Audio Damage Sequencer 1 - Manual (Page 9)

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5.1.2. Outputs
PITCH
This is the output that you’ll use to control the pitch of one or more voltage-controlled oscillators.
It supplies a voltage from zero to five volts, proportionate to the note and octave you program
for each step. You can choose either of two scaling systems for this output: the 1V/octave
convention used by most analog synthesizers and modules, or the Hz/V convention used by
Korg and Yamaha synthesizers.
Of course, nothing says that you have to plug this output into a VCO; like any other voltage
source in your modular synthesizer, you can connect it to just about anything which expects a
voltage.
These three outputs emit voltages in the range -5 to +5 volts. Usually you’ll use them to control
things other than oscillator pitch, such as filter frequency, VCA levels, whatever. You can
program the voltage level at each output for each step in a sequence. Each of these outputs
also has its own low-frequency oscillator which can generate periodic signals in sync with the
pattern. The LFOs can replace the voltage value you program for each step, or they can be
combined with that value in different ways.
This output generates a +5V signal for steps which play a note. Usually you’ll connect it to one
or more envelope generators whose outputs are in turn connected to a VCA’s gain-control input
and a filter’s frequency-control input. When the sequencer plays a note, the gate output goes
from zero to +5V, turning on the envelope generators.
The Gate output has several associated features, including the ability to turn on and off several
times per step. This allows the sequencer to create the often-coveted “ratcheting” effect heard
on early Tangerine Dream albums.
The Accent output is similar to the Gate output. It emits either zero or +5V, and can be
programmed independently from the Gate output. Its usual application is to add accents to
certain steps (perhaps by triggering a different envelope generator than the Gate output) in the
manner of early Roland drum machines. More generally, there’s no reason that you can’t use it
to trigger something entirely independent from the notes generated by the Gate output. For
instance, the Gate output (and probably the Pitch output) could control a bass synth patch while
the Accent output triggers a drum patch.
The Accent output does not have the ratcheting feature of the main Gate output.
These outputs provide timing and control information for synchronizing other devices to
Sequencer 1. The Clock output emits a +5V pulse for each step, with a duration equal to half the