Thorn Audio Splines is a visual vector curve generator for Eurorack with which you can create almost anything, including VCOs, LFOs, & more.
After a long wait, the u-he Zebra 3 plugin was released this year. Last year saw the release of the free alternative, Zebralette 3. Both use the innovative Spline oscillator,
With Splines, Thorn Audio introduces a module to the Eurorack world that builds upon this concept.
Thorn Audio Splines
Splines is a 10HP visual vector curve generator module for the Eurorack format. But what is a spline?
A spline is a continuous curve constructed section-by-section using polynomial functions or notes. It’s a bit like the concept of a multi-segment envelope, which can be designed from individual segments to create a very complex modulator.
Here, it’s achieved using polynomial functions or curves that transform into a continuous curve, aka a spline.
In the new Thornd Audio Splines, you have up to 16 potential nodes for defining the shape of your waveform, each of which can be edited individually or in groups. For the latter, there are Node X and Y plane parameters.
Unlike MSEGs, these waveforms can be manipulated and transformed in various ways. Tension, continuity, and bias are three main parameters for folding the waveform.
Talking of shaping or folding: there are six different clipping modes (hard, soft, fold…) that can be applied to the spline to instantly reshape the wave of it. There is also a zoom parameter for affecting the boundaries of your waveform.
In this case, you trim or expand it on the left- and right-most sides as you zoom in and out, thereby morphing the waveform’s timbre. The scroll feature lets you scroll freely through the waveform to shift the timbre of the spline as it moves.
Audio & CV
Thorn Audio Splines is both an audio generator and a CV generator. The signals you generate here work well as oscillators with complex shapes. Using the built-in quantizer with selectable scales, your oscillator is always in the right musical tuning.
Splines is also a super-flexible module for generating advanced CV modulation, such as envelopes, LFOs, tap-tempo LFOs, step sequencers, quantized sample-and-hold, and more.
This is especially exciting when looking for modulations that have special, adaptable forms.
On the front panel, the module has a good-sized OLED screen, providing real-time visualization of the created splines and the menu system. Operation is done via two top-level knobs and three buttons.
In the last third of the module, you can find a wide range of CV connectivity, including six CV ins for modulating the internal parameters and three outs. It also has two 1V/oct sockets and a USB-C port for firmware updates.
First Impression
At first glance, this is a very exciting module that takes a new approach to creating VCOs and modulation signals. I love it. While the module’s concept is incredibly appealing, I have some concerns about its user-friendliness. This is very personal.
I like it when modules have a very “analog” design, where each turn of a knob, something happens. As you can see in the video, the Splines module involves a lot of pressing and turning, which feels a bit too much like “menu diving”. Nevertheless, it’s a very fascinating module release.e
Thorn Audio Splines is available now at retailers for $413/359€.
More information here: Thorn Audio
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