Sextuple Quadraphonic Spatial Director

US Kilpatrick Audio and A Yellow Sine introduce a new Buchla-format module      08/11/21

A collaboration between electronic music instrument designers Kilpatrick Audio and A Yellow Sine, the Sextuple Quadraphonic Spatial Director, or SQSD, is a fully analog performance-oriented joystick controller and quadraphonic panning mixer. Here's their description of it...

The SQSD combines six joysticks capable of generating control voltage with a six-input equal panning mixer, allowing for intuitive and fun direction of spatial sound in both stereo and quadraphonic speaker configurations. It's the ultimate hands-on mixer for electronic musicians looking to take their performances to the next level.

Each of the six joysticks generate two control voltage signals: one for each axis of motion. These CV outputs can modulate parameters on compatible voltage-controlled electronic music equipment. A Banana to Minijack Adapter kit is available to connect the SQSD to 3.5mm control voltage destination or sources. Using the joysticks to control the location of a sound source is intuitive and fun, and the SQSD makes this easy by incorporating six channels of quadraphonic panning.

Quadraphonic sound involves the use of four speakers to create an immersive listening experience in which sounds can move around the listener, from front to back, side to side and everywhere in between. It's the most accessible form of what's called spatial or surround sound since it only requires four speakers.

Two dedicated location control inputs are available for each of the six channels. You can connect control voltage signals from a sequencer, envelope or LFO to these inputs, but the joysticks are a nice, natural fit. If you want to move a sound to the rear left-side, just move the joystick to the rear-left side. Want to make a sound rotate around the room? Just rotate the joystick and the sound will follow.

The twelve joystick CV outputs and location control inputs are grouped together, and can be easily patched with shorting bars. Convenient DIP switches on the back of the unit normalize these connections without the need for any patching.

DIP switches also allow for the selection of either 0 to 10V or -5V to +5V CV ranges for the location control inputs.

The last part of the SQSD is the mixer section. Up to six channels of sound can become part of the quadraphonic or stereo spatial direction, with each channel having its own dedicated level control and LED indicator light. There's a main mix output control as well with LEDs for each of the four outputs.

While the SQSD can integrate seamlessly with an existing Buchla-format setup, a self-contained, powered enclosure option is also available. This allows for quadraphonic panning right out of the box, with no additional hardware required. This highly portable option may appeal to existing modular users, as case-mounted joysticks are rarely positioned ergonomically.

Pricing and Availability:
 $1,750 USD or $2,250 USD with the custom-made, powered enclosure. Limited quantities are available for pre-order with an approximate ship date of January 2022. Worldwide shipping is available.

More information:

• SQSD

 

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