Studio Electronics Boomstar Modular System Modstar 5089 Filter Module

Studio Electronics 5089 filter is a voltage-controlled discrete analog 24 dB/octave transistor ladder low pass filter employing hand-matched transistors. Studio Electronics' ladder low pass filter — a subtractive analog sound synthesis foundation — in its lowest FREQUENCY setting removes, or cuts off, higher frequency harmonics; its RESONANCE or Q circuit emphasizes those harmonics to the point of 'squealy,' giddy self-oscillation, tracking the keyboard in its FULL setting quite nicely if seeking an alternative sine wave.

5089 has the roundest, slickest tone of all the Boomstar filters. Go easy on it and round, creamy buttery flavors wrap the oscillators in earthy warmth; smash it and a meaty, satisfying overdrive and a maximum harvest of vintage 1960s and 1970s organic-sounding, second-order harmonic distortion fill the plate. Every setting is balanced and bountiful. Looking for traditional R&B baselines and leads? Focus here on the rich saturation of this benchmark filter and its symmetrical cascades of generation-stretching timbres. All Boomstar Modular filters are hand-built in the USA. Pick-and-place all the way!

Potentiometer potential
Seven attenuation pots control the FREQUENCY, RESONANCE, FREQ CV 1, RESO CV, FREQ CV 2, INPUT and OUTPUT, delivering smooth, detailed and complex expression.

Switch it up
Classic Minimoog FULL and HALF strength filter frequency keyboard/voltage tracking for rounder low end with brilliant highs.

Patch it up
Seven patch points — 1 V/O, FREQ CV 1, FREQ CV 2, RESO CV, INPUT and 2x OUTPUT — direct the deepest manipulation.

• Module controls
• FREQUENCY knob: adjusts the frequency (or 'cutoff') of the filter.
• RESONANCE knob: adjusts the resonance (or 'Q') of the filter. (From 7:00 (0) position to 9:00, Studio Electronics' 'Negative Resonance Saturation' adds beefiness, boosting the waveform amplitude and taming waveform transients; set to 9:00 to achieve the cleanest tone possible.)
• FULL/HALF TRACK switch: switch between full and half keyboard/voltage tracking.
• FREQ CV 1 knob: frequency control voltage 1 input attenuverters.
• RESO CV knob: resonance control voltage input attenuverters.
• FREQ CV 2 knob: frequency control voltage 2 input attenuverters.
• INPUT knob: adjusts the audio input level.
• OUTPUT knob: adjusts the audio output level.
• Patch points
• 1 V/O input: one volt per octave control voltage input.
• FREQ CV 1 input: frequency control voltage 1 input.
• FREQ CV 2 input: frequency control voltage 2 input.
• RESO CV input: resonance control voltage input.
• INPUT: audio input.
• OUTPUT (x2): audio outputs.
• Physical specifications
• Size: 12hp
• Module depth: 39.7mm (with ribbon cable attached)
• Power usage: 40mA @ +12V, 28mA @ -12V