There are two suggested front panel designs.
The one on the left is the original two switch variant, while the
one on the right uses a single three position switch.
This is an upgrade of our four
stage OTA based phaser design, the Oakley Equinoxe. The original Equinoxe is a wonderfully lush and
smooth effect and similar in sound to the phaser used by Jean
Michel Jarre on the Oxygene and Equinoxe albums. But the Deep
Equinoxe goes further. An additional pair of double stages are
added, to give a total of six and eight stages respectively,
deepening the effect creating a very rich and animated sound.
The unit includes a useful
internal low frequency oscillator with accompanying bicolour LED.
The centre frequency of the phase shifter can also be controlled
by an external control voltage. Thus allowing envelope generators
to be used to sweep the phaser to create filter type effects.
Four front panel pots, and two ‘two position’ switches or one ‘three
position’ switch, control the module:
Frequency:
This pot controls the frequency of the two notches created by the
phase shift network.
Emphasis:
This pot accentuates the feedback signal within the phaser to
create a deeper effect.
Mod Depth: A
simple attenuator to adjust the level of the internal LFO or
incoming CV.
LFO rate: This
pot adjusts the speed of the LFO.
The number of stages used is
determined either by two ‘two position’ switches as my original
design, or by the newer design that uses a single three position
switch. For the two switch option the two switches are as follows:
Normal/Deep:
The top toggle switch selects between the classic four stage
Oakley Equinoxe mode and the Deep modes.
Deep Six/Deep Eight:
This lower toggle switch selects between six stage or eight stage
phasing when in Deep mode.
For the newer single switch
design, the switch simply selects between four, six or eight
stage modes directly. The single switch is more intuitive to use,
but uses a less common switch and is slightly more complex to
wire up.
The internal LFO produces a
triangle wave output which is also available from a front panel
socket, LFO OUT. This allows you to use the internal LFO for
other modulation purposes. The LFO signal is automatically routed
to the modulation depth pot when no jack is inserted in the CV IN
socket. The module features an on board jumper to select whether
the LFO OUT signal is inverted or non inverted compared to the
modulating signal.
The unit is designed to work
with standard MOTM/Oakley signal levels, although it could be
easily converted to be driven from other sources including an
electric guitar.
For DIY builders of this
module it is possible to purchase the Sock4 circuit board which
is available separately. This little board speeds up the wiring
of the four 1/4″ sockets and reduces the chances of any
wiring errors.
The Deep Equinoxe uses a
standard Equinoxe PCB (issue 5 or above) with the Deep Equinoxe
daughter board installed neatly above it. A simple six way 0.1″
interconnect joins the two boards together. Please note that the
Deep Equinoxe board cannot be easily retrofitted to older
Equinoxe boards.
Power (+/-15V) is provided to
the board either by our standard Oakley 4-way header or
Synthesizers.com header. Maximum current consumption is
approximately 50mA per rail.
The main board size is 143mm (high) x 72mm
(deep) and the Deep Equinoxe daughter board is 77mm (high) x 65mm
(wide).
The two switch version of the Deep Equinoxe
module in the MOTM format with a natural finish Schaeffer panel.
The Deep Equinoxe board fits on top of an issue 5 Equinoxe PCB.
Note also the use of the Sock4 socket board to help keep the
wiring to the sockets neat and tidy.
Sound Samples
Bass drone firstly in NORM (4 stage), SIX
and then EIGHT. Modulated by internal LFO set to a slowish speed.
Bass drone firstly in NORM (4 stage), SIX
and then EIGHT. Modulated by the internal LFO set to a faster
speed.
Simple riff firstly in NORM (4 stage), SIX
and then EIGHT. Modulated by an external envelope which sweeps
the frequency.
Simple sequence with triplet delay using
the internal LFO to modulate the phaser’s centre frequency.
Classic swirling chords
similar to that heard on the Jean-Michel Jarre Album ‘Equinoxe’.
This particular sample was played on a Korg Polysix with standard
string patch and ensemble mode on.The Deep Equinoxe is set to
NORM mode.
The Deep Equinoxe module built with the
single switch option. The special 1P3T switch selects between
four, six and eight stage modes.
Downloads
Construction
Guide Our handy guide to building
Oakley DIY projects
Parts
Guide Our handy guide to buying
parts for Oakley DIY projects.
Schematics are only available
to purchasers of the PCB and will be sent via e-mail when the
board(s) are shipped.
Use ‘save as…’ button to
download and view the files. IE users need to right hand mouse
click and then choose ‘save as’.
Front Panel database
A Schaeffer front panel can be made for
this module. The database can be found by downloading the
following link:
5U format (two
switch version) in traditional black
5U format (two
switch version) in natural finish
5U format (one
switch version) in traditional black
5U format (one
switch version) in natural finish
To read these files you will need
a copy of ‘Frontplatten designer’ from Schaeffer. The program also features on-line ordering, so its
now even easier to buy your panels from Scheaffer.
The company are based in Berlin in Germany
and will send out panels to anywhere in the world. Delivery to
the UK normally takes around ten days. For North American users
you can also order your Schaeffer panels from Front
Panel Express.
The Equinoxe main board connects to the
Sock4 socket board with an eight way 0.1″ Molex KK
interconnection. The Deep Equinoxe connects to the main board via
a six way 0.1″ header and socket system.
Back Home