I just finished writing that they are pretty darn cheap, but looking
back at the supplier I use (Banzai in Berlin) I do see that commercial
vactrols are pretty pricey compared with more common components like op
amps and such. And yes, they did keep me on hold for weeks recently
while they sourced some particular ones for some Tellun modules I'm
building, so I wouldn't say they are rare, but they probably aren't easy
to keep around when you are making runs of modules.

But one thing I like about vactrols is the materiality of them. The
sound/effect comes from a direct physical characteristic of the
component. I guess every analog component is like that in some way (slew
rates of op amps, clipping of diodes, etc etc), but yes since the
vactrol spec is pretty loose you really realize the limitations and
properties of the material.

best!
d.

Tony Rolando wrote:

> Seriously, there is NOTHING like the Vactrol sound. If there were
> another option, then Buchla, Wiard, Plan B, Doepfer and Make Noise would
> be using that option, as Vactrols are a royal pain. They are expensive,
> big, suffer limited availability and worst of all, they are one of those
> components that must be sorted for most audio applications. This is
> because the spec for certain characteristics is very loose.

--
derek holzer ::: http://www.umatic.nl ::: http://blog.myspace.com/macumbista
---Oblique Strategy # 14:
"Ask people to work against their better judgement"