Mutable Instruments Marbles Random Sampler

[versipellis]

Is there a writeup anywhere of the alt firmware modes? Having to google them on the MI forum every time I forget what mode does what is slightly annoying

[aragorn23]

Hey all, apologies if this has been answered already but I have a question about sampling external CV.

I've got a little eight step sequence going into Spread with the external processing button set to on, and Marbles is working well at generating variations of this sampled input on x2, but x1 and x3 have a really wide octave spread (like, a full 4 octaves) regardless of Spread, Bias and other settings. The input sequence doesn't even span a full octave, so the issue isn't there. Any idea what's going on?

Sounds strange. I am away from my modular at the moment, but I am quite sure transposition of the incoming CV is controlled only by Bias and Spread.
As I recall, Transposition is zero when Bias is set to 12 o'clock and Spread is set to zero. In this position you should only hear the same notes as the sequence (quantised with Steps)

Do you have the clock from the sequence going into the X clock in (to make sure you only sample when the sequence change)?

Thanks for the reply. Oddly enough, when I switched the system back on a day later, the problem had magically resolved itself. Who knows what was going on

[0netwo0netwo]

Hey all, apologies if this has been answered already but I have a question about sampling external CV.

I've got a little eight step sequence going into Spread with the external processing button set to on, and Marbles is working well at generating variations of this sampled input on x2, but x1 and x3 have a really wide octave spread (like, a full 4 octaves) regardless of Spread, Bias and other settings. The input sequence doesn't even span a full octave, so the issue isn't there. Any idea what's going on?

Sounds strange. I am away from my modular at the moment, but I am quite sure transposition of the incoming CV is controlled only by Bias and Spread.
As I recall, Transposition is zero when Bias is set to 12 o'clock and Spread is set to zero. In this position you should only hear the same notes as the sequence (quantised with Steps)

Do you have the clock from the sequence going into the X clock in (to make sure you only sample when the sequence change)?

Thanks for the reply. Oddly enough, when I switched the system back on a day later, the problem had magically resolved itself. Who knows what was going on

nobody ever really does, i find that to be the most enjoyable part about all this stuff anyways
i gave up on trying to be perfect a long time ago and instead just enjoy whats presented to me as a result of my interaction with my system(monster) ive created

[bemushroomed]

nobody ever really does, i find that to be the most enjoyable part about all this stuff anyways
i gave up on trying to be perfect a long time ago and instead just enjoy whats presented to me as a result of my interaction with my system(monster) ive created

Absolutely this. Trying to understand everything with eurorack is not the least important, what's important is result. If the result is inadequate then it's good to take a deep dive (to the degree that you get desirable / expected results).

[ferran]

Yesterday I pressed by chance the t little black button for more than 1 sec. and it started blinking, does anybody knows what it mean, or what it's for ? manual says nothing, only says a fixed colour to change the methods. Thanks.

[mgscheue]

Different rhythm modes. See Nino's post: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=198935&start=400

[ferran]

Different rhythm modes. See Nino's post: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=198935&start=400

Thank you very much !

[0netwo0netwo]

i have two questions

first question,
the Y generator section of the manual
it says the y generator is clocked at 1/16th the rate of X2 (ok i got that)
"these settings can be modified by holding the M button and adjusting the RATE(division factor relative to X2 from 1/64 to 1), SPREAD, BIAS and STEPS while the button is held." (i am having a tough time chewing and digesting that bit of information)

does it mean im while holding down the M button im turning the RATE, SPREAD, BIAS and STEPS knobs to adjust the division factor for the Y output clock??? IM CONFUSED why four knobs are needed to be turned??

second question is regarding the new update that turns it into the harmonic oscillator and everything else that came along with it. If you did that update and now go to the x generator section and hold down the output voltage range button to be able to select your preset scale the button blinks and alternates between fast and slow blinking but mine doesnt change color like the selecting a scale section in the manual says it should, anyone else experiencing this??

thank you

[Leverkusen]

I don't have a Marbles yet (waiting for the 5U version atm) but when I look into the manual it seems to me that you have overlooked half of the information. It sais that "the Y generator, by default, is a smooth, full-range (-5V to +5V), random source that is clocked at 1⁄16 the rate of X2." You can change the division be holding down N and turning RATE. Doing the same with SPREAD, BIAS and STEPS would change the range, offset and smoothness of the random signal mentioned in the quote. There is a picture in the manual just below that passage visually explaining this.

[starthief]

second question is regarding the new update that turns it into the harmonic oscillator and everything else that came along with it. If you did that update and now go to the x generator section and hold down the output voltage range button to be able to select your preset scale the button blinks and alternates between fast and slow blinking but mine doesnt change color like the selecting a scale section in the manual says it should, anyone else experiencing this??

I think you're confusing modules there -- Stages has a harmonic oscillator mode. It's normally accessible by patching a cable on the back but an alternate firmware lets you access it by holding down the segment 1 button for a few seconds. There was a recent update to the Stages official firmware that adds a small delay to the S&H, and also adjusts the phase of different LFO waveforms so they feel more synchronized. The unofficial alternate firmware got updated recently too.

The recent Marbles update added superlock (hold down T or X big buttons to make them blink and they lock in as if the Deja Vu knob were at noon).

Anyway, on mine (which has the update) if I hold down the voltage range button it goes from solid to blinking, then when I tap it it alternates green-yellow-red with fast blinking, then green-yellow-red with slow blinking.

[0netwo0netwo]

I don't have a Marbles yet (waiting for the 5U version atm) but when I look into the manual it seems to me that you have overlooked half of the information. It sais that "the Y generator, by default, is a smooth, full-range (-5V to +5V), random source that is clocked at 1⁄16 the rate of X2." You can change the division be holding down N and turning RATE. Doing the same with SPREAD, BIAS and STEPS would change the range, offset and smoothness of the random signal mentioned in the quote. There is a picture in the manual just below that passage visually explaining this.

thank you yes my brain just couldnt link them for me like you did. maybe my brain didnt like the way it was worded??

appreciate the help

MY MISTAKE WAS I WAS TRUSTING THE LITTKE PRINTED OUT MANUAL THAT CAME WITH IT

the information appears to have changed from that to the PDF manual available for download on the site

thanks anyways, appreciate the help!!

[0netwo0netwo]

second question is regarding the new update that turns it into the harmonic oscillator and everything else that came along with it. If you did that update and now go to the x generator section and hold down the output voltage range button to be able to select your preset scale the button blinks and alternates between fast and slow blinking but mine doesnt change color like the selecting a scale section in the manual says it should, anyone else experiencing this??

I think you're confusing modules there -- Stages has a harmonic oscillator mode. It's normally accessible by patching a cable on the back but an alternate firmware lets you access it by holding down the segment 1 button for a few seconds. There was a recent update to the Stages official firmware that adds a small delay to the S&H, and also adjusts the phase of different LFO waveforms so they feel more synchronized. The unofficial alternate firmware got updated recently too.

The recent Marbles update added superlock (hold down T or X big buttons to make them blink and they lock in as if the Deja Vu knob were at noon).

Anyway, on mine (which has the update) if I hold down the voltage range button it goes from solid to blinking, then when I tap it it alternates green-yellow-red with fast blinking, then green-yellow-red with slow blinking.

yes youre right i did cross pollenate those thoughts
ive been going back and forth between the two modules recently trying to get a better understanding of everything

on marbles
in the manual at the end it talks about selecting a scale by holding down the voltage range button
when i do this it turns an orangeish with a hint of green color and it stays that color each time i press it after that ONLY changing the frequency of blinks its giving me

you know what it was - i guess i had messed with the color blind mode and that makes it so it doesnt change colors

ok well
separate question

do you guys know what happens when you hold down the M or the E buttons?
i see something happen with the lights but i dont know what

have a nice weekend everyone!

x1212

[toumpouris]

hello!

Is there any kind of calibration that needs to be done as with other MI modules after updating to firmware 1.2?

Thanks

[mother misty]

hello!

Is there any kind of calibration that needs to be done as with other MI modules after updating to firmware 1.2?

Thanks

Nope, no recalibration needed.

[mother misty]

ok well
separate question

do you guys know what happens when you hold down the M or the E buttons?
i see something happen with the lights but i dont know what

This was already answered a few posts above your question, holding E button selects different rhythm modes.
Here's the list again

Green alternate:
Bias still sets the propability for a trigger on T1 or T3 to occur, but the decision is no longer made between those two. Instead a trigger can occur on both or on no channel according to your settings and the dice.

Yellow alternate:
Polyrhythm machine. One channel gets multiplied, the other divided. Here is what ratios i heard going from 12 o'clock to CW (no guarantee).

T1 T3
x1 x1
/1.25 x1.25
/1.3 x1.3
x1 x1.3
/2 x2
/3 x3
/4 x4
/6 x6
/8 x8

Red is a variant of the coin toss (branches, normal green) mode, with a third choice in which no trigger is generated.

[0netwo0netwo]

ok well
separate question

do you guys know what happens when you hold down the M or the E buttons?
i see something happen with the lights but i dont know what

This was already answered a few posts above your question, holding E button selects different rhythm modes.
Here's the list again

Green alternate:
Bias still sets the propability for a trigger on T1 or T3 to occur, but the decision is no longer made between those two. Instead a trigger can occur on both or on no channel according to your settings and the dice.

Yellow alternate:
Polyrhythm machine. One channel gets multiplied, the other divided. Here is what ratios i heard going from 12 o'clock to CW (no guarantee).

T1 T3
x1 x1
/1.25 x1.25
/1.3 x1.3
x1 x1.3
/2 x2
/3 x3
/4 x4
/6 x6
/8 x8

Red is a variant of the coin toss (branches, normal green) mode, with a third choice in which no trigger is generated.

thank you for your response
sorry i didnt see the previous response
so, nothing for the M button on the other side, only the left(trigger) side has secondary modes??

[droningspaghettimonster]

I'm having a strange behavior with C minor scale which I'd prefer as a start to work around with. for sore reason notes such as c# and b are sequenced within the scale even though they are not supposed to be there. i even tried to record my "own" fresh c minor scale from vector with no problem except that the problem persists. is scales in marbles maybe not so reliable or am i misunderstanding how transposition works or what? i've yet to figure this out and am even considering to just put it in chromatic scale + a proper quantizer for way more control. have anyone else ran into similar problem and managed to solve them without external module? cheers

[jbrandtp]

I'm having a strange behavior with C minor scale which I'd prefer as a start to work around with. for sore reason notes such as c# and b are sequenced within the scale even though they are not supposed to be there. i even tried to record my "own" fresh c minor scale from vector with no problem except that the problem persists. is scales in marbles maybe not so reliable or am i misunderstanding how transposition works or what? i've yet to figure this out and am even considering to just put it in chromatic scale + a proper quantizer for way more control. have anyone else ran into similar problem and managed to solve them without external module? cheers

As you turn the steps clockwise, more notes from the scale will be left out.
When you turn the steps all clockwise, only the rootnote should be present. Does c# and b also sound here for you?
If so: this is really strange.
Is this only happening in the the C-minor scale?
If not: at what point does the c# and b appear, when you turn the step-knobs?

All notes in the scale should be present around 1-2 o'clock.

[droningspaghettimonster]

Thanks for thr help. C# and b are there when all settings are 1-2 a clock. Tried other various settings and they always show up. Shoulnt there only be c minor notes at all settings?

[jbrandtp]

Thanks for thr help. C# and b are there when all settings are 1-2 a clock. Tried other various settings and they always show up. Shoulnt there only be c minor notes at all settings?

No.
At 12 o'clock the values are random and not quantized to a scale.
Turning clockwise from here you first get a chromatic scale at 1 o'clock.
The selected (or selfmade) scale turn up at 2 o'clock.
Turning further clockwise more and more notes from the scale will disappear, until only the rootnote remains at fully clockwise.

Hope this helps.

[droningspaghettimonster]

thanks!
I seem to have figured out with your help, was messing around with wrong knob combination. Feels like I just obtained a new module.

[Lux A Turner]

...Turning further clockwise more and more notes from the scale will disappear, until only the rootnote remains at fully clockwise.

Almost. You only get scale "carving", if you program the scale as a short jam of 50 notes or more.

From page 14 of the Marbles quickstart manual...

The module analyzes your jam to measure how frequently each note occurs. The least frequently played notes will be the first to be eliminated when STEPS is turned clockwise from 12 o’clock. The most frequently played note will be the last one to remain when STEPS is at 5 o’clock.

Note: it is also possible... to play the scale in ascending order, instead of a long melody. In this case, the module will not know the relative importance of each note of the scale, and the gradual scale “carving” will not be performed: turning the STEPS button from 12 o’clock to 5 o’clock will not modify the scale.

(My emphasis).

[kesserich]

I'm really enjoying my marbles but i have stupid question that i just can't find answered in either manual or the quick start. Does anyone know what the intended voltage range of the Bias, Rate and Jitter CV Inputs are? 0-5? 0-10?

[hawkfuzz]

https://mutable-instruments.net/modules/marbles/

"Input CV range: -5V to +5V"

[kesserich]

https://mutable-instruments.net/modules/marbles/

"Input CV range: -5V to +5V"

Thank you! I don't know how i missed that but i did.
Would you happen to also know if the CV is added to the knob position or if the knob acts as an attenuator?