Page 1   USER GUIDE Social Entropy Electronic Music Instruments...
Page 3 • SPECIFICATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE Social Entropy LLC reserves the right to modify or change any speciﬁcations without notice or obligation at any time, including changes to hardware features, software capabilities, colors and/or design. Any company names, products or logos used in this manual are trademarks of their respective owners. ...
Page 4 This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses  ...
Page 5: Table Of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS   BACKGROUND ................. CONCEPTS ................DIAGRAM CONVENTIONS ............THE BASICS WHAT’S IN THE BOX ..............FRONT PANEL ................REAR PANEL ................PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS ............SEQUENCER BASICS ..............TRACKS ....................SONGS ....................FUNCTIONS ..................QUICK START QUICK START ................
Page 6 SELECTING TRACKS ................SELECTING PATTERNS AND PATTERN CHAINS FOR A TRACK ....SELECTING PATTERNS USING MIDI ..........CLEARING A TRACK ..............CLEAR TRACK SETTINGS ..............CLEARING TRACK PATTERNS TO A SPECIFIC TYPE ......COPYING A TRACK ............... PASTING A TRACK .................
Page 7 SAVING THE USER SCALE ..............PATTERNS ................PATTERN TYPES ................... CHANGING PATTERN TYPES ............REST MODE ..................ADAPTIVE RECORD MODE ..............SETTING UP FOR ADAPTIVE RECORD ..........INITIATING ADAPTIVE RECORD ............. ENDING ADAPTIVE RECORD ............REPLACE RECORD MODE ..............PAUSE RECORD MODE ...............
Page 8 MUTING DRUM INSTRUMENTS ............SOLOING DRUM INSTRUMENTS ........... UNSOLOING DRUM INSTRUMENTS ..........DRUM ROLLS ................. CHANGING THE DRUM ROLL RESOLUTION ........LATCHING DRUM ROLLS ..............RECORDING A DRUM ROLL ............. DRUM LEARN MODE ..............SYNTH TYPE PATTERNS ..............PROGRAMMING A SYNTH TYPE PATTERN ........
Page 9 RECORDING AN ARPEGGIO ............CHORD MEMORY ................ CONTROL TYPE PATTERNS ..............SELECTING CONTROLLERS ............PROGRAMMING A CONTROL TYPE PATTERN ....... GRID PROGRAMMING ..............ADDING OR REMOVING A CONTROL EVENT ........CHANGING A CONTROL VALUE ............CONTROL SLIDE ................REALTIME RECORDING ..............
Page 10 EXECUTING RANDOMIZATION ............PATTERN DIRECTION ..............PROBABILITY DIRECTION ............. SNAPSHOTS ................CREATING SNAPSHOTS ..............SNAPSHOT RECORD ..............SNAPSHOT PASTE ................ RECALLING SNAPSHOTS ..............CLEARING SNAPSHOTS ..............SNAPSHOT FUNCTION MODE ............SNAPSHOT UTILITY MODE ..............SNAPSHOT RECALL SETTINGS ............TRACK MIDI PORT/CHANNEL RECALL ..........
Page 11 DUMP MACHINE STATE ..............CV EXPANSION MODE ..............CV MODE: 8 TRACKS ..............CV MODE: 4 TRACKS ..............CV MODE: 1 TRACK ..............CV MODE: 6 CONTROLS AND CLOCKS ........SETTING INPUT MIDI CHANNEL ............ENABLING MIDI THRU ..............ENABLING MIDI PROGRAM CHANGE RECEIVE .........
Page 12: Background
Four years later, we were finally ready to release Engine. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!  USER GUIDE...
Page 13: Concepts
The remainder of this manual will focus on these activities. Engine is all about the ability to both compose and perform live from a dedicated interface. This means several things in the context of Engine.
Page 14: Diagram Conventions
DIAGRAM CONVENTIONS   Throughout this document, diagrams are used to illustrate the buttons used to perform various actions. Some diagrams will not show buttons being held or pinned to stay in a certain mode while functions are performed. For example, for functions associated with TIME MODE, it is assumed that the TIME button is being held or pinned, the TIME button will not be shown in every diagram. ...
Page 15 A brightly lit LED is represented as red, a dim LED is represented in pink. When an LED is blinking, it is represented with a dotted line around the LED. Example: One brightly lit LED and two dimly lit LEDs A blinking LED When a knob should be turned, it will be shown with a red arrow.
Page 16: The Basics
THE BASICS  USER GUIDE...
Page 17: What's In The Box
WHAT’S IN THE BOX   Included in the box are the following: • 1x Engine hardware sequencer: white/red, white/blue or black edition • 1x USB cable • 1x 9V DC international power supply • 5x International power plug attachments • 1x Quickstart postcard •...
Page 18: Front Panel
FRONT PANEL CONTROL KNOBS 16 PATTERN STEP BUTTONS Used for sending MIDI or CV control messages in realtime Used to edit pattern steps and select patterns The knobs are also used for setting some values 4 STEP ATTRIBUTE BUTTONS Used to set certain step attributes or enter other modes TRANSPOSE / DRUM SELECT BUTTON Used in combination with the mini-keyboard to transpose ROLL/ARP BUTTON...
Page 19: Rear Panel
Can be configured as either a DIN SYNC master or slave for synchronization ISOLATED USB JACK Use to connect Engine to a USB host, such as a computer. MIDI INPUT JACK USB can be used for updating the firmware Connect to external MIDI devices such as MIDI controllers...
Page 20: Sequencer Basics
SNAPSHOTS and SONGS.   TRACKS A good place to start is the TRACK. Engine has eight tracks which play simultaneously. A track shouldn’t be confused with a song, on some synthesizers/sequencers the term “track” is used to describe a song structure.
Page 21 BASICS For SYNTH1 type patterns, a step has attributes that determine PITCH, GATE, VELOCITY (ACCENT), GATE LENGTH (SLIDE), REPEAT and DELAY, in addition to ACTIVE for the entire step. PITCH 1-4 Deﬁnes the pitches of the step VELOCITY The velocity of the note to be played, accent is a quick way to set the velocity to a preset value GATE Deﬁnes the note length, slide is created when a...
Page 22 BASICS For DRUM type patterns, a step has attributes that determine TRIGGER, VELOCITY and REPEAT for sixteen drum instruments, in addition to ACTIVE and DELAY for the entire step. TRIGGER Deﬁnes which drum instruments will 1-16 be played on this step VELOCITY The trigger velocity per drum 1-16...
Page 23 BASICS SNAPSHOTS Snapshots are useful for storing the current state of Engine across all tracks. This allows all settings to be recalled with a single button press. This can be used to build a song structure in realtime for live performance.
Page 24: Songs
BASICS SONGS   A SONG is a sequence of snapshots. SONGS allow for an entire performance to be constructed with different snapshots and played back in sequence automatically. Each SONG is made up of a series of SONG STEPS (not to be confused with pattern STEPS).
Page 25: Functions
BASICS FUNCTIONS   FUNCTIONS perform actions on step, pattern or track data. Most functions are initiated in FUNCTION MODE through various combinations of buttons, but some functions are available as realtime performance capabilities in other modes. Some examples of functions are: •...
Page 26 QUICK START  USER GUIDE...
Page 27: Quick Start
CONNECTING MIDI Engine has a MIDI input and two MIDI output ports. The MIDI input port can be used for syncing Engine to other devices, or it can be used to connect a MIDI controller for realtime recording into patterns.
Page 28: Select A Track
QUICK START SELECT A TRACK First we will select the track we want to sequence. The default mode for Engine is TRACK SELECT mode, meaning that you can use the eight white buttons of the mini keyboard to select one of the eight available tracks.
Page 29: Modify A Pattern
QUICK START 6. While still holding the step button, set the octave of the pitch using the DOWN and UP buttons 7. While still holding the step button, you can also set the ACCENT and SLIDE attributes 8. While still holding the step button, a speciﬁc note velocity can be set using controller knob 1.
Page 30: Create A Song
QUICK START 3.Now let’s transpose the pattern on track 1 without leaving SNAPSHOT mode. Make sure that track 1 is selected by pressing the TRACK 1 button (low C on the mini- keyboard). 4.Press and hold the TRANSPOSE button, now select a semitone transpose amount by pressing one of the buttons of the mini-keyboard.
Page 31 QUICK START 11.Now leave song step record by clicking the FUNCTION button. 12.If the sequencer is already running, you should hear and see the song progress from snapshot 1 to snapshot 2. The LEDs and display will change to show the song progress.
Page 32: Reference Guide
REFERENCE GUIDE   USER GUIDE...
Page 33: Starting And Stopping The Sequencer
STARTING AND STOPPING THE SEQUENCER To start or stop the sequencer, simply click the RUN/STOP button. If the sequencer is currently under external sync, the internal clock will be used as a fallback when external sync is lost. : You can also use RECORD PAUSE to start the sequencer automatically when starting to record a new pattern.
Page 34: Midi Continue
If you wish to continue the sequencer from the current position (after stopping the sequencer) press and hold the FUNCTION button before clicking RUN/STOP. This will also send a MIDI continue message to any MIDI sync outputs.  : Engine will also respond to MIDI Continue messages when using external sync. NOTE : Continue cannot be initiated while in TIME MODE, because this button combination is used to realign a track.
Page 35: Midi Panic
MIDI PANIC If a connected device has notes hanging after stopping the sequencer, Engine can send an “ALL NOTES OFF” message (MIDI controller 123) on all MIDI channels. Engine will also clear any internal notes and CV/Gates. To send an all notes off message, with the sequencer stopped, double-click the RUN/ STOP button.
Page 36: Tracks
TRACKS TRACKS There are eight tracks in Engine. Tracks deﬁne a pattern or chain of patterns, along with other settings for things like MIDI channel, controller assignments, MIDI effects, etc. All eight tracks play simultaneously. Depending on the pattern type selected, a track can play a 4-note polyphonic synth sequence, an 16-note polyphonic drum trigger sequence or 6 recorded controllers.
Page 37 TRACKS USER GUIDE...
Page 38: Selecting Patterns And Pattern Chains For A Track
TRACKS The Pattern Type LED will also change to show the type of pattern assigned to the selected track. For Drum type patterns the Pattern Type LED will be lit, for Synth type patterns the LED will not be lit, for Control type patterns, the LED will blink slowly. Drum type pattern Control type pattern Synth type pattern...
Page 39 TRACKS To select a pattern chain, press and hold the pattern step button for the ﬁrst pattern in the chain, then click the pattern step button for the last pattern in the chain. The pattern chain should light across all selected patterns. NOTE: You cannot chain patterns across multiple pattern banks.
Page 40: Selecting Patterns Using Midi
: You can disable the reception of MIDI program change messages in GLOBAL CONFIG mode. This is useful if your MIDI controller sends program changes when selecting patches and you do not wish Engine to change patterns. USER GUIDE...
Page 41: Clearing A Track
TRACKS CLEARING A TRACK Track clearing can operate in two different ways, depending on whether you wish to just clear track settings (leaving pattern data intact), or initialize all patterns in a track to a certain pattern type. TRACK SETTINGS Clear all track level settings, but keep patterns as is.
Page 42: Clear Track Settings
TRACKS CLEAR TRACK SETTINGS To clear track settings, select the “SET” clear method. Pattern data is not cleared when clearing track settings. When clearing track settings, the cleared values are: Selected pattern/pattern chain Reset to pattern 1, bank 1, no chain MIDI port and channel Reset to port 1, channel same as track number LFO, ROLL and ARP...
Page 43: Copying A Track
TRACKS COPYING A TRACK The settings for a track can be copied into the clipboard for later pasting into other tracks. To copy a track, while holding the selected track, click the COPY button (G sharp). PASTING A TRACK The current contents of the TRACK clipboard can be pasted into the currently selected track.
Page 44: Muting Tracks
TRACKS MUTING TRACKS Each track can be muted individually for creating variations or live performance. To mute a track, while in normal mode, press and hold the MUTE button, then click the track you wish to mute or unmute. Muted tracks are shown as an unlit track LED, while unmuted tracks are shown with a lit LED.
Page 45: Soloing Tracks
TRACKS SOLOING TRACKS A track can be soloed, which will mute all other tracks. To solo a track, while in TRACK SELECT (normal) mode, press and hold the MUTE button, then press and hold the FUNCTION button, then click the track you wish to solo. The selected track will be unmuted, all other tracks will be muted.
Page 46: Function Mode
TRACKS FUNCTION MODE Function mode is used to perform many alternate functions on patterns and tracks. This includes functions like pattern randomize, clear/copy/paste, pattern direction, MIDI effects and UTILITY MODE. The FUNCTION button has a colored line surrounding it, with the word FUNCTION above it.
Page 47: Setting The Track Midi Channel
TRACKS SETTING THE TRACK MIDI CHANNEL The MIDI output channel and output port can be set for each track. To view the MIDI output channel for a track, press and hold (or double-click) the FUNCTION button, then press and hold the MIDI CHANNEL (down) button. The display will show the port and MIDI output channel for the selected track.
Page 48: Midi Effects
TRACKS MIDI EFFECTS Each track has a set of MIDI EFFECTS that change how an entire pattern plays. MIDI EFFECTS are accessible in FUNCTION MODE using the control knobs. The MIDI effects knob use a “pass-through” scheme to avoid jumps in value. This means that a knob must ﬁrst pass through the current value for the setting before the knob location is used to set the value.
Page 49: Gate Offset
TRACKS GATE OFFSET The gate offset effect will shorten or lengthen all gates in a pattern by up to one step. The offset can be set from -32 to +31. The gate offset can be used creatively to change note playback from more staccato to more legato style.
Page 50: Note Repeat
TRACKS NOTE REPEAT The note repeat effect creates a ratchet type effect for steps that have note repeat set. Please see the sections on GRID PROGRAMMING to learn how to set note repeat on a pattern step. There are three distinct types of note repeat: gate, step and poly. Programmed note repeats have no effect.
Page 51: Note Repeat - Poly Mode
TRACKS NOTE REPEAT - POLY MODE There is a special NOTE REPEAT mode for SYNTH1 type patterns. In this mode, note repeats will play the programmed polyphonic pitches of a step in sequence, rather than simultaneously. This is useful for creating strumming type effects, or subdividing a step into smaller notes or different time scales.
Page 52: Note Repeat Decay
TRACKS NOTE REPEAT DECAY When using the note repeat effect, you can specify that each repeat will play with progressively lower velocity to create a note decay effect. This can be used to create interesting dynamics in the pattern. The decay value is speciﬁed as the amount the MIDI velocity will decrease on each subsequent repeat.
Page 53: Track Utility Mode
TRACKS TRACK UTILITY MODE From FUNCTION MODE there are some additional utility functions that can be accessed with the TRACK UTILITY mode. This includes conﬁguring the per track knob controller settings, program changes for patterns, force to scale, designating a track to listen to incoming MIDI for transposition and dumping individual patterns via MIDI system exclusive messages.
Page 54: Setting Track Knob Midi Channel/Port
TRACKS SETTING TRACK KNOB MIDI CHANNEL/PORT The MIDI channel and port for each control knob can be set separately per track. This allows each control knob to be used to control a different device per track if needed. To use track controllers, set the knob channels to “tr” in GLOBAL CONFIG mode. To set the MIDI channel for a control knob for the selected track, while in UTILITY mode, press and hold pattern step button 1, then turn the control knob you wish to set.
Page 55: Configuring Track Knobs
TRACKS CONFIGURING TRACK KNOBS When using track level knob settings, each control knob can be set separately per track. This allows each control knob to be used to control a different parameter per track if needed. To use track level settings, set the knob channels to “tr” in GLOBAL CONFIG mode.
Page 56: Using Midi Controllers
TRACKS USING MIDI CONTROLLERS The MIDI controller number for each control knob can be set separately per track. This allows each control knob to be used to control a different parameter per track if needed. The corresponding control message will be sent when the knob is turned. To set the MIDI controller number for a control knob for the selected track, while in UTILITY mode, press and hold pattern step button 2, then turn the control knob you wish to set.
Page 57: Using Track Modulators
TRACKS USING TRACK MODULATORS A control knob can also be conﬁgured to modulate other track parameters. The track parameters that can be modulated are pitch, velocity, gate time, note delay and note repeat. A knob can modulate a single track or all tracks. NOTE: When a knob is conﬁgured for track modulation, it does not send modulation values in realtime, it can only be used to set or record values into a control type pattern.
Page 58: Using Midi Notes
TRACKS USING MIDI NOTES Each track level control knob can also be conﬁgured to send a MIDI note message, instead of a MIDI control or track modulation message.. This allows a CONTROL TYPE pattern to be used for programming MIDI notes, useful for programming drums with more velocity control or more “analog style”...
Page 59: Pattern Bank And Program Change Messages
TRACKS PATTERN BANK AND PROGRAM CHANGE MESSAGES A pattern can be conﬁgured to send MIDI bank select and program change messages when it is switched. This allows a pattern to change the selected patch on a synthesizer or drum machine automatically. The messages can be sent on the MIDI channel deﬁned for the track, or on a speciﬁc MIDI channel.
Page 60 TRACKS To deﬁne the bank select least signiﬁcant byte for the current edit pattern, while in UTILITY MODE, press and hold the CHANGE PATTERN TYPE (roll/arp) button, then rotate control knob 2. The current bank select least signiﬁcant byte will be shown on the LED display while turning control knob 2.
Page 61 TRACKS To deﬁne the MIDI channel used for program select, while in UTILITY MODE, press and hold the CHANGE PATTERN TYPE (roll/arp) button, then rotate control knob 4. The current channel will be shown on the LED display while turning control knob 4. To send on the same channel as the deﬁned track MIDI channel, select “tr”.
Page 62: Set Fixed Velocities
TRACKS SET FIXED VELOCITIES DRUM and SYNTH2 patterns used a ﬁxed set of velocities for playback. This is in contrast to SYNTH1 and CONTROL type patterns which have full 0-127 velocity range. The ﬁxed velocity values can be changed per track, allowing ﬁne tuning of the velocities to suit the device being controlled.
Page 63: Setting The Normal Velocity
TRACKS SETTING THE NORMAL VELOCITY To set the normal (unaccented) velocity for the track, while in UTILITY MODE, press and hold the ACCENT button, then rotate control knob 2. The current normal velocity will be shown on the LED display while holding the ACCENT button.
Page 64: Setting The Ghost Velocity
TRACKS SETTING THE GHOST VELOCITY To set the ghost velocity for the track, while in UTILITY MODE, press and hold the ACCENT button, then rotate control knob 3. The current ghost velocity will be shown on the LED display while holding the ACCENT button. ...
Page 65: System Exclusive Dumps
TRACKS SYSTEM EXCLUSIVE DUMPS Engine patterns can be saved to an external device using MIDI system exclusive. SYSEX can be used to store individual patterns or the entire machine state. For dumps of the entire machine state, the patterns will be placed directly into their original locations.
Page 66: Synth1/Synth2: Transposing Tracks Using Midi
TRACKS SYNTH1/SYNTH2: TRANSPOSING TRACKS USING MIDI Each track can be conﬁgured to listen to incoming MIDI notes to apply transposition. This is extremely useful if you wish to transpose multiple tracks simultaneously. Some tracks can be assigned to transpose, while others do not transpose. Transposition applies only to SYNTH1 and SYNTH2 type patterns To enable or disable MIDI transpose for a track, in UTILITY MODE, click the TRANSPOSE button.
Page 67: Synth1/Synth2: Setting Step Pitch Using Midi
TRACKS SYNTH1/SYNTH2: SETTING STEP PITCH USING MIDI Each track can be conﬁgured to listen to incoming MIDI notes to set the pitch of a selected step in grid recording. This is useful if you wish to use an external controller to set the pitch of steps or enter chords in grid recording.
Page 68: Track Quantization
TRACKS TRACK QUANTIZATION Quantization can be enabled or disabled per track. Quantization only applies to input during realtime recording of synth type patterns. Quantization is enabled by default. This forces incoming notes to be a multiple of 50% gate length, the same as a 303 type sequencer. The beginning of a note will be hard quantized to the step.
Page 69: Cv/Gate Output Modes
TRACKS CV/GATE OUTPUT MODES When the CV/Gate output expansion board is installed, each track can be conﬁgured to send out CV using either 1Volt/Octave, Hz/Volt or 1.2V/Octave and Gate using either positive trigger or negative trigger. This allows the CV outputs to be used with a wide range of different analog devices.
Page 70: Setting Cv/Gate Mode
TRACKS SETTING CV/GATE MODE To set the CV MODE for a track, while in UTILITY MODE, press and hold EXP MODE (step 9) button. Then rotate control knob 1 or click BACKWARD/FORWARD to select the desired mode. The current CV/Gate output mode will be shown on the LED display while holding the EXP MODE button.
Page 71: Disable/Enable Track Cv Slide
TRACKS DISABLE/ENABLE TRACK CV SLIDE The slide circuit for a track using the CV/Gate output expansion can be completely disabled if required. This means that playing legato or patterns that have programmed slide will not create a CV slide, instead they jump immediately to the next pitch. NOTE : The TRACK SLIDE can only be changed when the CV/Gate expansion board is installed and enabled.
Page 72: Cv Tuning Offset
TRACKS CV TUNING OFFSET The CV output for the track can be tuned up or down in small increments if required. NOTE : The CV TUNING OFFSET can only be set when the CV/Gate expansion board is installed and enabled. The available values in the range of -512 to +511 (using control knob 3 to set the value will have a slightly smaller range) The tuning will change by 1 cent for about every ﬁve values in Volt/Octave mode.
Page 73: Force To Scale
TRACKS FORCE TO SCALE Each track can be forced to output only notes in a selected scale. This can be useful when composing or transposing patterns. The CHORD MEMORY function speciﬁcally does not use the force to scale function. The scale can be changed any time and does not change the actual notes stored in the pattern, rather the notes output by a pattern are forced into the new scale in realtime.
Page 74: Selecting The Root Note
TRACKS SELECTING THE ROOT NOTE To select the root note of the scale for a track, while in UTILITY MODE, rotate control knob 1 to select the desired root note. The LEDs of the mini keyboard will light to show the pitches of the selected scale, according to the selected root note.
Page 75: Selecting The Scale Preset
TRACKS SELECTING THE SCALE PRESET To select the scale preset for a track, while in UTILITY MODE, rotate control knob 2 to select the desired preset. The LEDs of the mini keyboard will light to show the pitches of the selected scale, according to the selected root note.
Page 76: Setting The User Scale
TRACKS SETTING THE USER SCALE To deﬁne the user scale, while in UTILITY MODE, ﬁrst select the “user” scale preset. Then click the mini keyboard buttons to turn on/off the notes of the scale. The user scale can also be transposed according to the root note. SAVING THE USER SCALE Once a user scale has been conﬁgured, it can be saved as the user preset.
Page 77: Patterns
PATTERN TYPES Engine has four different types of patterns, DRUM type patterns, SYNTH1 type patterns SYNTH2 type patterns and CONTROL type patterns. TIP: Each pattern type has different capabilities for programming, but that doesn't mean that a drum type pattern couldn't be used to sequence a synth for example.
Page 78: Changing Pattern Types
PATTERNS CHANGING PATTERN TYPES Any pattern can be changed to a DRUM, SYNTH1, SYNTH2 or CONTROL type pattern at any time. This allows for any mix of pattern types in any track. The current pattern type is visible on the PATTERN TYPE led, with DRUM patterns showing a lit LED, SYNTH1 and SYNTH2 type patterns showing an unlit LED and CONTROL type patterns showing a slow blinking LED.
Page 79: Rest Mode
PATTERNS REST MODE REST mode is used to temporarily mute a playing pattern and play live from the keyboard. The behavior of REST mode changes depending on the current pattern type. To enter REST mode, from NORMAL mode, hold or double-click the REST button. You can now use the mini-keyboard and control knobs or an external controller to play events live through the track.
Page 80: Adaptive Record Mode
TIME button. The TIME and RECORD LEDs will blink to indicate ADAPTIVE RECORD is active. Now, play the performance using a MIDI controller or the mini keyboard on Engine. Adaptive record starts with the ﬁrst note. The speed (tempo) of the performance doesn't matter, but try to keep accurate relative timing for the notes.
Page 81: Ending Adaptive Record
ENDING ADAPTIVE RECORD When the performance would naturally loop (end), click the RUN/STOP button to indicate the end of the performance. Engine will now take the recorded events and apply them to the current pattern and begin playback immediately. PERFORMANCE If you wish to leave adaptive record without recording any performance, just click the RECORD button. ...
Page 82: Replace Record Mode
PATTERNS REPLACE RECORD MODE Normal REALTIME RECORD mode acts as an OVERDUB record mode which does not erase any existing events during recording. It is possible to use REPLACE RECORD mode to erase events while recording, this is useful to clear a track manually, or introduce momentary “gaps”...
Page 83: Pause Record Mode
PATTERNS PAUSE RECORD MODE PAUSE RECORD mode will automatically start the sequencer in RECORD (or REPLACE RECORD) on the ﬁrst note played. This is extremely useful to have a sequence start recording precisely on the downbeat. To use PAUSE RECORD, with the sequencer stopped, hold RECORD and then click RUN/ STOP.
Page 84: Time Mode
PATTERNS TIME MODE Time mode is used to set all of the timing parameters for a pattern. This includes the pattern length, timing scale, shufﬂe and skipped steps. An initialized pattern is automatically set to a length of 16 steps, 4/4 timing, zero shufﬂe with no skipped steps. The TIME button has a black line surrounding it, with the word TIME below it.
Page 85: Setting Pattern Length
PATTERNS SETTING PATTERN LENGTH The pattern length is set by selecting the last step of the pattern. The last step can be set in any of the four pattern sections, allowing a maximum pattern length of 64 steps. When changing the pattern length while the sequencer is running, the change will not take effect until the pattern loops.
Page 86: Extending A Pattern
PATTERNS EXTENDING A PATTERN Sometimes you may wish to increase the length of a pattern during live performance. If you just set the length, there could be empty sections played until new notes are entered into the pattern, which would disrupt the ﬂow of the performance. In order to avoid this situation, use the PATTERN EXTEND function.
Page 87: Copying A Pattern Section
PATTERNS COPYING A PATTERN SECTION The SECTION copy function allows the current selected section of a pattern to be copied and then pasted into a different section of the pattern. This is similar to the EXTEND function, but is more ﬂexible in some cases. To COPY a section, while in TIME MODE, ﬁrst select the section you wish to copy by clicking the SECTION button.
Page 88: Clearing A Pattern Section
PATTERNS CLEARING A PATTERN SECTION The SECTION clear function will clear the currently selected section of the pattern. Clearing a section will set all steps in that section to RESTS, it does not deactivate the steps. To CLEAR a section, while in TIME MODE, ﬁrst select the section you wish to clear by clicking the SECTION button.
Page 89: Setting Pattern Time Scale
PATTERNS SETTING PATTERN TIME SCALE Patterns can be assigned different timing scales, which changes the “resolution” of the pattern steps. This is also useful for setting the speed that a pattern plays back for polyrhythmic sequencing. There are eight available timing scales to choose from: 1/2x each step represents 1/32 note each step represents 1/16 note (default)
Page 90 PATTERNS To change the timing scale of a pattern, while in TIME mode, click one of the four attribute buttons. To change to the triplet version of a scale, double-click one of the four attribute buttons. Changes to the time scale while the sequencer is running will not take effect until the pattern loops, this keeps the pattern in sync during live performance.
Page 91: Setting Pattern Shuffle
PATTERNS SETTING PATTERN SHUFFLE Each pattern can have separate shufﬂe timing during playback. The amount of shufﬂe available depends on the selected time scale. Patterns with different time scales have the following shufﬂe levels available (including no shufﬂe): 1/2x 7 levels of shufﬂe 13 levels of shufﬂe 15 levels of shufﬂe 15 levels of shufﬂe...
Page 92: Skipping Pattern Steps
PATTERNS SKIPPING PATTERN STEPS It is possible to generate interesting pattern variations and timings by setting some steps to be skipped during playback. This capability is a more "advanced" function of TIME mode. To see the current active steps, while in TIME mode, press and hold the FUNCTION button.
Page 93: Realign A Pattern
PATTERNS REALIGN A PATTERN It is possible to realign a pattern if it falls out of sync with other tracks. This is particularly useful if the pattern has fallen out of sync because of changes to the pattern length or skipped steps.
Page 94: Tempo Lock
PATTERNS TEMPO LOCK The tempo lock function can be used to prevent the internal tempo from being changed when moving the tempo knob. This is useful in live situations where accidental changes of the tempo are unacceptable. TIP: Tempo Lock also controls whether the stored tempo in a snapshot is restored when the snapshot is recalled.
Page 95: Increment/Decrement Tempo
PATTERNS INCREMENT/DECREMENT TEMPO In TIME MODE, the current tempo can be changed incrementally while the tempo lock is engaged. This allows the tempo to be adjusted manually without disengaging the tempo lock. To set the tempo incrementally, use the BACKWARDS and FORWARDS (C sharp and D sharp) buttons on the mini keyboard.
Page 96: Drum Type Patterns
PATTERNS DRUM TYPE PATTERNS Drum type patterns are well suited for programming percussion sequences. A drum pattern has sixteen individual drum instruments that can be programmed, allowing a complete drum sequence to be created using a single track. SELECTING DRUM INSTRUMENTS Drum instrument selection is split into two groups of eight instruments.
Page 97: All Accent
PATTERNS To switch between the two groups of eight drum instruments click the BACKWARD or FORWARD button. The current group is displayed on the BACKWARD or FORWARD LED. ALL ACCENT To play back all pattern steps of the current selected drum instrument as accented notes, press and hold the ACCENT button while in DRUM SELECT mode.
Page 98: No Accent
PATTERNS NO ACCENT To play back all pattern steps of the current selected drum instrument as unaccented notes, press and hold the MUTE button and then press and hold the ACCENT button while in DRUM SELECT mode. Notes will resume normal playback when the ACCENT button is released.
Page 99: Live Drum Instrument Rest
PATTERNS LIVE DRUM INSTRUMENT REST To temporarily mute all pattern steps of the current selected drum instrument, press and hold the REST button while in DRUM SELECT mode. Steps will resume normal playback when the REST button is released. USER GUIDE...
Page 100: All Repeat
PATTERNS ALL REPEAT To play back all pattern steps of the current selected drum instrument with note repeat, press and hold the ROLL/ARP button while in DRUM SELECT mode. Steps will resume normal playback when the ROLL/ARP button is released. NO REPEAT To play back all pattern steps of the current selected drum instrument without note repeat, press and hold the MUTE button and then press and hold the ROLL/ARP button while in...
Page 101: Programming Drum Type Patterns
PATTERNS PROGRAMMING DRUM TYPE PATTERNS Drum type patterns can be programmed using grid programming, step programming, adaptive recording or realtime recording. Each method has it's strengths, so you can choose the appropriate method for your situation. Realtime recording and step recording can also be used simultaneously with grid programming, allowing for very interactive sequencing.
Page 102: Changing Trigger Velocity
PATTERNS CHANGING TRIGGER VELOCITY In addition to clicking or double-clicking as a trigger is programmed, the velocity can also be set using the ACCENT button or control knob 1 while pressing the step button. There are three velocity levels available (default 40, 63 and 127). The there velocity values can be changed in TRACK UTILITY mode.
Page 103: Setting Note Repeat
PATTERNS SETTING NOTE REPEAT Each trigger can be enabled for the note repeat MIDI EFFECT. This will cause the step to be retriggered according to the note repeat setting for the track. This creates a ﬂam type effect. If the track MIDI EFFECT has a note repeat setting of zero, you will not hear any repeats. For details on using the note repeat MIDI EFFECT, please see the MIDI EFFECTS section under FUNCTION MODE.
Page 104: Realtime Recording
PATTERNS REALTIME RECORDING Drum type patterns can also be recorded in realtime, which can be useful for capturing the expression of a live performance. To begin realtime recording, press and hold (or double click) the RECORD button. In RECORD mode, the eight white buttons of the mini keyboard become drum pads for realtime recording.
Page 105: Realtime Record Accent, Repeat, Rest
PATTERNS REALTIME RECORD ACCENT, REPEAT, REST Pattern accents, note repeat, rest and muting of accents, and note repeats can be recorded directly into a DRUM TYPE pattern in realtime. This is extremely useful for adding variation to a recorded pattern, or ﬁxing and modifying accent and note repeat events.
Page 106: Step Recording
PATTERNS STEP RECORDING Step recording is an alternate way to enter drum triggers by moving from one step to the next in sequence. This can be done while the sequencer is running or stopped. To enter STEP RECORD, press and hold (or double click) the FUNCTION button, then click the RECORD button.
Page 107 PATTERNS To enter a REST event, click the REST button, any existing event will be erased from the current step. To advance one step without entering any new data, click the RECORD button. To leave STEP RECORD mode, click the FUNCTION button. USER GUIDE...
Page 108: Muting Drum Instruments
PATTERNS MUTING DRUM INSTRUMENTS Individual drum instruments can be muted within a DRUM type pattern to create pattern variations. To enter drum instrument mute mode, ﬁrst press and hold (or double click) the TRANSPOSE/DRUM SELECT button, then press and hold (or double click) the MUTE button.
Page 109: Soloing Drum Instruments
PATTERNS SOLOING DRUM INSTRUMENTS A single drum instrument can be soloed, which will mute all other instruments. To solo a drum instrument, while in DRUM INSTRUMENT MUTE mode, press and hold the FUNCTION button, then click the drum instrument you wish to solo. The selected instrument will be unmuted, all other instruments will be muted.
Page 110: Drum Rolls
PATTERNS DRUM ROLLS Drum type patterns include a DRUM ROLL function than can be used for realtime performance or recorded directly into the pattern sequence. To enter DRUM ROLL mode, press and hold (or double-click) the ROLL/ARP button. While in DRUM ROLL mode, the white mini keyboard buttons can be used to play drum rolls for each of the sixteen drum instruments.
Page 111: Changing The Drum Roll Resolution
PATTERNS CHANGING THE DRUM ROLL RESOLUTION The resolution of the DRUM ROLL can be changed to create interesting variations. The current resolution will be displayed on the LEDs of the black mini-keyboard buttons. To change the drum roll resolution, while in DRUM ROLL mode, press any of the black mini keyboard buttons.
Page 112: Latching Drum Rolls
PATTERNS LATCHING DRUM ROLLS While a drum roll is playing, you can latch the roll. When a drum roll is latched, it will continue to play, even when leaving ROLL mode. You can add additional instruments or remove instruments from the drum roll while the roll is latched, by clicking the buttons of the mini keyboard.
Page 113: Recording A Drum Roll
PATTERNS RECORDING A DRUM ROLL If you ﬁnd an interesting drum roll, you can instantly record it directly into the pattern. To record a drum roll, while in DRUM ROLL mode, press and hold (or double-click) the RECORD button. Momentary recording of a drum roll can create interesting musical combinations in the sequenced pattern.
Page 114: Drum Learn Mode
PATTERNS DRUM LEARN MODE By default, the note values for the drum instruments map to the standard GM notes for a drum kit. The assigned notes for each drum instrument can be changed per track in DRUM LEARN mode. To enter DRUM LEARN mode, press and hold (or double click) the FUNCTION button and then press and hold the DRUM LEARN (song) button.
Page 115: Synth Type Patterns
PATTERNS SYNTH TYPE PATTERNS There are two types of synth patterns in Engine: SYNTH1 and SYNTH2. SYNTH1 type patterns store up to four pitches per step with shared length and velocity, making them well suited for programming bass sequences. Synth1 type patterns also allow SLIDE (overlapping) between notes and they can use the CHORD MEMORY function to automatically play polyphonic chords over MIDI.
Page 116: Grid Programming
PATTERNS GRID PROGRAMMING Grid programming mode is the default mode and is always active, meaning that you don’t need to enter record mode to use grid programming. Grid programming is the "classic" method of entering notes using the pattern step buttons. You can see the programmed steps and step lengths directly on the step LEDs.
Page 117: Adding Or Removing A Step Event
PATTERNS ADDING OR REMOVING A STEP EVENT To add a new step event, click the pattern step button where you wish to place the event. Continue to hold down the step button to see and edit other attributes of the step. To remove the step, you can quickly click the step button.
Page 118: Synth1: Polyphonic Programming
PATTERNS SYNTH1: POLYPHONIC PROGRAMMING Each step of a SYNTH1 type pattern can have separate pitches programmed in four available pitch slots. This allows for programming chords or other polyphonic note data per step. The velocity and gate length of the four pitch slots is shared, this means that setting VELOCITY/ACCENT or GATE LENGTH/SLIDE for a step will effect all programmed pitch slots.
Page 119: Synth2: Polyphonic Programming
PATTERNS SYNTH2: POLYPHONIC PROGRAMMING SYNTH2 type patterns have four note lanes, which can be used to edit polyphonic sequences. Each note lane, has independent step programming for note start, length and velocity, so you can think of each lane as a sort of “mini-sequence”. The CV signal for a SYNTH2 pattern is always related to note lane 1 in 8 track mode.
Page 120: Changing Step Pitches
PATTERNS CHANGING STEP PITCHES While holding a step button, you can see and change the programmed pitch for the step. The semitone pitch is displayed on the mini keyboard, while the octave of the note is shown on the UP and DOWN octave LEDs to the right of the mini keyboard. To change the step pitch, while holding the step button, press any semitone button on the mini keyboard.
Page 121 PATTERNS You can select from nine octaves using the octave UP and DOWN buttons. The LEDs of the octave buttons will light differently according to the selected octave. For example, one octave down will light the DOWN LED dimly, two octaves down will light the DOWN LED brightly, three octaves down will blink the DOWN LED dimly, four octaves down will blink the DOWN LED brightly.
Page 122: Synth1: Quickly Entering Multiple Pitches
PATTERNS SYNTH1: QUICKLY ENTERING MULTIPLE PITCHES In a SYNTH1 type pattern, you can quickly enter a polyphonic step by holding a step button and then press and hold multiple pitches on the mini-keyboard. This is useful for quickly entering chords on a step. Each additional keyboard button (up to four) will automatically increment the selected pitch slot and store the pitch value.
Page 123: Synth1: Transposing Polyphonic Steps
PATTERNS SYNTH1: TRANSPOSING POLYPHONIC STEPS Sometimes you may wish to transpose all pitch slots of a SYNTH1 type pattern at the same time, by the same amount. The step transpose function allows you to do this. The step transpose function uses the mini-keyboard and octave buttons to transpose all pitches on the current step by semitones or octaves.
Page 124: Setting Step Length
PATTERNS SETTING STEP LENGTH To set the overall length of a step, press and hold the step button and then click a second step button. The beginning of the step is shown with a brightly lit step LED, and the length of the note is shown by a chain of dimly lit step LEDs.
Page 125: Fine Tuning Gate Length
PATTERNS FINE TUNING GATE LENGTH The length of each step can be ﬁne tuned to create longer or shorter note events. By default a note is created with 50% gate length. This means that by default, a note behaves the same as the sequencer on a TB-303. You can change the gate length of any step by rotating control knob 2 while holding the step button.
Page 126: Synth1: Adding Slide
PATTERNS SYNTH1: ADDING SLIDE A step can have a programmed SLIDE attribute. Slide causes the note length to be extended so that it is played legato, meaning that the next note will be started before ending the previous note, so that they overlap. On many synthesizers, this will trigger a slide or portamento between notes.
Page 127: Setting Velocity Or Accent
PATTERNS SETTING VELOCITY OR ACCENT Each step of a synth type pattern can be set to speciﬁc velocity. For SYNTH1 type patterns the velocity range is 0-127. For SYNTH2 type patterns, there four velocities (default: 31, 63, 95 and 127). These velocities can be changed in TRACK UTILITY mode.
Page 128: Synth1: Setting Step Delay
PATTERNS SYNTH1: SETTING STEP DELAY Each step of a SYNTH1 type pattern can have a delay added to the start of the step. This can create a more humanized feel in programmed patterns. The amount of delay available will vary based on the current TIME SCALE for the pattern. To set the delay for a step, press and hold the pattern step button.
Page 129: Realtime Recording
PATTERNS REALTIME RECORDING The pattern information for a SYNTH type pattern can be recorded in realtime using the mini keyboard or from an external MIDI controller. This allows a more expressive performance to be recorded directly into a pattern. To enter RECORD mode, press and hold or double click the RECORD button. In record mode, the mini keyboard can be used to play notes into the pattern.
Page 130: Step Recording
PATTERNS STEP RECORDING Step recording is an alternate way to enter a monophonic sequence of notes and timing by moving from one step to the next in sequence. This can be done while the sequencer is running or stopped. To enter STEP RECORD, press and hold (or double click) the FUNCTION button, then click the RECORD button.
Page 131 PATTERNS You can also add ACCENT to a step by clicking the ACCENT button while holding the keyboard button.       To increase the length of the current step, keep holding the current mini keyboard button and click the RECORD button, this will lengthen the step event by one step and advance the current step.
Page 132 PATTERNS To advance one step without entering any new data, click the RECORD button. To leave STEP RECORD mode, click the FUNCTION button. You can also continue to use grid recording on individual steps while in STEP RECORD mode. To do this, click and hold any pattern step button. The step attributes can be displayed and edited, when releasing the step button you can return to step recording. ...
Page 133: Transposing Synth Patterns
PATTERNS TRANSPOSING SYNTH PATTERNS An entire synth type pattern can be transposed in semitones or octaves. This can be used to create musical progressions or to quickly experiment with different note ranges. Along with pattern copy/paste, pattern transpose can be used to create layers and variations across tracks.
Page 134 PATTERNS To change the pattern transposition in octaves, click either the DOWN or UP buttons. The LEDs of the octave buttons will light differently according to the selected octave. For example, one octave down will light the DOWN LED dimly, two octaves down will light the DOWN LED brightly, three octaves down will blink the DOWN LED dimly, four octaves down will blink the DOWN LED brightly.
Page 135: All Accent
PATTERNS ALL ACCENT To play back all pattern steps as accented notes, press and hold the ACCENT button while in transpose mode. Notes will resume normal playback when the ACCENT button is released. NO ACCENT To play back all pattern steps as unaccented notes, press and hold the MUTE button and then press and hold the ACCENT button while in transpose mode.
Page 136: Synth1: All Slide
PATTERNS SYNTH1: ALL SLIDE To play back all pattern steps with slides, press and hold the SLIDE button while in transpose mode. Notes will resume normal playback when the SLIDE button is released. SYNTH1: NO SLIDE To play back all pattern steps without slide, press and hold the MUTE button and then press and hold the SLIDE button while in transpose mode.
Page 137: All Repeat
PATTERNS ALL REPEAT To play back all pattern steps with note repeat, press and hold the ROLL/ARP button while in transpose mode. Notes will resume normal playback when the ROLL/ARP button is released. NO REPEAT To play back all pattern steps without note repeat, press and hold the MUTE button and then press and hold the ROLL/ARP button while in transpose mode.
Page 138: Realtime Record Transpose, Accent, Slide, Note Repeat
PATTERNS REALTIME RECORD TRANSPOSE, ACCENT, SLIDE, NOTE REPEAT Pattern transposition, accents, slides (for SYNTH1 patterns), note repeat and muting of accents, slides and note repeats can be recorded directly into a pattern in realtime. This is extremely useful for adding variation to a recorded pattern, or ﬁxing and modifying accent and slide events.
Page 139: Realtime Arpeggiator
PATTERNS REALTIME ARPEGGIATOR Synth type patterns include an arpeggiator than can be used for realtime performance or recorded directly into the pattern sequence. To enter ARPEGGIATOR mode, press and hold (or double-click) the ROLL/ARP button. While in ARPEGGIATOR mode, the mini keyboard can be used to play arpeggios. Before playing notes on the mini keyboard, the octave can be set using the octave DOWN and UP buttons.
Page 140: Changing The Arpeggio Play Mode
PATTERNS CHANGING THE ARPEGGIO PLAY MODE The play mode of the arpeggio can be changed to create interesting variations. The available play modes are: AS PLAYED The notes of the arpeggio will be played in the same order they were entered. The notes of the arpeggio will play in order up from lowest to highest pitch.
Page 141: Arpeggio Play Mode: Pattern
PATTERNS ARPEGGIO PLAY MODE: PATTERN The PATTERN play mode of the arpeggiator is a special mode which arpeggiates the notes of the current pattern, rather than taking live input from the keyboard. For SYNTH1 type patterns, if there are multiple pitch slots active on a step, it will also arpeggiate through the pitches.
Page 142: Changing The Arpeggio Variation
PATTERNS CHANGING THE ARPEGGIO VARIATION Each arpeggio play mode has 4 variations that change the playback of the arpeggio notes. In general each variation applies the following rules: VAR 1 Each pitch in the arpeggio is played once before moving to the next pitch.
Page 143: Changing The Arpeggio Octaves
PATTERNS CHANGING THE ARPEGGIO OCTAVES The arpeggio can be programmed to play over multiple octaves. The available range is from zero to +3 octaves. To change the number of octaves, while in ARPEGGIO mode, press the TIME button and then turn control knob 3. The number of arpeggio octaves will be displayed on the LED display. ...
Page 144: Latching The Arpeggiator
PATTERNS LATCHING THE ARPEGGIATOR The arpeggiator can be latched. When the arpeggiator is latched, it will continue to play, even when leaving ARPEGGIO mode. You can add additional notes or remove notes from the arpeggio while the arpeggiator is latched, by clicking the buttons of the mini keyboard. To latch the arpeggiator, while in arpeggio mode, click the FUNCTION button.
Page 145: Recording An Arpeggio
PATTERNS RECORDING AN ARPEGGIO If you ﬁnd an interesting arpeggio, you can instantly record it directly into the pattern. To record an arpeggio, while in ARPEGGIO mode, press and hold (or double-click) the RECORD button. Momentary recording of an arpeggio can create interesting musical combinations in the sequenced pattern.
Page 146: Chord Memory
PATTERNS CHORD MEMORY The CHORD MEMORY function can be used to automatically create polyphonic playback over MIDI. Use CHORD MEMORY to deﬁne a chord shape that will be played for each step. For SYNTH1 type patterns, CHORD MEMORY will use the programmed pitch in PITCH SLOT 1 as the basis for the chord.
Page 147: Control Type Patterns
PATTERNS CONTROL TYPE PATTERNS Control type patterns are useful for recording speciﬁc controller values or automating playback of controller modulation. A control pattern can record up to six control values per step, which map to the six control knobs. The LFO mode of the control pattern can be used to create periodic modulation of any of the six control values.
Page 148: Programming A Control Type Pattern
PATTERNS PROGRAMMING A CONTROL TYPE PATTERN Control type patterns can be programmed using grid programming, step programming or realtime recording. Each method has it's strengths, so you can choose the appropriate method for your situation. Realtime recording and step recording can also be used simultaneously with grid programming, allowing for very interactive sequencing.
Page 149: Adding Or Removing A Control Event
PATTERNS ADDING OR REMOVING A CONTROL EVENT After selecting the appropriate control, use the pattern step buttons to enter and remove events for the control. Quickly clicking a step button will activate or deactivate the step event, the programmed value for the control event will be remembered. Adding a controller event on step 6 In addition, the CV expansion board will also generate a GATE signal for a programmed control event.
Page 150: Changing A Control Value
PATTERNS CHANGING A CONTROL VALUE To change a control value, click and hold the pattern step button where you wish to place the event. Continue to hold down the step button and then rotate one of the six control knobs to record a new control value. Setting control value 2 for pattern step 2 You can change any of the six control values using the control knobs.
Page 151: Control Slide
PATTERNS CONTROL SLIDE The SLIDE attribute can also be set on a control step per control. Slide will generate one intermediate MIDI control value between adjacent control steps and with the (optional) CV expansion board it will also activate the slide circuitry before changing the CV value. Slide will create a smoother transition between control values.
Page 152: Realtime Recording
PATTERNS REALTIME RECORDING The pattern information for a control type pattern can be recorded in realtime using the control knobs. This allows a more expressive performance to be recorded directly into a pattern. To enter RECORD mode, press and hold or double click the RECORD button. In record mode, the control knobs are used to record control values into the pattern as the pattern plays.
Page 153: Step Recording
PATTERNS STEP RECORDING Step recording is an alternate way to enter control values by moving from one step to the next in sequence. This can be done while the sequencer is running or stopped. To enter STEP RECORD, press and hold (or double click) the FUNCTION button, then click the RECORD button.
Page 154 PATTERNS To enter a REST event, click the REST button, any existing control events will be deactivated on the current step. To advance one step without entering any new data, click the RECORD button. To leave STEP RECORD mode, click the FUNCTION button. You can also continue to use grid recording on individual steps while in STEP RECORD mode.
Page 155: Muting Individual Controllers
PATTERNS MUTING INDIVIDUAL CONTROLLERS Individual controllers can be muted within a CONTROL type pattern to create pattern variations. To enter CONTROL MUTE mode, press and hold (or double click) the TRANSPOSE/ DRUM SELECT button, then press and hold (or double click) the MUTE button. current mute status for each controller is shown on the LEDs of the ﬁrst six white mini keyboard buttons.
Page 156: Soloing Individual Controllers
PATTERNS SOLOING INDIVIDUAL CONTROLLERS A single controller can be soloed, which will mute all other controllers. To solo a controller, while in CONTROL MUTE mode, press and hold the FUNCTION button, then click the controller you wish to solo. The selected controller will be unmuted, all other controllers will be muted.
Page 157: Lfo Mode
PATTERNS LFO MODE Control type patterns include an LFO (low frequency oscillator) function than can be used to create automated modulation of the controllers. To enter LFO mode, press and hold (or double-click) the ROLL/ARP button. While in LFO mode, the ﬁrst six white mini keyboard buttons can be used to engage the LFO for any of the six controllers.
Page 158: Changing The Lfo Shape
PATTERNS CHANGING THE LFO SHAPE The shape of the LFO can be changed to create different modulations. The available shapes are: TRIANGLE Triangular shaped wave with equal time rising and falling RAMP UP The shape of a rising sawtooth wave. RAMP The shape of a falling sawtooth wave.
Page 159: Changing The Lfo Speed
PATTERNS CHANGING THE LFO SPEED The speed of the LFO can be changed in units of pattern steps. The available speed range is from 2 to 128 steps. This means that the LFO speed is always relative to the pattern time scale and tempo.
Page 160: Changing The Lfo Modulation Depth
PATTERNS CHANGING THE LFO MODULATION DEPTH The modulation depth of the LFO can be adjusted to limit the range of control messages. Both the lower and upper limits of the control range can be set independently. To change the LFO modulation depth, while in LFO mode, press the TIME button and then turn either control knob 3 for the lower limit or control knob 4 for the upper limit.
Page 161: Changing The Lfo Phase
PATTERNS CHANGING THE LFO PHASE The phase of the LFO can be changed in units of pattern steps. The available phase range is limited by the speed of the LFO. This means that the LFO phase number cannot exceed the number of steps deﬁned for the speed. To change the LFO phase, while in LFO mode, press the TIME button and then turn control knob 5.
Page 162: Lfo Slide
PATTERNS LFO SLIDE The LFO SLIDE function can be used to smooth the output of the LFO, this will send an intermediate value when using MIDI controllers and activate the slide circuit of the (optional) CV expansion board. To activate LFO slide, while in LFO mode, click the slide button. USER GUIDE...
Page 163: Latching The Lfo
PATTERNS LATCHING THE LFO The LFO can be latched. When the LFO is latched, it will continue to play, even when leaving LFO mode. You can add additional controllers or remove controllers from the LFO while the LFO is latched, by clicking the buttons of the mini keyboard. To latch the LFO, while in LFO mode, click the FUNCTION button.
Page 164: Recording An Lfo
PATTERNS RECORDING AN LFO If you ﬁnd an interesting LFO modulation, you can instantly record it directly into the pattern. To record an LFO, while in LFO mode, press and hold (or double-click) the RECORD button. Momentary recording of an LFO can create interesting modulations in the sequenced pattern.
Page 165: Step Functions
PATTERNS STEP FUNCTIONS While holding a pattern step, you can also apply several functions to the individual step, such as rotate, clear, copy, paste and length. This can be used to make ﬁne adjustments to a pattern during composition. To use a step functions, while holding a pattern step, press and hold the FUNCTION button.
Page 166: Step Rotate
PATTERNS STEP ROTATE Rotating a step backwards or forwards will move the selected step location within the programmed pattern. This is useful when only one note is recorded into the wrong step location. To rotate a step, while holding the pattern step button and FUNCTION, click the black mini-keyboard button labelled BACKWARD (C#) or the black mini-keyboard button labelled FORWARD (D#).
Page 167: Step Copy
PATTERNS STEP COPY You can copy a selected step by clicking the black mini-keyboard button labelled COPY (G#). This will copy the selected step into the clipboard. The length of a synth type note is also copied. USER GUIDE...
Page 168: Step Paste
PATTERNS STEP PASTE You can paste a previously copied note by clicking the black mini-keyboard button labelled PASTE (A#). This will paste the clipboard step into the selected step. The length of the clipboard note is also pasted into the pattern, overwriting any previous step data.
Page 169: Pattern Functions
PATTERNS PATTERN FUNCTIONS There several useful functions that operate on patterns, which are available in FUNCTION MODE. These include things like pattern copy and paste, clear, rotate and randomize. To enter FUNCTION MODE, press and hold (or double click) the FUNCTION button. The FUNCTION button is outlined with a color and text above the button.
Page 170: Synth: Apply Transpose
PATTERNS SYNTH: APPLY TRANSPOSE You can permanently apply the current synth pattern transposition amount directly to the sequence events. This function is useful when you wish to transpose a pattern over a greater range, or view the pattern step events at the correct pitch. To apply the current transposition to the pattern, while in FUNCTION mode, click the TRANSPOSE/DRUM SELECT button.
Page 171: Pattern Rotate
PATTERNS PATTERN ROTATE The pattern rotate function allows you to shift all pattern events forwards or backwards one step at a time. This is useful when a pattern is off-beat in relation to other patterns. It can also be useful for creating interesting variations of existing patterns. To rotate a pattern, in FUNCTION mode, click the BACKWARD (C#) or FORWARD (D#) buttons on the mini keyboard.
Page 172: Pattern Clear
PATTERNS PATTERN CLEAR The pattern clear function will remove all note events and reset all steps to the default pitch on a SYNTH type pattern. It will also reset the pattern length to 16 steps, time scale to 1x (4/4) and shufﬂe amount to zero. To clear a pattern, in FUNCTION mode, press and hold the CLEAR(F#) button on the mini keyboard, then click the pattern step button of the pattern you wish to clear.
Page 173: Pattern Paste
PATTERNS PATTERN PASTE When a pattern has been copied into the pattern buffer using the COPY function, it can be pasted into any other pattern location. To paste a pattern, in FUNCTION mode, press and hold the PASTE (A#) button on the mini keyboard, then click the pattern step button of the pattern you wish to paste into.
Page 174: Pattern Randomize
PATTERNS PATTERN RANDOMIZE Pattern data can be randomized to create unexpected variations. Using randomize along with precise pattern editing can result in usable patterns that might not have been obvious through traditional sequencing. Randomize can selectively act on the step events of a pattern, including pitches, gates, velocity and slide.
Page 175: Randomize Gate
PATTERNS RANDOMIZE GATE If you do not want to randomize the gates of the current pattern, you can turn off gate randomization. For SYNTH type patterns, this means turning of the randomization of note events. For DRUM type patterns, this turns off randomization of drum triggers. For CONTROL type patterns this turns off randomization of control triggers.
Page 176: Synth1/Synth2: Pitch Range Bias
PATTERNS SYNTH1/SYNTH2: PITCH RANGE BIAS For SYNTH type patterns, you can introduce a bias that will generate notes in a certain pitch range. The bias will cause notes to be mostly low range, middle range or high range. The pitch bias is useful to generate patterns with a speciﬁc range, such as a bassline.
Page 177: Drum/Ctrl: Instrument Exclude
PATTERNS DRUM/CTRL: INSTRUMENT EXCLUDE For DRUM and CONTROL type patterns, you can specify which instruments/controls will be affected by the RANDOMIZE function. This is useful to generate random patterns for only a speciﬁc instrument while leaving other instruments untouched. While holding the RANDOMIZE button, the keys of the mini-keyboard will show the instruments or controls that will be randomized.
Page 178: Executing Randomization
PATTERNS EXECUTING RANDOMIZATION To perform randomization of the current pattern, in FUNCTION mode, press and hold the RANDOMIZE (accent) button, then click the SECTION button to conﬁrm. The section LEDs blink to warn that randomize is a destructive operation. After pressing the SECTION button, the pattern will be immediately randomized. The SECTION button can be clicked multiple times to repeatedly generate random patterns.
Page 179: Pattern Direction
PATTERNS PATTERN DIRECTION Patterns can be set to play in various directions, which is useful for creating interesting sequence variations. The current available directions are: FORWARD Pattern steps are played one after the other in a forward direction. BACKWARD Pattern steps are played one after the other in a backward direction.
Page 180 PATTERNS To change the direction, while in FUNCTION mode, press the DIRECTION (time) button and then rotate control knob 1 or click BACKWARD/FORWARD. The LED display will change to show the selected pattern direction. When the sequencer is playing, changes to pattern direction will not take effect until the pattern loops.
Page 181: Probability Direction
PATTERNS PROBABILITY DIRECTION The probability playback direction can be used to introduce some random qualities to the pattern during playback. Probability uses a deﬁned percentage amount to determine whether the next step played will be the previous step or the following step from the current step location. With a percentage of 50%, there is a 50/50 chance that the next step played will be the previous step.
Page 182: Snapshots
SNAPSHOTS SNAPSHOTS Snapshots are used to store the current settings of all tracks. They are extremely useful for live performance, to recall the settings for all tracks with a single button press. A snapshot records the following settings for all tracks: •...
Page 183 SNAPSHOTS Use the SECTION button to move between the four snapshot banks in the current group. To switch between the two groups of 64 snapshots, while holding the SNAPSHOT button, click the BACKWARD or FORWARD button. The current snapshot group is displayed on the LED display.
Page 184: Creating Snapshots
SNAPSHOTS CREATING SNAPSHOTS Initially all snapshot locations are empty. By default, an empty snapshot points to the pattern of the same number in all tracks, for example, snapshot 2 points to pattern 2 in all 8 tracks. There are two ways to create a new snapshot, depending on how you like to work. To simplify terminology we will call these methods SNAPSHOT RECORD and SNAPSHOT PASTE.
Page 185: Snapshot Record
SNAPSHOTS SNAPSHOT RECORD Recording a new snapshot will only maintain pointers to the currently selected patterns and pattern chains in each track, it does not modify pattern data. This means that recording a new snapshot could point to the same patterns used by a previous snapshot, if the pattern selections have not changed.
Page 186: Snapshot Paste
SNAPSHOTS SNAPSHOT PASTE Pasting a new snapshot will still point to patterns, but it will copy the current patterns in each track to new pattern locations and point to these new patterns. This means that pasting a new snapshot will point to different patterns than the previous snapshot.
Page 187 SNAPSHOTS While the PASTE button is held, you will also notice that the eight track select LEDs will be lit. These indicate which of the eight tracks will be copied forward into new pattern locations. To exclude a track from the pattern paste operation, click the track button to disable it.
Page 188: Recalling Snapshots
SNAPSHOTS RECALLING SNAPSHOTS Once you have recorded some snapshots, you can recall them when needed. To select a snapshot, while in SNAPSHOT mode, click one of the pattern step buttons. It is possible to recall an unused snapshot and it will recall the default settings. The settings for track mutes, selected patterns and (optionally) pattern transpose/drum/ ctrl mute, MIDI effects, MIDI ports, channels and tempo will be recalled.
Page 189: Clearing Snapshots
SNAPSHOTS CLEARING SNAPSHOTS Clearing a snapshot sets that snapshot location as unused. It will assign all tracks with patterns that match the snapshot number, for example clearing snapshot 6 will automatically assign pattern 6 to all tracks in the snapshot. To clear a snapshot, while in SNAPSHOT mode, press and hold the CLEAR (F sharp) button, then click the step button for the snapshot you wish to clear.
Page 190: Snapshot Function Mode
SNAPSHOTS SNAPSHOT FUNCTION MODE SNAPSHOT FUNCTION mode allows control of MIDI effects without leaving snapshot mode. To enter SNAPSHOT FUNCTION mode, while in SNAPSHOT MODE, press and hold (or double-click) the FUNCTION button. While in SNAPSHOT FUNCTION mode, you can use the control knobs to modify MIDI effects settings for the current selected track.
Page 191: Snapshot Utility Mode
SNAPSHOTS SNAPSHOT UTILITY MODE There are some additional utility functions that can be accessed with the SNAPSHOT UTILITY mode. This includes conﬁguring the snapshot recall settings for MIDI effects, transpose/mute and MIDI ports/channels. To enter SNAPSHOT UTILITY mode, while in SNAPSHOT FUNCTION MODE, click the UTILITY button.
Page 192: Snapshot Recall Settings
SNAPSHOTS SNAPSHOT RECALL SETTINGS Snapshots store the settings for track MIDI effects, MIDI channel/port, pattern transpose/ mute, track mute as well as the current sequencer tempo. In some cases you may not wish to recall these settings when selecting a snapshot. This is useful when performing a song and using MIDI effects in realtime, because recalling MIDI effects would introduce jumps in the performance.
Page 193: Transpose Inst Mute Recall
SNAPSHOTS TRANSPOSE INST MUTE RECALL In SNAPSHOT UTILITY mode, the TRANSPOSE button shows the recall of pattern transpose and drum/ctrl mutes. Click the button to toggle the setting. When the LED is lit, transpose or instrument mutes for each track will be recalled with snapshots. Enabling snapshot recall of transpose and inst mute  ...
Page 194: Snapshot Tempo Recall
SNAPSHOTS SNAPSHOT TEMPO RECALL Whenever a new snapshot is created, the current sequencer tempo is stored with the snapshot. This tempo can be recalled with the snapshot to dynamically change the sequencer tempo. Tempo recall with snapshots is controlled by the TEMPO LOCK function in TIME MODE. If TEMPO LOCK is engaged, the tempo of the sequencer will change with each snapshot, otherwise the stored tempo is not recalled.
Page 195: Songs
SNAPSHOTS SONGS Songs are used to automate the playback of snapshots, this allows a performance to be captured and replayed. SONG PLAY mode only allows songs to be played back, no edits can be made in song play mode. To edit or record a song, you can use either song step record or realtime record modes.
Page 196: Selecting Songs
SNAPSHOTS SELECTING SONGS There are 32 song locations available. To select a song. press and hold the SONG button, then press one of the 16 pattern select buttons to select a song location. Use the section button to move between the two song banks. The current selected song is shown with a brightly lit LED.
Page 197: Song Location Shortcuts
SNAPSHOTS SONG LOCATION SHORTCUTS While holding the SONG button, you can quickly move to either the ﬁrst or last song step with the BACKWARD or FORWARD buttons. To move to the ﬁrst song step, click BACKWARD. To move to the last song step, click FORWARD. USER GUIDE...
Page 198: Starting From A Specific Song Step
SNAPSHOTS STARTING FROM A SPECIFIC SONG STEP When the sequencer is stopped, you can also move to a speciﬁc song step using the BACKWARD and FORWARD button. This is useful if you wish to start song playback from a speciﬁc step. To move back one song step, while in SONG PLAY mode, click BACKWARD.
Page 199: Recording Songs
SNAPSHOTS RECORDING SONGS Songs can be recorded or edited in realtime or using song step record mode. Realtime recording is a great way to capture a live performance, while step recording allows you to make precise edits. You can also enter and exit song recording at any point during song playback if you wish to edit a song on the ﬂy.
Page 200: Pause Record Realtime Song
SNAPSHOTS PAUSE RECORD REALTIME SONG You can also use the PAUSE RECORD feature in realtime song record. PAUSE RECORD allows a stopped sequencer to be started with the ﬁrst click of a snapshot button and then commence realtime recording of the song. This is useful when you wish to record a performance precisely from a speciﬁc point in a song.
Page 201: Song Step Record
SNAPSHOTS SONG STEP RECORD Songs can be manually edited or created in song STEP RECORD mode. While in STEP RECORD mode, the sequencer does not advance through the song during playback, allowing arbitrary edits to be made to a speciﬁc song step. To enter realtime SONG STEP RECORD mode, while in SONG mode, press and hold FUNCTION and then click the RECORD button.
Page 202: Selecting Current Song Step
SNAPSHOTS SELECTING CURRENT SONG STEP While in STEP RECORD mode, you can move to speciﬁc song steps by clicking the BACKWARD (C#) or FORWARD (D#) buttons. Each song can have a maximum of 64 song steps. The current selected song step will be displayed on the LED display.
Page 203: Setting Song Step Repeats
SNAPSHOTS SETTING SONG STEP REPEATS While in song STEP RECORD mode, you can set the number of times a song step should repeat before moving to the next song step. A song step can be set to a maximum of eight repetitions.
Page 204: Assigning Snapshots To Song Steps
SNAPSHOTS ASSIGNING SNAPSHOTS TO SONG STEPS Each song step has an assigned snapshot. You can choose any of the 128 available snapshot locations, including blank snapshots. The current assigned snapshot is shown with a brightly lit LED on the step buttons, or if the selected snapshot is not in the currently selected bank, the section LED for the bank with the current snapshot is shown with a dimly lit LED.
Page 205: Song Functions
SNAPSHOTS SONG FUNCTIONS Song functions allow songs to be cleared, copied or pasted. To enter SONG FUNCTION mode, while in SONG MODE, press and hold (or double- click) the FUNCTION button. CLEARING A SONG A song can be cleared to reset all song settings. The cleared settings are: Song length Reset to 1 step...
Page 206: Copying A Song
SNAPSHOTS COPYING A SONG To copy the current selected song to the clipboard, while in SONG FUNCTION mode, click the COPY (G sharp) button. PASTING A SONG To paste the contents of the song clipboard into the currently selected song, while in SONG FUNCTION mode, click the PASTE (A sharp) button.
Page 207: Global Config
GLOBAL CONFIG GLOBAL CONFIG Global CONFIG mode is where changes that effect the whole machine are made, this includes global control knob settings, CV, synchronization and MIDI settings. To enter CONFIG mode, press and hold the FUNCTION button, then click the MUTE button.
Page 208: Setting Knob Channels
GLOBAL CONFIG SETTING KNOB CHANNELS The MIDI channel and port for each control knob can be set separately. This allows each control knob to be used to control a different device if needed. The MIDI channel for each control knob can also be set to "track" which will change the MIDI channel and MIDI controller number according to the currently selected track.
Page 209: Setting Knob Controller Numbers
GLOBAL CONFIG SETTING KNOB CONTROLLER NUMBERS The MIDI controller number for each control knob can be set separately. This allows each control knob to be used to control a different parameter of a device if needed. To set the MIDI controller number for a control knob, while in CONFIG mode, press and hold pattern step button 2, then turn the control knob you wish to set.
Page 210: Dump Machine State
To receive a machine state dump, your SYSEX receiver should be listening for multiple sysex messages. To reload a system exclusive dump into ENGINE, replay the MIDI ﬁle into Engine. Engine does not need to be in a special mode. All data will be overwritten immediately, but if the sequencer is playing, new patterns will not start until the current patterns loop. ...
Page 211: Cv Expansion Mode
GLOBAL CONFIG CV EXPANSION MODE There are several modes available for the optional CV expansion board. These can be changed as needed after the CV expansion board has been installed and enabled. The available modes are: CV/Gate is not used 8 tracks Each track has a dedicated pair of CV/Gate outputs (default) 4 tracks...
Page 212: Cv Mode: 8 Tracks
For SYNTH type patterns, the outputs produce CV and Gate signals that correspond to the programmed pattern using pitch 1 for each step. PITCH 1 GATE PITCH 1 CV ENGINE CV OUTPUT EXPANSION SYNTH TYPE PATTERN ON TRACK 1 For DRUM type patterns, the output is tied to the EXT drum instrument.
Page 213: Cv Mode: 4 Tracks
The second output pair generates an accent trigger on GATE/TRIG and a variable velocity voltage on CV/VEL. PITCH 1 ACCENT PITCH 1 GATE PITCH 1 VEL PITCH 1 CV ENGINE CV OUTPUT EXPANSION SYNTH TYPE PATTERN ON TRACK 1 USER GUIDE...
Page 214 BD INST TRIGGER EXT INST TRIGGER BD INST ACCENT EXT INST ACCENT ENGINE CV OUTPUT EXPANSION DRUM TYPE PATTERN ON TRACK 1 For CONTROL type patterns, the outputs are tied to control values 1 and 2. The outputs produce gate signals from the GATE/TRIG outputs and control voltages from the CV/VEL outputs.
Page 215: Cv Mode: 1 Track
PITCH 1 GATE 4 PPQN PITCH 1 ACCENT RUN/STOP 1 PPQN 24 PPQN ENGINE CV OUTPUT EXPANSION PITCH 1 VEL CTRL 6 CV CTRL 4 CV CTRL 2 CV PITCH 1 CV CTRL 5 CV CTRL 3 CV...
Page 216 PITCH 2 GATE PITCH 1 GATE PITCH 4 ACCENT PITCH 3 ACCENT PITCH 2 ACCENT PITCH 1 ACCENT ENGINE CV OUTPUT EXPANSION PITCH 4 VEL PITCH 3 VEL PITCH 2 VEL PITCH 1 VEL PITCH 4 CV PITCH 3 CV...
Page 217 TEMPO knob location. CTRL 5 GATE CTRL 3 GATE CTRL 1 GATE CTRL 6 GATE CTRL 4 GATE CTRL 2 GATE ENGINE CV OUTPUT EXPANSION CTRL 6 CV CTRL 2 CV CTRL 4 CV TEMPO CV CTRL 1 CV CTRL 5 CV...
Page 218: Cv Mode: 6 Controls And Clocks
4 PPQN 8 PPQN 24 PPQN 1 PPQN RUN/STOP 2 PPQN 6 PPQN 12 PPQN ENGINE CV OUTPUT EXPANSION CTRL 4 CV CTRL 2 CV VOLCA SYNC CTRL 6 CV CTRL 5 CV TEMPO CV CTRL 3 CV CTRL 1 CV...
Page 219: Setting Input Midi Channel
The MIDI input channel used for realtime recording from a MIDI controller can be changed to several different modes. This ﬂexibility allows you to control how Engine responds to incoming MIDI without changing settings on your external controller. The three available settings are:...
Page 220: Enabling Midi Thru
MIDI data generated by the sequencer. NOTE: Only MIDI system exclusive messages smaller than 600 bytes can be passed thru Engine. If you need to dump large SYSEX messages (upgrades, patches) connect directly from MIDI source to destination, without using Engine MIDI thru.
Page 221 GLOBAL CONFIG The current MIDI thru setting will be shown on the LED display. MIDI input will be echoed to ports 1 and 2 USER GUIDE...
Page 222: Enabling Midi Program Change Receive
GLOBAL CONFIG ENABLING MIDI PROGRAM CHANGE RECEIVE The reception of MIDI program change messages to change selected patterns can be enabled or disabled. To change the reception of MIDI program change messages, while in CONFIG mode, press and hold the INPUT CHAN (step 10) button. Rotate control knob 3 or click BACKWARD/FORWARD.
Page 223: Sync Source
Engine can be set to synchronize to different clocks. This includes MIDI clock (default), DIN Sync (24 or 48) or the internal clock. When Engine is set to either MIDI or Internal clock, the DIN Sync port will send DIN sync at the conﬁgured clock rate.
Page 224: Specifying The Din Rate
GLOBAL CONFIG SPECIFYING THE DIN RATE Engine supports both DIN24 and DIN48 clock rates. To change the DIN clock rate, while in CONFIG mode, press and hold SYNC SOURCE (step 11) button, then rotate control knob two. The current DIN clock rate will be shown on the LED display while holding the SYNC SOURCE button.
Page 225: Din Continue
GLOBAL CONFIG DIN CONTINUE Although not ofﬁcially part of the standard DIN sync spec, Engine supports DIN continue. DIN continue is achieved by keeping the DIN run signal high and stopping transmission of DIN clocks when stopping the sequencer. Clocks are resumed when continuing the sequencer.
Page 226: Sending Midi Clock
This is useful to eliminate MIDI message activity if no other devices will be synchronized to the Engine clock or if you would like to dedicate one of the three MIDI output ports as a clock output. If MIDI clock send is enabled, Engine will send continuous MIDI clock messages even when the sequencer is stopped.
Page 227: Format All Patterns
GLOBAL CONFIG FORMAT ALL PATTERNS Sometimes it may be necessary to erase all pattern data to start on a new project. It is possible to format all patterns while leaving TRACK, SONG, SNAPSHOT and CONFIG data intact. The pattern type for each pattern will be maintained. To format all patterns, while in GLOBAL CONFIG MODE, press and hold FORMAT PATTERNS (pattern step 13), then click the SECTION button to conﬁrm the operation.
Page 228: Usb Midi
GLOBAL CONFIG USB MIDI Engine can send and receive MIDI from USB MIDI or standard MIDI simultaneously. There is no need to enable or disable USB MIDI for standard MIDI communication. When receiving clock from an external source, the MIDI input will dynamically lock to the ﬁrst port (USB or DIN MIDI) where clock is received.
Page 229: Dimming Leds
GLOBAL CONFIG DIMMING LEDS The LED brightness for all LEDs can be adjusted as needed. This is particularly useful when moving between bright outdoor and dark indoor environments. Additionally, the difference between "bright" and "dim" can be adjusted separately. This allows you to customize how bright the dim LEDs are according to your own preference.
Page 230: Checking Os Version
GLOBAL CONFIG CHECKING OS VERSION To check the current version of the Engine ﬁrmware, while in CONFIG mode, press and hold pattern step button 16. The current version number will be displayed on the LED display. Periodically, new versions of the Engine ﬁrmware will be released to add new features and ﬁx bugs.
Page 231: Master Track
GLOBAL CONFIG MASTER TRACK Normally, Engine will automatically calculate when to advance snapshots and song steps based on the looping of the longest currently playing pattern across the eight tracks. This method is good for many cases, but in some cases you may wish to designate which track controls the loop point.
Page 232: Midi Output Overload
GLOBAL CONFIG MIDI OUTPUT OVERLOAD While it usually will not be a problem, it is possible for Engine to generate enough MIDI messages to overload the DIN MIDI output ports under certain circumstances. For example, this might happen if many tracks trigger all 16 drum instruments on the same step and use the same MIDI output port at high tempo (not something that would happen under normal usage!) This is a limitation of the serial MIDI protocol.
Page 233: Support For Elektron Turbomidi
When used with other devices that support TurboMIDI, Engine can negotiate speeds up to 10x MIDI on MIDI output 1. To use TurboMIDI, connect the MIDI input and MIDI output 1 from Engine to the MIDI output and input of the other device.
Page 234: Updating Firmware
Engine to your PC using the included USB cable. With the Engine connected to your PC, you will now boot in update mode. To do this, press and hold both the SECTION button and the RECORD button while turning on the machine.
Page 235 After the new operating system is loaded, Engine will reboot itself running the new OS. You can check the OS version in CONFIG mode by pressing the pattern step 16 button. That completes the upgrade process. USER GUIDE...
Page 236: Machine Wipe
MACHINE WIPE It is possible to clear all patterns, songs and snapshots without changing other machine settings. This is useful when starting a new project that will use the same conﬁguration for things like track MIDI settings, sync conﬁguration, etc. To wipe the machine, press and hold step 13 (FORMAT PATTERNS) while powering on the machine.
Page 237: Factory Reset
FACTORY RESET It is possible to initialize all memory to factory state, this will erase all data and reset all conﬁgurations. This may be necessary in some cases, when updating the operating system, or in the unlikely event that memory becomes corrupted. It is also useful when starting from scratch to initialize the machine to a known state.
Page 238: Cv Gate Output Expansion
CV output. The slide time is preset to about 70mS, the same as the classic 303 slide. INSTALLING THE CV EXPANSION BOARD To install the CV expansion, ﬁrst power off and unplug Engine. Next you will need to remove the two hex screws holding the blanking panel in place over the expansion port.
Page 239 If you have trouble connecting the ribbon cable, it can help to unplug it from the CV expansion board and plug it into the mainboard ﬁrst. After plugging in the ribbon cable, carefully slide the CV expansion board into the Engine chassis. The mounting holes of the expansion panel should meet up with the threaded holes.
Page 240: Enabling The Cv Expansion Board
Enabling the CV board should only need to be performed once, and is maintained even after factory reset of memory. To enable the CV board, you must boot Engine while holding down the EXP MODE (step 9) button. The LED display will show the current expansion board setting.
Page 241: Selecting The Cv Mode
CV EXPANSION SELECTING THE CV MODE The function of the CV/Gate outputs is controlled by the EXP MODE settings as deﬁned in the CV EXPANSION MODE section of CONFIG MODE. The default CV MODE is “8 tracks”. You can change the EXPANSION MODE to use the CV/Gate outputs for other purposes.
Page 242: Cv Converter Mode
CV EXPANSION CV CONVERTER MODE Engine has a special mode to act as a dedicated MIDI to CV converter box. This can be used as 8 monophonic tracks or a single 8-voice polyphonic converter. It will also convert MIDI clock to DIN Sync in this mode. MIDI input is accepted from either USB or DIN MIDI.
Page 243: Ending Cv Converter Mode
CV EXPANSION ENDING CV CONVERTER MODE To stop using CV converter mode, power Engine off and then on again (without holding any buttons). The sequencer mode will start normally. MONOPHONIC/POLYPHONIC CONVERSION In monophonic mode, each of the 8 CV/Gate pairs acts independently, each can be conﬁgured with a different MIDI channel, and slide mode.
Page 244: Setting Conversion Midi Channels
CV EXPANSION SETTING CONVERSION MIDI CHANNELS Each track can have a separate MIDI channel assigned. In polyphonic conversion mode, only the MIDI channel for track 1 is used. To set the MIDI channel for a CV/Gate output, press and hold the TRACK button that corresponds to the CV/Gate pair.
Page 245: Enabling Hardware Slide
CV EXPANSION ENABLING HARDWARE SLIDE In monophonic conversion mode, each track can have hardware slide enabled. This will cause any overlapping (legato) notes to produce a smooth slide on the CV output and the GATE will not be retriggered. When slide is not enabled, CV pitch will change instantly, but the GATE will still not be retriggered.
Page 246: Cv/Gate Output Mode
MIDI IMPLEMENTATION CHART  CV EXPANSION CV/GATE OUTPUT MODE Each track can be conﬁgured to send out CV using either Volt/Octave or Hz/Volt and Gate using either positive trigger or negative trigger. This allows the CV outputs to be used with a wide range of different analog devices. Each of the eight tracks can have a different setting for CV MODE.
Page 247: Midi Routing Diagram
MIDI ROUTING DIAGRAM This diagram shows the ﬂow of MIDI data through Engine based on various settings. ...
Page 248 FUNCTION TRANSMITTED RECOGNIZED REMARKS MIDI input and output DEFAULT 1 - 16 1 - 16 channels can be set BASIC independently. Channel CHANNEL CHANGED 1 - 16 1 - 16 settings are stored in memory DEFAULT MODE MESSAGES ******** ALTERED NOTE 0 - 127 0 - 127...