Batumi II & Poti II Manual (Xaoc Devices)
Batumi II is “just” a quad LFO on paper, but in practice it can be a 4-channel modulation brain that easily produces pitch movement, stepped note patterns, clock-related sequences, pseudo-counterpoint, and audio-rate melodic voices. Poti II turns it into a more performance-friendly melodic tool by adding per-channel attenuation, per-channel assignable ASGN waveform choice, and waveform-shape CV control.
From the manual, the key features for melody-making are:
So the module can function as:
Batumi II does not quantize by itself, so for conventional tonal melody you’ll usually patch it through a:
Typical melodic patch flow:
Batumi output → quantizer → oscillator 1V/oct
And often simultaneously:
Batumi rect out → envelope trigger / LPG / clock input
This is where Batumi becomes very musical: one channel can create the pitch contour, while its rect output or another channel controls when notes happen.
This is the most direct route to notes.
Musically: - In free mode, each random channel is independent, so you get multiple unrelated melodic lines - In phase/divide/mult, the random outputs are related, so you get themed variations rather than chaos
Great for “wandering” melodies.
These are excellent for repeating scalar patterns.
When quantized: - Triangle = up/down melodic motion - Upward saw = rising ramps with sudden reset - Downward saw = descending ramps - Trapezoid = repeated held notes with quick transitions
These produce very usable sequence-like shapes once quantized.
Sine into a quantizer can be surprisingly musical: - smoother revisiting of nearby notes - cyclical basslines - nice for slow transposition patterns
In free mode, all four channels are independent. This is ideal for:
Because Batumi tracks 1V/oct, you can also treat a channel as an oscillator at audio rate. That opens another trick:
This makes Batumi feel like a compact algorithmic sequencer.
In phase mode, channels B/C/D follow channel A’s frequency but are phase shifted relative to it.
This is one of the most musically special features.
In this mode, the manual says the random waves are copies of channel A’s random sequence, delayed by phase amount. That means you can create:
This is gold for melodic composition.
Result: - the same underlying note stream appears at different time offsets - sounds like canon/counterpoint rather than random unrelated notes
Use with: - one voice and a sequential switch - or multiple oscillators for interlocking harmony
The manual mentions deep phase modulation can radically deform the waveform and even act like FM at audio rates. In melodic use, that means: - a simple source contour can morph into more complex note shapes before quantization - subtle CV on phase can create variation without losing structure
In divide mode, B/C/D become integer subdivisions of A: - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 16, 32
This is amazing for tempo-locked melody layers.
All channels are related to A, but slower. So you can patch:
Because divide mode keeps things related, the whole patch feels coherent.
The manual says divided random channels are downsampled copies of channel A’s random sequence. So if A is a fast random note stream, B/C/D become slower extractions of that same source. Musically this creates:
This is ideal for generative music where you want a family resemblance across voices.
In mult mode, B/C/D become integer multiples of A.
That means: - one base motion in A - faster related motions in the other channels
Result: - upper voices move more rapidly but remain tied to the same underlying cycle
The manual says random sequences are upsampled relative to A, sharing values periodically. That means: - the faster channels reuse material from A - good for decorations and variations around a motif
This makes mult mode very useful for: - grace-note-like melodic behavior - dense top-line texture over a slower foundation
Poti II makes Batumi much more useful as a melody tool.
This is extremely important because quantizers respond strongly to voltage range.
With Poti II, you can reduce output amplitude for each channel: - narrow melodic range - keep notes within one octave - create voice-dependent contours
Example: - Channel A wide range = lead - Channel B attenuated = bassline with small movement - Channel C tiny range = subtle transposition CV
Without attenuation, some Batumi outputs may jump too widely for practical tonal melodies.
This is huge.
You can choose different ASGN waveforms per channel: - A = stepped random - B = triangle - C = upward saw - D = smooth random
Now Batumi becomes a mixed melodic ecosystem instead of four copies of the same waveform type.
The shape inputs are extremely playable for melody generation.
Per channel, shape CV can affect one selected destination:
If you quantize folded sine motion, you get: - more complex repeated note patterns - symmetry breaking - pseudo-arpeggiated shapes from a simple cycle
This is especially strong for melodic work.
If shape CV is assigned to ASGN: - external CV can switch among waveforms - the melodic contour can jump between triangle, saw, trapezoid, random, etc.
That means one melodic line can morph between: - ordered - ramping - held - random
Great for arrangement and variation.
This does not directly create pitch, but it changes gate timing/duty behavior, which affects note length and rhythmic phrasing if rect is used as a gate source.
Goal: one evolving tonal line
Optional: - Poti II attenuate A ASGN to keep melody within a narrower range - Slow modulation into A FRQ CV for phrase speed changes
Why it works: - stepped random provides note selection - rect provides timing - quantizer keeps it musical
Goal: related voices with delayed entrances
Result: - the same sequence appears staggered in time - ideal for minimalist or contrapuntal music
This is one of the best “melodic identity” uses of Batumi II.
Goal: coherent two-part composition
Result: - lead and bass feel related because they derive from shared timing/material
Goal: sequencer-like melodic loops without a sequencer
Options: - Triangle gives pendulum-style arps - Saw gives rising or falling arps - Trapezoid gives repeated held notes
Goal: primary melody plus embellishment
This can sound like: - one melody with ornamentation - clustered lines - baroque-style decorations - shimmer on top of a slower line
Because Batumi II goes to audio rate and supports 1V/oct, it can be used as a bank of oscillators.
If you send a keyboard or sequencer CV to channel A: - in divide/mult, other channels become related pitch structures - not equal-tempered harmony automatically, but very rich for experimental melody
Batumi’s reset/sync behavior is very useful when you want melody tied to song tempo.
Example: - A saw → quantizer → pitch - send a bar-reset trigger to A reset - melody restarts every measure
This effectively lets Batumi become a clock-relative melodic generator.
This is excellent for: - tempo-locked ambient melodies - self-playing Berlin-school style structures - polymetric note streams
This is the big one. Batumi makes voltages; the quantizer makes notes.
Good scale choices: - pentatonic for instant consonance - dorian/aeolian for melodic ambient lines - chromatic for experimental lines
Attenuation is your friend. Smaller voltage ranges mean: - fewer leaps - more motif coherence - basslines that stay in register
Continuous shapes become stepped note sequences when sampled.
Examples: - triangle + S&H = repeating scalar melody - smooth random + S&H = wandering but articulated line - phase-shifted channels sampled by same clock = related parallel melodies
Every channel provides its own rect output. This can drive: - envelopes - logic - clocking - sample & hold
So one Batumi channel can generate both: - note voltage - note timing
That gives you compositional roles, not just modulation modes.
These modules really shine with:
Especially powerful combinations:
Four channels become four phrase sources; the switch chooses which phrase is active.
One channel makes note motion, another makes transposition, another makes phrase-length movement.
Use multiple Batumi outputs to animate root, inversion, spread, or parallel pitch lines.
Using Poti II per-channel ASGN selection and shape CV: - start with triangle/saw for regular melody - morph into stepped random - then into smooth random - return to structured shapes
This feels like moving from composition to improvisation.
Because all are on one module, this is easy to perform as a “mini ensemble.”
Manual resets into channels create controlled re-alignments: - all voices land together - then drift through their own relationships - then rejoin
Very musical for live generative sets.
This is probably the standout melodic feature. It enables: - canon - fugue-like structures - offset repetition - related motif streams
This gives: - coherent family resemblance - phrase hierarchy - ornament vs foundation behavior
Batumi can cross from modulation into sound generation, so a patch can use the same module for: - pitch CV generation - audio oscillation - internal self-modulation - rhythmic gating
That makes it unusually rich for melodic composition.
Batumi II + Poti II can absolutely be used as a melodic composition tool, not only as an LFO.
Its strongest melodic use cases are:
If I were using it specifically for melodic work, I’d think of the modes like this:
And Poti II makes the difference between “interesting modulation” and usable melodic control, mainly because of attenuation and per-channel waveform assignment.