Make Noise DPO: The Beast in the Rack – An Origin Story

The DPO’s unique features come to the fore with its modulation bus, which allows both oscillators to modulate each other in multiple directions. This isn’t just linear FM or simple sync—Rolando highlights how the modulation bus can be circular, letting A modulate B while B simultaneously modulates A. Such feedback paths are a recipe for rich, unpredictable textures.

Timbral modification is another key ingredient. The DPO offers three distinct circuits—shape, angle, and fold—each responding at different rates to incoming modulation. By designing these circuits with varying slew rates, a single LFO patched to the modulation bus can create the illusion of multiple, independently moving modulators. This design choice gives the DPO its signature ability to generate evolving, complex waveforms from relatively simple control sources.

Tony Rolando openly discusses the DPO’s design influences, most notably the Buchla 259. However, he clarifies that during development, he had never actually heard a 259 in person—a fact that shaped the DPO into more of a speculative homage than a direct clone. Instead, Rolando relied on photographs, circuit board images, and scattered schematics to imagine what such a dual oscillator might sound like.

This approach led to a module that, by Rolando’s own admission, is probably the least accurate in reproducing the Buchla 259’s sound among its Eurorack peers. The DPO’s character is described as “wooly” and beastly—more aggressive and raw than the original Buchla, which Rolando found surprisingly tame when he finally encountered one. The result is a module that channels the spirit of West Coast synthesis through a distinctly Make Noise lens.

In practical terms, the DPO proves its worth as a centrepiece for expansive sound design. Rolando describes how it played a central role in his own shared system patches, notably on the album “Imagine a Dolphin,” where the DPO was driven by recordings of water to create fluid, FM-rich textures. Here, the module’s ability to handle both subtle sine waves and aggressive FM shines.

The video closes by highlighting the DPO’s enduring concept: the way its three timbral circuits respond differently to the same modulation source. This early form of multimodulation has become a hallmark of Make Noise design, allowing a single LFO to push each parameter in its own direction. For patchers looking to create evolving, organic soundscapes, the DPO remains a powerful and inspiring tool.