The Chord Sequencer also offers playback modes that can arpeggiate chords, strum them, or play them as broken chords.

Other than those features, the Chord Sequencer operates much like the other Note Sequencers in Numerology: you can easily change the rate and direction of the sequence, adjust the key and octave, etc.

Structural Overview

The sequenced parameters in the ChordSeq are arranged into seven rows of controls that dominate the front panel UI: The chord controls in the middle, a row of labels above it, three rows of buttons, and two rows of sliders.

• step labels (with movable indicators for start step and end step)
• skip buttons
• chord controls
• select buttons
• timing sliders (gate length, groove, step length, step repeat, gate divide)
• mute buttons
• timbre sliders (velocity, random jump, CV 1, CV 2, CV 3, Channel Pressure)

One the left side of the sequencer rows, there are controls grouped into three sections. From top to bottom, they are: transport controls, rate and direction controls, and pitch controls. To the right of the sequencer rows, there are four: randomize, chord actions, gate actions, and velocity actions. There are also several important controls that reside in an advanced settings panel that can be opened up by clicking on the 'triangle' button in the lower-left corner of the front-panel.

The back-panel routing options available to the ChordSeq are also extensive, including inputs for manual CV and MIDI triggers, auxiliary pitch and velocity inputs, outputs for several useful CV signals the ChordSeq generates (Pitch Interval, Gate, Velocity, & CV 1-3) and the MIDI output, where all MIDI messages generated by the ChordSeq are sent.

Sequenced Parameters

All of the sequenced parameters in the ChordSeq are accessed via menus for each of the parameters of a chord and rows of either sliders or buttons that live in the center-section of the front panel of the module.

The step labels are in a row along the top of the sequenced parameters section. They are not parameters in themselves, but two important non-sequenced parameters are embedded here: the start step (which has a green marker), and the end step (which has a red marker). Together, these two settings (drag them with the mouse to change them) set the range of steps that are 'active' in the sequence. For instance, the easiest way to set the length of the sequence to 8 steps is to drag the end step to step 8. These parameters are completely flexible: the start can come after the end step, or they can even be the same (for a one-step sequence).

This row of buttons allows you to remove a step completely from the sequence. This is a surprisingly useful feature for creating variations on a sequence -- particularly during a live performance. For instance, if you have a 4 step sequence: C, D, E, F, and you skip the 2nd step, you will then have a 3 step sequence: C, E, F.

To the left of the skip buttons is a small action menu with several items that operate on the skip steps. These are very handy for manipulating the state of the skip buttons.

• Skip One
• Skip a Few
• Skip Some
• Skip Most
• Skip All
• Unskip One
• Unskip a Few
• Unskip Some
• Unskip Most
• Unskip All

There are six parameters that you use to select and modify a chord to play. The general idea is to allow you to work with chords at a very high level. By far, the most important of these is the degree of the chord. The series of degrees that you choose for the sequence determines most of the "feel" of the chord progression. The other parameters, such as chord type, inversion and spacing, allow you to refine the sound of each chord and balance it in relation to its surrounding chords.

For each chord there is a set of read-only labels that shows both the semitone offset of the chord note, relative to the base note of the sequence, and the acutal note name. Think of this as a compact display of your chords for seeing what happens as you adjust the other parameters.

This parameter sets the base note of the chord in terms of the degree of the scale chosen. If the scale of the sequencer is set to chromatic, then the degress of the major scale are used.

These two parameters are inter-related. The chord family chooses a group of closely related chords that can then be selected from the chord type menu.

This parameter changes the ordering of the notes in a chord according to common-case rules. The chord can be inverted both in upward and downward directions. The best way to understand how it works is to watch the chord notes labels as you change the inversion.

This parameter allows you to increase the spacing of the notes in a chord to cover more than one octave. It always leaves the lowest note of the chord in place, then shifts the upper notes, highest note first, up an octave, one note is shifted for each degree of spacing. One all the notes in a chord are moved, excluding the lowest note, then the top note is shifted up again an octave. As with inversion, the easiest way to see what happens to the chord is to watch the note values themselves.

This shifts the entire chord up or down some number of octaves.

This row of buttons appears between the pitch row and the timing row. It allows you to select arbitrary sets of sequencer steps for further modification. In particular, anytime a slider for a selected step is moved in the timing, or timbre rows, all other selected steps will moved by the same relative amount.

As with the skip steps, there is an action menu to the left of the select row that has some handy operations you can perform on the select buttons:

• Select One
• Select a Few
• Select Some
• Select Most
• Select All
• Unselect One
• Unselect a Few
• Unselect Some
• Unselect Most
• Unselect All

The row of timing sliders can be switched between four sequenced parameters, using the multi-mode button to the left of the row. The parameters are: gate length, step length, step repeat and step divide. Gate length controls the length that a note is on during the step: Shorter values produce staccato notes, longer values produce more legato melodies. When the gate is at its minimum value, 0.0, which is displayed as "--", no note is generated. When it is at its longest value, 1.0, displayed as "Tie", the note generated for the step is tied into the next step, which is a way to produce notes that span multiple sequencer steps.

The Groove parameter allows you to adjust the timing of the step a bit forward or backward in time, up to 30% of the total step time.

The Step Length parameter allows you to modify the length of any sequencer step individually. It is calibrated into sixteen commonly used musical divisions, expressed in fractions of a step. The minimum value is 1/16th, which if the rate of your sequence is a quarter note, would make that step 1/64th of a beat. The maximum value is 4, which would make a step four beats long. If you need longer values, you can always tie two steps together.

The Repeat parameter allows you to have a step repeat multiple times. As with skip steps, this is a great way to modify a sequence while it is playing.

The Arpeggiate parameter allows you to have the notes of a chord played one at a time. When the value is greater than zero, the notes are played low to high, when it is less than zero, the notes are played high to low. The amount of the apeggiate value determines how long it takes to play the notes in the chord, the longer the value, the more spread out the notes are.

The behavior of the Arpeggiate sequenced parameter can be modified using the "Arp Mode" menu in the lower-left corner of the module. Four modes are available:

• Gate Divide : This works just like gate divide on other sequencers: the chord is repeated within the sequencer step the number of times specified by the divide amount.
  
  
• Strum : This works like the arpeggiate mode described above, but the spacing is limited to a smaller range to simulate a guitar strum.
  
  
• Arpeggiate : As described above, this mode spreads out chord notes over a step. Each step is played in turn.
  
  
• Broken Chord : This mode plays each note of a chord like the Arpeggiate mode, but holds all notes and releases them at the same time. The length of the hold is determined by the Gate Time for the step.

The mute buttons mute note generation for a step, regardless of their settings for gate and velocity. Like the skip and select buttons, there is an action menu (to the left of the button row), for making broad changes to the state of the mute buttons:

• Mute One
• Mute a Few
• Mute Some
• Mute Most
• Mute All
• Unmute One
• Unmute a Few
• Unmute Some
• Unmute Most
• Unmute All

This row, like the timing row, is multi-mode: it can be switched to edit one of several parameters. In this case, the parameters are: velocity, a random jump feature, and the generation of MIDI messages (CC's and Channel Pressure) that can be used to alter the timbre of a synthesizer. After pitch interval and gate, velocity has the most direct effect on the sound of generated notes. Although each synthesizer varies in how it responds to velocity, most will respond to higher velocity values with louder notes, and to lower velocity values with quieter notes. If the velocity of a step is 0.0, then no note will be generated for that step.

The random jump parameter allows you to set a probability, for any step, that the next step chosen by the sequencer will be random selection, instead of what it would normally play. This is a great way to introduce some random variation in a sequence, without varying it too much from its original sound.

The ChordSeq can generate up to three streams of MIDI CC (Control Change) messages, which are typically used to modify the timbral qualities of a synthesizer, such as the brightness of a sound (filter cutoff). There are three rows of sequenced parameters in the timbre section (CV 1, CV 2, CV 3) that allow you to program these values. To determine which CC messages are generated (the control number), you need to open up the advanced settings panel (click the 'triangle' button on the lower-left corner of the module body), and set values for the CC Num 1 - 3 parameters.

The ChordSeq can also generate MIDI Channel Pressure messages, which is yet another way you can modify the timbre of a sound. Almost all MIDI Synthesizers respond to Channel Pressure messages, usually calling it "Aftertouch", and it is common for most of the patches on a MIDI Synthesizer to respond to such messages in an interesting way.

One the left side of the sequencer rows, there are several controls grouped into three sections. From top to bottom, they are the transport controls, rate and direction controls, and pitch controls.

Performs an immediate reset of the sequencer. Useful for generating out-of sync rhythmic effects.

This is a two-state button that allows you to start and stop the sequence. By default, this control is tied to the master transport. You can change this behavior by changing the Run Mode of the sequencer.

In Numerology 1.4, this parameter was called "Clock Division". It controls the default length of the sequencer's steps, and thus, how quickly it plays. By default, this control is calibrated in traditional rhythmic values, but the Rate Mode parameter allows you to change this.

This allows you to change how you specify the rate (or tempo) of the sequence. There are three modes:

• Normal : Use traditional rhythmic values where 1/4 (a quarter note) equals 1 beat
• Ratio : Use small-integer numeric ratios where 1/1 equals 1 beat
• Percent : Use a percentage value where 100 equals 1 beat, 25 equals 1/4 beat (a sixteenth note), etc.

Sets the direction of the sequence to forwards, backwards, a combination of the two, or random. The 'Alt1' setting causes the sequence to move alternately forwards and backwards without repeating the start and end steps. The 'Alt2' setting is similar, except that the start and end step are repeated.

If this parameter is set to anything other than 'None', it will force a sequencer reset at regular musical intervals calibrated in beats. This is a good way to force the sequence to a repeatable pattern regardless of its other settings. For instance, if the clock division is in 16th notes, you can set the hard sync to every 4 beats, then change start step, end step and skip step settings while still maintaining a pattern that repeats every 4 beats.

This will mute the generation of any MIDI messages from the module. It does not mute the generation of CV output values.

This parameter sets the key that the built-in scale quantizer will use to quantize notes.

This menu allows you to set a scale for quantizing pitches before they are used to generate MIDI note messages. The set of scales includes the 12 "church" modes common in western music. Setting the scale to "chromatic" deactivates any quantization.

This parameter can be used to shift the pitches of all the notes in the grid up or down in octave increments.

As described above, this controls how the Arpeggiate sequenced parameter behaves. There are four modes: Gate Divide, Strum, Arpeggiate, and Broken Chord.

The Right Side

To the immediate right of each of the skip, select and mute button rows, there is a small button with an 'x' on it. These buttons will clear (deactivate) all of the step values for that parameter type.

This allows you to roughly control how many parameters are modified by the randomize operation.

This 'action' button triggers randomization of parameters based on the setting of the randomize menu.

This 'action' will shift all steps values in the sequence one step to the left or right (with rollover of the boundary values). This is a very useful way to vary a pattern: by shifting it relative to other patterns.

This will clear the pitch grid of any activated cells, thus erasing any existing note pattern.

This action button sets all gate values to 0.9.

This applies a smart-scaling algorithm to gate values after they are read from the sequence, but before they are used to calculate note lengths. When moved to less than 1/2 of the parameter's range, the gates are scaled from 100% to 0%. When moved to more than 1/2 of the range, the gate values are scaled from their current values, to a Tied value.

This action button sets all gate values to 0.0.

This action button sets all velocity values to 0.5.

This parameter scales all velocity values after they are read from the sequence, but before they are used to generate notes.

Advanced Parameters