Freak

Vult 12HP
fw 3.1
FILTER VCF DISTORTION VCA WAVESHAPER

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Digital manifold stereo filter modelling 13+ Vult analog filter designs plus waveshapers and distortions across 45+ configurations. Stereo, Dual (two independent mono) and Duplex (two stereo) modes, built-in VCAs, drive, and A/B CV cross-modulation routing.

Patch Ideas · 8

★ Karplus pluck via Rescomb
Short noise bursts fed into Rescomb with a sequenced CUTOFF CV — each burst excites the resonant comb line at the sequenced pitch, yielding plucky string tones.
Walkthrough
  1. Turn Freak on and hold the encoder to open Settings. Set Mode to Stereo and ensure VCAs are off for now.
  2. Rotate the encoder to select Rescomb as the active filter model and pick Mode 1 (the classic resonant comb).
  3. Set Cutoff fully CCW (Rescomb's cutoff sets the comb pitch — CV will sweep it).
  4. Set Resonance to about 2 o'clock — enough ring to sustain a pluck.
  5. Set Drive to 0 and centre all three attenuverters.
  6. Patch a noise source through a VCA, with an AD envelope (short rise, ~50 ms decay) on the VCA CV.
  7. Patch each sequencer gate into the AD trigger — each gate produces a noise burst.
  8. Patch the VCA output → Freak IN L.
  9. Patch the sequencer pitch CV → Freak CUTOFF CV. Rotate the Cutoff attenuverter to ~1 o'clock so 1V produces roughly an octave of comb-pitch movement.
  10. Patch Freak OUT L → mixer.
Signal out Freak OUT L — pitched, plucky string-like tones at modular level. Silent between notes.
Listen for Each trigger fires a kalimba/nylon-string pluck. Longer noise bursts soften the attack into bowed strings; higher resonance lengthens the decay tail. Sweep Cutoff attenuverter to tune tracking.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 6 modules and 6 connections. Modules: Freak, Noise, VCA, AD, Sequencer, Output. Signals: 3 audio, 1 cv, 1 pitch, 1 trigger.FreakNoiseVCAADSequencerOutputFilter: Rescomb (Mode 1)Resonance: ~2 o'clockMode: StereoIN LaudioCUTOFF CV1v/octOUT LaudioOutaudioCVcvInaudioOutaudioTrigtrigOutcvGatetrigPitch1v/octInaudioaudiocvpitchtrigger
Inverse stereo wobble
Stereo pad into Dual mode with Mod Route: Inverse — a single LFO drives A CV and Freak computes A-B and B-A to produce opposing cutoff motion on the two channels.
Walkthrough
  1. Hold the encoder, open Settings, set Mode to Dual, and set Mod Route to Inverse.
  2. Select Vortex as the filter model and LP as the mode.
  3. Set Cutoff to noon, Resonance to ~11 o'clock (enough colour without ringing), Drive to 0.
  4. Centre the Cutoff attenuverter, set both A and B attenuverters to ~2 o'clock.
  5. Patch a stereo pad source: pad OUT L → Freak IN L, pad OUT R → Freak IN R.
  6. Patch a slow LFO (~0.1 Hz triangle, ±5V) → Freak A CV. Leave B CV unpatched (it reads 0 V so A-B = A on L, and B-A = -A on R).
  7. Freak OUT L → Mixer In L, Freak OUT R → Mixer In R.
  8. Adjust the A attenuverter to set wobble depth.
Signal out Freak OUT L/R — stereo pad with opposing cutoff motion across the two sides.
Listen for As the LFO rises, the left side opens while the right closes, producing a very wide phasey stereo sweep from a single LFO. Swap Resonance higher for a vocal/formant motion instead of a flat sweep.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 5 connections. Modules: Freak, LFO, Pad, Mixer. Signals: 4 audio, 1 cv.FreakLFOPadMixerMode: DualMod Route: InverseFilter: Vortex / LPIN LaudioIN RaudioA CVcvOUT LaudioOUT RaudioOutcvOut LaudioOut RaudioIn LaudioIn Raudio11. A-B → L · B-A → Raudiocv
★ Polivoks acid squelch
Classic Polivoks-style acid line: saw VCO into Vortex LP with high resonance, short envelope squelching the cutoff per note.
Walkthrough
  1. Select Vortex as the filter model and LP as the mode.
  2. Set Cutoff to ~10 o'clock (darker starting point), Resonance to ~3 o'clock for the Polivoks bite, Drive to ~1 o'clock.
  3. Set the Cutoff attenuverter to ~2 o'clock (positive depth).
  4. Patch your sequencer pitch CV → VCO V/Oct, sequencer gate → envelope trigger.
  5. On the envelope: short rise (~2 ms), fast decay (~150 ms).
  6. Patch VCO saw → Freak IN L.
  7. Patch the envelope Out → Freak CUTOFF CV — each note snaps the cutoff open then ducks back down.
  8. Patch Freak OUT L → output.
  9. Tweak Drive upward for more growl; lower Cutoff for a deeper squelch floor.
Signal out Freak OUT L — biting acid bassline at modular level, loud with Drive up.
Listen for A snarling, Polivoks-style acid squelch. Short envelope + high resonance = classic accent. Push Drive past noon for a distorted, gnarly 303-adjacent tone.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 5 connections. Modules: Freak, VCO, Env, Sequencer, Output. Signals: 2 audio, 1 cv, 1 pitch, 1 gate.FreakVCOEnvSequencerOutputFilter: Vortex / LPResonance: ~3 o'clockDrive: ~1 o'clockCutoff att: ~2 o'clockIN LaudioCUTOFF CVcvOUT LaudioV/Oct1v/octSawaudioTriggateOutcvPitch1v/octGategateInaudioaudiocvpitchgate
★ Self-oscillating sine voice
No input — Lateralus LP24 at max resonance self-oscillates as a clean sine VCO that tracks 1V/Oct via CUTOFF CV.
Walkthrough
  1. Leave IN L and IN R unpatched.
  2. Select Lateralus as the filter model and Mode: LP 24 dB.
  3. Set Resonance to max — the cleanest self-oscillation on Freak.
  4. Set Drive to 0 so nothing colours the sine.
  5. Centre the Cutoff attenuverter (clean 1V/Oct tracking).
  6. Patch sequencer pitch CV → Freak CUTOFF CV.
  7. Patch Freak OUT L → a VCA, gated by a separate envelope triggered from the sequencer.
  8. Tune by ear: adjust the Cutoff knob until the played C matches your reference — Freak now behaves as a self-oscillating sine VCO across ~5 octaves.
Signal out Freak OUT L — clean sine tone tracking 1V/Oct input. Continuous (gate with a VCA downstream).
Listen for A pure sine voice. Swap the filter model to Tangens-MS or Vortex for a throatier, non-sine self-oscillation character. Adding a touch of Drive thickens the sine toward a softly-clipped sine.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 5 connections. Modules: Freak, Sequencer, Env, VCA, Output. Signals: 2 audio, 1 cv, 1 pitch, 1 gate.FreakSequencerEnvVCAOutputFilter: Lateralus / LP 24 dBResonance: maxDrive: 0CUTOFF CV1v/octOUT LaudioPitch1v/octGategateTriggateOutcvInaudioCVcvOutaudioInaudioaudiocvpitchgate
Nurage LPG voice
Nurage-VCA model with an envelope into A CV drives the internal LPG + VCA — a complete Buchla-style plucky bongo voice from a single VCO.
Walkthrough
  1. Open Settings → enable built-in VCAs (firmware 2.4+).
  2. Select Nurage as the filter model. Choose the Nurage-VCA variant (LPG + VCA, vactrol decay adjustable in Settings).
  3. Set Cutoff to ~1 o'clock (opens further when struck), Resonance to ~11 o'clock, Drive to 0.
  4. Set the A attenuverter fully CW (maximum modulation depth).
  5. Patch VCO square → Freak IN L.
  6. Patch a trigger → a short envelope (~5 ms rise, ~300 ms decay).
  7. Patch the envelope Out → Freak A CV — A drives the Nurage LPG + internal VCA.
  8. Patch sequencer pitch CV → VCO V/Oct for melodies.
  9. Patch Freak OUT L → mixer.
Signal out Freak OUT L — percussive plucked voice, silent between gates (the internal VCA closes).
Listen for Buchla-style bongo or plucky bass character — darker and softer on decay, brighter on attack. Adjust vactrol decay in Settings for longer, more bloomy tails.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 5 connections. Modules: Freak, VCO, Env, Sequencer, Output. Signals: 2 audio, 1 cv, 1 pitch, 1 gate.FreakVCOEnvSequencerOutputFilter: Nurage-VCACutoff: ~1 o'clockVCAs: enabledIN LaudioA CVcvOUT LaudioV/Oct1v/octSquareaudioTriggateOutcvPitch1v/octGategateInaudio11. drives LPG + VCAaudiocvpitchgate
Dual series overdrive
Dual mode with L output externally cabled into R input — two instances of the same Tangens model in series, each contributing its own drive stage for thick saturation.
Walkthrough
  1. Open Settings → set Mode to Dual and Mod Route to Individual (A→L, B→R).
  2. Select Tangens-XX as the filter model, Mode: LP.
  3. Set Cutoff to ~1 o'clock, Resonance to ~2 o'clock, Drive to ~1 o'clock (both channels share these).
  4. Patch VCO saw → Freak IN L.
  5. Patch Freak OUT L → Freak IN R — the left channel's output feeds the right channel's input.
  6. Patch sequencer pitch CV → VCO V/Oct.
  7. Optional: patch a slow LFO → A CV to modulate only the L-stage cutoff, then a faster LFO → B CV for the R stage.
  8. Take the final audio from Freak OUT R → output.
  9. Lower Drive if it gets too crunchy — two stages of Drive compound quickly.
Signal out Freak OUT R — the source filtered and driven twice in series, modular level (loud — mind your VCA).
Listen for A gnarly, thick Steiner-scream character with double the saturation. Independent A/B modulation gives different movement on each stage for evolving drive. Try Tangens-YU on one stage and -MS on the other by switching back and forth to compare colours.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 4 connections. Modules: Freak, VCO, Sequencer, Output. Signals: 3 audio, 1 pitch.FreakVCOSequencerOutputMode: DualMod Route: IndividualFilter: Tangens-XX / LPDrive: ~1 o'clockIN LaudioIN RaudioOUT LaudioOUT RaudioV/Oct1v/octSawaudioPitch1v/octInaudio11. seriesaudiopitch
Debriatus destroyer
Debriatus waveshaper chain with high drive and an LFO scanning cutoff — melts a clean synth line into evolving noise-adjacent textures.
Walkthrough
  1. Select Debriatus as the filter model and pick Mode 1 (the first of its two waveshaper chains).
  2. Set Cutoff to noon, Resonance to noon, Drive to ~3 o'clock.
  3. Set the Cutoff attenuverter to ~2 o'clock (positive depth).
  4. Patch a clean synth line (VCO → VCA → envelope) → Freak IN L.
  5. Patch a slow LFO (~0.2 Hz triangle, ±5V) → Freak CUTOFF CV.
  6. Patch Freak OUT L → mixer.
  7. Sweep Drive from 0 to max while listening — the waveshaper chain annihilates more harmonic content as Drive increases.
  8. Try Mode 2 for a second chain character.
Signal out Freak OUT L — heavily-destroyed audio ranging from gritty saturation to near-noise textures.
Listen for The clean source gradually disintegrates into metallic, crushed, evolving noise. Lower Drive for subtle grit; max it for full destruction. Debriatus Mode 2 adds a different flavour of mangling.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 3 connections. Modules: Freak, Synth, LFO, Output. Signals: 2 audio, 1 cv.FreakSynthLFOOutputFilter: Debriatus (Mode 1)Drive: ~3 o'clockCutoff att: ~2 o'clockIN LaudioCUTOFF CVcvOUT LaudioOutaudioOutcvInaudioaudiocv
Stereo Tangens scream
Stereo drone into Tangens-MS BP just below self-oscillation — the Steiner-Parker bite dominates both channels with a true-stereo pair of peaks.
Walkthrough
  1. Open Settings → set Mode to Stereo.
  2. Select Tangens-MS as the filter model, Mode: BP.
  3. Set Cutoff to noon, Resonance to ~3 o'clock (near but below self-osc), Drive to ~1 o'clock.
  4. Centre all attenuverters.
  5. Patch a stereo drone source: drone OUT L → Freak IN L, drone OUT R → Freak IN R.
  6. Patch a slow LFO (~0.1 Hz, ±5V) → Freak CUTOFF CV. Set the Cutoff attenuverter to ~1 o'clock for a gentle sweep.
  7. Patch Freak OUT L → Mixer L and Freak OUT R → Mixer R.
  8. Raise Resonance toward max for a screaming Steiner-style character (watch volume).
Signal out Freak OUT L/R — screaming band-pass filtered drone with Steiner-Parker bite, modular level.
Listen for A wide, throaty BP scream that sweeps slowly across the drone's harmonics. The stereo pair stays phase-coherent (single filter processes both), so the scream feels mono-wide rather than animated — swap to Dual mode for independent L/R motion.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 5 connections. Modules: Freak, Drone, LFO, Mixer. Signals: 4 audio, 1 cv.FreakDroneLFOMixerFilter: Tangens-MS / BPMode: StereoResonance: ~3 o'clockIN LaudioIN RaudioCUTOFF CVcvOUT LaudioOUT RaudioOut LaudioOut RaudioOutcvLaudioRaudioaudiocv

Behaviors

13+ filter models Filter selector

Each model emulates a classic circuit: Vortex (Polivoks LP/BP), Lateralus (Moog ladder, 6/12/18/24 dB LP), Tangens-YU/MS/XX (Steiner-Parker, LP/HP/BP), Stabile (state-variable, LP/BP/HP), Ferox (CMOS, LP/HP/BP/Notch), Nurage (Buchla-style LPG), Vorg (MS-20 OTA), Rescomb (resonant comb, 2 modes), Boomstick (Sallen-Key LP, plus HP), Unstabile (circuit-bent SVF), Disjoint (with 96 dB modes), Nitrous (303 acid), plus Debriatus and Wolv waveshapers and Phonok vowel resonator.

Stereo / Dual / Duplex modes Settings menu

Stereo: a single filter processes L/R as a true-stereo pair. Dual: two fully independent mono filters sharing the selected model but with separate cutoff/CV per channel. Duplex: two stereo filters stacked — e.g. two different models in series or parallel across the same L/R pair.

A/B cross-modulation routing Mod Route selector

Combined routes A+B to both channels. Individual routes A to left, B to right. Inverse routes A-B to left and B-A to right, creating opposing motion between channels — wide phasey stereo from a single LFO pair.

Self-oscillation across models Resonance near max on most models

Most filter models self-oscillate with distinct character: Lateralus pure sine, Vortex aggressive Polivoks tone, Tangens throaty Steiner scream, Ferox gritty CMOS peak. Self-oscillating models track 1V/Oct well via CUTOFF CV — Freak plays as a filter-voice oscillator.

Built-in VCAs Settings → VCAs enabled (firmware 2.4+)

Internal VCAs sit on the L/R outputs and are driven by A/B CV (or a menu-assigned source). Removes the need for an external VCA after the filter. The Nurage-VCA filter model combines LPG + VCA with adjustable vactrol decay as a dedicated voice-building patch.

Drive as pre-filter saturation Drive knob

Drive saturates the signal before the filter stage, not after. Harmonics introduced by drive are then filtered by cutoff/resonance — different character from post-filter distortion. Low settings warm the signal; max settings behave like a distortion pedal into the filter.

Debriatus / Wolv waveshaper chains Filter selector → Debriatus or Wolv

Not traditional filters — Debriatus is a two-mode waveshaper chain that destroys input harmonic content; Wolv is a second waveshaper added in v3.0. Pair with cutoff sweep for evolving noise-adjacent textures rather than classic filtering.

Rescomb resonant comb Filter selector → Rescomb

Two comb-filter modes with resonance feedback. The resonant peaks of the tunable delay line play Karplus-Strong-style plucks when fed with short noise bursts and pitched via CUTOFF CV.

Nitrous 303-style acid Filter selector → Nitrous (firmware 3.0+)

Dedicated acid-filter model inspired by the TB-303. Biting resonant squelch with characteristic low-pass envelope-accent behaviour — pair with a short envelope on CUTOFF CV for squelchy acid lines.

Phonok vowel resonator Filter selector → Phonok (firmware 2.5+)

Formant resonator that imprints vowel shapes onto the input. Cutoff scans through vowel pairs rather than a single frequency — turns any harmonic-rich source into a talking/vocalising pad.

Controls

Global Cutoff Primary filter frequency. Full CCW closed, full CW open. 1V/Oct-trackable via CUTOFF CV with attenuverter centred.
1V/Oct trackable · full range across models
Global Resonance Boosts frequencies near cutoff. Most models self-oscillate; character depends on the selected filter (Polivoks bite, Moog warmth, Steiner scream).
Self-oscillates · per-model curve
Global Drive Input saturation stage ahead of the filter. Subtle pinch of warmth at low settings, full saturation at max.
Clean → saturated → fully overdriven
Global Cutoff Attenuverter Bipolar attenuator for CUTOFF CV input. Centre is zero.
Bipolar · centre detent
Global Resonance Attenuverter Bipolar attenuator for RES CV input.
Bipolar
Global Drive Attenuverter Bipolar attenuator for DRIVE CV input.
Bipolar
Global Filter Selector Chooses the modelled filter or processor. Includes Vortex, Unstabile, Lateralus, Tangens-YU/MS/XX, Stabile, Ferox, Nurage, Rescomb, Vorg, Boomstick, Disjoint, Nitrous, Debriatus, Wolv, Phonok, plus Flame distortions and Nopskate octaver.
13+ models · 45+ configurations · menu/encoder-selected
Per model Mode Selector Selects filter mode for the current model: LP/BP/HP/Notch variants, 6/12/18/24 dB slopes on Lateralus, 96 dB slopes on Disjoint, two modes on Rescomb and Debriatus.
Model-dependent · LP, BP, HP, Notch, multi-slope
A/B CV Mod Route Routes A/B CV inputs between channels. Combined: A+B to both. Individual: A→L, B→R. Inverse: A-B→L, B-A→R.
Combined / Individual / Inverse
Global Settings Menu Access extra modes: Stereo / Dual / Duplex, built-in VCA enable, modulation input ranges, audio output levels, Nopskate octaver, Flame distortion variants, Wolfram cellular-automata screensaver. Long-press the encoder from v2.5 onward.
Menu-selected · firmware 3.1

I/O

IN · 7

  • IN L
    Stereo left input (or channel A input in Dual mode).
  • IN R
    Stereo right input (or channel B input in Dual mode).
  • CUTOFF CV CV
    Filter cutoff CV. 1V/Oct-trackable with attenuverter centred (on self-oscillating models).
  • RES CV CV
    Resonance CV input, attenuverted.
  • DRIVE CV CV
    Drive CV input, attenuverted.
  • A CV CV
    Primary modulation CV A. In Dual mode, routed per Mod Route selector; in Stereo, applied to both channels or a menu-assigned parameter.
  • B CV CV
    Primary modulation CV B. Routed per Mod Route selector.

OUT · 2

  • OUT L
    Stereo left output (or channel A output in Dual mode).
  • OUT R
    Stereo right output (or channel B output in Dual mode).