Erica Synths Black Sequencer User guide

USER

MANUAL

THANK YOU FOR

PURCHASING

THE ERICA SYNTHS

BLACK SERIES MODULE!

The Erica Black Series includes high-end, unique functionality
and superior quality modules. Only the best, highest quality
components are used and all inputs and outputs are protected
against undesired overvoltage. When designing the Black
Series, we included superior design and usability. Big knobs
have been assigned for key functions of the module, which
makes the Black Series ideal for live performances. Enjoy!

The Erica Synths Black Sequencer takes classical modular
sequencing to the next level by adding tons of features required
for contemporary modular synthesisers. The Black Sequencer
features 4 channels with CV, gate and modulation outputs, up
to 64 step sequences that can be chained into longer ones,
independent track time divisions, multiplications and lengths.
It includes CV and Gate recording, a built-in quantiser, a MIDI
in/out and many other features essential for composing and
performing electronic and experimental music. Even though
it provides many programmable parameters per step, it’s
intuitive, easy and straight-forward to use, and we believe that

it will become a master controller for many modular setups.

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CLK IN CLK OUT CV IN CV1 CV2 CV3 CV4

RST IN RST OUT GATE IN GATE1 GATE2 GATE3 GATE4

MIDI IN MIDI OUT MOD IN MOD1 MOD2 MOD3 MOD4

DATA

CV

GATE

PROBAB

BANK

SONG

RATCHET

REPEAT

COPY PASTE CLEAR

GLIDE

PATTERN

PROJECT

SHIFT SETUP BAR

SHUFFLE

µTIMING

MOD

ARP

CH1SD CH2

CH3

DRCTN
RANGE

SCALE

QUANT

CH4

MUTE

SOLO

MAGIC

BLACK SEQUENCER

FEATURES

> 4 CV/GATE/Modulation tracks
> CV/GATE/MOD recording
> MIDI IN and MIDI OUT
> Clock and Reset In/Out
> 16 encoders for easy data input
> Up to 64 steps per pattern
> Song mode
> Note, Glide, Gate length and Modulation adjustment per step
> Probability, repeats and ratcheting per step
> Microtonal tuning
> Adjustable shuffle per track
> Timing divisions/multiplications per track
> Built in quantiser
> Random pattern generator
> 16 banks of 16 pattern memory
> SD card slot for backup and firmware updates

SPECIFICATIONS

> Power consumption ...................... +145mA, -25mA

> Module width ............................................................ 42HP

> Module depth .............................................................. 25mm

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THE INTERFACE

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THE BLACK SEQUENCER CONSISTS OF 5 MAJOR PARTS:

1. Inputs and Outputs. The Black Sequencer has 4 CV outputs, 4 Gate outputs, 4
configurable Modulation outputs, a configurable CV, Gate and Modulation inputs,
configurable Clock input and output, configurable Reset input and output and
configurable MIDI input and output.

2. Encoders with pushbuttons for per-step parameter adjustment and setting values
for specific menus. In menus where the encoders set parameters they light up in
orange colour.

3. Channel selection buttons – you can select one channel at a time and then adjust
the parameters for it.

4. Function buttons – in order to ensure easy and swift access to all the functions of
the sequencer, there’s one button per function and almost no menu diving. Some
buttons have dual functions, and the second function (gray silkscreen) can be
accessed by holding the SHIFT button.

5. The Data encoder provides access to the master settings (e.g BPM, master glide,
etc), the OLED screen indicates per step and master settings for the module, and
the SD card stores saved patterns. When opening various menus, the setting
values appear on the OLED. There are small “hints” under the values that point to
the control on the sequencer that adjusts the selected value.

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OPERATION

The Black Sequencer features four CHANNELS (CH1 – CH4) – each outputs CV, Gate
and Modulation signals, and each channel has configurable TRACK length from 2
to 64 steps, and all 4 tracks are played back simultaneously. All 4 CHANNELS are
saved in PATTERNS. A set of 16 PATTERNS is saved in a BANK. A set of 16 banks
of 16 patterns is saved in a PROJECT and is stored on the SD card in BANKS of 16
PATTERNS. You can also design a SONG – a series of PATTERNS within one BANK. In
order to select a BANK, push and hold the BANK button and push one of the 16
encoders. The same goes for PATTERNS.

MASTER SETTINGS

Push the PL AY button! Th e sequen cer will start to advance
through the steps in the pattern. Pushi ng the PLAY
button again will PAUSE th e sequencer – it will freeze on
the current step. Pushin g the STOP button will reset the
sequen ce to the fi rst step. Pushin g and hold ing th e SHIFT
and pushing the STO P button will rese t the sequence to the
first step without stopping it. Whenever you make changes
in the sequenc e, the RECORD button wil l st art to blink .
Push and hold the SHI FT button and push the RECORD
button to save the chan ges in the pat tern, an d the patte rn
is saved i n a selec ted pat tern sl ot.
You c an also save th e p atter n in a dif ferent s lot. Plea se,
refer to the MANAG ING PATT ERNS, BANJS AND SON GS section
of the man ual.

Star t with setti ng the m aster BPM ! Simpl y rotate the DATA
encode r and set the mas ter BPM ! The OLED w ill indicate
the master BPM . You can also push and hold the SHIFT
button and rotate the DATA encode r to change the BPM
for 10 BPM at one rotation. The master screen will always
indicate the selecte d function, the currently active step
and the currently acti ve bar.

Each channel has configurable divisions and multiplications
of th e ma st er BPM ! Pu sh one of the CH1- C H4 but to ns to sel ec t
the channel thet you wish to configure! Push the SCALE
button and the SCAL E screen will appear. Rot ate the DATA
encode r to s et the div ision for the mas ter cloc k. Push and
hold th e SHIF T button and rotate the DATA encoder to adjust
the BPM, if needed. T he OL ED will indicate the di vision, and
“hint” [DATA] appers under the SCALE setting. This mea ns
that the DATA encoder is controlling the SCALE setting, and
the SHIFT +DATA encod er se ts th e BPM. Use the secon d ST EP
encode r to adjust the MASTER TRACK LENG TH – t his define s
numbe r of steps after which th e curre nt pat tern wi ll advance
to the next one, w hen patterns are switc hed or in th e SON G
MODE. The Master Track Leng th can be 1 to 64 lon g.

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In order to set the PLAY DIRECTION per channel, select
a chann el from CH1-CH4 and push the DRC TN/ RANGE
button! The DIRECTION/ RAN GE screen will appear, showing
the current DIRECTION, the curren t RANGE of steps and
the v isualization of the a ctive steps di vided in to 4 bars.
“Hints” below the settings hint the relevant controls.
Rotate the DATA encoder to select the play dire ction.
The ava ilable p lay dire ctions are: Forw ard, Backward,
Ping-P ong, Ping- Pong with repeats on the first and the las t

pattern is Forwar d. Rotate the firs t step encoder to set the first step of the pattern and rotate the second step
encode r to set the last ste p of the pat tern. I f you are de signin g pattern of up to 16 steps, for th e last s tep of
the pattern you c an simpl y push one of step encoders, and for the first step push an d hold the S HIFT button
and pus h one of st ep enco ders. Rot ate the thir d st ep enco der to mo ve the se le cted step s along the s tep gri d.
For patte rns longer than 16 steps, you can ac tivate the BAR FOL LOW func tion, so that the bar display changes
automat icall y, when the sequen cer advances to the next bar. In order to engage the bar follo w function, push
and hold the SETUP but ton and p ush the B AR> button; to disengage it – use the S ETU P + <BAR combination.

step and Random. The default play mode for the empty

When designing a performance with several tracks, useful
feature is a TRACK OVERVIEW screen. Push an d hold the
SHIF T but ton a nd push the DRC TN /RANGE button, an d the
OLED w ill show all four track s in one screen . Here you can
see play mode, all active steps and time divisions for ea ch
pattern. Rotate the firs t s tep encode r to alter Play Mode,
the second and the third step encoders to cha nge the
first and th e las t step s of the pat tern and the four th step
encode r to alter t he time division. The first row of step
encode rs alters pa rameters of the firs t track, the se cond
row – of the second tr ack, etc.
Use <B AR > buttons to navig ate throu gh bars , if you have
longer than 16 steps patterns.

DESIGNING A CV TRACK

Start with the quantization settings per channel! Select
a cha nnel from CH1-C H4, push and hold the SHI FT butto n
and push the QUANT but ton! The QUANT IZAT ION menu
will app ear on the OLED. Rota te the DATA encoder to
selec t one of the preset quanti zed scales, and the scale
is automatic ally applie d. Push one of the first 12 step
encode rs to select a roo t note for the seque nce!
You can a lso cho ose th e microtonal no te input – steps are
not tied to the specifi c musical s cale or even to notes. To
do so, sele ct NON E in the SC ALE menu. I n this case, the
step enco ders will move along a grid of cen ts (see NOTE
ENTER below) .

When in the QUANT menu, you can design your own scales.
To do so, push the DATA encoder and the sc ale menu will
appea r on the scre en. You can design a N EW scale, EDI T
one of the previously desi gned sc ales, D ELETE the sc ale or
CANCEL the action.

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Rotate th e DATA encoder and make your selec tion by
pushing t he encod er! If yo u choos e to design a NEW scale,
a new sc ale de sign sc reen w ill app ear. Now you ca n enter
notes in the scale by push ing the first 12 encoders that
corres pond to th e notes.

For microtonal scale s, rotate the rel evant encoder
clock wise to increase the tune for up to 50 cent s and
counterclock wise to decre ase it for up to 50 cents. The
OLED will indicate microtonal change s next to the rele vant
note in the s cale.
Once d one, push the DATA encoder to save and name the
scale - selec t letters by pushing the relevant step encoder s
and navigate through letters by rota ting the DATA enc oder,
and once happ y, push the dat a encoder to con firm the
name.

Now, let’s set the NOTES p er step ! S elect a cha nnel from
CH1-CH 4 and push t he CV button! The default notes are
CO, but you can select your preferred default notes in the
SETU P menu.
Now you c an rota te any of t he 16 enco ders to s et the notes
per st ep. Not e of the cu rrently adjus ted steps will app ear in
the pop-up screen on the OLED. The OLED will indic ate a grid
of 16 not es. You can navig ate throu gh sets of 16 steps using
the <BAR > buttons. You will have access to the notes within
a se le cte d mu si ca l sca le , se t in the QUAN T me nu in adv an ce.
By pushing and h olding the SHIF T butto n a nd rotati ng the
step encoders, you will advance through octaves instead
of semitones.

If the scale NONE is selected in a QUANT menu, the step
encoders navigate along the grid of cents, and you can enter
mi cro to n al pa tt e rn s . If yo u wi sh to nav iga te th ro u gh no te s in
this setting, push and hold the SHIFT button and rotate the
releva nt step en coder.
When ente ring note s, you can prev iew the note s p er step
by listening to the tune o f the VCO – p ush an d hold the C V
button and push one of the step encode rs. The relev ant
no te wil l be froz en , wh il e th e seq ue nce r is run ni ng. Thi s is a
nice featu re during a perfo rmanc e as well. In the same w ay
you ca n pre vie w the no tes , when the se quencer is stop ped.

Once notes of the sequence are entered, you m ay wan t
to expe rimen t with the OUPT UT QUA NTI ZER. It will app ly
vario us scales on the se quence, you just de signe d.
Meanin g, if you have desi gned the seque nce in a
chromatic scale, you may want to check, ho w it sounds in,
for example, ma jor blue s scale or some mi crotonal scale.
Rotate the step encoder 1 to switc h b etwe en Input
quanti zer and Outpu t quantize r and select the Output
quantizer.
Now, rota te the DATA encod er to select one of preset or
user designed scale s and listen to the resul t. Once happy,
pu s h th e DATA en c od er to rew rit e all no tes in the se q uen c e.

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You can also adjust the MA STER GLIDE and GLID E PER STE P!
To do so, sele ct a chann el from CH1- CH4, p ush and hol d
the SHIFT button and push the CV /GL IDE button! Adjust
the MAS TE R GL ID E fro m 0- 2” by rotati ng th e DATA encode r.
Rotate any of the 16 enco ders to set the GLI DE PER ST EP
time. The per step glid e time is link ed to the gate len gth
and the B PM.
You can select th e defau lt glide t ime in the SETU P menu.
You can a lso enter the notes by recording them from MIDI
or C V/Gate keyboard. Plea se, refer to the page 20 of this
manual!

DESIGNING A GATE TRACK

Now, let’s set the GATE LE NGTH pe r s tep! Sel ect a channe l
from CH1-CH4 and push the GATE button ! Now you can
rotate any of the 16 encoder s to set the gate leng th per
step. The defau lt gate leng th is 50 %, but you can selec t
you r pr eferred def au lt g ate len gt h in th e SE T UP menu . Th er e
are 10 discr ete gate lengt h set tings, where 0 is gate off, an d
10 is full gate – th e ste p is merged wi th the ne xt o ne. T he
gate leng th of the curr entl y adju ste d step will ap pea r in the
pop-up screen on the O LED. The OLED will ind icate a g rid of
16 bars indicating the gate length for each s tep. You can
navigate throug h sets of 16 steps using the < BAR > buttons.

Pushing the encoders while in G ATE pag e offer s multip le
functions:

1. Merge gates. Push two or more contigu ous encoders
simultaneously and g ates of co rresp onding steps will
be merged. For exam ple, if you push encod ers 2 a nd 5,
all g ates of steps 2-5 will be merged. The gate grid on
the OLED will indicate the con nection. To un merge the
gates, just push any enco der in the m erged g ate arr ay.

2. Mute the step. Push the enco der of the step t hat you
want to mute, and the gate will ins tantl y become O. The
gate grid on the OLE D will indicate t he m uted step. To

3. Skip the s tep. Push the encoder of the step th at you want to skip twice swif tly, and the s tep will be
skipped. The gate grid on the OLE D w ill indic ate the skipped step. Please note that skipping steps will
affect the le ngth of the sequ ence. To resume the s tep, push t he same encoder again.

Merged, muted a nd skipped ste ps are als o indic ated by th e 16 LEDs a bove the encode rs.

unmute th e step, push the same encod er aga in.

ADDING VARIATIONS

For a mo re dynamic performance, you can ass ign GATE
PROBABIL ITY per step. Meaning that each step will be
played back at specified occasions; other wise the gate
lengt h will be O. To do so, select a c hannel fro m CH1­CH4, push and hold t he SH IFT button an d push the GATE /
PROBAB button ! Rotate any of the 16 encoders to set
the GATE PROBA BIL ITY. If you rot ate the encoder counte r
clock wise, you have access to fracti ons:    
    means, that the step is being played one

selec ted step. If y ou rotate the enco der clockwise, you have acce ss to probab ilitie s: 10% , 25% , 50% , 75%
and 9 0% . 75% means tha t the step will be p layed back rand omly on 75% of o ccasions, when the s equence
advan ces thro ugh the selected step. The step grid on the OLED w ill indi cate the probab ility settings.

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time out of four, as the sequencer advances through the

For a more dynamic perfo rmance, you can also set
RACH ETI NG per step, meaning that each gate will be play ed
back multiple times in the sele cted step length. To do
so, se lect a ch annel from CH1-C H4 a nd pu sh th e RATCHE T
button! Rotate any of the 16 encoders to se t the RATC HET
rate: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Th e step grid on the OLED will
indicate the ratchet setting s.
NB! Ratchet works great together with t he per step ARP
feature!

A nice fe a tu re is th e AR PE GGI AT OR PER ST EP – it ap pli es qui ck
arpeg gios within the s tep! To ap ply the arpeggiatio n, selec t
a channe l from CH1- CH4, push and hold the SHIF T button
and push the MO D/A RP button! Now rot ate any of the 16
en co de r s to set the arp e gg iator sca le – the sequ en ce r co mes
with s evera l buil t in scales . Arp eggi os ca n be U P or DOWN.
UP arp eg gi os are indic ate d by + nex t to the sca le, DOWN - by

- nex t to the sc al e. On the exampl e to th e ri ght the firs t ste p
ha s semit on e sc al e ar pe ggio dow n (- SE MI ), the se co nd s tep
major sc ale arp eggio up (+MA J), etc .
NB! The arpeggiato r will wor k only wit h GATE R ATCHE TING.
Also nice trick is to s et the tracks division for exam ple to
1/4 and le ngth to just 4 step s and add 8 r atchet s to each of
the steps and th en ap ply a rpe ggiato r per step ! You can als o
adjust number of ratchets per step in ARP page . To do so
pus h and hol d the SHI FT but ton and ro ta te th e rel ev ant ste p
encode r to alter number of ratchets.

For more interesting sequences, you may want to use
GATE REPE AT per step. Meaning that each step will be
played several times at the same CV, Gate and Modulation
settings. To do so, select a channel fro m CH1-CH4, pus h
and hold the SHIF T bu tton and push the RATC HET/ REPE AT
button! Rotate any of t he 16 encoders to set the GATE
REPE AT rate: 2,3,4,5,6,7,8. The s tep grid o n t he OLED will
indicate the gate repeat settings.
You can also program lon ger notes by a pplying REPEAT
gate merge. In this case instead of several gates one long
gate will appear on the gate output. To do so rot ate the
step encoder to set rep eats and push it to merge gates
(small + sign will app ear next to repe ated gate count; push
again to unmerg e. On the e xampl e to the lef t gate s on the
steps 1, 3 and 6 ar e with mer ged gate s, while g ates on the
steps 5 and 8 are rep eated.

To animate your per form ance, you can add SHUFFLE to
the track, meaning that some gates will be set slightly
offbeat. To do so, select a channel from CH1-CH4 and
push the SHUFFLE button! Rotate the DATA enco der and
set the desire d shuf fle am ount for the tr ack. You can a lso
manually design the shuffle pattern. To do so, manipulate
the firs t four step encoders: p ushing the encod er will tu rn
the shuffle of the step on/off (a sm all square indic ates
that a shuf fle will not apply to the sele cted step), if the
shuffl e is applied, by turning the relevant encoder you can
define, if the shuf fle microtiming is applied to positiv e
(+) or negative (-) directio n. Your 4-step pat tern will be
replic ated on the all ste ps of the track.

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DESIGNING A MODULATION TRACK

For even more nuanced timing adjustments, you can apply
MICROTIMI NG per step, meani ng each s tep will be played
slightly of fbea t at a sp ecifie d time. To apply microtiming,
selec t a channel from CH1-CH4, push a nd hold the SHIFT
button and push the SHUFFLE/TIMING button! Rotate any of
the 16 e ncoders to s et the microtiming per step! The s tep
grid on the OLED w ill indicate the microtiming setting s.
If the SHUFFLE is applied to the track, it will automatically
appea r in the mic rotiming scree n.

Each chan nel of the Black Sequencer has a dedicate d
MODUL ATI ON OUTPUT. This means that you ca n desig n a
modulation track for controlling filters and other modules.
But, modulation outputs are not l imited to step by ste p
volta ges only. Modula tion outputs can be configured as
follows:

1. Stepp ed volt ages

2. Slide d step voltage s

3. Stepp ed volt ages t hat corr espon d to notes

4. Dec ay envelope with adjus table D ecay time per s tep

5. ASR e nvelope with adjustable Rel ease ti me per step

6. ADSR envelope with relative to gate length time settings

7. LFO

8. Per step LFO (a djust able waveform per step )

9. Trigger s

Note that each channel can have an individual configuration.
In or d e r to co n figu re th e mo dul ati o n outp ut, se l e c t a ch ann el
fr om CH 1- C H4 an d pu sh an d ho l d th e S ETU P but t on an d pu sh
the MOD button. Rotate the DATA first step encoder to set
the desired configuration! To exit the configuration screen,
simply push the MOD button again !

For example, in order to configure th e mo dulation ou tput
for the STEPPED CVs, push and hold the SETUP button
and push the MOD but ton. The configuration screen
will appear. Rotate the DATA firs t encoder to selec t the
CV. P ush the MOD button a gain to retur n to the per step
modula tions se tting s page.

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In t he STEP PED MODULAT ION (CV) m ode, rotate a ny of t he
16 encod ers to set the desire d output volt age. Maximum
out put volt ag e ran ge is from -10V – +10V ; you can cust omi ze
the r ange in the set tings menu . The step gri d on the O LED
will indi cate modulation volta ge sett ings.

Th e SL IDE D ST E P MO D UL ATI ON mod e is si mi la r to th e St ep ped
Modula tion mode, but th e steps are conne cted linea rly, so
you get slides ins tead o f disc rete s teps; basi cally here you
can draw a custom LF O shapes.

In the CV NOTE mode the stepped volt ages are linke d to
the n otes and y ou c an basica lly design anot her CV t rack.
For example, if your VCF tracks 1V/oct, you can mimic
keyboard tracking. Note that in t his mode, you also have
access to n egati ve volt ages that are linked to notes.

In th e DEC AY EN VE LO PE mo de (t he de ca y st ar ts imme dia tely
after the gate is on a nd the gate leng th is ignored ) rotate
any of the 16 encoders to set the desir ed Deca y t ime per
step. T he at tack time is fixed, and it’s ins tant aneous whil e
the decay time is linked to the BPM – the minimum is O”,
but the ma ximum is alwa ys equal to t he time of the two
steps in th e sequ ence playback. If t he ratchet is applied
to t he step, the max release release time is equal to two
ratche tted substeps in the gate. The s tep grid on the OLED
will indi cate the decay envelope time settings.
You ca n als o adjust D ecay enve lope level per step. To do so,
pu sh th e re le van t st e p en co der and rot a te it to set the enve l op e
level. A popup scree n will i ndica te a momentar y set ting s and
the step gr id on the OL ED – all per s tep leve l settings.

In ASR ENVELOP E mode (release st art s after th e gate is off,
and the gate length is taken in to a ccount) , r otate any of
the 16 encoders to set t he desired Attack-Sustain-R eleas e
envelo pe release tim e. The attack time is fixed, and it’s
insta ntane ous, the sustain leve l is 10V, and release time is
linked to the BPM – the minimum is O”, but the maximum
is always equal to the t ime of tw o steps in the sequ ence
playba ck. If ratchet is applied to the step, the ma x relea se
time is equal to two ratchetted su bsteps in the gate. The
step grid on the OLED will indicate the envelope release

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time set tings.

You can also adjust ASR envelo pe level per s tep. To do so,
push the releva nt ste p enco der and rotate it to set the
envelo pe leve l. A popup scree n will in dicate a momentary
settings and the step g rid on the O LED – all pe r step level
settings.

In the ADSR ENVELOPE mode, encoders 1-5 become the
Attac k, Dec ay, Release time, Sus tain level and ove rall
envelo pe Leve l settings for each cha nnel.
In the ADSR ENVELOPE mode the maxim um Attack and
Decay time is equal to the Gate length, the maximum
Release time is linke d to the BPM – the minimum is O”,
but the ma ximum is always equal to the time of two steps
in the seq uence playback. If the ratche t is appli ed to the
step, the max release time is equal to two ratchetted
subste ps in the g ate. T he ma ximu m Sustain level is + 5 or
+10V depending on t he configuration.
You can also use the Step encoder 5 finetune overa ll
envelope level.

In LFO mode (the MOD output become s synced or free
ru nni n g L FO ), en cod e r s 1- 4 be c om e LFO pa r a m et e r se tti n g s .
Encoder 1 b ecome s the LFO frequenc y control (in sync mode
it wil l set LFO frequency as divisio ns or multiplicat ions of
the BPM), encoder 2 sets the waveshape (available shap es
are sine, triangle, ramp up, ra mp down, square, triple
decay saw, random and noise ( yes, noise – you can u se
the Black Sequencer as pitched noise generator)), encoder
3 – the LFO signal level (-5V – +5V max) and encoder 4 turns
LFO Sync hroniz ation to B PM ON/OFF.
The OLED will in dicate LFO set tings .

In the STEPPED LFO mode, the LFO with the frequenc y
linked to the BPM is available on the MOD outputs, and
you can sel ect the LFO wave form per step. Th e available
wavefo rms are: sine, triang le, saw up, saw down and
square.
You can also adjust the LFO level per step. To do so, push
the relev ant step encoder and rotate it to set a desired LFO
level. A popup scre en will indicate a momen tar y se tting s
and the s tep grid on the OL ED – all per step level set tings.

In the TRIGGER mode, the modulation output will output
5ms +5V triggers, ideal for triggeri ng drum modules or
other ev ents in your modu lar sy stem.
Push encoders 1-16 to engage the triggers at relevant
steps. For longer than 16 step patterns , use the <BA R>
buttons to navig ate to the n ext pa ges of 16 steps.
The step grid on the OLED w ill indicate th e active trig gers.

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MANAGING PATTERNS, BANKS AND SONGS

The memory of the sequencer is structured in several layers: PROJECTS, BANKS,
PATTERNS and TRACKS. A PROJECT is saved on the SD card and contains 16
BANKS of 16 PATTERNS, each PATTERN consisting of 4 TRACKS (CH1-CH4) with all
parameter settings. Furthermore, each BANK can contain up to 16 SONGS – an
array of PATTERNS within a BANK.

SD CARD

INTERNAL

MEMORY

PROJECTS

16 BANKS

16 PATTERNS

4 TRACKS

You can SAV E pat terns at a ny moment. All the al terations
th at you ma ke in th e pa t t e r n a re re cor ded in th e t emp or ar y
memor y of the seque ncer an d will b e lost if you switch to
anothe r pat tern or turn off the unit. A blinking RECORD
button indicates that the information has not been saved.
To S AVE the pattern informatio n, just push and hold th e
SHIF T button an d push the RECOR D button , and all sett ings
within the pattern (all four tr acks CH1-CH4) will be s aved
in the selected BANK a nd PATT ERN.
In case you modif y a patter n and come up with something
spectacula r, you may want to save it in a new pattern
without altering a current patter n. To do so, push the
PATTE RN button to open t he pa ttern pag e, push and hol d
the R EC button and push the s tep encoder of the p atter n
slot. Plea se note, that this way you can save patterns in
the empt y slots o nly!

Push and hold the SHIFT button and push the PAT TERN
button to access the PRO JECT S (a set of 16 BANK S of
PATTE RNS stored on the SD card) menu. Rotate t he DATA
encode r to selec t the project a nd push to confirm .
In order to SAVE a new p rojec t, push t he DATA encoder
and r otate it to sele ct NEW. Then push the step encoders
assign ed to letters to enter the name and pus h the DATA
encode r to confi rm. A new project will be av ailab le on th e
SD card for backup on your laptop.

16 SONGS

13

Push the B ANK but ton to sel ect the BANK ! The OL ED show s
the grid of 16 BA NKS and th e number s in the BANK S
indicate the number of pat terns saved in each bank (3
and 2 corresponding ly in the example sho wn on the OLED).
The LEDs above the step encoders ind icate BANK S with
patterns – the oran ge LED means, the BANK ho lds some
PATTE RNS, while the green mea ns the BANK is se lecte d.

Push the PATTERN button to sel ect a PAT TERN within a
BANK selected in a previous step! The OL ED shows the
curren tly selected PAT TERN and the BANK number below.

In order to select the nex t PATTE RN, simp ly push one of the
step encoders for the pattern you wish to initiate, and the
NEXT PATTERN icon will appear on the OLED. The sequencer
will advance to the nex t PATTE RN as soon th e current one is
comple te (t his is defi ned by the Mas ter Track Len gt h set ting
in the SC ALE menu).
If you wish to advance to the next PATTERN INSTA NTLY,
push and hold the SHIFT butto n an d pu sh one of the ste p
encode rs for the pattern that you wa nt to initiate.
The LEDs above the s tep encoders indicate the PATTERNS
that have be en saved in the memor y within a current BA NK –
the red LED means the PAT TER N is s aved, green means the
PATTE RN is selec ted, b ut it ’s empt y, while the orange – the
pattern is selected, and is saved in the memor y.
Nice performance- oriented feature is PATTERN LINKING.
Push and hold th e PAT TER N button and push several ste p
encoders that contain patterns buttons (you can push the
same pattern repeatedly, as well). All selected patterns
will play sequentially in the loop. Push any step encoder to
selec t another patte rn and ter minate th e chain of pa tterns.

You can design a SONG – a chain of PATTERNS from o ne
BANK, played back sequentially. In order to enter SONG
design mode, push an d hold the SHIFT button and push
the BAN K/SONG button. Now push one of 16 step enc oders
to LOA D a SONG or open a N EW SONG desi gn menu, if th e
SONG slot is empt y.
In tot al, 16 SON GS a re av ailable pe r BA NK, each SONG can
contain up to 64 pat terns, an d each patte rn in t he chain
can be re peated up to 32 time s.
Green step LEDs will indicate saved songs in 4x4 step
encoder pattern.

14

If you cho ose to design a NE W SONG , simply p ush the step
encode rs to design a cha in of PAT TERN S. The red LEDs
above the step encoders will indicate sa ved PATT ERNS that
are avai lable for a SONG d esign. You c an push the sam e
encode r sev eral times to repeat the PATT ERN. The OLED
will sho w the PATTERNS within the SON G. You can also use
the DATA encoder to n avigate through chain of PATT ERNS
and al ter or inser t some pat terns in a S ONG. To insert the
pattern, navigate to the slot in-bet ween pat terns and push
the ste p encod er of the PAT TERN , you wish to insert, to

chain and push the step e ncoder of th e PATT ERN, you want ins ert instea d of existin g PATT ERN. You ca n also
rotate the the firs t step encoder to alter the PATT ERN numbe r and the second step encoder to alter the number
of repeats. You ca n DEL ETE the p atter n in a chain by pushing the CLEAR but ton. I f you wish to delete enti re
pattern chain, push and hold the S HIF T butto n and push the CLE AR bu tton.
To SAVE the S ONG, p ush and hold the SHIFT b utton a nd push the RECOR D butto n.
If you ch oo s e to DELE TE th e SO N G, simp ly pu sh an d ho ld th e CL EAR butt on an d pu s h th e rel ev a nt st ep enco de r.
NB! If the song is playing (a seque ncer is running ) pushing SFIF T+SO NG will g et to the currentl y playing song.
If you wis h to desig n a NEW SONG, ma ke sure, a sequenc er is stop ped.
Please note th at t he S ONG mode is a p erformance oriente d fe ature, and it’s not inte nded to alter pat terns
while th e SONG is p laying .

modif y/replace the PAT TERN, navig ate to the PATT ERN in a

PARAMETER CLEAR, COPY PASTE

You can CLEAR all track information or certain parts/steps /
settings. In order to CLE AR ALL track information, push and
hold the CLE AR button and push the track button from
CH1-CH4 for the track that you want to clear. For example,
push ing CLE AR + CH1, all the infor mati on in tr ack 1 wi ll be
reset to default s ettin gs (eg. all CVs to C 0, and all gates to
50% , all modulation voltages to 0V).
In order to clear an entire PATTERN, open the PATTERN
menu, push and hold the CLEAR button and push the
releva nt step e ncoder.

In order to CL EAR all the information in certain steps ,
selec t a tra ck from CH1-CH4, push and h old bot h CLE AR
button and by pushing encoders 1-16, select the step that
you wis h to clear. You ca n also clear series of steps by
pushing the first and the last en coder in the series. The
step grid i n the popup screen on the OLED will indicate
which steps are cleared.

In order to CLEAR CVs for a specific track (CH1, for example)
only, push the CV button to select the CV menu , then push
and hold the SHIFT but ton and the CLE AR but ton and push
the CH1 button. All CV information for CH1 will be reset to
the default set ting (C 0, for ex ample).
If you w ant to clear GLIDE s ettings, se lect the GLI DE
mode (SH IFT+C V/GLIDE) , push and hold the SHIF T button
and the CLEAR b utton and push the CH1 but ton. All glide
inform ation fo r CH1 will b e reset to O ”.
In the same way, you can CLEAR GLIDE inf ormation for
specific steps. To do so, instead of pushing the CH1 button,
pu s h th e ste p enco d er s for t he st eps th at yo u wi s h to cl ea r.

15

The sam e goes fo r clear ing GATES, PRO BABILIT IES,
RATCH ETS, etc. for a specific track (CH1, for example).
In order to clear GATE S, push t he GATE but ton to select
the GATE menu, then push and hold the SHIF T button
and the CLE AR button and push th e CH1 but ton. All GATE
inform ation for CH1 will be reset to t he default setting
(50% , for e xampl e).
In order to CLEAR information for specific steps, instead
of pushin g the CH1 button, push the step encode rs for the
steps th at you wish to clear.

You can COPY and later paste all track i nformation from
CH1-CH 4 or all setting s in cer tain steps.
In order to COPY ALL track information, push and hold the
COPY button and push a tr ack button from CH1-CH 4 for
the t rack that you want to copy. For example, to copy all
inform ation in t rack 1, pus h COPY+ CH1.
In order to COPY an entir e PATTERN, open the PATT ERN
menu, push and hold the COPY butto n and push the
releva nt step e ncoder.

In order to COPY all informatio n in cer tain steps, select a
track fro m C H1-CH4 , push and hol d t he COPY but ton and
by pushing encoders 1-16, select the step that you wish
to copy.
You can also copy series of steps by pushing the first and
the la st encoder in the series. T he step gr id in the popup
screen on the OLED will i ndicate which steps have been
copied.

In order to PASTE all the in formation from a speci fic tr ack
to another track (for example, if you copied information in
CH1 and wan t to paste it to CH2), push and hold the PA STE
button and push the CH2 button. All informat ion from CH1
will be pa sted to CH2. If you have copied a ser ies of ste ps,
not an entire pattern, only the steps that have been copied
will be pas ted. For exa mple, if you are happy with how the
first 4 steps of the sequence sound, you ca n paste them
into s teps 9-12 simply by pushing and hold ing paste, and
pushing s tep encoder 9.
In order to PASTE an entire PATTERN, open the PATTERN
menu, pu sh and h old the PASTE butto n and pu sh the s tep
encode r for the paste destination.

You can als o PAST E the spe cific settings from the channel,
like CVs, GATES, PRO BAB ILIT IES, R ATCHE TS, etc . To PASTE CV
settings only, sele ct the CV mode (C V button is ON), push
and hold the PASTE but ton and push SHIF T bu tton. PAS TE
CV will appear on th e OLED. Then select a dest inatio n –
push one of the e ncoders to paste a step /sev eral steps
or push a channel button to paste CV settings to the
same steps i n a nother channel. The sam e go es for other
param eters . For example, for glide sett ings, sele ct the
glide mode (SHIFT+C V/GL IDE) and push and hold PASTE
button, push SHIFT bu tton and select a destination.

16

CHANNEL MUTING

You can M UTE channels during a performance. P ush
the MUT E button and push o ne or sever al CH buttons to
mute relevant the channe ls. Mute means – all GATES and
MODUL ATI ONS will be turned off, but the sequencer will
continu e running and out put CVs
You can SOLO the channe l. Pus h and hold SHIF T and push
the MUT E/S OLO button. Then select a channel from CH1­CH2 that you wish to play solo. G ates an d Modulations for
all other channels will b e turned off.

MUTE ARMING

You can also take advantage of MUTE A RMING – p ush and
hold the MUTE b utton a nd push r eleva nt chan nel but tons,
you wish to mute. As soon the MUT E button is released,
channe l muting w ill be ac tivated.
Same goes with the SOLO armi ng, you just need to sel ect
SOLO mo de.

MAGIC – PARAMETER RANDOMIZATION

The MAGIC button does mag ic – it random izes all track
information or parameter information within preset scales.
In order to randomize all parameters in the channel, push
and h old the M AGIC but ton a nd push one of the CH1-C H4
buttons! All se lecte d (ple ase, refer to the MAGIC SET UP)
param eters for the sel ected channel will be r andom ized.
In order to r andomize a specific pa rameter, a CV for
channe l 1, for example, push channel button CH1, th en
push and hold the MAGIC button and push the CV but ton.
The C Vs f or ch annel 1 will be rand omized within a prese t
musica l scale, whi le the glide, gate and modul ation
inform ation will remain the same. The same goes for
Gates, Modulations, etc. For ex ample, if you wish to
“Magi c” GLIDE, push and hold the MAGIC button, then
push the S HIFT button and push C V/GLID E butto n.

17

PERFORMANCE MODE

STEP SELECTION / MULTI-EDIT

18

You can adjust randomizat ion settings, for exa mple the
octave range for C V randomiz ation. To do so, push and
hold the SET UP button and push the MAGIC button. Use the
DATA encoder to nav igate through parameter s and the firs t
and the second en coder s to adjus t settings.
Here you also can define, what p arameters will be
randomized, when one of CH1-CH 4 but tons is pressed. To
do so, rotate the DATA encoder to navigate throug h the list
of pa rameters and push it to select a sp ecific par amete r.
A fi lled dot next to the par ameter means t his para meter
will be ra ndomiz ed. I n the example to the left CV s, Ga tes
and Ratchets are ran domize d, whil e Glide, Probab ility and
Repeat s tay una ltered.
Nice e xtra feature is G ate St ate (S TATE) randomizati on – it
randomly turns gates ON or OFF thus alter ing the seque nce
without changing other parameters.

To add some human expression, when performing the
PERFORMAN CE mode is implemented.
Pus h an d hold th e SH IF T bu tt on and push the MAG IC b ut ton .
The OLED will show the per forma nce screen . Here you ca n
transpose selected tracks (push the CH1-CH4 buttons; all
tracks are s elec ted by defau lt) and add rolls of cur rent no te
with adjustab le, master BPM sy nced rate.
Rotate the DATA encode r to transpose tracks by octaves
or push one of first 12 step encoders to transpos e the
sequence by semitones. The four bottom step encoders
app ly ro lls to the se quenc es – the 13th s tep enco der appl ies
the roll to the firs t tr ack ( CH1), the 14th en coder – the th e
second track (CH2), etc . Rotate the relevant encode r to set
the roll rate (1/2, 1/4, 1/ 8, 1/16, 1/32 or 1/64 ) a nd p ush it
to a pply a roll to the curre nt note in the sequence. While
you h old the s tep encode r, note will cont inue playing, but
the sequence in the background will continue running, so,
when the encoder is released, the sequence is in sync with
other channels.

In order to alter your sequence slightly, you can SELECT
INDIVIDUAL STEPS. To do so push and hold the DAT A encode r
and push several step e ncoder s or ser ies of the step
encoders at once. On the example to the left, steps 1, 6, 10
and 13 are activated. The selected step s becom e active and
you can alter the m all at once, for example, if you are in
the C V menu, you can ch ange the pi tch of all selec ted s teps
simultaneously by r otatin g one of se lecte d s tep encode rs.
Same goes for gate length, ratchet s, etc., you jus t ne ed to
nav iga te to th e rel eva nt menu. You ca n als o pause (se t gat e
to O) by cl icking one of the step encoders the sele ction or
skip s teps buy double clicking one of t he step encoders in
a selec tion.
You c an also MAGIC t he selec ted steps only, which allows
you to intro duce slight variations to your sequ ence.
To deselect the ste ps, push the DATA encode r.

SEQUENCE ROTATION

BEFORE

AFTER

You can also s elec t pre- designed step patterns. To do so
pus h and hold the SH IF T bu tto n an d pus h the DATA encod er.
Now you ca n rotate the DATA encoder to choose a step
selec tion pattern. Push the encoder to confirm and the
patt ern is appli ed to the steps and you can al ter the m all at
once. You can apply the pattern to several B ARS at once; to
do so, when in p atter n selec tion mode, push < BAR > but tons
to select, how many bars w ill be af fec ted. To deselec t th e
steps, push the DATA encoder.

You can SHIFT/ROTATE THE STEPS (contain ing all
param eters) in a sequen ce. To do s o, p ush and hold the
SHIF T button and push <BAR > buttons – all steps in a
sequen ce will shift by one step for ward or back ward. This
is particularly interesting, if you run several sequences (on
several channels) simultaneously.
On the example to the lef t 16 note sequence is shif ted one
step forward. If you have shorte r sequence, th e steps will
shift /rotate within a seque nce leng th.

19

CV, GATE, MOD AND MIDI INPUT ROUTING

When signal is applied to the CV, GATE, MOD and /or M IDI
inputs, you can alter the sequence with an external signal
sources – keyboard s, LFOs, wind or gesture controllers,
etc. The incomin g signal can be assigne d to a single outp ut
or sever al outp uts simultaneously.
Enter the SETUP menu a nd use th e DATA encod er to
navigate to the IN PUT configuration.
Rotate the DATA encode r to select the output (CV1-C V4 and
MOD1-M OD4) a nd configure it. T he GATE is a lways passed
through to the selected c hanne l.
Rotate the firs t step encoder to sel ect the input s ource –
you can choose betw een MI DI and ANALO GUE (C V and GATE

Rotate the seco nd ste p encoder to sele ct th e act ion, when th e signal is ap pli ed to th e inpu t. Ava ila ble optio ns are:

1) OFF – the relevant ou tput will not be af fec ted by the i ncoming CV or MI DI message ;

2) FILL – when the incoming CV and GATE (or MI DI note on message) is appli ed, the notes in the sequence are

replaced by the incoming CV while the inco ming GATE is high, and the GATE OU T is high while the incoming
GATE is hi gh;

3) ADDFIL L – the incoming sign al is adde d to the note s in the sequence while the in coming G ATE is hig h, and

the GATE OUT is high while the incoming GATE is high. Also, if there are paused steps (with a gate length

0) in the se quence, they ar e replaced with a high gate a nd the incoming C V;

4) ADD – the inco ming C V is ADDED to the notes in the s equence, but th e incoming GATE is ignore d. The A DD

funct ion is latch ed, so, eve n when you release a key on a MIDI or CV ke yboard, the added CV val ue still is
presen t. This way you can transpose th e sequence with external ke yboard or you can eve n use one of the
sequen cer tracks and patch it back into th e module itself;

5) THROUGH – the inc oming CV and GATE is passe d direc tly to the relevant CV and GAT E output , and the

sequen ce, running on this channel, is ignored. This is particula rly nice feature for MIDI keybo ard/
controller, because it turns the Black Sequencer into MIDI-CV converter. NB! The Black Sequencer acts as
monoph onic MI DI-CV converte r with th e last note priority.

inputs).

CV, GATE AND MODULATION RECORD

Instead of building sequences step by step manually, you
can record CVs, Gates an d Modulations vi a exter nal signal
sources – MIDI keyboa rds, CV /Gate keyboar ds or any other
CV/ Gate source s. To do so, connect the MIDI keyb oard to
MIDI IN socket or relevant CV/Gate keyboard outputs to
CV IN, Gate IN a nd MOD I N socke ts and s elec t the cha nnel
(CH1-CH4) for recordin g. The sequencer ca n reco rd onl y
one, selected channe l at the tim e.
Now, push and hold the SE TUP bu tton and push the
RECORD but ton to e nter the RECOR D setup. Here you can
configu re recording set tings.
Roatat e the DATA encoder to scroll the menu and us e the

SOURC E – selec t bet ween MIDI (MIDI IN) o r ANALOGUE (C V IN, G ATE IN, M OD IN) inputs.
MODE – select the re cord mode. Available options are OVERDUB, RECORD, INSERT and FILL – se e a description
of modes below !
MOD REC – turn modul ation reco rding ON or OFF. This is impor tant feature, because, if modul ation recording is
ON, the MOD out put automatic ally s witches to the SLIDED STEP MODULAT ION se tting and you may loos e your
modula tion track, you design ed prev iously.
NOTE QNT – engage or disengage note quantization to the selected QUANT scale for ther current track. When
this set ting is ON, all recorded notes will be quant ized to th e selec ted QUA NT scale.

first s tep encoder to select a setting.

20

GATE LEN – set a def ault gate leng th for sever al record
modes.
MONITOR – engage or dis engage the note input m onitor,
meanin g, when a key on a keyboard is pressed, a relev ant
CV passes to the CV out put dire ctly, an d you hea r a note.
POP-UP – engage or disengage a “visual metronome” –
very h andy fe ature for Overdu b and Record mode s.

Four reco rding mo des are a vaila ble:
OVERD UB – in th is m ode the sequence on the sequencer
loops and the notes in th e sequence are replaced by the
notes from a keyboa rd, as s oon a key is pressed. This is
the mode we sug gest for improvisat ion and adding n ew
notes form ex ternal i nput sources because the playh ead
doesn’t er ase anything from the sequence as it is in the
RECORD m ode;
RECORD – in this mode you can record the notes live –
the pat tern of a selected length (16 s teps, for example)
and BPM will run jus t once, and you can play n otes on
a keyb oard in the sequence. If a key is not depr essed ,

challenging reco rd mode, therefore we recommend to turn on a pop-up visual metro nome and set low er BPM,
which you can later s peed up. Also take note that this is a clas sic monophonic sequ encer and notes c ant
overlay as it in in sequencers which hav e polyphonic t racks or piano rolls. I n this mode the record playhead
clears everything what was recorded/programmed into the sequence before and records whats present in
the MID I or analog input s;
INSER T – this mode ba sically replace s ne ed to rot ate the step encod ers, when programming the sequence.
Push and hold th e step e ncoder and pre ss a key on a keyb oard – t he note f rom the keyboard will appear on
a relev ant s tep. Pus h an ho ld ano ther s tep enc oder a nd ente r dif ferent note, etc. To change the gate length
of the note i nput go to the record setup an d ad just the GATE LEN setting. You ca n also hold multiple step
encode rs at the s ame tim e and cha nge note s for them a t the sam e time ;
FILL – in this mode you can enter a notes from a keyboard step by step, and the sequencer advances to the
next step o nly, wh en a key on the keyboard is re lease d, mea ning, it ig nores BPM a nd fol lows note/ gate o ff
messa ges onl y;
Once record mode is selected, open the CV screen, hit a RECORD button and start recording! Small REC sign
will blink in the top r ight corner on the OLED.
NB! In order to record exact notes, w e highly r ecommend to use MIDI ke yboard, bec ause it sends digital
messa ges of notes and gates the refore its the mo st accur ate way to record no tes into the seque nce.
The Analogue mode is intended more for experimental recording of LFOs, Joystick movemen ts, etc. No
analog ue key board provides instant change of voltage at CV output, especiall y, when it co mes to larger
inter vals. For example, for “in dustr y sta ndard ” CV/ Gate keyboard it ta kes 4ms of glide for CV to reach a
new v alue when C3 and C5 ke ys a re pressed sequential ly. So, when REC is on and you push a key on a CV
keyboard and activate a gate, y ou interrupt tha t glide, and a sequencer instantly quantizes to a note. I n
most cases this leads to recorded notes being transposed for couple of semitones from intended value. The
workaround for this is, instead o f using a gate f rom a ke yboa rd, you can patch a highly a ccurate CLOC K OUT
from the Black Sequencer into Gate IN. In this case the note volta ge is recorded exac tly at the moment, when
next s tep sta rts .

a merged ste ps will be recor ded. This is the most

21

MODULATION RECORDING is available in OVERDUB and
RECORD modes only. When mo dulati on recording
is engage d, MOD outp ut in the relev ant channel
automat icall y switches to the SLIDED STEP MODULAT ION
(you can also use the CV value mode too) . When in
analog ue mode, you can record any CV (ba sically the
Black Sequencer works as a CV sampler), an d it will be
synce d to the sequenc e auto matic ally. Basic ally the M OD
input is sampled on ever y each ne w step of the seque nce
as it advances. In MIDI mode, the modulatio n records
modula tion wheel moti on only.
In the OVER DUB and RECORD modes you can AR M

recording – while a sequencer is sto pped, push the REC
button. The sequencer will be ready for reco rding, but
will not run, yet. If you have activated pop-up “visual
metron ome”, the ARMED popup will appear and it wil l
indicate B PM. Now, you can start reco rding by pushing a
PLAY bu tton OR b y pushing a key on you r keybo ard.
In order to stop recording push STOP or PLAY button. In the
Record mode recording stops autom atica lly as soon the
end of the s equence (16 steps, fo r example) is rea ched.
If you a re happy with a recording, don’t forget to save
it (SHIF T + RECORD )! If you do not like it, push and hold
the CLE AR but ton and push the relevant cha nnel button to
clear th e record ing and try ag ain!

22

SYNCHRONIZING THE BL ACK SEQUENCER WITH OTHER MODULES

The Black Sequencer can be the master clock source of your modular system and
likewise – it can be synced to an external gear via MIDI or analogue clock.

THE BLACK SEQUENCER AS A MASTER CLOCK

For synchroniza tion via analogue cloc k co nnec t th e C LK OUT of the Black Se quencer to the CLK IN o f sl ave
module (the Drum Sequencer in this case) and in Gen eral Settings menu (see below) set the CLOCK OUT to
4ppq. If you want other module reset to the initial step when the Black Sequ encer is stoppe d, connec t RST OUT
on the Bl ack Sequencer to the RS T IN of the slave m odule (the Drums Sequ encer in this ca se) and in Gener al
Settings men u (see below) set t he RESET OUT to STOP.

DIN5

For synchronizat ion via MIDI use the B Type 3.5mm to DIN5 MIDI cable (supplied with the Black Sequencer) and
simply co nnec t the MID I OUT of th e Black S equencer to the slave MIDI device . The Black Sequencer tr ansmit s
MIDI cl ock mes sages and start/stop messag es.
If you sy nc the Dr um Sequencer from the Black Sequencer, you can simply use 3 .5mm TRS (stereo) cable .
Some ins trume nts syn c via MIDI b etter, if they rec eive continuous M IDI clock messa ges. You van turn on
continu ous MIDI clock me ssages on a Black Sequencer in M IDI SE TTINGS – plea se, refer to SE TTI NGS MEN U
below!

23

THE BLACK SEQUENCER AS A SLAVE UNIT

For sync hroniz ation vi a analog ue clock connect the CLK OUT of the Drum Se quence r to the CLK IN of th e Black
Sequencer. The Drum Seque ncer doesn’t have a dedicated rese t output, but you can config ure the TR16 output
to output reset signal, so, when you push STOP button on the Dru m Sequencer, the Black Sequencer will reset
to the firs t step. S ame goes with any other m odule, y ou wish to use as a mas ter clock.
For synchronization v ia MID I just use B Type MID I cable and patch in into MI DI IN socket.

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SETTINGS MENU

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The SETU P menu provides basic informa tion about the
device status, as w ell as provid ing access to d efaul t
settings and the calibrat ion of the seque ncer. Rotate th e
DATA encoder to navigate through the setup icons and
push it to co nfirm th e selec tion !

The Info menu indicates information about the firmware and bootloader
versions. Also, you can perform a manual firmware update/module
reboot here. P ush and hold the SHIF T button and push the first step
encored, and the sequen cer will reboot .

In Displa y settings menu you can :

1) adjust a cont rast of th e OLED screen (ver y useful fo r shootin g demos),

2) turn on and set the time for OLE D dimming to prevent it “burning out”,

3) turn on/off pop-up screens. When disabled, in several menus (CV,
Gate, Rat chet, etc.) onl y step gri d will app ear.

4) turn on and set the time, when a screensav er is ac tivated (highly
recommended fe ature, be cause O LEDs tend to “burn ou t”).

Rotate one of first four step enco ders to alter a display setti ngs.

5) latch PATTERN selection screen. When latch is ON, you can select and
chain patterns without holding PAT TERN button – t he PAT TERN screen
stays on until you select another men u. You can latch PATTER N screen
also by double pressing PATT ERN button.

6) invert the color of the sequencer LED’s, enter the settings menu by
pressing SETUP, then navigate to the DIS PLAY tab.

By turning the 6th step encoder, you can change the in version by sett ing
it to be eithe r ON or OFF.

In General settings menu you can activate several features that affect
overall functionality of the sequencer:

1) turn BAR FOLLOW on/off. If it’s on and you have sequences longer than
16 step s, BARS wil l chan ge auto mati cally as the sequence ad van ces to
the nex t BAR. O ther wise you need to cha nge BAR S manua lly,

2) turn Mas ter Reset on/of f. With the Master Reset on th e Sequencer the
RST OUT will output th e reset signal at t he end of the master track ,
other wise, the reset occurs on th e longes t track in the Patte rn.

Rotate one of step enco ders to alter the set tings.

3) configure CV outp ut be havior, in case t he channel is mu ted. You ca n
selec t o ne of 3 op tions : S TAY – th e C V outpu t of the m uted channel
follo ws CV s of the se quen ce, whi le the se quen cer is ru nning , FRE EZE –
the CV is halted on the note that wa s the las t used, when the chann el
is muted, DROP – the C V of the muted channe l drops to 0V.

4) set the CLOCK OUT p pq. Available options are 1, 2, 4 ppq, and th e
default setti ng is 4.

5) con figure RESET outpu t be havior. Rese t can send a trigger signal ou t
when the sequence starts at the push of play button (S TART) or when
the stop bu tton is pushed (STOP).

Rotate th e relevant step en coder to al ter the setting s.

In the DEFAULT Setting s menu, you can define the def ault parameter s of
the sequen cer when the new empt y sequence is activated, or the CLEA R
funct ion is per formed.
You can :

1) set the def ault note value, when the step is cleared,

2) set the def ault gate length

3) set the gate state – if you choose OFF, all gates wi ll be muted , and
when designing a pa ttern , you need to un-mute them i n the GATE
menu.

Use the DATA encoder to navigate thro ugh s ettin gs and the firs t step

encode r to alter set tings!

In the Input and Output CALIBR ATION menu, you can calibrate the
sequen cer to work bes t in your s yste m – you ca n even c alibrate the C V
output s to work b est wi th spec ific VCOs.
In order to perform calibration push the DATA encoder to enter the
CAL IBR ATION m ode and f ollow th e instr uctions on the O LED.
NB! Th e sequen cer comes f actor y calibrated 1V/ oct, so, if your VCOs are
perfectly tuned 1V/ oct, y ou do not need ex tra calibration.

In the MIDI settings menu you can configure MID I inputs and outputs.
The menu consists of several pages, accessible by rotating the firs t step
encoder.
The M IDI OUT output s up to four MI DI note me ssages, note ON/
OFF messages, depending on a gate leng th and one CC message that
corres ponds to m odulation CV s ettings (NB: The MIDI CC o utput s
modula tion CV ONLY! It will not out any other modulation setting s –
enve lo pe s, tri gg er s, etc . ). Rot at e th e DAT A en co de r to se le c t th e tr ac k an d
in the firs t page you c an:

1) S elec t the MIDI channel per tra ck by rotatin g the second step encoder.

2) Ad j ust th e not e vel oci t y . Al l note s in th e ch an nel wi ll ha v e a fix e d vel oci t y,
and the Black Seque ncer does not have per step veloci ty setting.

3) Set the pitch ben d range th at corre spond s to the pitch bend wheel range
on yo ur sy nt he sizer. The de fa ul t set ti ng is 2 semiton es . Thi s is pa rt ic ul ar ly
impor tant, if you are designing p atter ns in a microtonal sca le.

In the second MIDI OUT configura tion page you can set the MIDI CC
messa ge that will transmit the modulation CV.

In the third screen you c an con figure MIDI INPU T. You can set the MIDI
channe l that will rece ive MIDI note and note on/ off message s per track .
Also you can add up to 4 octave s of fset to the incoming MIDI note
messa ges. This is par ticu larit y handy in RECORD and IN PUT modes,
where you do not ne ed to tra nspose MIDI keyboards to extreme low
octave sett ings, w hen inpu ting MI DI notes.

In the fourth s creen you can s et the MIDI cha nnel an d the MI DI CC tha t
will receive the modulation CV informa tion – it will be reco rded in a
modula tion C V.

In the fifth scre en you can enga ge or diseng age continuous MI DI clock
on MIDI O UT.

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In the CLOCK setup menu you can sel ect th e CLOCK source :
INTE RNAL – th e sequen cer runs from the internal clo ck, and you can set
the BPM a s descr ibed above,
EXT ERNAL – use this s etting, if you use a master cloc k from another
source. In this ca se you need to patch a clock source into CLK IN and the
the sequencer will indicate a BPM of the master clock , as well as “clo ck
qualit y” – how accu rate an ex ternal clock source is. The closer it is to 0,
the more a ccurate the cloc k source i s (it doe s not have u ndesired jitter
or shuf fle). B y defau lt the sequencer accept s 4ppq clock.
MIDI – in t his setting the sequencer uses MID I clock from an external
source, patche d in MIDI IN socket. Also here you can monitor the clock
qualit y. By def ault the sequencer ac cepts a s tand ard 24 ppq MI DI cloc k,
In order to s witch b etwe en cloc k source s, rotate the DATA enco der, and
the OLE D will indicate a s elected cloc k source.

In IN/ OUT menu you ca n config ure Input and Output set tings . In the
INPUT configuratio n page you can assi gn the inputs to the channels,
meanin g, you can use MIDI or CV inputs to alter the content of the
releva nt channel in vario us ways. See the I NPUT confi gurat ion options
in the CV, GATE, MO D and MIDI INPUTS ch apter ab ove!
You can change the trigg er delay settings for each one of the four G ATE
output s. To do this, enter the settings menu by pre ssing SETUP and
navigate to the I/ O tab. By turning the t hird step enco der, navigate
to the second page of the I/ O menu. Here you can ad just the trigger
delay for eac h one of the four channel GATE outputs any whe re from
0ms to 40 ms.

FIRMWARE UPDATE

In order to upd ate the firmware of the Black Seq uencer,
power off your modu lar case, remove the SD card from
the Sequencer, copy the latest firmware file on the root
directory of t he SD card and insert the S D card back in
the s equencer! Turn on the pow er o n you r modular case,
and the Sequen cer will automat icall y detect the lates t
firmwa re, erase the old one, and uploa d the new one. Your

saved patter ns wil l rem ain u nchange d, and you’l l be able
to use the m with the l atest fir mware.

To ba ckup or exch ange your patterns just copy the
PROJEC TS fo lder to yo ur compu ter.

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SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

Please follow the instructions for the use of the Erica Synths module
below, because only this will guarantee the proper operation of the
module and ensure your warranty from Erica Synths.

Water is lethal for most electric devices, unless they are
waterproof. This Erica Synths module is NOT intended for use
in a humid or wet environment. No liquids or other conducting
substances must be allowed to get into the module. Should
this happen, the module should be disconnected from mains
power immediately, dried, examined and cleaned by a qualified
technician.

Do not expose the module to temperatures above +50° C or
below -20° C. If you have transpor ted the module in extreme low
temperatures, leave it at room temperature for an hour before
plugging it in.

Transport the instrument carefully and never let it drop or
fall over. Our warranty does not apply to modules with visual
damage.

The module must be shipped in the original packaging only.
Any module shipped to us for return, exchange and/or warranty
repair must be in its original packaging. All other deliveries will
be rejected and returned to you. Ensure that you keep the original
packaging and technical documentation.

This device complies with EU guidelines and is manufactured
RoHS conforming, without the use of lead, mercury, cadmium
or chrome. Nevertheless, this device is considered to be special
waste and disposal in household waste is not recommended.

User manual by Girts Ozolins@Erica Synths.

Design by Anna Krilova. Copying, distribution or commercial use in any

way is prohibited and needs the written permission of Erica Synths.

Specifications are subject to change without notice.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at

www.ericasynths.lv. You will find Erica Synths, terms of warranty at

Items for return, exchange and/or warranty repair must be registered at

SUPPORT on www.ericasynths.lv and sent back to us according

to the instructions in the support page.

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