This new update (0.6.13) brings a few changes and two new modules:
Foundry: a 4 track phrase sequencer that follows many of the design principles found in the PhraseSeq lineup, but does some things differently, the main one being that since I wanted to allow sequences to be editied when the song plays, which is something PS16/32 cannot do, we can only run the song. I have a block diagram in my manual, which I highly recommend, so that you can quickly see the structure of the sequencer.
FourView: a small 4-CV display module that shows notes symbols, so that we can quickly see our chords. This module pairs very well with Foundry.
Clocked: the clock outputs are now held in their current levels when run is turned off (instead of interneally being reset), such that when run is turned on again, the clocks continue on their way from where they left off. Such an approach is needed for when we are clocking different sequencers that use different clock ratios, such that everything stays in sync when we stop the patch and intend to start it up again from where we left off. Reset can still be used though, to restart everything as usual.
Held tied notes: In Foundry and all PhraseSeqs, tied notes now hold their gate across successive tied notes. The former method is still available in the right-click menu.
ASTONISHING work, Marc! I’m a huge sequencer nerd and Foundry looks like a dream come true! I can’t wait to get stuck into it! One of the first things I’m going to try is using the 8 faders on my LaunchControl XL (and various buttons) to program the sequencer physically.
Cool! I have the same controller, and with the jacks available in the expansion panel, you should be able to get a fair bit of programming using external means. Not everything can be programmed through CV inputs though (like the probability and slide values), but it should be fun! Sorry for your familiy!
Hey @marc_boule, always some interesting modules from you
I’ve got an interesting question to raise: I think that a mode that syncs random steps between all tracks (assuming they have the same length) would be an interesting option.
Let me develop this: if I program chords in the sequencer and want to randomly switch between them, it’s currently not possible as each track selects it’s own random step / note independently. If we could have an option that picks up a random step and then selects the same step for all tracks, this issue would be solved.
I forgot to mention it in the manual (sorry, will add it now), but there is a run mode that does pretty much what you mention, and I made it for that purpose: it is the TKA run mode, and it can be selected both for sequences and for the song itself.
In this run mode, the steps and/or phrase indexes of a given track will use those of track A, such that chords will randomize together. It implicitly works for Browninan random too, not just the usual random.
For track A, the TKA run modes (seq or song) revert to FWD, since they are undefined.
Thanks for mentioning it! I knew I forgot something in the manual
Merci @marc_boule!
Excellent, that’s perfect! I’ve just tried it, pretty cool.
With such a beast of a module, it’s easy to forget something in the documentation
Okay. I’ve tried it and it mostly works. The only thing that’s an issue is that when I write a step, all four CVs write at the same time. I know it says that this is how it works in the manual, but I tried a couple of things to get around it (e.g., using one LCXL fader going through a 1:4 sequential switch), but it’s exactly as you say… if something is connected to the CV input (whether or not there’s voltage going into it), it gets written.
I can see how this is great for chords, but my particular use case for Foundry is just as a four-track sequencer. While that works perfectly fine when you’re patching with the mouse, I can’t really do it with a MIDI controller. Switching between mouse (to connect/disconnect voltage from CV ins) and the LCXL isn’t ideal.
If there is any way to accommodate that use case, that would be great. But hey, it’s your code. It’s a great sequencer besides, so I’ll definitely use it anyway.
@fbeecher At first thought it would require 4 LED buttons near the CV IN jacks, and same for the CV2 IN jacks. It’s super easy to do in the code, but adding 8 LED buttons to an already crowded interface is non-trivial I’ll keep it in mind though, and if a simpler solution pops up, I could give it a shot. Thanks!
Yeah. That would be challenging. I’m a UX designer by trade, so I could give it a few spare brain cycles and see if I can come up with anything. Should I take this discussion to Github as a feature request then?
Ok, go for github if you like, no problem. Perhaps there’s a way to do it with just the voltage levels themselves, which would require no UI changes. If there was a way to make it so that, for example, some other switches on the launch control, coupled to a utility module, was used to floor the signals you don’t want to -10V, I could make it so that any -10V (or lower) signal is ignored and not written into the seq. Just a thought for now, more thinking may be needed
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