LFOs 2, 4, 6, and 8 all layer into the drum — fast hits from LFO 2, slower hits from LFO 8.
  5. Now patch the top-left Trig (LFO 2) → a hi-hat trigger input. The bottom-left jack instantly drops LFO 2's contribution and only LFOs 4, 6, 8 remain there.
  6. Patch the top-right Trig too → a clap trigger. Bottom-left now only fires on LFO 6 + LFO 8.
  7. Sweep ochd Rate knob to thicken or thin the rhythm globally.
Signal out ochd expander Trig (LFO 8) bottom-left jack — ~8ms 5V triggers, layered count depends on how many prior Trig jacks are unpatched.
Listen for An evolving stochastic kick/hat pattern. Patching/unpatching the upper Trig jacks subtracts or adds layers in real time — a hands-on way to thin out a busy rhythm.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 3 connections. Modules: ochd expander, Drum, HiHat, Clap. Signals: 3 gate.ochd expanderDrumHiHatClapTrig LFO 8gateTrig LFO 2gateTrig LFO 4gateTriggateTriggateTriggate1231. cascade sums LFO 2+4+6+8 when prior jacks unpatched2. breaks LFO 2 out of the cascade3. breaks LFO 4 outgate
Stepped slow-noise pitch sequence
R²R (LFOs 1–4) → quantizer → VCO 1V/Oct. Sixteen-step random pitch melody whose step rate follows ochd's Rate knob.
Walkthrough
  1. Patch ochd expander R²R (LFOs 1–4 DAC) → quantizer CV input.
  2. Patch quantizer CV out → VCO 1V/Oct input.
  3. Choose a scale on the quantizer (e.g. minor pentatonic).
  4. Set ochd Rate knob to noon — you'll hear a slowly evolving 16-step pitch sequence.
  5. Patch one of the Trig outputs (e.g. Trig LFO 4) → quantizer trigger / clock-in so notes lock to the trigger grid.
  6. Send the VCO through a VCA gated by the same Trig output for plucks.
  7. Try R²R (LFOs 5–8) for slower pitch drift, or R²R (odd) / R²R (even) for different flavours of chaos.
Signal out Quantizer out — stepped pitch CV from the R-2R DAC, retriggered by an expander Trig output.
Listen for A generative 16-step melody that never quite repeats. Switching to the LFOs 5–8 R²R output makes the melody slow to a near-drone; the odd/even DAC outputs give pricklier, more chaotic sequences.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 6 connections. Modules: ochd expander, Quantizer, VCO, VCA, Output. Signals: 2 audio, 2 cv, 2 gate.ochd expanderQuantizerVCOVCAOutputR²R LFOs 1–4cvTrig LFO 4gateCV IncvClockgateCV Outcv1V/OctcvOutaudioCVgateInaudioOutaudioInaudioaudiocvgate

I/O

OUT · 16

  • f.2 (LFO 1 rectified) 0–5V
    Full-wave-rectified LFO 1. Negative half of the triangle is flipped positive — unipolar triangle at 2× the original rate. Top-left jack of the f.2 group.
  • f.2 (LFO 3 rectified) 0–5V
    Full-wave-rectified LFO 3. Top-right jack of the f.2 group.
  • f.2 (LFO 5 rectified) 0–5V
    Full-wave-rectified LFO 5. Bottom-left jack of the f.2 group.
  • f.2 (LFO 7 rectified) 0–5V
    Full-wave-rectified LFO 7. Bottom-right jack of the f.2 group.
  • + (LFO 2 OR LFO 3) ±5V
    Analog diode OR (max voltage) of LFO 2 and LFO 3. Top-left jack of the +/- group.
  • − (LFO 2 AND LFO 3) ±5V
    Analog diode AND (min voltage) of LFO 2 and LFO 3. Bottom-left jack of the +/- group.
  • + (LFO 6 OR LFO 7) ±5V
    Analog diode OR (max voltage) of LFO 6 and LFO 7. Top-right jack of the +/- group.
  • − (LFO 6 AND LFO 7) ±5V
    Analog diode AND (min voltage) of LFO 6 and LFO 7. Bottom-right jack of the +/- group.
  • Trig (LFO 2) 0–5V trigger (~8ms) GATE
    ~8ms trigger at the start of each LFO 2 rising edge. Top-left jack of the Trig group. Normalled clockwise into the next Trig jack — leave unpatched to layer into the LFO 4 trigger output.
  • Trig (LFO 4 / +LFO 2) 0–5V trigger (~8ms) GATE
    Top-right Trig jack. With top-left Trig unpatched, sums LFO 2 + LFO 4 triggers; with top-left patched, fires on LFO 4 only.
  • Trig (LFO 6 / +prior) 0–5V trigger (~8ms) GATE
    Bottom-right Trig jack. Layers LFO 2 + LFO 4 + LFO 6 triggers when the two top Trig jacks are unpatched; collapses to LFO 6 only when prior jacks are patched.
  • Trig (LFO 8 / +prior) 0–5V trigger (~8ms) GATE
    Bottom-left Trig jack — final stage of the cascade. Layers LFO 2 + LFO 4 + LFO 6 + LFO 8 triggers when all prior Trig jacks are unpatched; collapses to LFO 8 only when all three prior jacks are patched.
  • R²R (LFOs 1–4 DAC) stepped CV CV
    R-2R 4-bit DAC fed by LFOs 1, 2, 3, 4 (LFO 1 = MSB, LFO 4 = LSB). Stepped slow-noise voltage. Top-left jack of the R²R group.
  • R²R (LFOs 5–8 DAC) stepped CV CV
    R-2R 4-bit DAC fed by LFOs 5, 6, 7, 8 (LFO 5 = MSB, LFO 8 = LSB). Slower slow-noise variant. Top-right jack of the R²R group.
  • R²R (odd LFOs 1,3,5,7 DAC) stepped CV CV
    R-2R 4-bit DAC fed by odd LFOs (LFO 1 MSB → LFO 7 LSB). Bottom-left jack of the R²R group.
  • R²R (even LFOs 2,4,6,8 DAC) stepped CV CV
    R-2R 4-bit DAC fed by even LFOs (LFO 2 MSB → LFO 8 LSB). Bottom-right jack of the R²R group.