Overview
The SEQ32 is a compact sequencer with up to 32 steps and up to 4 channels. The steps are split between the channels in blocks of 8 steps.
The sequencer also has a number of input jacks and output jacks for interaction with your other euro rack modules.
Front panel and navigation
At the top you will find the 32 steps. Each step has a button and a LED. The LED lights up when the step is active. You can use the buttons to activate any of the steps.
In the middle you will find the main menu and the value controls. When you click on a menu button, the LED above that menu item will be lit. If you click the same button again, the LED below the button will be lit instead. Each menu button incorporates dual menu items. If you press and hold a menu button a bit longer, “long press”, you will activate on of the six setup and utility functions and the selected led will now blink. You can exit any menu-feature by clicking another menu button.
At the bottom there are three rows with jacks:
The first row contains the jump input jacks. These can be used to jump to a specific step.
The second row contains the step output jacks, that can be used to output a pulse at a specific step or for each step change on a specific channel.
The third row contains the clock inputs and cv outputs. The sequencer can be clocked forwards and also backwards with the first two jacks. The next jack is the reset jack, that puts the sequencer in a “ready” state so the next clock pulse will step to the first step or the last step depending on the direction. The pulse jack outputs a pulse for each step change on channel A. The A,B,C and D jacks outputs the CV for each channel.
Menu-modes
PLAY
This is the normal run mode. The step leds indicate the active step. You can use the buttons to jump to that step directly. The step buttons act like a simple keyboard. The value pot can be used to adjust the CV but only as long as you press and hold the step button.
CONF
Here you can make some simple configurations. The most important parameter is the channel (chn) parameter (buttons 8,16,24,32), that controls the main behavior of the unit.
rev, fwd, alt1, alt2, rnd: For each channel (ABCD) you can select the direction; reverse, forward, alternating 1&2 and random. Alt1 plays the step at the end one time and alt2 plays the end steps twice.
jmp selects which steps the jump inputs are routed to. Depending on the number of channels used, the jump inputs may affect 1 to 4 channels at once. If you only use one channel with 32 steps, the jump inputs can only be routed to one row of steps.
drm selects if the channel CV outputs should output the CV+accent as long as the step is active (led unlit), a pulse with a fixed voltage+accent (led lit) or a pulse with the CV+accent (led blinking). The pulse modes are good for drums.
chn selects the channel you want. Channel A (button 8) is always used and can not be turned off. If you also select the other three channels (buttons 16,24,32) then you will have 4 channels with 8 steps each. If you select A, B and D (buttons 8, 16 and 32) you will have three channels where channel B will have 16 steps and the other two will have 8 steps. If you select A and C you will have two channels with 16 steps each, and so on…
CV
In this mode you can click on a step and set its CV value with the pot and inc/dec buttons. The sequencer runs normally and the active steps are not affected by click the step buttons here. See also PLAY-mode for adjusting CV while also jumping to a step.
TIME
Adjusts the timing for the step by inserting repeats. Leds unlit indicates that no extra repeats are inserted. If a led is lit, that step has repeats. To adjust the repeats, press and hold the step, now the leds shows the number of clocks the step is repeated. While holding the step-button, adjust the number of steps with the pot or inc/dec-buttons.
TRIG
Here you select which steps that should output a trig pulse. If the step-led is unlit, then that step is “muted” and will not output a step pulse. A muted step acts like the step before will become longer. In drum-mode, this menu-page is where you program the drum pattern.
SKIP
In this page you can skip steps completely. The sequencer will “jump over” the steps that has a led lit here. The skip is only used for incoming clock pulses. The jump input jacks and manually pressed step buttons in play mode will still activate skipped steps. The value pot does not have any effect here.
GLIDE
Here you can program which steps that should have a glide. That means that the CV value vill glide from the previous steps cv-value to this steps cv-value with a set glide-time. The glide time can be set with the pot and inc/dec-buttons and will be the same time for all active steps, a global glide time.
ACC
Here you can add a fixed accent cv to the steps cv-value. The accent value can be set with the pot and inc/dec buttons. This is especially useful for drums.
STU
In this page you can insert a stutter effect on specific steps. The stutter time is set with the pot and inc/dec-buttons. When stutter is enabled for a step, it will repeat the step-pulse output up to a maximum of 8 times as long as the step is active. The time between the repeats are controlled by the stutter time.
LAST
Here you can select the last step for each configured channel. You can have different lengths for each channel and create interesting pattern combinations. The pot are not used here.
LOAD
Load patches from user memories. Select which patch to load with the step-buttons.
SAVE
Save patches to user memories. Select a memory slot to save to with the step-buttons.
Settings-pages
There are six settings pages that are activated by pressing and holding any of the menu buttons. When you have activated a settings-page, that page is indicated by a blinking menu-led. To exit a settings-page, just press one of the other meny buttons.
stp
Here you can configure the function for each of the 8 step output jacks.
One of the leds 1-8 is blinking to indicate which step output you are configuring. To change the jack for configuration, press and hold any of the buttons 1-8, the blinking led will move to the new number.
For the selected jack, you can select which steps that will send a puls to this step output jack. You select steps by clicking on any of the 32 buttons, and they will be lit or unlit. The lit leds indicates the steps that are sent to the selected output jack. You select and mix the steps from different channels or just from one channel as you wish.
The Pulse output jack will always send pulses for all steps on channel A, and this can not be configured.
It is also on this page that you can select how many digital expanders you have connected. To select the number of expanders, you press and hold step button 32 until it starts blinking. Now you can select the number of expanders with the buttons 1-4. Read more in the chapter about expanders below.
pls
Here you can set an individual pulse-length for each of the 8 step output jacks, the pulse output jack and the four cv jacks ABCD when used in drum mode. The lit step-leds (17-24 and 28-32) represents the jacks. Press and hold a lit led, then use the pot and inc/dec-buttons to adjust the pulse length for that jack. If you set the minimum value, the global pulse length will be used. The global pulse length can be set by pressing and holding step button 1.
div
Here you can set individual clock-divisions for the clock backward (1-16) and clock forward (17-32). Each clock input can be divided from 1 to 16. The division means that it stays on each step for this number of clock ticks. Jump inputs and manual play-button-presses are not affected by this setting, only the two clock inputs. The default value is 1 for both.
lev
Here you can adjust the fixed cv-levels that are used as gate levels when the cv outputs are used in drum mode. You can set an individual level for each of the four channels ABCD. Adjust by clicking any of the step-buttons, and the level will be set for that channel (row) in 1 of 8 levels. When you have clicked on a step-button on a row, that channel will be active, and the pot and inc/dec-buttons can be used to fine tune the level. The active channel is indicated by a blinking led.
utl
On this utility-page you will find some tools for adjusting the current patch. The adjustments are made per channel ABCD, on the four separate rows with step-buttons.
rev will shift the channel step parameters one step to the left. The data for step 1 will be shifted to the last step.
fwd will shift the channel step parameters one step to the right. Data from the last step will be inserted in step 1.
alt1 will reverse the channel steps.
alt2 will reverse the first half of steps and the second half of steps separately.
rnd will randomize the CV data for the channel steps.
jmp will “jump around” the steps in the channel. That is, randomize a new order for the steps in the channel.
drm will randomize the trig pattern for the channel steps.
chn will copy all parameters from one channel to another. Click on any of the buttons 8, 16, 24 or 32 to select the source channel. This will blink that led. Then you click on another of the same 4 buttons to select the destination channel.
clr
Here you can clear some parameters per channel. Each channel is represented by the four rows of step buttons and leds. When you select an item to clear, thet led will start to blink to ask you if you are sure. If you want to proceed, click the button again, and the led will stop blinking and the action is executed.
rev will make a factory reset and clear the work memory AND the all the user memories. All4 leds will blink to indicate danger…
fwd will clear the CV data for the channel steps.
alt1 will clear the trig pattern for the channel steps.
alt2 will clear all glide data for the channel.
rnd will clear all stutter data for the channel.
jmp TODO.
drm will clear all accent data for the channel.
chn will clear all data for all steps for that channel.
Expanders
It is possible to connect up to four digital expanders to this module. The expanders are connected in a chain. The first expander will output pulses for steps 1-8, the second expander outputs steps 9-16, the third 17-24 and the fourth and last expander outputs steps 25-32.
You select how many expanders you have connected on the “stp-settings-page”. Read more about it in that chapter above.
Each expander have a data-in and a data-out. The data-out from the SEQ32 is connected to the first expanders data-in. The data-out from the first expander is connected to the data-in on the second expander, and so on…
All the other signals are connected in parallell. For example the +5V signal from the SEQ32 is connected one of the +5V pins on the first expander. The second +5V pin on the first expander is connected to any of the +5V pins on the second expander, and so on.. This applies to the signals +5V, GND, SCK and SS.
All the expanders takes the power from the SEQ32.
A maximum of 4 expanders can be connected.
The step numbering can not be changed. It is fixed for each connected expander.