BF-31 Endless Arpeggios: 5STEPS!
May 28, 2024 13:54:42 GMT
rockysmalls, maydonpoliris, and 3 more like this
Post by keurslagerkurt on May 28, 2024 13:54:42 GMT
Store page for 5STEPS is online now as well!
www.tindie.com/products/bfsynths/bf-31-endless-arpeggios-5steps-for-ae/
This product is sold out already because well.... there is a story! After Superbooth 2024 we offered the other three AE creators one module of choice from our line-up as a gift. And after seeing the action at Superbooth.. All three of them picked a 5STEPS module! We actually didn't expect them to pick our weirdest module (we also didn't expect them to agree on a point like this...
). As of such, we already ran out of our first run after the two first 'real sales'. Don't worry, we're working on more as we speak, and you can join the waitinglist if you want to receive an instant update of the next batch!
Some info about the module:
As I experimented with small, one rack setups in AE Modular, I felt the need for a module that could convert any CV input (LFO's, envelopes,..) into an arpeggio of notes (CV + triggers). Much like the TW Quantizer can convert a changing input into different output notes, I wanted this but with more control over the different output CV's. This is why I made the Five Steps module, and it turned out to be useful for a lot more stuff!
The Basics
Before I delve into the deeper workings of the module, I can tell you that its a lot of fun to play with. You can input a CV, for example a triangle LFO, and as the LFO is rising, the Five Steps will output the different CV's that you dialed in with the knobs sequentially. When the LFO is falling down in voltage, the dialed in CV's will be heard in the opposite order. So if you use this for the tuning of a VCO, you'll get a rising & falling arpeggio. The speed of the arpeggio, is determined by the speed of the LFO you input. There is also a transposing CV input: each value you input here, gets added to the output value, basically transposing the arpeggio. As output, you get the different CV's out sequentially, but also a trigger each time a new CV is output (so if your arpeggio changes notes, just like with the TW Quantizer). And also different logical outs depending on which note of the arpeggio is playing (more on that later).
In essence, you can view it as an analog version of the Quantizer, but with more control over different CV outs, but less possible CV notes out (as you 'only' have five knobs).
A quick & lofi demo over on youtube:
The inner workings & more specifics
The module basically consists of 4 comparators with fixed thresholds at 0.833V, 1.66V, 2.5V and 3.33V. When you input a voltage below the first threshold, the output will be equal to the first CV you dialed in with the first (= upper) knob. Each knob can dial in any CV from 0-5V according on the knob setting. When the input voltage passes the first threshold of 0.833V (eg your input LFO is rising), the output CV will change into the voltage of knob 1 + the voltage of knob 2. When the next threshold is passed, the new CV out will be the sum of knob 1, 2 and 3. Because the output is a sum of the knobs, once you hit 5V in total, the CV can not go up further and the later knobs will not add CV. The CV out can also only go UP when the input CV goes up. If you want for example an arpeggio to go from a high note to a low note, you will need to input a saw wave LFO with a falling CV. If you want more complicated patterns, I advice running modules like the RBSS in the input.
The second input makes it able to add any voltage to the output CV. So if you use this for notes, it means that you can transpose your patterns with a fixed voltage. You can for example use the outputs of a SEQ8 to sequence the different 'root notes' of the arpeggio.
The second outputs are triggers, much like the Quantizer has. You get a trigger pulse each time a threshold is passed, so each time a note is changed. This makes it possible to use the Five Steps as a kind of sequencer.
Lastly, there are four logic outputs, labeled 2-5. Every time a threshold is passed, one of these changes fro m 0V to 5V or the other way around. For example, if none of the tresholds is passed, all logic outs will be 0V. When the first threshold is passed, this means Knob 2 is activated for the output CV, and the output labeled '2' will output 5V at this point. The other outputs will remain 0V. When the next threshold is met, output '3' will change to 5V etc. These outputs can be a lot of fun to control CV switches, gates, accents, or run them through The Great Divide to actually extract an analog output out of this digital combination!
www.tindie.com/products/bfsynths/bf-31-endless-arpeggios-5steps-for-ae/
This product is sold out already because well.... there is a story! After Superbooth 2024 we offered the other three AE creators one module of choice from our line-up as a gift. And after seeing the action at Superbooth.. All three of them picked a 5STEPS module! We actually didn't expect them to pick our weirdest module (we also didn't expect them to agree on a point like this...
). As of such, we already ran out of our first run after the two first 'real sales'. Don't worry, we're working on more as we speak, and you can join the waitinglist if you want to receive an instant update of the next batch!Some info about the module:
As I experimented with small, one rack setups in AE Modular, I felt the need for a module that could convert any CV input (LFO's, envelopes,..) into an arpeggio of notes (CV + triggers). Much like the TW Quantizer can convert a changing input into different output notes, I wanted this but with more control over the different output CV's. This is why I made the Five Steps module, and it turned out to be useful for a lot more stuff!
The Basics
Before I delve into the deeper workings of the module, I can tell you that its a lot of fun to play with. You can input a CV, for example a triangle LFO, and as the LFO is rising, the Five Steps will output the different CV's that you dialed in with the knobs sequentially. When the LFO is falling down in voltage, the dialed in CV's will be heard in the opposite order. So if you use this for the tuning of a VCO, you'll get a rising & falling arpeggio. The speed of the arpeggio, is determined by the speed of the LFO you input. There is also a transposing CV input: each value you input here, gets added to the output value, basically transposing the arpeggio. As output, you get the different CV's out sequentially, but also a trigger each time a new CV is output (so if your arpeggio changes notes, just like with the TW Quantizer). And also different logical outs depending on which note of the arpeggio is playing (more on that later).
In essence, you can view it as an analog version of the Quantizer, but with more control over different CV outs, but less possible CV notes out (as you 'only' have five knobs).
A quick & lofi demo over on youtube:
The inner workings & more specifics
The module basically consists of 4 comparators with fixed thresholds at 0.833V, 1.66V, 2.5V and 3.33V. When you input a voltage below the first threshold, the output will be equal to the first CV you dialed in with the first (= upper) knob. Each knob can dial in any CV from 0-5V according on the knob setting. When the input voltage passes the first threshold of 0.833V (eg your input LFO is rising), the output CV will change into the voltage of knob 1 + the voltage of knob 2. When the next threshold is passed, the new CV out will be the sum of knob 1, 2 and 3. Because the output is a sum of the knobs, once you hit 5V in total, the CV can not go up further and the later knobs will not add CV. The CV out can also only go UP when the input CV goes up. If you want for example an arpeggio to go from a high note to a low note, you will need to input a saw wave LFO with a falling CV. If you want more complicated patterns, I advice running modules like the RBSS in the input.
The second input makes it able to add any voltage to the output CV. So if you use this for notes, it means that you can transpose your patterns with a fixed voltage. You can for example use the outputs of a SEQ8 to sequence the different 'root notes' of the arpeggio.
The second outputs are triggers, much like the Quantizer has. You get a trigger pulse each time a threshold is passed, so each time a note is changed. This makes it possible to use the Five Steps as a kind of sequencer.
Lastly, there are four logic outputs, labeled 2-5. Every time a threshold is passed, one of these changes fro m 0V to 5V or the other way around. For example, if none of the tresholds is passed, all logic outs will be 0V. When the first threshold is passed, this means Knob 2 is activated for the output CV, and the output labeled '2' will output 5V at this point. The other outputs will remain 0V. When the next threshold is met, output '3' will change to 5V etc. These outputs can be a lot of fun to control CV switches, gates, accents, or run them through The Great Divide to actually extract an analog output out of this digital combination!