Euclidean Sequencer

Generates Euclidean rhythms — patterns where a handful of hits are spread as evenly as possible across a number of steps. These spacings underpin clave, bell, and folk rhythms the world over, and a tiny change to any of three numbers can swing a groove from steady to wonderfully lopsided.

How it works

Set how many Hits you want and how many Steps to spread them over, and the module distributes the hits as evenly as the math allows. The pattern ring shows the result as a circle of lit and dark slots with a playhead sweeping around it. Each clock pulse advances one step; landing on a lit slot fires the outputs. Rot turns the whole pattern under the playhead, sliding the accents to a different part of the bar without changing the rhythm's shape.

Controls

  • Hits — how many beats are active in the pattern; raise it to fill the bar, drop it for sparse, syncopated grooves.
  • Steps — the length of the cycle before it repeats. Hits are clamped so they never exceed the step count.
  • Rot — rotates the pattern, shifting where the accents fall.
  • Ring — displays the live pattern and playhead; drag around the rim to rotate it, double-click to zero the rotation.
  • Attenuverters — three bipolar knobs (Hits CV / Steps CV / Rot CV) that scale the matching CV input before it reaches the knob. Centered (0) the jack does nothing; turn right to add the CV, left to invert it. Dial in exactly how much a modulation source bends each parameter.

Inputs & outputs

  • CLK — the clock; each rising edge steps the sequence forward one slot.
  • RST — snaps the playhead back to step 0 to re-align with the rest of your patch.
  • Hits / Steps / Rot CV — voltage control over each of the three knobs (roughly ±16 steps over ±5V), scaled by the matching Attenuverter (start it centered and turn the attenuverter up to let the CV in), so the rhythm can morph and mutate while it runs.
  • GATE — stays high for the full length of any hit step; good for envelopes and gates that want sustain.
  • TRIG — fires a short pulse the instant the playhead lands on a hit; ideal for drums and one-shots.

Tips

  • Coprime settings like 5 hits over 16 steps give the richest, least-repetitive patterns; even divisions feel four-on-the-floor.
  • Modulate Rot with a slow LFO — patch it to the Rot CV jack and turn up the Rot CV attenuverter — to let accents drift around the bar while the underlying rhythm holds steady.
  • Patch a clock divider into CLK and the same clock's reset into RST to keep multiple Euclids locked together.