[Tetrapad + Tete] Favorite Combo mode configurations

Eurorack
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#1

Connoisseurs of Combo, I want to hear what your favorite setups look like. Maybe some of the shared ideas will inspire others.

As for me, I’ve had my pair for ~3 years now, and what I enjoy the most involves:

  • pad 1 is a Unipolar Fader, with the X input assigned Offset (Trig) on pad 1
  • pad 2 is Euclidean, with its second output quantized (to Chromatic) and allowed a max voltage of 5V
  • pads 3+4 are Voltage Banks, with the Z input assigned to VBank (CLK) for both pads 3+4, and my pad 2’s second output patched into the Z input
  • outputs A+B send pressure from pads 3+4
  • the Y input is assigned to Loopy Shift

I treat the right half of my Tetrapad basically like an enhanced Pressure Points + Brains (4 stages of 4 stored voltages per stage) with live pressure output and internal, clock-synced sequencing of the stage indices through my Euclidean pad’s positional output. Having that Euclidean pad’s positional output quantized is important; this ensures that the position is only updated through an internal S&H that samples on each trigger emitted from the clock-synced Euclidean generator. Now I can record and play back nonlinear stage-addressing patterns like 1,2,2,4,3,2,2,4 that are actually clock synced (as it works in the dedicated Voltages mode) in Combo mode, with stage changes in sync with a generated Euclidean rhythm.

About my first pad - I like having a CV input playing the Offset(Trig) role and having that assigned to a Fader pad, because this is basically gives me an entirely external sample & hold (X = the signal to sample, trig-assigned jack = the external sampling trigger, X attenuverter = amount and polarity that the S&H signal should be added to the pad’s output) that can be attenuverted and added to the pad’s loopable fader position. I’ve been finding a use for that in every patch.

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#2

I think that’s really interesting and you’ve given me something to think about, even if I don’t have a set-up to share in return. I’m doing more basic stuff - 4 euclidean sequencers, the first playing all notes and driving an MI Grids to get the Grids on the same swing as the Tete and Metropolix, and the other three as drum/envelope trigger lanes. I do like rotating their offsets - playing one kick pattern from Grids and rotating another 3/8 kick against it sounds interesting, to me. Anyway, I wanted to thank you for sharing even if my usage is more basic.

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#3

Yeah that sounds really fun. I love being able to manually gate the Euclidean generators with touch. Do you find yourself gravitating towards using the Euclid pads’ positional outputs (right side of each pair) for any recurring uses?

#4

Yeah, I’m sending them through an es-9 to drive parameters of some real-time graphics stuff I programmed. I have them bounced back out of the es-9 so that they’re simultaneously available for my rack, but I haven’t found a usage I like yet. The idea was that each would get used for a graphics parameter and in-rack CV modulation, and provide some nice correspondence to the visual and audio changes, but in practice I have (so far) found the entanglement more troublesome - I’ll get the graphics working just so but have it correspond to a modulation I’m not loving, or vice versa. I believe there’s going to be some successful pairings in there somewhere, but I haven’t found them yet.

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