Announcing the Meta Sequencer by Microbe Modular

[clone45]

Announcing the Meta Sequencer, by Microbe Modular

I'm extremely pleased to announce the upcoming release of the Meta Sequencer by Microbe Modular. The Meta Sequencer is a compact CV sequencer. Step editing is intuitive and requires no menus. Advanced settings are managed using a "flat" menu system.



Basic features:

• Easy sequence editing using two rotary encoders with two corresponding numeric displays. The top encoder selects the sequence step. The bottom encoder selects the value.
• Clock input and manual push-button
• Reset input and manual push-button.
• 12 bit CV output
• Three way switch to select between Playback Mode / Edit Mode / Settings Mode.
• All sequence and settings information is immediately stored in non-volatile ram (technically, FRAM). You don't have to worry about saving or loading..

Advanced features include:

• Selectable sequence length from 1 to 64 steps. (This might be increased to 128 steps.)
• Built in clock divider, from 1 to 512.
• Output quantization (optional) - 16 different musical scales available.
• Sequence Randomize / Clear functions

Even more advanced features:

• "Drift" settings (percentage and amount) - allows the sequence values to drift from their original values. The drift amounts do not affect the underlying sequence and are reset when the sequence is reset. Great for slowly evolving CV output.
• "Slip" setting (percentage) - Sets the sequencer "slippage", which is a percentage chance of the playback sequencer NOT stepping when it normally would.
• "Hold" setting (optional) - Applies a Sample & Hold to the sequence output based on a gate pattern derived from the hold setting (0-255). I'll explain this in greater detail later, but it's pretty cool.
• All advanced settings can be active simultaneously.

Technical Specifications

• Width: 6HP
• Runs off either the +/-12V supply only, or a combination of +/-12V and 5V supplies, selectable via a jumper in the rear. Unlike the Equation Composer, no +5 volt supply is required.
• Typical current requirements: 80mA.

Price and availability:

• Unknown. We're building this module to be as affordable as possible. It'll probably be ready around March 2015.
• Front panel design still pending

[video][/video]



Cheers,
Bret Truchan
Microbe Modular

[adnauseam]

Cool! Reminds me a little bit of one part of the ER-101 indexed sequencer..

[clone45]

True! It does seem like the ER-101's little brother. If anyone has any interesting ideas that can be a "setting", I'm all ears. For example,

rHOP
"Percentage chance to skip to a random step".

It's not a great idea, but you get the picture. :-)

[Richard Devine]

wow, this looks and sounds great!

[alamandra]

Really good idea you thought up here. Pretty dam feature dense for such a small space too.

[DSC]

128 steps please!
Love me some more steps.

[Herman]

That's looks like it'll be a lot of fun.

[clone45]

Even I can't claim that this module is very "exciting". It's much more utilitarian. But thanks for all of the positive feedback!

[cger]

This is really cool but it really needs a 1v/Oct CV input to transpose the sequence in semi tones.
I'd also add an SH-101 type of sequencer function if possible.
If you can do those 2 things you would have a huge winner.
Even with only 1v/Oct transpose option added I would buy it in a second for one of my small portable cases in which I cannot fit Metropolis.
I'd also add clock multiplier so you can speed up the sequence, not just clock divider. Have it go both ways like with 4MS QCD, basically Div/Mult. That would be awesome.

Some other ideas:

Ability to switch between octaves while sequence is playing (like Minibrute's arp)
Gate length per step

:-)

[clone45]

Cger, thanks a ton for the suggestions!

That's a really interesting idea about the transpose, but I don't want to fatten up the module just for that feature. Hmm... it gives me a strange idea. Let me try it out, then I'll see what you think.

What's the feature of the SH-101 that you're talking about?

A clock multiplier is a great idea. I'll see what I can do.

Thanks!
Bret

[bkinsman]

looks awesome, defs want one of them!

[adnauseam]

True! It does seem like the ER-101's little brother. If anyone has any interesting ideas that can be a "setting", I'm all ears. For example,

rHOP
"Percentage chance to skip to a random step".

It's not a great idea, but you get the picture. :-)

I like this hop idea.. Could be very useful.

Especially since I haven't seen many "probability trigger" modules..

[adnauseam]

What's the feature of the SH-101 that you're talking about?

i think this is the sequencer feature that let's you enter a new step value with each clock/trig + cv value pair.

So if you played notes into the sequencer with a CV keyboard it would record each step as you press a key.

Two other "sequencers" come to mind when thinking of this feature: the eurorack module "Brainseed" and the sequencer on the microbrute

[basicbasic]

Being able to ALSO enter the CV value per step from an external CV source (ie keyboard) AND have a way to transpose via CV (again i'm thinking keyboard) would make it a winner for me.

That would replicate the Pro-One sequencer functionality which is my personal fave.

[Protofrangiste]

Congrats Bret, that's a very dense module and it seems to be very intuitive to use!

My two cents : I think functions like octave switch or cv transpose can easily be done with a Doepfer A-185-2 Precision CV Adder after this sequencer.
This is the modular spirit, no?

if you had a jack or two to add, it would be more interesting to have gate output (and a way to turn them on or off on each step)
Another idea could be a CV in to influence the advanced features, a gate could hold a note or start the random mode... Maybe a different feature per mode...

Clock multiplier is a great idea!

(edited for typo)

[Funky40]

+1 : GReat ! much function on space ratio !

+1: octave transpose would be very welcome !
+ 1: on clock multiplying, ( if you anyway can do it internally )


my first thought:
i´d wish me a button to advance the steps (beside the encoder) instead of turning that encoder to advance the steps one by one.
that one could made "for me" the No-or-Go........i think, so from distance without that i ever touched anything like this

[theewiper]

Very cool. +1 for step entry a la SH-101.

[cger]

Thanks! Very cool.
In addition to what others said about inputting notes through CV like SH-101, Brain Seed, Pro-One. SH-101 allows for rests to be inputted (silent notes), so it's not just straight on 1/16th deal.
Something like that that allows for up to 128 notes would be perfect.

So I would imagine this working like this: select input mode and press a key on your CV keyboard controller to input a note and in order to create a "rest" you press down one of the knobs and keep it pressed while inputting notes. This is how SH-101 works. Simple and sweet.

If you want I can make a video about it with my SH-101. I did not see any on YouTube that explain it, but I did not spend time looking really.

SH101 seq is a bit better then Pro-One, although in order to transpose you need to hold the button down which is annoying. So that works better on Pro-One

Also one CV and one Gate output is fine, just like Metropolis. Definitely needs Gate out I think.

The clock Div/Mult on 4ms is brilliant. I know comments will show up like with the A-185-2 preseason adder or "just use" QCD for "that".
But I think that if there is a way for you to design those functions without messing around with your ultimate goal, you are going to have something really special in such a small footprint as far as HP.

I don't think you have enough space for clock in and out. Unless the same input can be programmed as output? That's beyond my knowledge.

Thanks!

Cger, thanks a ton for the suggestions!

That's a really interesting idea about the transpose, but I don't want to fatten up the module just for that feature. Hmm... it gives me a strange idea. Let me try it out, then I'll see what you think.

What's the feature of the SH-101 that you're talking about?

A clock multiplier is a great idea. I'll see what I can do.

Thanks!
Bret

[StoneLaw]

128 steps i'll probably get one as is! Also, I love that style of screen.

I dig everyone's features but transpose would be the killer. Especially if it could do pre or post quantiser transposing (assuming that it has different scales, pre quantize being diatonic transposition ... if it only did semitones and not scales it wouldnt matter and I'd still get it anyway)

[meatbeatz]

very cool. I've been looking to cram as much sequencing into my live case as poss so this is ticking all the boxes

+1 for transpose.

[Bogus]

Holy utility

[robbert]

Very nice, indeed.

But much more interesting than transpose what can be done with combining other modules would be a cv-able direction, forward/backward play direction

[cger]

I gave it a little more thought as I was kind of hoping someone would make a small sequencer like this for a while now.

All the features you listed are awesome. Some new very interesting thinking with Drift, Slip and Hold settings.

I’ll try to keep it simple. But this is what I would do.

Hardware

1. Transpose, 0-5V and scaled to 1V/Oct
2. Gate output

If you cannot do that, maybe there is a small expander, something the size of G8?

Software

1. SH-101 style sequencer mode.
2. Div/Mult (like QCD)

Nice to have’s and ideas.

1. User adjustable gate length per step

Three ideas I’m taking from Arp that’s in Logic Pro X just because I think they are cool and simple.

- You can adjust Note Length globally but you can also randomize them from 0 to 100, this is a really cool function. I think your Sample & Hold does something like that?
Note length would go from 1% to 150% and Randomization from 0% to 100%

- Octave range from 1 to 4

- Note direction order, I like the 10 modes that Metropolis has.


I think that’s it without going crazy.

Thanks!

[Liquidyzer]

Looks like Pamela's workout's pitchable counterpart. Will look great in a rack next to each other

[jcarruthers]

@cger — hold on a bit and I have something that will blow your socks off

Hoping to have something to show mid Jan.