The Music Thing Modular Mini Drive

Music Thing Modular released a new DIY module earlier this year called the Mini Drive - a 4HP Drive/Distortion unit inspired by the classic Minimoog input gain. It's described as a "dirty gain for modular level" and also works with line level inputs, such as drum machines. They've just released the above video on how to patch it, expertly demonstrated and explained by Tom Whitwell. 

Here's what they have to say about the module itself: 

Using this module is a great way to make a polite sound source into something less polite, but always experiment with the levels! – the output can sound completely different depending on the settings and it can also be used to just add a nice bit of warmth to your input.

Mini Drive also works very well in feedback loops. The classic minimoog trick is taking the audio output and adding it back after the oscillators, before the filter through this circuit. So the filter is in a feedback loop which will add resonance and fuzz. If you patch one output directly to an input then you can achieve feedback tones. Another idea is to patch sound (radio music, or a Osc/env/filt voice) into 'low' and one output to the main out. Then patch the second out to a filter, or a delay or reverb, and the output from that back into 'high' then turn up and add what happens. If the feedback isn't wild, invert it with an attenuverter before going back into high.

A quick lowdown on the Mini Drive:

• Quick and easy beginner Kit.
• Entry level pricing.
• Exquisite analogue distortion!
• Charming incandescent bulb!

They've also made a build guide for the kit:

Find out more about the Mini Drive here: https://www.thonk.co.uk/shop/music-thing-minidrive/

• Bristronica 25: Music Thing Modular - Radio Music 28-Sep-25
• Superbooth 2016: Music Thing Modular Turing Machine and Prototypes 31-Mar-16
• Brighton Modular Meet 2015: Music Thing Modular 31-May-15