Circuit provenance registry

Every .pedal file in the repo, stamped for provenance. Generated 2026-06-12 from file headers, git log dates, and the 2026-06-12 outboard/Eurorack audit (reports/outboard-gear-audit-2026-06-12.md, reports/outboard-fix-and-product-plan-2026-06-12.md). Re-stamped 2026-06-13 under a stricter [V] rule (see Stamp semantics): [V] now requires no-simplifications topology fidelity, demoting eight previously-[V] inspired/simplified circuits to the new [S] tier.

Stamp semantics

Definition tightened 2026-06-13 (owner direction). [V] Verified now requires topology fidelity with no simplifications — a circuit whose .pedal header carries a SIMPLIFICATIONS section, or that is “inspired-by” / topology-simplified, can no longer be [V] regardless of how well its component values are sourced. Such circuits move to the new [S] tier. The earlier (2026-06-12) registry over-credited several inspired/simplified circuits as [V] for merely having sourced values; this re-stamp corrects that.

The stamp is provenance-only (three axes: topology fidelity, citation quality, value cross-check). It is separate from the Engine-status column, which records what the engine actually does with the circuit.

• [V] Verified — the topology is faithful to the cited real schematic (no SIMPLIFICATIONS section, not “inspired-by”), the citation is a real schematic-level source (not “names only”), and the component values are cross-checked against that source. This is the full bar: faithful topology + no simplifications + real cited schematic + sourced values. Any behavioral/SPICE validation is noted separately in Engine-status — it is a bonus, not part of the [V] bar, but a circuit cannot be [V] on behavioral grounds alone.
• [S] Sourced / Inspired — real-sourced component values, but the topology is simplified (the header carries a SIMPLIFICATIONS section) and/or the circuit is “inspired-by” rather than a faithful 1:1 recreation, and/or its behavior is unvalidated/known-wrong. The values are trustworthy; the circuit is not a faithful copy. Most of the 2026-06-12 outboard and Eurorack circuits live here. Several [S] files additionally flag individual values as [V] (verified) or [A] (approximate/adapted) inline — the Eurorack headers are the exemplar of that per-value format.
• [C] Cited — the header names a source (e.g. “ElectroSmash analysis”, “R.G. Keen”), but the values have not been independently cross-checked, or the citation is names-only with no schematic-level cross-check. Last-checked = not re-verified; the git date is the best bound.
• [U] Uncited — the header describes the modeled unit but names no schematic source. Needs provenance work before any accuracy claim.

No URLs are invented here. Where a header names a source without a link, the Source column says so (“name only”). The only URLs reproduced below are ones that literally appear in file headers.

Engine status is a separate axis from provenance. A circuit can be perfectly transcribed from a verified schematic and still be silent in the current engine (or vice versa). Engine-status entries reference the F-numbered fixes in reports/outboard-fix-and-product-plan-2026-06-12.md; blank means no known engine defect specific to that circuit as of 2026-06-12.

Going-forward convention (proposed)

Every new .pedal header should carry a PROVENANCE block:

• the real unit modeled (manufacturer, model, revision, year),
• named sources with URLs where they exist,
• per-value verification flags ([V] verified against source / [A] approximate or adapted),
• a SIMPLIFICATIONS list of intentional deviations from the real unit,
• a verified-on date.

pedalkernel/examples/outboard/compressor/fet_leveler.pedal and pedalkernel/examples/eurorack/drums/kick_808.pedal are the exemplars — copy their structure.

Shipped product pedals (pedalkernel/examples/pedals/)

All git-dated 2026-04-22.

Amps (pedalkernel/examples/amps/)

All git-dated 2026-04-22. Headers are rich on circuit topology and history but name no schematic source (no layout document, no published schematic cited).

Synths (pedalkernel/examples/synths/)

All git-dated 2026-04-22.

Outboard studio gear (pedalkernel/examples/outboard/)

Researched and written 2026-06-12; all carry full PROVENANCE + SIMPLIFICATIONS blocks with measured engine evidence. Headers cite the real unit at revision level; the audit report records the source families used (UA manuals, GroupDIY measurement threads, Gyraf GSSL docs, dbx/THAT datasheets) — names only, no URLs were recorded in these headers.

Eurorack (pedalkernel/examples/eurorack/)

Researched and written 2026-06-12 with per-value [V]/[A] flags — the exemplar provenance format. Drums committed 2026-06-12; acid/tb303_vcf.pedal is untracked (created this session, no git date yet; owned by another agent).

Root-level (ratking_*.pedal)

The RAT product line’s working files. Both git-dated 2026-04-22.

Test fixtures (pedalkernel/tests/test_pedals/) — summarized

64 files, git-dated 2026-04-22. These are overwhelmingly generic component fixtures, not product models: BJT part sweeps (bjt_2n2222 … bjt_nkt275), triode/pentode part sweeps (15 pentodes, 10 triodes), clipping variants (clip_*), cap models (cap_da, cap_leaky), LFO waveforms, op-amp buffer/gain/slew, BBD timing fixtures, photocouplers (photocoupler_t4b, photocoupler_vtl5c3), bridged_t_resonator, envelope_follower, jfet_allpass/jfet_switch, ota_ca3080. They reference real part numbers (datasheet-level provenance is implicit in the component models, which is the engine’s concern, not these netlists’) and need no per-circuit provenance. Four reference real products and are itemized:

SPICE validation circuits (pedalkernel-validate/circuits/) — summarized

50 files, git-dated 2026-06-03 and earlier. These exist to validate the engine against ngspice, not to model products: canonical filters (rc_lowpass, series_rlc, twin_t_notch…), op-amp configurations, device-level nonlinears, transformers, and textbook active stages. The pedals/ subfolder (bigmuff_stage, fuzz_core, rat_clipper, ts808_clipper) and a few active/ files (fuzz_face_pnp, ota_ca3080, push_pull_6l6, common_cathode_12ax7) reference real-product sub-blocks but are single-stage SPICE fixtures, not full-product models — no per-circuit provenance needed beyond the SPICE harness itself. Two model a complete real product and are itemized:

Stamp totals (35 itemized circuits; 108 further fixtures summarized)

Re-stamped 2026-06-13 under the tightened [V] rule (topology fidelity + no simplifications + real cited schematic + sourced values). The earlier registry counted 9 [V]; eight of those carried SIMPLIFICATIONS sections or documented “inspired-by”/approximated topology and have been demoted to the new [S] tier.

• [V] Verified: 1 — ratking_non_invert.pedal (faithful non-inverting RAT topology incl. JFET buffer, ElectroSmash-cross-checked BOM, no SIMPLIFICATIONS section).
• [S] Sourced / Inspired: 8 — fet_leveler, opto_leveler, vca_bus_comp, passive_lc_eq (outboard); tb303_vcf, kick_808, snare_808 (Eurorack); ratking_non_invert_v1a (RAT, JFET buffer omitted). All carry SIMPLIFICATIONS sections or documented topology approximations/omissions — sourced values, but not faithful copies.
• [C] Cited: 3 — fuzz_face, sd1, phase90.
• [U] Uncited: 23 — 10 product pedals, 4 amps, 3 synths, 2 Pultec validation references, 4 product-named test fixtures.

Path from [S] to [V] (topology-fidelity work)

The eight [S] circuits already have sourced values; what blocks [V] is topology fidelity. To promote any of them: remove the SIMPLIFICATIONS section by actually implementing the omitted/approximated topology against the cited real schematic, then re-cross-check values. Priority:

1. examples/outboard/compressor/opto_leveler.pedal — a true-[V] 1:1 LA-2A rebuild (real photocoupler GR path, no envelope-follower detector) is in progress; this is the flagship outboard target.
2. ratking_non_invert_v1a.pedal — restore the JFET output buffer once JFET Rds modeling is solid, then it matches ratking_non_invert.pedal ([V]).
3. examples/outboard/compressor/{fet_leveler,vca_bus_comp}.pedal and examples/outboard/eq/passive_lc_eq.pedal — blocked on engine fixes (F5–F10) before a faithful topology is even renderable.
4. examples/eurorack/{drums/kick_808,drums/snare_808,acid/tb303_vcf}.pedal — blocked on the F13 Eurorack-line engine work; their simplifications are currently engine-forced, not authoring choices.

Needs provenance work (ranked by product importance)

1. examples/pedals/overdrive/klon_centaur.pedal — flagship “Pro” pedal, zero cited sources.
2. examples/pedals/overdrive/tube_screamer.pedal — the most-cloned circuit in the repo’s genre, no source named.
3. examples/pedals/distortion/proco_rat.pedal — easiest win: port the ElectroSmash-verified BOM + citation already present in the root ratking_non_invert.pedal header.
4. examples/pedals/compressor/dyna_comp.pedal — F9’s acceptance criterion is “ratio/GR matching ElectroSmash” — that source should be in the header.
5. examples/pedals/fuzz/big_muff.pedal — header documents careful v2 fixes but no schematic source for the values being fixed.
6. examples/pedals/delay/boss_dm2.pedal, delay/memory_man.pedal, modulation/boss_ce2.pedal — currently silent (F11); when re-blessed post-fix they will need sources to verify against.
7. examples/pedals/overdrive/blues_driver.pedal, overdrive/fulltone_ocd.pedal — no sources.
8. examples/amps/* (4 files) — detailed topology notes, no schematic citations; tube amp schematics are widely published, low-effort fix.
9. examples/synths/* (3 files) — CEM3340 datasheet/app-note and Minimoog service schematics are canonical and citable.
10. pedalkernel-validate/circuits/eq/pultec_eqp1a.pedal (+ _rlc) — the file itself asks for schematic verification; the 2026-06-12 audit research (real EQP-1A LF sections are RC; the only inductor is the HF boost) should be folded into its header.
11. tests/test_pedals/{klon_nl_block,rat_nl_block,walrus_slo,ehx_memory_man}.pedal — lowest priority; consider renaming to drop product names or adding one-line citations.