Electro-Harmonix Clockworks Instruction Manual

1

WARNING: Your CLOCKWORKS comes equipped with an Electro-Harmonix
18VDC-500mA power supply. The CLOCKWORKS requires up to 300mA at
18VDC with a center POSITIVE plug. The CLOCKWORKS does not take
batteries. Using the wrong adapter/power supply may damage your unit and
void the warranty.

CLOCKWORKS

Rhythm Generator / Synthesizer

Congratulations on your purchase of the Electro-Harmonix
CLOCKWORKS! The CLOCKWORKS is perfect as a master clock for
sequencers and drum machines as well as for triggering electronic
percussion, classic EHX drum synths such as the Crash Pad or any other
electronic device that can be triggered by pulses. Best of all, it is a
faithful reissue of the much sought-after classic first released by Electro­Harmonix in 1980.

CLOCKWORKS does not create sound on its own but instead generates
pulses to trigger other devices. The pulse trigger can set the tempo for a
drum machine or sequencer such as an EHX 8 Step. CLOCKWORKS’
pulses might directly play a device by triggering a sound or note in the
external device. The great thing about the CLOCKWORKS is you have
four separate clock channels so you can connect four devices which will
all play rhythmically with each other.

The CLOCKWORKS may look complicated but what it does is actually
pretty simple: it takes a master clock and divides down its frequency by
a whole number between 1 and 8, outputting a pulse at the new
frequency created by the divider. There are 4 clock dividers or channels,
each driven from the same master clock, so creating polyrhythms is fun
and easy! Each channel has its own clock divider control, output level
control and output jack. The master clock can be generated internally by
the CLOCKWORKS or may come from an outside source. Although the
CLOCKWORKS looks very much like a digital product, it is actually fully
analog, not that there is anything wrong with digital products.

2

- CONTROLS, INDICATORS & I/O-

The following descriptions detail all of the sliders, switches, LEDs (lights)
and I/O jacks on the CLOCKWORKS:

CH 1-4 DIVISOR Sliders & LEDS
Each channel has its own independent DIVISOR slider control. Set a

given channel’s clock divider by moving the center of its DIVISOR slider

to the number you wish to divide by. For example, if you want Channel 2
to divide the master clock by 3, set the CH 2 DIVISOR to 3, centering the
slider on the mark for 3.

Above each DIVISOR slider is an LED. The LED blinks each time the
channel sends out its clock pulse.

CH 1-4 LEVEL Sliders
Each channel has its own independent output LEVEL control. The LEVEL
slider sets a given channel’s output pulse amplitude or level. The
maximum output pulse level is 10Vpp. The pulse waveform ranges from
0V to +10V, it does not go below 0V. As you bring the LEVEL sliders
down, the amplitude decreases to 0V.

HOW TO SET THE LEVEL CONTROL:
Start with the LEVEL control at its bottom position. Move the LEVEL
control upwards while listening to or watching the slave device to which
the channel is connected. At lower LEVEL settings the slave device might
not be triggered at all or by only every other pulse from the Clockworks.
Push the LEVEL control up until each pulse from the Clockworks triggers
the slave. Once you reach this position, push LEVEL up a little bit more
and then stop. The LEVEL control is now set.

OUT 1 - OUT 4 Output Jacks
Each clock divider channel has its own independent output jack. CH 1
connects to OUT 1, CH 2 to OUT 2, etc. The level of the pulse at each

output jack is controlled by its channel’s LEVEL slider. These jacks are
mono/TS ¼” jacks; insert any standard patch or instrument cable into

the jacks.