metrix

It's like intellijel Metropolix for norns. 🤖❤️

All functionality and terms are directly adopted from metropolix. If you're not familiar with it, please have a look at the metropolix manual or do some binge watching on yt. And, if you're looking for a nice and powerful eurorack sequencer, consider buying it of course. :)

Features

Two independent tracks with 8 stages each
Control many functions directly via grid (pulse count, gate type, ratchets, probability, pitch, octave, accumulation, slide)
Set playback direction (forward, reverse, alternate, random) and clock division (1/1 - 1/32) per track
Loop the whole sequence or choose parts of it
Quantize to a scale and root note via global params
Connect to Crow or via MIDI
Save and load up to 64 presets
Generate random sequences

Requirements

norns (210114)
grid
optional: crow
molly the poly

Screen

The screen shows a simple representation of the pulse count matrices of the two tracks. The selected loop range, as well as the currently playing pulse is being highlighted. The dots in the middle show the selected octave ranges.

Beneath every stage you can see a symbol, representing the gate type.

The bottom row shows the currently played note and octave on the left, the clock division in the middle and the playback order on the right. A line beneath the matrix indicates the currently selected track and the selected loop range.

In the top right corner, you can see the play state, the top left corner shows the tempo and a little dot to indicate if the sequencer is synced externally.

Keys and Encoders

K2 Play / Pause
K3 Reset
Enc1 Select Track
Enc2 + Enc3 Select octave ranges

Grid Layout

The grid layout of metrix is strongly influenced by skylines and Kria. 🙏

Track Selector

Use the first row to select track 1 or 2.

Hold [shift] while selecting to mute/unmute a track.

Loopy

Use the second row to set the loop's start and end points:

Tap and hold the start point and select the end point to set the looped stages. This works in any direction.
Tap on a stage on the currently selected track to select only a single stage.
Hold [shift] and tap a single stage to skip that stage. One stage must remain active.

Page Selector

In the bottom left corner, you can choose among the following pages:

pulses and gates
pitch
presets and track settings
scales and root note

Modifier Keys / Shortcuts

In the bottom and top right corner, the [shift] and [mod] keys are located. Hold these keys for secondary functions and shortcuts.

Hold the [shift] key to switch to the secondary functions of a page. More on that on the corresponding sections. Also:

Shortcut	Description
`[shift] + [track 1/2]`	Mute / unmute tracks 1 and 2
`[shift] + [loopy]`	Skip the selected stages. One stage must remain active and cannot be skipped.
`[mod] + [page 1/2]`	Randomize the basic values related to the selected page
`[mod] + [value]`	Set all stages to the selected value. Use the shift key additionally to access the secondary functions.
`[mod] + [loopy]`	Set loopy's start and stop to all stages
`[mod] + [shift] + [track 1/2]`	Randomize all possible params. This can lead to unpredictable results.
`[mod] + [shift] + [loopy]`	Set loopy's start and stop to all stages and activate all of them
`[mod] + [shift] + [page 1/2]`	Randomize all possible params related to the selected page

Page 1: Pulses and gates

Use the top matrix to choose the pulse count for each stage.
Use the bottom matrix to choose the gate type for each stage.
Press and hold [shift] to access the matrices for ratchets (top) and probability (bottom).

Page 2: Pitch

Use the top matrix to choose the pitch for each stage.
Use the bottom matrix to choose the octave for each stage. Change the accessible octave range in the params.
Press and hold [shift] to access the matrices for accumulating transposition (top), slide on/off and transposition direction up/down/freeze (bottom).

Notes:

As the currenty used engine supports slide only as a global command, it affects both tracks if using the built-in audio.
slide is not available for MIDI, as the standard doesn't support it

Page 3: Presets and track settings

Save a preset by holding [shift] and selecting on of the 64 preset slots on the top.
Load a preset by tapping one of the preset slots.
Delete a preset by holding [shift] and [mod] and selecting a preset slot.
Choose the playback order and clock division for the corresponding track

Page 4: Scales and root note

Load a scale or chord shape
Choose the root note
The name of the selected scale / note is shown on the screen while holding down a button

Crow / MIDI

Crow

Connect crow to connect metrix to your eurorack system:

Input 1 syncs the clock to an external signal (see clock params). Using a permanent 24ppqn signal is recommended to avoid sync issues.
Input 2 starts the sequencer on a run signal (high gate).
Outputs 1 and 3 send gates, triggers or envelopes (adjustable in the params) for each pulse.
Outputs 2 and 4 send 1v/octave pitch voltage.

MIDI

Connect your MIDI device using the corresponding param. Track 1 defaults to MIDI-Channel 1, Track 2 defaults to MIDI-Channel 2. The Channels can also be assigned in the params.

Params

General

Param	Description
Scale	Choose one of the provided scales
RootNote	Choose the root note of that scale
MIDI Device	Choose a MIDI device to send the sequence data to
Send MIDI Transp. Msgs	Send start / stop / continue messages to your MIDI Device

Track 1/2

Param	Description
Output: Mute	Mute the selected track
Output: Audio	Play audio on/off
Output: MIDI	Send MIDI on/off
Output: Crow	Send to Crow on/off
Pitch: Octave Range	Adjust the via grid controlable octave range
Pitch: Acc. Limit	Set the limit over which transpositions are allowed to accumulate
Pitch: Transpose Trigger	Apply the accumulation per stage / pulse / ratchet
Pitch: Slide Time	Sets the amount of time it takes to move from one pitch to the next (Note: Only 'analog' slide type is supported atm.)
MIDI: Channel	Sets the MIDI channel for sending the track sequence to
Crow: Gate Type	Sets the signal type that crow generates: gate / trigger / envelope
Crow: Env. Attack	Sets the attack time of the generated envelope
Crow: Env. Sustain	Sets the sustain time of the generated envelope
Crow: Env. Release	Sets the release time of the generated envelope

dndrks/metrix