MIDI Sequencer Updated – Slave Mode

I’ve just uploaded a revised version of the MIDI sequencer to the repository; this version adds a Slave mode, which allows the sequencer to advance steps on triggers sent by an external module. 

To engage Slave Mode, you turn the module ON while pressing the button for about five seconds, just enough to go through the battery check; then the main LED turns off, and it’s ready to receive triggers through the I/O 4. With the module on battery, I’ve successfully tested 3 and 5V triggers.

Operation is identical to the Master Mode; you can edit, reverse, transpose or add octaves to the pattern in the way you usually would. You can also set the module’s internal tempo, which affects how it reacts to the external triggers:

  • Triggers faster than the internal tempo are ignored, e.g., if you are receiving triggers at 120 bpm but the internal tempo is 60 bpm, you’ll be sending MIDI notes at 60 bpm. As a rule of thumb, the unit sends notes at whatever tempo is slowest
  • MIDI note lengths are based on the internal tempo. Having a slow internal tempo in comparison to the external won’t result in overlapping (by design), but having a very fast internal tempo in comparison to the external gives you short notes
  • Currently, a module in Master Mode can reach faster tempos than a module in Slave Mode can respond to, though the current range in Slave Mode is more than adequate for music purposes (and beyond)

Finally, I’ve also revised the Master Mode so that it send triggers consistently even while editing a pattern; note that a module in Master Mode sends both its own MIDI sequence and external triggers, so with two modules you can control two synthesizers in sync -and with three modules you can control three synthesizers, if you take an extra trigger output from the Master’s programming header-.

Special Thanks to Bernd Deckers , who prompted me to add this feature.

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