DIY SYNTH VCO Part 2: How to control an oscillator with a voltage

Support the channel: In this series, I’m taking a detailed look at how to build an analog VCO from scratch, using just a handful of cheap components. It’s the basis for any synthesizer. To keep it as beginner-friendly as possible, I’m explaining what all the components do in detail. This second part is focused on adding CV capabilities to our oscillator core. Topics include NPN transistors, potentiometers and voltage addition. If you want to follow along, here’s a bill of materials: 1x BC548C Transistor 1x 4k Resistor 2x 10k Resistors 2x 100k Resistors 1x 100k Potentiometer 1x Audio Jack Socket (to connect your sequencer) Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:25 Wave Shape Fix 01:04 Frequency Basics 01:52 Lowering the Pitch 02:30 Resistance or Capacitance? 03:02 Capacitance – Drawbacks 03:30 Resistance – Advantages 04:12 NPN Transistor Basics 07:23 NPN Linear Region 08:48 Linear Region Drawbacks 10:27 V/Oct Basics 11:07 NPN Semi-Active Region 13:03 Installing the Transistor 13:46
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