Description

 

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The Automator is a 2-channel tempo-synced CV and Gate recorder with a big playable slider and nice buttons.

How it works:

• Automator needs a clock signal to set it’s timing (currently fixed to 4 ppqn, once per 16th)
  
• When it isn’t playing it is always recording, and when you press record it starts playing back at the current recording length.
• Automator can record up to 4 bars and the minimum tempo is 30 bpm. You can also change the length (and tempo) after the recording 
• Select the channel  by pressing the top button labelled “1-2” .Channel 1 is red, while Channel 2 is green.
• Record CV using the slider and gates using the dedicated Gate button.
• The default length is one bar, after pressing the Length button you can change the loop length, but first you have to move the slider to the position of the old value (indicated by flashing white leds).
• Available lengths 16=4 bars, 8= 2 bars, 4=1 bar, 2= ½ bar, 1= ¼ bar

Future updates will add: quantized gates, different clock settings, one shot mode (updating will be simple, drag and drop a file over usb)

Some extra info:

• Gate recording is decoupled from CV
• Continuous gates are possible
• The minimum time between gate changes is 50ms, so the smallest pulse is also 50ms
• If you increase the length after recording you re-access the items that happened before it. You can have a short length set, but it always records everything, so you can start short and later go long with what you recorded. It does not play from previous recordings though.
• Swingy/shuffled clocks are not supported (but all gates can be wherever you want if quantization is off).
• Recording it is not related to steps in a bar (unless quantization is on, that is just for the gates, 16ths). The module records CV every 2ms at the  tempo while recording, that is played  back at the  tempo during playback, so the update rate becomes higher when the tempo goes up  and vice versa
• The gates are recorded with much more detail, you can have 125 triggers in a bar
• In general all events are recorded with timestamps, where the time is the current position in a 4 bar period based on the current clock.

Specs:

• Output CV range is roughly 0 to 6.5 volts
• The resolution is 12 bit, output is filtered pwm (48kHz)
• Width: 8HP
• Depth 30mm (with power cable)
• Power draw: +12V:80mA , -12V:5mA

Automator – Build Document