Flame Clockwork
I'd never tried this out before and I really enjoyed it. I used this to test out the CV control on the VCA aspect of the Metasonix R51. It will take an incoming MIDI Beat Clock and then convert that to 3 very manipulatable CV triggers. It also works as a MIDI to CV converter with a 5 octave range. I won't go into all that it can do as one can read about it on Analogue Haven's site or on Flame's own site as well. I could see myself adding this to the Eurorack one day as I've more rackspace than shelfspace right now.
Flight of Harmony (FoH) Plague Bearer & Choices Joystick/Gate Module
It's a good time to be into Modulars. So many new offerings these days. One of the newer purveyors is Flight of Harmony. I did not expect their 2nd offering to be a module that didn't actually make any noise! What you see here is a one-of-a-kind 'Choices' prototype complete with protective clear plastic on the joystick handle and a lovely 1st edition paper UPS label sticker adhered to a metal panel. Don't worry folks, this is just a fully functional demo model and the real deal will have a proper metal faceplate much like the lovely accompanying PB-1E Plague Bearer has.
So, another Joystick, right? Well, not really. One will note that 1/2 of the legends are printed upside-down no matter whether one chooses to have the "Choices" (get it?) with the cable sockets on top or the joystick on top. This panel layout allows a buyer to have free access to the joystick according to how their modular is set up. Don't like cables draping down on your joystick? Just mount the Choices with the jack sockets toward the bottom. You'll note that, regardless of whether you are right or left-handed, you can rock the joystick with whichever hand you choose and will still have a Gate trigger button available for the other hand to fire off. Lovely ergonomics here. This prototype hadn't had button caps put on it yet. The shipping version will have them. I've got 2 joysticks in my modular rig (3 if we count the Wretch Machine) and I will state that this is the highest quality joystick that I've yet to lay my hands upon. O.K., yeah; I haven't tested many joysticks and I've always been perfectly happy with the ones that I have. However, this one is a notch above in quality and smoothness. It certainly won't droop or sag.
Plague Bearer
This is the original modular offering from FoH. If you don't know this module (also available in a Bad-Ass Black Frac unit) then you are missing out. It does quite a few things besides being an all-around Satanic FSU (Fuck Shit Up) module. If you turn the Gain all of the way up (or to at least 3 o'clock) and the Input all of the way down, it generates some wonderful sounding, weighted, noise; noise that is definitely toward the 'dark' side of the spectrum. It's possible to change the timbre by sweeping the "High" and "Low" pots. High & Low are misnomers to a degree, but you can read about that on the FoH site.
Should one feel inclined to run audio through the PB, get ready for mayhem. It is a king amongst FSU modules. I got one of the few double-wide PBs and I can't imagine not having 2 of them. Cascading one into the other and using the outputs of one unit to go into the various inputs of the other is a treat & a possible pathway to insanity, the skies raining blood or cats and dogs playing together & tickling bunnies.
FutureRetro Orb
Look at how small it is! I mean, it's small now! Get it? It's smaller. I left my hand in there for an idea of scale but then realized that the MIDI connectors already did that for me. I did like the spongy-feeling ball bearings used as switches. It reminded me of the ball bearings in the Genoqs Octopus, except that... wait for it... these ball-bearings are 1/3rd the size. a.k.a. they are small. I had heard that the Orb would forego the CV/Gate/Accent controls. I'm glad to see that they are still there.
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