Sequencing
Clock
The tempo source. Sends regular pulses that drive sequencers, drums and anything else that needs timing.
Learn about it in Rhythm: clocks, gates & sequencers
How it works
Outputs are square pulses (0 → 1 → 0) at different note lengths of the tempo: 1/16 notes, 1/8 notes, quarter notes (beats) and whole bars. Swing delays every second 1/16 for a shuffled groove. The LEDs show the current 1/16 step in the bar.
Inputs
| RST | A rising signal restarts the clock from the top of the bar. |
|---|---|
| BPM | Adds to the tempo: +1.0 = +60 BPM. Patch a slow LFO for drifting tempo. |
Outputs
| 1/16 | A pulse every 1/16 note — usual sequencer speed. |
|---|---|
| 1/8 | Every 1/8 note. |
| 1/4 | Every beat — four-on-the-floor kick. |
| BAR | Once per bar — good for resets or slow changes. |
Knobs and switches
| ▶ RUN / ■ STOP | Start/stop. |
|---|---|
| BPM | Tempo in beats per minute. |
| Swing | Shuffle amount on the off-beat 1/16s. |
Lessons that use the Clock
Each one opens as a working patch in the synth.
- 07 · Clock & Sequencer
- 08 · Drums & Rhythm
- 09 · Drum Seq: Program a Beat
- 10 · Space: Delay & Reverb
- 11 · Noise: Wind & Hats
- 14 · Bitcrusher: Lo-Fi
- 18 · Plucked String
- 19 · Low-Pass Gate: Plucky Notes
- 21 · Generative Melodies
- 22 · Resonator: Bells & Bars
- 23 · Slew: Glide Anything
- 25 · Chords & Arpeggios
- 27 · Stereo & Sidechain
- 28 · Logic & Clock Division
- 29 · Switch: A New Melody Every Bar
- 30 · Burst: Ratchets & Rolls
- 31 · Turing Machine
- 32 · Sampler: Chop a Break
- 33 · Glitch: Break It on Purpose
- 40 · Game of Life
- 44 · Stereo Mixer: Width & Sends
- 45 · EQ: Shape the Tone
- 46 · Compressor: Punch & Glue
- 48 · Recorder
Words to know
- Gate — An on/off signal: high while a key or step is held, low when it is not.
- Trigger — A very short pulse that means “go now”, with no length.
- Clock — A steady stream of triggers that keeps a patch in time.