Oakley Journeyman2 VCF

The Oakley Journeyman2 VCF DIY kit includes everything you need to build the module- panel, pcb, sock4 jack pcb, panel and pcb components etc

component kit excludes the panel, pcbs, panel parts

If our Transistor Superladder and SVF are well behaved perfect sounding filters, then this one is the rude boy of filter design. Its completely unlinear response and discrete circuitry gives it a unique sound of its own. Partially modeled after a classic Japanese filter design from the mid to late 1970s, the Journeyman can be configured in either -6dB/octave high pass or -12dB/octave low pass modes by the flicking of a switch. When two of these VCFs are used together, one in HP and the other in LP, then the effect is astounding.

The filter heart is made entirely from a single ended discrete design and uses four matching diodes as the control elements. The filter behaves differently depending on the input signal level hence the 'drive' pot on the front panel. Turning this up allows the filter to be overdriven. At full resonance the filter will oscillate across most of the audio band.

The design is intended to fit into a 1U wide 'filter-core' module or a more fully featured 2U wide panel with seven control pots.

The 1U 'Filter Core' format is our way of handling filter modules. Although the 1U module can be used as a filter module on its own, it is expected that users will make use of external mixers to control CV and audio levels going into the filter. In this way, you will be able to have a collection of space saving 1U filter cores that can be used with any generic mixer module. The popular Oakley Multimix is the perfect choice for such a mixer module.

For the 2U design three audio inputs are provided each with its own attenuator. Three CVs can control the cut-off of the filter. One is fixed at approximately 1V/octave, the other two have input attenuators. CV2 features a reversible type attenuator with inverting/non-inverting properties.

Issue 2 of the Journeyman is a significant update to the original issue 1 design with, amongst other things, improvements to setting up, less CV breakthrough and better power supply noise rejection.