WMD SSF — Crater

• Manual PDF

Download the WMD Crater Manual (PDF)

WMD Crater: Creative Modulation Approaches

Let’s explore the WMD Crater—an earth-shattering hybrid kick drum module—focusing on modulation tricks to coax out extreme distortion, wild bass, and haunting pads from this drum beast.

1. Distorted Percussive Sounds

• Saturation CV: Patch an LFO or envelope (fast, steep shapes work best) into the Saturation CV input. Use wide swings into positive and negative voltage to get variable amounts of clipping and grit. Try sequencer-triggered envelopes for shifting distortion per hit.

  • Tip: Negative CV will attenuate the signal, great for sudden drops or weird “thudding” effects.

• Clipping Switch:

  • Middle Position: Modulates in as the decay proceeds—great for kicks that decay from crunchy to clean.
  • Right Position: Leaves the circuit fully clipped—this is straight-up gabber/noise territory.

• Click Timbre & Level:

  • Use CV switches/sequencer outputs into click-related parameters. Fast switching and/or sample & hold modulation through the 14 available timbres can get glitchy, IDM-style percussion.

• Pitch Envelope Amount + Decay:

  • Max out both for laser/rave percussion; sequence the Decay for pseudo-909 “rat-tat-tat” effects.

2. Crazy Basslines (Dubstep/Drum & Bass)

• Sustain Mode:

  • Patch a gate/keyboard/sequencer into Trigger and activate Sustain—now you have a beefy synth voice!
  • Sequence melodies using the 1V/OCT input.

• Modulate Pitch Envelope:

  • Use stepped/random CV to Pitch Envelope Amount or Pitch Decay for wobbly, popping bass.

• Combine Saturation + Clipping:

  • Use intense envelope or LFO modulation on Saturation while in max clip mode for bristling, digital overdriven bass.

• Accentuate:

  • Alternate between regular and accented triggers to alternate between “clean” and “rowdy” bass notes.

3. Haunting Atmospheric Pads

• Long Decay:

  • Max out the Decay (oscillator portion) to let tones bloom and fade.
  • Use a continuous gate for Sustain—now modules like Crater can hold out notes for pad-like drones.

• Pitch Modulation:

  • Slow, evolving LFOs to Pitch and Pitch Envelope Amount create eerie, subtle movement in the pad sound.

• Click Decay/Level:

  • Set Click Level low and add some white-noise character with Click Timbre at longer decays for atmospheric “shimmer.”

• Saturation Wandering:

  • Slow random/slewed CV on Saturation adds lo-fi, old-tape instability.

• Atmospheric Tricks:

  • Pair Crater with reverb and chorus modules after its output for lush, “breathing” kicks.

Bonus Patch Examples

Distorted Kick Arp 1. Envelope (from sequencer) to Saturation CV 2. LFO (medium-fast) to Pitch Envelope Amount 3. Set to max Clipping 4. Experiment with different Click Timbres per step

Dubstep Reece Bass 1. Gate/keyboard/sequencer to Trigger + 1V/OCT 2. Envelope to Saturation 3. LFO to Pitch Decay 4. Max Sustain 5. (Optional) Sequence Clipping and/or accent inputs per step

Haunted Drone 1. Hold gate high at Trigger; modulate Pitch with slow LFO 2. Slowly modulate Sustain and Decay for subtle bloom/fade 3. Set Click Level low, long Click Decay 4. Gentle LFO on Saturation 5. Feed output to long, dark reverb

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