The New Systems Instruments VCA module gives you four well-calibrated VCAs in 6HP. These VCAs use operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs) at their core, for true linear operation. However, unlike most OTA VCAs, the New Systems VCA is extremely low noise and distortion, coming in at < 0.2%, with ~0.05% typical.

There's no such thing as “transparent,” particularly in synthesis, where the concept of an original signal that could be faithfully reproduced is often altogether absent. In a VCA in particular, a desirable envelope response can be even more important than accurate reproduction of the input at some fixed level.

The New Systems Instruments VCA has an extremely neutral, open sound. The envelope response sounds pinpointingly fast and accurate. If you want a dirtier VCA, stay tuned. We're in the process of designing a different VCA with some control over signal and envelope linearity.