Octave shifts a 1V/oct pitch signal by whole octaves, ranging from -4 to +4. Patch a pitch signal into IN, and the shifted pitch signal is at OUT. If no cable is patched into IN, Octave generates fixed whole number voltages.

For pitch signals that follow the “1V/octave” standard, Octave adds/subtracts 1V to shift it up/down by one octave, as the standard’s name would suggest. This makes Octave a very simple module to understand and use.

To specify the number of octaves to shift, click on a circle in the main display. Circles above the middle circle represent upward octave shifts, and circles below it represent downward octave shifts. Octave’s display is a normal parameter, so you can right-click it to manually enter a shift amount, map the parameter with VCV MIDI-Map, etc.

The octave shift amount can be modulated with CV and is computed by taking the nearest whole number voltage of the CV input.

Starter tips

To create a sub oscillator, duplicate your main VCO and place an Octave module between the pitch source and the new VCO. Set the octave shift amount to -1, and mix the two VCO’s waveforms with VCV VCA Mix.