SEQUENCER
Hej! Right, so at the top here we have controls that affect all of the four parts and the mode switch.
This sequencer works on the basis of Euclidean rhythms, which always tries to distribute a number of hits as evenly as possible along its length. Now that's a bit boring on it's own, so we have four independent rhythm parts that play sequentially with independent overrides.
Density controls how busy the pattern is,
Finally, the different Modes change it up a little bit more. Locked means that the global length is fixed, and overriding it in each part will reduce it in others to maintain the overall length. Unlocked removes this constraint so the final pattern can end up shorter or longer than the global lengths.
Boolean mode is an experiment, parts don't play sequentially but rather you pick which one you want to hear and can combine the different parts with logic operators (AND, OR, XOR, and more).
Tip: Start with density a bit less than 50%, then slowly move clustering around to explore the space.
After you've exhausted the fiddling potential with the global controls, welcome to the parts!
Each of the controls offset against the global ones, to create longer and more varied sequences, while still allowing you to dial up and down the intensity as you whish. That's the idea at least.
Invert (INV) inverts the hits and rests. Reset (RST) returns a part to the default values, simple. The rest of the controls are described by the global controls.
Sneakily, you can press the part title to enable or disable it.
In Boolean mode each get two more controls. Source can switch from the normal Euclidean pattern to one generated by the Shift Register, meaning the part will also change over time if it's unlocked. Logic decides how to stack the parts.
Tip: Invert one or two parts, then change the global density to create something semi call and response like. Use a Shift-Register source and XOR it with a Euclidean part
While we get the hits and rhythm from our Euclidean parts, we also want sweet melodies moving and grooving!
Inspired by the Turing Machine by Music Thing Modular, Shift Registers allow us to do that by taking a series of bits, converting them to a number and then converting the number to a pitch. Rotate the bits around and they will result in different pitches, easy. To take the harsh edge of these random results, we feed them into the Quantizer, straightening them out so they fit into a proper scale.
Length controls how many bits are used until the pattern repeats. Probability how likely we are to flip a bit. At 100% locked (the default) nothing will happen, but lower than that and things will start to change over time.
Absolute Mode
Works as explained above, random numbers give us random pitches, quantize afterwards and we are happy.
Intervals Mode
Instead of converting the random number to a pitch, convert it to a scale interval, how many notes to jump up or down.
Δ (Delta) controls how far we jump. In the middle all of -4 to +4 are equally likely, Walk prefers smaller steps and Hop jumps around. ρ (Rho) makes us prefer rising or falling melodies.
Window determines what happens when we start to touch the edges of the range: Wrap loops around, Fold bounces back like a wavefolder, Clamp sticks em' at the wall. To prevent walking up or down forever, Anchor let's us set a period when we reset back to the root note.
This mode is inspired by the Seaside Modular Proteus and the SIG Strange-R
Tip: Just play around with delta a bunch.
Converts the raw and filthy values from the Shift Register into nice and good musical pitches. Very inspired by the quantizer in the Stochastic Instruments Strange-R, but to be honest the part I understand the least.
Scale picks a scale template (Major, Pentatonic, Blues...). Mode rotates through the scale's modes, for example, Major mode 0 is Ionian, mode 1 is Dorian, mode 5 is Aeolian (natural minor), and then the rest of the church scales.
What I liked from the Strange-R was the 5ths control, which transposes using the circle of fifths (also known as the camelot wheel), something popular in DJing.
Root sets the rote note (C, C#, D...). Base sets the lowest octave. Range controls how many octaves we can travel.
Tip: Pentatonic scales, then fiddle with the 5ths control over time.
So you've been fiddling and have a neat pattern, but like a Pokémon you feel like it's missing its next evolution? Mutations change the pattern over time, altering both rhythm and pitch over multiple cycles.
Tree Mode
Pretty much the Q-Bit Bloom eurorack module. Takes the available transforms, and builds a binary tree out of them. Branches controls how deep the tree is, and Path where we take a left or right to navigate it and select a different sequence of mutations. I added Variation as the tree still doesn't cover all possibilities, so it can be used to shake things up a bit more, but probably should be removed.
Grammar Mode
Instead of navigating a tree, it uses L-systems (formal grammars, yeah we're getting in the weeds) to generate the sequence of transforms. The advantage is that we can divide transforms into low or high intensity, and then as we increase the amounts more and more of the higher intensity ones appear.
Rhythm and Pitch sliders control how much mutation of each type and their intensity. Cycles sets how many steps before the sequence repeats. Accumulate (Acc) makes transforms stack up from the start to the current position, building intensity over the cycle, turning it off will reset after each pattern repeat.