Error Instruments Passive Operator is a bizarre, noisy portable drum Synthesizer that doesn’t require power to make sound.
Electronic instruments, as the name suggests, require electricity to become active. The power comes directly from the socket, via a battery, or, modernly, via USB-C. The boutique manufacturer Landscape, known for the HC-TT or Stereo Field, showed with Noon a wild, experimental drum Synthesizer that works entirely passively, thus without electricity.
This is possible thanks to a unique circuit triggered and powered by incoming gates or CV provided by voltage sequencers or modular systems. Paul from Error Instruments also explores this concept in his new Synthesizer box, Passive Operator.
Error Instruments Passive Operator
Passive Operator is a small, inconspicuous box with a lot of wild sound in it. Error Instruments describes it as a “one-of-a-kind drum Synthesizer that operates without needing an external power supply.
It’s housed in a sturdy bricky format box made of solid aluminum with four potentiometers and 23 sockets. It has a dedicated input section for inputting electronic components and a touchpad.
Like Noon, the Passive Operator relies on an all-passive analog design and makes sound with triggers, gates, and control voltages (CV) from other gear.
The power required to produce the sound is taken solely from the external signals. A miracle of technology or just the simple proof that current really flows in the CV/trigger/gate connections.
It goes into the Passive Operator circuit via the two input sockets labeled “WTF in 2x” on the left side. These accept CV, gate, trigger, and even audio signals. The sensitivity of these inputs allows for precise control and modulation, enabling users to create intricate rhythmic patterns and dynamic soundscapes.
Patching & Exploring
Then, there is a mixer section or the central hub for creatively mixing signals and exploring new combinations, resulting in different sounds.
Another core element of the Passive Operator is a patch matrix. It has an input and multiple outputs for triggers and CVs. You can work with internal and external patching configurations. The patch matrix also gives you complete control over the four potentiometers, allowing you to tweak your sounds.
As already noticed, there is also a section where you can plug in electronic components, allowing you to customize the character of the drum synth. An additional touchpad on the right side gives you a tactile and expressive way to great performances.
Passive Operator is a wild drum Synthesizer that invites you to explore. No memory or presets; all sounds are generated by exploring and patching the synth. And the results are highly experimental: bizarre rhythmic sounds, drones, electronic whirring… it’s a crazy little synth.
First Impression
A fascinating experimental drum Synthesizer from Error’s outer space. Error Instruments’ latest synth is very tempting for musicians looking for noisescapes, unpredictable rhythms, circuit-bent-like sounds… and more. It won’t appeal to the masses with its crazy noisy sound, but it will certainly appeal to experimental musicians.
Error Instruments Passive Operator is now available for 250€, including VAT.
More information here: Error Instruments
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