Tag: Sequencer

Having a clock oscillator which can be controlled by the DAW it’s VST is hosted by is very useful for sequencers. We can set up a clock oscillator that is synchronized to the BPM setting of the host DAW, and is stopped and started by the DAW using the Transport Run buttons. We need two special modules for this:
The BPM Tempo Module, and the BPM Clock4 Module.
Important Notes: Neither the BPM Tempo or BPM Clock4 are fully functional until they are in a VST running in the Host DAW.
1) Whilst in Synthedit the BPM Tempo will not produce an output from the Transport Run plug, and the Tempo out will always read 120 This is not a bug, the module is reading BPM, but it’s fixed internally in SynthEdit.
2) Whilst in Synthedit the BPM Clock4 will always run at 120 BPM regardless of any other settings. Only the Rate plug is functional.

The BPM Tempo Module.

There’s no settings to apply to this module. It has three output plugs:
Tempo Out (Voltage): The Tempo Out plug outputs a voltage that is directly proportional to the BPM tempo which is in use in the host DAW
Transport Run (Voltage): Outputs 10 Volts when the DAW’s “Run” button is pressed. This can be used to start or gate an oscillator.
Processor resumed (Boolean):

The BPM Clock4

This module is a clock oscillator which automatically synchronizes to the host DAW’s BPM setting. The clock output is synchronized to the DAW’s time grid, with a list of pre-set division rates.
There are three input plugs:
Rate (List): Allows the user to select from a list of divisors.
Swing (Floating Point): Controls the “swing” of the oscillator.
Pulse Width (Floating Point): Adjusts the width of the output pulse from the clock oscillator

Swing- what is it?

 Swing in music often refers to a specific rhythm and notation convention, whereby the first beat is twice as long as the second, then the third beat is the same length as the first, and so on. It’s effectively a variation on triplets or 6/8 timing, often written in common time (4/4) for simplicity’s sake, with the swing timing added by the musicians. The timing itself gave its name to swing music, the 1930s offshoot of jazz based on those same lopsided rhythms. Swing eventually came to be used to describe any rhythm with a slightly off centre groove. Drummers ‘swing’ the beat to add a groove, introducing a slightly irregular feel to the timing of the rhythm. Don’t confuse swing with sloppy, or poor timing – we’re not talking about inaccuracy here. Instead, it’s about the deliberate, subtle timing variations around and on the beat, which musicians introduce to the music.
The term mainly refers to drumming simply because drummers set the whole groove of any group and generally play repetitive rhythmic patterns, but swing can also be applied to the timing of any other instrument.
To find out more have a look at this article: https://www.attackmagazine.com/technique/passing-notes/daw-drum-machine-swing/

Putting the Clock Oscillator together.

By combining these two modules we have a clock oscillator which is synchronized to the DAW’s timing grid, and is stopped and started by the DAW’s “Run” button.
All that needed is shown below.
The Transport Run plug is connected to the Input 2 of the Level Adj module to use it a gate for the clock pulses.
The Swing and Pulse Width sliders are connected via Volts to Float converters to ensure smooth operation of the controls. We can leave these converters on their default settings of Volts DC (Fast) for the Response, and 10Hz for the update rate.
The Tempo out plugs and its associated modules are there to provide a readout of the DAW’s BPM setting on the VST’s control panel (Optional).