The Livewire AFG is now available.

This sexy beast, which we previewed at the 2008 Winter NAMM Show Synthgasm, is probably the coolest modular synth oscillator ever designed. Livewire’s Mike Brown demo’d it for me at NAMM, and I left thinking that he was one of the nicest guys in the world of modular synths and that his designs were some of the most interesting that I’d seen in years.

And it’s got a Matter/Anti-Matter switch!

Check out the features on this bad boy:

Features

• 8 simultaneous waveform outputs
• A total of 27 distinct waveforms are possible
• Sub-octave with switchable square or sawtooth waveforms
• Unique Animated Pulse & Alien Saw waveforms
• Programmable ‘Natural’ or ‘Laboratory’ sine wave modes
• Alternate waveform set is activated on all outputs simultaneously with Matter/Anti-Matter switch
• Select between 2 different Anti-Matter waveform sets via pcb jumper
• 9 CV inputs, each with dedicated attenuators, with the exception of the two 1v/oct inputs
• 2 FM inputs, both switchable between linear & exponential
• Dedicated sync in/out

Harmonic Animation

The Harmonic Animation section of the AFG controls the harmonic content of the Animated Pulses & Alien Saws waveforms.

The Animated Pulses waveform is synthesized by four control parameters, each having a manual adjustment knob and CV input with dedicated attenuator:

• Positive Pulse Width Modulation (+PWM) –
  controls the width of the two pulses on the top (or positive) side of the waveform
• Negative Pulse Width Modulation (-PWM) –
  controls the width of the two pulses on the bottom (or negative) side of the waveform
• Positive Phase Position Modulation (+PPM) –
  controls the relative phase position of the two positive pulses (in relation to each other)
• Negative Phase Position Modulation (-PPM) –
  controls the relative phase position of the two negative pulses (in relation to each other)

The Alien Saws output is a bizarre, multi-toothed saw waveform that is derived from the Animated Pulses waveform. It’s harmonic content is also synthesized by the four control parameters of the Harmonic Animation section, but in different and more enigmatic ways.

Expandability

The Livewire Audio Frequency Generator is designed with expandability in mind. There are currently 3 new modules in the works, which are intended to further expand upon the AFG’s sound shaping capabilities:

X-Mod Controller

Provides 4 channels of fully routable cross-modulation between 2 AFGs… 2 channels in each direction. Each channel features manually or voltage controlled modulation depth.

Audio Compositor

Enables the user to coalesce harmonics from all 8 of the AFG’s output waveforms into a single mono or 2 stereo outputs. Eight channels of bi-polar, voltage controlled mixing determine amplitude & panning of each waveform in the stereo outputs or amplitude & phase inversion in the mono output.

Flux Capacitor

Allows the user to select between alternate universes accessed through the inter-dimensional portal that is activated by the Matter/Anti-Matter switch.

Universe A is strange. Universe B is even stranger. But we find that Universe C is completely malleable. Fortunately, the Flux Capacitor has been designed to provide panel-mounted manual and voltage controls over the fluid physics of this anomalous and pliable dimension.

via trash_audio