Grid routing, sequences and logic

Routing modules combine or separate sounds. Sequencers and generators make patterns. Math and logic modules transform the control signals between them. Add these from the Grid’s Module browser and select a card to see all its controls.

Routing and channels#

A mono port carries one channel; a stereo port carries two together. Two separate mono ports named left and right are different from one stereo port. Use the converters below when a cable reports Channel layouts differ.

Combining four loud signals can raise the level considerably. Use a Gain / VCA after Mixer when you need to reduce it. A feedback loop needs Feedback Delay; an instantaneous loop is refused. A long echo time is a musical effect rather than a substitute for that one-sample feedback module.

Grid Bus Input receives a connected Grid bus. It does not open an audio device or import a file. An ordinary instrument patch with no incoming bus has no source for it.

Step and Euclidean sequencing#

These modules use the song’s sixteenth-note clock when Clock has no cable. They can keep a pattern running without drawing each note in the piano roll. Patch their Gate to an envelope or sampler and their Pitch, where available, to an oscillator or sampler.

Step Sequencer#

Step Sequencer outputs Gate, velocity and Pitch. stepCount chooses 1–32 steps, with 16 as the initial length. clockDiv runs from 1–16: 1 advances on each sixteenth-note clock boundary and 4 advances once per quarter note.

The inspector exposes 32 sets of step controls, numbered 0–31. For example, step0Pitch is the first step’s pitch. Only steps inside stepCount are used.

Consecutive positive gates can hold an envelope open instead of triggering it again. Put a zero-gate step between notes when you need separate attacks.

Euclidean Sequencer#

Euclidean Sequencer spreads a chosen number of pulses across a repeating grid. It outputs Gate and velocity. length is 1–32 steps, pulses is 0–32 and is bounded to the active length, and rotation is 0–31. velocity and accent both run from 0–1. The accent affects the gate level at the beginning of a group; the velocity output uses velocity for active steps.

For a sparse rhythm, try length 16 and pulses 5, then turn rotation to move where the pattern begins.

Generative modules#

These modules use repeatable random sequences. Except for Scale Quantiser, they have trigger and reset gate inputs. An unconnected trigger uses rate_hz. A rising reset starts the sequence again; changing seed also restarts it.

The common seed range is 0–16777215 and rate_hz is 0–100 Hz. For tonal modules, root is -48–48 semitones from C4. scale uses numbers: 0 major, 1 minor, 2 pentatonic, 3 chromatic.

Chord Progression uses degree0 through degree3 for its four positions, with degrees numbered 0–6. Random Walk uses minimum, maximum and step_size to bound the movement. Generative Modulator uses glide_ms to soften new random targets. Fixed seeds help reproduce a result when the other settings and timing stay the same.

Math and logic#

These modules have no parameter knobs. Feed values into their named ports and take the result from out. All their ports carry control signals; the Grid’s cable checks still apply when joining them to other signal types. A positive value counts as true for logic.

Use Constant and Attenuator from filters and modulation to supply fixed offsets and scale values. Quantise uses an incoming step size, while Quantiser has a steps knob.

Looking inside a patch#

Five modules let audio pass from Input to Output while showing its behaviour. They have no parameter knobs.

Connect the output onward to keep the audio path complete. Their displays update while visible; they pause when the card or document is hidden. For overall preview load and track freezing, see performance.