The Poly Unison module allows monophonic pitch and gate CVs from a keyboard or sequencer to control a "stack" of up to 16 detuned voices playing in unison. The amount of detune can be adjusted manually or controlled externally via the CV input and bipolar attenuator.
Playing a stack of detuned oscillators is a classic trick for creating massively thick sounds! To create the infamous super-saw waveform heard in so many EDM hits, connect the Pitch output to the Poly Keyb CV input of a Poly Oscillator module and add a healthy dose of detune. The Poly Oscillator’s saw-wave output will now be a nice fat super-saw!
Inputs, Outputs and Controls
Keyb CV In jack- Receives pitch CV signals from a keyboard or sequencer. Typically this will be connected to the Pitch jack in the CV Outs section of the I/O panel or the CV output of a sequencer.
Gate In jack- Receives gate CV signals from a keyboard or sequencer. This is usually connected to the Gate jack in the CV Outs section of the I/O panel or the gate output of a sequencer.
Detune CV jack and attenuator- CV input jack for externally controlling the amount of detune. The attenuator for this input is a bipolar knob. When at its center position, the detune amount will not be affected by voltage received at this input. When turned to the right, positive voltage received will increase the amount of detune while negative voltage will decrease it. When turned to the left, the CV signal is inverted so that positive voltage will decrease the detune amount and negative voltage will increase it.
Detune- Spreads the tuning of the voices equally above and below the input pitch while keeping the perceived note constant. If the Number of Voices is set to one, the detune knob will have no effect. When set to two, increasing the detune amount will lower the pitch of the first voice while equally raising the pitch of the second voice. If set to three voices, the first will be detuned lower, the second will be in tune, and the third will be tuned higher. As more voices are added, their pitches are evenly spread between the lowest and highest voices.
Number of Voices- Shows the number of voices that will be "stacked" in unison and output from the Poly Out jacks. This can be adjusted with the Number of Voices setting in the Poly CV Outs section of the I/O panel and will affect all poly modules in Voltage Modular.
Pitch Poly Out jack- "Poly" CV output to control the pitch of a Poly Oscillator module. This jack will output pitch CVs for multiple voices playing the same note in unison. The pitch of the voices can be detuned from one another using the Detune knob.
Gate Poly Out jack- This "poly" jack outputs a gate CV signal for each stacked voice. This will typically be patched to the Gate In jack of a Poly Envelope Generator to control a Poly Amplifier or Poly Filter module.