My latest Path Set plugin, Rainbows, is live in the library. Rainbows is a collection of colorful sequencers ranging from the compact 12HP Grid module all the way up to the expansive 54HP Ring module:
Each module provides its own flavor of ways to create varied sequences for you to explore. All of them create a light-show that will memorize you for hours. The plugin also contains two expanders that works on any of the four sequencers. The Randomizer Expander lets you configure and trigger four different randomization effects. The Playhead Expander adds three more playheads allowing you to pull multiple layers of sequences out of the same module.
In addition to this new module there is also news from the rest of the Path Set family:
Grains now has Cheese Grater Expander that gives you more precise control over how the granular sample is played.
Infinity now has Shuttle. Use it to explore the infinite space of additive sine wave voices. Quantum Compass also has a new Accidental Mode in its right click menu.
Free also has a new module: One Shot. This āend of chainā Sequencer can add rhythmic and CV variations to even your most lethargic sequence. You can even chain them together for an extra piping-hot morning jolt.
I bought these the other day and Iām so impressed with them. I canāt imagine the amount of work youāve put into them with all the things Iāve never seen in Rack before, like the custom scale keyboard.
I just now bought Rainbows. What sold me is the apparent richness of CV parameter control. I can do so much more with a module if the developer supports CV parameter automation. We will see if this one leaves me feeling very satisfied
Well, very satisfied with automating Ring so far! Iām sending the Ring note CV out to a Grande Quant that is being set to a pentatonic scale sent from Meander.
Iām glad your feeling satisfied so far. I like adding CVs and AVs on a lot of my modules. Thatās part of the reason they end up big. But Iām also open to improving them and/or adding expanders. So if you have any ideas for ways to improve things Iām all ears.
It is rare that when Iām exploring a totally new module that I find myself saying āDarn, I should have been recording!ā. But thatās whatās happening with Ring.
I like CV parameter control a lot, as you tell by my Meander panel. Iām perfectly happy with having a module as large as it takes to expand functionality.
Great job! Oh wait, Iām still on the first module in the collection
Definitely, and itās so good to see. There are some amazing tools in VCV Rack but there are not many people pushing the envelope and putting out lots of new modules.
My head is spinning with possibilities for Ring, but struggling a bit on how to wrap my head around the module. Reading the manual seems to be an absolute must. I have the manual on one monitor and Rack on the other. It is a bit challenging to mind-map the ports and knobs ānumbersā to those in the manual. Am I missing something that makes this easier? There is no way to display the manual ānumbersā on the panel, is there? Turning on tooltips helped.
I was getting disappointed but then I discovered the two expanders and my disappointment flipped to excitement, Am I missing the manual pages for the expanders? The Randomizer manual section seems to end in mid-sentence as if something important got left out.
Iām really liking this, but feel overwhelmed. I would feel better if the plugin let me earn badges and progress to the next level I can sure see your gaming background in these modules. An adventure game in themselves. And it has a context sensitive āsoundtrackā!
With so many modules in the library it gets harder and harder to come up with something thatās really new/different, or even just significantly ābetterā than whatās already available. Itās certainly still possible though as can be seen here.
That said, after a long break since ShapeMaster, we have found our mojo again and have recently started development on a new module.
Ops, yeah I had some hanging words there. Those should be cleaned up now. Nothing supper important was missing there.
Yeah the manuals probably could use some work. Let me add some info here and you can tell me if it helps you. If so I may add it to the manual too.
Ring is probably best described in three parts:
First Ring is four 8-step sequences. One of them is the horizontal row. One is the vertical row. And the other two are the two diagonal rows. The length, mutes, and ratchets for each of these these lines are independent and controlled on the left wing of the module.
Second Ring is four concentring rings. The outer most ring down to the inner most ring. These rings can be ārotatedā moving the notes clock wise or counter clock wise. This effectively jumbles up the ālinesā, creating more variation over time. The controls for these rotations are on the right wing of the module.
Finally the central panel has the Jump controls. These controls allow the playhead to jump between lines. I would recommend leaving this at 0 as you explore the rest of the module. Hopefully the Jump Points section of the manual describes these enough.
Yeah, that helps. Thanks. But, I am currently hung up on the Jumps. How do I force a jump between two 8 step sequences? Iāve trial and errored it it but just canāt get it to do what I expect. Actually any sequence. Iāve tried to send CV into the Jump CV Input, but nothing happens.
The manual looks better now. Thanks.
Iām just going to have to keep plugging away at it.
So if you set the jump to 1, it will always jump 45 degrees clockwise. If you set it to 2 it will jump 90 degrees clockwise. Etc. Values between 1 and 2 will always jump 45 degrees and sometimes jump 90 degrees. 1.2 means 20% chance to jump 90 degrees and 80% chance to jump 45 degrees. etc.
One tricky bit is that there are only 4 sequences but 8 jumps. Effectively each sequence is used twice. Once forward and once backwards.
Also the Jump CVs go through the Attenuverters, so if those are at 0 the CVs wonāt do anything.
I had multiple problems. My clocked reset was happening too often and killing the jump.
If the jump middle inputs are attenuverters, shouldnāt 0% mean no attenuation? It works if I set it to 100%.Maybe this is a VCV āstandardā? Can it not step CCW?
Is there a global jump option or does it have to happen on the line jump inputs?
It stopped jumping for me. I still must not understand. I did a reset and it started working again.
This is going to take some time to figure out how to sequence this sequencer at a global level. After you answer these questions, I will just experiment for a while and not ask questions. Thanks.
I like answering questions so feel free to ask as many as you want
I donāt quite understand your question on the attenuverters. The way it works is if the attenuverter is at 100% then a 10V input adds +8 to the knob (Its full range). Everything scales linearly. So 100% and +5V would be +4 to the knob. 50% and +5V would be +2 to the knob. Etc. If the attenuverter is at 0% the CV value is ignored.
It can not jump Counter Clockwise. If the knob is less that 0 (because of the CV and Attenuverter) then the jump is treated as 0.
There is current no global jump value/knob.
Jumping can stop if the corresponding knobs is at 0. Knob values bellow 1 have a chance to not jump so that can also effectively cause it to not jump.
Overall I think the jumping is probably the most confusing and weakest part of Ring. Iām defiantly open to ways to improve it.
I need to rethink what I am doing. Ring may not be able to be fully sequencable via CV. Thatās what I run up against with pretty much every sequencer. Not all controls are CV controllable.
Iām an odd duck. I map out CV discrete eigenvalues voltages for a module and then I build sequencers that send those eigenvalues to that module. And quite often I sequence those sequencers.
I should write a brief update here, since my last post was expressing some doubts I had that turned out to be non-issues. Iām having a blast doing Rainbows modules automation via parameter CV control. So far I have focused on Ring and Grid modules. It is very easy to create time evolving sequences. In my patches, Meander drives the scale, which it sends to Grande Quant to quantize the Rainbows sequences to the Meander scale. Meander supports heptatonic or pentatonic āpoly external scaleā output and I typically use the pentatonic modified sub-scale of the Meander mode and root heptatonic scale with Rainbows.
Today I am working on a temporal fractal sequence where I use the Rainbows āPlayhead Expanderā module where two tracks are created by two different clock frequencies such that the entire second playback head sequence plays between every note of the first playback head sequence.
A lot of fun with this fan-tastic premium plugin.
I hope to record some music made with Meander, Rainbows, FM-OP, Organ Three and VCV drums soon and post here. Of course Rainbows and VCV Drums are premium plugins, so Iām not sure whether it would make sense to post patches, but weāll see.
