I CAN HEAR YOU… Ears is Mutable Instruments’ take on Tom Whitwell’s open-source Mikrophonie module – a contact microphone and amplifier. A large palette of organic, physical sounds can be generated by scratching, tapping, and more generally collecting any kind of acoustic waves surrounding your modular case – even speaker feedback. With its built-in envelope follower and gate detector, it can also be the gateway between external audio sources and your modular system. Ears for your modular Built-in contact microphone soldered right under the front panel, turning the panel and your entire case into a microphone. Increasingly spaced ridges on the panel, generating sonically interesting pulses or impulse combs when rubbed. Strike, pick or scratch digital resonators like Rings, Elements or the 4ms SMR. High-quality amplification stage suitable for external contact microphones, electro-acoustic instruments like guitars, or plain line-level signals. Extending the Mikrophonie Compared to the Mikrophonie, Ears has additional outputs: Envelope follower, translating the decaying amplitude profile of a tap into an envelope CV. Gate detector, translating taps into gate signals. Envelope follower and gate detector can process external signals. Specifications Audio amplifier with 1M input impedance, up to 40dB of gain. External input bypassing the built-in contact microphone. Envelope follower with 3 preset attack and release times (adjustable by jumper). Gate detector with 3 preset sensitivity levels (adjustable by jumper) and +8V gate output. Three indicator LEDs: amplifier clipping (red), envelope follower level (white), gate detector activity (orange).
