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Thread

Pulse, Sync, Sequencers and Shuffle

2004-04-29 by Ioannis Kazlaris

Hi people,

OK I have some questions for you.

1. Can you get a pulse wave by feeding a square one to a comparator? If so, how do I vary the pulse width and the depth of the modulation?

2. Does the "sync" input in the NTO and PCO provide hard or soft synchronization? How do you get "hard" if "soft" is provided? If I feed a sharp transient to modulate the frequency of the oscillator, will that be enough? If it's a train of transients will that do the job?

3. What are the differences between a Sequencer and a Sequencer Programmer? (Other than obvious) Can I use the 4 outputs (A, B, C, D) of the 4-stage Sequencer Programmer sequentially? I mean: stages 1-4 output from A, then 5-8 from B, 9-12 from C, 13-16 from D and then loop the sequence? If this is the case, is there any need for an extra Sequencer (8x2) as suggested by Rex in the preconfigured Sequencer panel? I suppose you can clock them at different rates, but are two 4-stage sequencers better than one with 8 stages?

4. If we XOR two different clocks, does that provide some short of shuffle? This is the way that it works on the Nord Modular. Is it same here?

I hope I am not tiresome here :-) Thanx for any info..!

Yanis

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Re: Pulse, Sync, Sequencers and Shuffle

2004-04-29 by James R. Coplin

The programmer has push buttons to manually select the start step which immediately becomes active. If there is no clock it obviously stays on that step until it gets a clock. This can be used as a 4 value memory device (A,B,C,D).

If there is a clock running, the last pressed step becomes the first step for the sequence loop. If the first step is active the 4 programmer step would run 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4. Press step 3: and it runs 3,4,3,4,3,4,3,4,3,4. Press step 2: 2,3,4,2,3,4,2,3,4. You can select the current active step with a pulse in at the stage. A pulse out is also available per step which is not on the 8x2 sequencer

You can’t walk from row 1,2,3,4 like you can on the tkb without concocting some logic outside the module.

While 4 steps sounds limiting I actually use mine more than both my tkb or 8x2 seq. I particularly running it as a one-shot. Feed it clocks but use the last pulse out to put into hold, resetting with another pulse later to get another 4 steps and then pause. It adds great color to things. The sequencer shop panel is *really* fun. I’d get rid of my TKB before the sequencer panel but that’s just me.

James R. Coplin

***************

If anyone asks of my whereabouts,

simply tell them i've gone out the window

for a spot of tea and am not

expected back any time soon.

***************

Re: Pulse, Sync, Sequencers and Shuffle

2004-04-29 by Scott E.

Responses inline:

Ioannis Kazlaris wrote:

Show quoted textHide quoted text

> 1. Can you get a pulse wave by feeding a square one to a comparator? If
> so, how do I vary the pulse width and the depth of the modulation?

You can use a comparator to get a variable pulse output, but you would
want to feed it a sawtooth wave into the "-" input. From there, you may
turn the voltage control knob to manually change the duty cycle of the
pulse output, or you can feen a modulation source into the "+" input
(sine wave) to get a pulse width modulation.

> 2. Does the "sync" input in the NTO and PCO provide hard or soft
> synchronization? How do you get "hard" if "soft" is provided? If I feed
> a sharp transient to modulate the frequency of the oscillator, will that
> be enough? If it's a train of transients will that do the job?

This is a soft sync. There are a couple of posts in the archive (Yahoo)
on using an oscillator with a DSG as a hard sync, but no way for the
NTO/PCO.

> 3. What are the differences between a Sequencer and a Sequencer
> Programmer? (Other than obvious) Can I use the 4 outputs (A, B, C, D) of
> the 4-stage Sequencer Programmer sequentially? I mean: stages 1-4 output
> from A, then 5-8 from B, 9-12 from C, 13-16 from D and then loop the
> sequence? If this is the case, is there any need for an extra Sequencer
> (8x2) as suggested by Rex in the preconfigured Sequencer panel? I
> suppose you can clock them at different rates, but are two 4-stage
> sequencers better than one with 8 stages?

Two are always more interesting than one.

Scott

Re: Pulse, Sync, Sequencers and Shuffle

2004-04-29 by John P

And actually, y'know, now that I'm thinking about it, you can't do hard
sync with a DSG either.
Doesn't hard sync *force* a waveform cycle to restart with every sync
pulse input?
The DSG won't do that. It completes a whole cycle when triggered, it
doesn't retrigger.

Scott E. wrote:

Show quoted textHide quoted text

>
>This is a soft sync. There are a couple of posts in the archive (Yahoo)
>on using an oscillator with a DSG as a hard sync, but no way for the
>NTO/PCO.
>
>
>
>
>

Re: Pulse, Sync, Sequencers and Shuffle

2004-04-29 by Scott E.

John,

You are correct, the DSG must finish it's cycle before it can be
retriggered. The rise and fall times must therefore be set to complete
before the next trigger. This really is not hard sync at all, but as
close as one might come on a Serge, I guess.

Regards, Scott
========================================================
John P wrote:

Show quoted textHide quoted text

> And actually, y'know, now that I'm thinking about it, you can't do hard
> sync with a DSG either.
> Doesn't hard sync *force* a waveform cycle to restart with every sync
> pulse input?
> The DSG won't do that. It completes a whole cycle when triggered, it
> doesn't retrigger.
>

Re: Pulse, Sync, Sequencers and Shuffle

2004-04-29 by john duval

You can't use the outputs sequencially because they
run in tandem and you can't loop... if i'm reading you
right on this.Sure, you can make the first row output
to "A" and the second row to "B" and so forth just as
it's indicated on the face plate, but they won't go in
sequencial order.... it's all together. I've harped on
Rex for years about the "lock step" nature of the TKB
but i'm barking up the wrong tree. What i wanted was
for each row to be able to accept it's own clock. Yes,
I'd have to give up the vertical running but so what?
wouldn't it be a hoot to have each row of the TKB able
to be driven by it's own clock?...with all the random
and reverse and reset functions intact?? Beam me up!!!
Kind regards
john duval

Show quoted textHide quoted text

> > 3. What are the differences between a Sequencer
> and a Sequencer
> > Programmer? (Other than obvious) Can I use the 4
> outputs (A, B, C, D) of
> > the 4-stage Sequencer Programmer sequentially? I
> mean: stages 1-4 output
> > from A, then 5-8 from B, 9-12 from C, 13-16 from D
> and then loop the
> > sequence? If this is the case, is there any need
> for an extra Sequencer
> > (8x2) as suggested by Rex in the preconfigured
> Sequencer panel? I
> > suppose you can clock them at different rates, but
> are two 4-stage
> > sequencers better than one with 8 stages?
>
> >

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Re: Pulse, Sync, Sequencers and Shuffle

2004-04-29 by John Loffink

You could do hard sync by using a sequencer as the waveform generator. Feed
PCO #1 into the sequencer clock at a multiple of the desired frequency, 5 x
for a 5 step sequence, for instance. Use PCO #2 to reset the sequencer.
Output of the sequencer row is your synced waveform. This is limited to
pulse step type waveforms, however, while sawtooths tend to be more
interesting as hard sync swept waveforms.

You may have to invert the PCO sawtooth for it to trigger/reset the
sequencer properly, use a comparator/Schmitt trigger, or use the variable
pulse out of NTOs.

These are a lot of modules to tie up for one effect.

John Loffink
The Microtonal Synthesis Web Site
http://www.microtonal-synthesis.com
The Wavemakers Synthesizer Web Site
http://www.wavemakers-synth.com

Show quoted textHide quoted text

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Scott E. [mailto:yahudinyhwh@...]
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 12:35 PM
> To: SergeModular@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [SergeModular] Pulse, Sync, Sequencers and Shuffle
>
> John,
>
> You are correct, the DSG must finish it's cycle before it can be
> retriggered. The rise and fall times must therefore be set to complete
> before the next trigger. This really is not hard sync at all, but as
> close as one might come on a Serge, I guess.
>
> Regards, Scott
> ========================================================
> John P wrote:
> > And actually, y'know, now that I'm thinking about it, you can't do hard
> > sync with a DSG either.
> > Doesn't hard sync *force* a waveform cycle to restart with every sync
> > pulse input?
> > The DSG won't do that. It completes a whole cycle when triggered, it
> > doesn't retrigger.
> >

Re: Pulse, Sync, Sequencers and Shuffle

2004-04-29 by John P

Yes, cool, I was wondering about that.
You can make a pseudo-saw (staircase) waveform with the sequencer... and
if you run it thru a slew limiter, you can round things off a little.

Another reset pulse source could be a DSG or DTG.... even the 'smooth'
part of the SSG can be used as a clock.

John Loffink wrote:

Show quoted textHide quoted text

>You could do hard sync by using a sequencer as the waveform generator. Feed
>PCO #1 into the sequencer clock at a multiple of the desired frequency, 5 x
>for a 5 step sequence, for instance. Use PCO #2 to reset the sequencer.
>Output of the sequencer row is your synced waveform. This is limited to
>pulse step type waveforms, however, while sawtooths tend to be more
>interesting as hard sync swept waveforms.
>
>You may have to invert the PCO sawtooth for it to trigger/reset the
>sequencer properly, use a comparator/Schmitt trigger, or use the variable
>pulse out of NTOs.
>
>These are a lot of modules to tie up for one effect.
>
>John Loffink
>The Microtonal Synthesis Web Site
>http://www.microtonal-synthesis.com
>The Wavemakers Synthesizer Web Site
>http://www.wavemakers-synth.com
>
>
>
>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Scott E. [mailto:yahudinyhwh@...]
>>Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 12:35 PM
>>To: SergeModular@yahoogroups.com
>>Subject: Re: [SergeModular] Pulse, Sync, Sequencers and Shuffle
>>
>>John,
>>
>>You are correct, the DSG must finish it's cycle before it can be
>>retriggered. The rise and fall times must therefore be set to complete
>>before the next trigger. This really is not hard sync at all, but as
>>close as one might come on a Serge, I guess.
>>
>>Regards, Scott
>>========================================================
>>John P wrote:
>>
>>
>>>And actually, y'know, now that I'm thinking about it, you can't do hard
>>>sync with a DSG either.
>>>Doesn't hard sync *force* a waveform cycle to restart with every sync
>>>pulse input?
>>>The DSG won't do that. It completes a whole cycle when triggered, it
>>>doesn't retrigger.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
>
>
>
>
>Keep on Patchin'!
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Re: Pulse, Sync, Sequencers and Shuffle

2004-04-30 by John Loffink

That's true, if the sequence row out is fed to a DSG tracking 1 volt/octave
you could get very close the sawtooth sync.

I would use a PCO/NTO for the reset pulse. That's where you want the
frequency accuracy. You can use a DSG/DTG for the clock input, but as it
must be a multiple of the step number this will only work for lower notes
due to the DSG/DTG frequency limit around 2 KHz.

John Loffink
The Microtonal Synthesis Web Site
http://www.microtonal-synthesis.com
The Wavemakers Synthesizer Web Site
http://www.wavemakers-synth.com

Show quoted textHide quoted text

> -----Original Message-----
> From: John P [mailto:johnp299792@...]
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 7:08 PM
> To: SergeModular@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [SergeModular] Pulse, Sync, Sequencers and Shuffle
>
> Yes, cool, I was wondering about that.
> You can make a pseudo-saw (staircase) waveform with the sequencer... and
> if you run it thru a slew limiter, you can round things off a little.
>
> Another reset pulse source could be a DSG or DTG.... even the 'smooth'
> part of the SSG can be used as a clock.
>
> John Loffink wrote:
>
> >You could do hard sync by using a sequencer as the waveform generator.
> Feed
> >PCO #1 into the sequencer clock at a multiple of the desired frequency, 5
> x
> >for a 5 step sequence, for instance. Use PCO #2 to reset the sequencer.
> >Output of the sequencer row is your synced waveform. This is limited to
> >pulse step type waveforms, however, while sawtooths tend to be more
> >interesting as hard sync swept waveforms.
> >
> >You may have to invert the PCO sawtooth for it to trigger/reset the
> >sequencer properly, use a comparator/Schmitt trigger, or use the variable
> >pulse out of NTOs.
> >
> >These are a lot of modules to tie up for one effect.
> >
> >John Loffink
> >The Microtonal Synthesis Web Site
> >http://www.microtonal-synthesis.com
> >The Wavemakers Synthesizer Web Site
> >http://www.wavemakers-synth.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >>-----Original Message-----
> >>From: Scott E. [mailto:yahudinyhwh@...]
> >>Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 12:35 PM
> >>To: SergeModular@yahoogroups.com
> >>Subject: Re: [SergeModular] Pulse, Sync, Sequencers and Shuffle
> >>
> >>John,
> >>
> >>You are correct, the DSG must finish it's cycle before it can be
> >>retriggered. The rise and fall times must therefore be set to complete
> >>before the next trigger. This really is not hard sync at all, but as
> >>close as one might come on a Serge, I guess.
> >>
> >>Regards, Scott
> >>========================================================
> >>John P wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>And actually, y'know, now that I'm thinking about it, you can't do hard
> >>>sync with a DSG either.
> >>>Doesn't hard sync *force* a waveform cycle to restart with every sync
> >>>pulse input?
> >>>The DSG won't do that. It completes a whole cycle when triggered, it
> >>>doesn't retrigger.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Keep on Patchin'!
> >
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> Keep on Patchin'!
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

Re: Pulse, Sync, Sequencers and Shuffle

2004-04-30 by John Loffink

I tried this with a TKB, inverted NTO sawtooth (variable pulse out did not
trigger TKB reliably), 1/2 DSG for reset and 1/2 DSG to slew the sequence
output. (With 16 stages of TKB the DSG wasn't high enough frequency for
good sync sounds.) It does work, but sounds a little rough. DSG cannot
slew past a certain frequency and goes silent, so this has its limitations.

A comparator or Schmitt trigger module would make this work a lot better.

John Loffink
The Microtonal Synthesis Web Site
http://www.microtonal-synthesis.com
The Wavemakers Synthesizer Web Site
http://www.wavemakers-synth.com

Show quoted textHide quoted text

> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Loffink [mailto:jloffink@...]
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 8:34 PM
> To: SergeModular@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [SergeModular] Pulse, Sync, Sequencers and Shuffle
>
> That's true, if the sequence row out is fed to a DSG tracking 1
> volt/octave
> you could get very close the sawtooth sync.
>
> I would use a PCO/NTO for the reset pulse. That's where you want the
> frequency accuracy. You can use a DSG/DTG for the clock input, but as it
> must be a multiple of the step number this will only work for lower notes
> due to the DSG/DTG frequency limit around 2 KHz.
>
> John Loffink
> The Microtonal Synthesis Web Site
> http://www.microtonal-synthesis.com
> The Wavemakers Synthesizer Web Site
> http://www.wavemakers-synth.com
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: John P [mailto:johnp299792@...]
> > Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 7:08 PM
> > To: SergeModular@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: Re: [SergeModular] Pulse, Sync, Sequencers and Shuffle
> >
> > Yes, cool, I was wondering about that.
> > You can make a pseudo-saw (staircase) waveform with the sequencer... and
> > if you run it thru a slew limiter, you can round things off a little.
> >
> > Another reset pulse source could be a DSG or DTG.... even the 'smooth'
> > part of the SSG can be used as a clock.
> >