User Manual
FOUR
BRICKS ROOK
Tap your beat ! Far beyond basic step sequencing
logic, the Four Bricks Rook brings a highly intuitive
interface to all your rhythmic duties and provides a
diverse array of features including CV addressable
memory of 128 thirty-two steps tables where you
can store your own sequences, precision timing to
allow non–quantized/off-beat rhythms, an auto
randomizer/pattern filler, and four modes defining
the pad's behavior : play & record, recall patterns,
play fills, or mute your sequences.
Clock input
Reset input
Fill All input
Shift CV input
Length CV input
Table CV input
Outputs
Menu potentiometer
Menu display
Menu LEDs
Lenght potentiometer
Table potentiometer
Shift potentiometer
A/B button
Rec button
Erase button
Quantize button
Function button
Rec LED
A/B LED
Tracks status LEDs
Pads
Mode LEDs
Introduction
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A
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E F
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Modes
Let’s start by feeding the module with a clock signal
via the Clock input. There are four modes available
which define how the pads affect the sequence.
01. Play Mode (FNCT + PAD 1)
The four pads act as manual triggers. If recording is
engaged (Rec button) the associated LED lights on
and the triggers performed on the pads will be
recorded in the current buffer.
02. Pattern Mode (FNCT + PAD 2)
Pressing a pad will cause the module to read the
sequence off a table (as defined by the Table poten-
tiometer and Table CV input) instead of the current
buffer. To show that a track is reading a table, the
corresponding LED is now acting in an inverted way
so that it stays lit & turn off while a hit is played. To
return to the sequence in the buffer press the pad
a second time. Pressing a Pad while in rec is on will
import the table in the buffer of the corresponding
track.
03. Fill Mode (FNCT + PAD 3)
Similarly to the pattern mode but the module reads
the selected table in a more dynamic way : they are
read only while the Pad is pressed. This on-the-fly
reinterpretation of the tables can be recorded.
Sending a gate signal to the module’s Fill All CV
input will cause all the tracks to play fills for the
duration of the gate signal.
04. Mute Mode (FNCT + PAD 4)
Mutes the track by pressing on the corresponding
Pad. A muted track will have a slowly pulsating
Status LED. Associated to recording, this mode
also allows to erase parts of the sequence.
Sequences
Sequence length is adjusted by the Length potentiometer in conjunction with the bipolar Length CV
input. Available sequence lengths are: 32, 24, 16, 12,
8, 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 steps. By using the Reset CV input
you can easily play sequences of different lengths.
The Shift potentiometer addresses parts of a
recorded sequence : if you record a 32-steps
sequence and then set the Length potentiometer
down to 8 steps, the original 32 steps sequence
will be divided into four 8 steps long segments.
Using the Shift potentiometer allows to choose
between these four 8 steps segments on the fly.
The figure on the next page shows that specific
exemple in a visual way.
Other example, length is reduced to three & shift is
at max : the sequence is now divided in 11 segments.
Steps
Segments
2 3
41
The default option of the Menu potentiometer is to
act on the trigger length, this is indicated by the
last Menu LED (labeled TL) being lit. A double click
on the FNCT button allows to set the trigger length
for each track individually. The display will show a
"-", pressing a pad and turning the menu potentiometer simultaneously will act on the corresponding
track trigger length. To exit this menu press the
FNCT button.
Quantize & Erase Tracks
The Four Bricks Rook records non-quantized
sequences which can be quantized to the incoming
clock (Quantize button + Pad). Also, at any time the
user can erase the current buffer content of a
track by pressing the Erase button + Pad.
Loading Pattern, Save Table & Load Fill
The Four Bricks Rook contains two buffers (volatile
memory) and a variety of tables (non-volatile
memory). You can directly address 8 tables via the
Table potentiometer and Table CV input, and you
can load an other slot of 8 tables using the Load
Pattern operation (FNCT + REC/LD PTRN) : the
first Menu LED (labeled LP) will turn on, while the
Menu potentiometer and display will help you
choose between the 16 available slots.
The Save Table operation (FNCT + ERASE/SV TBL)
saves the buffer content in the non-volatile memory.
You can choose the tracks to be saved using the
Pads, the destination table using the Table potentiometer and the slot using the Menu potentiome-
ter and display.
The Load Fill operation (FNCT + A/B/LD FILL)
allows you to choose a different slot for the Fill
mode than the one used in Pattern mode.
For all these functions, you have to confirm your
operation by pressing the Rec, Erase, A/B button
alone. You can also leave the functions wihout
keeping the changes by pressing the FNCT button.
Randomizer
The module contains an internal randomizer
allowing to create random fills. The probability of
playing a fill can be changed by pressing FNCT +
Quantize/RNDM A. The Menu potentiometer and
display help you set the value : from 0 to 9 only
affect the probability of a fill occurring, values from A
to E also affect the table value, whereas choosing F
will cause the module to generate random triggers.
Random Amount can be set for each track individually : while in the random amount menu, press a
pad and turn the menu potentiometer simultaneously, the corresponding track status LED will
blink to notify that the track has an independant
random amount. The random algorithm is not a
pure random generator : the probability of a fill
occurring gets higher near the end of the sequence,
similary to how a drummer would do fills.
Store the current state
Buffers content, trigger lengths, random amount
and pointed slots (for fills and patterns) can be
Mudd's Metropolitan
Usefull Drum Device
Konstantine's Funky
Patterns
Latin Classics
Old Time Classics
Weird Euclidean
Combos
Shakmat's Basics
Richard Devine's
Beats
Ucture's Raight Tree
Ripit's Nasty steps
Osica's Tech
Fundamentals
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Musicians Tables
As some users might want to keep the utilitary
tables (A, B, C, D, E & F) unchanged, you can also
perform a partial reset : press the three first pads
for 10 seconds while turning the module on, only the
utilitary tables will be restored.
Mult 1 to 8
Swing 16th
Swing 8th
Div / Mult Binary
Div / Mult Ternary
Div / Mult Mixed
A
B
C
D
E
F
Utility Tables
stored, so you can turn off your rack and keep all the
current state in memory for your next noodling session.
To do so press & hold the Rec button for 5 sec.
Factory Tables
All the tables are user editable and can be restored
by a factory reset of the module, while turning your
system on, maintain the four pads pressed for 10
seconds. At release all the LED’s will blink to confirm.
Credits
We want to thanks our valorous team of beta
testers and modular heroes : BJ_gzp, Nico Ripit,
Hugo Ucture, Mudd Corp, Vincent Vanesse,
Konstantine, Osica & Richard Devine.
Product design and engineering :
François Gaspard
Product and brand design :
Steve Hackx / MadeInside™
www.shakmatmodular.com
Size
16 HP
Depth
27 mm
Current Draw
30 mA @ 5V
20 mA @ 12V
20 mA @ -12V
CV Inputs
-5V / 5V
Trigger Inputs
0 - 5V
Outputs
0 - 5V
Installation
The Four Bricks Rook requires a standard 2x8
pins eurorack connector. Make sure the red stripe
on the ribbon cable is oriented on the -12V side of
the board.
Technical Information
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