Music Thing Modular - London Drive
Product information "Music Thing Modular - London Drive"
The London Drive is a 4HP Drive/Distortion module inspired by the prestigious EMS VCS3/Synthi input gain. London Drive has two inputs and two outputs. Output 2 is a reverse phase version of Output 1, with a slightly different sonic character as well. Unlike its sibling Mini Drive, the London Drive gain knob never goes completely silent, but instead ranges from a clean signal to warmly overdriven. The module works as a gritty drive for modular level signals and works well with line level inputs as well – like a drum machine. It’s not suited as an external input for guitar.
Using this module is a great way to make a polite sound source into something less polite, but always experiment with the levels! – the output can sound completely different depending on the settings and it can also be used to just add a nice bit of warmth to your input. London Drive also works very well with feedback loops – the dual inputs and differently phased outputs are designed to encourage experimentation with feedback patching.
While this module doesn’t have CV in, you can either put a VCA or a filter before to modify the amount of grime, or get more experimental and try blasting an LFO or a sequence into one input to see what it does to audio in the other input.
DIY-Kit-Type:
SMD-Kit-1. This is a Do-It-Yourself kit, not an assembled module. The kit includes all parts to build the module. All SMD parts are pre-soldered, only trough-hole parts to solder. For build guide, more info, videos etc. please check the buttons below.
Using this module is a great way to make a polite sound source into something less polite, but always experiment with the levels! – the output can sound completely different depending on the settings and it can also be used to just add a nice bit of warmth to your input. London Drive also works very well with feedback loops – the dual inputs and differently phased outputs are designed to encourage experimentation with feedback patching.
While this module doesn’t have CV in, you can either put a VCA or a filter before to modify the amount of grime, or get more experimental and try blasting an LFO or a sequence into one input to see what it does to audio in the other input.
DIY-Kit-Type:
SMD-Kit-1. This is a Do-It-Yourself kit, not an assembled module. The kit includes all parts to build the module. All SMD parts are pre-soldered, only trough-hole parts to solder. For build guide, more info, videos etc. please check the buttons below.
| Current draw +12 V [mA]: | 39 |
|---|---|
| DIY Level: | Easy |
| Depth [mm]: | 25 |
| Width [HP]: | 4 |
| Format: | 3U |
| Panel / Color: | Black FR4 |
Manufacturer "Music Thing Modular"
Eurorack Modular Synth format. They are designed in Herne Hill, London by Tom Whitwell.
I’m a former journalist and magazine editor (Mixmag & The Face). In the noughties I ran the Music Thing blog, before working at The Times. Got into DIY electronics after attending a workshop with Tom Bugs, reading Handmade Electronic Music, playing with Arduino and building guitar pedals.
Contacting me directly is rarely a quick way to get help with a project or a technical problem. GitHub issue lists are a good place to start (Turing Machine, Radio Music), a search of MW DIY will often find answers, as will looking at the Facebook Synth DIY group.
You can read more about Music Thing Modular and open source in this article: Why Open Source Music Hardware works for Music Thing Modular.
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