4ms Mini PEG (2022–)

A small module that turns clock pulses into breathing, morphing envelopes

Overview

The 4ms Mini PEG is less programmed than negotiated with. It doesn't give you rigid ADSR stages. It stretches, stutters and syncs to whatever clock you feed it. It's a single-channel descendant of the cult dual-channel PEG. It drops the sprawl and keeps the idea: envelopes shaped by incoming "pings," whether from a clock, a trigger, or the front-panel button. Patch in a clock and the envelope swells and decays in lockstep with it. Expect to rewire a patch or two just to follow where it wants to go.

The original PEG was a big laboratory experiment in generative modulation. The Mini PEG is the leaner, cheaper version. At 8HP, it's half the width, and it doesn't feel like a compromise. It runs at a 12-bit, 40kHz sample rate, which keeps the organic digital texture the PEG was known for. The envelope isn't a smooth analog glide. It's stepped and slightly granular, precise and a bit unpredictable at once. Leave the cycle button on and it becomes a clock-synced LFO. Use it on filters, stereo panning or pitch and you get a lurching, humanized rhythm that no triangle wave would give you.

Then there's the shape. Nine internal waveshapes - combinations of exponential, linear, logarithmic and interpolated curves - are blended smoothly by the Shape knob, with full CV control. Turn it and the envelope doesn't just get faster or slower. It warps, from snappy transients to long, drawn-out sighs, and from punchy drum triggers to slow, pulsing undulations.

Specifications

Key Features

Ping-Driven Rhythm Engine

The Mini PEG doesn't wait for you to set time values. It listens. The length of each envelope is set by the time between incoming clock pulses, or "pings." Every envelope is synced to your system's tempo, whether the clock comes from a sequencer, a drum machine or another module. The front-panel ping button doubles as a tap tempo, so you can trigger or set timing by hand. The Div/Mult knob scales the incoming clock from division (/32) to multiplication (x16), also with CV control. Divide by 8 for a subharmonic pulse that drags behind the beat. Multiply by 4 for a frantic, skittering modulation that races ahead.

Shape as Expression, Not Just Control

Most envelope generators offer curve or skew controls. On the Mini PEG, the Shape knob works more like a performance control. It crossfades between nine internal waveshape combinations, blending exponential, linear and logarithmic responses. A bass drum can go from tight and clicky to blooming and resonant with a twist. A filter sweep can lurch forward or ease in gently. The shape is voltage-controllable, so an LFO, sequencer or random source can modulate it in real time, and the envelopes evolve over time.

Scale, Offset, and the Art of Modulation Tuning

Two easily overlooked controls, Scale and Offset, make the Mini PEG a precision modulation source. The Scale knob is an attenuverter for the main envelope output. It inverts and reduces the signal's amplitude. That helps when you patch into a parameter that responds negatively to CV, like a filter cutoff that should close instead of open. The Offset knob shifts the envelope's DC bias from -9.4V to +9.4V, so you can reposition the modulation range anywhere in the bipolar voltage spectrum. Need a 3V - 7V envelope for a VCA that only responds in that range? Offset and Scale handle it without extra utility modules.

Historical Context

The Mini PEG is a compact version of a module that already had near-mythical status. The original 4ms Pingable Envelope Generator (PEG), introduced years earlier, had dual channels and a massive panel. It had a cult following among experimental modular users for self-modulating, feedback-rich rhythmic textures. It was also expensive and space-hungry. The Mini PEG, announced at Superbooth 2022, is a single-channel version that keeps the core idea of clock-driven envelopes with deep morphing capabilities, in a format that wouldn't eat half your rack. It arrived while Eurorack was shifting from boutique curiosity to mainstream adoption, and users wanted powerful, intelligent modules that didn't require a mortgage. Competitors like Make Noise (MATHS) and Intellijel (Dual ADSR) offered flexible envelope/LFO hybrids, but none tied envelope timing so directly to external rhythm.

Collectibility & Value

The Mini PEG is a recent release and the secondhand market is stable. New units sold for $159 at launch in late 2022, and that price has held through authorized dealers. Used units go for between $120 and $140 depending on region and condition. European buyers often see prices in the €115 - €130 range, with faster shipping offsetting the slight premium. There are no known manufacturing flaws or batch issues. The module is solid-state, digitally controlled, and built to modern Eurorack standards. Failures are exceedingly rare, though service technicians note that the push-button switches (ping and cycle) can accumulate dust over years of heavy use, potentially leading to intermittent triggering. Contact cleaner fixes that, not a board replacement. The bigger risk is mispatching. The module outputs up to 9.5V peak-to-peak, so sending the main ENV OUT directly into a sensitive input (like a microprocessor CV input) without attenuation can cause damage. Owners report using it safely for years. When buying, check the power draw: the module should pull around 55mA on +12V and 30mA on -12V. Anything significantly higher could indicate a short.

eBay Listings

4MS Mini PEG Pingable Envelope Generator EURORACK - USED - P

$139

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