Product Description
What a device!
Quite simply the easiest way to add new tones to your vintage synth collection, this device rocks, rolls and modulates its way into your heart. Whether you’re adding an extra LFO to Moog model D or interfacing with studio effects that take CV input this device puts you right where you want to be. The control is precise, variable and full of unexpected delights. This box lets you coax previously unimagined delights from your existing gear. The most cost effective studio upgrade you’ll do this year. Buy one!
- Customer review
Read the blog with more info and a directory of video demos.
Nearly a year in development, the LFOmo is designed to massively expand the sonic possibilities of synths, guitar pedals, modular synths and studio gear.
Works with pretty much anything that has an external cv or expression pedal input*.
Note: this does not make any sound! It is designed to expand the capabilities and sound of your existing gear...
See the manual for more info
What is it? LFOmo is an external syncable super-flexible LFO with two banks of eight waveforms, clock in/out with various clock divide/tempo variation options. See the photos of the prototype pedal design to get a feel for what is included (further detailed information to follow). The LFO speed goes from 12 seconds per cycle up to low audio rates - around 30hz - at maximum
Some years back we discussed working with Nils Frahm to build an external unit that would enhance and expand the capabilities of Roland Juno 6/60 along the same lines as the units he uses, but that never happened. LFOmo was initially (in my head anyway) that unit, but as we developed it, we realised it was capable of a great deal else besides.
To use with guitar pedals, connect one of the three outputs on the bottom right hand side of the face to the expression pedal input of the pedal using a TRS (stereo) minijack to TRS 1/4" jack plug adaptor cable. Try it initially with the offset switch in the up position and experiment with Range and Level to find the sweet spot. Once it’s doing something experiment with the various waveforms/Shape/Rate etc...
What does it work with? Analogue synths come alive when paired with LFOmo: my humble Korg Polysix became something else entirely. We have extensively tested it with Roland Juno 6/60 to great effect. Any synth with a cv or expression pedal input - the list is extremely long. Any rack gear with external cv input (works very well with Marshall Time Modulator for example). Modular synths. And of course the many guitar pedals which have cv or expression pedal inputs - we've been testing with Strymon and Chase Bliss pedals and getting somewhat giddy at the results. You can clock it from your DAW/drum machine/modular. Or not: allow the LFOmo to run free and off grid...
A note about using audio as clock source from an interface: only audio interfaces that have transformer isolation work (like MOTU audio interfaces). You can use these for all kinds of gate and cv. A workaround is to use something that excepts midi clock in and outputs a gate signal, (like a korg volca or drum machine).
How do I use it? Don't be daunted. Experiment. Try stuff. If it works/sounds great, it's good. If not, move on, try something else. So far (still Tony writing this) I have been unable to break anything by trying different things. Chris plugged the LFOmo cv out into the Midi in of my Chase Bliss Gen Loss MkII and it was wild. At its simplest, plug the LFOmo cv output into a (synth) cv filter input (eg Roland Juno 6/60, Korg Monopoly/Polysix) and play with the settings. The same goes for guitar pedals or studio effects. What we have found is that extensive testing of every feature on each synth/pedal/effect is tricky to focus on - we keep discovering great sounds/effects and just get lost in playing/recording. Clock it from your synth/DAW/modular/drum machine and play with the clock divide function.
Is it just for vintage synths? No. It works with anything that has a cv or expression pedal input. Guitar pedals abound with expression inputs: it's wild with them.
Do I need a manual to use it? Tony here: I've been using the various iterations of this unit for nearly a year now and have not needed a manual so far - and I'm not particularly technical or cv savvy. It's pretty simple in operation but capable of coaxing the wildest effects/sounds out of the humblest of gear. I've taken the feed out of LFOmo and split it into multiple units to great effect. Like modular synths, it rewards experimentation, but unlike modular, you do not need to be a scientist/boffin/synthnerd to use it!
Is there a manual? Not at this point. There will be, but this initial run is for those trailblazers who want to dive right in and not RTFM. There will be a video guide, but it's not ready yet.
How is it powered? Standard 9v internal battery that will last a long time (please don't leave it switched on for days to test this) or an external centre positive power supply (same as Moogerfooger etc - the opposite polarity to standard Boss type pedal psus).
Is it a guitar pedal? Not strictly speaking, but it works very well with many guitar effects pedals.
Do I need more than one? Not initially, but we have realised that we'd like at least two ourselves - if only to be able to clock a second LFOmo from the first and come up with some batshit crazy patterns. Or one for the pedalboard, one (or two) for the synth rack...
*As far as we have tested - it has been designed to work with most gear with a control input.
UPDATE - November 2023: We're finally holding the finished product in our hands, and it was definitely worth the wait. The rich blue boxes have a second layer of subtle, matt printing creating a textured effect from a sketch of Derbyshire stone walls. The sketch is of some local buildings and was of course done by renaissance man Chris Challoner who also designed the LFOmo circuit, logo and the rest of the case.
Quite simply the easiest way to add new tones to your vintage synth collection, this device rocks, rolls and modulates its way into your heart. Whether you’re adding an extra LFO to Moog model D or interfacing with studio effects that take CV input this device puts you right where you want to be. The control is precise, variable and full of unexpected delights. This box lets you coax previously unimagined delights from your existing gear. The most cost effective studio upgrade you’ll do this year. Buy one!
- Customer review
Read the blog with more info and a directory of video demos.
Nearly a year in development, the LFOmo is designed to massively expand the sonic possibilities of synths, guitar pedals, modular synths and studio gear.
Works with pretty much anything that has an external cv or expression pedal input*.
Note: this does not make any sound! It is designed to expand the capabilities and sound of your existing gear...
See the manual for more info
What is it? LFOmo is an external syncable super-flexible LFO with two banks of eight waveforms, clock in/out with various clock divide/tempo variation options. See the photos of the prototype pedal design to get a feel for what is included (further detailed information to follow). The LFO speed goes from 12 seconds per cycle up to low audio rates - around 30hz - at maximum
Some years back we discussed working with Nils Frahm to build an external unit that would enhance and expand the capabilities of Roland Juno 6/60 along the same lines as the units he uses, but that never happened. LFOmo was initially (in my head anyway) that unit, but as we developed it, we realised it was capable of a great deal else besides.
To use with guitar pedals, connect one of the three outputs on the bottom right hand side of the face to the expression pedal input of the pedal using a TRS (stereo) minijack to TRS 1/4" jack plug adaptor cable. Try it initially with the offset switch in the up position and experiment with Range and Level to find the sweet spot. Once it’s doing something experiment with the various waveforms/Shape/Rate etc...
What does it work with? Analogue synths come alive when paired with LFOmo: my humble Korg Polysix became something else entirely. We have extensively tested it with Roland Juno 6/60 to great effect. Any synth with a cv or expression pedal input - the list is extremely long. Any rack gear with external cv input (works very well with Marshall Time Modulator for example). Modular synths. And of course the many guitar pedals which have cv or expression pedal inputs - we've been testing with Strymon and Chase Bliss pedals and getting somewhat giddy at the results. You can clock it from your DAW/drum machine/modular. Or not: allow the LFOmo to run free and off grid...
A note about using audio as clock source from an interface: only audio interfaces that have transformer isolation work (like MOTU audio interfaces). You can use these for all kinds of gate and cv. A workaround is to use something that excepts midi clock in and outputs a gate signal, (like a korg volca or drum machine).
How do I use it? Don't be daunted. Experiment. Try stuff. If it works/sounds great, it's good. If not, move on, try something else. So far (still Tony writing this) I have been unable to break anything by trying different things. Chris plugged the LFOmo cv out into the Midi in of my Chase Bliss Gen Loss MkII and it was wild. At its simplest, plug the LFOmo cv output into a (synth) cv filter input (eg Roland Juno 6/60, Korg Monopoly/Polysix) and play with the settings. The same goes for guitar pedals or studio effects. What we have found is that extensive testing of every feature on each synth/pedal/effect is tricky to focus on - we keep discovering great sounds/effects and just get lost in playing/recording. Clock it from your synth/DAW/modular/drum machine and play with the clock divide function.
Is it just for vintage synths? No. It works with anything that has a cv or expression pedal input. Guitar pedals abound with expression inputs: it's wild with them.
Do I need a manual to use it? Tony here: I've been using the various iterations of this unit for nearly a year now and have not needed a manual so far - and I'm not particularly technical or cv savvy. It's pretty simple in operation but capable of coaxing the wildest effects/sounds out of the humblest of gear. I've taken the feed out of LFOmo and split it into multiple units to great effect. Like modular synths, it rewards experimentation, but unlike modular, you do not need to be a scientist/boffin/synthnerd to use it!
Is there a manual? Not at this point. There will be, but this initial run is for those trailblazers who want to dive right in and not RTFM. There will be a video guide, but it's not ready yet.
How is it powered? Standard 9v internal battery that will last a long time (please don't leave it switched on for days to test this) or an external centre positive power supply (same as Moogerfooger etc - the opposite polarity to standard Boss type pedal psus).
Is it a guitar pedal? Not strictly speaking, but it works very well with many guitar effects pedals.
Do I need more than one? Not initially, but we have realised that we'd like at least two ourselves - if only to be able to clock a second LFOmo from the first and come up with some batshit crazy patterns. Or one for the pedalboard, one (or two) for the synth rack...
*As far as we have tested - it has been designed to work with most gear with a control input.
UPDATE - November 2023: We're finally holding the finished product in our hands, and it was definitely worth the wait. The rich blue boxes have a second layer of subtle, matt printing creating a textured effect from a sketch of Derbyshire stone walls. The sketch is of some local buildings and was of course done by renaissance man Chris Challoner who also designed the LFOmo circuit, logo and the rest of the case.