Erfurt

Erfurt aka “1989 Phase Akkumulator” – this module with the nice star-trekky name may be used as counter, clock and (audio) frequency divider and is a Part of Xaoc Devices Leibniz Family.

Another name for Erfurt is „binary counter“. Same as with the rest of the Leibniz Subsystem, this is a deep dive into the foundation of digital technology. Simply said in modular world we know these units as „power of 2“ (2,4,8,16…128) clock divider. Used independently, without other Leibniz modules, this is Erfurt’s main application. Since it is built from so called CMOS logic ICs, it can be driven at a very high rate. This makes it suitable for low frequency clock and rhythmical applications, audio rate frequency (octave) divisions and maybe also for high frequency (100+ khz) video synthesis mangling.

What sets this module apart from other binary counters in Eurorack are its up (CLOCK INC.) and down (CLOCK DEC.) counting signal inputs. This corresponds to „mathematical“ vs. „musical“ division. From a musical point of view, the first clock pulse activates all outputs/divisions on the first beat (the 1), while the other makes the outputs go high in sequence when their assigned (number) value is reached.

You can use both of them at the same time plus there is a reset input. This generates a wide field for experimentation:

Feed it two different synced clocks and another, slower one to the reset input for easy to achieve yet more complex divisions/rhythms. Feed it two gate sequences and optional reset for even more fun. Generally speaking the division result will be the difference of events at the two clock inputs, but this is only a technical explanation of what really happens. Lastly try to feed it two pulse-oscillators – synced or unsynced – and hear the results. Modulate the pulsewidth of the VCOs and see what happens…

Xaoc’s module was conceived as part of the Leibniz subsystem. On its back the module has a connector for interconnections with Jena, Drezno, Lipsk and so on. Please refer to the manual, as all of the myriads of applications are explained there.

This simple utility-tool greatly expands the possibilities of your system. If you like experimenting – especially if you have Leibniz modules – it is almost a must have. In any case, be it „standalone“ or in conjunction with other Xaoc modules, Erfurt is a great addition to many Eurorack systems.