Questions thoughts and request

[lucent]

So; a project includes

24 patterns per Track ?
(thats 5 tracks x 4 pulses = 20 pulses in total play
each Track has access to
24 note lists?
And the unit holds multiple project files?
correct?

It’s how many voice of poly ? All parts are mono running into a stereo bus system?
How much sample time is there? Is there a loaded sample length limit?
Can sample play head (start end /loop positions) be set to morph pad?
Can modulators be set to playback heads?
Can I audition and or play/record all the samples in the pool via the keyboard?

Are the modulators like Octatrack LFO designer or MC707 LFO designer
(where you can sculpt the shape on per step basis) can these then be synced to clock or free running and speed and last step freely adjusted, do the modulators reach audio rate?

*Suggestion /wish
allow modulator to be pitch quantized when an OSC or sample source is a destination

What type of synthesis is applicable to samples other than playback heads and Amp envelopes besides FX?
Can I run a sample list through the granular engine on its own track or does this mean I am using two tracks? a sample track + a granular synth?

Is there a master tune on the machine or do all the synth and sample parts offer fine tune adjustment? Or is that done via keyboard tuning system?

Is the pulse Voltage out Gate signals?

*Suggestion /wish
User definable tuning for keyboard pitch

Is there an undo function?

Some wishes
*Allow priority of high /low notes to be set to custom value
*Allow priority of pulses to be set to custom value
These are a easy way to spice up /remix a pattern

*Complex OSC engine (small fully patched modular) where each OSC has it own pulse (or grouped to the same pulse … It makes for wonderful melodic source when OSC modulate eachother include OSC Envelopes Noise and Wave folding

*Modules track: where OSC or sample sources can be routed to inputs on various modules that are then triggered via pulses: Like Ring mod, Wave fold, LPG,… These come with AD envelope with adjustable curves (thinking here is percussive and harmonics)

*8bit FM (it just sounds different)
*8bit chip tune engine
*chord engine
*Vocal synthesis (ala Teenage Engeneering Speak) It would really complete the system if the PolyPulse could sing

…aww I should just stop … this can go in forever

A round map thread would be nice though …

Cheers!

…

Ohhh one more thing I think that would be awesome in this system and actually quite an exotic add-on is

Pulse (MIDI) delay line that may be pitched
so effectively it could be like an ARP effect

So say you have a 4th resolution pulse line going and apply
Pulse repeat
x 3 16th
it would add P - - - P - - - P p p p P - - - -
user would have the possibility to set amount of velocity acceding or descending and if or pitch (creating and arp effect)

It would just be very handy, I for example use often place a Kick on a 24th after a Kick on a strong beat …

And It just be matter of
1x repeat ''24th after a kick

just open up many possibilities in the ‘‘in-between window’’

My apologies for the enthusiasm … I just really, really like your design/instrument

[ward]

@lucent

24 patterns per Track ?
(thats 5 tracks x 4 pulses = 20 pulses in total play
each Track has access to
24 note lists?
And the unit holds multiple project files?
correct?

Each track has 4 pulses and 25 patterns (numbered 0 up to 24).

Each project has 25 note lists (so the tracks ‘share’ the note lists).

The machine has about 26GB free storage space by default which can be used to store hundreds of samples and projects.

@lucent

It’s how many voice of poly ? All parts are mono running into a stereo bus system?

Each track can be configured to allow for 8 voices of polyphony. In practice however expect to be able to use about 8-12 voices in total.

A single voice is mono but usually audio effects are processed in stereo. For playing stereo samples or wide synth sounds you can enable unison.

@lucent

How much sample time is there? Is there a loaded sample length limit?

So for storage you can have about 26GB samples on the PolyPulse. I estimate the amount of samples that can actually be loaded in a project is around 15 minutes stereo 44.1kHz. (I have not actually measured this yet because I personally never ran into the limit)

@lucent

Can sample play head (start end /loop positions) be set to morph pad?
Can modulators be set to playback heads?

You can set start/end positions of samples inside a sample list. The start/end position as set in the sample list you cannot modulate however.

The Granular sound engine has a offset parameters that adjusts the start position of a grain and can be modulated and/or assigned to the touchpad.

The Quad engine has only 3 parameters per mini engine, which when a sample mini engine is selected are volume, pitch and what sample list is played. Subtractive and resonator also only have the volume, pitch and sample list parameters.

I do want to add a dedicated sample player sound engine at some point but it is not the highest item on my todo list.

@lucent

Can I audition and or play/record all the samples in the pool via the keyboard?

You can trigger notes on the keyboard to hear the samples, it will play the samples from the sample list as if they were triggered from the sequencer. You can also trigger notes with the keyboard while inside the sample list editor, then it will specifically trigger the sample that is highlighted/being edited in the sample list editor.

@lucent

Are the modulators like Octatrack LFO designer or MC707 LFO designer
(where you can sculpt the shape on per step basis) can these then be synced to clock or free running and speed and last step freely adjusted, do the modulators reach audio rate?

There is no parameter locking system like the one in Elektron boxes. There are different ways to create complex modulation however. A modulators parameters can for instance also be modulated with another modulator, and all modulator parameters are also morphing with the touchpad.

LFO’s can be synced to the main clock or free running (minimum 0.001Hz / 1000 seconds to maximum 100 Hz).

@lucent

What type of synthesis is applicable to samples other than playback heads and Amp envelopes besides FX?
Can I run a sample list through the granular engine on its own track or does this mean I am using two tracks? a sample track + a granular synth?

There is no separate sample track, on each track you can select a sound engine. On this page is a list of sound engines can use samples: Sample lists - PolyPulse manual.

Granular slices up a sample list into individual grains while in the other sample capable sound engines it plays one sample at a time (per voice) from the start to end point (and possibly again if looping). All sound engines support keytracking/repitching of samples if that is enabled in the sample list.

@lucent

Is there a master tune on the machine or do all the synth and sample parts offer fine tune adjustment? Or is that done via keyboard tuning system?

@lucent

User definable tuning for keyboard pitch

There is no single pitch control that affects the whole machine. You can however (per note list) set what (micro)tuning is used and you can load custom *.scl tuning files.

Most sound engines have pitch controls that can be fine tuned by pressing the encoder while turning.

@lucent

Is the pulse Voltage out Gate signals?

When a pulse is triggered the pulse output emits a short trigger of about 4.5V. It is not a CV / DAC output.

@lucent

Is there an undo function?

No, undo systems are quite tricky to implement and can use a lot of memory. It is very unlikely to be added to the PolyPulse.

@lucent

My apologies for the enthusiasm … I just really, really like your design/instrument

Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm and ideas. I cannot reply to all individual suggestions/feature requests but I hope to have answered all your questions!

[lucent]

Each track has 4 pulses and 25 patterns (numbered 0 up to 24).

Each project has 25 note lists (so the tracks ‘share’ the note lists).

so just to be clear that the terminology isn’t wrong: thats

25 patterns per track <
so 5x 25 (125 clips) that can be mixed in play,
but they share 25 note pool?

Or is it 25 patterns for all tracks globally (manual states track /as you do here, just want to make sure as there is a radically difference

Does each pattern have its own sound/sample setting? so different sample starts and synth sound or any preset desired on per pattern basis?

In the note pool, can you add, replace, copy or duplicate notes? I saw you can swap them around in a video easilly enough… is silence done by just inserting a rest?

Resaon I am inquering is; let’s say we want to recreate the something like the Bass line from Daft Punk Voyager

How would I recreate this on the PP? Whereas notes are played at different resolution intervals and have different lengths …( and this is a real bassist, so ideally I’d like to shift some keynotes a bit off the grid) …

I mean is it a case of a: 32nd note pulse and entering a 4bar note list full of rest and ties? Or can this be done with some sequence trickery /resets and offsets?

and if I have a long 16 bar vocal stem that Id like to trigger just once over a groove

Is that a case of: ‘‘1 note Pulse’’ trigger on 1x whole note and the rest for 15… and a ‘‘stop command or something’’

What are the scale of resolution? From 1 to 192th? and does it do dotted resolutions as well?

When a pulse is triggered the pulse output emits a short trigger of about 4.5V. It is not a CV / DAC output.

What is the ideal use for the voltage outs ? if 5.0V. is gate if Im not mistaken.

A Feature wish
Choke group between selected notes from two different note list, so two or more pulses could have free running rhythmic choking possibilities

[ward]

Each track has its own 25 patterns (so yes in there are 125 patterns), but all tracks share 25 note lists.

@lucent

Does each pattern have its own sound/sample setting? so different sample starts and synth sound or any preset desired on per pattern basis?

You cannot set a different sound engine per pattern if that is what you mean.

@lucent

In the note pool, can you add, replace, copy or duplicate notes? I saw you can swap them around in a video easilly enough… is silence done by just inserting a rest?

Yes there are copy/shuffle/transpose functions: Note lists - PolyPulse manual

You can also copy a note list completely or partially into another note lists with the copy function.

Silences are indeed done by setting the note type to rest.

@lucent

How would I recreate this on the PP? Whereas notes are played at different resolution intervals and have different lengths …( and this is a real bassist, so ideally I’d like to shift some keynotes a bit off the grid) …

I mean is it a case of a: 32nd note pulse and entering a 4bar note list full of rest and ties? Or can this be done with some sequence trickery /resets and offsets?

So to fully recreate a sequence such as the one you pictured might prove tricky or unpractical. The note list system has pitch and velocity but does not have note lengths or timing/rhythm.

You can indeed create rhythms in a note list by adding multiple rests in the note list but this will might be a bit unpractical in comparison to just using a conventional step sequencer or piano roll.

This is not to say you cannot create fun / cool patterns and melodies on the PolyPulse. Its just that the PolyPulses approach to sequencing is quite different from step sequencers / piano rolls and so it has its own strengths. Its like how some parts composed on a guitar just don’t really work well on a piano and likewise.

@lucent

and if I have a long 16 bar vocal stem that Id like to trigger just once over a groove

Is that a case of: ‘‘1 note Pulse’’ trigger on 1x whole note and the rest for 15… and a ‘‘stop command or something’’

Load the sample in a sample list. On a track with a quad engine sound engine select that sample list for one of the 4 pulses and make sure the hold of the amp envelope is at least as long as the sample. Set the interval of that pulse to how often the vocal needs to be triggered (so to 16 bars in this case).

@lucent

What are the scale of resolution? From 1 to 192th? and does it do dotted resolutions as well?

The grid resolution of the PolyPulse is set by the clock mult parameter, which sets into how many sequencer ticks one beat is divided. It can be set to any value between 1 (resolution = 1/4th notes) and 64 (resolution = 1/256th notes) so you can also get triplets by setting it to values like 6, 12 or 24. Dotted notes can be achieved with the pulses interval parameter.

@lucent

What is the ideal use for the voltage outs ? if 5.0V. is gate if Im not mistaken.

Clock sync, triggering other sequencers or envelopes in modular synths.

Usually gate/trigger is 5V but in practice that could be anywhere between 4 to 6V and still be called 5V by manufacturers. In general if devices are specified to have 5V gate/trigger inputs it often works even with triggers as low as 3.5V.

[jimmy]

@ward

You can indeed create rhythms in a note list by adding multiple rests in the note list but this will might be a bit unpractical in comparison to just using a conventional step sequencer or piano roll.

It’s unpractical in comparison, but it’s pretty easy to do, and creating rhythms this way is very useful. I play a melody directly from my external MIDI keyboard, repeating all notes in place of rests. Then I “rest out” those notes in the Note Editor. It’s a reasonably practical working method.

[PHOHAT]

Yep !
This is the way i use the Polypulse for step sequencing parts with note/sample list.
It works fine, even if more features for the note/sample list would be nice regarding that aspect.
But fortunately, at least, we have that method to do it .