One of our first visitors to the early, unfinished Voltage Control Lab space here in LA (which we announced yesterday) was Ross Fish of Moffenzeef Modular, who stopped by and showed us his new module, the Muskrat. Here, we take a look at some of the functions of this unique 8 bit module.
We’ve looked at a couple of Moffenzeef modules before, including the GMO and the Deviant, each of which have their own specialties. The Muskrat is no different. An 8 bit wavetable drum synth voice, the device has all of the functions you might expect of a drum module. The Bang input can be used to trigger and gate the internal envelope, the decay stage controlled by the Tail knob and related length switch.
The Scratch knob and CV input can be used dial in phase distortion and modulation of the 23 wavetables, which can be selected using the Dig control. Pitch can be modulated using the Chew function, though it does not adhere to tradition (a common trait with Moffenzeef modules) as the pitch does not follow the 1 volt per octave standard. The Muskrat switch at the bottom of the module can be used to grind up the timbre of the 8 bit wavetable, creating even glitchier results.
From the Muskrat quick start guide…
When Muskrat switch is engaged, a randøm number is fed intø the phase accumulatør at the internal cløck rate øf the Muskrat. As yøu mess with the cøntrøls, the chip has a hard time keeping up and starts tø glitch øut. In møst scenariøs this will cause the mødule tø søund like pitched, digital nøise.
