01 Maths — The 10

Width

20 HP

Depth

24 mm

+12V

60 mA

-12V

50 mA

Price

~$290

Review

There is no module more universally recommended than Maths. It descends directly from the Buchla 281 and the Serge DUSG, distilling decades of West Coast synthesis philosophy into a single 20HP panel. The famous "Maths Illustrated Supplement" documents over 30 distinct patches, but long-time users will tell you they're still finding new ones.

At its core, Maths is an analog computer for voltage. Channels 1 and 4 are full function generators — capable of producing envelopes from 2ms snaps to 25-minute glacial sweeps — while channels 2 and 3 are precision attenuverters. The SUM and OR buses take it further, combining these signals into complex CV relationships that would otherwise require a stack of dedicated modules.

The Vari-Response control is where Maths becomes truly expressive: sweep continuously from logarithmic through linear to exponential response curves without patching. Flip the CYCLE switch and either function generator becomes a free-running oscillator, syncable and voltage-controllable. A system of nothing but Maths could technically function as a complete synthesizer. That's not hyperbole — it's documented.

Key Features

Dual function generators with continuously variable waveshape from logarithmic through linear to exponential (Vari-Response)
Cycle time range from 2ms to 25+ minutes per cycle — usable as envelopes, LFOs, slew limiters, and audio-rate VCOs
Internal SUM and OR analog logic buses with inverted SUM output for complex CV mixing and waveshaping
Voltage-controllable CYCLE mode with buffered End-of-Cycle and End-of-Rise outputs for self-patching and clock division
Two precision attenuverter channels with unity gain for signal inversion, offset, and crossfading

TECH

Fully analog signal path. All outputs are buffered and can accurately drive a 4-way multiple. The revised version added voltage-controllable CYCLE input, inverted SUM output, LED indication for SUM bus and EoR/EoC states, and reverse power protection.