industrial-music-electronics-bionic-lester-mk3

Industrial Music Electronics Bionic Lester Mk III

Dual morphing multimode filter with overdrive and comb madness

15 HP Eurorack module

Bionic Lester Mark III is a dual digital multimode filter with a digital overdrive VCA, capable of classic subtractive lowpass filtering, multimode morphing, and advanced comb/allpass delay line effects. Its smooth mode crossfade, stereo and series routing options, and per-filter gain staging make it a versatile and characterful filter for everything from warm analog-style sweeps to gnarly digital textures and Karplus-Strong-style string resonance.

Features

  • Dual 2-pole (-12dB/octave) state-variable digital filters with smooth mode morphing
  • Five filter modes per filter: Low Pass, Band Pass, High Pass, Band Reject (Notch), All Pass / Comb
  • Digital overdrive VCA input stage with soft and hard clipping
  • Per-filter gain/overdrive control with display inversion indication when clipping is active
  • Allpass and positive/negative feedback comb filter modes with delay line control
  • Three CV inputs per filter section (CV1 hardwired to cutoff, CV2 and CV3 freely assignable)
  • Attenuverter on CV1 with nonlinear curve for subtle or full-swing modulation without external amplification
  • CV input range +/-10V, musically optimized for +/-5V typical range
  • Filter Link modes: Independent, A CTL (dual peak), Series, 4POLE, Stereo
  • Input A normaled to Filter B for easy parallel processing without extra patch cables
  • Mix output with blend of Filter A and B outputs; center position yields 3-pole output in 4POLE mode
  • 8-slot preset manager with nonvolatile EEPROM storage (survives firmware upgrades)

Controls & Jacks (29)

  • Overdrive— Controls input stage attenuation and introduces soft clipping when turned past center position
  • A Mode— Smooth morphable filter mode control transitioning from Low Pass through High Pass, Band Pass, Band Reject, and Comb modes
  • A Resonance— Emphasizes frequencies around the cutoff frequency; in comb mode controls feedback amount
  • B CV 2 Attenuverter— Smooth morphable filter mode control transitioning from Low Pass through High Pass, Band Pass, Band Reject, and Comb modes
  • LINK— Enables linking modes (A CTL, Series, 4Pole, Stereo) and accesses CV assignment menu when held with encoder
  • A CV 3 Input— Freely assignable control voltage input (cutoff, gain, resonance, or mode) via menu
  • B Cutoff CV Input— Freely assignable control voltage input (cutoff, gain, resonance, or mode) via menu
  • Preset CV Attenuverter— Emphasizes frequencies around the cutoff frequency; in comb mode controls feedback amount
  • A Output— Audio input for Filter A; normaled to Filter B input when Filter B input is unpatched
  • B CV 3 Input— Control voltage input for preset selection and morphing; behavior configurable via CTL preset setting
  • B Output— Audio input for Filter B; receives normaled signal from Filter A output in parallel routing modes
  • A Cutoff CV Attenuverter— Primary control for filter cutoff frequency; in comb mode displays delay line length
  • A CV 2 Input— Filtered audio output from Filter A
  • Encoder
  • Mix Output— Blended output of both filters controlled by Mix knob; 3-pole output in 4Pole mode
  • Mix— Controls blend ratio between Filter A and Filter B outputs
  • B Cutoff— Primary control for filter cutoff frequency; in comb mode displays delay line length
  • B Mode— Selects and edits menu items, presets, and parameters; press button to confirm selections
  • Gain— Controls input stage attenuation and introduces soft clipping when turned past center position
  • A Cutoff CV Input— Freely assignable control voltage input (cutoff, gain, resonance, or mode) via menu
  • A Cutoff
  • A Input— Control voltage input always assigned to Filter A cutoff frequency with attenuverter
  • B CV 2 Input— Freely assignable control voltage input (cutoff, gain, resonance, or mode) via menu
  • A CV 2 Attenuverter— Attenuverter for preset CV input; behavior determined by CTL preset configuration
  • B Input— Control voltage input always assigned to Filter B cutoff frequency with attenuverter
  • B Resonance
  • Preset CV Input— Filtered audio output from Filter B
  • Display— Shows filter mode position, menu options, preset number, and clipping indicator; auto-off after 10 minutes of inactivity
  • Preset/Edit— Toggles Preset Manager on/off and enters Morph mode when pressed again; hold with encoder to access preset menu

How-To Guides

  • Save a Preset
  • Save All Presets to Memory
  • Load a Preset
  • Reload Presets from Memory
  • Initialize Current Preset
  • Factory Reset
  • Randomize a Sound
  • Classic Lowpass Filter Sweep
  • Dual Peak Stereo Filter
  • 4-Pole Aggressive Filter
  • Guitar String Resonator / Karplus-Strong
  • Overdrive Into Filter

Explore the interactive Bionic Lester Mk III panel on BleepDex — tap any control to learn what it does.

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