Faun

Malstrom 8HP

Variable-character multimode filter with continuously variable slopes across lowpass, bandpass, notch, and highpass. A Timbre circuit adds passband ripple for vocal or liquid colour, plus two inputs, V/Oct, and attenuverted FM.

Patch Ideas · 4

Buttery sweep

Patch a saw VCO into Audio In 1 at unity, keep Timbre low, and sweep Slope slowly from gentle lowpass toward steep lowpass while an envelope opens Cutoff. The filter stays clean and precise while the curve changes under your hand.

Walkthrough

Patch VCO Saw out to Faun Audio In 1.
Patch an Envelope to Faun FM and set the attenuverter to about 2 o'clock (positive).
Start with Slope fully counter-clockwise and Timbre fully counter-clockwise.
Trigger the envelope, then slowly turn Slope clockwise while listening to the Lowpass output.

Signal out Lowpass output: a saw that gets progressively darker as the envelope falls, with a smoothly steepening slope.

Listen for A soft, buttery downward sweep that tightens into a more focused lowpass the further right you turn Slope.

▸ Show diagram

Liquid formant bandpass

Push Timbre up so the passband develops ripple, then send a slow LFO into FM with the attenuverter around 11 o'clock. The bandpass output moves between vocal and liquid formant shapes while base pitch stays centred.

Walkthrough

Patch VCO to Faun Audio In 1.
Patch a slow triangle LFO to Faun FM and set the attenuverter to about 11 o'clock.
Set Cutoff to noon, Slope to noon, Timbre to 2 o'clock.
Monitor the Bandpass output and fine-tune Timbre until the tone sounds vocal rather than whistly.

Signal out Bandpass output: a band of the VCO that drifts up and down with the LFO, with comb-like ripple colouring the passband.

Listen for A slow, liquid 'ooh / aah' motion, like a soft formant being swept across the VCO without the pitch changing.

▸ Show diagram

Feedback drive

Drive Audio In 2 with the same VCO plus a touch of feedback from the lowpass output. With Input 2 Gain up and Timbre high, the filter stops sounding polite and starts to bite without relying on external distortion.

Walkthrough

Multiple the VCO: one copy to Audio In 1 at unity, one copy to Audio In 2.
Patch the Lowpass output through a passive multiple: one tap to your mixer, one tap back into Audio In 2 (or mix it in with a small mixer) for feedback.
Raise Input 2 Gain past noon, set Cutoff around 11 o'clock, Slope around 1 o'clock, Timbre high.
Play a note and nudge Input 2 Gain and Timbre together until the filter just starts to growl.

Signal out Lowpass output: a heavily coloured, saturated lowpass with bite on transients.

Listen for A crunchier, more acidic version of the VCO that reacts strongly to Cutoff movement; back off Input 2 Gain to clean it up.

▸ Show diagram

Pitched notch voice

Play V/Oct from a sequencer with high Timbre and listen to the Notch output. The filter sits between effect and pitched source, especially with light FM adding movement around each step.

Walkthrough

Patch a pink-noise or VCO source into Faun Audio In 1.
Patch the sequencer pitch CV into Faun V/Oct.
Patch a slow LFO into Faun FM with the attenuverter around 10 o'clock.
Set Slope toward highpass, Timbre around 1 o'clock, Cutoff around noon.
Take the Notch output to your mixer and run the sequence; tweak Timbre for how 'pitched' the notch should sound.

Signal out Notch output: the source with a swept notch that tracks each sequencer step, plus slow drift from the LFO via FM.

Listen for A hollow, whistling line that follows the sequence like a melody played by a filter rather than a VCO.

▸ Show diagram

Behaviors

Continuous slope morph Slope control

One knob smoothly varies the curve of every output, so lowpass goes from gentle -6 dB tilt to aggressive -24 dB, and bandpass / notch shift their tilt balance rather than hard-switching modes.

Passband ripple Timbre control

Timbre introduces comb-like ripple inside the passband without changing filter type or slope, moving the tone from clean to vocal, liquid, or formant-like.

Variable input gain Audio In 2

Input 2 provides up to 4x gain, so feeding the same source into In 1 and In 2 (or cross-patching an output back) can push the filter into louder, more coloured territory.

Pitch tracking V/Oct input

Cutoff tracks 1V/oct, so with high resonance or strong ripple the filter can be played as a pitched voice.

Attenuverted FM FM input

The FM input passes through an attenuverter, so the same modulation source can sweep the cutoff up, down, or be dialled out entirely.

Controls

Filter frequency	Cutoff	Sets the cutoff frequency for all four simultaneous outputs. main frequency knob
Response curve	Slope	Continuously varies the slope of each output, sweeping lowpass and highpass from -6 dB to -24 dB and tilting the bandpass and notch shapes. continuous slope morph
Passband ripple	Timbre	Introduces ripple in the passband (like adding a comb filter) without changing filter type or slope. smooth to vocal / liquid
Variable input	Input 2 Gain	Sets the level of the variable-gain input, from attenuation up to 4x gain for feedback patches and drive. up to 4x
FM CV	FM Attenuverter	Scales and inverts the FM CV applied to cutoff. bipolar

I/O

IN · 4

Audio In 1 audio AUDIO

Unity-gain audio input.
Audio In 2 audio AUDIO

Variable-gain audio input with up to 4x gain, useful for feedback patching and extra drive.
V/Oct 1V/oct CV

Pitch-tracking input for the cutoff frequency.
FM CV CV

Frequency modulation input for the cutoff, scaled by the attenuverter.

OUT · 4

Lowpass audio AUDIO

Lowpass output, slope continuously variable from -6 dB to -24 dB.
Bandpass audio AUDIO

Bandpass output whose shape tilts between -18 dB LP / -6 dB HP and -6 dB LP / -18 dB HP flanks.
Notch audio AUDIO

Notch output whose shape tilts between -18 dB LP with notch and -18 dB HP with notch.
Highpass audio AUDIO

Highpass output, slope continuously variable from -6 dB to -24 dB.

Patch Ideas · 4

Behaviors

Controls

I/O

▸ IN · 4

◂ OUT · 4

IN · 4

OUT · 4