Zlob Modular - Entropy
by Mike McCune
Zlob Modular makes some really beautiful and well designed modules, adorned in their signature neo-maximal xeno-graffiti [their words!] style that is consistent throughout their product line. They’re usually pretty feature packed, have a small footprint, as mentioned before, look cool, and are priced well. The second version of their Entropy module is an all analog random voltage and noise generator with three noise flavors: white, pink, brown, with the white being normalled to the input when in track and hold mode. There’s also a smooth random voltage out–what Zlob calls “infrared”–that has a stretching and squeezing effect of the track and hold function behavior when patched into the input. Illuminated see-thru spots on the PCB faceplate glow either red or blue to show whether you’re hanging out in the positive [red], or negative [blue] voltage realm in sample/track & hold and infrared modes, a nice touch. At the top of the module there’s a toggle switch to choose either sample & hold or track & hold, and near the bottom there’s also a toggle to choose between slow or fast for the infrared output. There are trimmers on the component PCB to adjust the spread of the random voltages out, as well as a trimmer to adjust the white noise amplitude, which in turn influences the rate of the infrared out. All of this in only 3hp is pretty impressive.
The Entropy does, and excels at, what it advertises. You get a dead simple sample/track & hold circuit with rate control via the hold input, and the three aforementioned analog noise sources, which sound great. When pushed into duty the pink noise worked well for a fuzzy hi hat sound, and I liked the way the brown noise added grit to the square wave sequence I was messing around with. There are plans for an expander module which will add functionality such as glide and more noise colors among other things. You’d be hard pressed to find a similar module that does so much in such a little package, while looking so stylish.
3HP
+12v: 10mA -12v: 10mA
Price: From DIY $25 - Fully built $100