Mad Sound Factory - Kommutator

Kommutator is a desktop patch panel for letting modular systems with different connector formats speak to one another. Its 20 independent lines each bring together a SOMA-style alligator pin, banana socket, 3.5mm Eurorack jack and 2.54mm pin header, so a signal arriving in one format can leave through another. The lines are isolated from one another, meaning neighbouring channels can happily carry CV and audio at the same time.

The Kommutator is a very handy device if your setup has gradually accumulated Eurorack, banana gear, SOMA instruments and bits of DIY electronics. Two horizontal buses add another layer of routing: each signal line can be connected to its bus with the little red switch at the end of the row. This makes it easy to distribute one source to several places or establish a couple of common routes through a larger setup. A dedicated ground bus is provided for connecting the grounds of otherwise separate systems — useful when moving between grounded 3.5mm connections and banana-based equipment.

You can also connect lines directly using pin patches, effectively creating passive multiples and your own routing arrangements on the panel. It looks a bit like a miniature telephone exchange for modular synths, which is fairly close to what it actually is. Very useful for anyone running several systems side by side, or for bringing breadboards, test equipment and other odd bits of hardware into the patch without relying on a drawer full of adapter cables.

Features:

• Passive desktop patch panel and connector-format converter
• 20 independent, mutually isolated conversion lines
• SOMA alligator pins
• Banana jacks
• 3.5mm Eurorack mini-jacks
• 2.54mm pin headers for DIY and breadboard connections
• CV and audio can be routed simultaneously on neighbouring lines
• Two shared signal buses
• Individual switches for connecting lines to the buses
• Dedicated ground bus for connecting separate systems
• Pin patches for manual interconnection and passive splitting
• No power required

Note: Kommutator converts connector formats only. It is completely passive and contains no buffers, attenuation, voltage scaling or protection circuitry, so always check the voltage requirements of the systems you are connecting. For something like Buchla ↔ Eurorack, a dedicated interface may still be required: the Syntax CVGT1, for example, provides bidirectional CV scaling plus gate/pulse conversion, while the Buchla 202h Utilities includes 1V/oct ↔ 1.2V/oct conversion, CV processing and pulse/gate translation.