--- In SergeModular@yahoogroups.com, synpro@a... wrote:
module just last night and thinking the exact same thing!
because I realized I'd never used the STEP OUT jack before! After
reviewing the Serge catalog and tweaking for a while I found that
when plugged into a 1v/oct input of a VCO the STEP OUT produces a
series of rising pitches from the VCO. Each "step" up is a whole
tone, with the number of steps determined by the upper pot and the
speed of the staircase progression determined by the rate of the
pulse generated from the comparator in the lower section. Through
most of my experimentation Monday and tonight, I used 1/2 a DTG as
voltage source into the IN+. Both voltage and gate outs of the DTG
worked well. Note that if the lower section pot is set so that no
pulse is generated at the lower red OUT, then you won't get output
from the STEP OUT either.
I was able to generate from 0 (constant pitch) to 31 rising steps,
and with at least 2 pitches the cycle repeats itself. I also tried
patching the STEP OUT to other destinations, such as filter cutoff,
VCA amplitude, Phasers, Wave Multipliers, etc, and the results are
just as pleasing! Patching the STEP OUT into the bottom section of
an ACPR let me invert the staircase to generate falling-step series,
which sounded particularly good controlling VCAs, and this effect
produced even more "natural" decays when the ACPR out was lagged
slightly on its way to the VCA.
interesting klang tones. Try using an NTO variable waveform out as
the "LFO" and modulate the pitch and waveshape with sequencer rows
or other CV sources. (If you have a Miniwave, this is another great
source for this purpose.)
One patch I liked a lot:
* Patch a VCO SAW OUT to one input of an audio mixer.
* Patch the /N-COMP top red OUT / to the mixer's second input.
* Patch STEP OUT to the VCO's 1V/OCT IN.
* Patch a DTG/DSG to oscillate in the audio range with its OUT or
GATE OUT patched to the IN+ on the bottom section of the /N-COMP.
* Set /N-COMP top pot far left ("1") and use the DTG/DSG rise/fall
pots to tune the /N-COMP OUT to some harmonic of the VCO's pitch.
You should then be able to turn the top /N-COMP pot left and get
some nice timbres. I found these to be much richer tones than I
could achieve simply by running the same VCO SAW into one of the
bottom inputs (IN+/IN-) of the /N-COMP and taking the top OUT. I
later expanded on this by running one sequence row to control the
VCO's pitch and a second sequence row to the /N-COMP's VC IN.
and so on.
A couple of general observations:
1) The /N-COMP's upper VC In "subtracts" from the pot setting, so
for instance to vary the number of N from a TKB you should set
the /N-COMP's upper pot to the far right (-31) and the TKB's pot
settings should allow you to dial in a range from 0 steps at far
left to 31 steps at far right.
2) I found the Quadrature Osc to be a great PWM source for the COMP
section since its built-in VCA lets you easily dial in the maximum
modulation range without exceeding the 0% or 100% duty cycle.
Hope this answers a question or two and spurs further exploration.
Chris
> maybe we can create a thread for this module like the oneWe must be on some incredible wavelength as I was messing with this
> on the SSG that is now posted on the Serge-Fans site.
module just last night and thinking the exact same thing!
> I can't tell what the red STEP OUT jack does - it seems toThis is actually what provoked me to focus on the /N-COMP Monday,
> not only provide a divided signal out (in the audio range)
> that is less "thin" (though still pulse sounding), but it
> also seems to have a volume change associated with each step;
> volume getting softer the higher the pitch.
because I realized I'd never used the STEP OUT jack before! After
reviewing the Serge catalog and tweaking for a while I found that
when plugged into a 1v/oct input of a VCO the STEP OUT produces a
series of rising pitches from the VCO. Each "step" up is a whole
tone, with the number of steps determined by the upper pot and the
speed of the staircase progression determined by the rate of the
pulse generated from the comparator in the lower section. Through
most of my experimentation Monday and tonight, I used 1/2 a DTG as
voltage source into the IN+. Both voltage and gate outs of the DTG
worked well. Note that if the lower section pot is set so that no
pulse is generated at the lower red OUT, then you won't get output
from the STEP OUT either.
I was able to generate from 0 (constant pitch) to 31 rising steps,
and with at least 2 pitches the cycle repeats itself. I also tried
patching the STEP OUT to other destinations, such as filter cutoff,
VCA amplitude, Phasers, Wave Multipliers, etc, and the results are
just as pleasing! Patching the STEP OUT into the bottom section of
an ACPR let me invert the staircase to generate falling-step series,
which sounded particularly good controlling VCAs, and this effect
produced even more "natural" decays when the ACPR out was lagged
slightly on its way to the VCA.
> Speed up the LFO to audio range and you get some really strangeI found that changing the audio-rate "LFO" waveshape produced very
> ringmod/heterodyne timbres. Tres' cool. Noticed that changing the
> audio input to Tri or Saw does not affect the basic sound too
> much: still a pulse wave.
interesting klang tones. Try using an NTO variable waveform out as
the "LFO" and modulate the pitch and waveshape with sequencer rows
or other CV sources. (If you have a Miniwave, this is another great
source for this purpose.)
One patch I liked a lot:
* Patch a VCO SAW OUT to one input of an audio mixer.
* Patch the /N-COMP top red OUT / to the mixer's second input.
* Patch STEP OUT to the VCO's 1V/OCT IN.
* Patch a DTG/DSG to oscillate in the audio range with its OUT or
GATE OUT patched to the IN+ on the bottom section of the /N-COMP.
* Set /N-COMP top pot far left ("1") and use the DTG/DSG rise/fall
pots to tune the /N-COMP OUT to some harmonic of the VCO's pitch.
You should then be able to turn the top /N-COMP pot left and get
some nice timbres. I found these to be much richer tones than I
could achieve simply by running the same VCO SAW into one of the
bottom inputs (IN+/IN-) of the /N-COMP and taking the top OUT. I
later expanded on this by running one sequence row to control the
VCO's pitch and a second sequence row to the /N-COMP's VC IN.
> VC PULSE DIVIDER: I think this is always some odd as opposed toHmm... I was able to achieve odd AND even divisions of 2,3,4,5,6,
> even number in regards to the division between 1 and 31.
and so on.
A couple of general observations:
1) The /N-COMP's upper VC In "subtracts" from the pot setting, so
for instance to vary the number of N from a TKB you should set
the /N-COMP's upper pot to the far right (-31) and the TKB's pot
settings should allow you to dial in a range from 0 steps at far
left to 31 steps at far right.
2) I found the Quadrature Osc to be a great PWM source for the COMP
section since its built-in VCA lets you easily dial in the maximum
modulation range without exceeding the 0% or 100% duty cycle.
Hope this answers a question or two and spurs further exploration.
Chris