I like to think I can rinse Aalto pretty thoroughly... but I must admit I very rarely use the Sequencer's blue gate outputs, occasionally Ill use it for extending decay/release when the sequencer is triggering the envelopes... Or at most offset the speed/position of the sequencer for predicable yet very swung rhythms.
But I was just wondering what else everyone uses this for?
They're excellent for "pinging" certain parameters. The mod index, timbre, and amp knobs all have a vactrol style response, so when you hit them with a gated signal you get a nice plonk as opposed to an on/off sound.
The gates are also good for hitting the filter Q, waveguide drive/feedback, reverb, and even the sequencers own offset for interesting bursts of sound. Play with the gate pulse width as you try all of these things!
EDIT: Here's a patch using nothing but gates, doing pretty much everything I described.
<Aalto pluginVersion="66305" presetName="GATES!!!" scaleName="12-equal" scaleDir="" seq_rate="0.267999947" seq_offset_p="1.99999988" seq_range="25.0000019" seq_pw="20" seq_value_delay="0.5" seq_pulse_delay="1" seq_value0="0.0700000003" seq_value1="0.0799999982" seq_value2="0.140000001" seq_value3="0.25" seq_value4="0.399999976" seq_value5="0.479999989" seq_value6="0.479999989" seq_value7="0.370000005" seq_value8="0.269999981" seq_value9="0.25" seq_value10="0.25" seq_value11="0.299999982" seq_value12="0.289999992" seq_value13="0.219999999" seq_value14="0.149999991" seq_value15="0.109999999" seq_pulse0="1" seq_pulse2="1" seq_pulse4="1" seq_pulse7="1" seq_pulse8="1" seq_pulse10="1" seq_pulse12="1" seq_pulse13="1" seq_pulse15="1" lfo_freq="1.00000012" env1_decay="0.99999994" env1_release="0.50000006" env2_repeat="0" osc_ratio="10" osc_pitch="55" osc_waveshape="0.0100000259" osc_ratio_p="1.35999966" osc_index_p="10" osc_timbre_p="0.5" osc_pitch_exp_p="1.79999971" osc_waveshape_p="-0.660000026" osc_mod_out="0.319999993" gate_mode="1" gate_decay="1.62" gate_level_p="0.5" delay_input="0.519999981" delay_peakfreq="4168.00049" delay_drive="0.659999967" delay_peakres="-4.75" delay_feedback="0.529999971" delay_freq="440" delay_feedback_p="1" filter_cutoff="147" filter_q="0.789999962" filter_cutoff_p="2.92000008" filter_q_p="0.679999948" filter_mix_p="0.659999967" output_input_gain="0.550000012" output_reverb_p="0.100000024" patcher_input_8="0000000000000100100100000100100" patcher_input_9="0010000000000011101000001011010" editor_x="344" editor_y="138" editor_width="912" editor_height="624" editor_num="1" editor_anim="1"/>
Yes, it seems kind of odd to have them, because the way the envelopes are set up, there’s no other module that really needs for a trigger in.
And yet, sending pluses to lots of different modules is fun. I remember distinctly playing around with my SH101 and how I would connect CV and gate in reverse sometimes, and get great and unexpected sounds.
Also, the same layout for the sequencer may be used in a future product... one more fully modular...
i like using it for doubling of the pitch, for bleepy 8bit type sounds:
<Aalto pluginVersion="66560" presetName="blipblop" presetDir="" scaleName="12-equal" scaleDir="" seq_trig="1" seq_rate="0.215999946" seq_rate_p="2.07999992" seq_pw="72" seq_pulse_delay="0.5" seq_pulse1="1" env1_decay="1.4800005" env1_sustain="0" env1_release="0.680000007" env2_repeat="0" osc_index="3.74000001" osc_pitch="439.999939" osc_waveshape="-0.289999962" osc_index_p="-4.80000019" osc_waveshape_p="0.339999914" gate_decay="0" output_reverb="0.179999992" patcher_input_1="0000000000000000100000000000000" patcher_input_8="0000000000000000101000000000000" patcher_input_9="0000000000000000101000000000000" patcher_input_13="1000000000000010000100000000000" editor_x="156" editor_y="220" editor_width="912" editor_height="624" editor_num="1" editor_anim="1"/>
Chuckl,
I did not know the vactrol response extended beyond the gate! Ill have to dive into that today. However a glide on the gate outs might have me patching these more, instead of just offsetting things via pulse width. If implemented scanning the sequencer offset with an LFO could produce some very complex and unique modulation waveforms from such a simple source, something that plays into Aalto's design from my perspective!
and I guess if im suggesting things then mabye a modulation point for "both" sequencer glides that of course would be per voice. Id love to hear what switching between the S&H waveshape of the unquantized sequencer to a complex sinusoidal one on each voice would sound like!
Is very fun for send it to the feedback, filter Q and to the sequencer offset.
<Aalto pluginVersion="66560" presetName="hydraulics" presetDir="drums-rev1" scaleName="12-equal" scaleDir="" key_voices="3" seq_rate="0.104999989" seq_rate_p="3.03999996" seq_pw="41" seq_value_delay="2.5" seq_pulse_delay="2" seq_value0="0.5" seq_value1="0.308658272" seq_value2="0.146446601" seq_value3="0.038060233" seq_value4="4.99600361e-016" seq_value5="0.0380602516" seq_value6="0.146446615" seq_value7="0.308658361" seq_value8="0.50000006" seq_value9="0.691341698" seq_value10="0.853553474" seq_value11="0.961939812" seq_value12="1" seq_value13="0.961939752" seq_value14="0.853553295" seq_value15="0.691341698" seq_pulse0="1" seq_pulse4="1" seq_pulse8="1" seq_pulse12="1" lfo_freq="0.0999999717" lfo_level="0.399999976" lfo_level_p="1.27999997" lfo_freq_p="3.03999996" env1_decay="0.519999921" env1_sustain="0" env1_release="0.159999952" env1_trig_select="2" env2_repeat="9.92968655" env2_release="0.0399999954" env2_xvel="1" env2_trig_select="2" env2_delay_p="0.179999948" env2_attack_p="0.179999948" osc_ratio="10" osc_index="4.94999981" osc_timbre="0.459999979" osc_pitch="439.999939" osc_noise_p="0.919999957" osc_offset_p="83.9999924" osc_pitch_lin_p="200.000046" osc_carrier_out="0.50999999" osc_mod_out="0.539999962" gate_mode="1" gate_decay="1.53999996" delay_input="1" delay_peakfreq="1737.00061" delay_drive="0.579999983" delay_feedback="0.149999991" delay_freq="0.859375" delay_peakfreq_p="1.48000002" delay_drive_p="0.779999971" delay_peakres_p="2.31999969" delay_feedback_p="0.220000029" delay_freq_p="1.71999979" delay_output_wet="0.719999969" filter_cutoff="97.9999847" filter_q="0.269999981" filter_mix="-0.75999999" filter_cutoff_p="2.92000008" filter_q_p="0.399999976" output_reverb_p="0.25999999" output_pan_p="0.179999948" patcher_input_3="0000000001000000000000000110000" patcher_input_8="0001000000010000000000001000100" patcher_input_9="0000000000100000000000000000000" patcher_input_10="0001000000000000000000000000000" patcher_input_11="0000100000000000010000010100000" patcher_input_12="0000000001000100000001100000001" patcher_input_13="0000000000000000000100000000010" patcher_input_14="0000000000000000010000000010000" editor_x="282" editor_y="108" editor_width="912" editor_height="624" editor_num="1" editor_anim="1"/>
The Gate outs are also super for when you want to instantly modulate a parameter between two values without the "ramping" of an envelope or whatever. You can get nice variations on a melody this way for example.
Also if you have all your gates on the sequencer active, you basically have a pulse wave with PWM coming out of those outputs. If the pulse width is set to 100% you've got a constant offset going on. Etc etc