wmd-crater

WMD Crater

Analog punch meets digital polish in one kick

8 HP Eurorack module

Crater is an analog/digital hybrid bass drum module that combines a 909-style analog triangle core oscillator with a digital attack layering section. The analog side delivers pitch envelopes, sustain staging, and 1V/oct tracking for everything from snappy kicks to 808-style basslines, while the digital Timbre and Click Decay controls add polished layered attack sounds inspired by classic drum machines. Together they produce a kick that cuts through the mix with high-frequency presence while remaining powerful in the low end.

Features

  • Analog triangle core oscillator with temperature compensation
  • 909-style pitch envelope for snappy transients to laser sweeps
  • Sustain stage allows gate length to control kick length independently of decay setting
  • 1V/oct pitch tracking for melodic bass sequencing
  • 3 rear-selectable clipping styles for different analog saturation characters
  • Continuous Saturation knob for dialing in analog grit
  • Extra long VCA envelope for big bass booms and rolling techno kicks
  • Digital attack section with Timbre knob covering classic drum machine inspired sounds
  • Click Decay control adds delayed noise simulating loose lugs and acoustic room effects
  • All inputs 100k ohm impedance with Schmitt Trigger gate inputs (2V threshold)
  • Output impedance 390 ohm
  • Rear-selectable output level: 23Vpp (0dB default) or -3dB clipped to 19Vpp

Controls & Jacks (20)

  • Pitch— Controls the pitch of the analog triangle core oscillator with pitch envelope for 909-like attacks
  • Click Decay— Shapes the digital attack while adding delayed noise to simulate acoustic room effects
  • Amount— Controls the amount of analog saturation applied to the kick signal
  • Decay— Controls the decay time of the amplitude envelope for the main kick body
  • Click Timbre— Digital section control that dials in different attack sounds inspired by classic drum machines
  • Sustain— Sets the sustain level that Crater will maintain as long as the gate is high, allowing gate-length sequencing of kick duration
  • Pitch Decay— Controls the decay time of the pitch envelope
  • Click LVL CV— CV input for click level amount
  • Click Timbre CV— CV input for digital attack timbre modulation
  • Output— Main audio output of the kick drum (23Vpp default, rear-selectable to -3dB clipped 19Vpp)
  • 1V/OCT— 1V/octave pitch CV input for melodic kick tuning
  • Saturation CV— CV input for saturation amount
  • Trigger— Trigger input to initiate kick drum
  • Pitch Decay CV— CV input for pitch envelope decay time
  • Accent— CV input for accent/velocity response
  • Click Level— Controls the level of the digital click/attack component
  • Clipping— Three-position switch selecting clipping mode: off, soft clip, or hard clip for analog saturation character
  • Saturation— Continuous saturation input for dialing in the perfect amount of analog grit and clipping
  • Sustain CV— CV input for sustain level
  • Gate— Gate input with 2V threshold Schmitt trigger for sustain sequencing

How-To Guides

  • Classic 909 Kick
  • 808 Hip Hop Bassline
  • Rolling Techno Kick
  • Disco Tom
  • Snappy Electronic Kick
  • CV Modulated Pitch Sweep
  • Acoustic Room Kick
  • Timbre Live Performance Sweep
  • Saturation Grit Dialing

Explore the interactive Crater panel on BleepDex — tap any control to learn what it does.

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