Triple Sloths v2

Nonlinearcircuits 8HP

8HP NLC triple chaos. Torpor (~20s), Apathy (~75s) and Inertia (~30min) each expose X/Y/Z (Z = inverted Y). A difference rectifier across the three Zs adds + and − outs. 11 outputs, 2 CV ins.

Patch Ideas · 5

★ Three-rate mod bank (one voice, three timescales)

Torpor X → filter cutoff · Apathy Y → VCA CV · Inertia Z → VCO FM — one voice breathes on three unrelated timescales.

Walkthrough

Set Torpor to ~12:00 and Apathy to ~12:00 (neutral weight for both).
Leave TORPOR CV and APATHY CV unpatched.
Patch Triple Sloths TORPOR X → filter CUTOFF (timbre shifts every ~20–30 s).
Patch Triple Sloths APATHY Y → VCA CV (loudness drifts over ~1–1.5 min).
Patch Triple Sloths INERTIA Z → VCO FM input (slow detune over tens of minutes).
Patch VCO → filter → VCA → mixer. Let it run — come back in 5 minutes and the sound will have moved without you touching anything.

Signal out Three parallel eurorack-level CV streams (Torpor X, Apathy Y, Inertia Z) modulating cutoff, VCA and FM simultaneously.

Listen for A patch that never sits still: fastest wobble on the filter, slower volume swells, and an almost imperceptible long-term drift of pitch — three layers of life from one module.

▸ Show diagram

★ Quantized chaos melody

Apathy X → quantizer → VCO V/Oct · Torpor Z → filter cutoff · a wandering-but-musical line with independent timbre drift.

Walkthrough

Set Apathy to ~1:00 (biases toward one attractor — limits pitch range).
Set Torpor to ~11:00.
Patch Triple Sloths APATHY X → quantizer IN.
Patch quantizer OUT → VCO V/OCT.
Patch Triple Sloths TORPOR Z → filter CUTOFF.
Trigger a slow envelope per note (tap tempo or external clock → VCA).
Rotate APATHY to re-center the pitch cloud; rotate TORPOR to shift the filter sweep's bias.

Signal out APATHY X (0–~5V chaos CV) into the quantizer; quantized pitch CV to VCO; TORPOR Z as independent filter CV.

Listen for A slow unpredictable melody in the quantizer's scale — notes arrive every tens of seconds, with the filter opening and closing on its own unrelated rhythm.

▸ Show diagram

Difference-rectifier accent pair

+ output → accent/decay CV, − output → complementary VCA CV — one chaos module as a two-sided dynamics controller.

Walkthrough

Set Torpor to ~12:00 and Apathy to ~12:00 for balanced attractor weight.
Patch Triple Sloths + OUTPUT → envelope DECAY CV (or directly into a VCA on a drum/pluck).
Patch Triple Sloths − OUTPUT → a second VCA CV (opposing channel — e.g. a pad or noise).
Trigger a drum or pluck normally.
Observe how + accents one channel while − accents the other, driven by (Apathy_Z + Inertia_Z − Torpor_Z).
Slowly move TORPOR or APATHY to change which side dominates over time.

Signal out + OUT: positive half of the summed Z-difference. − OUT: negative half of the same sum. Together they form a chaotic push/pull pair.

Listen for Two elements of the mix trade prominence unpredictably — louder claps against softer hats one minute, reversed the next, all from one module.

▸ Show diagram

★ Stereo drift (Y vs Z)

Apathy Y → left filter cutoff, Apathy Z → right filter cutoff — the inverted pair opens one side as it closes the other.

Walkthrough

Set Apathy to ~12:00 for balanced motion.
Patch a mono source into a stereo filter (or two identical filters panned hard L/R).
Patch Triple Sloths APATHY Y → filter LEFT CUTOFF.
Patch Triple Sloths APATHY Z → filter RIGHT CUTOFF (Z = inverted Y).
Optionally patch Inertia X → both cutoffs via attenuated mult for a long-term center shift.
Leave it running — the image breathes left/right over ~1–1.5 minutes.

Signal out APATHY Y and APATHY Z — the same signal and its inverse, feeding opposite filter channels.

Listen for A stereo image that slowly rocks side to side: as the left filter opens, the right closes, and back again — never exactly repeating.

▸ Show diagram

CV-disturbed chaos (periodicity windows)

LFO into Torpor CV and Apathy CV — watch the chaos occasionally lock into brief periodic loops, then fall back into drift.

Walkthrough

Set Torpor to ~12:00 and Apathy to ~12:00.
Patch an LFO (triangle, ~0.05 Hz — very slow) → Triple Sloths TORPOR CV.
Patch the same LFO (or a second, different rate) → Triple Sloths APATHY CV.
Patch Triple Sloths TORPOR Y → VCO FM (audible destination so you can hear the motion).
Patch VCO → filter → VCA → mixer.
Listen: you should hear mostly smooth drift with occasional brief loops where the chaos repeats itself for a few cycles before breaking free.

Signal out TORPOR Y CV — chaotic motion with external LFO riding on top, occasionally forced into periodicity or abrupt jumps.

Listen for A pitch drift that wanders aimlessly most of the time, then unexpectedly settles into a short repeating pattern, then slips back into chaos — the 'windows of periodicity' NLC describes.

▸ Show diagram

Behaviors

Three radically different time scales patch X/Y/Z from all three sections

Torpor traverses its attractors in ~15–30 seconds, Apathy in ~60–90 seconds, Inertia in ~30–40 minutes. This gives you three layers of modulation — 'fast' LFO-ish wander, mid-scale drift, and geological creep — from one 8HP module.

Weight, not frequency rotate Torpor or Apathy

The knobs bias the chaotic system's weight toward one attractor or the other. You can coax the signal to 'dwell' near one lobe but you can't speed it up — the time scale is set by the analog components inside.

CV injection → periodic windows or jumps patch CV into Torpor CV or Apathy CV

External CV rides on the chaos. Depending on amplitude and the current attractor state, you may get smooth added motion, bursts of periodicity (the chaos locks temporarily into a repeating loop), or discrete voltage jumps as the system flips between lobes.

Inertia is uncontrollable by design leave Inertia untouched (no pot, no CV in)

Inertia has no front-panel control and no CV input. It simply drifts on its own ~30–40 minute cycle. Patch Inertia X/Y/Z for 'set and forget' very-slow modulation you cannot rush.

Z is inverted Y compare any section's Y and Z outputs

Within each section, Z is a hard-wired inverted copy of Y. Useful for complementary stereo modulation or for pushing/pulling two destinations against each other without a dedicated inverter.

Difference rectifier on the three Z outputs patch the + or − output

The three Z outputs are summed with Torpor Z flipped: (Apathy_Z + Inertia_Z − Torpor_Z). The positive half appears at +, the negative half at −. Combines three time scales into one rectified CV whose shape depends on all three sloths simultaneously.

Controls

Torpor section	Torpor	Biases the Torpor chaos circuit's weight between its two strange attractors. It is not a frequency/speed control — it shifts which attractor the signal dwells near. weight (attractor bias)
Apathy section	Apathy	Biases the Apathy chaos circuit's weight between its two strange attractors. Like Torpor, it is a weight control rather than a rate control. weight (attractor bias)

I/O

IN · 2

Torpor CV modulation level (eurorack CV) CV

CV input injected into the Torpor chaos circuit. Modulation may ride on the chaos smoothly or — depending on conditions — cause windows of periodicity or sudden voltage jumps.
Apathy CV modulation level (eurorack CV) CV

CV input injected into the Apathy chaos circuit. Same behavior as Torpor CV — may add smooth motion, periodic windows, or discrete jumps.

OUT · 11

Torpor X

Torpor section output taken from one stage of the chaos circuit. Moves on the order of ~15–30 seconds per trip around the two attractors.
Torpor Y

Torpor section output from a different stage of the circuit — a related but distinct chaotic signal.
Torpor Z

Inverted copy of Torpor Y. Also summed into the difference rectifier with opposite sign from Apathy/Inertia Z.
Apathy X

Apathy section output from one stage. Roughly ~60–90 seconds per cycle around the attractors.
Apathy Y

Apathy section output from a second stage — different character from X.
Apathy Z

Inverted copy of Apathy Y. Summed (positive) into the difference rectifier.
Inertia X

Inertia section output from one stage. The slowest of the three — roughly 30–40 minutes for a full traverse. No front-panel control.
Inertia Y

Inertia section output from a second stage. Glacial motion — barely perceptible change on short timescales.
Inertia Z

Inverted copy of Inertia Y. Summed (positive) into the difference rectifier.
+ (Difference Rectifier)

Positive half of the difference rectifier applied to (VApathy_Z + VInertia_Z − VTorpor_Z). Outputs only when the sum is positive.
− (Difference Rectifier)

Negative half of the difference rectifier applied to (VApathy_Z + VInertia_Z − VTorpor_Z). Outputs only when the sum is negative.

Patch Ideas · 5

Behaviors

Controls

I/O

▸ IN · 2

◂ OUT · 11

IN · 2

OUT · 11