Entropic Loop is a new company that's a collaboration between Omiindustriies' Naomi Mitchell and programmer/musician Eris Fairbanks, and their first module release, Grackle, will hopefully be the first of many to come. A three-operator FM synth voice, Grackle has all the accoutrements that you would want from any great sound source module; almost every parameter is CVable (most with attenuation), it has a nice playable topography with a good mix of knobs, sliders, and toggles, the layout is just-spacious-enough, and there's even some extra flair in the Dusty Mauve knobs and pastel LED colors.
With two Modulator oscillator channels and one Carrier, the interplay between the three channels is rooted in some serious mathematics; fractions in this case. I've always loved fractions—I find them soothing and orderly (at least until you're forced to de-fractionalize it by dividing the numerator by denominator, and then my need for order opens the floodgates and anxiety starts to creep in) and Grackle has a lot of fractional variety on hand.
Each of the two Modulator Channels has Interval and Depth slide controls, and both can be CV controlled. The Carrier has only a Frequency control, which can also be modulated by external CV (and with a Shift button can do fine tuning), and there are outputs for both the Carrier oscillator, and a combined output for the two Modulators. There's an onboard envelope which affects the Carrier, triggered by patching in an external gate. The envelope has Growth and Decay sliders (which can be CV controlled and attenuated) and three modes of operation: tr (triggered), as (asymmetric slew), and cy (cycling) to shape to the envelope, and this can also be CV controlled to switch between the modes. There's an Envelope output as well to use with external modules or for some self-patching.
In terms of the math and how Grackle creates sound via fractions, it does so by selecting which of the three Intervals to choose from for the denominator of the fraction (3,5, or 8), and the numerator, of which is chosen by the Interval sliders for each Modulator, where the marked numbers 1,16, and 32, found on the left of each control give a little foothold, and this is quantized to whole numbers for more friendly fractioning.
Holding Shift and moving either of the Interval sliders its full span will enter "unlocked mode" for the Mod oscillators, turning off the quantization of their value. In this mode you can get thru-zero frequency modulation for the mod oscillators, which is pretty cool, though I wish there were some visual indication, some LED that blinks or something, just for easy ID.
It's interesting to note that when CV is applied to the Intervals, positive values modulate the numerator and negative CV values tweak the denominator, which can get pretty crazy—mathematically/fractionally speaking for sure—when in unlocked mode. 19.6375 divided by 16? Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean, calm bl…
Once your fraction is determined, it's then multiplied by the frequency of the Carrier frequency, thereby giving you your mathematically deduced sound. I wonder if Entropic Loop had to hold back when designing this, including the more conventional knob and slider controls instead of a numerical keyboard to punch in the fractions, like live coding an FM synth, but either way, moving any of these main parameters can cause great sonic change—no surprise there. You can control the pitch via a 1V/Oct input and add CV in to modulate the FM amount as well. Depending on what algorithm is selected—there are three to choose from: ad (addition), ml (multiply), and cs (cascade).
In Add and Cascade modes, the Depth controls simply control the amplitude of the two mod oscillators, but in Multiply mode, the second mod oscillator's Depth controls both oscillator's amplitude that are then multiplied together and them Mod 1's Depth adds some wavefolding afterwards. What this all means is that between the three Algorithm modes, you can get all manner of sound from typical FM'y metallic bursts to beautiful punchy bells to crisp electronic kicks. You can also patch in CV to modulate going from algo to algo.
Using both outputs, with the Carrier as a somewhat melody, and the Mod output as a swirling background pad, I was able to craft some great tracks; some spooky and otherworldly, others very rooted in an AI dystopia. All of which, with just Grackle as my only source and using the two outputs through some reverbs and delays, were very full and interesting. The movement Grackle makes, the changing of sounds, can be extremely compelling, addictive almost, and Grackle works very well for exploring percussion sounds. Patching in CV for slowly evolving soundscapes on the Mod Intervals proved really inspiring. I loved so many of the sounds I was getting, not so much that they were "different" than a more typical FM synth or module, but more of an extension, more of a deeper exploration of FM in general. With related ramp and triangle modulation tastefully patched into the Interval CV inputs on both Modulator channels, I got absolutely beautiful, stepped and cascading metallic lines that sounded like a fun 80s cartoon chase theme, further exemplified when I increased the CV amount on both and nailed a variety of 80s video game sounds.
CVing the Algorithm mode created interesting patterns through the sonic variations, and shifted smoothly and seamlessly between them. Going from a slow phasey PM'y sound to robotic garbles to metallic clangs, first slowly to hear the shifts, then quickly, was a lot of fun and created some great melodic rhythms. Again, the sounds coming out of Grackle—at almost every stage of testing—was nothing short of mesmerizing. I just love Grackle's sound.
Exploring Grackle's more rhythmic capabilities, in Cycling mode, by adjusting Growth and Decay in the lower portions of their controls, you can get some intense ratcheting and since both parameters can be CV'd, you can get some greatly changing rhythms out of the Carrier output, since that output has the most pronounced effect from the envelope.
Whether you understand, memorize, or care at all about the numbers, the fractions…the math that makes the module, it makes no difference; Grackle is incredibly fun to play and very inspiring. It's not hard to get recognizable sounds and tones, but you can get some incredibly unique ones as well. While so many modules lend themselves to experimentation, something about Grackle—maybe it's the interaction of the Carrier and Mods, maybe it's the algorithms, maybe it's all that math—is more fun to crunch numbers with than most. It's one of the most inspiring sound source modules I've come across lately, and highly recommended.
Price: $600

entropicloop.com