Grids

Mutable Instruments' topographic drum sequencer, in 16 HP: three trigger channels whose patterns are read from a map of drum loops, with a fill rate per channel.

Key features

• A map of rhythms learned from a collection of electronic tracks and drum loops: the MAP X and MAP Y knobs pick a point on it, morphing smoothly from one pattern to the next
• FILL 1 to 3: how dense each channel's pattern is, from muted to fully filled; channel 1 for the bass drum, 2 for the snare, 3 for the hi-hat
• CHAOS: random rolls and ghost notes added to the fills
• An internal clock from 40 to 240 BPM, a tap tempo button, or an external clock at 24, 8 or 4 ppqn; a reset input
• A trigger and an accent output per channel; CV inputs for MAP X, MAP Y, CHAOS and each FILL
• Made from August 2013 to March 2021; the design is open source