Video Story Engine is a powerful multitrack step sequencer with 8 polyphonic tracks for recording both melodic and percussion patterns. Pattern chaining, snapshots and a song mode help move your ideas from simple loops to completed songs. The six performance knobs can be used to control external devices or the built-in performance effects system, which includes velocity and gate offsets and ratcheting. Engine includes comprehensive editing features to fine-tune your performance, with rotation, cut/copy/paste for both patterns and individual steps. STRUCTURE Each of the eight tracks can be programmed with individual time settings for scale, length, shuffle and skipped steps. This allows for experimenting with polymeters and polyrhythms. Synth type patterns can record and play up to four notes of polyphony, while drum type patterns have sixteen notes of polyphony. Each track has 4 banks of 16 patterns, for a total of 512 patterns. A pattern can be up to 64 steps in length, and patterns can be chained together for even longer passages, up to 1024 steps! 64 snapshots allow you to store settings across all eight tracks for quick recall. This includes things like selected patterns and pattern chains, track mutes, transpose and individual drum mutes. Snapshots make it easy to construct songs on the fly. Entire performances can be performed using the 32 songs. Songs are created as a sequence of snapshots that can be programmed or recorded in real time. The 6 knobs can be used to send MIDI control messages or control voltages with the optional CV expansion. This makes Engine the perfect studio centerpiece. WORKFLOW With three types of recording, you can choose the right method for your workflow, and you can switch between them any time. Grid recording gives you the traditional drum machine type programming interface, which works great for synth lines also. Realtime recording lets you play notes in via the mini-keyboard or using MIDI controllers, great for capturing a live performance. Step recording moves automatically from step to step as you enter note events. This is great for generating unexpected grooves. Using hardware is all about the physical experience, with dedicated buttons and knobs that perform specific functions. With a clearly defined interface, an LCD display isn’t necessary. Get away from the screen and use your ears to create music. Every function on Engine can be performed without stopping the sequencer. Step recording, configuration, changing modes, everything can be done while the sequencer is running. Changes are intelligently quantized when necessary, so patterns always stay in sync. Engine has no concept of saving and loading, all settings are saved behind the scenes without interrupting the creative flow. With function pinning, you can lock in a particular mode, rather than holding down multiple buttons. For example, you could lock in mute mode for live performance. This makes Engine flexible without getting in the way of the creative process. Specifications Engine has one DIN MIDI input and two DIN MIDI outputs. All MIDI ports use full-sized MIDI jacks. Tracks and MIDI clock can be configured to output on either or both MIDI outputs, so you could use one output as a dedicated MIDI clock port for synchronizing external devices. Engine is a class compliant USB MIDI device that can connect directly to a PC for controlling softsynths. The isolated USB port ensures that ground loops aren’t a problem when connecting to analog gear. The full-sized DIN SYNC port can be configured as either a master or slave, making it possible to synchronize Engine to many classic devices. An optional CV/Gate expansion board turns Engine into a powerful analog sequencer. With 16 configurable output jacks, each track can have a dedicated CV/Gate pair, or you can choose from several modes to send clocks, controllers, triggers and more. Precise 16-bit outputs with a true bipolar output swing from -3V to +7V make it possible to get the most out of your analog synthesizers. Gates output a +10V signal, which is perfect for triggering some older machines. Manual Download Manual Download Cheatsheet
