Befaco Pony VCO
Analog through-zero oscillator with wavefolder and VCA in 4HP
4 HP Eurorack module
Pony VCO is a fully analog Through-Zero oscillator with integrated wavefolder and dedicated VCA in only 4HP. Built around a Sound Semiconductors IC core, it offers exceptional tuning stability, TZ-FM for rich phase-cancellation timbres, wavefolding and PWM for harmonic complexity, hard sync, and LFO-range operation. Its musical character ranges from clean, stable tones to wildly complex folded and FM textures.
Features
- Fully analog Through-Zero Frequency Modulation (TZ-FM) oscillator core
- Based on Sound Semiconductors IC for stability and tracking accuracy
- 8-octave range accuracy on 1V/OCT input
- Seven-octave range via Oct selector (C1 to C7)
- Four range settings on Freq knob: Full, Octave, Semitone, LFO
- Four waveforms: Sine, Triangle, Ramp, Square
- Integrated wavefolder (Timbre) for Sine, Triangle, and Ramp waveforms
- Bipolar PWM control (Timbre) when Square waveform is selected
- Hard Sync input for waveform reset and ripping tones
- Dedicated internal linear VCA with CV input (0-8V unipolar)
- Timbre CV input for voltage control over wavefolding or PWM
- TZ-FM input is AC coupled (minimum signal frequency 15mHz) for pitch stability when combined with V/OCT
Controls & Jacks (14)
- 1V/OCT — Calibrated frequency CV Input with 8 octave range accuracy. Voltage is summed to Oct selector, Freq control, and TZ-FM Input. 10Vp-p voltage
- VCA CV — Amplitude control input for the internal VCA circuit. Unipolar control. 0-8V voltage range.
- SYNC — Hard Sync Input. Forces the core to reset its cycle. 10Vp-p bipolar voltage range.
- Timbre CV — Voltage control over Timbre. The voltage applied to this input is summed to the current position of the Timbre control. 10Vp-p voltage range
- OUT — VCO main signal output. Voltage range 10Vp-p (bipolar).
- Freq — Manual tuning control of the VCO. Its behavior is affected by the Range switch below.
- TZ-FM — Through Zero Frequency Modulation Input. 10Vp-p bipolar voltage range. AC coupled with 15mHz minimum frequency.
- Shape — Selects between four available waveforms: Sine, Triangle, Ramp, and Square.
- Oct — Sets the frequency of the VCO in octave jumps. Covers seven octaves from C1 to C7 with Freq control at centre. 0 position marks the fifth oc
- Timbre — Controls the amount of wave folding applied to the signal. With Square wave selected, turns into a bipolar PWM control.
- Range — Sets the frequency range of the Freq control. Four settings: Full, Octave, Semitone, and LFO.
- LFO
- V/OCT — Calibrated frequency CV Input with 8 octave range accuracy. Voltage is summed to Oct selector, Freq control, and TZ-FM Input. 10Vp-p voltage
- VCA — Amplitude control input for the internal VCA circuit. Unipolar control. 0-8V voltage range.
How-To Guides
- Basic Pitched Tone Setup
- Wavefolder Harmonic Sweep
- Through-Zero FM Bell Tones
- Hard Sync Ripping Lead
- PWM String and Chorus Effect
- Self-Contained Pluck Voice
- Amplitude Modulation (AM) Synthesis
- LFO Modulation Source
- TZ-FM Formant Sweep with Envelope
Explore the interactive Pony VCO panel on BleepDex — tap any control to learn what it does.
