Sequencer Redesign

[Martin]

I reciprocate, great idea, always best to leave it tot the designers. I’m all for slow and accurate. Good call @IvanS for your feedback.

[bert]

OK. So i’ll try to implement this but it might take a while because I have to prioritize.

[tiger001]

the TAP Tempo button should not react to 1 push
at least 3 ticks should be needed to enter a tempo

the push encoders double as G1 buttons - this is maybe overkill

i like when you can step through all steps 4 at a time with the L & R buttons
Up & Down button (+EN/-EN) have no function so maybe discard them on the display?

[bert]

the TAP Tempo button should not react to 1 push
at least 3 ticks should be needed to enter a tempo

The way the code works is that the result gets more accurate as you keep tapping. You can just tap 3 times and then the result will become reliable.

the push encoders double as G1 buttons - this is maybe overkill

This was a request from someone in the forum, can’t remember who.

i like when you can step through all steps 4 at a time with the L & R buttons

We can keep that functionality in there, but the scrolling idea to move the 4-step window using an encoder would work independently from that. You could use both.

Up & Down button (+EN/-EN) have no function so maybe discard them on the display?

Other modules do need those buttons, and it’s not a quick fix to disable or hide those just for the sequencer module without affecting the rest of the logic.

[BrettSaberhagen]

Hello SSP Community!

I know that I’m very late to party on this one but just fired up the SEQuencer module today and had a few observations/questions that I’d like to share:

1.PLen (pattern length) - when I change the value of this parameter the size of the displayed sequence of steps does not change. If I make a pattern of 16 steps I don’t want to see all of the other steps that I’m not using. If I set my sequence length to 16 steps I only want to see 16 steps.

2. Gates - Currently I only see two (2) gates available in the sequencer. Is this a design limitation or am I not seeing more gates being available because I’m missing an unknown (at least to me…) key combination. The Sampler currently can load eight (8) individual samples but from as far as I can tell I can only trigger two of them via the sequencer. Am I missing something?

3. Step Values - I made a simple Kick (on gate 1) and Snare (on gate 2) drum pattern of 16 steps with the Kick on steps 1,5,9,13 and the Snare on steps 5 &13 (I know,I know very basic…). On steps 5 & 13 I have both the Kick and Snare triggering (overlapping) but when I go to change the value for the step value parameter it changes (in this case) the Pitch of both samples that I’m using… How do I change the step value for each of these gates independently? Again, my apologies in advance if this is a RTFM moment…

4. Step Values -(again) - While adjusting the step value of gates, (in my case I’m using it for the pitch of samples in the Sampler module…) it would be great to actually see the value displayed somehow so that if you wanted to match values in subsequent steps like matching pitch of sample or notes of filter cutoffs you could quickly reference the number displayed and not have to scroll unde the actual step to see the value. Make sense?

[bert]

If I make a pattern of 16 steps I don’t want to see all of the other steps that I’m not using. If I set my sequence length to 16 steps I only want to see 16 steps.

Yes, but other people might want to see the other steps, because they made a sequence of 64 steps and want to tweak the length of the sequence live. If I just show the steps of the length you’ve chosen they cannot see what the rest of the sequence is.

The Sampler currently can load eight (8) individual samples but from as far as I can tell I can only trigger two of them via the sequencer. Am I missing something?

That is correct. You need to use multiple step sequencers, sync them internally (there is a toggle button for that) and send their gate outputs to the 8 inputs of the sampler.

How do I change the step value for each of these gates independently? Again, my apologies in advance if this is a RTFM moment…

You use multiple step sequencers

it would be great to actually see the value displayed somehow so that if you wanted to match values in subsequent steps like matching pitch of sample or notes of filter cutoffs you could quickly reference the number displayed and not have to scroll unde the actual step to see the value. Make sense?

You mean show the actual numeric value of all the steps? we could do that but it would visually overload the display of the sequence IMHO …

[BrettSaberhagen]

Yes, but other people might want to see the other steps, because they made a sequence of 64 steps and want to tweak the length of the sequence live. If I just show the steps of the length you’ve chosen they cannot see what the rest of the sequence i

I believe the easiest way to solve both of these needs would be to have a soft button that has an option to collapse the displayed number of steps to the desired length if the end user desires or keeps the display full of all available note slots (for future use).

That is correct. You need to use multiple step sequencers, sync them internally (there is a toggle button for that) and send their gate outputs to the 8 inputs of the sampler.

For me this doesn’t make any sense…
Having to navigate back and forth between multiple instances of the Step Sequencer module just to reference the triggers and step values (note values,etc…) would become maddening IMHO.
I think that there is plenty of screen real estate available on the Percussa to see 8 gates under each step if necessary and I’d tolerate smaller gate boxes under each step before using 4 or 8 instances of the Sequencer to get the same job done…

You use multiple step sequencers

Nope.

You mean show the actual numeric value of all the steps? we could do that but it would visually overload the display of the sequence IMHO …

Yes, either that or squeeze the horizontal space on the right hand side of the Sequencer module to display all of the parameters for the highlighted step and/or gate.

[tiger001]

Having to navigate back and forth between multiple instances of the Step Sequencer module just to reference the triggers and step values (note values,etc…) would become maddening IMHO.

every step sequencer can hold 64 patterns so lock & load ? (save a pattern & re-use in another instance)

[BrettSaberhagen]

every step sequencer can hold 64 patterns so lock & load ? (save a pattern & re-use in another instance)

My point was not having to use two instances of the Sequencer module to make a drum kit…
Having one Sequencer to do the Kick and Snare and another doing the Clsd & Open HiHats seems counterintuitive to me. Having the Sequencer module have multiple triggers (expanded to 8 instead of the current 2) per step would be more straightforward and practical and keep you on one Sequencer page and not several individual pages in different Sequencer modules…

[IvanS]

Yes, but other people might want to see the other steps, because they made a sequence of 64 steps and want to tweak the length of the sequence live. If I just show the steps of the length you’ve chosen they cannot see what the rest of the sequence is.

I think the workaround is to have USED steps have a brighter white colour then UNUSED steps

[IvanS]

My point was not having to use two instances of the Sequencer module to make a drum kit…

Having one Sequencer to do the Kick and Snare and another doing the Clsd & Open HiHats seems counterintuitive to me. Having the Sequencer module have multiple triggers (expanded to 8 instead of the current 2) per step would be more straightforward and practical and keep you on one Sequencer page and not several individual pages in different Sequencer modules…

Yep totally agree, its almost like every module in percussa should make perfect sense when using with another module inside of it. The same way the output module is designed where it takes all 8 inputs from sampler and has 8 outputs. So i think everything should either be done in 4’s which to me is ideal in a eurorack environment, or 8.

[BrettSaberhagen]

Yep totally agree, its almost like every module in percussa should make perfect sense when using with another module inside of it.

+10 @IvanS - glad to know that I’m not the only one… kinda quiet here lately.

[2disbetter]

Haha, just busy working! Some pretty serious under the hood improvements are getting worked on. Complicated stuff.

Don’t worry, B&C are keeping a close eye on all things SSP.

[celine]

kinda quiet here lately

Bert and myself have been working on an OS update the past weeks which has taken all our concentration. It’s not because we don’t post here for a while that we don’t read the forum

Some updates can be turned around in a week but some cannot. That’s just how development works.

Keep in mind that since shipping the SSPs to kickstarter backers, we have posted a software update on average every week which has been quite intense. We have consistently taken into account requests from everyone even though they were not planned.

We’re working on a few fixes this weekend and should be able to post a new update somewhere early coming week.

[celine]

its almost like every module in percussa should make perfect sense when using with another module inside of it.

Our goal is to keep the individual modules as easy to use and understand as possible, and to design them such that when combining them the result is powerful. We created a patching grid exactly to allow you to do what you say here - to combine modules with each other and to build whatever you want

[celine]

The same way the output module is designed where it takes all 8 inputs from sampler and has 8 outputs. So i think everything should either be done in 4’s which to me is ideal in a eurorack environment, or 8.

Each module runs on a single processor core which means that if you duplicate a lot of processing within a module, it cannot be spread out over the cores. So if you want maximum flexibility and want to get the most out of the SSP, it’s better to avoid doing this. Of course for simple stuff like an input or output module or a VCA it doesn’t matter.

[IvanS]

Each module runs on a single processor core which means that if you duplicate a lot of processing within a module, it cannot be spread out over the cores. So if you want maximum flexibility and want to get the most out of the SSP, it’s better to avoid doing this. Of course for simple stuff like an input or output module or a VCA it doesn’t matter.

I think that although for example having a seqencer with 2 gate outputs is maybe more efficient for SSP, it is not efficient to work with when connected to a sampler module. So it’s kind of like improving machine’s efficiency and compromising on the user workflow, which to me doesn’t really make sense. If say I wanted to trigger 8 samples, I would need 4 sequencers. This means that we have to occupy 4 slots in the grid, go in and edit each sequencer, this becomes tedious and once you made a pattern on 4 sequencers it’s just too much to edit. Imagine if you have 4 midi sequencers that can sequence 2 notes each and you want to sequence 8 voice poly patch on a synth, this is basically what we have here. Also perhaps in the future the sequencers will be able to save patterns, so if you have to use multiple sequencers to fully use 1 Sampler module, you would need to save 4 patterns in 4 sequencers, which at that point means that you are not very likely to be able to recall it in the future.

Maybe the sampler shoudl have 4 sample slots? Would it be easy to add 4 gates into the sequencer in this case instead of 8?

[BrettSaberhagen]

Bert and myself have been working on an OS update the past weeks which has taken all our concentration. It’s not because we don’t post here for a while that we don’t read the forum

I guess that I should have prefaced my comment to all of my fellow end users and not @bert, @celine.
Since it had been rather quiet with not as much feedback and suggestions as usual.

[BrettSaberhagen]

I think that although for example having a seqencer with 2 gate outputs is maybe more efficient for SSP, it is not efficient to work with when connected to a sampler module. So it’s kind of like improving machine’s efficiency and compromising on the user workflow, which to me doesn’t really make sense. If say I wanted to trigger 8 samples, I would need 4 sequencers. This means that we have to occupy 4 slots in the grid, go in and edit each sequencer, this becomes tedious and once you made a pattern on 4 sequencers it’s just too much to e

+10 @IvanS This is exactly what I was talking about.

Also perhaps in the future the sequencers will be able to save patterns,

+1 @IvanS Yeah, having the ability to store and recall Sequencer patterns would be essential.

[tiger001]

a (extra) global start/stop button would be no luxury i think, now i always have to go to step seq. module and press the int clk button to stop/start