Audio Sequencer 1 User Manual

Sequencer 1 User’s Guide

Audio Damage, Inc.

For Firmware Version 1.1

The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Audio Damage, Inc. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by Audio Damage, Inc.

1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 5

2. If You Don’t Like Reading Manuals, At Least Read This ...................................................... 6

3. Terminology ........................................................................................................................ 6

3.1. Typographical Conventions .......................................................................................... 6

4. What’s New in Version 1.1 .................................................................................................. 7

4.1. Scales, Modes, and Keys............................................................................................. 7

4.2. Intelligent and Live Transpose ..................................................................................... 7

4.3. New Pitch CV Mode ..................................................................................................... 7

4.4. More Blinky Lights........................................................................................................ 7

4.5. Hassle-Free Update ..................................................................................................... 7

5. Tour of the Panel ................................................................................................................. 8

5.1. Jacks ........................................................................................................................... 8

5.1.1. Inputs .................................................................................................................... 8

5.1.2. Outputs ................................................................................................................. 9

5.2. Knobs .........................................................................................................................10

5.3. Play, Stop Buttons .......................................................................................................10

5.4. Bank Buttons ..............................................................................................................10

5.5. Step Buttons ...............................................................................................................10

5.5.1. Repeat Buttons .................................................................................................... 11

5.5.2. Ratchet Buttons ................................ ...................................................................12

5.6. Measure Button ..........................................................................................................12

5.7. ESC, ALT Buttons .......................................................................................................12

6. Making Patterns .................................................................................................................12

6.1. Entering Notes, Gates, Etc. .........................................................................................13

6.1.1. Tempo Mode ................................................................ ........................................14

6.1.2. SEQ Mode ...........................................................................................................14

6.1.3. Step Mode ...........................................................................................................18

7. Low-Frequency Oscillators (LFOs) .....................................................................................19

7.1. Selecting LFOs ...........................................................................................................19

7.2. LFO Parameters .........................................................................................................19

7.3. Using LFOs .................................................................................................................22

7.3.1. Pattern Synchronization .......................................................................................22

7.3.2. LFOs As Simple Envelope Generators .................................................................23

7.3.3. Creating Accents ..................................................................................................23

8. Other Pattern Commands ..................................................................................................24

8.1. Copy & Paste ..............................................................................................................24

8.1.1. Copying Entire Patterns .......................................................................................24

8.1.2. Copying Measures ...............................................................................................24

8.2. Saving Patterns ..........................................................................................................25

8.3. Clearing Patterns ........................................................................................................25

9. External Clocking ...............................................................................................................25

10. Control-Voltage Inputs........................................................................................................26

11. Measure Display ................................................................................................................27

12. Global Options ...................................................................................................................28

12.1. Clock Source, Patterns Switch ................................................................................28

12.2. Gate/Accent Output Modes, Pitch Output Scale ......................................................29

12.3. Display Contrast ...................................................................................................... 30

12.4. System Information .................................................................................................30

13. Updating the Firmware .......................................................................................................31

14. And Finally… .....................................................................................................................32

1. Introduction

Sequencer 1 is a pattern-oriented control-voltage step sequencer with the Eurorack form factor. Inspired by the control-voltage sequencers from the dawn of modular synthesizers and the pattern sequencers of more recent drum machines and tabletop groove boxes, Sequencer 1 provides a flexible and powerful control center for generating melodic and rhythmic patterns with

your Eurorack system. Here are its main features and attributes:

 Live editing of all pattern and step data—change everything without stopping.  Four banks of 16 patterns each, for a total of 64 patterns.  Each pattern can have one to 64 steps.  Multiple stepping modes providing various forms of forward, reverse, bidirectional, and

random behavior.

 One pitch control-voltage output with a range of zero to +5V, with either 1V/Oct or

Hz/Volt scaling.

 Over 40 musical scales and modes and eight user-programmable scales.  Diatonic transposition for in-key improvisation.  Three control voltage outputs, programmable per step, with a range of ±5V.  Gate and accent outputs with inverse and S-trig modes, output length programmable per

step.

 Multiple gate cycles per step to reproduce the “ratcheting” effect of a custom sequencer

built for and used by a famous pioneering German ensemble.

 Live “repeat” functions for improvisational edits and remixes of patterns.  Three tempo-synced low-frequency oscillators (LFOs) with 25 waveforms, three output

ranges, adjustable phase, and periods of one to 256 steps.

 Two control-voltage inputs for modulating current step, step mode, gate length, current

pattern, transpose, repeat mode, and ratcheting.

 Transport output jacks, for use as a master tempo source.  Transport input jacks, for slaving to other tempo sources.  Micro SD card for pattern storage and firmware updates.

Sequencer 1 is suited to both methodical composition and live improvisation. We’ve designed it so that the most often-used functions are only a button press or two away. At the same time, the

numerous step and pattern settings enable you to craft intricate, evolving patterns. We hope

you’ll enjoy using Sequencer 1 as much as we enjoyed creating it.

2. If You Don’t Like Reading Manuals, At Least Read This

If you’d rather dive in and explore Sequencer 1 without reading a boring manual, we completely understand. We’ve designed Sequencer 1 to be as easy and immediate to use as possible, but it’s a powerful module, and the price of that power is complexity—there’s no getting around that. If you can at least skim the two introductory sections, Terminology and Tour of the Panel, you’ll be well-equipped to mess around with Sequencer 1 and discover what it does. You’ll want to

come back to this manual eventually, but the material in those two sections will get you started.

There’s one important thing which you need to know before you start: Sequencer 1 does not automatically save the patterns you program. Like most computers, you have to tell it explicitly when you want it to save your work. If the power goes off before you save it, your carefully crafted pattern will vanish. To save the current pattern, press and hold the button, then

press the button with the word underneath it.

3. Terminology

For the sake of clarity, we’ll explain what we mean by a few specific terms. Sequencer 1 operates by playing patterns. Only one pattern is active at any time, but Sequencer 1 stores up to 64 patterns, arranged in four banks, 16 patterns per bank. Each pattern consists of up to 64 steps, which are grouped into 16-step measures. A step usually corresponds to a single audible note or a rest. Each step has several pieces of information, such as what pitch output it generates (i.e. what note it plays) and whether or not the Gate and/or Accent outputs turn on when the step is played. Each pattern also has several pieces of information which govern how the pattern plays, such as the number of steps in the pattern and the order in which the steps are played. Borrowing a term from computer geeks, we refer to these pieces of information as

parameters.

3.1. Typographical Conventions

In an attempt to more deeply engage the visual portion of your brain, we’ve chosen typefaces in

this manual which match those used on the Sequencer 1 panel.

– for labels near the buttons and jacks

– for secondary labels below some buttons

LCD – for text that appears on the liquid-crystal display (LCD)

4. What’s New in Version 1.1

If you’re familiar with the first version of Sequencer 1’s system software, here’s a list of what

was added with version 1.1, released in December 2014:

4.1. Scales, Modes, and Keys

Each pattern can now have its own scale or mode and root pitch (tonic). There are over 40

preset scales to choose from, and eight user scales for programming your own.

4.2. Intelligent and Live Transpose

A pattern can be transposed in one or all of three ways: with a new parameter in the SEQ menu, by pressing the Note buttons while the pattern is playing, and/or with an appropriate CV-input

mapping. Transposition observes the pattern’s scale, keeping the transposed notes in key.

4.3. New Pitch CV Mode

As another new pattern-level parameter, the Pitch CV output now has a mode in which its value does not change when playing steps whose gate is off. If you’ve been annoyed by having to set the notes of all otherwise-empty steps, you’re not alone. However, if you happened to have made use of this behavior, setting the Pitch CV parameter to “Free” will make the Pitch CV

output behave as it did with previous versions of the firmware.

4.4. More Blinky Lights

The Note buttons now light up while Sequencer 1 is playing, indicating the note of each step as

it plays.

4.5. Hassle-Free Update

Updating Sequencer 1’s firmware is easy, and any patterns you’ve stored will load without change. Note that once you save patterns with a new version of the firmware, they cannot be loaded by an older version of the firmware. This is highly unlikely to cause problems if you’re using patterns with only one sequencer, but could be an issue if you happen to be sharing your patterns with another Sequencer 1 owner. The solution to this issue is simply to update each

Sequencer 1 to the same firmware version.

5. Tour of the Panel

We’ll start by looking at the knobs, buttons, and stuff on the panel. Here’s a drawing of the panel

for your reference if you happen to be reading this manual while away from your equipment:

5.1. Jacks

All of Sequencer 1’s jacks lie in a row across the bottom of the panel. The jacks in the group on

the left, circled with grey, are inputs; those in the group on the right are outputs.

5.1.1. Inputs

These three inputs let you synchronize Sequencer 1 with other modules, so that Sequencer 1

starts and stops upon their command and follows their tempo.

These inputs receive control voltages from other modules. You can assign these signals to change various things in Sequencer 1, such as using an LFO to modulate the length of the

output gates.

5.1.2. Outputs

PITCH

This is the output that you’ll use to control the pitch of one or more voltage-controlled oscillators. It supplies a voltage from zero to five volts, proportionate to the note and octave you program for each step. You can choose either of two scaling systems for this output: the 1V/octave convention used by most analog synthesizers and modules, or the Hz/V convention used by

Korg and Yamaha synthesizers.

Of course, nothing says that you have to plug this output into a VCO; like any other voltage source in your modular synthesizer, you can connect it to just about anything which expects a

voltage.

These three outputs emit voltages in the range -5 to +5 volts. Usually you’ll use them to control things other than oscillator pitch, such as filter frequency, VCA levels, whatever. You can program the voltage level at each output for each step in a sequence. Each of these outputs also has its own low-frequency oscillator which can generate periodic signals in sync with the pattern. The LFOs can replace the voltage value you program for each step, or they can be

combined with that value in different ways.

This output generates a +5V signal for steps which play a note. Usually you’ll connect it to one or more envelope generators whose outputs are in turn connected to a VCA’s gain-control input and a filter’s frequency-control input. When the sequencer plays a note, the gate output goes

from zero to +5V, turning on the envelope generators.

The Gate output has several associated features, including the ability to turn on and off several times per step. This allows the sequencer to create the often-coveted “ratcheting” effect heard

on early Tangerine Dream albums.

The Accent output is similar to the Gate output. It emits either zero or +5V, and can be programmed independently from the Gate output. Its usual application is to add accents to certain steps (perhaps by triggering a different envelope generator than the Gate output) in the manner of early Roland drum machines. More generally, there’s no reason that you can’t use it to trigger something entirely independent from the notes generated by the Gate output. For instance, the Gate output (and probably the Pitch output) could control a bass synth patch while

the Accent output triggers a drum patch. The Accent output does not have the ratcheting feature of the main Gate output.

These outputs provide timing and control information for synchronizing other devices to Sequencer 1. The Clock output emits a +5V pulse for each step, with a duration equal to half the

time of the step. The Reset output emits a short +5V pulse when you press the Stop button. The

Run output is zero when the sequencer is not running, and +5V when it’s running.

If you connect these three outputs to the corresponding inputs on a second Sequencer 1, the two sequencers will start, stop, and play in sync. Yes, having two Sequencer 1s is more than

twice as fun as having one.

5.2. Knobs

The three knobs on the top right area of the panel are endless encoders for editing parameters. Generally speaking, rotating a knob changes the parameter with the corresponding position in the LCD, e.g. twiddle the right-most knob and the right-most parameter currently shown in the LCD changes. Some features of Sequencer 1 have more than three parameters. The additional parameters are shown on different “pages” of the LCD. To move from one page to the next,

simply press any of the knobs.

5.3. Play, Stop Buttons

Hopefully you can guess from their names what these buttons do, although there is one subtlety we’d like to point out. The button starts the sequencer, and the button stops it. (Yes, you guessed correctly!) When you press the Play button again after pressing Stop, the pattern starts over with the first step. The subtlety is that if you press the Play button again while the sequencer is playing, it acts like a pause button. Rather than starting over with the first step, the

sequence will resume with the next step when you press Play once again.

If you’re using an external clock source--which we’ll discuss in detail later--the sequence doesn’t start playing exactly when you press the Play button. Instead, it starts with the next clock pulse

received after you press the button.

5.4. Bank Buttons

The four buttons on the left labeled are for choosing patterns. Banks are designated by a letter from A to D. As we mentioned previously, each bank contains 16 patterns; patterns are designated by a number from 1 to 16. We just happen to have a row of 16 buttons right below those Bank buttons, so we use those buttons to choose patterns within a bank. To choose a pattern, first press and release one of the four Bank buttons, then press and release one of the

16 Step buttons. The current pattern is indicated in the lower-left corner of the LCD.

You’ll notice that the Bank buttons have these labels below them: , and

. The Bank buttons are also used to set those four step parameters when editing patterns.

Pressing a Bank button toggles the corresponding step parameter on or off. If a parameter is

turned on, its corresponding Bank button is illuminated.

5.5. Step Buttons

The 16 buttons above the jacks numbered 01 through 16 are the Step buttons. These buttons have several uses. As described previously, they’re used in conjunction with the Bank buttons to

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