Orbit 3

Joranalogue 10HP
OSCILLATOR VCO LFO RANDOM NOISE

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Analogue double-scroll chaos oscillator. Six phase-offset outputs describe a 3D orbit around two equilibrium points. Ranges from 2.4mHz to 22kHz with 1V/oct tracking; deterministic yet irregular modulation or audio.

Patch Ideas · 8

★ Slow chaotic modulation bus
LOW range · TAME · moderate DISTRIBUTION · six outputs drive six destinations (filter, VCA, pan, FX, etc.) · correlated-yet-different modulations give organic motion without six separate LFOs
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 6 modules and 6 connections. Modules: Orbit 3, Filter, VCA, Pan, FX, VCO. Signals: 6 cv.Orbit 3FilterVCAPanFXVCORange: LOWTAME/WILD: TAMEDISTRIBUTION: noon+Xcv+Ycv+Zcv−Xcv−Ycv−ZcvCutoffcvRescvCVcvCVcvTimecvFMcvcv
Chaotic duet via EP
LOW range · +Z → VCO FM (chaotic pitch drift) · EP gate → signal switch · switch alternates between two voice waveforms per scroll flip · each equilibrium hosts its own timbre for a call-and-response duet
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 5 connections. Modules: Orbit 3, VCO, Switch, Filter. Signals: 3 audio, 1 cv, 1 gate.Orbit 3VCOSwitchFilterRange: LOWTAME/WILD: TAME+ZcvEPgateFMcvSawaudioSquareaudioCVgateIn AaudioIn BaudioOutaudioInaudioaudiocvgate
★ Saw-wave chaos VCO
AUDIO range · 1V/oct sequencer → V/OCT · +X → FREQ. input at max FREQ. MOD. · feedback warps the sine core · Z outputs become saw/ramp-like · chaotic overtones bend with DISTRIBUTION
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 4 connections. Modules: Orbit 3, Sequencer, Filter, Envelope. Signals: 1 audio, 2 cv, 1 pitch.Orbit 3SequencerFilterEnvelopeRange: AUDIOFREQ. MOD.: maxV/OCT.1v/octFREQ.cv+Xcv+ZaudioPitch1v/octInaudioCutoffcvOutcv11. self-FM feedbackaudiocvpitch
Stepped tone quantizer
AUDIO range · TAME · EP → RESET self-patch forces stable oscillation · sweep DISTRIBUTION or EP knobs · perceived pitch jumps in stepped intervals — a deterministic melodic quantizer without a quantizer module
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 4 connections. Modules: Orbit 3, LFO, VCA, Envelope. Signals: 1 audio, 2 cv, 1 trigger.Orbit 3LFOVCAEnvelopeRange: AUDIOTAME/WILD: TAMERESETtrigDIST.cvEPtrig+ZaudioOutcvInaudioCVcvOutcv11. forces stableaudiocvtrigger
Pseudo-random gate stream
LOW range · WILD · moderate speed · EP output streams irregular 0/5V gates · use as rhythmic trigger or section switcher · modulate DIST to vary density
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 3 modules and 3 connections. Modules: Orbit 3, Drum, LFO. Signals: 2 cv, 1 gate.Orbit 3DrumLFORange: LOWTAME/WILD: WILDDIST.cvEPgate+YcvTriggatePitchcvOutcvcvgate
Six-phase chorus/phaser
AUDIO range · TAME · low DISTRIBUTION · near-stable six-phase sine bank · mix pairs of ± outputs through VCAs and sum to approximate vintage 6-phase chorus · small drift gives natural motion
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 3 modules and 7 connections. Modules: Orbit 3, Mixer, Output. Signals: 7 audio.Orbit 3MixerOutputRange: AUDIOTAME/WILD: TAMEDISTRIBUTION: low+Xaudio+Yaudio+Zaudio−Xaudio−Yaudio−ZaudioIn 1audioIn 2audioIn 3audioIn 4audioIn 5audioIn 6audioOutaudioInaudioaudio
★ Chaotic S&H source
LOW range · WILD · +X feeds S&H input · clock samples at steady rate · resulting voltages are correlated-but-irregular · feed to quantizer for deterministic melodic sequences
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 4 connections. Modules: Orbit 3, S&H, Clock, Quantizer, VCO. Signals: 1 cv, 2 pitch, 1 clock.Orbit 3S&HClockQuantizerVCORange: LOWTAME/WILD: WILD+XcvIncvTrigclkOut1v/octOutclkIn1v/octOut1v/octV/Oct1v/octcvpitchclock
Oscilloscope XY art
AUDIO range · send any output pair to scope XY inputs · real-time Lissajous-style chaos figures · tweak DISTRIBUTION/EP/TAME-WILD to sculpt the visual attractor · musical AND visual module
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 2 modules and 2 connections. Modules: Orbit 3, Scope. Signals: 2 audio.Orbit 3ScopeRange: AUDIOTAME/WILD: WILD+Xaudio+YaudioXaudioYaudioaudio

Behaviors

Double-scroll attractor normal operation

Oscillation traces a 3D orbit around two equilibrium points. Depending on DISTRIBUTION/EP/TAME-WILD, behaviour ranges from stable periodic orbits to bistable cycling to full chaos. Deterministic — same settings yield same trajectories.

Tame vs wild modes TAME/WILD switch

TAME: two clearly-separated scrolls, pitched oscillation with periodic scroll flips. WILD: scroll boundaries blur, scroll-changes become frequent and irregular, higher entropy.

Scroll-flip gate EP output

EP toggles every time the orbit jumps from one scroll to the other. Use as pseudo-random clock divider in LOW mode, or as a square sub-oscillator in audio mode.

Asymmetric attractor EP− ≠ EP+ settings

Setting the two equilibrium points to different positions tilts the attractor. Asymmetric scrolls have different amplitudes; one may dominate, biasing the EP gate duty cycle.

Reset forces stable mode EP → RESET self-patch

Feeding EP back into RESET locks the core into stable oscillation. Frequency knob sets pitch; DISTRIBUTION/EP knobs produce stepped pitch changes — a chaotic quantizer.

Reset octave-down pulse → RESET at audio rate

RESET can flip oscillation direction on each edge. At audio rate this produces octave-down sync artefacts, unlike conventional hard sync's timbral shift.

60° phase bank six outputs simultaneous

Successive outputs are 60° apart. In stable regime, provides a six-phase sine bank for chorus/phaser-style patches; in chaos, six correlated-but-distinct modulation streams.

Wide audio range AUDIO range + 1V/oct

Temperature-compensated 1V/oct tracking over at least 5 octaves. Usable as a playable VCO whose timbre morphs with DISTRIBUTION/EP between near-sine and noise.

Controls

Global AUDIO/LOW Range Switch Selects audio VCO range or low frequency VCLFO range.
AUDIO: 22Hz–22kHz · LOW: 2.4mHz–180Hz · 1Hz at centre in LOW
core FREQUENCY Sets underlying oscillation rate that drives the chaos.
Audio: 22Hz–22kHz · Low: 2.4mHz–180Hz
FM CV FREQ. MOD. Polariser for the FREQ. CV input. Sets exponential FM depth and direction.
noon: 0 · max: +1V/oct · min: −1V/oct · ~0.6V/oct in LOW
attractor DISTRIBUTION Widens the orbit paths. CW = orbits dwell longer near each equilibrium point before flipping.
Interacts with TAME/WILD to set scroll character
distribution CV DIST. MOD. Polariser for the DIST. CV input. Depth of distribution modulation.
bipolar · +5V at CV = max distribution
attractor TAME/WILD Switch Tame: two distinct scrolls, more structured. Wild: scrolls blur, more irregular.
Flip to affect spending-time behaviour and scroll-flip rate
attractor EQUILIBRIUM POINTS − / + Two knobs set the two equilibrium point positions. CW = further from origin.
Asymmetric settings produce asymmetric attractors · affect output amplitudes (3–12Vpp)
calibration V/OCT Trimmer Front-panel trim for pitch tracking. Factory calibrated.
Target: 4 octaves between 0V and +4V · settings: wild, dist 9 o'clock, EPs max CW

I/O

IN · 6

  • V/OCT. 1V/oct CV
    Exponential FM input at 1V/oct in audio range (0.66V/oct in low).
  • FREQ. bipolar CV CV
    Second exponential FM input, scaled by FREQ. MOD. polariser.
  • DIST. bipolar CV · +5V = max CV
    Distribution modulation input, scaled by DIST. MOD. polariser.
  • EP− 0V–+5V (min to max) CV
    CV for the negative equilibrium point position.
  • EP+ 0V–+5V (min to max) CV
    CV for the positive equilibrium point position.
  • RESET +2V low / +3V high · Schmitt trigger GATE
    Rising edge resets the chaos core (hard-sync style). May flip oscillation direction → octave-down at audio rate.

OUT · 7

  • +X 3–12Vpp · 0° phase
    Chaos axis X. Near-sine in stable regimes.
  • +Y 3–12Vpp · 60°
    Chaos axis Y. 60° phase-shifted from +X.
  • +Z 3–12Vpp · 120°
    Chaos axis Z. 120° phase-shifted from +X.
  • −X 3–12Vpp · 180°
    Inverted +X.
  • −Y 3–12Vpp · 240°
    Inverted +Y.
  • −Z 3–12Vpp · 300°
    Inverted +Z.
  • EP 0V / +5V gate GATE
    Gate output tracking which equilibrium is being orbited. +5V for positive scroll, 0V for negative. Pseudo-random gate in LOW; square sound source in audio.