tag:steveturner.com.au,2005:/blogs/alm-squid-salmple-review-oct-2019Various Eurorack Articles2023-10-24T10:36:25+11:00Steve Turnerfalsetag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/72923602023-10-24T10:36:25+11:002023-10-24T13:30:39+11:00Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave - Custom INIT Preset Packs<p>To make sound design from a neutral INIT file easier on the 3rd Wave by Groove Synthesis, I have made two custom INIT files for wave table and Virtual Analog sound design. To make life easy, I replicated each custom INIT preset to fill an entire 3rd Wave bank (100 presets). You can download each pack via the links below, and either import the INIT presets singularly, or fill an entire bank so you always have a neutral INIT preset ready to go. </p><p> </p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/190492/64e6d9d1a13be8aacc21f66d81f30957ddcdd0c3/original/3rd-wave-black.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p><p> </p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Enf3TFOs62j4ldCELYX-r-ajT_gpGheD/view?usp=share_link" data-link-type="url"><strong>INIT WT (Wave Table) - </strong></a>full bank (100) of INIT WT presets - <strong>v1.3</strong></p><ul>
<li>Modulation removed</li>
<li>Wave Envelope Off</li>
<li>Wavetable P15 for all VCOs</li>
<li>VCO 1 at full volume</li>
<li>VCO 2 and 3 at zero volume</li>
<li>MOD WHEEL fixed modulation neutralised</li>
<li>INIT WT preset copied to all four parts<br> </li>
</ul><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_M_GuI4MYkyigBhL582p2z4NgegKFGXe/view?usp=share_link" data-link-type="url"><strong>INIT ANALOG - </strong></a>full bank (100) of INIT ANALOG presets - <strong>v1.3</strong></p><ul>
<li>Modulation removed</li>
<li>Wave Envelope Off</li>
<li>VCO 1 at full volume</li>
<li>VCO 2 and 3 at zero volume</li>
<li>VCA envelope ATTACK zero</li>
<li>3x VCOs A00 SAWTOOTH</li>
<li>Circuit drift 76</li>
<li>Velocity OFF</li>
<li>VCF resonance compensation OFF</li>
<li>MOD WHEEL fixed modulation neutralised</li>
<li>INIT ANALOG preset copied to all four parts</li>
</ul><p>I used the Miles Away <a class="no-pjax" href="https://youtu.be/Xb2q-P__MHQ?si=cC78LCnKFAlKGy2d" data-link-type="url"><strong>video </strong></a>as a basis to build the analog initialised preset. I wonder how many 3rd Waves he has helped sell? Great work, Miles. I also recommend his 3rd Wave 100 preset pack, which you can get <a class="no-pjax" href="https://shop.milesawayofficial.com/products/100-custom-patches-for-groove-synthesis-3rd-wave-by-miles-away" data-link-type="url"><strong>here</strong></a>. </p><p>Note - in the next version I will rename INIT ANALOG to INIT VA (Virtual Analog) as that is more correct and means the naming convention between the custom INIT presets is the same.</p><p>If you are reading this and considering buying a 3rd Wave then you absolutely should (so long as you can eat for the next month or three afterwards). It is an extremely compelling device on paper, but once you get it home and hear it for yourself it is like nothing else. I sincerly believe it is the most interesting synthesizer on the market today. </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/71456172023-04-25T16:43:58+10:002023-10-24T10:32:46+11:00Five12 Quad Variable LFO (QV-L) Overview<h3><span class="text-big" style="color:#3498db;">RUN</span></h3><p>The Quad Variable LFO (QV-L) is the third eurorack product released by Five12 and has been designed to function with or without their flagship Vector Sequencer. In my experience, despite all the deep sound design options available, it is a very easy module to get into and use to make music. </p><p>Do not let the length and depth of this article put you off getting straight into the QV-L. The QV-L is incredibly intuitive if you already understand LFO (low frequency oscillator) synthesis functions. If you need some refreshers on LFOs then youcould do a lot worse than head over to <a class="no-pjax" href="https://learningmodular.com/">Chris Meyer's Learning Modular</a> site. In fact, <a class="no-pjax" href="https://learningmodular.com/glossary/lfo/">here</a> is a link to the fundamentals.</p><p><i>Disclosure. I was involved in bug identification and feature testing & was provided a QV-L prototype for this purpose. This article is not written as a review, but rather an explanation of what the module does and informal user operational guide. </i></p><p>You can also watch a 17 minute run through the basic featurs on youTube. Like and subscribe (lol) but please, yeah, like and subscribe. </p><div class="video-container size_l justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="-LIB3ec8uhs" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-LIB3ec8uhs?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><h3><span class="text-big" style="color:#3498db;">THE BASICS </span></h3><p><span style="color:#e67e22;"><strong>Things you need to know before proceeding</strong></span></p><ul>
<li>The QV-L user interface is divided into two sides (Side A and Side B)</li>
<li>Side A: the left OLED and left three knobs. Used to manage LFO and OUTPUTS 1 & 2</li>
<li>Side B: the right OLED and three knobs. Used to manage LFO and OUTPUTS 3 & 4</li>
<li>When you enter Edit mode, both OLEDs are used to show parameters for the function you are editing</li>
<li>The LED lit buttons have various functions which will be explained later</li>
<li>CV inputs 1 to 4 can be used for external (assignable) modulation</li>
<li>Output Jacks 1 to 4 may be assigned to any LFO as a source</li>
<li>Gate 1 and 2 can be used for external clocking, wave reset and so on</li>
</ul><h3><span class="text-big" style="color:#3498db;">GETTING INTO IT</span></h3><p><span style="color:#f39c12;"><strong>Navigation</strong></span></p><ul>
<li>Press Edit A to navigate forwards. </li>
<li>Press Trig A (Back) to navigate backwards</li>
<li>Long press TRIG A to return to the Output (main) page</li>
<li>When editing side A, press Edit B to move to the parallel page on Side B</li>
<li>When editing side B, press Edit A to moove to the parallel page on Side A</li>
<li>Example - if you are editing LFO 4 (Side B) and press EDIT A then you will move to LFO2 (Side A)</li>
<li>Simultaneously press EDIT A and EDIT B to access Presets & Preferences (Load, Save, Init) </li>
<li>Press EDIT B from the Preset screen to see your firmware version</li>
</ul><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/190492/c9834d7dbffe08d0e10507ab87498cba5b3beb0f/original/qvl-familyshot.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p><p><span style="color:#e67e22;"><strong>On the Surface</strong></span></p><ul>
<li>12hp wide, 150ma (+12), 20ma (-12)</li>
<li>Dual OLED screens </li>
<li>4 (LED lit) buttons for navigation, edit modes etc </li>
<li>6 knobs with assignable functions (2 sets of 3)</li>
<li>4 CV Inputs (assignable) </li>
<li>4 Output Jacks (assignable)</li>
<li>4 Output Jacks (assignable) </li>
<li>2 Gate Inputs (assignable)</li>
<li>Backplane 8 pin connector to Vector Sequencer (i2c) </li>
</ul><p><span style="color:#e67e22;"><strong>Comes with </strong></span></p><ul>
<li>8 to 8 pin cable for backplane connectivity to the Vector </li>
<li>16 to 16 pin power ribbon cable</li>
</ul><p><span style="color:#e67e22;"><strong>Beneath the Waves</strong></span></p><ul>
<li>Functions with or without a Vector Sequencer</li>
<li>48 preset memory</li>
<li>4 LFOs </li>
<li>4 Outputs</li>
<li>8 configurable cross modulation functions for internal routing (4 per Side)</li>
<li>2 envelops (A/R) to shape LFO performance (1 per side)</li>
<li>Route LFOs to external outputs (1 to 4) </li>
<li>Clocking - INTERNAL, EXTERNAL from (i) gate inputs or (ii) from Vector via backplane using i2c</li>
<li>Clocking can be set per side (e.g. independent clock settings are possible for LFO1/2 and LFO 3/4)</li>
</ul><p><span style="color:#e67e22;"><strong>Vector Integration</strong></span></p><ul>
<li>On release, BPM SYNC is routable from the Vector to the QV-L. </li>
<li>More Vector to QV-L functions will be included in later firmwares</li>
</ul><h3><span class="text-big" style="color:#3498db;"><strong>THE PAGES</strong></span></h3><figure class="table" style="width:800px;"><table><tbody>
<tr>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;">
<strong>Screen</strong><br><strong>Flow</strong>
</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>SIDE A</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>SIDE B</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>Description</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;"><p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Functions</strong></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;">
<span class="text-big"><strong>1 </strong></span><br><strong>Home</strong>
</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>OUT 1 & 2</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>OUT 3 & 4</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">
<p>Displays scopes for all Outputs. Solid line for Outputs 1 & 3. Dotted lines for Outputs 2 & 4.</p>
<p>Presents functions which have been assigned to the front panel knobs</p>
<p>Quick jump here by long pressing the BACK button</p>
</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">
<p><strong>OLED A </strong>displays Output 1&2. </p>
<p><strong>OLED B </strong>displays Outputs 3&4</p>
<p><strong>Three assignable controls </strong>per side mapped to the 6 knobs (3 per side). </p>
<p>Controls default to Wave, Rate and Level for LFO1 (side A) and LFO2 (side B) but can be modified</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><span class="text-big"><strong>2</strong></span></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>LFO 1</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>LFO 3</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">
<p>LFO configuration screen for LFO 1 (side A) or LFO 3 (side B). </p>
<p>Displays scope for contextual LFO</p>
</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">
<p><strong>OLED A</strong></p>
<p><strong>Wave:</strong> SIN, TRI, SAW, SQR, S&H, LOR, PRL, LM1 (explained below)</p>
<p><strong>Rate: </strong>numeric values related to Mode </p>
<p><strong>Shape: </strong>0 - 50</p>
<p><strong>OLED B</strong> - Displays Wave for LFOx </p>
<p><strong>Mode: </strong>Wide, Slow, Hz, 16th, Beat, Bar (sync to INT or EXT Vector clock)</p>
<p><strong>Phaze: </strong>0 to 360</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><span class="text-big"><strong>3</strong></span></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>OUTPUT 1</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>OUTPUT 3</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">
<p>OUTPUT configureation for OUT 1 (side A) or OUT 3 (side B)</p>
<p>Discplays scope for contextual OUTPUT</p>
</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">
<p><strong>OLED A</strong></p>
<p><strong>Source: </strong>LFO 1 to 4, Enevelope 1 or 2 </p>
<p>IMPORTANT. LFOs 1&3 can provide three outputs when set to wave forms that provide more than one output (e.g. the Lorenz Attractor). Thus, LFO1 and LFO3 have additional Y and Z output elements. </p>
<p><strong>Operation: </strong>None, Invert, Rectify, Rectify Invert, 0-5V, 5-0V, -5 to 0V, 0 to -5V, </p>
<p><strong>Offset: </strong>-50 to 50</p>
<p><strong>OLED B</strong> - Displays Wave for OUTx </p>
<p><strong>Offset:</strong> -50 to +50</p>
<p><strong>Level:</strong> 0 to 100 </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><span class="text-big"><strong>4</strong></span></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>LFO 2</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>LFO 4</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">
<p>LFO coniguration screen for LFO 2 (side A) or LFO 4 (side B)</p>
<p>Displays scope for contextualLFO</p>
</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;"><i>See LFO 1 and LFO 3 above</i></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><span class="text-big"><strong>5</strong></span></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>OUTPUT 2</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>OUTPUT 3</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">
<p>OUTPUT configureation for OUT 2 (side A) or OUT 4 (side B) </p>
<p>Discplays scope for contextual OUTPUT</p>
</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;"><i>See OUTPUT 1 and OUTPUT 3 above</i></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><span class="text-big"><strong>6</strong></span></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>MOD A1 (source/ destination 1 and 2)</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>MOD B1 (source/ destination 1 and 2)</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">
<p>MODULATION configuration for A1 (OLED A and OLED B) or for B1</p>
<p>2 modulation source, destination and level settings</p>
<p>Displays scope of the contextual LFO</p>
</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">
<p><strong>OLED A -</strong> settings for MOD A 1</p>
<p><strong>Source: </strong>None, CV1 to CV4, LFO1, LFO2, LFO3, LFO4, ENV1, ENV 2</p>
<p><strong>Target: </strong>None, Rate 1 or 2, Shape 1 or 2, Phase 1 or 2, Offset 1 or 2, Level 1 or 2</p>
<p><strong>Amount: </strong>-100% to 100%</p>
<p><strong>OLED B </strong>- settings for MOD A 2 - Displays Wave for OUTx OUTy</p>
<p><i>Source, Target and Amount are the same as above</i></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><span class="text-big"><strong>7</strong></span></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>MOD A2 (source/ destination 3 and 4)</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>MOD B2 (source/ destination 3 and 4)</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">
<p>MODULATION configuration for A2 (OLED A and OLED B) or for B2</p>
<p>2 modulation source, destination and level settings</p>
<p>Displays scope of the contextual LFO</p>
</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;"><i>Identical to above but for MOD A3 and A4 and MOD B3 and B4</i></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><span class="text-big"><strong>8</strong></span></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;">
<strong>RESET A /</strong><br><strong>ENV A</strong>
</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;">
<strong>RESET B /</strong><br><strong>ENV B</strong>
</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">
<p>RESET configuration for (side A) LFO1 & LFO2 or (side B) LFO 3 & LFO 4</p>
<p>ENVELOPE configuration for (side A) Envelope A or (side B) Envelope B</p>
</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">
<p><strong>OLED A </strong>- RESET A</p>
<p><strong>LFO1: </strong>NONE, G1, T1, G1/T1, G2, T2, G2/T2, G1/2</p>
<p><strong>LFO2:</strong> <i>same as above</i></p>
<p><strong>EG1: </strong><i>same as above</i></p>
<p><strong>OLED B</strong> - ENV A</p>
<p><strong>Mode: </strong>AR, ASR</p>
<p><strong>Attack: </strong>0u to 93 seconds (yes, 93 seconds)</p>
<p><strong>Release: </strong><i>same as above (and still 93 seconds)</i></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><span class="text-big"><strong>9</strong></span></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>CUSTOM A / CLOCK A</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;"><strong>CUSTOM B / CLOCK B</strong></td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">You can CUSTOMISE which funtions are presented on OLED A & B (side A & B) on the OUTPUT pages</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">
<p><strong>OLED A - </strong>CUSTOM A / B</p>
<p>1: Assign to Knob 1. </p>
<p>None, Wave 1 or 2, Rate 1 or 2, Level 1 or 2, Shape 1 or 2, Unit 1 or 2, Phase 1 or 2, Amount 1 to 4 (modulation), Envelope, Attack, Release, </p>
<p>2: same as above</p>
<p>3: same as above</p>
<p><strong>OLED B -</strong> CLOCK A / B</p>
<p>BPM: 5 to 180</p>
<p>Sync: Internal, Gate 1 or 2, Vector</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;">
<span class="text-big"><strong>PRESETS</strong></span><br><i>Simultaneous press EDIT A & EDIT B</i>
</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;">
<strong>PRESET </strong><i>(current)</i>
</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;text-align:center;">
<strong>SAVE</strong><br><i>(dest.)</i>
</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">
<p>Allows you to save up to 64 user presets</p>
<p>Presets contain the entire LFO set</p>
</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">
<p><strong>OLED A</strong></p>
<p>KNOB 1 is dormant</p>
<p>KNOB 2 moves the cursor to edit characters in the preset name</p>
<p>KNOB 3 scroll through available characters to name your preset<br><br><strong>OLED B</strong></p>
<p><strong>KNOB 1 </strong>scrolls through options to SAVE, LOAD, INITIALISE or REFORMAT</p>
<p><strong>SAVE - KNOB 2</strong> scrolls through destinations to save your preset</p>
<p><strong>LOAD - KNOB 2 </strong>scrolls through available presets to be loaded</p>
<p>KNOB 3 is dormant<br><br><strong>INIT - TRIG B </strong>defaults all settings</p>
<p><strong>REFORMAT - TRIG B</strong> will reformat your SD CARD so use this with care </p>
<p><strong>FIRMWARE VERSION</strong> press edit B from the Presets screen</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-style:solid;">WAVE SHAPE OUTPUT (Sleep Screen)</td>
<td style="border-style:solid;"> </td>
<td style="border-style:solid;"> </td>
<td style="border-style:solid;"> </td>
<td style="border-style:solid;">Long press TRIG A to see all four wave shapes rendered across the complete viewing space(s)</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table></figure><h3><span class="text-big" style="color:#3498db;"><strong>DEEPER...</strong></span></h3><p>IMPORTANT: where pages of the QV-L are used to configure the same functions on Side A and Side B of the module I have collapsed those elements to single descriptions. </p><h3><span style="color:#e67e22;">Page 1 - Home</span></h3><p>The OLEDs display all four QV-L Outputs. You can (and should) customise the functionality of the Side A and Side B knobs as controllers for your main performance settings. See CUSTOM A and CUSTOM B below in this document, or in the above table, regarding how to customise knob functions. </p><h3><span style="color:#e67e22;">Page 2 & 4 - LFO 1 & 2, LFO 3 & 4</span></h3><p>This is where you configure the most generally used settings to create an LFO. </p><p><strong><u>Wave</u></strong> refers to the basic shape of the LFO and includes the usual suspects as well as some fun options. At release the wave forms include SIN, TRI, forward & reverse SAW, forward and reverse Shark Fin, SQR, S&H. There are also some evolving wave forms that shift between SIN & TRI, SAW & TRI, SAW & SQR, ascending and descending STEP, ascending THEN descending STEP, SIN to SAW to SQR, lengthening SQR, Lorenz Attractor, Perlin Noise, Logistic Modular. That is rather a lot, and there will be more. </p><p>SIN, TRI, SAW and SQR are common wave forms but if you need a refresher <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.teachmeaudio.com/recording/sound-reproduction/waveshapes">this</a> article is a good place to start, and also <a class="no-pjax" href="https://pudding.cool/2018/02/waveforms/#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20periodic%20waveforms,the%20pitch%20of%20the%20sound.">this</a> interactive page is a lot of fun. Now, lets look at the less common wave shapes within the QV-L</p><p><strong>Lorenz Attractor: </strong>I am not going to pretend to be a mathemetician but instead go striaght to <a class="no-pjax" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenz_system">Wikipedia.</a> Here is what the hive mind says about the Lorenz system. Alternatively, think of it as a butterfly and get on with your day. Regardless, set LOR as your wave form and mess around with the rate and level. You will quickly see how this algorithm can introduce constant variation to your modulation targets.<br><br><span class="text-small"><i>From Wikipedia - The Lorenz system is a system of ordinary differential equations first studied by mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz. It is notable for having chaotic solutions for certain parameter values and initial conditions. In particular, the Lorenz attractor is a set of chaotic solutions of the Lorenz system. In popular media the "butterfly effect" stems from the real-world implications of the Lorenz attractor, namely that in a chaotic physical system, in the absence of perfect knowledge of the initial conditions (even the minuscule disturbance of the air due to a butterfly flapping its wings), our ability to predict its future course will always fail. This underscores that physical systems can be completely deterministic and yet still be inherently unpredictable. The shape of the Lorenz attractor itself, when plotted in phase space, may also be seen to resemble a butterfly.</i></span></p><p><strong>Perlin Noise:</strong> really cool words I dont understand</p><p><strong>Logistic Modular:</strong> really coool words I dont understand</p><p><strong><u>Rate</u> </strong>is the speed at which the LFO will cycle from start to end, and there are various settings including free running as Hertz, clocked (internally and externally), or sync reset from external. </p><p><strong>Rate as Herz (based on MODE settings)</strong></p><ul>
<li>Wide: 0.17 to 246 Hz </li>
<li>Slow: 0.01 to 16 Hz </li>
<li>Hz: Integers 1 to 127 Hz </li>
</ul><p><strong>Rate as Musical Divisions (based on MODE and CLOCK settings) </strong></p><ul>
<li>16th: 1 to 127 </li>
<li>Beat: 1 to 127 </li>
<li>Bar: 1 to 127 (where a bar equals four beats. Let that sink in. That LFO is older than Middle Earth) </li>
</ul><p><strong><u>Shape</u> </strong>median setting is 50 and increasing Shape will create an assymetric wave where more time is spent above 0 volts and less time below zero volts. The higher you dial Shape the more assymetric the wave becomes. You can create some really fun LFO shapes from basic wave forms by dialing Shape. Likewise, reducing shape below fifty creates an assymetric wave favouring below zero volts. Dial it and watch the screen.</p><p><strong><u>Mode</u></strong> allows setting of Herz or musical division based LFO speeds. This setting determines what is available in the Rate function. Options are Wide, Slow, Hertz, 16th, Beat and Bar. These settings are explained in the Rate section above. </p><p><strong><u>Phase</u> </strong>denotes the start and end point of a complete wave cycle. Increasing the number from zero moves the start/end point further along the wave shape. This is very useful when you have a sync input via gate, or are clocking your LFO.</p><h3><span style="color:#e67e22;">Page 3 & 5 - Outputs 1 & 2, 3 & 4</span></h3><p>This page allows you to configure which LFO is route to an Output and add additional functions to your signal.</p><p><strong>Source </strong>denotes the LFO (1 to 4) that will be fed to the Output. </p><p><strong>Op:</strong> None, Invert, Rectify, Rectify Invert, 0-5V, 5-0V, -5 to 0V, 0 to -5V defines the scope of the LFO range in voltage metrics</p><p><strong>Offset </strong>moves your 0 point up or down in the possible output range. If you do not also motify LEVEL then your LFO may clip at the top or bottom of the voltage range. </p><p><strong>Level </strong>denotes the voltage range applied to the wave shape. Lower level will mean less of a wave movement. </p><h3><span style="color:#e67e22;">Page 6 - Modulation A1 & A2, B1 & B2. Page 7 Modulation A3 & A4, B3 & B4 </span></h3><p><strong>Source </strong>sets the (guess gues guess) source for your modulation routing. </p><p><strong>Destination </strong>is the (guess guess guess) destination</p><p><strong>Amount</strong> is like an attenuator on the source input. </p><p>MOD A1 gives you 2x modulation source, destination and amount routing options. MOD A2 gives you 2 more of the same. So you have 4 modulation routing options per QV-L side (A or B). </p><h3><span style="color:#e67e22;">Page 8 - Reset A & Envelope A, Reset B and Envelope B </span></h3><p>Reeset should be self explanataory and allows you to set the reset sources for LFO1 and LFO2, as well as the Envelope.</p><p>The envelope options are Attack, Release, and Attack, Sustain, Release. </p><h3><span style="color:#e67e22;">Page 9 - Custom A & Clock A, Custom B & Clock B </span></h3><p>For customisation of knob functions please see the table above. This screen allows you to set the elements applied to each knob as well as what presents on the home screen. </p><p>You can set clock independently per Side (A or B). Sources are Internal, Gate 1 or 2, Vector. You can connect the Vector to the QV-L using the supplied cable. The Vector will always send clocking infomation so all you need to do is select the Vector as the clock source on the QV-L and you are off to the races. Whatever that actually means. </p><p><span style="color:rgb(52,152,219);"><strong>FIRMWARE UPDATE (HOW TO)</strong></span></p><ul>
<li>Turn your rack power off and remove the QV-L from your rack</li>
<li>Eject the SD card. Give it a short lateral press and it will spring out. Do not lose it in your case </li>
<li>Mount the SD card to your computer and view the USB drive content </li>
<li>Decompress the new firmware file, noting that the file is QVL.BIN </li>
<li>Delete the current QVL.BIN from the SD card </li>
<li>Copy the new QVL.BIN to the SD card </li>
<li>Remove the SD card from your computer and mount it back into the QV-L </li>
<li>Reconnect power ribbon to the QV-L (but do not turn on), and Install the QV-L to your eurorack </li>
<li>Turn on your eurorack power while holdin TrigA on the QV-L </li>
<li>Press TrigB to update the QV-L firmware. </li>
<li>The QV-L will restart with the new firmware loaded</li>
</ul><h3><span class="text-big" style="color:#3498db;">CONCLUSION</span></h3><p><span style="color:#e67e22;"><strong>Pros </strong></span></p><ul>
<li>Collapses functionality of a number of core eurorack and sound design utilities into a neat 12hp module</li>
<li>Great depth and super capable, but also easy to get up and running using basic settings</li>
<li>Preset storage means you don't lose your work. Recall past settings at will</li>
<li>Screens and font choice are good enough to be readable from a range of angles</li>
<li>Scopes make it easy to see what you are doing, monitoring LFO movement and OUTPUTS</li>
<li>Firmware updates will expand core functionality and deepen integration with the Five12 Vector Sequencer</li>
</ul><p><span style="color:#e67e22;"><strong>Cons </strong></span></p><ul><li>You will want more than one QV-L</li></ul><p>More information - <a class="no-pjax" href="https://five12.com"><strong>Five12</strong></a></p><p><strong>---</strong></p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/70660522022-09-22T14:22:42+10:002023-01-31T17:47:53+11:00Patch Notes - Weston Precision Audio PAO and SF1 - AU-CV SEP 2022<h3><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_large">RUN</span></span></h3>
<p>This article details my patch setup for the AU-CV September 2022 session. I will be demonstrating the <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.westonaudio.com/" target="_blank">Weston Precision Audio</a> PAO (Phase Animated Oscillator) and the brand new SF1 (Stereo/Dual Filter). I am very proud to be doing this as Devin allowed me some input into the SF1 layout and feature scope. The SF1 was debuted at Knobcon 2022. The PAO was released in December 2020. <br><br><a href="https://www.westonaudio.com/pa0.html">PAO - Phase Animated Oscillator</a></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/08036d5154b82bc6375906a0e69a3c01c898a6b0/original/pa0-front-small-1024x1024.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p><a href="https://www.westonaudio.com/sf1.html">SF1 - Stereo/Dual Filter</a></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/4d3dcebb2253e4f8c3ea9accd87676c3854c85f5/original/sf1-front-small-1024x1024.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<h3><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_large"><strong>Demo Patch Summary</strong></span></span></h3>
<p><strong>Five12 Vector Sequencer Part 3</strong></p>
<p>- CV output (stackable) to PAO 1V/o and SF1 left channel 1V/o </p>
<p>- Gate Output to Roland 540 Envelope Generator EXT IN</p>
<p><strong>Roland 540 Envelope Generator</strong></p>
<p>- Output to Happy Nerding XFADE in linked mode</p>
<p><strong>Happy Nerding XFADE </strong></p>
<p>- running as a VCA with two linked channels </p>
<p>- Envelope input from Roland 540 to first channel, linked to second </p>
<p>- Outputs to MOTU interface</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/cbea5005c8e17d6d9e9edcc740575e5ff6073d7f/original/unnamed.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p><strong>WPA Phase Animated Oscilator</strong></p>
<p>- Left WAV output to Mordax C1 </p>
<p>- Right WAV output to Mordax C2</p>
<p>- Phase animation modulated by Five12 QV-L prototype LFO3</p>
<p>- Optional additions - SYNC, LINEAR and EXPONENTIAL inputs from an Instruo CS-L</p>
<p><strong>Mordax Data</strong></p>
<p>- Channel 1 - WAV input from PAO left side / Output to SF1 left side Input</p>
<p>- Channel 2 - WAV input from PAO right side / Output to SF1 right side Input</p>
<p>- Channel 3 - WAV input from SF1 left side / Output to XFADE channel 1 Input</p>
<p>- Channel 4 - WAV input from SF2 right side/ Output to XFADE channel 2 Input</p>
<p>- This arrangement provides Mordax Data scopes for PRE and POST VCF audio of both channels</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/423399592cc036aa26a070fa56afba9cd8e4bf2e/original/unnamed-1.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p><strong>WPA Stereo Filter </strong></p>
<p>- Inputs from PAO Left and Right WAV outputs</p>
<p>- Output L1 and R1 to Happy Nerding XFADE</p>
<p>- Optional Output L2 and R2 to demonstrate other shape modes</p>
<p><strong>Five12 Quad Variable LFO Prototype</strong></p>
<p>- LFO3 to PAO Phase Modulation</p>
<p><strong>Instruo CS-L</strong></p>
<p>- Used as an external VCO source to modulate PAO Sync, LIN and EXP Frequency Modulation</p>
<p>- Used with and without matched pitch 1V/o input</p>
<p> </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/70168122022-09-12T16:22:13+10:002022-09-13T10:59:39+10:00Weston Precision Audio - SF1 Dual/Stereo Filter<h3><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">RUN</span></span></h3>
<p>The <strong>Weston Precision Audio SF1 Dual/Stereo Filter</strong> is a dual mono or stereo linked VCF with additional features that Eurorack sound designers and going to enjoy. I am a frequent user and abuser of WPA modules including the <a contents="B2 Kick/Bass Voice" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.westonaudio.com/b2.html" target="_blank">B2 Kick Drum/Bass</a>, <a contents="AD110 Analog Drums" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.westonaudio.com/ad110.html" target="_blank">AD110 Analog Drums</a> and <a contents="PA0 Phase Animated VCO" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.westonaudio.com/pa0.html" target="_blank">PA0 Phase Animated VCO</a>. <br><br>Having owned the B2 for a while, and delighting in the VCF it hosts, I asked Devin if he had considered making a dedicated VCF module. It turned out that he had, and a longer conversation began. I was fortunate to have input into the front plate layout as well as link operations during the design stage. Beyond that, I know nearly nothing useful about electronics and could only nod approvingly as it all came together. <em>I'm an ideas guy, not a designer...</em> Fortunately Devin is an excellent designer. </p>
<p>Full disclaimer: Devin sent me a prototype of the SF1 in June 2022 and I am writing about a module which I was sent for free for the purpose of performing testing and providing feedback. Of course, Devin has no say in what I write and I have no obligation to WPA. Having said that, I have the module and he is NEVER getting it back. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/371e3f71e7249c8e59f929f2961aecb42980e06e/original/sf1b.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<h3><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large"><strong>THE BASICS</strong></span></span></h3>
<ul> <li>18hp width. Pre built only (no DIY)</li> <li>Cutoff and Resonance controls (dual)</li> <li>Cutoff and Resonance modulation inputs (dual)</li> <li>Cutoff attenuation (dual)</li> <li>1V/Oct control (dual)</li> <li>Link mode (button)</li> <li>Level control with unity at 12oc and saturation further to the right (dual)</li> <li>Stereo Panning (three modes)</li> <li>Pan CV input</li> <li>Dual audio outputs for each VCF <ul> <li>Output 1 (for both VCFs) allows a 12 or 24db slopes with low pass, high pass and band pass filtering</li> <li>Output 2 (for both VCFs) allows notch, all pass or phase filtering</li> <li>Output 2 is always 12db and not switchable to 24db</li> </ul> </li>
</ul>
<p><span style="color:#e67e22;"><strong>Filter Modes </strong></span></p>
<p>As described above, each side of the filter provides dual outputs (L1, L2 and R1, R2). </p>
<ul> <li>L1 and R1 outputs: 12db (2 pole) or 24db (4 pole) slope, lowpass, high pass and bandpass multimode filtering. </li> <li>L2 and R2 outputs: 12db slope, notch, all pass and phased outputs. </li>
</ul>
<h3><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large"><strong>STEREO CONTROL</strong></span></span></h3>
<p>The SF1 provides three modes of stereo panning: </p>
<ul> <li>L/R (all the way counter clockwise) - left input to left output, right input to right output </li> <li>R/L (all the way clockwise) - inverted: left input to right output, right input to left output </li> <li>Everything In Between - weights the output in the stereo field based upon the placement of the knob and panning CV</li>
</ul>
<p><span style="color:#e67e22;"><strong>Link Mode</strong></span></p>
<p>When in Link mode the following controls (on the left side of the module) will control both VCFs:</p>
<ul> <li>Cutoff and Resonance knobs</li> <li>Cutoff and Resonance modulation inputs</li> <li>Cutoff attenuation</li> <li>1V/Oct input</li>
</ul>
<p><span style="color:#e67e22;"><strong>Unlinked Controls in Stereo</strong></span></p>
<p>When in linked mode, the following elements are controlled uniquely on both VCFs.</p>
<ul> <li>Input Levels</li> <li>Slope</li> <li>Filter Mode</li>
</ul>
<p>Decoupling the features listed directly above means you have control over each side of the filter in meaningful ways. </p>
<ul></ul>
<p><span style="color:#e67e22;"><strong>Panning</strong></span></p>
<p>The Pan CV input allows modulation of stereo field placement and can be attenuated to the left or right using the Pan CV knob. In addition to subtle stereo panning, my testing showed that the SF1 can modulate stereo field placement very quickly using a square wave, which is not something all stereo panning devices can do. You could use the SF1 as a panning utility very easily and not even engage the VCF features. </p>
<h3><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large"><strong>IN USE</strong></span></span></h3>
<p>The layout of the SF1 is very intuitive with the Cutoff and Release orders swapped from left to right so that cutoff is the outer knob for both sides. When Devin and I were talking about the faceplate design I was concerned that the PAN CV jack input might be an issue, but in practice it works really well. Everything is spaced out and easy to access.</p>
<p>Cutoff has an attenuation input and knob for easy control of the most commonly modulated feature in a filter. Resonance has a CV input but no attenuation knob, so if you want attenuate resonance CV you will need to do that prior to hitting the SF1. </p>
<p>Here are some ways that I have used the SF1 in my rack to date. There are plenty of other things you can do with a Stereo VCF, but here is what I have done so far. </p>
<ul> <li>Single VCO input (SF1 in stereo link mode) to stereo output with or without the panning function enabled</li> <li>Dual VCO (Instruo CS-L) in dual mono mode as two discrete voices</li> <li>Dual VCO (Instruo CS-L) in stereo mode as a single stereo voice routed to my stereo effects modules</li> <li>Rossum Assimil8or in stereo mode to add some really fun filtering to drum parts</li> <li>Send and Return target from my 4MS Dual Looping Delay providing surgical filtering of delay feedback loops</li>
</ul>
<h3><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong>THE SOUND</strong></span></span></h3>
<p>So how does it sound? This is the part where I try to use subjectively coloured words to describe my feelings about the sound the SF1 delivers in my room, through my monitors (Focal Shape 65s), routing my modules (so, so many, now) from my Eurorack into my ears. </p>
<p>To get started, lets go with <em>"the SF1 is a high fidelity module that offers incredibly clean filtering in any of its modes." </em>If I were creating a <strong>crap marketing piece for idiots</strong> I would write <em>"This isn't your Granpa's filter..."</em> or something terrible like that. Maybe I would reference the difference between the James Webb Space telescope and the Hubble as a metaphor for the clarity and accuracy of the SF1 vs some other filters. </p>
<p>But as superior human beings, we know that nothing in sound production (or art) of any kind is that simple. Sometimes you want the Hubble because it stretches out the star light in a less accurate but pleasing way. <br>Other times you want the enhanced clarity of the James Webb so you are seeing <em>as closely as possible</em> what is (or was, billions of years ago) actually there. I used a metaphor which makes no sense whatsoever but also makes complete sense. I think. </p>
<p>The SF1 is definitely closer to the James Webb. I would recommend the SF1 to anyone who wants a dual mono or stereo Eurorack filter that provides a lot of fun sound design options, and a high level of clarity. In low pass mode, the cutoff knob is super smooth from full signal moving back to no signal (or whichever mode you choose). The 1V/Oct inputs for resonance control are super accurate and you can get incredibly fun and musically useful sounds with the input level pots zeroed. </p>
<p><span style="color:#e67e22;"><strong>Unexpected Saturation </strong></span></p>
<p>A standout feature is the gentle increase of saturation that occurs in the SF1 when you dial the input levels past 12oc. When Devin mentioned that he was going to include saturation I was not very excited because (to my ear) a lot of saturation sounds in Eurorack are pretty terrible. I find they often get too angry too fast, and are too clipped to be useful and end up souding nasal. </p>
<p>The saturation on the SF1, however, is slow to rise and is very controllable. It thickens up nicely and makes me smile. Dial the levels past 12oc and you get more excitement, but not a degradation of your original input. Perfect. I would definitely look forward to more sound manipulation modules by WPA. </p>
<h3><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">Conclusion</span></span></h3>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">Pros</span></h4>
<ul> <li>A great sound design module with a lot to offer. Multiple features in one module</li> <li>Dual mono, linked stereo, stereo panning, multimode filters, 2 pole and 4 pole, saturation etc.</li> <li>Super clean and precise sound. Resonance is lovely and very controllable</li> <li>Saturation was a very nice surprise that I actually like a lot - I usually don't</li> <li>Excellent build quality all around. The SF-1 feels solid and high end to touch as do all WPA modules</li>
</ul>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">Cons</span></h4>
<p>The only thing I would say is that if you want an <em>old style filter sound</em> then you should look elsewhere. The SF1 is very modern and clean, and that is what helps it run so well in stereo where you really need both sides to match in performance more closely than you would expect 'vintage' designs to operate. Luckily, you are a Eurorack person and you can indeed choose both.</p>
<p>More information - <strong><a href="https://www.westonaudio.com/">Weston Precision Audio</a></strong></p>
<p> </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/64615012020-10-26T10:33:14+11:002023-04-25T16:43:02+10:00Worng - Vertex Stereo VCA<h3> </h3><h3>
<span class="text-big" style="color:#2980b9;">RUN</span> <br> </h3><p>The WORNG Vertex is a stereo VCA in 8HP that provides:</p><p>Stereo input and output.</p><p>Conversion of a mono input to stereo output.</p><p>Voltage control of a stereo signal.</p><p>Control of panning (for mono input) or skew (for stereo inputs) to the stereo output. </p><p>I first came across the Vertex when Morgan McWalters presented it during the mad week of online modular presentations that replaced Superbooth 2020. Morgan presented the Vertex Stereo VCA as well as the Parallax Stereo Low Pass Filter in a conversation with DivKid and Hainbach and the reaction in the chat room was overwhelmingly positive. Certainly, both modules were exciting to me but I took a little time to pull the trigger and buy the Vertex. <br> </p><h3><span class="text-big" style="color:#2980b9;">OBJECTIVE</span></h3><p>So why did I feel the need to buy a stereo VCA? I was watching a Suzanne Ciani presentation at Synthbooth in October and noting how well she uses stereo panning for mono signals and thought to myself "I want to do that too!" So here we are, and the Vertex does not disappoint. <br> </p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/c494e0c001941b078064d5c361e7a77d73e01ae8/original/d8444920-033d-4e73-a359-e3445c89dc3d.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /> <br> </p><hr><h3> </h3><h3><span class="text-big" style="color:#2980b9;">LOOK AND FEEL</span></h3><p><br>The Vertex is a gorgeous module to look at and touch. It feels nice in hand and the knobs have just the right amount of resistance to let you tune your settings comfortably. The panning lights on the front (the back lit triangle shapes) leave you in no doubt as to where your signal should be sitting in the stereo panning range. The overall build feels solid and presentation is nice and clean. The module is 8HP with a depth of 25mm so should fit in most case solutions. <br> </p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/10a55213aa827bfed5f7e862838a54813a6f7456/original/fd4c6a8f-c332-43cd-98fe-9611071bee13.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p><hr><h3> </h3><h3><span class="text-big" style="color:#2980b9;">INS / OUTS</span></h3><p>The front face presents the following ins and outs:</p><ul>
<li>2 audio inputs (left and right)</li>
<li>2 audio outputs (left and right)</li>
<li>CV input for your Envelope Generator</li>
<li>CV input to control skew (for stereo inputs) and pan (for mono inputs) <br> </li>
</ul><h3><span class="text-big" style="color:#2980b9;">KNOBS</span></h3><p>The well spaced knobs provide functions as follows:</p><p><strong>Gain </strong>- sets the base level for both VCAs when not engaged by your envelope generator. Fully CCW means no signal and fully CW means unity gain. For normal envelope generator operation you would leave it fully CCW, allowing the envelope to open and close the passing audio. </p><p>The<strong> Gain CV </strong>amount knob performs in an interesting way. At 12oc a 10V envelope will fully open the VCAs, and at fully clockwise 5V envelopes will fully open the VCAs. This is a nice arrangement and allows a comfortable level of control of envelope shaping within the Vertex. </p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/dffeefe6e2a5ba5c4912fb42fee2af32f2ae8e2b/original/284ae835-730a-4871-b12b-f9748efd0b8b.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p><hr><h3> </h3><h3><span class="text-big" style="color:#2980b9;">SOUND AND RECORDING</span></h3><p>The Vertex manual explains how clipping works with some neat diagrams. The manual is pretty easy to follow and nicely presented. All I will say is that the Vertex tone is nice and creamy and has the kind of personality that I enjoy in a VCA. Multi VCA modules like the Intellijel Quad VCA are great utilities but I really like specialised VCAs that create a sound character of their own, which is something I feel the Vertex does really well. </p><p>My initial objective was to take monophonic voices and just shift them around but of course if you have stereo effects, or VCFs, you are going to have a lot of fun skewing the stereo outputs of those modules, as well. I tested with Magneto, Z-DSP and Morphagene, as well as my Roland 521 dual VCF, and everything was perfectly splendid. </p><p>One thing that did not work the way my brain thought it would is pushing a square or stepped shape into the skew CV of the Vertex. The Vertex will respond to sudden changes, however as it is a very fast responding VCA, this can create additional 'artefacts' that sound like a clipping as it shifts the stereo field. The Vertex attenuates volumes on either side rather than swapping outputs between sides. </p><p>Recording stereo signal via the Vertex into my DAW was a very pleasing experience. Obviously the stereo field representation will depend upon your own audio engineering skills as well as the quality of your room and monitoring speakers. I use a pair of Focal Shape 65 monitors, which I enjoy mixing with very much, and have a decent (but not overcooked) stereo field in the room where I work. </p><p>I found that recording the Vertex into working projects created some nice variation of sound placement. You could argue it is easier and less expensive to do your panning in the box, but that means you are going to be limited in ways you can modulate panning from within your Eurorack patch. Also, it is just a lot of fun having this effect in the rack and being able to reach over and make fine adjustments as you track a part in real time. </p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/b8c9ab6296f917c8cc40a7aaf4176def2513f88e/original/75774ced-721f-4487-818d-01c52b6f524f.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpeg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p><hr><p> </p><h3><span class="text-big" style="color:#2980b9;">CONCLUSION</span></h3><p>All in all, the Vertex has been a very worthwhile purchase. I have found myself using it in most patches I have made since I installed it - from mono synth voices moving far left and right to very subtle displacement of hi-hat slurs. It does what it does very well and I even use it as a VCA with no stereo panning just because it is a really nice sounding VCA. My next purchase will be the Worng Parallax stereo VCF because that looks rad as hell, too. <br><br><span style="color:#e67e22;"><strong>PROS</strong></span></p><p>Easy to use, easy to get results, fun.</p><p>Has a really nice tone to the VCA even when ignoring the stereo functionality. </p><p>Equally good at managing mono and stereo inputs.</p><h4><span style="color:#e67e22;"><strong>CONS</strong></span></h4><ul><li>As a design choice, the VCA responds very quickly. Square or stepped envelope inputs can create an edge on the waveform which causes a sharp entry that sounds similar to clipping due to the harmonics.</li></ul><p> </p><hr><p> </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/64599742020-10-21T15:50:14+11:002021-01-01T12:05:15+11:00XOXO Modular - MIDI XO<h3>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">RUN</span></span>
</h3>
<p>This article is a journey through my reasons for purchasing the XOXO Modular "MIDI XO". I will talk about why I needed it in my setup, as well as the functionality it delivers. You can find the vendor product page <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.xoxomodular.com/midixo.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/b231226a869ed12b11cca0420d6314a7983e21e3/original/9c47848a-10fe-44aa-b8bb-62147cb51ae2.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<h3><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">OBJECTIVES</span></span></h3>
<p>I began researching the MIDI XO as a way to obtain MIDI control of my Expert Sleepers Disting EX. The EX is packed with algorithms which are controllable via CV or MIDI inputs; the only catch is that to enable MIDI input you need an expansion module to connect to the EX. The MIDI XO provides such a solution for the Disting EX and other compatible modules. </p>
<p>I had already fallen in love with the Disting EX Multisample algorithm which allows sample playback (including polyphonic voices and kit style single hits) in a very neat 8HP module. I had been using the CV outputs of my Five12 Vector Sequencer to connect to the Disting EX, and though this worked well it was a bit cumbersome to patch for multiple voices. The Vector also hosts TRS MIDI outputs, so solving the MIDI connectivity gap to the Disting EX became a priority. </p>
<p>Additionally, I am also using a Squarp Rample in my small rack setup and using a convoluted cable solution to solve a TRS MIDI A/B switching problem. My Five12 Vector Sequencer has TRS MIDI TYPE A outputs, and the Squarp Rample has TYPE B inputs. Prior to purchasing the MIDI XO I needed to use 2 adapters joined to either end of a standard MIDI cable (see the picture below). It worked really well, but is far from elegant. <br> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/58ee6b6e62844439471770b319b22841b8658010/original/img-0546.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">MIDI TRS TYPE A/B</span></span>
</h3>
<p>MIDI over TRS sends and receives MIDI via 3.5mm TRS cables. Being able to use cheap, easy to source and smaller cables sounds wonderful until you connect two MIDI TRS devices and it doesn't work. Assuming you have everything else set up correctly there's a good chance the problem will be because your MIDI TRS devices are mismatched. </p>
<p>MIDI TYPE mismatches occur because there was originally no standard for TRS wiring for MIDI, so vendors used either TYPE A or TYPE B wiring which swaps two of the wires around. This means that if you connect a cable between two devices they will only work if they are of the same MIDI TRS TYPE. </p>
<p>More recently, the MIDI Gods have decreed TYPE B to be the standard, but there are still plenty of devices with MIDI TRS TYPE A in production. The MIDI XO was created to solve the A/B mismatch as well as provide some neat additional features. You can read more about the TRS MIDI conundrum <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://noisegate.com.au/the-newly-standardised-future-of-3-5mm-midi-connections/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<h3><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">TRS TYPE SWITCHER</span></span></h3>
<p>The MIDI XO is a 2HP passive module which presents two 3.5mm TRS jacks being a MIDI input and MIDI output. The MIDI XO can:</p>
<ul> <li>Accept TYPE A or TYPE B and pass it through as is.</li> <li>Accept TYPE A and switch to TYPE B at the output.</li> <li>Accept TYPE B and switch to TYPE A at the output.</li>
</ul>
<p>The TRS TYPE flip function is facilitated via the switches on the front face and solves the TYPE A versus TYPE B mismatch very easily. </p>
<h3><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">MIDI BREAKOUT</span></span></h3>
<p>The MIDI XO has a 4 pin breakout on the underside which allows MIDI connectivity to compatible devices which including many of the Expert Sleepers range of modules. Connection is enabled via a 4 inch rainbow coloured cable which connects the MIDI XO to your partner device. I connected the MIDI XO to my Disting EX by Expert Sleepers. </p>
<p>My single criticism of the MIDI XO is that I wish it came with a longer connector cable. If you are buying a MIDI XO you want to factor in that you will need to locate it very close to the partner module. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/5d9a1020378a3b575663c9fc75aeef8957fb8099/original/abec1043-ef8d-4733-93af-6c8ec9c5f8a1.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><br> </p>
<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">MODES OF OPERATION</span></span><br> </h3>
<p>There are four ways you can use the MIDI XO, being:</p>
<ul> <li>MODE 1 - Standalone TRS MIDI A/b Converter - allows you to flip the midi pins between two unmatched devices. </li> <li>MODE 2 - TRS MIDI Breakout for Expert Sleepers (compatible) modules - connect the rainbow coloured four pin cable to the back of the MIDI XO and your partner device. </li> <li>MODE 1+2 - Disting Mk4 with Thru MIDI - this is the mode I am using for my MIDI XO and Disting EX. </li> <li>MODE 3 - Dual TRS MIDI A/B to MIDI - Specific to the Expert Sleepers MIDI Breakout which I do not have. </li>
</ul>
<p>See the <a contents="product manual" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.xoxomodular.com/MIDIXO%20Operation%20Manual%20and%20Installation%20Guide.pdf" target="_blank">product manual</a> for more information including how to set the jumpers on the module. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/11832753419afbb8b6ecf1d121e8c8529eb1cb78/original/56cbd8e2-42d8-46de-a5e6-48192a7de7de.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<hr><h3>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">IN USE</span></span>
</h3>
<p>In simple terms what the MIDI XO allows me to do in my setup is as follows. You can see that this small rack of 6U 70HP has massive power and flexibility. </p>
<p>The Five12 Vector Sequencer sends: </p>
<ul> <li> <p>CHORD PART (up to 4 voice) to the Disting EX Multi Sample algorithm on MIDI Channel 1 (or any other algorithm depending on what I am doing) </p> </li> <li> <p>DRUM PART (4 voices) to the Squarp Rample on MIDI Channel 2 </p> </li> <li> <p>MONOPHONIC PART (1 voice) to the Make Noise 0-Coast on MIDI Channel 3</p> </li>
</ul>
<p>Additionally, I have the second TRS MIDI OUT on the Vector to connect my Moog, Korg XD or whatever else I want to use. </p>
<p><span style="color:#e67e22;"><span class="font_large">HOW IT IS CONNECTED</span></span><br><br><span style="color:null;">See the photograph below regarding cabling and the notes below. Each cable is noted by colour in the description.</span> </p>
<ul> <li> <p>Five12 Vector Sequencer - TRS TYPE A MIDI output (white cable with green ends)</p> </li> <li> <p>Connects to the MIDI XO TRS input</p> </li> <li> <p>MIDI XO rear of module jacks set up for MODE 1+2</p> </li> <li> <p>Rainbow 4 PIN cable connected from the MIDI XO to the rear of the Disting EX</p> </li> <li> <p>Disting EX configured to respond to MIDI channel 1 and with MIDI THRU enabled</p> </li> <li> <p>MIDI XO configured to swap TRS MIDI TYPE from A to B</p> </li> <li> <p>Midi XO TRS MIDI output connected to the Squarp Rample Input (black cable with black ends)</p> </li> <li> <p>Squarp Rample configured to respond to MIDI channel 2</p> </li> <li> <p>Squarp Rample MIDI THRU connected to the 0-Coast input (black cable with green ends)</p> </li> <li>0-Coast configured to respond to MIDI Channel 3</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/28f63c9804664174c090ee47e5a2efd94ad69fca/original/image.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">OUTCOMES</span></span>
</h3>
<p>From the Vector Sequencer I am controlling the Disting EX, Rample and 0-Coast via a single MIDI TRS OUT. The MIDI XO is routing to the Disting EX, converting MIDI TYPE A to B and forwarding down the chain to the Rample and 0-Coast. It is a very elegant solution to a few different connectivity problems and is extremely efficient</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/5874174ebbf03e0cb47f928f7480ca776e4c6d4a/original/68ef8303-8541-4a21-a670-da818dcd2830.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><br> </p>
<hr><h3>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">CONCLUSION</span></span><br> </h3>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">PROS</span></h4>
<ul> <li>A great utility module that elegantly solves the MIDI TYPE A/B issue.</li> <li>Easy MIDI control of your Disting (or other compatible Expert Sleepers module).</li> <li>Well priced and very easy to install.</li> <li>Manual is easy to follow. </li>
</ul>
<p><span style="color:#e67e22;">CONS</span></p>
<ul> <li>The included 4 inch cable could be a bit longer</li> <li>That's it. This module does what it does perfectly. </li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/64398122020-09-22T21:12:15+10:002021-07-06T13:32:57+10:00Squarp - Rample - Overview<h3>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">RUN</span></span>
</h3>
<p>I recently decided to build a small Eurorack case which would provide as much flexibility as possible. The objective was to be able to create musical performances independently, or accompanied by my 0-Coast or Korg Minilogue XD. The case I used is a 6U 70HP prototype made by Jim at Five12 which I have written about <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-eurorack-case-prototype" target="_blank">here</a>. <br><br>You can think of this system as my "Friday night at home drinking wine and annoying the neighbours<em>" </em>rack<em>.</em> After many beats, and more wine, I stumbled into demos of the 14HP Squarp Rample sample module.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/0f3867d4857d91415d8105cb005c6ae9a3081ddc/original/img-0536.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Fresh out of the box</em></p>
<hr><h3>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">THE SMALL RACK PROJECT</span></span>
</h3>
<p>Prior to acquiring the Rample, I had built the rack with an mBrane to perform MIDI to CV duties, four TipTop modules and a 2hp Hats module. It worked great and sounded fantastic, but the TipTop modules don't allow flexibility for sound shaping and I wanted more. A sampler seemed to be a good option, but which one? </p>
<p>I run an Assimil8or in my main rack, but due to cost and size a second Assimil8or was out of the question. Even an ALM Squid at 21HP was a bit big for this small rack. Additionally, the Assimil8or and the Squid do not accept midi inputs, so I would need to keep the mBrane as well, consuming even more space in a small environment. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/ff9a778fadc6efd1e0b7279a96f70d5e32bc030d/original/old-row.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>The original percussion setup for the 6U 70HP rack</em></p>
<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">EXIT ANALOG / ENTER RAMPLE</span></span>
</h3>
<p>You can see from the photo below that taking out the mBrane and CV controlled drum modules has given me room for the Rample, as well as freed up another 10HP. The space is currently filled by a uDervish (8HP) made by Roni Velvet in Melbourne and an Intellijel buffered mult (2HP). I will likely put the uDervish back into my main rig, and install a Happy Nerding FXAid which will give me back 4HP for something else. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/46c53605c3d67c5e468b4c2f1b839327c0c3a703/original/img-0539.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>The completed mini eurorack with the Squarp Rample. </em></p>
<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">SAMPLE/R?</span></span>
</h3>
<p>The main difference between the Rample as a sample player, and the Squid and Assimil8or as samplers, is that the Rample can not record samples from an external input. You get sounds into the Rample via the SD Card and your computer. So if you need a sample module that can record sounds for playback, this unit is not for you. </p>
<hr><h3>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">INS AND OUTS</span></span>
</h3>
<ul> <li>4x CV inputs for sample control/modulation </li> <li>4x Gate inputs for sample triggering </li> <li>4x Individual voice outputs </li> <li>1x MIX output </li> <li>1x TRS TYPE A 3.5mm MIDI IN </li> <li>1x TRS TYPE A 3.5mm MIDI THRU </li> <li>SD CARD slot on the front face of the unit</li>
</ul>
<p>The fact that the Rample provides 1:1 audio outs per voice was exactly what I wanted, and the TRS MIDI IN and THRU mean it is very easy to use this module in a hybrid environment where you have a number of devices to control from a single point. Further, the Vector Sequencer has great MIDI sequencing capabilities, so the fact the Rample has MIDI natively was a big selling point. </p>
<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">FIRMWARE</span></span>
</h3>
<p>I am using firmware RampleOS version 1.21 as I write this article. I believe this is the second update since the module was released, and it enables some new features including stereo samples (which consume 2 channels each) and many bug fixes. Squarp have been on the ball with updates based on user feedback I have seen online. </p>
<p>The firmware update process is simple. Download the file, drag it to the SD Card, insert the SD Card into the Rample and power it on with the main encoder held down. The product manual can be found <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://squarp.net/rample/manual/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">MIDI CONNECTIVITY</span></span>
</h3>
<p>The Rample hosts MIDI IN and THRU jacks which use 3.5mm TRS MIDI TYPE A. The Rample ships with a TRS MIDI TYPE A to 5 PIN adapter, as well as a standard 3.5mm TRS (short) cable. These are the same as standard headphone cables with TRS jacks at each end. </p>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">Five12 Vector to Rample via MIDI</span></h4>
<p>I am connecting my Vector Sequencer via MIDI OUT 1 to the Rample. The Vector uses TRS MIDI TYPE B, so that means I need to use</p>
<ul> <li>TRS TYPE B to 5 PIN adapter connected from the Vector</li> <li>A 5 PIN to TRS TYPE A adapter connected to the Rample</li> <li>A standard MIDI cable in between. </li>
</ul>
<p>It is easy and works great, but I am also looking at sourcing a couple of TRS 3.5mm cables with the wiring swapped at one end to provide MIDI TYPE A to B conversion in one cable. That would be neat!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/58ee6b6e62844439471770b319b22841b8658010/original/img-0546.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Standard MIDI cable with a TYPE A and TYPE B 5 PIN to TRS adapter on each end</em></p>
<p>The Rample responds to MIDI notes on a single MIDI channel for all four voices. The MIDI implementation allows for kits to be changed via external midi program changes, something I look forward to trying using the Vector. The Rample also provides a decent quantity of parameter manipulation options for many of the effect and playback modes. You can read about all that in the manual. </p>
<hr><h3>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">AUDIO FILES AND MANAGEMENT</span></span>
</h3>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">File Format and Stereo Samples</span></h4>
<p>Samples playable using the Rample may be 16 or 8 bit at 44100Hz. Interestingly, there are no size limits for samples, assuming you have infinite storage. Stereo samples require two mono voices. You can use a free program like <a contents="Audacity " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.audacityteam.org/" target="_blank">Audacity </a>to modify any of your samples to fit the Rample. Using four voices in a kit you could configure:</p>
<ul> <li>4 mono samples (4 voices)</li> <li>1 stereo sample and 2 mono samples (3 voices)</li> <li>2 stereo samples (2 voices)</li>
</ul>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">The SD Card and File Naming Conventions</span></h4>
<ul> <li>Folders on your Rample SD CARD are presented as LETTER/NUMBER starting with A0 and progressing through to U8.</li> <li>Each of these folders is called a kit. Example - C3 refers to BANK C, KIT 3. </li> <li>Within each kit you have 4 voices, and you can apply multiple sample files per voice within a kit. </li> <li>Each folder may host a range of kits and there is no maximum as far as I can see. </li>
</ul>
<p>Naming wav files to use on the Rample is pretty simple. Files must be named with a number (referring to voices 1, 2, 3 or 4) and then the unique sample name. It is all in the manual and clearly outlined with some nice graphics. I have provided some examples below. </p>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">Samples and Multi Layering</span></h4>
<p>Squarp have designed an intuitive way to apply multiple samples to a kit voice. Remember, a voice from within a kit is what is played when you trigger a sample via MIDI or gate input. Multi-layer kits mean you can assign a number of sample files to the same voice within a kit. As an example, I created the following kit (four mono voices) with multiple samples per voice. It is a basic set of 606 and 808 samples. </p>
<p><em>Folder "C3" - Bank C, Kit 3</em></p>
<p><em><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/ec0180915c685a418001caa9422ca19189d1412c/original/capture.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></em></p>
<p>The above kit provides 9 samples spread across 4 voices. This approach allows me to do things like modulate which closed hi-hat sample will play every time voice 4 receives a trigger. I applaud for Squarp for thinking a bit differently on sample management. This implementation is very easy to use. Super cool.</p>
<p>You can select which sample will be triggered via the following methods:</p>
<ul> <li>Manually as a single sample per voice.</li> <li>Round robin cycles where multiple samples are played equally.</li> <li>Via CV modulation input where an external source will help the Rample decide which file to play.</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/680aaa558ca901d5040e53d7e3713c71f3f362d2/original/img-0530.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">THE SCREEN </span></span>
</h3>
<p>The Rample screen is a bit like a car racing computer game my parents bought me in the late 1970s, probably made my Bandai. The Rample has that <em>red LED</em> look about it but remains, for the most part, very effective. Once you get used to it the screen is a suitable interface which probably meets a design price point in the best way possible. </p>
<p>As long as you note which buttons you are pressing, you can pretty easily keep track of what the screen is trying to communicate. Some people will love it and some wont. I think it has mecahnistic charm, and should not get in the way of you seriously considering this module for your system. Overall, the user interface is well implemented. I have used other modules far more advanced screens, but which have less well thought out workflows.<br> </p>
<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">SOUND AND MANIPULATION</span></span>
</h3>
<p>The sound produced by the Rample is really quite wonderful, and based on price, punches well above it's weight. The samples supplied on the module are fantastic and range from interesting percussion one shots to various loops and melodic and ambient sounds. However, it was not until I loaded the SD Card with samples I had made myself that I realised just how stunningly musical the Rample sounds. </p>
<p>Time passed disturbingly quickly as I sat modulating pitch, filter, freeze and bit crush effects by hand and via CV. This module is an absolute winner for sound experience. We can talk about sample rate and resolution all day but the real proof is in how it sounds, and it sounds great. </p>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">Levels</span></h4>
<p>Audio levels per voice are easily set by pressing and holding ASSIGN, and then pressing LISTEN. As with most other parameters, the four black knobs under the LED screen become controllers for voices one through four. If you dial the levels below the middle point, you will be reducing volume. If you dial levels above the middle point you are not only increasing volume, but also engaging an analog modelling algorithm that provides some really useful saturation. A very nice touch!</p>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">Multiple Outputs</span></h4>
<p>One of the main reasons I considered the Rample was the fact it has a 1:1 ratio for voices and outputs. I route my mini rack to a small Yamaha mixer in my lounge room setup, and also to individual inputs in my MOTU in the studio room. The audio from the individual outs fills the room with a dynamic and punchy sound that mixes well with synth voices and whatever else you might have going on.</p>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">Mix Output</span></h4>
<p>The aggregate mix out does what it needs to do but is not my personal preference. If you want to route your kit to a filter or effects unit, or if you have limited mixer or audio interface inputs, it will serve you well. </p>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;"><strong>Effects </strong></span></h4>
<p>The effects are a really nice touch in the Rample. They are pretty simple but sound great!</p>
<ul> <li>Pitch - provides pitch control from -1 to +1 octave. </li> <li>Bits - provides two different bit crushing algorithms. I love these, they're really musically useful. </li> <li>Filter - DJ style low resonance filter providing a low or high pass curve. </li> <li>Freeze - samples and loops a fraction of your sample wave form. This can also be engaged via CV input. </li>
</ul>
<p>The effects provide minimal controls but are musically appropriate. The Freeze mode wont give you deep granular synthesis, but it is a quick way to get some glitchy beats happening. The +1/-1 Octave pitch control is really nicely executed, and very usable depending upon the pitch character of your samples. </p>
<p>The filter is a real surprise and sounds great across the entire kit, or an individual voice. The bit crusher actually reminds me in tone of the implementation within the Rossum, but your mileage may vary. The real fun starts of course once you plug in external modulation. So good!</p>
<p>One thing I adore about the Rample is the ability to modulate all sample channels simultaneously using a single input. So, if you have a beat going and you want to filter all four channels from a single CV input, it is very easy to do so. This is a great way to create interest in your audio in a very efficient manner.</p>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">Momentary Effects</span></h4>
<p>Momentary effects are also possible where you can mess with something like bitrate or pitch, and then have it return to the standard setting once you release the assigned keys on the Rample. That is a nice touch, and something more sample players should allow you to do during performance. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/373d380cc363897f2c9ed0e92578a5e3a0c7d9d3/original/img-0532.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>The Rample comes with a 5 PIN to TRS TYPE A Midi Adatper, as well as a 3.5MM TRS cable</em></p>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">Sample Slicing and Envelope </span></h4>
<p>You can slice samples in free mode which allows you to dial in start and end points as you see fit. Alternatively, you may slice based on various fractions from /8 to /48 enabling quick and easy sample division. </p>
<p>You can also add a basic Attack and Decay envelope to your sample audio. It is during these processes that the limited graphic presentation will be most apparent, however it is worth keeping in mind that the Rample user interface is meant to be used without overthinking what you are doing. So just get on with it!</p>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">Sample Playback</span></h4>
<p>Samples can be played back in three ways being: </p>
<ol> <li>One shot (a trigger or gate causes the entire sample to play) </li> <li>Gate High - plays the sample only when a gate is being received </li> <li>Toggle Loop - the sample will loop until you tell it to stop </li>
</ol>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">Mute Groups </span></h4>
<p>Mute groups are also available which allow you to easily do things like cause open and closed hi-hat samples to silence each other as they would via a real drum kit. Voice muting on the Rample is really simple and is something <em>I wish the Assimil8or made a lot easier</em>. It is also very well implemented on the ALM Squid Salmple. Take note Rossum! </p>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">Randomise</span></h4>
<p>A fun feature is the ability to select RANDOMISE from the main menu. Doing so applies a bunch of voice related settings to your KIT that fairly frequently create musically interesting versions of your KIT. Usually randomise features are terrible, but this one works well. <br> </p>
<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">CV INPUT AND CONTROL</span></span>
</h3>
<p>There are not too many options for modulation within the Rample but those that exist are easily applied and provide musically useful outcomes. You can point any of the CV Inputs (1 to 4) to any of your voices within a kit. You can then manipulate various processes including pitch, bit crush, filter, trig freeze and so on. Clearly something like the Assimil8or will give you a lot more options, for a price, but also take more effort to configure. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/6be5c32c2e4517ba5cff844465ec1c9f039cb427/original/img-0534.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">CONCLUSION</span></span>
</h3>
<p>If you can accept a sample module that does not record audio (and at this price, you really should) there is nothing bad to say about the Rample. Squarp have made excellent design and user interface choices within a very small format. </p>
<p>I feel that the Rample has a bit of personality in look, feel and sound. Squarp have a really solid aesthetic in their design choices, and it is one that I enjoy. The build quality is also excellent and everything feels firmly mounted. </p>
<p>The Rample doesn't do anything new. But what it does extremely well is provide an easy to use tool which will not get in the way of making music (or R2D2 noises, if that is your thing). This purchase definitely achieved the objectives I was seeking through bringing a sampler into my smaller Eurorack case. </p>
<p>Further, I would not hesitate to use the Rample for recording, regardless of the audio specifications compared to my Rossum. There is so much more to music than technical specs. In fact, I’m seriously considering buying a second module to put in my large system. It is simply that good.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/c5656728bf6737cb18c99b0f1929aded2b7df443/original/2221d51c-94bb-49a3-b66a-90cdae380109.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>The mini rack mounted on a laptop stand for ergonomic access</em></p>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">Pros </span></h4>
<ul> <li>Great features, small size, great price. </li> <li>Effects are musically appropriate. </li> <li>Provides MIDI or CV control and versatility. </li> <li>Stereo samples, if you want it. </li> <li>Chain two Ramples for eight voices. </li>
</ul>
<h4><span style="color:#e67e22;">Cons </span></h4>
<ul> <li>Can not record inbound audio to create samples. </li> <li>Can not edit a kit and save it to a new location. </li> <li>Wont do things like time stretching and seems not to play samples in reverse.</li> <li>Screen is fine and clear for most functions but requires a bit of learning. </li>
</ul>
<p>If you want more information the product manual is <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://squarp.net/rample/manual/" target="_blank">here</a>. Further, the Squarp team are super responsive to email queries, so hit them up!</p>
<hr><p> </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/63283182020-07-12T10:44:26+10:002020-10-07T03:29:34+11:00Five12 Vector Sequencer - Launchpad Integration<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><strong><span style="color:#2980b9;">Launchpad Integration within Firmware Release 2.x</span></strong></span>
</h3>
<p><a contents="Return to Links to All Articles" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles"><em>Return to Links to All Articles</em></a></p>
<h3><span class="font_large"><strong><span style="color:#2980b9;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/3bd7212ddac10100397bc3061333092be39b78a0/original/vs-and-lpx-ed.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></span></strong></span></h3>
<p><em><span style="color:#e74c3c;">I am writing about a pre final release of the upcoming Vector Sequencer Firmware major release. The new release will be version 2.0 (or something similar). Some features may change between now and then, and I will do my best to update the below details in a timely manner.</span></em><br> </p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong><span class="font_large">Basic Conventions</span></strong></span>
</h4>
<p>Here are some conventions used to describe elements in use during this article. </p>
<ul> <li>
<strong>VS </strong>= Vector Sequencer. </li> <li>
<strong>LP </strong>= Launchpad. So, <strong>LPX</strong> means Launchpad X which is what I have here.</li> <li>
<strong>Rows </strong>are referred to alphanumerically as <strong>R1 </strong>through <strong>R8</strong>, where R1 is the top row, and R8 is the bottom row on the Launchpad. </li> <li>
<strong>Columns </strong>will be labelled similarly where <strong>C1 </strong>is the far left column and <strong>C8 </strong>is the far right column.</li>
</ul>
<p>Jim has used the top 4 buttons on the right to switch between Launchpad pages. Annoyingly, different models of Launchpad label the buttons differently. On the Launchpad X (LPX) the mode view buttons are labelled as follows and related to the listed Vector Sequencer functions. I will use the Vector nomenclature throughout the remainder of the article and ignore the Launchpad labels. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/f5f75f0f9c5dec5e03ce7a2063b7c6b1b9ac036b/original/main-buttons.png" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /></p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span class="font_large"><strong><span style="color:#2980b9;">Physical Connection</span></strong></span>
</h4>
<ul> <li>The Vector will integrate with class compliant Launchpad devices, which I believe may be all of them except the original. That is up to you to check prior to purchase. </li> <li>Connect your LP to the USBA input on the Vector. </li> <li>Go to GLOBAL / GENERAL and use E9 to dial to USB STATUS.</li> <li>Once connected, you should see the status of your Launchpad on the right hand screen. </li> <li>Mine says <em>"USB DEVICE: CONNECTED. Launchpad MK2 9 : MIDI"</em>. Yours may say something else. </li>
</ul>
<p>A successful<strong> </strong>connection on my Launchpad Mk2 behaves as follows:</p>
<ul> <li>Lights flow from the bottom left to top right.</li> <li>The Launchpad presents the SESSION screen with the top two rows of pads lit up.</li> <li>In a blank project, R1 will be red and R2 will be blue. </li> <li>If you are having trouble connecting, try a different USB cable and ensure the LP is on a flat surface and the cable is safe from movement.</li>
</ul>
<p>No custom firmware is required for your Launchpad. If you have any problems please try upgrading your Launchpad and Vector firmware to the latest version. This is especially recommended for Launchpad Pro users. I like using flexible USB cables to plug directly to hardware which means that any movement is a buffered and also means if I need to unplug and re-plug I am not causing friction on the USB input repeatedly.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/943736b9ef7c4d0ae76de96cf9df61ed63fbe937/original/vs-lpx-usb-2.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<hr><h4><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">Part Mode (View 1)</span></span></h4>
<p>Once connected the LP will show two rows of coloured pads on Session mode.</p>
<p><strong>The Top Row </strong>represents the 8 PARTS, and if your Launchpad has RGB capability then the colours will reflect the LED settings on your Vector. These colours may changed depending on your LP model, and any preferences you have set. </p>
<p><strong>The Second Row </strong>shows MUTE status</p>
<ul> <li>ACTIVE - Green</li> <li>MUTED - Red</li>
</ul>
<p>You can toggle MUTE status on the Session screen by tapping the second row pads. Here is an example of a project in PART view. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/961675083de8f888082a039eb666f411e8649174/original/session.png" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><br>The grid above shows the following specifications in R1 and R2:</p>
<ul> <li>PARTS 1, 6, 7 and 8 are ACTIVE</li> <li>PARTS 2 through 5 are MUTED<br> </li>
</ul>
<hr><h4>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong>Preset Mode (View 2)</strong></span></span>
</h4>
<p>The User1 screen shows your PRESETS for each of your 8 parts. </p>
<ul> <li>ACTIVE PRESET - Yellow</li> <li>INACTIVE PRESETS - Blue</li> <li>CUED PRESET - Red</li>
</ul>
<p>You cue a preset by tapping a blue pad, it will turn red until such time as it becomes active, and turns yellow. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/95778107824b851b104c6d7bfc235ef7fe878a0a/original/preset.png" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>In the above grid, we can see that:</p>
<ul> <li>Part 1, Pattern 2 is active</li> <li>Part 2, Pattern 1 is active</li> <li>Part 3, Pattern 3 is active</li> <li>Part 4, Pattern 1 is active</li> <li>Part 5, Pattern 1 is active</li> <li>Part 6, Pattern 1 is active</li> <li>Part 7, Pattern 1 is active</li> <li>Part 8, Pattern 4 is active</li>
</ul>
<p>You can create a new empty PRESET by tapping an unlit pad. You don't have to keep them contiguous meaning you can create PRESET A08 even if no nearby PRESETS are configured. A good practice is to always have R8 full of empty presets so you can easily mute from this screen without reverting to the PART screen. <br> </p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">Keyboard Mode (View 3)</span></span>
</h4>
<p>Keyboard mode displays four chromatic keyboards spread across 2 rows each. It looks exactly like this on my Launchpad X. More to come on this mode!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/60648d46038803e19fc0a49b5d39fda1d3d5a95a/original/108943766-2860957484188157-3031319813731576123-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">Step Mode (View 4)</span></span>
</h4>
<p>Step mode enables composition and editing of your PRESETS via the Launchpad. When you enter STEP mode you will see one row of lit pads. These lit pads use the same convention as the Session screen where colours are set from the Vector LED status. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/6879493f12384e8c643823b4ed3b9a795fbc0b89/original/edit-main.png" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /></p>
<ul> <li>To edit a PRESET simply click the corresponding PART pad and you will progress to step mode for that PART and into whichever PRESET is active. </li> <li>If you want to change the active PRESET you need to head back to the User1 screen. </li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">STEP MODE - Mono Part (View 4)</span></span>
</h4>
<p>If you select one of your RED (MONO) PARTS via Step View, your Launchpad will be divided into two regions being for octave selection, and step interaction.</p>
<p><strong>R1 - Octave Selection. </strong>The green pad tells you which octave is currently being viewed. Change octave by tapping a yellow pad, and it will turn green. Tap to the LEFT to go up and octave, and to the right to go down. </p>
<p><strong>R2 through R8 - Steps/Notes. </strong>Rows define pitch, and columns define steps, with 8 steps viewable per 'screen'. </p>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">Three Pad Types in Step View</span></h4>
<ul> <li>
<strong>UNLIT </strong>- not active. If all pads within a Column (excluding row 1) are unlit, then this step is not active. </li> <li>
<strong>YELLOW </strong>- indicates that the step is active, but that the note that will be played is higher than the current octave view. </li> <li>
<strong>RED </strong>- indicates that the step is active, but that the note that will be played is lower than the current octave view. </li> <li>
<strong>GREEN </strong>- indicates that a step is active, and that note is within the current octave view. If you tap a green pad it will become unlit, and no note will be played. </li>
</ul>
<p>Change octaves by selecting pads in the top row until you find the step/note that you wish to view. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/0c7c303a4771f0d13eb84fc35c355c283fc3922b/original/edit-mono.png" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Row 1 tells us the currently active octave is at position 4. Assuming the above preset is 8 steps long, and is in C Major:</p>
<ul> <li>Step 1 (R8, C1) - C within the currently viewable octave area.</li> <li>Step 2 - not active. </li> <li>Step 3 - (R6, C3) - E within a different octave.</li> <li>Step 4 - (R4, C4) -F within the currently viewable octave area.</li> <li>Step 5 - not active. </li> <li>Step 6 - (R6, C6) - E within a different octave.</li> <li>Step 7 - (R5, C7) - F within the currently viewable octave area.</li> <li>Step 8 - (R8, C8) - C within a different octave.</li>
</ul>
<p>If you have more than 8 STEPS in your PRESET use the LEFT and RIGHT arrows on the LP to move between 'screens'. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;">Step Mode - Drum Part (View 4)</span></span>
</h4>
<p>Selecting a DRUM part presents four voices divided across the 64 pads as follows:</p>
<ul> <li>DRUM VOICE 1: Rows 1 and 2</li> <li>DRUM VOICE 2: Rows 3 and 4</li> <li>DRUM VOICE 3: Rows 5 and 6</li> <li>DRUM VOICE 4: Rows 7 and 8</li>
</ul>
<p>Each 'screen' view therefore presents a maximum of 16 STEPS per PRESET. </p>
<p>In PLAY mode, as STEPS increment a brighter yellow square (cursor) will move through each Voice in the direction the sequence is moving - generally from left to RIGHT. Helpfully, active pads are coloured as darker / lighter squares per voice. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/6285b7963197758dad7abca511aa151c3f5a81e3/original/edit-drum.png" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/63602572020-06-20T23:53:02+10:002020-10-22T12:35:34+11:00Five12 Eurorack Case - Prototype<h3><font color="#2980b9"><span style="font-size: 19.656px;">Run</span></font></h3>
<p><a contents="Return to Links to All Articles" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles"><em>Return to Links to All Articles</em></a></p>
<p>Jim Coker from Five12 teased development of 3D printed Eurorack cases at NAMM 2020. </p>
<p>The Vector is equally capable sequencing CV and MIDI, and a standalone device in a custom case seems like a great idea. There were two cases on the table at NAMM, being:</p>
<ul> <li>42HP (3U) hosting a single Vector module. </li> <li>70HP (6U) for demoing the Vector and Jack Expander in a working system. </li>
</ul>
<p>I was fortunate enough to be sent a prototype, and it is working out really well. The components I received allow construction of a 6U Eurorack case using two 28HP segments, and one 14HP segment. With the parts I have in hand, the most useful iterations are 42HP, 56HP and 70HP builds. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/802a4c6c584b660d04c3ba8e9d7cc72b67ce132a/original/7b6efce0-0175-4d60-ae71-92f8a9bfa64d.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>The prototype includes bus boards but requires a BYO power supply, which is subject to change as the concept develops. I elected to use a Row Power 35. I have built a few systems using the prototype and photographed them below. </p>
<p>I call the 56HP confituration a pizza box as it kind of looks like one, but less greasy. I will likely stick with the 70HP version and have a Disting EX module on the way which will find its way into the bottom row <br> </p>
<hr><h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">Proof of Life</span></h4>
<p>Anyway, enough of my yap, here are some photos of the prototyp in 56HP and 70HP formats. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/97a49d00faf4955ec7e014318b756aca9fa899c8/original/6ce958e2-2f2a-482b-9044-b30e980df4cc.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/d1da942712f114619b42d28c7210846f457dafa4/original/a61bd17f-2fc5-40b2-b0cb-bdb44a6045a8.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/a1fd1c3aad30290f3a8b2682d9d3d6e4dd09760d/original/758a4cf8-b219-466c-9f88-9615dfd60073.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/7dbe6d86e6545c3f6610f0b63d24979252579193/original/f705695e-92d9-45ba-b99e-ad0d8478240a.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/6cd5fd120daac97cddbd87d958680b818b4b48c7/original/799c70f3-7c2c-49b9-bfd2-cc06e059a7ee.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/177851adc42da1dd5651736f74dd2d628b21bbd0/original/2597ce8d-7441-49ca-aef3-50f6285320b7.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/e76240baae42c41a0fcef1e0f5a5860432db0987/original/4752fc28-3817-4fcb-bebd-78c7b71f0d48.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/63374662020-06-01T09:31:07+10:002021-04-22T03:02:39+10:00Five12 Vector Sequencer - Cheat Sheet<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong>Cheat Sheet</strong></span></span>
</h3>
<p><a contents="Return to Links to All Articles" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles"><em>Return to Links to All Articles</em></a><br> </p>
<h3>
<a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/1byo33m6lqk5h1w/Vector%20Cheat%20Sheet%20-%20Sheet%20-%20v0.2.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/765faabddf4ddf0e46cfcee4fb6542732337b82a/original/vs-cheat-sheet.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></a><br> </h3>
<hr><p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_large"><a contents="Here is a LINK to the most recent PDF Cheat Sheet" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/du7aevr5x9y8frz/Five12%20Vector%20Sequencer%20-%20Cheat%20Sheet.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank"><span style="color:#f39c12;">Here is a LINK to the most recent version in PDF format</span></a></span><br> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/bde6305b93b74a7af5dee1fabb5fed5b2438a751/original/34b8647b-d801-49e3-af2c-f0136cdaba8f.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<hr>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/63364742020-05-31T10:39:44+10:002020-05-31T21:48:52+10:00Five12 Vector Sequencer - Calibration and File Backup<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><strong><span style="color:#2980b9;">Calibration and File Backup</span></strong></span>
</h3>
<p><a contents="Return to Links to All Articles" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles"><em>Return to Links to All Articles</em></a></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/ed2f2133b3bce1ae54f0de3c15802b552027f6ba/original/vs-calibration-and-file-backup.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;">Vector and Jack Expander Calibration Files </span>
</h4>
<p>Each Vector and Jack Expander has a serial number. The Vector will come loaded with the calibration files that relate to itself and also the Jack Expander with the same serial number. So, if you buy both units together, and they have the same serial number, you are good to go. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/5749a858064d67c7475b7f680dce424c3dfb93e3/original/v5.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>If you buy your Jack Expander separately, or if it has a different serial number to the Vector, you will need to email Jim at Five12 dot com. Jim will send you calibration files customised for your Vector and Jack Expander. Once you have the files, you can load them to the Vector via your USB to PC connection. </p>
<p><strong>Important:</strong> You will need to tell Jim the serial number of the Vector sequencer and Jack Expander modules that you own. My Vector and Expander both have S/N 83 which you can see in the pictures above and below. </p>
<p><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/8aaec581ede6c0a2f58bc3ac528eda699066e505/original/v4.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;">Backup Your Calibration Files </span>
</h4>
<p>You should back up the calibration files to protect yourself against the inconvenience of accidental deletion. Below is a screen shot of the EXCAL and VSCAL DAT files used to calibrate the Expansion and Vector modules. The Project folder is the one you want to backup to save your precious work. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/84e1b277c51b0d3e31abd5a9e5d53f01383080f6/original/files.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;">PREF and PROJECT folders</span>
</h4>
<p>PREF - Your Vector sequencer preferences are stored within files in this folder. Leave these alone </p>
<p>PROJECT - all your work is stored here. Back these files up whenever you are doing a firmware upgrade. I have never had a problem with this but it is still best practice to back up any work that is imprtant to you<br> </p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;">Firmware File</span>
</h4>
<p>The firmware file goes into the root directory of your SD card. You can deposit it there via USB using the DISK MODE of the Vector, or by removing the SD card and placing the firmware on it using a card reader connected to your PC. <br> </p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;">Relevant Key Combinations</span>
</h4>
<ul> <li> <p><strong>DISK MODE -</strong> long press SHIFT and F9 and keep holding these until the VS enters DISK MODE</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>LOAD FIRMWARE -</strong> long press REC and F9 and keep holding these until the VS enters UPDATE MODE</p> </li> <li>
<strong>SOFT REBOOT - </strong>press and hold SHIFT and F9 but release these once the screen goes blank, and the VS will reboot. Some times this doesn't work and the Vector requires a power disconnect to reboot. </li>
</ul>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/63282902020-05-24T16:16:01+10:002020-06-01T09:37:43+10:00Five12 Vector Sequencer - Links to All Articles<hr><h3>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">Links to All Articles</span></span><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/bf1f23de6a49cd12fa00a63a39c20af63818daed/original/vs-how-to-links-to-all-articles.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></h3>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4>
<br><font color="#2980b9">Full Review - </font><a contents="Five12 Vector Sequencer and Jack Expander - Product Review (up to Firmware 1.4)" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-and-jack-expander-review" target="_blank">Five12 Vector Sequencer and Jack Expander - Product Review (up to Firmware 1.4)</a><br> </h4>
<hr><h4>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong>How To Articles</strong></span>
</h4>
<p><a contents="Calibration and File Backup" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-calibration-files">Calibration and File Backup</a></p>
<p><a contents="Cheat Sheet" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-cheat-sheet">Cheat Sheet</a></p>
<p><a contents="Chord Parts and Quantisation" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-how-to-chord-parts-and-note-quantisation">Chord Parts and Quantisation</a></p>
<p><a contents="Clock Configuration" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-how-to-clock-configuration">Clock Configuration</a></p>
<p><a contents="Drum Parts" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/how-to-drum-parts">Drum Parts</a></p>
<p><a contents="External Triggers and Step Movement" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-how-to-external-triggers-and-step-movement">External Triggers and Step Movement</a></p>
<p><a contents="Midi over TRS" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-midi-over-trs">Midi over TRS</a></p>
<p><a contents="Naming Parts" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-naming-parts">Naming Parts</a></p>
<p><a contents="Polyrhythms" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-how-to-polyrhythms">Polyrhythms</a></p>
<p><a contents="Preset Management" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-preset-management">Preset Management</a></p>
<p><a contents="Scales and Chords" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-scales-and-chords">Scales and Chords</a></p>
<p><a contents="Vector and DAW Integration" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-daw-integration">Vector and DAW Integration</a></p>
<p><a contents="Everything Else that has not been separated to individual articles, yet..." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-interesting-things-to-do">Everything Else that has not been separated to individual articles, yet...</a><br> </p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;">Videos By Other People</span>
</h4>
<p><a contents="Loopop Review&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdzYqtgERuw" target="_blank">Loopop Review </a>- FEBRUARY 2020 </p>
<p><a contents="Sonic State NAMM 2020" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ8zGX56H0Q&t=245s" target="_blank">Sonic State NAMM 2020</a> - JANUARY 2020 </p>
<p><a contents="Future Music Magazine - NAMM 2020&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_pFwFlpCC8" target="_blank">Future Music Magazine - NAMM 2020</a> - JANUARY 2020 </p>
<p><a contents="Peake - a complete ambient jam exploring features with commentary&nbsp;&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihokgad0H-c" target="_blank">Peake - a complete ambient jam exploring features with commentary</a> - DECEMBER 2019</p>
<p><a contents="Ferry Collider - Polymeter" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX8UJ97G6OI&t=635s" target="_blank">Ferry Collider - Polymeter</a> - SEPTEMBER 2019</p>
<p><a contents="Ferry Collider - Gate and Step Length" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLEBIOTnREM" target="_blank">Ferry Collider - Gate and Step Length</a> - AUGUST 2019</p>
<p><a contents="Ferry Collider - Sub Sequencers" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjKqtxnxKG0&t=64s" target="_blank">Ferry Collider - Sub Sequencers</a> - AUGUST 2019</p>
<p><a contents="Ferry Collider - Parts Overview&nbsp;&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj89AJPs-iA" target="_blank">Ferry Collider - Parts Overview</a> - AUGUST 2019 </p>
<p><a contents="Justin3AM - Chords, Scenes and Sub Sequencers&nbsp;&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_odMY3YfVvw&t=14s" target="_blank">Justin3AM - Chords, Scenes and Sub Sequencers</a> - MARCH 2019 </p>
<p><a contents="Justin3AM - Overview&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpi8Km9j1M0&t=518s" target="_blank">Justin3AM - Overview</a> - FEB 2019 </p>
<p><a contents="DivKid - Early Look&nbsp;&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4Ry9bUWSqE&t=104s" target="_blank">DivKid - Early Look</a> - MAY 2018 </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/63282842020-05-24T16:07:02+10:002020-05-31T10:46:41+10:00Five12 Vector Sequencer - DAW Integration<hr><h3>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">Vector and DAW Integration</span></span>
</h3>
<p><a contents="Return to Links to All Articles" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles"><em>Return to Links to All Articles</em></a></p>
<p><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/c867b68af4b6b5f9eb9d6785886afa59ba717245/original/vs-how-to-daw-integration.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong>Introduction</strong></span>
</h4>
<p>Whatever DAW you are using there are some basics you need to get right to make it work with the Vector. At a minimum you will need: </p>
<ul> <li>Physical connecting between the DAW and your Vector. </li> <li>There are two main ways people do this, being: <ul> <li>MIDI via USB or DIN, and </li> <li>CV Clock from your DAW (eg. via Expert Sleepers SW SYNC or Ableton CV Tools) </li> </ul> </li> <li>Configure your Vector CLOCK as described Clock Configuration section of this document. </li> <li>Configure the DAW application to send CLOCK and START signals to the Vector. </li>
</ul>
<p>I will include a few links to some useful resources but ultimately you will need to consult your DAW manual or support community, or ask for help in the Five12 Vector Users facebook group if you are experiencing problems. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<h4><strong><span style="color:#2980b9;">Ableton and MIDI configuration </span></strong></h4>
<p>Go <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/209071149-Synchronizing-Live-via-MIDI" target="_blank">here</a>. It’s important to set Ableton to MIDI clock type “Pattern”. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong>Bitwig - version 3.1.2</strong></span></h4>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/0a1e5eaa5c83c4b8f73d185fd5a11a8c2ca9f24b/original/bitwig.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/63282792020-05-24T15:56:30+10:002021-03-03T18:06:16+11:00Five12 Vector Sequencer - Scales and Chords<hr><h3><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">Scales and Chords</span></span></h3>
<p><em><a contents="Return to Links to All Articles" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles">Return to Links to All Articles</a></em></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/42b074286315a6742c7a15cbeee18f20054879b6/original/vs-how-to-scales-and-chords.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong>Scale Abbreviations </strong></span></h4>
<table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:500px;"><tbody> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">CHR - Chromatic</p> </td> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">O1 - Octatonic 1, 2 </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">MAJ - Major O2</p> </td> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">O2 - Octatonic 2, 1 </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">MIN - Minor </p> </td> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">PT - Pentatonic Major </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">DOR - Dorian</p> </td> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">PTM - Pentatonic Minor </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">PHY - Phrygian</p> </td> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">M7 - Major 7th Chord </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">LYD - Lydian</p> </td> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">D7 - Dominant 7th Chord </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">MIX - Mixolydian</p> </td> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">HM - Harmonic Minor </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">LOC - Locrian</p> </td> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">WT - Whole Tone </p> </td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>M7 and D7 are four note chords which are useful as scale types though they are not actually scales. You can think of them in this case like four note scales (only one fewer than a Pentatonic, for example). <br> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<h4><strong><span style="color:#2980b9;">Chord Abbreviations </span></strong></h4>
<table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:600px;"><tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><strong>Unison</strong></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><strong>Dyads (2Notes)</strong></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><strong>Triads (3 Notes)</strong></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><strong>Sevenths (4 Notes)</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="1" rowspan="12" style="text-align: center;">U - Unison<br> <br> Single Notes</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>m2 - minor </p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>M - Major</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>M7 - Major 7th</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>M2 - Major 2nd </p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>m - minor </p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>D7 - Domintant 7th</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>m3 - minor 3rd </p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>A - augmented </p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>m7 - minor 7th</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>M3 - Major 3rd </p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>D - diminshed </p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>h7 - half diminished 7th</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>P4 - Perfect 4th </p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>S2 - suspended 2nd </p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>d7 - diminished 7th</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>TT - Tritone (dim 5th) </p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>S4 - suspended 4th</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>P5 - Perfect 5th </p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>m6 - minor 6th </p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>M6 - Major 6th </p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>m7 - minor 7th </p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>M7 - Major 7th </p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>P8 - Octave</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> </td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/63282732020-05-24T15:43:47+10:002020-08-26T10:24:25+10:00Five12 Vector Sequencer - Midi over TRS<hr><h3>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">MIDI over TRS</span></span>
</h3>
<p><em><a contents="Return to Links to All Articles" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles">Return to Links to All Articles</a></em></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/6ef9b6214786d69de1bdee0eca2fb5847bb400b6/original/vs-how-to-midi-over-trs.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><br> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p>The Vector 3.5mm TRS MIDI IN and OUT jacks are Type B and present as listed below. This means that if you are pairing it with another Type B device you can use a standard 3.5 mm TRS cable to connect the two together. Otherwise, use the supplied midi converters that came with your Vector sequencer. </p>
<ul> <li>Tip = MIDI DIN pin 4 </li> <li>Ring = MIDI DIN pin 5 </li> <li>Sleeve = MIDI DIN pin 2 (shield)</li>
</ul>
<p>The 3.5mm TRS cable is the same regardless of whether your device is Type A or B. It is the signaling across the cable that changes. Connecting Type A and B midi devices will generally NOT work. <br> </p>
<hr><p> </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/63282722020-05-24T15:39:45+10:002021-06-28T07:42:17+10:00Five12 Vector Sequencer - Preset Management<hr><h3>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">Preset Management</span></span>
</h3>
<p><a contents="Return to Links to All Articles" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles"><em>Return to Links to All Articles</em></a></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/b9d77e2e0ce308336d648c0235f3ace39d1aa2f5/original/vs-how-to-preset-management.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong>Copy and Paste Presets </strong></span><br> </h4>
<ul> <li>Go to the PRESET page </li> <li>Use E9 to select the row that holds the PRESET you wish to copy </li> <li>Select the PRESET you wish to copy by pressing the corresponding white key </li> <li>Hold SHIFT and press SELECT to copy the preset </li> <li>Move to a PRESET location ROW and COLUMN using E9 and the appropriate white key. </li> <li>Hold SHIFT and press SKIP to paste the preset to the selected location</li> <li>You can do the same thing between different PARTS so long as they are the same type (mono, chord, drum), and have the same characteristics (length etc)<br> </li>
</ul>
<hr><p> </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/63282702020-05-24T15:35:08+10:002020-05-31T10:48:41+10:00Five12 Vector Sequencer - Naming Parts<hr><h3>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">Naming Parts </span></span><br> </h3>
<p><a contents="Return to Links to All Articles" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles"><em>Return to Links to All Articles</em></a></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/343d412016da931a51c43a90db4bbd6f78a4e594/original/vs-how-to-naming-parts.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><ul> <li>Press GLOBAL then NEXT </li> <li>Use E1 to dial to the PART you want to name </li> <li>Dial E9 right once to go to the naming page </li> <li>Input the NAME using E2 to E6 </li> <li>From here, you can dial E1 to select any other PARTS you wish to name</li>
</ul>
<p><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/242a906e812e9e2d06522b6b0ce168c19f60624d/original/99767692-5f40-4cda-92d3-00d41c2e264d.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<hr><p> </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/63128932020-05-12T14:02:19+10:002021-04-22T03:11:50+10:00Five12 Vector Sequencer - External Triggers and Step Movement<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong>External Triggers and Step Movement</strong></span></span>
</h3>
<p><a contents="Return to Links to All Articles" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles"><em>Return to Links to All Articles</em></a></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/f66d86aa899c5aa4ec1b4e6df0f5f3dd7e63cc33/original/vs-how-to-external-triggers-and-step-movement.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<hr><p> </p>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">Process Objective</span></h4>
<p>We are going to make a preset melody on the Vector, and then let an external device tell the vector when to increment each step. This means you can take advantage of things like euclidean sequencers or a Turning Machine and have that module tell the Vector when to play each step. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">Routing Overview </span></h4>
<p>The routing for triggers works like this at a conceptual level: </p>
<ul> <li>Vector sends CLOCK to external module. </li> <li>External module receives the CLOCK, and does whatever magic it does (eg. generates a pattern). </li> <li>The external module sends triggers back to the Vector. </li> <li>The Vector increments the steps of your PRESET in accordance with the incoming triggers. </li> <li>Other Vector PARTS will run as normal. </li>
</ul>
<p>This means you can do some pretty wild and interesting things combining Vector step progress with an external device which may be commonly clocked, or may be doing it's own thing. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">Example Scenario </span></h4>
<p>I am going to use the Vector, Jack Expander (JE), Pamela's New Workout (PNW) and a Turing Machine (TM) in the below workflow. </p>
<p><strong>1. </strong>Create a PART and PRESET of the type you want (eg. a MONO melody part of 8 steps) and fill in some PITCH and GATE content. </p>
<p><strong>2. </strong>Go to ROUTE (Run, Clock, Reset) on the Vector and ensure your CLOCK OUT settings match the external module you will be using. </p>
<p>For Pam's New Workout I am using RUN, S24, W as my settings. I am running a clock out from the Vector (CLOCK/RUN) to PNW, and then a PNW output with a x4 multiplier to the CLOCK input of my Turing Machine. </p>
<p><strong>3. </strong>Patch from your external module to one of the Trigger jacks on your Five12 Jack Expander (JE). Let's use T1 for this example. </p>
<p><em>IMPORTANT: You can only use JE Triggers 1 to 6 for this purpose!</em></p>
<p><strong>4. </strong>Go to GLOBAL then ROUTE and J-EXP TRIGS page and adjust the TRIG you have patched to the external module to be EXT (external) and is at the very end of the available settings. Press the encoder to select your choice. It will switch from greyed out to white. </p>
<p>TIP: You can use SHIFT and the encoder to get to EXT which is the far right, after 8.4, far more quickly. </p>
<p><strong>5. </strong>Select your PART and go to the SEQ CTL screen by pressing CONTROL once. </p>
<p><strong>6. </strong>Change MODE to the appropriate JE Trigger (T1 through T6). You can also change the RATE here. The default is /16 but you can make it whatever you like. </p>
<p><strong>7. </strong>Hit PLAY. The Vector will send clock to the PNW, then to the TM, and the TM will send triggers back to the JE T1 input which you have set to EXT. </p>
<p><strong>8. </strong>Your PRESET should increment steps whenever the external module sends a trigger. </p>
<p><strong>9. </strong>You can also change the RESET variable within the PRESET if you want the sequence to always start from STEP 1 at a certain point, or leave it free running. </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/63128752020-05-12T13:31:01+10:002021-04-22T03:01:29+10:00Five12 Vector Sequencer - Drum Parts<hr><h3>
<br><strong><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">Drum Parts </span></span></strong>
</h3>
<p><a contents="Return to Links to All Articles" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles"><em>Return to Links to All Articles</em></a></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/2c0b5308e79ec823fbed561c946886f21a2daee8/original/vs-how-to-drum-parts.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><strong><span style="color:#2980b9;">Overview</span></strong></h4>
<p>To create a working drum part there are two main things you must do. </p>
<ol> <li>Create a PART as TYPE DRUM</li> <li>Route DRUM voices to external device</li>
</ol>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong>Create a PART as TYPE DRUM</strong></span></h4>
<ul> <li>Only PART 5 through 8 may be configured as DRUM (or CHORD) TYPES </li> <li>Go to the PART page, select the PART you wish to modify </li> <li>Press GLOBAL then NEXT </li> <li>Use E1 to dial to the PART you wish to modify </li> <li>Use E6 to dial to DRUM (other options are MONO and CHORD) </li> <li>Press SHIFT and CLEAR</li> <li>Press NEXT to execute, noting that this will delete any contents already held in the PART</li> <li>The PART screen will now display TYPE DRUM above encoder 6 </li> <li>You must also map your drum voice destinations as described below. <br> </li>
</ul>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><strong><span style="color:#2980b9;">Routing DRUM voices to external devices</span></strong></h4>
<p>There are many different ways you can route drum voices, and the below instructions describe a few common options </p>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong>1. ROUTING DRUM PARTS - Using Triggers on the Jack Expander </strong></span></h4>
<p>This is an easy way to get going, and consumes only one TRIGGER OUT from the JE module per drum voice. You can also steal a VELOCITY OUT from another PART if you want to manage velocity per step. </p>
<p>Because there are 8 TRIGGER outs on the JE module, you can easily build two DRUM parts (so, 8 voices total) within your project. </p>
<ul> <li>Make sure you have already configured a DRUM PART per the above instructions. </li> <li>Go to the GLOBAL page and use E9 to move to the J-EXP TRIGS page (5/10) </li> <li>Decide which TRIGs you wish to use (for example TRIG 1 to 4 , or TRIG 5 to 8) </li> <li>Use the SHIFT KEY and the appropriate ENCODER (in this example, E5 through E8) to scroll through the options. </li> <li>Dial right to the end of the list. </li> <li>To assign a TRIG to a PART you must select Dx.y where x = the PART number, and y = the DRUM Voice (from 1 to 4). </li> <li>Example. D8.1 means PART 8, Drum voice 1. D5.3 means PART 5, Drum voice 3 </li> <li>I usually select D8.1, D8.2, D8.3 and D8.4 for TRIGGERS 5 through 8 <br> </li>
</ul>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/94ffed8a1646e475791e298f1ad5acc07fe93ff8/original/7b5ee5d8-243b-45bf-a52e-d5a300dcc466.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpeg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>The above picture shows my standard setup. I use PART 7 and 8 as DRUM PARTS, but keep two trigger outs for standard triggers not routed from a DRUM PART. You can do it any way you like, but this is my starting point, usually. </p>
<ul> <li>TRIG1 - 7.1 - PART 7, Drum Voice 1</li> <li>TRIG2 - 7.1 - PART 7, Drum Voice 2</li> <li>TRIG3 - 7.1 - 16th trigger</li> <li>TRIG4 - 7.1 - Whole note trigger</li> <li>TRIG5 - 8.1 - PART 8, Drum Voice 1 </li> <li>TRIG5 - 8.2 - PART 8, Drum Voice 2</li> <li>TRIG5 - 8.3 - PART 8, Drum Voice 3 </li> <li>TRIG5 - 8.4 - PART 8, Drum Voice 4 </li>
</ul>
<p>Note - take care as you dial through the list. If you dial too fast you can confuse the Vector. The SHIFT key helps with this as it increments in larger steps through the available options. </p>
<h4><strong><span style="color:#2980b9;">Applying Velocity to Triggered Voices </span></strong></h4>
<p>The limitation of using Trigger outs is that you are sending an ON/OFF gate per step which does not provide the capability for dynamic volumes. If you have a VELOCITY out free from another PART, then you might want to canibalise that and use it to apply volume for a triggered drum voice. <br><br>For example, if you are using a synthesiser voice that does not have a velocity input, you could use the VELOCITY jack from that PART to control a drum voice. You will need to set this up in the routing page.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><strong><span style="color:#2980b9;">2. ROUTING DRUM PARTS - Using Gate and Velocity outs </span></strong></h4>
<p>This will consume one Gate and Velocity OUT for each drum voice. It will enable you to apply different volume settings per step. </p>
<ul> <li>Go to the GLOBAL page </li> <li>Use E9 to move to the correct CV OUT page</li> <li>Use the encoder underneath the GATE you wish to configure (eg E2 or E6) </li> <li>Dial to the PART you have created as TYPE DRUM </li> <li>You will see NAME V1 for a DRUM enabled PART </li> <li>Use SHIFT and the same encoder to select NAME V1 through NAME V4 where Vx corresponds to the VOICE within the DRUM PART </li> <li>Do the same for the VELOCITY configuration useing E3 or E7</li> <li>You will need to do this for every DRUM VOICE you wish to enable, remembering that you will be assigning various NAME Vx attributes to different CV sets. </li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong>3. ROUTING DRUM PARTS - Using Midi Outputs </strong></span></h4>
<ul> <li>Go to GLOBAL then press NEXT to find ROUTE page 1/10 </li> <li>Scroll using E9 to find the correct MIDI OUTPUT which might be the TRS MIDI, JE MIDI or USB MIDI connections </li> <li>Change the white block text variable for CHANNEL using SHIFT and E1 to E8 to match the MIDI IN channel of the connected device </li> <li>Select the PART which will be routed to the MIDI destination by using E1 to E8 </li> <li>Select the DRUM PART and press CONTROL to go to SEQ CTL </li> <li>Use E9 to dial to the SEQ CTL - DRUM MAP page </li> <li>Use E1 to select the drum voice being 1 through 4 and assign appropriate variables </li> <li>Use E2 to select the MIDI note which will be sent to your connected MIDI device </li> <li>You can use E3 and E4 to name the voice with a 2 character abbreviation </li>
</ul>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/63128612020-05-12T13:23:18+10:002021-06-30T20:11:15+10:00Five12 Vector Sequencer - Clock Configuration<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong>Clock Configuration </strong></span></span>
</h3>
<p><a contents="Return to Links to All Articles" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles"><em>Return to Links to All Articles</em></a><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/b64ce1d0c1a5a3fba556720be71c2c109c763ef4/original/vs-how-to-clock-configuration.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;">Objective</span>
</h4>
<p>Configure your Vector as a MASTER or SLAVE to an external device. <br> </p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;">Internal Clock / Sending to External Devices</span>
</h4>
<ul> <li>On the GLOBAL page use E4 to edit the SYNC setting to reflect your chosen clock source.</li> <li>Select INT (which means INTERNAL).</li> <li>The Vector wil clock itself and allow you to output the CLOCK to an external device via: <ul> <li>RUN and RESET CV </li> <li>TRS MIDI </li> <li>USB A or USB B </li> <li>JE MIDI </li> <li>JE Trigger Outs </li> </ul> </li> <li>Go to GLOBAL, hit NEXT twice to get to ROUTE and use E9 to progress to RUN, CLOCK, RESET 4/10</li> <li>Adjust your clock rate using E2, as well as your chosen reset increment.</li> <li>Remember to configure any settings on your external CLOCK destination device.</li> <li>Note: REC THRU mode does not work with any other clock setting. It requires an INTERNAL clock to be running. <br> </li>
</ul>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/0b715e5b8d1c2772accc92544e33e9570fad3eb8/original/58a5e34b-8f3d-4c4f-ab73-ac28cc4a1283.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;">External Clock / Receiving from External Device</span>
</h4>
<ul> <li>Any Clock setting other than INTERNAL requires an external clock source to be connected via USB, MIDI or CV. </li> <li>You can select an external clock source on the GLOBAL page using E4</li> <li>If you do not have a source connected, and you press RUN, then nothing will happen. </li> <li>The Vector will receive clock signals via your chosen input. </li> <li>If you go the ROUTE - RUN, CLOCK, RESET 4/10 page, RUN and CLOCK will be greyed out as they apply to INTERNAL clock only. </li> <li>You will still be able to configure a RESET variable using E3.</li>
</ul>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">Enable MIDI SYNC OUTPUT</span></h4>
<ul> <li>Click Global once</li> <li>Use E9 to dial to MIDI SYNC OUT 2/5</li> <li>Use E1 to E5 to turn MIDI Sync ON or OFF for your target output<br> </li>
</ul>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/acbf24820e6655e3947601357e310b478c97642c/original/6e075e5f-caad-428f-9305-46f9e268f806.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/63127002020-05-12T10:34:58+10:002020-05-31T10:50:51+10:00Five12 Vector Sequencer - Chord Parts and Quantisation<hr><h3>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong>Chord Parts and Quantisation</strong></span></span>
</h3>
<p><a contents="Return to Links to All Articles" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles"><em>Return to Links to All Articles</em></a><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/ae0c4a8b1eaacc8d3b2eaa4e6b5ee723a64b8187/original/vs-how-to-chord-parts-and-quantisation.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">Setting your Key and Scale</span></h4>
<p>When you create a Chord PART and assign a Key and Scale, quantisation of chords will respect the key you define for a PART. You define the key by hitting CONTROL twice. On the SEQ CTL-2 screen select your KEY and SCALE types. I will use C Major for this explanation. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">Intervals (bass plus one) </span></h4>
<p>When dialing a numeric interval you can select intervals 1 through to 12, where 12 is the octave of the root note. Given that there are 7 notes in a C Major scale (being 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11) we need to understand how the Vector chooses which note to play if you dial in a number that is not part of the chosen scale. Put simply, if I dial a 1, 3, 6, 8 or 10, what happens? Fortunateley, it is pretty simple. </p>
<p>If I select C/1 (meaning a C bass note with an additional interval of 1, being a Db) the Vector will actually output a D instead of a Db, because D is the diatonically relevant note, not Db. Even though it says C/1 on the screen, the Vector is sending C/2 because that C/1 is not true to the scale defined on SEQ CTL-2 screen. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">An example in C Major</span></h4>
<p>The below list explains how quantisation modifies notes within the key of C Major. It is worth noting that in C Major all out of key intervals resolve upwards to the next in key pitch. However, this will not always be the case and you should take care to ensure you have created the chord structure you want to hear. The best way to ensure this is to select the correct interval number which relates directly to the note you wish to hear within the chord note collection output by the Vector. </p>
<table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:500px;">
<thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Bass Note/ Interval</th> <th scope="col">Unquantised Notes</th> <th scope="col">Key Status</th> <th scope="col">Unquantised Interval</th> <th scope="col">Quantised Notes</th> <th scope="col">Quantised Interval</th> </tr>
</thead>
<tbody> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">C/0</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">C</td> <td style="text-align: center;">Yes</td> <td style="text-align: center;">Unison</td> <td style="text-align: center;">C</td> <td style="text-align: center;">Tonic</td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">C/1</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">C/Db</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>No</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">m2</td> <td style="text-align: center;">C/D</td> <td style="text-align: center;">M2</td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">C/2</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">C/D</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>Yes</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">M2</td> <td style="text-align: center;">C/D</td> <td style="text-align: center;">M2</td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">C/3</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">C/Eb</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>No</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">m3</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>C/E</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">m3</td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">C/4</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">C/E</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>Yes</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">M3</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>C/E</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">M3</td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">C/5</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">C/F</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>Yes</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">P4</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>C/F</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>P4</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">C/6</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">C/Gb</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>No</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">Tony Iommi</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>C/G</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>P5</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">C/7</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">C/G</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>Yes</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">P5</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>C/G</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>P5</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">C/8</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">C/Ab</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>No</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">m6</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>C/A</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>M6</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">C/9</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">C/A</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>Yes</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">M6</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>C/A</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>M6</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">C/10</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">C/Bb</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>No</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">m7</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>C/B</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>M7</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">C/11</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">C/B</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>Yes</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">M7</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>C/B</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>M7</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">C/12</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">C/C^</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>Yes</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">Octave</td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <p>C/C^</p> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">Octave</td> </tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">You must remember this...</span></h4>
<ul> <li>If you do not select a key, no quantisation occurs, and the note will play as specified. </li> <li>If you do configure a Key and Scale for a part, then the Vector will only send notes that are quantised within that key. </li> <li>If you choose a number that is not part of the configured scale, the Vector rounds the interval to the next note that is in the scale. </li> <li>You have 4 octaves in which to place your additional intervals. </li> <li>Note quantisation is part of the Vector code and may behave differently to the way you expect - so test it and see for yourself <br> </li>
</ul>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">Custom Chord Mode (Bass note plus up to three relative intervals)</span></h4>
<p>In Custom Chord mode you have a bass note plus 3 definable intervals. So, your harmonic structure become C/x/y/z. Numeric intervals x,y,z perform identically to the diatonic interval example. So, each numeric interval will quantise to the nearest interval if you dial a number that is not part of the defined key. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">How do Modulation Sub Sequences affect quantisation? </span></h4>
<p>I am not completely clear on how this works however modulation occurs prior to quantisation. So your source PRESET pitch will have any modulation variables added, and THEN quantisation will occur at the end of the chain. </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/63126902020-05-12T10:23:53+10:002020-05-31T10:51:15+10:00Five12 Vector Sequencer - Polyrhythms<hr><h3>
<br><strong><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">Polyrhythms </span></span></strong>
</h3>
<p><a contents="Return to Links to All Articles" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles"><em>Return to Links to All Articles</em></a></p>
<p><em><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/afa97bcaec887fb18bd104316936907f197c0739/original/vs-how-to-polyrhythms.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></em></p>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">Getting Started</span></h4>
<p>The below instructions lead you through setting up 2 PARTS and work through how to vary them to create polyrhythms. </p>
<ul> <li>Set up two PARTS to trigger one percussion voice each. </li> <li>Make sure they are short notes so you can hear the spaces between everything. </li> <li>Configure PRESETS in the two PARTS as follows: <ul> <li>Configure PART 1 as eight notes with hit one per step, and a LEN of 4. </li> <li>Configure PART 2 as eight notes with hit one per step, and a LEN of 8. </li> </ul> </li> <li>Go to PART 1 and make sure MODE is MDV and dial RATE to 1/4 (default is 1/16th) </li> <li>Go to PART 2 and scroll MODE all the way to the right until you reach /1 and leave RATE as 1 </li> <li>Hit RUN and you should hear sounds for each PART simultaneously. </li>
</ul>
<p>If you have followed the above instructions correctly, then you have created two parts that achieve the same output as a basis to create a polyrhythm. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">What are we hearing? </span></h4>
<ul> <li>In PART 1 which is set to MDV 1/4, each pulse (a single BPM count) is heard as a quarter note, so four notes make up one beat. </li> <li>In PART 2 each sound you hear is 1 step fraction of 1 pulse (where pulse is a BPM increment). So, 1 step/1 pulse </li>
</ul>
<p>The point of the above was to show two different ways to configure the same thing and how they relate </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">Evolving what we have built </span></h4>
<ul> <li>We have created a 1/1 fraction for PART TWO </li> <li>The points of interest here right now are RESET, RATE and MODE. <ul> <li>RESET is the beat count at which a RESET to STEP 1 will occur (assuming your START is 1) </li> <li>RATE is step quantity you are using, and is the below the line variable in your fraction (eg RATE is Y in a fraction that looks like X/Y). </li> <li>MODE is the number after the slash (eg MODE is X in the X/Y fraction). </li> <li>So you have X/Y, MODE/RATE, 1/1 </li> </ul> </li> <li>Let's double time it by changing Y to 2 so change MODE to /2. Now you are hearing MODE 2 over RATE 1 so 2/1 </li> <li>Now change RATE to 2 and what you are hearing is 2/2 and it is back in sync with the PART ONE trigger again. </li> <li>You are hearing 2 notes played as equal halves of 2 pulses, so that would be 1 hit per pulse, sounding identical to 1/1. </li> <li> </li>
</ul>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">And now... A polyrhthym </span></h4>
<ul> <li>Change MODE to /3 and keep RATE at 2 </li> <li>You should now be hearing notes that are divisioins of two pulses into three equal steps </li> <li>So, you are hearing 3 steps over 2 pulses where MODE is /3, Rate is 2 and X/Y is 3/2 </li>
</ul>
<p>Armed with these basics (and preferably your significant feline), you are ready to experiment with the RATE, MODE and RESET variables. Don't forget about PART 1 though - have a play with the MDV settings there, as well as change it to fractional rates, just to get a feel for how it all works. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><h4> </h4>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">Using RESET correctly </span></h4>
<p>If you are doing this and the pulse is not occuring as you would predict it could be due to the RESET variable. It can mess up your polyrhtym, but at times will do it in very musical ways. The best way to avoid RESET screwing you over is make sure the RESET value is the same as your RATE value. You could set it as ANYTHING else but unless it is a factor of your RATE value you will get occasional RESET commands executed which are in less predictable places and will create a cool kind of offset for your rhythm. It can be used in a very musical way if you get it right. </p>
<p> </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/60501892020-01-01T16:51:11+11:002020-05-24T16:22:37+10:00Five12 Vector Sequencer - Interesting Things to Do<hr><h4>
<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#c0392b;">The below items are atopics that have not yet been separated into individual articles. </span></span>
</h4>
<h4><span class="font_large"><a contents="See the full index of articles HERE." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles"><span style="color:#c0392b;">See the full index of articles </span><span style="color:#2980b9;">HERE.</span></a></span></h4>
<h4>
<span class="font_large"><span style="color:#c0392b;">This page will be obsolete once all items are converted to individual articles. </span></span><br> </h4>
<hr><p><strong><span style="color:#c0392b;"><em><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/e25e6295d91e78ab990a6de35db8e0a56978ef2a/original/fun12.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></em></span></strong></p>
<h3><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large"><strong>Run</strong></span></span></h3>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_regular">Shorthand</span></span></h4>
<ul> <li>
<strong>E1 to E9</strong> designates ENCODER 1 through 9. Encoders 1 to 8 are below the OLEDs, and encoder 9 is to the left of the screens. </li> <li>
<strong>JE</strong> - Jack Expander</li> <li>
<strong>CV Set</strong> - refers to a Pitch, Gate and Velocity set (3 jacks) on the Vector or the Jack Expander module. There are 6 CV sets in total.</li>
</ul>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">The Five12 Official Forum</span></h4>
<ul> <li>Go <a contents="here " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://Go%20to%20the%20Five12%20official%20forum%20and%20find%20the%20firmware%20there." target="_blank">here </a>and create an account. </li> <li>The forum is the best place to log Feature and Support Requests. </li>
</ul>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_regular">Latest Firmware and Manual</span></span></h4>
<ul> <li>Go to the <a contents="Five12 official forum" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://forum.five12.net/" style="" target="_blank">Five12 official forum</a> and find the firmware there. </li> <li>Jim keeps this page up to date with the current release firmware and Vector manual</li>
</ul>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_regular">Logging Feature Requests</span></span></h4>
<ul> <li>This is done by joining the Five12 forum and logging a request <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://forum.five12.net/forum/eurorack-hardware/vector-sequencer-feature-requests" style="" target="_blank">here</a>
</li>
</ul>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_regular">Five12 Vector Sequencer Users Group (Facebook)</span></span></h4>
<ul> <li>The Facebook Users Group is <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/309144360022945/about/">here</a>
</li> <li>I try to verify and accept users on a daily basis<br> </li>
</ul>
<hr><h3>
<br><strong><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large">Chord Parts</span></span></strong>
</h3>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong>Setting up a Chord Part</strong></span></h4>
<p>Text</p>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">Chord Types</span></h4>
<ul> <li>Unison</li> <li>Interval</li> <li>Pre-configured Chords</li> <li>Custom Chords</li>
</ul>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">How do Rests work between Chord Steps?</span></h4>
<p>Text</p>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">Custom Chord Quick Configuration </span></h4>
<ul> <li>You must have already created a PART as TYPE CHORD. </li> <li>Go to the PITCH page or a PRESET in your CHORD PART.</li> <li>Use E9 to select either the base note (left side) or the offset interval (right side). </li> <li>Use E1-8 to select the offset interval, or keep dialing to select a pre-configured chord type (eg. C minor). </li> <li>Change the chord type for the selected step to be a CUSTOM CHORD by pressing EDIT and the specific E1-8 encoder. </li> <li>The Vector will change the chord on that step to be a CUSTOM CHORD</li> <li>The Vector will fill in the offset intervals to be the notes in the pre-configured C minor chord. </li> <li>You may then change each interval individually within the CUSTOM CHORD</li>
</ul>
<hr><h3>
<br><span style="color:#2980b9;"><strong><span class="font_large">Step Timing Options</span></strong></span>
</h3>
<h4>This is a biiiiig topic for the Vector so I will chip away at it as logically as possible. </h4>
<h4><span style="color:#2980b9;">SEQ CTL Page</span></h4>
<ul> <li>Most of what you need is in the SEQ CTL page.</li> <li>Select the PART you want then press CONTROL once to get to SEQ CTL.</li> <li>START refers to the step at which a PRESET (when active) will begin. Your PRESET will usually start on step one. But there is no reason it has to.</li> <li>LEN is the length of your PRESET in step quantity. If it exceeds the configured steps of your preset you will get silence. </li> <li>DIR is direction. Pretty obvious. See the manual. </li> <li>RESET is the count of beats at which the PRESET will be forced back to the START step (usually one, but maybe not).</li> <li>RATE is the division of a step timing based on the MODE type. Most of the time you will probably work with Musical Divisions in whole notes, quarters etc.</li> <li>MODE is where you set the way in which each step duration is calculated. There are many interesting options here - see the manual. I will go into more detail for the ones I really like below. </li> <li>OCT is your pitched note octave. Default is ZERO. Changing this will add or subtract an octave to/from any active pitched note.</li> <li>TRANS is transposition. You use it to pitch shift per semi tone. EG TRANS 3 is 3 semitones or a minor third. <br> </li>
</ul>
<hr><h3> </h3>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/60403072019-12-24T01:31:49+11:002020-10-21T10:34:15+11:00Elby Studio Tree - Eurorack Case Solution<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Run</strong></span></p>
<p>About 18 months ago I bought a Make Noise 0-Coast synthesizer. Fast forward to today and I have filled out a pretty healthy 504hp of modules hosted within a 12u by 126hp case. Does this seem like a familiar story affecting <em>you </em>or <em>someone you love? </em>When I began this journey I thought of cases as an unexciting utility purchased solely to house modules. Today I know that not all cases are created equally and that it is possible to spend a lot of time, money and <em>emotional energy </em>trying to solve noise and power issues if you don’t make smart purchases from the very beginning. </p>
<p>The great thing about modular technology is that there are many choices at different price points for hardware, and cases are no exception. Even though none are necessarily cheap there are lower cost options to help *<em>new addicts* </em>get into Eurorack and make music (alleged) straight away. The Elby Studio Tree definitely sits at the higher end of the scale as far as price, quality, user experience, vendor support and aesthetic are concerned. The intention of this article is to explain Elby cases and to help you decide whether or not they are right for you. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/afb26e9086f45efc76a4cfbebb417226b3b38994/original/6d7593a6-5ae5-41bd-b259-be062f66d8aa.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpeg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>My Requirements </strong></span></p>
<p>My requirements are not unique, but I will make them clear: </p>
<p><strong>Essential </strong></p>
<ul> <li>Around 504hp of space. </li> <li>Ergonomics are key for me due to neck and shoulder pain issues. </li> <li>Power supply to modules must include headroom for all scoped modules to operate as expected and not sweat. </li> <li>Quality of power feed must be high so that no additional noise or interference issues are created.</li> <li>Aesthetics are definitely important. I want the case to look like fantastic.</li> <li>Shielded headers. Any case that doesn’t provide these should be put out the front of your house for hard waste collection. </li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Desirable </strong></p>
<ul> <li>Ability to scale beyond 504hp, if required. <em> Please. God. No. </em>
</li> <li>126hp format due to width and ergonomics. </li> <li>Ability to separate enclosures for some amount of portability. </li>
</ul>
<p><strong>You didn't mention price</strong></p>
<p><em>Price </em>is of course a factor, but I had been through three previous case iterations and knew I would need to spend money to get what I wanted. I also knew that if a solution could meet my requirements then the price would be underpinned by <em>tangible value. </em></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>What is a Studio Tree? </strong></span></p>
<p>The Studio Tree is a member of the Elby Studio System family. The Studio System family also includes the Studio 500 and Studio 700 eurorack enclosures. Elby refer to the enclosures as <em>boats</em>, and up to three boats (or enclosures) may be mounted within a single Studio Tree. Please keep in mind that I am going to use the terms <em>boat </em>and <em>enclosure </em>interchangeably for the rest of this article. The Studio 500 and 700 boats are the fundamental elements of the Studio System. The Studio Tree exists to host the boats in a comfortable to play format. You can find more information about the Studio System on the <a contents="Elby website" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.elby-designs.com/contents/en-us/d62_Studio_System.html" target="_blank">Elby website</a>. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/30ba97d3ef1979d39a41b98b9894ac575a7792e8/original/a5768897-ddec-427c-bc0d-fafbcce9b115.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpeg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Do you need a full Studio Tree solution?</strong></span></p>
<p>Whether or not you need to go <em>full Studio Tree</em> depends on how you want to access your modules. There are four main ways you can take advantage of the Elby eurorack products. </p>
<ol> <li>
<strong>Boats Only.</strong> You could buy the boats on their own as enclosures (with rails and power) and install them within your studio environment in any way you see fit. If you have the skills you could build your own rack frame and ignore the Studio Tree design. </li> <li>
<strong>Boats and End Cheeks.</strong> You could buy the boats with the optional end cheeks which provide a nice angle for use and protect your desk from scratches. Your boats will look great and be easily portable. </li> <li>
<strong>Studio Master. </strong>You could buy your boats within a Studio Master system which, unlike the Studio Tree, is a static framework that is less easily separated for mobile use. The Studio Master is designed to host up to three Elby boats and is an older design released prior to the Studio Tree.</li> <li>
<strong>Studio Tree. </strong>The Studio Tree will host up to three enclosures, where one unit is placed on the desktop and one (or two) are mounted in an upright position. The Studio Tree allows easy separation and portability of your desktop enclosure. </li>
</ol>
<p>If you look back up at my requirements list you will see why I gravitated to the fourth option above. Additionally, I don’t have the DIY capability to build a frame myself. At least, not one that looks remotely attractive. If you have the skills then you could go for option one and spend a weekend making something perfect for your studio. </p>
<p>If the above is confusing then you can find all the diagrams and part identifiers <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.elby-designs.com/contents/en-us/d62_Studio_System.html" target="_blank">here</a></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Elby Elby Elby </strong></span></p>
<p>The Studio System range of products by Elby are designed to work together as a preference. That is not to say that you could not buy some Elby power boards and use them in another case, or that you could not buy a segmented enclosure and fit your own power. But that is not really the use case that Elby had in mind when designing the Studio Tree and boats. <br> </p>
<p>The design and layout is definitely focussed on the Elby product set. This approach makes it as easy as possible for the end user to assemble and make changes to their Elby setup as they add to and evolve their solution. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/7d908fdcf2ef1e8d1844938ad3f4c6614eae461d/original/211486ed-6fd5-4abb-951a-6659018fb250.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Solution Components </strong></span></p>
<p>Each Studio Tree order can be heavily customised to user requirements, but will have similar elements to the below. I am going to explain each element so you can get a sense of what you need to think about when designing your solution. </p>
<ul> <li>
<strong>Boats </strong>are the steel enclosures which host rails, power board/s and switching. I purchased Studio 500 (desktop) and a Studio 700 (vertical) boats. Each boat comes pre-assembled from segments (20 or 42hp) which are described below. </li> <li>
<strong>Rails </strong>are 10mm deep so knurlies are not an option. Elby do sell a variant of the knurlie but I have stuck with standard M3 10mm screws and washers. </li> <li>
<strong>Cheeks </strong>are attached to the boat end pieces and provide a bit of protection as well as an improved aesthetic. They are an arctic white colour and feel quite nice to touch. </li> <li>
<strong>The Studio Tree</strong> framework which hosts multiple boats (with cheeks applied) and allows them to be presented in an ergonomically pleasing format. A Studio Tree may host up to three boats but mine holds two. </li> <li>
<strong>ED705 power board </strong>- provides +12v @1.2A and -12V@1A and hosts 12 shielded headers. I purchased two per boat. </li> <li>
<strong>ED704 power board </strong>- provides no additional power (feeds from your ED705) but present an additional 12 shielded headers. I purchased one per boat. </li> <li>
<strong>5v Adapter </strong>for connecting any 5v modules to an ED705 or ED704 shielded header. I bought one just in case. </li> <li>
<strong>0V Connector Cable</strong> - provides a single 0V reference. This means, for example, that a 1V output from boat A will be interpreted correctly by boat B. Without this capability additional noise or hum can be introduced to your audio signal. </li> <li>
<strong>Power Supply </strong>- I went with Laurie’s recommendation for dual 4.5A power adapters that plug into the wall and present a screw on attachment to each boat. The power supply feeds directly to an ED705 which may then connect to an ED704. </li>
</ul>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/bd40c7838d235abac238bbaa76ed96cad8b09a90/original/60220dad-7b12-40be-b5f9-56f64734129c.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpeg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><strong>Power switch module</strong></p>
<p>Elby also provides a 4HP module which acts as a plug in point for a power adapter and also provides and ON and OFF switch for your rack. You would need one per boat, or one for multiple boats if a single adapter supplies power to more than one enclosure. I elected not to consume precious hp in this manner and use my power point on and off instead. </p>
<p><strong>Segments </strong></p>
<p>Boats are constructed by combining enclosure segments which may be 42hp or 20hp wide. Common boat widths are 42, 84, 104, 126 or 168hp (being the maximum that Elby support). Other sizes are possible.</p>
<p><strong>Scalability</strong> </p>
<p>The interesting thing about Elby cases is that many components do not change based on enclosure width. These include the side panels, cheeks and most of the Studio Tree components. Parts that do change are the rails (although they do come in different lengths) and brace structure (reinforces the lower legs of the Tree) which are built to match the width of the boat. This means that if you do expand your solution most of your investment will be reusable and may be taken apart and reassembled by a user competent with basic DIY skills (no soldering!). </p>
<p><strong>End Cheeks </strong></p>
<p>The arctic white end cheeks are a necessary part of the Studio Tree and allow the Studio Tree framework to be slotted and screwed into place. The current end cheek design includes a pre made slot to allow a lid to be attached. For vertically mounted Studio Tree boats the slot is also used to attach the bird head shaped support frame.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/d5824f9e49c2a321b30418f45fd31949c90e92b6/original/88ac136c-aca9-4d88-b920-73b135c64093.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpeg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Assembly </strong></span></p>
<p>Laurie will assemble most (and test all) components prior to shipping if that is what you want. All you need to do is attach the Studio Tree side pieces to finish the job. It took me about 10 minutes to assemble the boats, cheek fixtures and Studio Tree framework. Studio Systems can also be provided in flat pack format which enables some savings on delivery charges, and assembly processes are all documented on the website. My power is connected via the rear of the boats and I elected not to use the 4hp power ON/OFF utility that Laurie usually provides. This means I turn my system on and off at the wall point. </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Expandability </strong></span></p>
<p>The fantastic thing about the solution I have purchased is that I have two possible options for expanding HP capacity, being vertically and horizontally. Currently I have 504hp in a 12u solution but using the parts I have today I could easily purchase enough additional components to morph my solution into an 18U x 168HP monster providing a mighty 1008hp. </p>
<p>If I do this please perform an aggresive intervention and remind me that food (other than 2 minute noodles) is essential for a happy life and good skin condition. But when I go ahead and do it anyway I will simply need to buy enough additional boat segments, rail capacity, power board and power supply materials to bring the behemoth to life. </p>
<p>Laurie tells me that a user who can follow instructions and manage a screwdriver could complete the expansion assembly themselves and that no soldering (even for the power boards) is required. From what I have seen of the system I see no reason to believe otherwise. </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Design and Aesthetics </strong></span></p>
<p>You can see the photos. In my mind the Studio Tree is <em>gorgeous retro futurism </em>(I just made that up on the spot, behold my genius and despair)<em>.</em> The white Studio Tree sides and large black thumb screws look very <em>classic Sci Fi</em> to me. Conversely, the black metal (not the corpse paint type of black metal) and minimally presented boats have a very futuristic, clean look. Somehow it works well together with a <em>Tom Baker era Doctor Who</em> vibe.</p>
<p>My case was supplied with a prototype for a brace which provides additional support to the Studio Tree. This is something Laurie had been planning and the timing of my order meant I got the first swing at the design change. The brace is designed to match the boat width and screws handily between the tree legs to keep them perfectly placed. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/32965dd9b0354c2a256fa2cd6320e11cbd6c9c33/original/17c3e740-b328-49c2-b6a8-21fe76a6e501.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpeg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><strong><span class="font_large">Service and Support </span></strong></p>
<p>Laurie is extremely contactable and even spoke to me on the phone on the weekend a few times about his product prior to my commitment to purchase. Since then I have asked a bunch of questions (mostly in relation to this review) and his responsiveness has been incredibly consistent. Laurie clearly has a passion for what he does behind simply selling you a product and getting on with his day. He believes in what he builds and wants YOU to believe in it too. </p>
<p>I am not an engineer and have no electronics or soldering skills so some of the conversation around power spec and so on would have been hard for me if Laurie had not been so proactive in explaining the options and helping me decide what I need. The website can be a little overwhelming as there are so many options to build your solution. Fortunately Laurie is very good at explaining his product so that is less of an issue than it would be otherwise. So if things are confusing email Laurie. You can also ask me and I will do my best to answer based on my experience but certainly am not an authority on power requirements or consumption. </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Portability</strong></span></p>
<p>The photo directly below shows my rig dismantled for transport to a Melbourne Modular Theme Time (MMTT) afternoon hosted by Age Rachele at the Wick Studio in Brunswick. Five people who had never played before, and barely met, performed a few hours of modular inspiration and it sounded pretty damn good! I learned a lot. You can check out this really innovative concept <strong><a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://mtts.bandcamp.com/" style="" target="_blank">here</a></strong>. </p>
<p>Dismantling and rebuilding the Studio Tree is not hard but does require care while doing so. Elby also make case lids which you can purchase to fit the Studio 500 and 700 boat configurations. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/d236599260d525c93c6eacae5f3592bd7b6a915c/original/a755da8c-77a4-4559-b1a6-728d3ad69449.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpeg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Conclusion </strong></span></p>
<p>Clearly I am a fan of the Elby Studio Tree solution. I love the complete nature of the solution and the scalability it offers into the future. My eurorack is also notably quieter than it has been in any other configuration with my Make Noise Morphagene being a key module where the noise floor has been greatly reduced (to almost nothing). If you scroll back up to my requirements list, you will see the Studio Tree ticks all the boxes. </p>
<p>If the price was more of a concern I might have looked at other options but from what I can see I would have had to compromise my requirements, especially around scalability and potentially also ergonomics, to do so. I outlined at the start, this purchase was made with the intention to buy something that will last me many years of use. </p>
<p>I have no reason to think the Studio Tree wont <i>take root </i>and be with me for many years. It really does <i>float my boat</i>. I waited the entire article to use those puns. <em>Please don't hate me. </em>Look - a gorgeous ginger cat!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/e27aff04fae4b9f1730edf0c9514ad65c58432d0/original/c7e61c58-b153-474b-b3e3-018b02e8f893.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpeg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<hr><p><span class="font_regular"><strong>Pros</strong></span></p>
<ul> <li>Massively configurable and easily expandable once you buy into the system. </li> <li>Looks fantastic up close and feels nice to touch.</li> <li>Offers some portability and even a lid option if you move your case around regularly.</li> <li>Power is very well resourced and I have noticed my rig is quieter and seems to sound better with the Elby solution.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Cons</strong></p>
<ul> <li>Quality like this comes at a price some will find too high to entertain but those who do will not be disappointed.</li> <li>It is not as easily moved as some other options however none of those are as expandable or ergonomic.</li> <li>If you want to buy the enclosures and mount your own power it wont be as easy as some other solutions. But why would you?</li>
</ul>
<hr><p><em>I purchased this solution myself and decided to write an article about it of my own free will, your honour. </em></p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/59373132019-11-01T12:52:32+11:002021-07-06T13:33:35+10:00Five12 Vector Sequencer and Jack Expander - Review<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Run</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">The Five12 brand is already known to many Mac users through the Numerology sequencing application. Jim Coker is the man behind the brand and he has achieved a solid reputation for support and innovation. The development of </span>Numerology<span class="font_regular"> can be seen as the foundation for the Vector Sequencer and Jack Expander which mark the company's first releases within the Eurorack market. </span></p>
<p>If you want to take advantage of the immediacy and sound control of Eurorack, maintain a high level of control over composition and also integrate your fixed architecture hardware and DAW, then the Vector may be the right choice for you. <br><br>I have compiled a number of <a contents="HOW TO" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles">HOW TO</a> documents covering features and capabilities of the Vector Sequencer. You can see the complete list of available items <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://steveturner.com.au/blog/blog/five12-vector-sequencer-links-to-all-articles">here</a>. These explore many of the features mentioned within this high level review. <br> </p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/070e19a393e78cf04bb1b650266e7499a4b4a2a0/original/v6.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></span></p>
<hr><p><span class="font_large"><strong>INs and OUTs </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">The Vector hardware set, which are purchased separately, includes the Vector sequencer and Jack Expander. Both provide a high level of flexibility regarding INs and OUTs. Bracketed numbers below detail the jack quantity for the listed connector type. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong>The Vector Sequencer</strong></span></p>
<ul> <li><span class="font_regular">USB - Host: control device like a Computer DAW or iOS device (1) </span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">USB - Device. Take input from a USB MIDI control device or send MIDI information to an external MIDI keyboard. (1) </span></li> <li>Run In / Out (1) send or receive. </li> <li><span class="font_regular">Clock In / Out (1) send or receive. </span></li> <li>Reset In / Out (1) send or receive. </li> <li>Mod 1 and Mod 2 inputs (2) 0 to 5V mapping for external modulation sources. </li> <li><span class="font_regular">Pitch, Gate, Velocity (Outs) for Part 1 and 2 (2 sets x 3 jacks = 6 total) </span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">MIDI Input and Output (2) 3.5mm jacks and adapters. </span></li>
</ul>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong>The Jack Expander</strong></span></p>
<ul> <li><span class="font_regular">Pitch, Gate, Velocity (Outs) for Part 3 through 6 (4 sets x 3 jacks = 12) </span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">Trigger Outs (8) </span></li> <li>MIDI <span class="font_regular">IN (1) 5 pin </span>
</li> <li>MIDI <span class="font_regular">OUT (1) 5 pin </span>
</li> <li>MIDI <span class="font_regular">SYNC IN (1) 5 pin </span>
</li> <li>MIDI <span class="font_regular">SYNC Out (1) 5 pin </span>
</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/0eac599bbcaff6c7d92189ddbc273d602153a316/original/v3.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><br><b>MIDI over TRS</b></p>
<p>Vector 3.5mm TRS MIDI IN and OUT jacks are Type B and present as listed below. This means that if you were pairing it with another Type B device, you can just use a standard 3.5 mm TRS cable to connect the two together.</p>
<ul> <li>Tip = MIDI DIN pin 4 </li> <li>Ring = MIDI DIN pin 5 </li> <li>Sleeve = MIDI DIN pin 2 (shield)</li>
</ul>
<hr><p><span class="font_large"><strong>Module Connectivity </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">The Jack Expander connects to the Vector via a pair of rear connected ribbon cables. The expansion cables are just long enough to place the Expander even with the left edge of the Vector in the rack above the master module. A little more give on the connecting cable would have been nice (maybe 3 to 5cm extra), but it reaches adequately. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Something I didn’t notice initially was that a single pin on each cable has been intentionally removed. The purpose of this is to make it far less likely that you will connect the ribbon cables the wrong way around. This frightened my initially because I thought I had damaged the cable myself!</span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">The Jack Expander is powered by the Vector, thus both devices require only one power header within your case. </span>You don’t need the Jack Expander to get going because the Vector has outputs of all kinds on board. However, if you have a higher quantity of modules, it is good to have the full range offered by the paired devices. This is especially the case if you want to use the new Drum and Custom Chord Voices, which are a recent addition to the Vector. <span class="font_regular"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/817b424115aeb74aa4dfbfe3521b7c8b7c69af21/original/v8.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></span></p>
<hr><p><strong><span class="font_large">The User Interface</span></strong></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">A lot of thought has been put into the User Interface of the Vector and it shows sensitivity to how the user will want to achieve musical objectives. Jim plays live using the Vector and this experience, as well as feedback from the growing user community, has helped refine workflow and features. The dual OLED screens are clear, and even with my aging eye sight, I can usually tell what is going on. </span></p>
<p>It would take a few thousand more words to explain how the UI works in detail so I will leave that to the manual and your own investigation. As the user community has increased and more feedback has been provided, Jim has been busy implementing changes to improve on an already solid start. <br><span class="font_regular"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/5b1c9b17225e415003e48f07b616322b4efa4967/original/named.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></span>It is a simple process to name your PARTS (explained below) and I chose to name them after the devices I most often connect to the sequencer. In the above photograph, I have named six parts for Eurorack modules. The final two are MIDI connected synthesizers. </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Screens, Dials, Buttons</strong></span></p>
<p>When creating or modifying a sequence, the screens will show each step in a row of eight (four per screen horizontally). Eight continuous encoders sit underneath the screens and are used to control whichever option is referenced on the screen. A ninth encoder, located to the left of the OLED screens, is used for global and other special functions. Scrolling through sequence steps in increments of 8 is achieved by pressing the Previous and Next keys. </p>
<p>Thirteen white and grey buttons (directly under the encoders) provide a chromatic keyboard from C to C. The button keys are fine for programming sequences, but you aren't going to rock out any Stevie Wonder grooves. Another five buttons allow access to various menu items and all labeling is clear. The appearance of the unit is extremely well-finished and build quality is solid. You are going to find yourself dialing the encoders a fair bit, so remember that hitting SHIFT and dialing will often speed up the process and save wear on the buttons. </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Learning the Interface </strong></span></p>
<p>Getting a sequence keyed in and messing with it on the fly is really easy. However, to learn how to assign chord voices, set up external modulation, assign chance operators (and so on), you are going to want to read the manual and practice the workflows. There IS a learning curve, but it is a FUN learning curve and wont stop you from generating sequences almost immediately. </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>The Top Row</strong></span></p>
<p>The most often used configuration options are accessed via the top row of buttons. Most of the buttons provide multiple functions which increment with each press. </p>
<ul> <li>
<em>RUN: </em>(1)<em> </em>Take a guess what this does. (2) A second press does the opposite of what you guessed for the first press. </li> <li>
<em>RECORD: </em>(1) Enter sequence notes step by step. You can enter notes via the on board keys or an external device. No second function. </li> <li>
<em>PITCH: </em>(1) Step based representation of the notes in your sequence. (2) Glide configuration per note. </li> <li>
<em>GATE/GROOVE:</em> (1) Step based gates per note. (2) Groove offset per note. </li> <li>
<em>VELOCITY:</em> (1) Velocity per note. (2 - 4) MIDI CC Options per step for CC1, CC2, CC3</li> <li>
<em>STEP LEN: </em>(1) Allows some very neat multipliers of dividers per step from positive 1 to 4 and divisions down to 1/8th. This is super powerful! (2) Repeat options per step. </li> <li>
<em>RATCHET: </em>(1) Enforce ratchets per step from 2 to 4 iterations. No second function.</li> <li>
<em>CHANCE: </em>(1) Chance Type per step. (2) Chance Probability and (3) Chance Bar. </li> <li>
<em>MODULATION: </em>(1,2,3,4) MOD Sub Sequence 1 and 2, as well as configuration pages. (5) MOD External CV IN configuration </li> <li>
<em>CONTROL:</em> (1) Sequence Control. No second function. </li> <li>
<em>PRESET/SCENE:</em> (1) Preset view and (2) Scene view</li>
</ul>
<hr><p><span class="font_large"><strong>Minimum Viable Process</strong></span></p>
<p>To get started, you <em>absolutely </em>need to learn the REC, PITCH, GATE and CONTROL pages accessed via named buttons from the top row. You will also need to learn ROUTING to connect PARTS to your devices.</p>
<p>Digging a little deeper will enable generative and probability based contols which trigger all kinds of interesting variables. You can also set the Vector up to respond to external modulation so it can receive signals from that Maths module people keep PMing you about. <em>Seriously, what is with that? </em></p>
<p>I find myself in the CONTROL screen a lot. This menu really helps take a simple sequence to a whole other level. I love getting a PRESET running and then messing with the Start and Length settings, as well as the direction and octave of the sequence. So easy, but so much fun!</p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Generate and Evolve</strong></span></p>
<p>If you are scared your cat is going to get bored of your repetitive melodies, and move down the road to spend more time with that nice jazz guitarist (who never seems to play the same thing twice), then the Vector may save your strained relationship. There is a generate function which enables the Vector to write music for you. You can set this function to a specific scale, rhythmic value, and style. Once you have a phrase you like, you can also evolve it with three levels of intensity. </p>
<p><i>But</i> <em>don't tell your cat! He (or she) might not need you any more after seeing how easy it is!</em></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>The Manual</strong></span></p>
<p>To explain all of the capabilities the Vector offers would be extremely time consuming. So if you are keen to know more, then check out the following resources:</p>
<p><a contents="Current Manual&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://45.56.118.96/VectorUserGuideV1.4.pdf?fbclid=IwAR39CgvuXBY28OqTOY0XZvb-Ry8edAKfia-lJah-AR2I_tAsL1uRWs_9194">Current Manual </a><br> </p>
<hr><p><strong><span class="font_large">Sequencing: Heirachy and Main Elements</span></strong></p>
<p>To operate the Vector efficiently you must remember this:</p>
<ul> <li><span class="font_regular">PROJECTS are a collection of PRESETS in a work space (song, live set, etc). </span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">8 PARTS are present within each PROJECT and are used to route sequences (PRESETS) to connected devices. </span></li> <li>
<span class="font_regular">PRESETS are sequences which are hosted within a part. </span><span class="font_regular">You can have up to 20 PRESETS in a part, depending upon how long they are.</span>
</li> <li><span class="font_regular">Two sub modulations can be applied per PRESET. </span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">SCENES allow you to arrange and switch between multiple PRESETS within a PART easily. </span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">PLAYLISTS allow you to arrange execution of PRESETS in a predetermined series (similar to a song mode).</span></li>
</ul>
<p>Summary: PRESET sequences are output through a PART (Pitch, Gate, Velocity, MIDI) to connected external devices. All your PRESETS, SCENES, PLAYLISTS, etc are saved within a PROJECT. Sub sequences may be applied to PRESETS. PROJECTS are saved to internal storage. </p>
<p>The Vector ships with an 8GB Micro SD card which is installed to the back of the module. Because you are saving only data and no audio, 8GB of storage should be plenty. <br> </p>
<p><b><i><span class="font_large">Projects</span> </i></b></p>
<p>PROJECTS are your complete workspace on the sequencer. When you save a project, you save everything that is currently configured in the running memory. It is easy to back your PROJECTS up via the USB to HOST mode.</p>
<p><span class="font_large"><em><strong>Parts </strong></em></span></p>
<ul> <li><span class="font_regular">A PART represents a possible connection to a target device; usually a eurorack module, fixed architecture synth, drum machine, etc. </span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">You can sequence eight connected devices simultaneously via the available PARTS (and more via Triggers which are described later).</span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">Each PART may be associated with CV (Pitch, Gate and Velocity) or MIDI Channel outputs (5 pin or USB).</span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">PART types include Mono, Chord (root and interval, preset chords and Custom Chords), and Drum voices (new in firmware 1.4).</span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">Chord and Drum types are available on parts 5 to 8, and you can have multiple instances of each type. </span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">PARTS which send multiple notes (like chords or drum types) are output via MIDI or multiple CV outs (1 set per voice).</span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">This means that you can play a Chord or Drum Part via one MIDI connected device, or multiple CV connected devices. </span></li>
</ul>
<p><em><span class="font_large"><strong>Presets </strong></span></em></p>
<ul> <li><span class="font_regular">PRESETS are sequenced arrangements which may be between 1 and 64 steps in length. </span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">PRESETS allow you to configure a broad range of capabilities, the most basic being gates, pitch, velocity, key and rhythmic operations.</span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">You may have multiple PRESETS per PART. They are designated as A01, A02, A03, etc. and you can switch between active PRESETS. </span></li>
</ul>
<p><em><span class="font_large"><strong>Sub Sequences </strong></span></em></p>
<p>Once you have a PRESET sequence written you can play with Sub Sequences. These are for CV routed PARTS only and allow you to define up to eight steps of conditional modulation. Eight steps doesn't sound like many, but keep in mind that you could have your Preset note division as 1/16th, and set your Sub Sequence rate at anywhere from 1/16th to 32 whole notes, which means that your Sub Sequence can have a long duration encompassing many sequence repeats.</p>
<p>Whatever you choose, the Sub Sequence will step through and apply modulation for settings including Transposition, Octave, Rate, Direction, and Start. When I started using the Vector, I kind of ignored the Sub Sequences, but now that I have my head around them, they are regularly used and musically relevant - and also simple and fun. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/8ae60962efa320e07abf78e64dd2ddeb7e7d6e37/original/sub-seq.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>You can have two Sub Sequences running simultaneously. For example, one might change an octave UP every 4 whole notes, and another may execute a transposition up a perfect 5th every 8 whole notes. Sub Sequences are cumulative which can get very interesting!</p>
<p><span class="font_large"><em><strong>Triggers </strong></em></span></p>
<p>Eight trigger outs are provided on the Jack Expander. The timing configuration of triggers is applied on a per output basis, via the eight main encoders. Triggers can also be used in sets of four to send signals for Drum or Custom Chord Parts within your Vector. More on that later. A common use might be to have a melody going then trigger a filter sweep every whole note. </p>
<p><em><span class="font_large"><strong>Chance Operators</strong></span></em></p>
<p>Anyone familiar with Chance Operators on other devices won't be disappointed by the Vector. Chance Operators include Mutes, Jumps (forces play to move to a step number X before or after the current step), Skip, Velocity changes, Gate status, Ratcheting, Pitch variation, and Jump to a specific step. Probability based pitch modification (to a chosen interval) is a lot of fun, and can take a short melodic sequence and make it far more lively.</p>
<p>Drum voices also have a few really nice Chance Operators specifically built for drum performance and include things like <em>MUTE on this step (with X% probability) voices 2 and 3 (but play 1 and 4 if notes are present)</em>. This is SUPER cool in practice and a great way of working around the fact that a Drum voice is four signals within a single Part. See the manual for more information. </p>
<p><em><span class="font_large"><strong>Scenes and Playlists </strong></span></em></p>
<ul> <li>You can switch PRESETS across multiple PARTS on the fly using the SCENES mode.</li> <li>Example: you might have various PRESETS configured that gradually introduce variations.</li> <li>You can use the SCENES mode to configure each arrangement of PRESETS, then switch between them with ease. </li> <li>You can use PLAYLISTS to link PRESETS and create very long sequences or song performances. </li>
</ul>
<hr><p><span class="font_large"><strong>Keys and Control </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">You may configure MIDI channel INs to route to each PART. This enables you to program sequenced notes from an external MIDI controller or play THRU to your connected device. You may also use the Vector keyboard to play connected devices or program sequences. You must have the clock source set as INTERNAL to play notes THRU the Vector or via the face mounted keys. I usually use the on-board keys to program step sequences and a connected Keystep if I want to use extended pitch ranges. The vector provides power to USB compliant devices. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">The only limitation to playing MIDI THRU the Vector to is that you must select the associated Part, go to REC mode and select the controller input (CV, MIDI, USB), and then assign it as THRU. This means it isn’t quite as simple as it may have been to switch targets on the fly.</span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>The Dashboard</strong></span></p>
<p>The dashboard provides the ability to make changes to multiple parts really easily by allowing you to button-press your way to an attribute (for example, sequence direction) and edit it for <i>multiple parts at once</i>. You can affect Direction, Start, Length, Reset, Rate, Mode, Octave, Transpose, Gate Scale, Velocity Scale, and Chance Scale from the same menu. This means you can fluidly make wide ranging and simultaneous changes to parts on the fly. </p>
<hr><p><span style="color:#f39c12;"><span class="font_large"><strong>New Features for the Vector in Firmware 1.4</strong></span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Drum Voices </strong></span></p>
<p>Drum and Chord PART types are new capabilities for the Vector which were included in firmware 1.4 that was released in November 2019.</p>
<p><em><strong>Enable a drum Voice</strong></em></p>
<p>To enable a Drum voice, choose one of your PARTS (must be between 5 and 8) and go to GLOBAL settings, dial to the PART and change it from Mono (or Chord) to become a Drum part. In the below photograph, I am using Part 8 which I previously named KORGX. I have routed the 4 voice outputs to send signals to my Jack Expander module (trigger outputs 5 to 8), and each are connected to CV inputs of my ALM SALMPLE. You may alternatively use the Vector Gate and Velocity OUTs instead of triggers if you want to control volume as well as gates.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/c1d119e052fd11b5a18ce0934159a658c0e4d6fa/original/f12f78b9-36bd-45b4-a44f-0c02b76a0a84.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><em><strong>Routing Drums</strong></em></p>
<p>Routing is achieved by going to the PART routing page and selecting (in this instance) D8.1, D8.2, D8.3 and D8.4 against the output you want to employ. “D” stands for drum voice, “8” is my chosen drum Part and dot one through four are the drum voices. In this build I observed that dialing too fast can confuse the Vector, but I found dialing slowly or using SHIFT and dial to jump increments was flawless. This also works for MIDI connected drum machines.</p>
<p><em><strong>Entering Drum Hits</strong></em></p>
<p>Each preset step is drawn with four horizontal underscores, which represent the individual drum voices available per step. The maximum number of drum voices per Part is four, but you can easily create more than one Drum part. The heavier horizontal line under voice one in the above photo is the 'cursor' and you can move that left to right using Encoder 9 to select the voice you want to edit. </p>
<p>Pressing the Step Encoder (1 to 8) or the associated white key (1 to 8) will enable or disable a drum hit for the cursor selected voice. You can then use the Step encoders to dial velocity levels if you are using Gate/Velocity outs and not Triggers. This sounds complex, but once you get into it, this is a very fast way to create a drum pattern and also edit during performance. Kudos to Jim for finding a really great way to present this feature within the Vector. </p>
<p><em><strong>Additional Comment on Drums</strong></em></p>
<p>The genius here is that it is all done in one screen and does not force the Vector to become an XOX box, which I also love, but would break the consistent UI that Jim has achieved. The fact I can use Triggers on the Expander and not consume Gates is also an outstanding design choice, maximising the capability of the modules. </p>
<p>As is normal for the Vector, Drum and Chord parts can be from one to 64 steps in duration and once configured, you have access to all the usual chance operators, sub modulation and Control page madness. <em>If you already own a Vector, just let that sink in for a minute...</em></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Custom Chords </strong></span></p>
<p>Also new to firmware version 1.5 is Custom Chord voices. If you remember <em>a few weeks ago when you started reading this article (yes it is very long), </em>I mentioned there were three modes for parts being Monophonic, Chord and Drum voices. Chord mode is split between three types, being prebuilt chord voices, basic intervals, and Custom Chords. </p>
<p>Enabling Custom Chord mode is similar to Drum voices, however once you have applied it to a Part (being Part 7 MOOG! in my photograph), you then go to PITCH and press a combination of Encoder and Edit keys to enter the Custom Chord mode. Once you select Chord mode, you have options for pre-configured chords (as explained above), single interval additions, and four voice Custom Chords. The photograph below shows a mixture of the different chord modes (custom 1, interval 2, and pre built 3-6). </p>
<p>For a Custom Chord (see Step 1 below), each Step presents the bass note of the chord. The three numbers directly to the right are your additional intervals. You can use some or all of the available voices to create a Custom Chord. The numbers represent semi-tone steps from the bass note. A tied note between steps will cause any common notes to be held instead of re-triggered, which is pretty nifty! </p>
<p>For example, to build a C minor you might select C, 3, 7 and 12 for four voices. You can also spread chords across four octaves ascending from the bass note. Intervals are represented numerically from 1 to 12 (blank being 0 for unison), and a small graphic will appear to show you are in the second, third or fourth octave range. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/870b57d21e19d49344a63ceec0b209ba106d41a6/original/4aa154cd-4941-4bd2-89cd-a6fc63cddd83.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<hr><p><span class="font_large"><strong>Sync to your DAW</strong></span></p>
<p>I own a couple of MOTU audio interfaces (828es and 8pre) and decided to run time-sync from my PC DAW via the excellent <a contents="Silent Ways" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.expert-sleepers.co.uk/silentway.html" target="_blank">Silent Ways</a> (Expert Sleepers) VST. The benefit of this approach is that your DAW-to-Eurorack timing should be rock solid, and far superior to MIDI (especially USB MIDI based clocks). Part of the beauty of Eurorack is the solid timing, so why ruin that with MIDI clocks, especially if you are like me and run a Windows DAW, where USB is granted low priority to access system resources. Macs apparently have better USB timing. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/ec5cc1b63c6c43d027c478ef7340eddd33ff5ec9/original/sw-sync.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>The best thing you can do for your DAW-to-Eurorack explorations are get on board with Silent Ways. It sends CV based time out from your audio interface, and my understanding is that for RUN/STOP and TIME, you don't need decoupled audio outputs as you would if you were sending LFO signals. </p>
<p>I have personally run SW SYNC via TRS audio outs (using mono 6.2 to 3.5mm cables) and also via the stereo headphone out (using a stereo-to-dual mono splitter and separate 3.5mm patch cables) with equally excellent results to various sequencers, including the Vector, Circadian Rhythms, and Pamela's New Workout. I generally run the SW SYNC output to a buffered MULT then plumb timing in the rack from there. </p>
<hr><p><span class="font_large"><strong>Vector and Jack Expander Calibration </strong></span></p>
<p>Each Vector and Jack Expander has a serial number. The Vector will come loaded with the calibration files that relate to the Jack Expander with the same serial number. So, if you buy both units and they have the same serial number, you are good to go. If not, then emailing Five12 will get you the calibration files you need and which are easily dumped to the Vector via USB. You will need to supply the serial number of the Jack Expander module that you own. Mine is number 83 which you can see below. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/8aaec581ede6c0a2f58bc3ac528eda699066e505/original/v4.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><span class="font_large"><strong>Backup Your Calibration Files </strong></span></p>
<p>Early on, I accidentally deleted the pre-loaded calibration files and needed Jim to send me replacements. If you are a new user, you should back up the files in case you do the same thing. I emailed Five12 and had the replacement files by reply email the same day. Below is a screen shot of the EXCAL and VSCAL DAT files used to calibrate the Expansion and Vector modules. The Project folder is the one you want to backup to save your precious work. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/84e1b277c51b0d3e31abd5a9e5d53f01383080f6/original/files.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<hr><p><span class="font_large"><strong>Support </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Jim is passionate about his products and among the best in the business for providing support, feature roll-outs, and firmware revision. </span>The Vector and Jack Expander are very well-engineered modules. Jim is reachable via the Five12 website forum, and issues tend to get fixed in the near term. </p>
<p>The Five12 commitment to new features has been demonstrated consistently since release, especially with the recent Custom Chord and Drum Voice additions. There are still more refinements planned as the Vector still has legs for more development. <span class="font_regular">A reasonable user-base has evolved and you can often find answers on the official Vector forum or the <em>Five12 Vector Sequencer User Group</em> Facebook page. </span><br><span class="font_regular"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/5749a858064d67c7475b7f680dce424c3dfb93e3/original/v5.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></span></p>
<hr><p><span class="font_large"><strong>Pros </strong></span></p>
<ul> <li><span class="font_regular">The Vector easily becomes an excellent central brain for your eurorack and MIDI hardware. </span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">Syncs beautifully with a DAW, especially when using SW Sync by Expert Sleepers. </span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">Deep levels of control accessed through an excellent user interface. </span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">Five12 continues to roll out new capabilities and have a road map that will keep the Vector relevant for a good number of years. </span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">At heart, it is really enjoyable to use and will help inspire you to write music. </span></li>
</ul>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Cons </strong></span></p>
<ul> <li><span class="font_regular">Playing notes from a connected keyboard through to a destination device could be a little easier than it is today. </span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">More Chance Ops! I am kind of an addict. There are a lot of them but I am greedy.</span></li>
</ul>
<p>I bought the unit that I have reviewed for personal use. </p>
<hr><p><span style="color:#f39c12;"><span class="font_large"><strong>A Few Questions for Jim Coker </strong></span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong>1. You have a proven track record with a respected software product in Numerology. What made you feel like moving into hardware? </strong></span></p>
<p><strong>Jim: </strong>A big part of it was meeting the right engineer, in this case, Joe Grisso of Detachment3. In addition to being a great guy and easy to work with, Joe was able to convince me that the latest generation of embedded ARM micro-controllers had what I would need to build a first class sequencer. </p>
<p><strong>2. What is your programming background? </strong></p>
<p><strong>Jim: </strong>I’ve been a professional programmer for a long time now. Before I got deep into the sequencing stuff, I did many different kinds of programming gigs, including web stuff, database programming, even a fair bit of compiler implementation. I have a Master’s degree in computer science from Stanford University, so my education is pretty traditional in that way. But it was also at Stanford where I first got into computer music through a couple classes in their CCRMA group. </p>
<p><strong>3. How did you adjust your software knowledge to hardware design? </strong></p>
<p><strong>Jim: </strong>The biggest change, of course, is having to pay much more careful attention to how memory is being used and how much CPU is available - everything evolves around those limitations. But it is also liberating: with a much simpler set of APIs and graphical options on the displays, it is much easier to spend time on useful features. </p>
<p><strong>4. What were the biggest things you learned from designing and releasing the Vector? </strong></p>
<p><strong>Jim: </strong>There were many little lessons learned from finding a way to organize the UI from Numerology to a much more compact format. Some of that came from having a chance to re-group things like sequence controls and sequence operations into one place. Probably the biggest breakthrough was the design of the Chance Ops. It came from trying to find a way to fit the random jump and probabilistic mute options from Numerology’s sequencers into the Vector’s UI. Having separate pages for each didn’t really make sense, but having an operation that could change per step did — and that opened up the possibility for all kinds of interesting tricks to be added.</p>
<hr><p><span style="color:null;"><strong><span class="font_large">Full disclosure </span></strong></span></p>
<p>I created and admin the "<em>Five12 Vector Sequencer User Group"</em> Facebook page, but don’t let that convince you I am biased. If you are on my Facebook feed, you will see I am merciless in selling gear that isn’t right for me. It’s all part of the eurorack journey, right? I also have no affiliation with Five12 at all, beyond being a really happy customer and doing firmware testing from time to time. </p>
<hr><p> </p>Steve Turnertag:steveturner.com.au,2005:Post/59302552019-10-18T09:19:23+11:002021-07-08T11:03:31+10:00ALM Squid Salmple - Sampler Review<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Run </strong></span></p>
<p>I better get this out the way early. I am extremely happy with the ALM Squid Salmple and would definitely recommend it if your needs are similar to mine. My objective was to capture sounds from modules as well as play prepared samples and apply CV control to functions of interest. The great news is that the Salmple doesn't make you work hard to make it work for you. <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/bc8c70a8c5b1619fee9d3070e022d7ac725cbda1/original/71934309-137964387497164-4026653477768790016-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><span class="font_large"><strong>Sampling Sounds</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Sampling incoming sounds is an intuitive process and there are a few well thought out ways to get sampled audio into your Eurorack productions. The main ways to sample incoming audio are to patch your sound generator output to the Salmple audio input, then either: </span></p>
<ol> <li><span class="font_regular">Quick press record to start capturing incoming audio. Recording will stop when levels decrease to a certain threshold or you press record again.</span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">Long pressing record will capture audio for as long as you keep the button held down.</span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">Trigger your audio generator from the Salmple trigger out and recording will align perfectly with the start of your audio signal. My favourite way. </span></li>
</ol>
<p><span class="font_regular">More complex operations are possible including recording multiple sounds to a single sample (up to 11 seconds) and then cueing different start and end points to enable particular sounds to be triggered for that channel. Something really groovy mentioned in the manual is the capability to automatically step through channels within a bank and record each incoming sound to a different channel.</span></p>
<p>The screen displays a volume meter and audio duration. Once sampled, you just save the sample to a channel within a bank and you are done. You can sample audio from line to eurorack levels as well as CV, though there are caveats around care needing to be taken with the later. </p>
<p>To test home brew sampling <span class="font_regular">I used my Zoom H5 to record some piano playing then fired up Audacity on my PC to compress and limit the audio </span>to -3db<span class="font_regular">. I dragged the file into a channel on the USB stick and the world became Brian Eno inspired irregular goodness. When importing to USB you need to rename the file as "chan-001" for <em>exalmple </em>(see what I did there?) and ensure it is 44/16 mono. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Samples supplied by ALM </strong></span></p>
<p>The supplied samples are great and include a really nice range of traditional sounds plus a few more modern devices including Akemie's Taiko. There are the usual drum and percussion recordings plus a lot of really nice synth note, bass and phrase samples. Mathew from ALM says they are mastered at about -3db which is a good choice for dynamics and headroom. The range of samples and quality of the recordings is top notch. You have been set up to succeed.</p>
<p>ALM supply 85 banks of samples and each bank has 8 channels which hold your individual sample files. Many of the channel (WAV files) are split into multiple cue zones and each zone can be a completely different sound cued from within the WAV:. For example, eight variations of a synth note drum might exist in the same channel (WAV). You can see the complete list <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://busycircuits.com/docs/alm022-banks.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. </p>
<p>A practical use of this might be to modulate cue zones within a channel to create a bit more interest so you are not hearing the same sound with every hit. This is particularly effective with hi-hats and claps but you can do it with anything.</p>
<hr><p><span class="font_large"><strong>Salmple File Heirachy</strong></span></p>
<ul> <li>An individual USB storage device may hold up to 99 banks</li> <li>Banks may contain up to 8 channels</li> <li>Each channel may contain a sample file of up to 11 seconds duration. </li> <li>Channel files may be virtually split into Cue Zones.</li> <li>A cue zone is a start, end and loop point within a channel assigned WAV file.</li> <li>You can have up to 32 cue zones per channel and they may overlap.</li> <li>Cue Zones may be selected manually or via CV.</li> <li>Cue zones may be edited on your computer. Zone information is stored inside the WAV. </li>
</ul>
<hr><p>In any bank you might have eight channels multiplied by 8 cue zones (for example if you are using really short sounds), so 64 sounds in a bank. As I write this I am listening to a nicely modulated piano line recorded using a Zoom H5. I used the Salmple to set 4 cue zones within the sample. Maths is driving modulation of the cue zones so I have constantly changing zones being played over a stable beat. </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Creating a Custom Bank </strong></span></p>
<p>Let's say you want to make a new bank of samples selected from other banks on the USB. It is really easy. </p>
<ul> <li>Go to an empty bank and load it to the Salmple. </li> <li>This will give you eight empty channels. </li> <li>Press the USB selector, dial to the populated bank from which you wish to steal a sound. </li> <li>Load the individual sound using the LOAD 1 option. </li> <li>Return to your empty bank. </li> <li>Save the single sound (SAVE 1) to the channel where you want it to be held in the new bank. </li> <li>Repeat until you have a full bank of chosen samples. </li>
</ul>
<p>You could also do this using your computer but I prefer doing it via the Salmple as I can hear exactly how each chosen file is going to sound in my setup. Keep in mind LOAD and SVE apply to a whole bank LOAD 1 and SAVE 1 apply to a single channel within a bank <em>Silmple </em>I did it again.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/41c019e8e34f93de2be66a87ff2accebed958cc8/original/72422802-137985027495100-6101771908993253376-n.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Audio Quality </strong></span></p>
<p>The quality of audio output is very good and to my ear superior to the Digitakt which I feel is somewhat coloured. Mathew from ALM tells me he is using the same DACs as Elektron do in the Digitakt, but to me they sound more honest in this unit.</p>
<p>After sampling a few modular sources including my Peaks and Basimilus Iteritas Alter I found it hard to differentiate between the original and the sample in a blind test. And when I say hard I really mean impossible. I guessed right occasionally. Tuning a sample to the original pitch can be a bit fiddly using CV (on channels 6 to 8) but once you get how it works it's pretty easy. Just be patient and use your ear. You can also set pitch quantisation for the channel. </p>
<p><strong><span class="font_large">Mono Samples </span> </strong></p>
<p>Are mono samples a limitation? Not for me, to be honest. I have always used mono samples and added stereo effects to the samples during production or further down the hardware line. You may feel differently. </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Automation and Sound Editing </strong></span></p>
<p>CV control assignment is effortless. Go to a parameter and long press the CV assignment button which you want to use to manipulate the parameter. Reverse, Cue, Envelope, Quality, Bitrate etc are easily set and they do what it says on the packaging. Bitrate reduction works extremely well on snare sounds. Crunchy goodness! If you degrade bitrate on a nice long decay kick you will get that really sweet ringing artefact sound. Nice. </p>
<p>One mode I like is the LOOP forward and reverse mode which moves from start to end (to start to end etc) of a sound. This mode makes it easier to take a synth sound and loop it without introducing clicking sounds that any sampler will usually introduce when moving between different volume output levels. Give that a try on the CS80 bank and see what I mean. You can get some really nice, gritty drones out of that bank. </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>The Manual </strong></span></p>
<p>The manual is expertly written though you probably won’t need it for most of the functions. However, I would recommend reading the Key Combos page. There are excellent tips about functions including the ability to swap channels in a bank as well as reference one bank from another. The Salmple is also very easily configured to choke samples between linked channels.</p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Interface </strong></span></p>
<p>The screen is small but very nicely presented. It is clean, clear and informative. Even slicing samples is easy and I do not feel that screen size is an issue. Menu diving is almost non existent and combo keys are very useful (monitor inputs for example). </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Quick Editing Samples</strong></span></p>
<p>A really nice touch is the ability to <span class="font_regular">quickly roll through channels and edit the same parameter in each channel. </span></p>
<ul> <li><span class="font_regular">Select the parameter you want to edit. </span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">Configure the current channel parameter to your liking. </span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">Hold the channel button down and turn the main encoder to move through the channels.</span></li> <li><span class="font_regular">Release the channel button and adjust the parameter for the current active channel. </span></li> <li>Repeat as required by pressing and holding the channel button. </li>
</ul>
<p><span class="font_regular">Doing this will move you <em>sideways</em> through each channel but keep you at the parameter you were in when you pressed and continued to hold the channel key. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><span class="font_regular"><span class="font_regular"><span class="font_regular"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/a9eafd4c989b212b4d76808c7b5bfb2b8861a742/original/73018189-487849171805827-8168877382942326784-n.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Size </strong></span></p>
<p>Keep in mind that the Salmple is 21hp. Odd numbers! You will need a 1hp blank or an odd hp sized module in the same row. I suggest the SSF Clone 3hp Buffered Mult. The Salmple is not a deeply built module and should be skiff friendly. The build quality is what you would expect if you own a PNW, it feels solid for standard operation. No issue </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>USB Data </strong></span></p>
<p>The Salmple takes standard USB but you will want to get the slim line type (like the one supplied by ALM) so it doesn't get in your way when using the device. When you power up the Salmple you will need to load a bank, and the Salmple will attempt to load the last used bank if your USB device is present. </p>
<p>You don't need to keep the USB device connected to use the Salmple but to save samples you do. There is an 11 second maximum duration per sample. The manual includes examples of trusted USB storage devices. There are many warnings that you should not connect anything except a USB stick to the interface. So, don't do that.</p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Firmware Updates </strong></span></p>
<p>Firmware updates are easy and Mathew publishes production and beta versions via the ALM website. </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Audio Routing</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">The Salmple hosts 8 channels split to 4 outputs with a 2:1 ratio. This means channels 1/2 are on output 1. Channels 3/4 are on output 2. </span>Channels 5/6 are on output 3. Channels 7/8 are on output 4. </p>
<p><span class="font_regular">This doesn't bother me as combined with the rest of my rack I'm not going to have contended outputs too often when recording. And if I do have contended outputs I either choose complementary sounds that I can mix together or simply mute and record the sounds in two takes within my DAW. Yes, I would prefer a one to one ratio of inputs and outputs but this is solvable quite easily.</span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>A Neat Trick</strong></span></p>
<p>A discipline I have kept for myself when using the Salmple for drum sounds is to put Kick sounds on Channel 1 and Snare on Channel 3. Most of the ALM pre rolled sample sets have snare on channel two. Fortunately it is simple process to move sounds around with a channel swap function. Go to the sound you want to move. Press channel. Dial the main encoder to your destination channel. A numeric indicator appears on the screen. Press function. Done. </p>
<p>I also out open and closed hats on the same pair so that I can track them to a single output for DAW treatment. This helps me really easily manage my routing, get sounds out of the way of each other, or ensure a particular output has the right sounds to be processed by effects later in the chain. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/020990ff07273d892ff77be5f6e8a148c4b25177/original/72458449-443707769832874-5982778809265422336-n.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><span class="font_large"><strong>Clipping the Squid </strong></span></p>
<p>Something I did find when recording samples a way too hot is that if you stack two high volume samples together on the same output (and you trigger them at the same time) you can get digital clipping. This is not a Salmple specific issue, and there are many ways to avoid this: </p>
<ul> <li>Monitor the input volumes carefully and reduce hot signals with the LEVEL dial while you are sampling. </li> <li>Record the hot signal and reduce envelope volume of the sample after it has been saved. </li> <li>Record the hot sample, dump it on your PC and use a limiter to apply -3db. Audacity does this and it is free. </li> <li>Keep the samples hot and split them across alternate outputs to reduce risk of clipping. </li>
</ul>
<p>Audacity is also handy for taking your stereo samples and bulk editing them and outputting them to mono 44/16 files. You might as well limit them as well while you do! After a bit more time I found myself getting my input levels right and not even having to think about the above. </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Brand Support </strong></span></p>
<p>If you buy the Salmple you are dealing with ALM and Mathew is excellent at support and is very responsive. He is also still working on possible features for the unit. I had a few conversations with him via email and he was very happy to engage and help me learn more about my device. </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Closing</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">For the price, functionality and excellent work flow I think the ALM Squid Salmple is a great tool. It met my objectives and is great fun to use. I am told that the MUM M8 filter by ALM sits with the Salmple beautifully so expect a review of that some time soon. Both are inspired by Akai sampling technology but that is neither here nor there to me. The Salmple just sounds great. </span></p>
<hr><p><span class="font_large"><strong>Pros </strong></span></p>
<ul> <li>Easy workflow which you can learn really quickly. The UI is brilliant. </li> <li>Excellent bundled sample content adds value to an already well featured device. </li> <li>Sounds great and does exactly what you expect it to do. </li>
</ul>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Cons </strong></span></p>
<ul> <li>Mono sample files only. Not an issue for me but it may be for you. </li> <li>Other samplers in eurorack have more configurability but also far more complex workflows. </li> <li>2:1 input to output ratio which can be easily worked around. </li>
</ul>
<p>I bought the unit that I have reviewed for personal use. </p>
<hr><p><strong><span class="font_large">Bonus Points - Using your DAW to Organise Samples </span></strong></p>
<p>For those of us not afraid to use a computer, getting samples ready for your Salmple could not be easier unless Mathew turned up and did it for you. He seems like a nice bloke but probably a little busy. You can always ask, I guess. But if you are in a hurry take a look at the picture below and you will see that I have recorded a series of sounds on 8 channels in Cubase. I have recorded multiples of 2 or 4 samples per channel evenly arranged on the DAW grid. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/02127e772159a84e5172926c9edf101f29bc8e55/original/sample-example.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I then exported each channel separately as mono 44/16 files. I used a batch export function but if you can not work that out just mute and un-mute channels to export WAV files sequentially. Prior to export, I applied a limiter for -3db on each output. To make life easier I named each channel "chan-00x" where "x" is a number from 1 to 8. This means when I export each channel Cubase will have named them ready for use in the Salmple. The exported files look like this: </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/190492/b0cd56c2ab98d867dfb945f080bf9414aeed2319/original/sample-example-2.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_center border_" />If you want to use your PC to name the bank just create a dot txt file in the relevant bank folder and insert the desired bank name on the first line. You can include spaces in the name which is cool because for some reason the Salmple doesn't seem to have a space character in the naming menu. </p>
<p>Once the samples are on the USB stick and loaded to the Salmple as a bank, press FUNC and CUE to go to the Cue Zone menu. You can add cue zones manually but in this example I applied the SPLIT function for each sample and chose 2 or 4 depending on the number of hits per file. The Salmple then arranges the Cue Zones evenly and you don't have to do anything except get on with making music. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that for this to work your samples have to be in line with the grid. Remember, you dont really need a PC to do what I just showed you. You could just trigger a number of sounds with a sequencer, record the audio as a single sample and then apply the Split function within the Salmple. </p>Steve Turner