I was looking into adding sync signal capabilities to my CEVS app to mimic what KORG have in their SyncKontrol app for iOS. Their app generates an audio pulse which can exist used to control tempo on Monotribe and Volca machines. Adding information technology to CEVS would hateful people on all platforms could benefit from the extra command equally well as adding swing capabilities to machines without a swing knob such equally the Volca Keys, Bass, etc.
The Volca Sample does accept a swing knob but many have noticed that it doesn't seem to send its swing indicate via the "sync out" jack unfortunately. The post-obit mail service is the result of my research into KORG' s sync signal and explains why other Volcas simply tin't swing like the Sample. If someone from KORG wants to chinkle in and correct or confirm my findings (paging Takahashi-san) , that would be crawly.
Open the following image to follow along. It might await a bit technical but I'll do my best to keep to simple terms.
Figure one shows KORG's basic sync clock in pinkish. A clock signal is just that, a reliable voltage pulse either from the car itself or from another source that comes around on time, regularly, like seconds on a clock. Synths "mind in" on this signal to sync up their sequencers, LFOs, etc. Beneath that are 16 footstep boxes which represent the steps on a Volca machine. Notice how they appear at regular intervals. This is because their timing relies on the sync clock.
The first thing to detect is that the clock skips a 16th note step, it really lines upwards with 8th note timing instead. This is very important and the chief reason why we're seeing some strange things between machines. Having a clock that runs slower than your smallest step isn't a big deal, electronics tin can easily work out sub-step timing as before long as they receive two pulses. The problem comes when yous want to create effects like swing.
Swing (sometimes called shuffle) is the change in timing from a straight, evenly-spaced sequence. It's often used to create more human, less-mechanical rhythms. An example in nature would be the human being heart. It doesn't become Boom-boom-Nail, it goes, BOOOM-baBOOOM-baBOOOM due to the timing of the diverse squishy valves in there. In musical note, this is oftentimes represented by dotted notes. I note is held a flake longer, at the expense of the adjacent notation which comes in a bit after and gets shortened by an equivalent amount.
The size of the annotation we chose to stretch is what defines the blazon of swing. If we use eighth notes equally our measure of the "note", and and so play fast (16ths) notes we get a swinging issue that sounds more rigid, like a military snare march. If we use 16th notes equally the swing unit of measurement of measure, nosotros get a more groovy "firm / hiphop" sound. (see audio examples at the bottom of this mail)
Looking at Figure 2, you'll see how the SyncKontrol app creates swing by delaying every other eighth note pulse. The timing delay is defined past the swing amount in the app and goes from barely noticeable to farthermost where the second notation has barely started before the adjacent comes in over again. When we employ this to a car with a 16-step sequencer, nosotros come across that the two beginning steps are longer and the second two are shorter and delayed. This is because we're substantially splitting our swung 8th notes into halves to get our 16ths note steps.
Now in Figure iii, we see how the Volca Sample does its ain thing and (I assume) modifies the sub-divided internal clock of higher precision to control swing when you turn the physical knob on the unit. The swing modifies every 2d 16th annotation this time (dark crimson clock), giving us the nicer swing effect. When information technology comes time to generate a sync bespeak for the Sync Out jack, information technology uses every other clock pulse in order to create a compatible signal to the standard already established. (pink clock). Yous'll notice how those pulses aren't affected by the Sample's swing, which is why nosotros perceive the Sample to non ship its swing across to others.
Conclusion: Apart from working with hacks similar working in double-fourth dimension (and spreading out your beats over 2 parts), the other machines simple will never exist able to swing like the Volca Sample. The timing protocol is established to 8ths notes and changing that in the time to come would hateful onetime machines would play twice every bit fast. Why KORG chose this is a mystery, seems odd given that most synths since forever have relied on 16-step sequencers... Peradventure a decision was fabricated in the name of simplifying things for low-toll machines, maybe it was historical reasons to be compatible with even older machines (I'll admit I'grand pretty new to hardware synths). Perchance an oversight with regards to e'er offering swing in the commencement identify. Merely hey, at least knowing why helps quell the frustration, right?
And to answer a question which I'thou sure will come up: Yes, I'll exist calculation my "SyncKontrol" module to CEVS anyway. Just don't expect miracles from it.
Here are some audio examples to help explain the difference between no swing, 8th annotation swing and 16th notation swing (aforementioned crush used, created in Caustic, shuffle set to fifty%)
As an interesting side-note: What happens if you send a swung synckontrol signal to a Volca Sample that's got its swing knob turned up? A multiplied result which sounds really weird. Every step in a iv-pace sequence starts long and gets shorter and shorter. I'll relieve you the graph this fourth dimension just yous can try for yourself.
