Scales

Announcements
#1

Make Anything Musical

Your modular system is all about generating complex, fluid and dynamic variations in voltage. It’s a glorious thing — until that sousaphonist joins the band and demands you play notes conforming to an actual musical scale. Enter the appropriately named Scales module, which quantizes those feral voltages into musical pitches. Use the second output in conjunction with the Shift and Interval features to generate harmonies and counterpoint, or simply to quantize a second input voltage. Scales can even record, play back and store 35 different sequences as long as 128-steps each. Experience the magic of turning chaos into harmony.

Lock and Step

Scales is an 8hp dual-channel note quantizer and step sequencer. Fundamentally, it takes an input voltage, quantizes it to notes in a user-defined scale, and sends that quantized voltage to an output, where you can use it as a melodic pitch source for oscillators or any other module that expects to see discreet note values at its input.

Scales goes far beyond the fundamental, allowing you unprecedented control of the pitches and intervals hiding inside your control voltages; turn LFO’s into arpeggiators; random voltages into harmonic counterpoint; and unquantized external CV sequencers into chromatically tuned note sequencers.

Quantization can be locked to an incoming trigger. There are a number of trigger output options as well, ranging from no triggering (good for pitch shifting drones); through triggers that sync with either of the two outputs (or both); to a trigger or gate transmitted in sync with one sent to the module’s TRIG input.

Shift

Scales features two independent outputs, enabling you to create shifted harmonic intervals within your chosen scale using only a single pitch input. Using the SHIFT input you can modulate changes on OUT A and/or OUT B.

You can also use the shift input to switch between scales or to change the root of any existing scale pattern or split Scales into two quantizers — each conforming to a common scale, but fed entirely different voltage sources.

Sequence

Scales also features a 128-step SH-101 style step sequencer (complete with storage for up to 35 fully programmable patterns) — allowing you to feed OUT B with sequenced notes and rhythm patterns, while OUT A continues to function as a standard pitch quantizer for external voltages. You can even sync the sequencer to quantizer events on OUT A.

Features

  • SHIFT/PITCH inputs and A/B outputs operate in a -10v to +10v range with 1v/oct scaling
  • 1-octave keyboard for selecting scale notes in real time and LED buttons provide visual feedback of quantizing
  • Save and recall up to 35 different scales and sequences, arranged in 5 banks (black keys) of 7 scales each (white keys)
  • 35 factory scale patterns included
  • High resolution precision DAC for accurate pitch generation
  • Adjustable trigger delay
  • Input filtering eliminates jitter and glitches
  • Low latency with a fast ARM processor
  • LEARN function allows you to monitor external sequences or inputs and learn notes from them
  • Tuning mode so you can conveniently tune connected VCOs
  • ROOT function allows you to set root with or without shifting your current scale to match
  • USB port on back for easy updates of firmware
3 Likes
#2
#3

Love it. Will this come as a 1u as well? :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#4

No plans right now :slight_smile:

2 Likes
#5

Oh wow ! Will pick one up :grinning:

2 Likes
#6

Any news on when these will be with stores? I pre-ordered with Control and their site says ‘late January’. No huge rush, but didn’t know if there have been any changes to estimates.

#7

Preordered at Perfect Circuit and hoping it ships in time to work it into my set next month :smile:

#8

id like to see it in 1u as well!

3 Likes
#9

I’m curious as to the brand of illuminated push buttons on this module? I’m doing a couple of diy projects and would like to implement these kind of RGB buttons. Couldn’t find anything directly other than HIGHLY, but they aren’t rgb.

Any info would be great guys?

#10

They are custom parts.

#11

I just got my scales and confused on how to use it with my lfo, I seem to only get it to change between 2notes in the scale chosen not using a trigger

#12

what kind of waveform do you have fed into it?

#13

I was using a square wave, so I need to try a sine, that’s probably what I was doing wrong was thinking about it :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#14

Seems when i use learn mode i instantly paint the whole scale with notes. Could this be micro-amounts of portamento affecting it? Any tips for conditioning the note CV coming in?

#15

Are you using it with the trigger input?

#16

No, I wasn’t! I’ll give that a go.

#17

Now that performed as expected. I missed that part of the setup in the manual. Thanks for the help!

2 Likes
#18

Question about root note function. If I set a Cm scale and then adjust the root note to D, I get that it shifts the scale so the notes are now in a Dm configuration. But, does that also mean that 0V at the input will give me a D note? C is part of the Dm scale so I’m wondering if Scales adjusts for this or if 0V will still pertain to C.

#19

0V will still give you a C note, 0 V output as opposed to shifting up to a D, 0.166 V output.

#20

OK thanks. Trying to figure out the best way to play with some classical players. When we switch keys, I’d like to have a simple way to make my oscillators play the root note of the new scale at 0V. Most of my stuff is improvised so I don’t use saved sequences. I suppose one of those Doepfer mini keyboard modules + the Scales output into a precision adder would do the trick. Or can I skip the adder and put the keyboard module into SHIFT on the Scales?