SoftStep Process Menu

Process Menu

Bounds

Values at the Value input are constrained between the Upper input and Lower input bounds.

Scale

Values at the Value input are scaled from 0 to 127 % of their original value, and the value in the Offset input is added to the final result after it has been scaled.

Level

Values at the Value input are reduced by the percentage as set by the Level knob, and a positive or negative offset is added to them with the Ofst knob. If the result is less than 0, the output will be 0; if greater than 127 the output will be 127.

Octave

The Octave module keeps itsValue input within an octave range without loosing the chromatic note value. It does this by folding octaves higher than the Oct setting, wrapping them around. In the example image, the note value is 61,and the Octave is set to 2 (which results in a note range of 0-35). This gives the output of 25, which is the wrap-around of octave 2, plus one semitone. The Offset input is added to the output after it has been scaled.

Octave input values are 0-9, with octave 0 giving a note range of 0-11, 1 giving 0-23, 2 giving 0-35, etc.

Mixer

Up to four inputs can be individually scaled to a percentage (with the slider bars), summed, and then the total is reduced by a percentage with the bottom Master slide bar. If the result is greater than 127 the output will be 127.

Quantize

The Quantize module converts the Value input into a scale selected by the Scale select input. The scales are: 0=none, 1=Major, 2=Minor, 3=Pentatonic, 4=Whole Tone, 5=Fifths+Octaves, 6=Octaves, 7=Major Triad, 8=Minor Triad. Anything outside the 1-7 selection range leaves the input unchanged. Quantize works by choosing the nearest note of a of the scale chosen; when there is a choice between two equal distant scale degrees, Quantize selects the most harmonic (favors octaves, 5ths and 3rds in that order).

Table

The Table module is somewhat like a sequencer module, such as the Run128. It has a Fill button like the sequencers, so it is linked to all of them by the Fill. But there is an important difference: the sequence data is not stored by the module, as it is with the sequencers, but it is stored in a system table that is available to all Table modules. It has 2 inputs, the top, Step input as found in all sequencers, and the Table Page input, that selects one of 128 table pages.

One likely use of the Table module is to make custom pitch tables. You can do this very quickly with the PatAdd button in Fill.

The difference between Table and the sequencers, is that all the table sequences you build are available to all the Table modules at once, and you can instantly switch any Table module among the 128 table sequences available. In other words, the sequences in Table are Public (available to all Table modules) whereas the sequences in all the other sequencers are Private (available only to the sequencer that "owns" it). Also, because the Table module is more likely to be used to translate previously generated data, such as pitch tables, than as a generator of data, it gets processed after most of the other modules rather than near the beginning of the processing loop as do the sequencer modules.

The blue button in the lower right of the module, next to the text label, is labeled with the table number, 0-127. Click on it to access the Page Table Editor popup window. This is the same one as the Page sequencers use, and you can exchange data among them. This means you can store Tables in Page sequencers and vice versa; and you can copy an entire page sequence from one module to another in just a few clicks.

Table Write

The Table Write (TWrite) module works the same as the Table module, with the added ability to write to table steps as well as to read from them.

In addition to the Step input and Table input, described in the Table module above, the Table Write module also has a Value input, which is the value that will be written to the table, and a Write strobe input, which triggers the write. Table values are written only when the Write input goes from 0 to nonzero. If this input is unconnected, the module will not alter the table data. The Strobe module is useful for manually triggering the Write clock one step at a time.

TFit

The TFit module looks and works like the Table module, but with one difference: Instead of reading the table values at the topmost Step Number input, it compares that input with all values in the Table Page it is pointing to with the bottom table number selection input, and returns the closest fit. This module is typically used for arbitrary scale translations, and it works very well with the scales in the default table at table page numbers 0-8.

The table fitting algorithm returns the first exact match found; if no exact match is found then the first table value with nearest absolute difference is returned. TFit makes no distinction between table values being lower or higher than the input value, it only looks at the absolute difference; and it always returns the first nearest fit found and ignores any other equal fit values in the table. For this reason, you should place your scale values in an ascending scale in the table.

Translate Note

Translate Note (XNote) is a program control version of the Note module. It provides a smooth numeric translation of the values that control clock durations. Input for XNote is 0-29, and the output is the number value that sets clock, stepper, etc. durations. The input values start with 0 = 32nd note triplet, and continue up through the entire SoftStep clock range. Dotted notes are set 1 step up, to provide a smooth transition to progressively slower notes. Input values > 29 produce 8th notes. Here is a table of the Note value settings available:

Input

Note

Output

Ticks

t 32nd
  32nd
t 16th
d 32nd
  16th
t 8th
d 16th
  8th
t 4th
d 8th
  4th
t Half
d 4th
  Half
t Whole
d Half
  Whl
t Dbl
d Whole
  Dbl
t Quad
d Dbl
  Quad
t Bar
d Quad
  Bar
t 2Bar
d Bar
  2Bar
  BFN