Omnitone — Beatsi

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Creative Eurorack Patch Ideas with Beatsi

As a modular synthesist, Beatsi offers a refreshing digital take on modular drum synthesis without relying on samples or physical modeling. Its tight control, seamless kit morphing, and dual assignable/attenuverted CV inputs open up plenty of innovative patch possibilities. Here are some ways to integrate Beatsi into a wider Eurorack setup:

1. Dynamic Drum Accents with LFOs & Modulation Sources

• Use Case: Animate Beatsi’s timbre, decay, or pitch knobs via LFOs (e.g., Malekko ADLFO, ALM Pam’s New Workout, or Make Noise Maths).
• Technique: Assign a sine or triangle LFO to timbre, slowly morphing between the acoustic, lo-fi, and alien kits for evolving percussive layers within a single pattern.
• Advanced: Modulate decay with a stepped random or S&H signal from Mutable Instruments Marbles to randomize drum lengths per hit or pass.

2. Sequence-Driven Character Transformation

• Use Case: Use a sequencer with CV outs (e.g., Intellijel Metropolix, Erica Synths Black Sequencer) to send sequences to pitch or timbre.
• Example: Assign a sequencer’s CV row to the pitch input of the tom, creating tuned drums/basslines or melodic tom sequences.
• Morph timbre with another row for kit switching on snare or hi-hat, adding variation and timbral movement to each bar.

3. Performance FX: Manual Kit Morphing and Mutes

• Use Case: Take advantage of the real-time mute function (press both parameter & value knobs) in live sets.
• Tip: Use a footswitch module (e.g., Befaco Instrument Interface) or external MIDI-to-CV controller (e.g., Arturia Beatstep Pro) to send triggers for mutes or immediate kit changes.

4. Envelope Follower and Audio Rate Modulation

• Use Case: Patch an envelope follower (Mutable Ears or Doepfer A-119) with external audio or drum loops as a CV source for Beatsi inputs.
• Result: The amplitude or transient activity of an incoming loop modulates Beatsi’s timbre or decay in real-time, "sidechaining" modular drum tones to an external groove.

5. Additive and Unusual Percussion

• Use Case: Combine Beatsi’s OUT with another digital percussion module (e.g., Noise Engineering Basimilus Iteritas Alter, Tiptop One) into a mixer (Intellijel Mixup, WMD Performance Mixer).
• Result: Use morphing CV to glue or differentiate Beatsi’s tones from other more static drum sources, or to provide fill-in textures between hits from traditional samplers.

6. Generative and Self-Patching Patches

• Use Case: Use logic modules (Make Noise Maths, Mutable Kinks, or Intellijel Plog) to generate complex gates/triggers for multi-part rhythms over Beatsi’s various drum triggers.
• Advanced: Self-patch Beatsi’s TOM CV output (if present) or envelope outs from other modules back into Beatsi’s CV1/CV2 to create feedback-driven evolving percussion.

7. Bitcrush and Glitch FX

• Use Case: Since Beatsi’s lo-fi and alien kits already include bit reduction and downsampling, abuse this by patching fast digital noise or stepped random CV (Wogglebug, Turing Machine, Ornament & Crime) into timbre or decay for broken-glitch digital percussion.

Recommended Generic Modules for Advanced Patch Techniques

• CV Modulators: LFOs, Random Sources, Envelopes, Sequencers
• Logic/Utilities: Clock dividers/multipliers, AND/OR logic, S&H
• External Audio Integration: Envelope Followers, Audio-to-CV
• Controllers: CV/MIDI-to-Gate, Pressure Points/Touch Controllers
• Mixers: For summing and parallel drum sound layering

General Tips

• State Saving: Remember Beatsi’s auto-save after 5 seconds of inactivity; plan your live tweaks accordingly!
• Attenuversion: Experiment with negative CV routing to invert envelope contours for offbeat or reversed drum FX.
• Open/Closed Hats: Patch creative gate/trigger combos for open and closed hi-hat simulation using other rhythm tools.

For further information, and to expand with community-sourced utilities:

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