Pittsburgh Modular released Elephant and Narwhal

Pittsburgh Modular released Elephant and Narwhal, further excursions into the world of analog drum synthesis. Like the Llama Kick and Polar Bear Snare, these circuits were designed as part of a larger project but large projects move slowly and we are excited about these sounds NOW so a small batch of modules for us and our friends was necessary.

Narwhal Cymbal
Michael’s partner wanted a module called Narwhal that removes reverb. That seemed a little ambitious for a handful of resistors, capacitors, and op-amps, but we do like Narwhals and we were working on a new cymbal circuit that needed a name. All that said, the Narwhal Cymbal module sounds very nice. The Pittsburgh Modular Narwhal Cymbal is an attempt at reproducing the sound of a physical cymbal using analog circuitry. This module is not based on any famous machine. It is a unique attempt at a synthesized cymbal with a design guided by the concept of analog physical modeling. The result is something that sounds not completely unlike a cymbal, but with a sonic flexibility that swings far beyond the limits of a tangible instrument.

Elephant Drum
The Pittsburgh Modular Elephant Drum is a re-imaging of the classic Pollard Syndrum. Although not a clone of the original circuits, the Elephant was inspired by the flexibility and musicality of the vintage instrument. We think this one also sounds very nice. A variable waveform oscillator is rhythmically modulated (or not) to create complex percussive sounds. Built in Modulator (LFO) and Tension (percussive decay envelope) add depth and movement the oscillator. Voltage control over Tuning (pitch) and Material (waveform) allow for creative patching options.