Make Noise Wogglebug - Manual (Page 7)

Overview:
Amongst other things, the Make Noise Wogglebug contains the following: 1 Voltage-Controlled Clock, 1
Sample & Hold, 2 Lag Processors, 1 Random Gate Burst Generator, and 2 VCO Digital Ring Mod: most of
which are patchable via the instrument's panel in a system that is capable of CV and Audio Signal generation
and processing.
While we have broken the Panel Controls & I/O description into Sections for explanation, please understand
that ALL portions of the Wogglebug interact with each other. For example, changing the Ego/Id Balance will
affect the Stepped, SMOOTH, and Woggle CVs, the SMOOTH VCO, Ring-Mod and Woggle VCO OUTs! The
way that we like to think of the system is that the Woggle Circuit is chasing the SMOOTH/ Stepped Circuit,
which is being kicked in the ass by the Internal Clock. It is very possible to make patches and panel settings
which lock up the Wogglebug, and thus the CV outputs will hang at the last voltage level while the VCOs will
drone on almost unchanging. When this happens, adjusting just about any panel control will disturb and
wake the Wogglebug. Finally, consider that many changes in the system are NOT immediate. This is
because the Wogglebug is a complex feedback system where several sub-circuits are responding to each
other.
IS THE WOGGLEBUG MY SYNTHESIZER'S ID MONSTER? SHOULD I BEWARE OF THE
WOGGLEBUG?
YES and maybe.
The Wogglebug is a random voltage generator, originally designed by Grant Richter of Wiard Synthesizers.
The Wogglebug's purpose is to overtake the control voltages produced by your keyboard or sequencer
during performance and give a voice to your synthesizer's ID. It is your synthesizer's ID MONSTER. A
continuation of the SMOOTH and Stepped, fluctuating, Random Voltage Sources, pioneered by Don Buchla,
the core of the circuit is based on the Buchla Model 265 "Source of Uncertainty" module, which many
consider to be the most musical of all random voltage generators. Like the 265, the Wogglebug utilizes a lag
processor (low frequency smoothing filter), a VCO, and a Sample & Hold in order to produce Stepped and
SMOOTH (or lagged, slewed) Control Voltages in the range of 0 to 10 volts.
Grant's Wogglebug design expands on this system to include the otherworldly Woggle CVs (stepped
voltages with decaying sinusoids at the edges), which must be heard in action to be truly appreciated. In a
moment of considerable noise, Richter decided to tap into the sound sources at the uncertainly beating heart
of the Wogglebug and bring them forth to the instrument's panel. He then figured a clever way to Ring
Modulate these sounds and that too is on the panel of all Wogglebugs. Thus, the Wogglebug is a complete
system: no external modules are required to Woggle; however, all voltage-controlled systems long to be
tickled, bitten, plagued, and eventually, destroyed by the Wogglebug.
Tony fell in love with Grant's #3 circuit the moment his first Wogglebug came to life on an experimenter's
breadboard. He built a few DIY Wogglebug #3, including the Ryan Williams designed clone PCB and was
lucky enough to have used the Wiard Wogglebug #5 extensively. Now, we at Make Noise feel honored to be
presenting this circuit as a Make Noise module.
The Make Noise Wogglebug is neither version #3 nor #5. In the truest spirit of Grant Richter, the Make Noise
Wogglebug is not a clone. Instead, it is a tribute to all that Woggles and is an evolution of the original Richter
design. Like the #3, the Make Noise Wogglebug is a single system; however, it improves upon the #3 by
offering further functionality, such as an Influence IN to the Ring Mod circuit, the ability to directly inject a
signal to the heart of the Wogglebug via the Ego IN, and a Random Gate Burst function: all of which have
never appeared on any other Wogglebug. We also redesigned the Cluster circuit, and thus it has been
renamed as Ego/Id Balance to reflect its further purposes, allowing for new functionality that has again,
never existed with any other Wogglebug.