• SEQ v4+
  • Gate In / Footswitch functionality

Hi, i wonder, how exactly does the Gate In work?
What kind of signal does it use and what’s its function?
Kind Regards

dijf hi, you can map the footswitch/gate-in ports to any function that you could also map a button to.

This is configured in the MBSEQ_HW.V4 text configuration file on your SD-card (i’d recommend to back it up before making any changes).

Currently disabled functions are shown in this file with SR (shift register) set to 0 and pin set to 0. To enable a function, just map the SR/pin of the corresponding standard keyswitch or footswitch/gate-in-port to that function.

Like this you can customize/remap your SEQ v4+ keyboard layout as well.

Best regards,
Peter

    HI Peter, thank you for the explanation.
    And what kind of signal does the Gate In support? Momentary/toggle switch or a voltage gate or trigger?

    dijf no problem, i’m pretty sure it is accurate, but i’ll better include @latigid on to fact-check the following statement: the gate-in ports requires a +5V trigger signal as usual in modular systems.

    Otherwise it behaves identical to a switch and can be configured identical to any button in the MBSEQ_HW config file. This port is useful to remote-control a single function of your SEQ v4+ from your modular system via a common gate signal.

    Best regards,
    Peter

      For the footswitch, a normally open switch is expected on the ring terminal. The 10k resistor on USB R4 might be a bit large. 4k7 could possibly work better. The functions are so defined in the HWCFG:

      LH:
      BUTTON_FOOTSWITCH 1 5
      RH:
      BUTTON_FOOTSWITCH 7 5

      Press&Hold the footswitch to enable record mode, release it to disable record mode.
      Tap the footswitch shortly to delete the track.

      Or it could be assigned to another function.

      The gate input is on the tip of the 3.5mm jack, expecting a +5V gate, then converted like a Moog S-trig. It would have the same shift register address as above (depending on the LH/RH version), but for pin 6. It can be assigned to any empty switch function in the HWCFG.

      a year later

      Hi, I’m still confused about how to edit the MBSEQ_HW file to address a function to the foot switch.
      Two questions!
      Is it possible to let the sequencer advance a step with the footswitch functionality?
      If not, how do I assign the footswitch to the tap tempo functionality (which is the SR and PIN number?) Another words, how do I know which SR and PIN number is which?

        To repurpose the footswitch, set the SR addresses for BUTTON_FOOTSWITCH to 0 0
        Then assign any switch parameter you like to the address formerly assigned to BUTTON_FOOTSWITCH. The ring terminal is currently not assigned to anything but is on the same SR (LH=1; RH=7), but pin 6 instead of pin 5.

        E.g. if you have a SEQ v4 LH
        BUTTON_TAP_TEMPO 1 5 (or BUTTON_TAP_TEMPO 1 6 if you want to use the ring terminal)

        There is a way to advance the track, but probably you need an additional MIDI controller to send a note:

         new track mode configuration option: "STrg" (Step Trigger)
         In this mode, the step progression will be controlled from the transposer
         bus, hence it can either be triggered from a loopback track or from an 
         external MIDI device (MIDI keyboard, sequencer, etc.)
         Note that each track can be assigned to a dedicated transpose bus
         (4 busses are available), this allows to control 4 independent step progressions
         for all 16 tracks.

        You could experiment with the transpose button to see if it does what you want.

          Thanks for the reply, but I tried to reassign it, but the footswitch won’t react to anything.
          Here’s what I’ve got: I’ve edited the MBSEQ_HW file to
          BUTTON_TAP_TEMPO 1 5 (I have the LH)
          BUTTON_FOOTSWITCH 0 0 (I also tried 1 5)
          +5V gate in GATE IN

          What could be wrong? Is there a way to know if there’s a hardware problem with the Gate In?

            I’ve set
            BUTTON_TAP_TEMPO 1 5
            You have to reset the SEQ for the changes to take effect
            Like this I can send a +5V gate to the 3.5mm tip and control tap tempo well, e.g., with a squarewave oscillator.

            To troubleshoot, check that the MTA cable is properly connected between JA and the USB/power entry board. You can also “set debug on” in a MIOS terminal after loading MB_NG and test the inputs for activity
            To use the ring input, I would suggest a smaller value for R4, maybe 1k-4k7.

              I Checked the MTA cable and I reversed it at the USB board. BUT now, the weird thing is, when I short ring and ground, it does work.. when BUTTON_TAP_TEMPO is set to 1 5.
              If I change it to 1 6 nothing works. So the tip doesn’t work, only the ring.
              And when I put the MTA cable back to how it was, nothing works..
              What could be the problem?


                With the schematic snippets I hope you can figure it out.

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