16 x 8 Touch Step Sequencer

Surrender yourselves to the hypnotic, borderline hysterical sway of the CHARCOT CIRCLES (named for Jean-Martin Charcot* "founder of modern neurology”) to awaken your mind and muse. Only the C. C. possesses the organic power and intelligence to identify specific sites in the brain responsible for detailed, sequential, musical functions. Was it not Doc. Jean-Martin who said: "In the last analysis, we see only what we are ready to see, what we have been taught to see."

Who can argue with that, or find fault with Marc Sirguy's compelling and mesmerizing design of our 1st eurorack collaboration with eowave?—a 16 x 8 step sequencer, that can be utilized as an 8 x 16 step track preset (8 CVs & gates), 4 x 32 (4 CVs & gates), 2 x 64 (2 CVs & gates), and 1 x 128 step track preset (1 CV, 1 gate). CV and gate expansion is made possible through our BBOX—breakout box (not yet pictured) interface, which features 4 CVs & 4 gates. Up to 2 breakout boxes per Circles can be connected.

Think of the heirarchy this way: Top to bottom: Presets (a collection of tracks—essentially a "song"), Tracks (a collection of steps), and steps (the base level data). In TRACK PLAY you can decide which tracks you want to play together in the Preset (song). 1-8, 1 and 8, 1, 2, 3 and 8—just track 5, etc.

CC's attraction and connections: USB in/out, CV in, clock in, reset in, clock out, reset (out), velocity (out), gate (out), CV (out), are certain to attract both scientific and social notoriety. Let your predispositional creativity (think of that as the outer circle of white LEDs) mesh with an inspirational "Circles" influence (think of that as the inner circle of red LEDs) to exceed the threshold of the dissed-ordinary.

Watch what happens when you combine the Charcot Circle's traditionally meticulous design methods with your own novel experimental techniques. Will hypnotism, magnetism, the electricity of sound 'n' soul, the inducement of mania follow, or as some have termed it: "The Beatles Effect"?

THEY WILL!—when you enter the ocularcentric world of Charcot's digital amphitheater.

AT ONCE YOU ARE FEELING MORE RELAXED AND AT THE SAME TIME EXCITED... MORE IN TUNE AND IN TEMPO WITH EVERY STEP YOU SEQUENCE.

• Jean-Martin Charcot was one of France’s greatest medical teachers, clinicians and an eponym leader.

Sirguy's Feature Breakdown
Press Shift to select mode (large text).
Pad 1. NOTES (Steps): Tap on or off to arm notes. 1/8 notes are on the outside circle, 1/16 notes inner. Press and hold a step, turn the encoder to change the pitch.
Pad 2. VEL (Velocity): Sets velocity value. Press and hold a step, turn the encoder to change the amount.
Pad 3. LENGTH: Sets length of individual step—think of it as sustain. Press and hold a step, turn the encoder to increase the length to up to 16th bars.
Pad 4. RETRIG (Retrigger): Sets the amount of times the step will be repeated. Press and hold a step, turn the encoder to set the number of repeats.
Pad 5. TOUCH: Pressure sensitive “Key” mode—at this point a stepping Theremin.
Pad 6. KEY: Allows individual control of notes which sustain while pressed; also sets note range and reset point: select one of the 16 pads for the start note, and another for the end.
Pad 7. GLOBAL: The first four default parameters set the direction of sequence:

Forward direction
< Backward direction
Pendulum
RND (Random) Selects a designless firing of notes. To access and change values for sub functions TUNE, SCALE, LEGATO, GLIDE, CHAN, SYNC, press and hold desired step, and turn encoder.
TUNE: Tunes the CV output; hold the pad and turn the encoder to adjust the overall tuning.
SCALE: Sets one of sixteen scales; default is chromatic.
LEGATO: Sets the legato; only legato notes will glide.
GLIDE: On/off & speed. Hold the pad and turn the encoder to adjust the glide time.
CHAN (Channel): Sets the base MIDI channel—you only can change the base midi channel; other tracks add that base channel # to their track number like so: if Base MIDI CH is 1, TK 1 -> CH1, TK2-> CH2... TK8-> CH8. If base MIDI CH is 4, TK 1 -> CH4, TK2-> CH5... TK8-> CH12. If base MIDI CH is 6, TK 1 -> CH6, TK2-> CH7, TK8-> CH14 and so on.
SYNC: Surrenders sequencer to external clock.
Pad 8. SHUFFLE: Sets swing before or after note.
Pad 9. LOAD: Loads preset into RAM by turning encoder, or selecting preset.
Pad 10. SAVE: Saves presets to 128 locations: 8 banks of 16 presets. press the encoder to validate your choice.
Pad 11. BANK: Selects 1 of 8.
Pad 12. TRK (TRACK) PLAY: Selects which tracks are played together or not. Also sets the editing/performance mode for tracks: enable, mute, or edit.
Pad 13. RND TRK (Random Track): Randomizes entire sequence not just direction. Continued presses produce ever more random results.
Pad 14. CLEAR: Clears the active preset's tracks.
Pad 15. TRACK (Groups of 16-128 steps): Selects track to be edited on outer circle—mute track on inner circle.
Pad 16. TRANSP (Transpose): Each pressure pad changes key, or turning encoder in TRANSPOSE mode changes key.
SHIFT: Press and hold for selecting feature set mode; pressed together with PLAY will activate record.

Highlights, Clarifications, and Recaps
Breakout box (BBox) allows for 4x multichannel/mult-CV use.
Up to 2 breakout boxes can be connected to generate up to 8 CVs and 8 gate outputs.
Per note/track pitch, velocity, and length, with 256 track memory locations.

Patch It
Eight patch points: CV IN, CLOCK IN, RESET IN, CLOCK (out), RESET (out), VEL (out), GATE (out), CV (out).

Patch Points Detail
CV IN – Control voltage input.
CLOCK IN – Clock source can be a square wave or gate signal (positive logic).
RESET IN – Positive voltage resets the Sequencer to the first step.
CLOCK (out) – Outputs a pulse per step. The default step setting is 1/16 (1/16th note). in note mode press SHIFT and PLAY together, and turn the encoder to divide the master tempo.
RESET (out) – Positive reset voltage output.
VEL (out) – Velocity (note/step level) output.
GATE (out) – 0/+5v trigger output.
CV (out) – Control Voltage output.

Additional Connections
USB in/out - Update software via USB HIDBootloader/Import and export sequence data via Max7.

Vitals
Size - 26hp

http://www.studioelectronics.com/products/synths/boomstar-modular/charcot-circles/#crumbs

• ? mA +12V
• ? mA -12V
• ? mA 5V

No info about availability.