What Are Attenuators & Offsets?

These are utility modules that don't make sound but make your control signals work better. Attenuators reduce the strength of a signal. Offsets add or subtract a steady voltage. Together, they help dial in the exact range and center point of any modulation or CV you’re working with.

Attenuators

• What it does: Reduces the strength of a control signal. Like a volume knob, but for modulation.
• Why it’s useful: Sometimes a full-range LFO is too much. Attenuators let you tame it before it hits a filter, oscillator, or VCA.
• Bi-polar attenuators (aka attenuverters): These go both directions — can flip a signal upside down and scale it at the same time.

Offset

• What it does: Adds or subtracts a fixed voltage to a signal. Think of it as moving the whole waveform up or down.
• Why it’s useful: Great for shifting LFOs above 0V, centering a mod signal, or turning a bipolar signal into unipolar — super important when controlling things like pitch or cutoff.

Use Cases

• Control how much an envelope affects your filter
• Flip an LFO so it moves a parameter in reverse
• Shift CV to fit a specific module’s input range
• Add DC voltage to a signal to bias it into a sweet spot

Attenuators and offsets are like the gain staging for modulation. Master them, and your system becomes way more playable and expressive.