DIY Edges (Black Magpie Panel)

4 channels of digital logic bliss, with love from the 8-bit era. Enough with the analog, warm and organic.

Edges is a module strictly focused on the straight lines, sharp edges, and clinical harsh modulations of digital logic.

Its architecture is loosely based on classic 8-bit console soundchips, providing 4 simple voltage-controlled voices. Each voice consists of a digital oscillator with two pitch CV inputs and a coarse pitch knob, with a gate input allowing the voice to be turned on/off without the need for an external VCA. The 4 channels are sent to an onboard mixer – making Edges easy to use for chord generation or heavy drone synthesis applications.

The full kit includes everything you need, including the ATMEGA processor.

The processor in this kit needs to be flashed by the builder.

PCB + Panel Bundle includes the panel and the synthCube PCB (blue PCB material and immersion gold finish).

Edges Features

3 Square/pulse generators

• Aliasing-free digital synthesis, based on a 4 MHz digital timer.
• 5 preset duty cycles settings, from 50% to 95%, or CV-controlled PWM.

1 Noise and triangle generator

• 48kHz, 12-bit DAC without reconstruction filter for a raw sound.
• Triangle, bitcrushed sine, steppy NES triangle or various flavours of LSFR noise.

Advanced features

• Optional semitone quantizer on the pitch CV input.
• Per-channel mini step sequencer (8 steps) – perfect for creating rapid fire arpeggios. When the sequencer is active, the GATE input works instead as a CLOCK input.

Specifications

• 20hp wide
• 25mm deep
• +12V current: 70mA
• -12V current: 20mA
• Input impedances: 100k.
• CV acquisition: 4kHz, 12-bit.
• Channel 1 to 3: 4MHz, 1-bit.
• Channel 4: 48kHz, 12-bit.