Josh Mason
Selected Works ︎︎︎
Selected Works ︎︎︎
Everything Is Connected To Everything Else.
The purpose of the PCE project is/was an endevor to build tools (focusing primarily on utilities I wish I had, in the space I needed or wanted them in) for use in recording and performance. It was also to act as an educational/informational platform for things I am working to create, understand, and control.
Much of this is approached from the angle of it being functional sculpture, and less so market-ready audio equipment. While am not an engineer per se, I am coming to understand that those tendencies are in my blood, and I suppose I have the engineers in my family to thank for that (or maybe I just enjoy the way burning flux smells, for better or worse).
At the very least, these devices are presented something akin to “studies” (in the B. Thom Stevenson sense of the word.)
The purpose of the PCE project is/was an endevor to build tools (focusing primarily on utilities I wish I had, in the space I needed or wanted them in) for use in recording and performance. It was also to act as an educational/informational platform for things I am working to create, understand, and control.
Much of this is approached from the angle of it being functional sculpture, and less so market-ready audio equipment. While am not an engineer per se, I am coming to understand that those tendencies are in my blood, and I suppose I have the engineers in my family to thank for that (or maybe I just enjoy the way burning flux smells, for better or worse).
At the very least, these devices are presented something akin to “studies” (in the B. Thom Stevenson sense of the word.)
An “expressive voltage-influenced low freq oscillator” (EVILFO). An integrator-driven master clock, which has a fixed internal frequency range that can’t be dialed in so much as...nudged, let’s say.
As the integrator is turned CW or CCW away from noon, voltage rises (or falls) and the master clock begins to speed up or down in relation to the rate of change: the farther away from noon, in either direction, the faster or slower the clock will advance until it eventually stalls at either its fastest speed or slowest one. if the knob is returned to noon quickly, it will halt the rate of change, and in this way you can “set” the speed of the device…sorta…for a time..
In addition to this integrator voltage and master clock out, the user has access to a number of other related functions including a triangle wave derivative of the master clock, 2 discrete stepped random voltage generators (one with a lag control), 2 audio rate chaotic oscillators, a gate burst stream and associated trigger burst, and a difference rectifier which analizes the triangle and both stepped voltage sources.
︎
Size 12HP
Depth 44mm (with power header)
Construction FR4, Analog SMD
Power +65/-60mA (quiescent)
As the integrator is turned CW or CCW away from noon, voltage rises (or falls) and the master clock begins to speed up or down in relation to the rate of change: the farther away from noon, in either direction, the faster or slower the clock will advance until it eventually stalls at either its fastest speed or slowest one. if the knob is returned to noon quickly, it will halt the rate of change, and in this way you can “set” the speed of the device…sorta…for a time..
In addition to this integrator voltage and master clock out, the user has access to a number of other related functions including a triangle wave derivative of the master clock, 2 discrete stepped random voltage generators (one with a lag control), 2 audio rate chaotic oscillators, a gate burst stream and associated trigger burst, and a difference rectifier which analizes the triangle and both stepped voltage sources.
︎
Size 12HP
Depth 44mm (with power header)
Construction FR4, Analog SMD
Power +65/-60mA (quiescent)
An OTA state-variable VCF configured to add a little bit of hair to otherwise harmonically anemic input signals.
A 2-channel input mixer is made available with one input mixing at unity and a second at 2x gain. Following the mix sum is a variable (but never full “off”) asymmetric saturation stage. With nothing plugged into the cutoff cv input, the input sum is normalled to the jack, and the attenuator acts as a cross-modulation control. LP, BP, and AP outputs are available simultaneously for feedback patching experimentation.
︎
Size 10HP
Depth 44mm (with power header)
Construction FR4, Analog SMD
Power +15/-20mA (quiescent)
︎
Size 10HP
Depth 44mm (with power header)
Construction FR4, Analog SMD
Power +15/-20mA (quiescent)
Dual performance mute with variable fade times ranging from instant, to “clickless”, all the way up to a 4 sec fade in/out.
When nothing is plugged into the inputs, they are normaled internally to a reference voltage, so the module can be used as a manual gate or manual AR/ASR function generator.
︎
Size 4HP
Depth 44mm (with power header)
Construction FR4, Analog SMD
Power +19/-15mA (quiescent)
When nothing is plugged into the inputs, they are normaled internally to a reference voltage, so the module can be used as a manual gate or manual AR/ASR function generator.
︎
Size 4HP
Depth 44mm (with power header)
Construction FR4, Analog SMD
Power +19/-15mA (quiescent)
Tactical expansion unit for Bionic Lester mk1 by Industrial Music Electronics ︎︎︎ Connects behind the scenes via a 14-pin ribbon connection.
Individual filter responses from Lester are normalled to two bi-polar mixers respectively, allowing for sculpting of new response types, which are available at the sum output. Each normalled connection to Lester can be overridden by patching an external signal to any of the mixer's inputs.
Each mixer's sum is normalled to a vca-controlled feedback path back into its respective filter's core. The operation of this feature is managed by each of the switches for each mixer. In the down position, no signal is fed back via the vca unless a control signal is present at the cv input (which expects unipolar signals, unity gain is roughly 5v). With no cv present, this switch acts as a master feedback path mute. When the switch is in the up position, a fixed bias is connected to the vca cv control and the mixer sum is fed back continuously.
Since it is DC coupled, when Æ is not connected to the Bionic Lester, it can act as a standalone dual bi-polar mixer for cv or audio signals.
︎
Size 9HP
Depth 44mm (with power header)
Construction FR4, Analog SMD
Power +25/-20mA (quiescent)
Individual filter responses from Lester are normalled to two bi-polar mixers respectively, allowing for sculpting of new response types, which are available at the sum output. Each normalled connection to Lester can be overridden by patching an external signal to any of the mixer's inputs.
Each mixer's sum is normalled to a vca-controlled feedback path back into its respective filter's core. The operation of this feature is managed by each of the switches for each mixer. In the down position, no signal is fed back via the vca unless a control signal is present at the cv input (which expects unipolar signals, unity gain is roughly 5v). With no cv present, this switch acts as a master feedback path mute. When the switch is in the up position, a fixed bias is connected to the vca cv control and the mixer sum is fed back continuously.
Since it is DC coupled, when Æ is not connected to the Bionic Lester, it can act as a standalone dual bi-polar mixer for cv or audio signals.
︎
Size 9HP
Depth 44mm (with power header)
Construction FR4, Analog SMD
Power +25/-20mA (quiescent)
