XOR electronics Nerdseq Manuale utente
NerdSEQ Hybrid Tracker Sequencer
User Manual
(unfinished)
Please be aware that this is an ever rowin manual and so it makes no
sense to print it out!
Nerdseq – a tracker based Eurorack sequencer Page 1
User Manual Revision V0.9.9 for irmware V1.13 27 ebruary 2018
Content
Introduction..........................................................................................................................................3
Technical Specification.........................................................................................................................5
irmware eatures................................................................................................................................6
Getting Started......................................................................................................................................7
Numbers, Values and Tracker basics....................................................................................................8
Buttons and Navigation......................................................................................................................10
General Screen information................................................................................................................12
Sequencer Screen................................................................................................................................13
Pattern Screen.....................................................................................................................................17
Patch Screen.......................................................................................................................................26
Recent Values Screen..........................................................................................................................27
Automation screen..............................................................................................................................32
Project screen......................................................................................................................................32
Setup Screen.......................................................................................................................................33
Load Sample window.........................................................................................................................35
Recording...........................................................................................................................................36
The Nerd Button.................................................................................................................................37
Expander Modules..............................................................................................................................38
Tips & Tricks......................................................................................................................................39
irmware update.................................................................................................................................40
Document/Versions History................................................................................................................40
Disclaimer...........................................................................................................................................42
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User Manual Revision V0.9.9 for irmware V1.13 27 ebruary 2018
Introduction
The NerdSEQ is a Tracker1 based sequencer for Eurorack systems.
It consist 6 Tracks for the CV/Tri er/Gate eneration of 18 outputs (12 CV + 6 Tri er/Gate). They
are further 4 sample Tracks with 2 dedicated audio outputs for sample sequencin . Dedicated
clock/reset inputs and outputs are available for different clock types. 4 free assi nable CV inputs
can be used for live manipulation or CV/Gate recordin . So in complete they are 10 Tracks
available for sequencin .
The sequencer itself is inspired on old module trackers like Fasttracker2(PC)2, OctaMED(Ami a)3,
LittleSoundDJ(Gameboy)4 and Little Pi y Tracker(Multiple Platforms)5….. These to name only a
few, they are many more inspirations.
It contains many and very powerful functions for sequencin like an advanced live ability,
patternlen th up to 64 steps, chainin , poly-rhythmic tracks, roove, lide, ratchetin /retri er,
flexible tri er/ ate/step len ths, patches, special effects, probability, tables and more. The
sampler tracks contain special functionality for sample playin , pitchin , sample effects, retri er
and many more. Samples can be loaded from a dedicated SD card available on the front panel.
The sequencer is able to make loops (as in many loops) and full son s (even multiple son s on
one project, dependin on complexity, usa e of patterns etc.) Projects can be saved and loaded
on/from the microSD card.
All editin is implemented in a very easy way (at least I tried so). So every screen or edit option
can be accessed throu h one key or Shift + Key. No complex submenus from submenus or menu
divin is needed. I also try to prevent that as much as possible for future updates.
1 https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moduletracker
2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ astTracker_2
3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OctaMED
4 http://www.littlesounddj.com/lsd/
5 http://littlegptracker.com/
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User Manual Revision V0.9.9 for irmware V1.13 27 ebruary 2018
In the followin picture you can see a front overview:
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User Manual Revision V0.9.9 for irmware V1.13 27 ebruary 2018
Technical Specification
Power consumption:
- ~190mA on the +12Volt Rail
- ~32mA on the -12 Volt Rail
- +5 Volt Rail is not connected
Hardware:
- Colour Graphics IPS display with a resolution of 480 x 320 pixels
- 10 full size and 6 half size buttons
- 28 mini-Jack (mono), 4 CV Inputs (ran e 0..10 Volt) , Clock+Reset Inputs(5 Volt), 12 CV
outputs (Ran e -5 Volt /+5 Volt or 0 Volt / +10 Volt), 6 Tri er/Gate Outputs (5 Volt),
2 Sample outputs (-5 Volt/+5 Volt), Clock + Reset Output (5 Volt)
- 2 to le switches to chan e the offset of the CV volta es
- 2 LED to indicate clocks
- microSD connector accessible on frontpanel
- 10 pin boxed bus connector (power)
- Expander connector (12 pin boxed) for IO-Expander (Midi In/Out + Se a Gamepad
connector) (Expander must be ordered seperately)
- Expander connector (14 pin boxed) for special Nerdseq extensions like a NSA (Nerd
Sound Adapter) which are dedicated Cartrid es includin full synthesizers. Those are totally
inte rated in the Nerdseq sequencer. (Under development)
Tracker:
- 6 CV/Tri er/Gate tracks for 12 CV and 6 Tri er/Gate outputs
- 2x2 sample tracks for 2 sample outputs (mono)
- 239 Sequencer rows
- 175 Patterns with each 64 (and less) Steps
- 176 Patches
- 32 Tables with 16 (and less) steps
- 16 Automation slots (2do)
- 12 Sample slots
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User Manual Revision V0.9.9 for irmware V1.13 27 ebruary 2018
- 200kB Sample memory (4 seconds with 44.1 kHz/8 Bit/Mono or more with lower
samplerate)
- Sample support for RAW 8 bit mono and WAV 8/16 bit, Mono/Stereo
- Projects as many as the SD card can hold
Firmware Features
- 8 Tracker tracks can be controlled independently, synchronised and not synchronised
- Pattern chainin
- Probability (0..100% with 1% resolution) for CV, Mod, Gate, Tables and FX (which can
contain every feature)
- Patterns with Note Scaled input, Patch selection, Tri er/Gate w retri er/ratchetin , CV
Modulation manipulation, Groove, Fine pitch, Glide, Glide quantisation, Table selection
- 4 FX possibilities per pattern per step (Internal CV/Gate tracks)
- Groove per step per pattern to create different step len hs, shuffle and weird rhythmics with
the possibility to create poly-rhythmic tracks
- Patches with all wanted functions directly accessible
- Tables (sequencer in the sequencer) for Transpose and all possible functions, different
speed scales and sources, synchronised and not synchronised to the main sequencer clock
- Automation slots to assi n different automations (like LFO, Envelopes, Noise,
Randomness..etc) (2DO)
- Project mana ement
- Sample mana ement
- Clock Source can be Internal, 1/16 via Clock input, 24ppqn, Sync24, Midi Clock
- Clock Outputs can be 1/16, 24ppqn(2do), sync24 (2do), Midi Clock
- All Modular tracks can be manipulated from other Modular tracks
- Tri er functions with different timin s for ON/OFF, OFF/ON, Retri erin
- Gate len th can be as short or lon as needed (much shorter than steplen th possible)
- advanced Mark + Copy + Paste functions to copy marked parts within or between patterns
- Sample pitch in note scale
- Sample effects like Volume, Fine Pitch, Retri er, Backwards, Bitcrush, Distortion … more
to come
- Enable/Disable edit mode so nothin can be chan ed accidentally on live situation
- Live editin while playin includin pattern creation, manipulation, recordin , nearly all
functions accessible while playin
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User Manual Revision V0.9.9 for irmware V1.13 27 ebruary 2018
- pattern clonin
- patch clonin
- Free record routin
- free routin of CV inputs to different functions
Getting Started
To et started, insert the SD Card, connect the power cable properly. Take care that the red line is
connected to the -12Volt Rail on the Bus. Power on the System.
First there will be a splash screen followed by the current Firmware version number.
After that the system is checkin if any NSA (Nerd Sound Adapter) are connected (those will be
available with the Cartrid e expander in the future).
Without any cartrid e expander, it should find the internal CV/TRIG/MOD for 4 tracks.
Then the SD card is bein checked if it is correctly initialised, readin the calibration settin s. And
at last, it will show if a Gamepad is detected (throu h the IO-Expander).
The startup is now ready and an empty sequencer screen will show up, waitin for you to et
started!
Attention, if the Splash screen the text or the back round li ht appears to be weird somehow, then
it is a ood indication that there is somethin wron with the power. (For example, not enou h
power -> Volta es are too low / not enou h current). Check your supply, disconnect some other
modules to be sure your supply ot enou h power. (And be sure the NerdSEQ is workin properly)
Next there will be a uide throu h some basics, related to values which you find back in most
trackers. Then there will be some basic information about Trackers and after that information about
the navi ation with the NerdSEQ.
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User Manual Revision V0.9.9 for irmware V1.13 27 ebruary 2018
Numbers, alues and Tracker basics
The history of trackers6 goes back to the late 80’s when some people developed a new way of
creating music by inserting music scores in a different way. It is mostly recognized by people as a
way to program music instead of composing, because of the input of the music data. This is actually
not really the case, once you know some of the basics it is composing all the way!
Trackers are often used to play samples (in a note scale) on different tracks as well as to control the
soundchips of old homecomputers directly. The workflow is different from other score based or
maybe piano roll based sequencing.
With most of the trackers the workflow goes from up to down, the sequencing running from the top
to the bottom. There you will find different columns and rows. Each row shows a step in the
sequence and the main columns are dedicated to the tracks and subcolumns to different commands.
Each track consists mostly the same kind of sub columns. (Modern trackers allow different kind of
tracks and sub-columns). Getting to the subcolumns there is often a subcolumn for the music note,
one for the volume and sometimes one for a special command. Sometimes they are additional
columns, depending on what tracker it is. Music notes are mostly filled in with their real note,
followed by the octave. or example:
“C-3” means Note C on octave 3.
“ -5” means Note on octave 5.
“D#2” is the note D sharp on octave 2 (half tone higher than D-2)
The exact look of the notes can differ between the trackers. With the NerdSEQ the notes are filled in
like in the example.
Other values of the subcolumns like the volume are often shown as a hexadecimal numeral value7.
I will explain only the very basics of it. Refer to the footnotes for detailed information.
We count and calculate usually in a base 10 system. We count like this
0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18…….On every 10th number (10 overflow) the left
digit increases. On every 100th number the left and the second left digit increases..etc.
In a hexadecimal system the base is 16 and so with every 16th number the left digit will increase.
The numbers itself are also represented differently. A hexadecimal count goes like this:
0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E, ,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,1A,1B…….
6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_tracker
7 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexadecimal
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User Manual Revision V0.9.9 for irmware V1.13 27 ebruary 2018
So instead of getting to the 10, letters are used to show the hexadecimal values until the 16th number
which will create the overflow for the digit on the left.
The decimal compared to the hexadecimal will show you the corresponding numbers:
Dec Hex Dec Hex Dec Hex
0 0 16 10 32 20
1 1 17 11 33 21
2 2 18 12 34 22
3 3 19 13 35 23
4 4 20 14 36 24
5 5 21 15 37 25
6 6 22 16 38 26
7 7 23 17 39 27
8 8 24 18 40 28
9 9 25 19 41 29
10 A 26 1A 42 2A
11 B 27 1B 43 2B
12 C 28 1C 44 2C
13 D 29 1D 45 2D
14 E 30 1E 46 2E
15 31 1 47 2
So in a hexadecimal system the number goes after 9 to A0 and after a to 100.
The Nerdseq uses also the hexadecimal system to show most of the values.
urthermore, some trackers can show all content on one screen while some have to scroll to get to
other content and some have to switch to a different screen to get to the other content.
As the NerdSEQ got only a small display, the information is splitted logically into different screens.
Nerdseq – a tracker based Eurorack sequencer Page 9
User Manual Revision V0.9.9 for irmware V1.13 27 ebruary 2018
I will explain those later.
There is much more about trackers, check the links for more informations. I would also suggest to
check some tutorials about ‘LittleSoundDJ’ as it is the most similar to the tracker of the NerdSEQ.
Though they are some major differences, it gives a clue about how to work with dedicated screens.
I will also make a set of video tutorials at some point.
Buttons and Navigation
To navi ate, chan e to other screens, edit values and more you use the Buttons.
On the top line the half buttons they are the buttons to o to another screen. These screens are:
Sequencer, Pattern, Patch, Table, Automate, Project. You can reach those screens by pressin the
correspondin buttons. (One footnote here, you can’t enter the pattern screen if there was no
pattern created first. Same for the patch screen. I will explain that later on. So no worries, your
buttons are not broken).
Those button have also a 2nd function which can be reached by pressin the Shift key to ether
(followed) by the other keys. Those are:
Mark - To start the markin of content on the screens
Copy – Copy earlier marked content
Delete – Delete current value or marked content
Record – to start/stop recordin
Nerd – use for different functions (2do)
Setup – Enter the Setup screen
Further there are the buttons on the bottom left:
Start – Start sequencer or tri er a pattern
Stop – Stop a pattern (stop the sequencer in combination with SHIFT)
Shift - Get to the 2nd function of buttons or edit functionality
OK – Create a new pattern / patch. Enter/Accept
UP – Pa e up for 16 steps → move the cursor 16 rows up
DOWN – Pa e down for 16 steps → move the cursor 16 rows down
And the cursor keys on the ri ht.
Note that they are also some other combinatons of the keys in different screens which will be
explained later on.
Nerdseq – a tracker based Eurorack sequencer Page 10
User Manual Revision V0.9.9 for irmware V1.13 27 ebruary 2018
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