The K!SS Drum module uses Karplus-Strong Synthesis to generate a staggering variety of drum sounds.  The standard kit sounds are all there, as well as steel drums, claves, shakers – not to mention the wild and weird synth sounds.

To use it, attach an envelope with a short attack and short decay – no sustain – to the input.  This module is *very* responsive to differences in amplitude, so make sure you have some kind of variable gate attached to the envelope as well.

The envelope curve sends a burst of filtered noise into a filtered feedback loop that is then sent to the output through yet another filter, which is switchable between 12 (blue) and 24 (red) dB/octave with the toggle switch.

The four controls on the left are the main tone shaping controls.  The first two knobs going down are the Resonance and Filter Hz of the initial noise burst.  The two knobs below those are the Resonance and Filter Hz of the feedback loop.

The response of the Filter Hz knobs is exponential, with 12 o’clock being about 1kHz, with fully open being 10kHz.

The output filter’s response is also exponential, but its maximum range is 0-20kHz.

This module responds *very* well to additional envelopes and LFOs controlling its parameters.  They all have their own flavor when modulated, but the second one down (the initial burst’s Filter Hz) is the most animated.

There are certain settings that will cause runaway feedback, but they have a very minimal range.  The feedback is hard-limited internally by a clamp function.  When the clamp is engaged, a red light under the feedback loop’s Filter Hz knob is triggered.  This is really meant as an indicator only – it does not mean “bad sound” it just means it’s being digitally clipped.  This module can go from sweet, round, and sizzly, to growling, shrieking, a yawping – and everywhere in between.

The output filter is excellent for controlling the excess of high frequencies that build up in the feedback loop and add an additional stage of tone shaping.

The output of this module is an Alternating Signal (AS), as all audio outputs should be.