Dead Man's Catch v0.7-beta for the Mutable Instruments Peaks module

Dead Man's Catch Version 0.7-beta

This is a beta release of Dead Man's Catch, which is modified firmware for the Mutable Instruments Peaks eurorack synth module, in the same way that Bees-in-the-Trees is modified firmware for the Mutable Instruments Braids eurorack synth module.

Warning! It has come to my attention that hardware version 3 or later of the Peaks module uses firmware calibration of the null point output voltage, rather than two physical trimpots as used in earlier versions. None of the firmware code required to support firmware calibration has been incorporated into the current version Dead Man's Catch. Therefore installation of Dead Man's Catch on versions of the Peaks module which lack a trimpot (on the back of the PCB) is NOT recommended. If you have installed DMC v0.7 or earlier on a version 3 Peaks (without trimpots), you may wish to re-install the factory Peaks firmware. The recalibration procedure for the factory firmware is as follows (it is not documented on the Mutable Instruments web site): To enter calibration mode, power the module on with the second button pressed. The first and second knobs (third and fourth) act as coarse/fine adjustments for offset on channel 1 (channel 2).

This release of Dead Man's Catch adds several capabilities to the standard Peaks firmware:

• it unlocks some hidden envelope modes which Emilie Gillet, the owner of and principal developer at Mutable Instruments, put into the Peaks firmware from the outset: a double-attack envelope, a repeating attach envelope, a looping envelope, and a Bouncing Ball envelope generator. The Bouncing Ball envelope emulates a ball which is thrown into the air and then allowed to fall back to earth and bounce several times - think of a basketball bouncing on a basketball court. The envelope output equates to the height of the ball at any instant.
• it adds a "randomised AD envelope" mode, in which the level (amplitude) and decay times of the envelope have random amounts added to them each time the envelope fires. The amount of randomness added is adjustable, separately for amplitude and decay time.
• four new internally-modulated LFO functions have been added. These behave like the standard LFO except each has its own internal folded sine-wave modulator or random value (sample and hold) modulator that modulates either the LFO frequency (in the FM LFO function), or the LFO wave shape (in the wave shape-modulation LFO function). Yes, a frequency-modulated LFO, inside your Peaks! The two waveform-modulated LFOs also feature an additional waveform: an overdriven sine wave, which morphs from a pure sine to a square wave with rounded corners. Not only useful as an LFO, it also sounds nice at audio frequencies.
• dual PLL (phase-locked loop) oscillators (aka PLOs) have been added. This mode is based on the tap LFO mode and uses the same pattern predictor, but it has ben tweaked for use at audio rates. It will track the frequency of most oscillators running at audio rates (and LFOs too), and puts out a signal in unison, or one, two or three octaves below or above - yessir (or, maybe, Yasser), it's a sub-oscillator (or a super-oscillator)! Waveforms are selectable and can be modulated with an internal sine wave modulator. Note that this PLO is not guaranteed to track all possible signals, and it may glitch or lose the frequency lock, depending on the input. That can be good, or bad.
• it adds "randomised" bass and snare drums, in which the pitch and/or the level or decay time of the bass (kick) and snare drum models follows a random walk, with the stride of each step being adjustable from zero (no randomisation) to a fair bit.
• it adds dual Turing Machines, which are semi-random looping CV sequencers, modelled closely on the Music Thing Turing Machine.
• it adds a "ModSequencer", which works in a similar way to the DinSync MODSEQ module, and which is, under the bonnet, just a very simple extension to the existing Peaks mini-sequencer mode.
• dual "byte beat" noise generators have been added, with clock rate and two other parameters settable via the front panel pots. Eight different byte beat "equations" are available (it is easy to add more in later versions, or better equations substituted).
• the high hat model has been moved to its own function, rather than being available only as part of the snare drum as in the factory firmware. The high hat is now also adjustable. However, it runs at half the sample rate of the high hat in the factory firmware, and thus sounds somewhat different. The high hats offer randomisation, too, and mutual exclusivity, explained below, which facilitates their use as open and closed high hats with modules such as Grids which output an accent trigger synchronised with the main trigger output for each channel.
• the user interface for the four basic functions, as labelled on the panel, is unchanged, but the user interface for the alternate functions (of which there are many more than in the standard Peaks) has been changed substantially - there are now four alternative function "pages", explained in more detail below.

These instructions assume reasonable familiarity with Peaks. If in doubt, please consult the official Peaks manual.

Some Observations on this Release by its Author

Please note that this is a beta release, and in many ways must be considered as a test bed for additions and enhancements which might find their way into one or more production versions of Dead Man's Catch. In particular, the user interface for this version is still a work-in-progress, and although it is more usable than the user interface catastrophe of v0.5-beta, it is still far from ideal. However, it does not (or at least should not) crash or fail to work, and the new alternative function "paged" paradigm offers a lot more user-interface "space" in which to add more variations on function themes. I suspect this is the best that can be achieved given the Peaks hardware design, but further or alternative suggestions are welcome, and it is acknowledged that such overloading of a simple hardware user interface is far from ideal, and requires a chart of what the patterns of LEDs mean to be kept handy. Various more complicated schemes for solving the user interface conundrum in Dead Man's Catch have been mooted - they may or may not be implemented for the production version of the firmware. For now, you will just need to refer to the table below, very often. I suggest that you print it out.

Playing Dead Man's Catch

After installing Dead Man's Catch v0.7-beta on your Peaks module (see below for instructions), the added capabilities are accessible as via four "pages" of alternative functions. Each of these four pages can be accessed in sequence by a single long-press (1 second or more) on the FUNCTION button for one second. In the basic functions, only one of the LEDs labelled ENV, LFO, TAP or DRUM will be steadily lit at any one time. However, in each of the four alternative function pages, one LED will be steadily lit, and one or more of the other three FUNCTION LEDs will blink. The pattern of these blinking LEDs (not the pattern of blinks, but which LEDs are blinking) indicates which of the alternative functions for that page the module is currently in. Short-presses on the FUNCTION button will cycle through the alternative functions for that alternative function page, in the usual fashion. To move to the next alternative function page, long-press the FUNCTION button. The module remembers which function you were last on when you re-enter an alternative function page, although it forgets this when it is powered off. However, the last function page and function it was in (for each channel) is remembered before powering off, and it will come back up in those functions when next powered on.

All this becomes will become clearer after studying the table which follows.

In Dead Man's Catch v0.7-beta, the alternative function pages and the alternative functions on each page appear in the following order, indicated by the LED pattern shown in the table (◉ means a steadily-lit LED, ☀︎ means a flashing LED, and ◎ means an unlit LED, listed left-to-right below as the LEDs appear from top-to-bottom on the Peaks panel e.g. ◉ ◎ ◎ ◎ means only the ENV LED is lit steadily, ◉ ◎ ☀︎ ◎ means that the ENV LED is lit steadily and the TAP LEDs flashes, and so on). Note that functions marked with an asterisk* are unchanged from the standard Peaks firmware. All the rest are additional functions in Dead Man's Catch:

Function page	Function	LED pattern (from top to bottom)
Basic	Envelope*	◉ ◎ ◎ ◎
	LFO*	◎ ◉ ◎ ◎
	Tap LFO*	◎ ◎ ◉ ◎
	Bass/Snare Drums*	◎ ◎ ◎ ◉
Alternative ENV	Double attack envelope	◉ ☀︎ ◎ ◎
	Repeating attack envelope	◉ ◎ ☀︎ ◎
	Looping envelope	◉ ◎ ◎ ☀︎
	Randomised AD envelope	◉ ☀︎ ☀︎ ◎
	Bouncing ball envelope	◉ ◎ ☀︎ ☀︎
Alternative LFO	Frequency-modulated LFO (folded sine FM)	◎ ◉ ☀︎ ◎
	Frequency-modulated LFO (random FM)	☀︎ ◉ ☀︎ ◎
	Varying wave shape LFO ( folded sine WS mod)	◎ ◉ ◎ ☀︎
	Varying wave shape LFO ( random WS mod)	☀︎ ◉ ◎ ☀︎
	Phase-locked loop oscillator	◎ ◉ ☀︎ ☀︎
Alternative TAP	Mini-sequencer*	☀︎ ◎ ◉ ◎
	ModSequencer	◎ ☀︎ ◉ ◎
	Pulse Shaper	◎ ◎ ◉ ☀︎
	Pulse Randomiser	◎ ☀︎ ◉ ☀︎
	Turing Machine	☀︎ ◎ ◉ ☀︎
	...

Dead Man's Catch v0.6-beta for the Mutable Instruments Peaks module

Dead Man's Catch Version 0.6-beta

This is a beta release of Dead Man's Catch, which is modified firmware for the Mutable Instruments Peaks eurorack synth module, in the same way that Bees-in-the-Trees is modified firmware for the Mutable Instruments Braids eurorack synth module.

This release of Dead Man's Catch adds several capabilities to the standard Peaks firmware:

• it unlocks some hidden envelope modes which Olivier Gillet, the owner of and principal developer at Mutable Instruments, put into the Peaks firmware from the outset: a double-attack envelope, a repeating attach envelope, a looping envelope, and a Bouncing Ball envelope generator. The Bouncing Ball envelope emulates a ball which is thrown into the air and then allowed to fall back to earth and bounce several times - think of a basketball bouncing on a basketball court. The envelope output equates to the height of the ball at any instant.
• it adds a "randomised AD envelope" mode, in which the level (amplitude) and decay times of the envelope have random amounts added to them each time the envelope fires. The amount of randomness added is adjustable, separately for amplitude and decay time.
• two new internally-modulated LFO functions have been added. These behave like the standard LFO except each has its own internal sine-wave modulator that modulates either the LFO frequency (in the FM LFO function), or the LFO wave shape (in the wave shape-modulation LFO function). Yes, a frequency-modulated LFO, inside your Peaks.
• it adds "randomised" bass and snare drums, in which the pitch and/or the level or decay time of the bass (kick) and snare drum models follows a random walk, with the stride of each step being adjustable from zero (no randomisation) to a fair bit.
• it adds dual Turing Machines, which are semi-random looping CV sequencers, modelled closely on the Music Thing Turing Machine.
• it adds a "ModSequencer", which works in a similar way to the DinSync MODSEQ module, and which is, under the bonnet, just a very simple extension to the existing Peaks mini-sequencer mode.
• dual "byte beat" noise generators have been added, with clock rate and two other parameters settable via the front panel pots. Eight different byte beat "equations" are available (it is easy to add more in later versions, or better equations substituted).
• the high hat model has been moved to its own function, rather than being available only as part of the snare drum as in the factory firmware. The high hat is now also adjustable. However, it runs at half the sample rate of the high hat in the factory firmware, and thus sounds somewhat different. The high hats offer randomisation, too, and mutual exclusivity, explained below, which facilitates their use as open and closed high hats with modules such as Grids which output an accent trigger synchronised with the main trigger output for each channel.
• the user interface for the four basic functions, as labelled on the panel, is unchanged, but the user interface for the alternate functions (of which there are many more than in the standard Peaks) has been changed substantially - there are now four alternative function "pages", explained in more detail below.

These instructions assume reasonable familiarity with Peaks. If in doubt, please consult the official Peaks manual.

Some Observations on this Release by its Author

Please note that this is a beta release, and in many ways must be considered as a test bed for additions and enhancements which might find their way into one or more production versions of Dead Man's Catch. In particular, the user interface for this version is still a work-in-progress, and although it is more usable than the user interface catastrophe of v0.5-beta, it is still far from ideal. However, it does not (or at least should not) crash or fail to work, and the new alternative function "paged" paradigm offers a lot more user-interface "space" in which to add more variations on function themes. I suspect this is the best that can be achieved given the Peaks hardware design, but further or alternative suggestions are welcome, and it is acknowledged that such overloading of a simple hardware user interface is far from ideal, and requires a chart of what the patterns of LEDs mean to be kept handy. Various more complicated schemes for solving the user interface conundrum in Dead Man's Catch have been mooted - they may or may not be implemented for the production version of the firmware. For now, you will just need to refer to the table below, very often. I suggest that you print it out.

Playing Dead Man's Catch

After installing Dead Man's Catch v0.6-beta on your Peaks module (see below for instructions), the added capabilities are accessible as via four "pages" of alternative functions. Each of these four pages can be accessed in sequence by a single long-press (1 second or more) on the FUNCTION button for one second. In the basic functions, only one of the LEDs labelled ENV, LFO, TAP or DRUM will be steadily lit at any one time. However, in each of the four alternative function pages, one LED will be steadily lit, and one or more of the other three FUNCTION LEDs will blink. The pattern of these blinking LEDs (not the pattern of blinks, but which LEDs are blinking) indicates which of the alternative functions for that page the module is currently in. Short-presses on the FUNCTION button will cycle through the alternative functions for that alternative function page, in the usual fashion. To move to the next alternative function page, long-press the FUNCTION button. The module remembers which function you were last on when you re-enter an alternative function page, although it forgets this when it is powered off. However, the last function page and function it was in (for each channel) is remembered before powering off, and it will come back up in those functions when next powered on.

All this becomes will become clearer after studying the table which follows.

In Dead Man's Catch v0.6-beta, the alternative function pages and the alternative functions on each page appear in the following order, indicated by the LED pattern shown in the table (◉ means a steadily-lit LED, ☀︎ means a flashing LED, and ◎ means an unlit LED, listed left-to-right below as the LEDs appear from top-to-bottom on the Peaks panel e.g. ◉ ◎ ◎ ◎ means only the ENV LED is lit steadily, ◉ ◎ ☀︎ ◎ means that the ENV LED is lit steadily and the TAP LEDs flashes, and so on). Note that functions marked with an asterisk* are unchanged from the standard Peaks firmware. All the rest are additional functions in Dead Man's Catch:

Function page	Function	LED pattern (from top to bottom)
Basic	Envelope*	◉ ◎ ◎ ◎
	LFO*	◎ ◉ ◎ ◎
	Tap LFO*	◎ ◎ ◉ ◎
	Bass/Snare Drums*	◎ ◎ ◎ ◉
Alternative ENV	Double attack envelope	◉ ☀︎ ◎ ◎
	Repeating attack envelope	◉ ◎ ☀︎ ◎
	Looping envelope	◉ ◎ ◎☀︎
	Randomised AD envelope	◉ ☀︎ ☀︎ ◎
	Bouncing ball envelope	◉ ◎ ☀︎ ☀︎
Alternative LFO	Frequency-modulated LFO	◎ ◉ ☀︎ ◎
	Varying wave shape LFO	◎ ◉ ◎ ☀︎
Alternative TAP	Mini-sequencer*	☀︎ ◎ ◉ ◎
	ModSequencer	◎ ☀︎ ◉ ◎
	Pulse Shaper	◎ ◎ ◉☀︎
	Pulse Randomiser	◎ ☀︎ ◉ ☀︎
	Turing Machine	☀︎ ◎ ◉ ☀︎
	Bytebeats	☀︎ ☀︎ ◉ ☀︎
Alternative DRUM	FM drum Generators*	☀︎ ◎ ◎ ◉
	Randomised bass and snare drum generators	◎ ◎ ☀︎ ◉
	Randomised high hat	◎ ☀︎ ◎◉

To return to the 4 basic functions, hold down the FUNCTION button for more than 1 second, one more time, and the function page will cycle back to the basic functions.

Controls for the additional alternative functions

Functions in the table above marked with an asterisk (*) are the same as in the standard Peaks firmware and behave exactly as documented in the official Peaks manual, with one exception: there is no high hat model accessed from the basic snare drum function at the extreme of the knobs 2 and 3 ranges. Instead, high hats have their own function.

Double attack envelope controls

In TWIN and EXPERT modes, the double attack envelope implements an ADSAR envelope, which behaves exactly like the ADSR envelope, except that an attack phase is repeated when the gate signal falls - that is, attack phases are triggered by both a rising gate and a falling gate signal. The four knobs, from top to bottom, set the duration of the attack phases (sic), the duration of the decay phase, the sustain level, and the duration of the release phase, respectively.

Like the ADSR envelope in the basic function mode, the attack phases use a quartic transfer function, and the decay and release phases have exponential responses. Quartic functions can help avoid unpleasant "clicks" when short envelope segment times are used - so you can have a punchy attack segment without (or without so much) audible clicking. They also have the advantage of reaching a target value in finite time, whereas exponential curves never quite get to the desired target value.

In SPLIT mode, the double attack envelope function actually implements a simple AD (attack-decay) envelope, just as SPLIT mode does in the basic ENV function. However, unlike the basic ENV function, in which the attack and decay curves of the AD envelope are quartic and exponential respectively, in the double attack envelope function in SPLIT mode, both the attack and decay phases of the AD envelope hav...

Dead Man's Catch v0.5-beta for the Mutable Instruments Peaks module

Dead Man's Catch Version 0.5-beta

This is a beta release of Dead Man's Catch, which is modified firmware for the Mutable Instruments Peaks eurorack synth module, in the same way that Bees-in-the-Trees is modified firmware for the Mutable Instruments Braids eurorack synth module.

This release of Dead Man's Catch adds several capabilities to the standard Peaks firmware:

• it unlocks some hidden envelope modes which Olivier Gillet, the owner of and principal developer at Mutable Instruments, put into the Peaks firmware from the outset: a double-attack envelope, a repeating attach envelope, a looping envelope, and a Bouncing Ball envelope generator. The Bouncing Ball envelope emulates a ball which is thrown into the air and then allowed to fall back to earth and bounce several times - think of a basketball bouncing on a basketball court. The envelope output equates to the height of the ball at any instant.
• it adds a "randomised AD envelope" mode, in which the level (amplitude) and decay times of the envelope have random amounts added to them each time the envelope fires. The amount of randomness added is adjustable, separately for amplitude and decay time.
• it adds "randomised" bass and snare drums, in which the pitch and/or the level or decay time of the bass (kick) and snare drum models follows a random walk, with the stride of each step being adjustable from zero (no randomisation) to a fair bit.
• it adds dual Turing Machines, which are semi-random looping CV sequencers, modelled closely on the Music Thing Turing Machine.
• it adds a "ModSequencer", which works in a similar way to the DinSync MODSEQ module, and which is, under the bonnet, just a very simple extension to the existing Peaks mini-sequencer mode.
• dual "byte beat" noise generators have been added, with clock rate and two other parameters settable via the front panel pots. Eight different byte beat "equations" are available (it is easy to add more in later versions, or better equations substituted).
• the high hat model has been moved to its own function, rather than being available only as part of the snare drum as in the factory firmware. The high hat is now also adjustable. However, it runs at half the sample rate of the high hat in the factory firmware, and thus sounds somewhat different. The high hats offer randomisation, too.

These instructions assume reasonable familiarity with Peaks. If in doubt, please consult the official Peaks manual.

Some Observations on this Release by its Author

Please note that this is a beta release, and in many ways must be considered as a test bed for additions and enhancements which might find their way into one or more production versions of Dead Man's Catch. In particular, the user interface for this version is a catastrophe, not because it crashes or fails to work, but rather because in alternate function mode, there are now far too many additional functions to step through, and each of these additional functions is indicated by an obscure pattern of blinking LEDs. In some respects, this is the best that can be achieved given the Peaks hardware design, but it is acknowledged that such overloading of a simple hardware user interface is far from ideal, and requires a chart of what the patterns of LEDs mean to be kept handy. Various schemes for solving the user interface conundrum in Dead Man's Catch have been mooted - they may or may not be implemented for the production version of the firmware. For now, you will just need to refer to the table below, very often. I suggest that you print it out.

Playing Dead Man's Catch

After installing Dead Man's Catch v0.5-beta on your Peaks module (see below for instructions), the added capabilities are accessible as additional alternative functions. First put your Peaks into alternative function mode by holding the FUNCTION button for one second (one of the FUNCTION LEDs will start blinking to indicate alternative function mode). Press the FUNCTION button to cycle through the alternative functions in the usual fashion - the only difference is that there are more of them! in fact, far too many of them!

In Dead Man's Catch v0.5-beta, the alternative functions appear in the following order, indicated by the LED pattern shown in the table (X means flashing LED, listed left-to-right below as the LEDs appear from top-to-bottom on the Peaks panel e.g. X 0 0 0 means only the ENV LED flashes, X 0 X 0 means that both the ENV and the TAP LEDs flash, and so on). Note that the first four alternative functions are unchanged from the standard Peaks firmware. All the rest are additional functions in Dead Man's Catch:

Alternative function	LED pattern (from top to bottom)
Mini step-sequencer (4-step in twin mode, 2-step in split mode)	X 0 0 0
Trigger delay/shaper	0 X 0 0
Trigger stream randomiser	0 0 X 0
Digital drum synth	0 0 0 X
Double attack envelope	X X 0 0
Repeating attack envelope	X 0 X 0
Looping envelope	X X X 0
Randomised AD envelope	X 0 0 X
Bouncing ball envelope	X X 0 X
Randomised bass and snare drum generators	X 0 X X
Turing Machine	X X X X
ModSequencer	0 X 0 X
Bytebeats	0 X X 0
Randomised High Hat	0 0 X X

To return to the 4 basic functions, hold down the FUNCTION button for more than 1 second, in the usual fashion. Note that when entering or re-entering alternative function mode, the module will be placed in the alternative function that corresponds to the basic function that it was just in, and not the alternative function that was set when it was last in alternative function mode. In other words, the additional alternative modes, which do not correspond to the four basic functions, are not "remembered" when toggling between basic and alternative functions. It will, however, remember whatever functions were set, including the additional alternative functions, when powered off and then next powered on.

Controls for the additional alternative functions

Double attack envelope controls

In TWIN and EXPERT modes, the double attack envelope implements an ADSAR envelope, which behaves exactly like the ADSR envelope, except that an attack phase is repeated when the gate signal falls - that is, attack phases are triggered by both a rising gate and a falling gate signal. The four knobs, from top to bottom, set the duration of the attack phases (sic), the duration of the decay phase, the sustain level, and the duration of the release phase, respectively.

Like the ADSR envelope in the basic function mode, the attack phases use a quartic transfer function, and the decay and release phases have exponential responses. Quartic functions can help avoid unpleasant "clicks" when short envelope segment times are used - so you can have a punchy attack segment without (or without so much) audible clicking. They also have the advantage of reaching a target value in finite time, whereas exponential curves never quite get to the desired target value.

In SPLIT mode, the double attack envelope function actually implements a simple AD (attack-decay) envelope, just as SPLIT mode does in the basic ENV function. However, unlike the basic ENV function, in which the attack and decay curves of the AD envelope are quartic and exponential respectively, in the double attack envelope function in SPLIT mode, both the attack and decay phases of the AD envelope have a linear shape. The controls are otherwise the same as SPLIT mode in the basic ENV function, with the knobs controlling, from top to bottom:

• Channel 1 attack time
• Channel 1 decay time
• Channel 2 attack time
• Channel 2 decay time

Repeating attack envelope controls

In TWIN and EXPERT modes, the repeating attack envelope implements an ADSR envelope in which the attack and decay phases are repeated as soon as the decay phase reaches the sustain level, as long as the gate signal remains high. Thus, while the gate is high, there is no sustain "plateau" - rather, the attack-decay phases are repeated in a series of peaks, and the sustain control merely sets the level at which the attack phase is retriggered. There is no refractory period^*. As soon as the gate signal falls, the release phase is entered. The attack and decay phases use quartic curves, and the release phase uses an exponential curve.

Apart from the fact that the sustain plateau is replaced by a repeating series of AD peaks, the repeating attack envelope behaves just like the basic ENV function ADSR envelope. The four knobs, from top to bottom, set the duration of the attack phases (sic), the duration of the decay phases (sic), the sustain level, and the duration of the release phase, respectively.

In SPLIT mode, the repeating attack envelope function implements a simple AD (attack-decay) envelope, just as SPLIT mode does in the basic ENV function, with quartic curves for both the attack and decay phases. However, the attack and decay repeats for as long as the gate signal remains high. The controls are otherwise the same as SPLIT mode in the basic ENV function, with the knobs controlling, from top to bottom:

• Channel 1 attack time
• Channel 1 decay time
• Channel 2 attack time
• Channel 2 decay time

Looping envelope controls

In TWIN and EXPERT modes, the looping envelope implements an ADR envelope in which the release phase immediately follows the decay phase, as soon as the sustain level is reached. Th...

Dead Man's Catch v0.4-beta for the Mutable Instruments Peaks module

Dead Man's Catch Version 0.4-beta

WARNING: Due to a nasty bug in this release, installation is NOT recommended at this stage unless you have been requested to assist with testing.

This is a beta release of Dead Man's Catch, which is modified firmware for the Mutable Instruments Peaks eurorack synth module, in the same way that Bees-in-the-Trees is modified firmware to the Mutable Instruments Braids eurorack synth module.

This release of Dead Man's Catch adds several capabilities to the standard Peaks firmware:

• it unlocks some hidden envelope modes which Olivier Gillet, the owner of and principal developer at Mutable Instruments, put into the Peaks firmware from the outset: a double-attack envelope, a repeating attach envelope, a looping envelope, and a Bouncing Ball envelope generator. The Bouncing Ball envelope emulates a ball which is thrown into the air and then allowed to fall back to earth and bounce several times - think of a basketball bouncing on a basketball court. The envelope output equates to the height of the ball at any instant.
• it adds dual Turing Machines, which are semi-random looping CV sequencers, modelled closely on the Music Thing Turing Machine.

These instructions assume reasonable familiarity with Peaks. If in doubt, please consult the official Peaks manual.

After installing Dead Man's Catch v0.4-beta on your Peaks module (see below for instructions), the added capabilities are accessible as additional alternative functions. First put your Peaks into alternative function mode by holding the FUNCTION button for one second (one of the FUNCTION LEDs will start blinking to indicate alternative function mode). Press the FUNCTION button to cycle through the alternative functions in the usual fashion - the only difference is that there are more of them!

In Dead Man's Catch v0.4-beta, the alternative functions appear in the following order, indicated by the LED pattern shown in the table (X means flashing LED, listed left-to-right below as the LEDs appear from top-to-bottom on the Peaks panel e.g. X 0 0 0 means only the ENV LED flashes, X 0 X 0 means that both the ENV and the TAP LEDs flash, and so on):

Alternative function	LED pattern (from top to bottom)
Mini step-sequencer (4-step in twin mode, 2-step in split mode)	X 0 0 0
Trigger delay/shaper	0 X 0 0
Trigger stream randomiser	0 0 X 0
Digital drum synth	0 0 0 X
Double attack envelope	X X 0 0
Repeating attack envelope	X 0 X 0
Looping envelope	X 0 0 X
Bouncing ball envelope	X 0 X X
Turing Machine	X X X X

To return to the 4 basic functions, hold down the FUNCTION button for more than 1 second, in the usual fashion. Note that when entering or re-entering alternative function mode, the module will be placed in the alternative function that corresponds to the basic function that it was just in, and not the alternative function that was set when it was last in alternative function mode. In other words, the additional alternative modes, which do not correspond to the four basic functions, are not "remembered" when toggling between basic and alternative functions. It will, however, remember whatever functions were set, including the additional alternative functions, when powered off and then next powered on.

Controls for the additional alternative functions

Double attack envelope controls

In TWIN and EXPERT modes, the double attack envelope implements an ADSAR envelope, which behaves exactly like the ADSR envelope, except that an attack phase is repeated when the gate signal falls - that is, attack phases are triggered by both a rising gate and a falling gate signal. The four knobs, from top to bottom, set the duration of the attack phases (sic), the duration of the decay phase, the sustain level, and the duration of the release phase, respectively.

Like the ADSR envelope in the basic function mode, the attack phases use a quartic transfer function, and the decay and release phases have exponential responses. Quartic functions look and sound like exponential curves, but they have the advantage of reaching a target value in finite time, whereas exponential curves never quite get to the desired target value.

In SPLIT mode, the double attack envelope function actually implements a simple AD (attack-decay) envelope, just as SPLIT mode does in the basic ENV function. However, unlike the basic ENV function, in which the attack and decay curves of the AD envelope are quartic and exponential respectively, in the double attack envelope function in SPLIT mode, both the attack and decay phases of the AD envelope have a linear shape. The controls are otherwise the same as SPLIT mode in the basic ENV function, with the knobs controlling, from top to bottom:

• Channel 1 attack time
• Channel 1 decay time
• Channel 2 attack time
• Channel 2 decay time

Repeating attack envelope controls

In TWIN and EXPERT modes, the repeating attack envelope implements an ADSR envelope in which the attack and decay phases are repeated as soon as the decay phase reaches the sustain level, as long as the gate signal remains high. Thus, while the gate is high, there is no sustain "plateau" - rather, the attack-decay phases are repeated in a series of peaks, and the sustain control merely sets the level at which the attack phase is retriggered. There is no refractory period^*. As soon as the gate signal falls, the release phase is entered. The attack and decay phases use quartic curves, and the release phase uses an exponential curve.

Apart from the fact that the sustain plateau is replaced by a repeating series of AD peaks, the repeating attack envelope behaves just like the basic ENV function ADSR envelope. The four knobs, from top to bottom, set the duration of the attack phases (sic), the duration of the decay phases (sic), the sustain level, and the duration of the release phase, respectively. Both the attack and decay phases use a quartic transfer function, and release phase uses an exponential curve.

In SPLIT mode, the repeating attack envelope function implements a simple AD (attack-decay) envelope, just as SPLIT mode does in the basic ENV function, with quartic curves for both the attack and decay phases. However, the attack and decay repeats for as long as the gate signal remains high. The controls are otherwise the same as SPLIT mode in the basic ENV function, with the knobs controlling, from top to bottom:

• Channel 1 attack time
• Channel 1 decay time
• Channel 2 attack time
• Channel 2 decay time

Looping envelope controls

In TWIN and EXPERT modes, the looping envelope implements an ADR envelope in which the release phase immediately follows the decay phase, as soon as the sustain level is reached. There is no sustain "plateau" - the sustain control merely sets the level at which the envelope transitions into the release phase - an inflection point, in fact. However, as soon as the ADR cycle is complete, it automatically retriggers itself, ad infinitum regardless of whether the gate input is high or not. However, a rising gate (or trigger) signal will immediately reset the cycle back to the start of the attack phase, and can thus be used to synchronise with clocks etc.

Apart from the fact that the sustain control merely sets the inflection point between the decay and release phases, the controls for the looping envelope behave just like the controls for the basic ENV function ADSR envelope. The four knobs, from top to bottom, set the duration of the attack phases, the duration of the decay phase, the sustain inflection point, and the duration of the release phase, respectively. All phases use a quartic transfer function.

In SPLIT mode, the looping envelope function implements a simple AD (attack-decay) envelope, just as SPLIT mode does in the basic ENV function, with quartic curves for both the attack and decay phases. However, the attack and decay cycle repeats ad infinitum. A rising gate/trigger signal will immediately reset the cycle back to the start of the attack phase. The controls are otherwise the same as SPLIT mode in the basic ENV function, with the knobs controlling, from top to bottom:

• Channel 1 attack time
• Channel 1 decay time
• Channel 2 attack time
• Channel 2 decay time

Bouncing Ball controls

Controls for the Bouncing Ball envelope generator are as follows.

In TWIN and EXPERT modes, the knobs from top to bottom control:

• Gravity - increasing values reduce the acceleration due to gravity, so that twisting the knob clockwise simulates a bouncing ball on the Moon, or an asteroid, and turning it counter-clockwise simulates a bouncing ball on Kepler-452b.
• Bounce energy loss - how much energy is dissipated as heat each time the ball bounces. Increasing values reduce the energy loss, and at high values, the ball just bounces forever. Think of it as how hard a basketball is pumped up. At low values, the ball is soft and flat, and hardly bounces at all. Higher values equate to a progressively higher air pressure inside the ball, and thus a bouncier ball.
• Initial amplitude - the height from which the ball is thrown upwards - similar to throwing the ball upwards from progressively higher levels of the Eiffel Tower. Turning the control clockwise reduces the initial amplitude.
• Initial velocity - how hard the ball is thrown upwards.

In SPLIT mode, the knobs from top to bottom control:

• Channel 1 initial velocity and gravity
• Channel 1 bounce energy loss
• Channel 2 initial velocity and gravity
• Channel 2 bounce energy loss

Initial amplitude is set to minimum (i.e same as knob ful...

Dead Man's Catch v0.3-beta for the Mutable Instruments Peaks module

Dead Man's Catch Version 0.3-beta

WARNING: Due to a nasty bug in this release, installation is NOT recommended at this stage unless you have been requested to assist with testing.

This is a beta release of Dead Man's Catch, which is modified firmware for the Mutable Instruments Peaks eurorack synth module, in the same way that Bees-in-the-Trees is modified firmware to the Mutable Instruments Braids eurorack synth module.

This release of Dead Man's Catch adds two things to the standard Peaks firmware:

• it unlocks a hidden feature which Olivier Gillet, the owner of and principal developer at Mutable Instruments, put into the Peaks firmware from the outset: the Bouncing Ball envelope generator. The Bouncing Ball envelope emulates a ball which is thrown into the air and then allowed to fall back to earth and bounce several times - think of a basketball bouncing on a basketball court. The envelope output equates to the height of the ball at any instant.
• it adds dual Turing Machines, which are semi-random looping CV sequencers, modelled closely on the Music Thing Turing Machine.

These instructions assume reasonable familiarity with Peaks. If in doubt, please consult the official Peaks manual.

After installing Dead Man's Catch on your Peaks module (see below for instructions), the Bouncing Ball function is accessible as a fifth alternative mode, and the Turing Machine as a sixth alternative mode. First put your Peaks into alternative function mode by holding the FUNCTION button for one second (it starts blinking). In the factory peaks firmware, there are four alternative functions available:

• Mini step-sequencer (4-step in twin mode, 2-step in split mode)
• Trigger delay/shaper
• Trigger stream randomiser
• Digital drum synth

In Dead Man's Catch v0.3-beta, the Bouncing Ball envelope generator is a fifth alternative mode, immediately after the digital drum synth function. The Bouncing Ball function is indicated by the top two function LEDs (that is, the ENV and the LFO LEDs) flashing.

The Turing Machine is a sixth alternative mode, immediately after the Bouncing Ball envelope generator. The Turing Machine function is indicated by the first and third (from the top) LEDs (that is, the ENV and the TAP LEDs) both flashing. Press the FUNCTION button again to cycle back to the first alternative function (the mini step-sequencer).

Bouncing Ball controls

Controls for the Bouncing Ball envelope generator are as follows.

In TWIN and EXPERT modes, the knobs from top to bottom control:

• Gravity - increasing values reduce the acceleration due to gravity, so that twisting the knob clockwise simulates a bouncing ball on the Moon, or an asteroid, and turning it counter-clockwise simulates a bouncing ball on Kepler-452b.
• Bounce energy loss - how much energy is dissipated as heat each time the ball bounces. Increasing values reduce the energy loss, and at high values, the ball just bounces forever. Think of it as how hard a basketball is pumped up. At low values, the ball is soft and flat, and hardly bounces at all. Higher values equate to a progressively higher air pressure inside the ball, and thus a bouncier ball.
• Initial amplitude - the height from which the ball is thrown upwards - similar to throwing the ball upwards from progressively higher levels of the Eiffel Tower. Turning the control clockwise reduces the initial amplitude.
• Initial velocity - how hard the ball is thrown upwards.

In SPLIT mode, the knobs from top to bottom control:

• Channel 1 initial velocity and gravity
• Channel 1 bounce energy loss
• Channel 2 initial velocity and gravity
• Channel 2 bounce energy loss

Initial amplitude is set to minimum (i.e same as knob fully clockwise) and cannot be adjusted in SPLIT mode.

Turing Machine controls

If you are unfamiliar with the way in which a hardware Music Thing Turing Machine works, it is strongly recommended that you read Tom Whitwell's explanation so that the following explanations make more sense. The Turing Machine implementation in Dead Man's Catch is not an exact recreation of Tom Whitwell's hardware Turing Machine module, but it is inspired by it.

Two independent Turing Machines are available, one on each of Peaks' two channels. Triggers received on the TRIG1 input advances the Turing Machine 1 shift register by one step (subject to the Clock Division ratio, see below), and triggers received on the TRIG2 input advances the Turing Machine 2 shift register. Each Turing Machine outputs a voltage on the OUT1 and OUT2 outputs, respectively. The value of the output voltage is indicated (approximately) by the brightness of the TRIG1 and TRIG2 illuminated push buttons.

In EXPERT mode, you can, of course, use a Turing Machine on just one of the Peaks two channels, and some other function on the other channel.

Controls for the Turing Machines are as follows.

In TWIN and EXPERT modes, the knobs from top to bottom control:

• Probability - sets the probability (p) that a bit in the LSB (least significant bit) position of the shift register will be flipped. The scaling on the potentiometer is from p=0 at the extreme counterclockwise position, up to p=0.125 at about the 4 o/clock position. Turning the knob all the way clockwise (to 5 o'clock) forces the probability to 1.0, (that is, every bit is flipped at every step), thus turning the shift register into a Moebius strip and effectively doubling its length (to a maximum of 64 steps). In general, low settings work best, and the shorter the length of the shift register, as set by the Length knob (the 3rd knob), the lower the Probability setting needs to be in order to maintain a given rate (strictly, expectation) of a bit being flipped in any arbitrary time period. Remember, the probability is tested at every step of the shift register, so if you only want a bit to be flipped every few cycles of the register, you will need a quite low per-shift probability. In general, low probabilities are the sweet spot.
• Span - sets the span (or range) of CV output by the Turing Machine, from a minimum of 0 volts to 0 volts (that is, no change at all) up to a span of about 0 to 5 volts. A low span compresses the range of the control voltage output. Note that the voltage is unquantised, and thus for best effect when used to control pitch of an oscillator, you really need to feed it through a voltage (note) quantiser (such as one of these, or these), or use it with an oscillator module that has built-in note quantisation, such as Braids (or Braids running Bees-in-the-Trees alternative firmware for even more quantisation options). Smaller spans create a more restrained, sombre feel to the sequence, while longer spans sound livelier and more bouncy, but it is easy to go too far with the span. Very short note spans can be effective when used with heavy timbral and/or colour modulation.
• Length - sets the length of the shift register, in 4 bit steps from 8 bits at the extreme anticlockwise position, to 32 bits at the extreme clockwise position. The length of the shift register in bits controls the number of steps before the pattern loops around and repeats (subject to random change as set by the Probability pot).
• Clock Division - sets the clock division ratio for the incoming trigger (clock), from a minimum of 1 at the extreme anti-clockwise position, to a maximum of 8 at the extreme clockwise position. Thus, when set to 1, the Turing Machine shift register will advance one step every time a trigger is received. If set to 2, then the shift register only advances every second trigger, and so on.

In SPLIT mode, the knobs from top to bottom control:

• Channel 1 Probability
• Channel 1 Span
• Channel 2 Probability
• Channel 2 Span

Note that in SPLIT mode, Length defaults to 8 and Clock Division to 1, but if you set these in TWIN or EXPERT modes, then whatever you set for Length and Clock Division will be retained in SPLIT mode.

Installation

First of all, all of the warnings set out in the Bees-in-the-Trees documentation, here, also apply to Dead Man's Catch firmware for Peaks. Please read these warnings and pay heed to them. This is beta firmware, and in any case, no warranty or guarantee that it will work correctly is offered. If you are in doubt, do not install Dead Man's Catch!

If, after reading all the warnings, you still wish to proceed, then before attempting to install Dead Man's Catch, it is strongly recommended that you practice the firmware update procedure and establish that it works correctly by re-installing the official factory Peaks firmware. You can download the latest official peaks firmware from the Mutable Instruments official firmware repository (just scroll down the list to find the latest version of Peaks firmware, which will be version 1.0 or higher). Now just follow the instructions in the Firmware update procedure section of the official Peaks manual.

Once you have established that you are able to install the factory Peaks firmware successfully, just follow the same procedure but using the Dead Man's Catch firmware WAV file that you download below, rather than the audio firmware file...

Bees-in-the-Trees v4.1

This is the final, production release of Bees-in-the-Trees v4.1. It is thought to be free of bugs and safe to use. If you do find something that seems to be a bug, please let me know.

Documentation for v4.1 can be found at https://timchurches.github.io/Mutated-Mutables/

The original goal for v4.1 was to add a presets capability, so that up to 10 sets of Bees-in-the-Trees settings could be saved and recalled. However, after many, many hours of experimentation, I abandoned this idea, for three reasons. The first is that the Braids UI (user interface) just isn't adequate for the more complicated menuing system which storing, deleting, editing and copying presets requires. I did manage to implement a menu scheme, but within a few minutes of starting to use it, I was quite confused about which preset I was using and what was stored where. Furthermore, the use of presets would mean that saving settings would need to be a deliberate action which users would need to remember to do, before swapping from one preset to the next, and before powering down. Due to concerns over flash wear, an auto-save mechanism was not considered viable. Having to remember to save settings was unlikely to work in practice. Finally, saving presets required all sorts of hairy memory shuffling, due to the very tight memory on the Braids processor (it only has 20kB, and all but a few hundred bytes are used). Olivier Gillet very helpfully suggested some work-arounds, but it added quite a bit of extra code and was messy and thus a large source of potential bugs, given my modest C++ coding skills. Thus, the presets idea has been abandoned.

However, in v4.1, by way of partial compensation, I have added a new menu setting, WRAP, which when set to ON makes the value lists for each menu setting wrap around. Thus, if the value range for a setting is 0 to 127, then with WRAP set to ON, one more increment of the encoder takes you back to 0. This works for categorical values as well, including the oscillator model selection, so it becomes a continuous circle of models, rather than a linear list.

A few of the menu settings have been moved in v4.1, in particular, FTUN and OCTV have been placed right next to SAVE because they are very commonly used.

Finally, one more bytebeat oscillator model has been added, BYT3, which uses the equation (((((t_ >> p0) | t_) | (t_ >> p0)) * 10) & ((5 * t_) | (t_ >> 10)) ) | (t_ ^ (t_ % p1)). This was created by Xi Feng and can be found at http://xifeng.weebly.com/bytebeats.html A quick-and-dirty demo of the BYT3 model can be heard at https://soundcloud.com/bennelong-bicyclist/bees-in-th-trees-v4-1-bytebeat

One other change: if you set OSYN=OFF, then when using the WTX4 oscillator model with an trigger, the slight but noticeable clicks which occur when a trigger is received (due to the phase being set to a random value to "thicken" the sound) are suppressed. These click exist in the WTX4 model with the vanilla Braids firmware as well, BTW. OSYNC=OFF allows you to suppress them.

Installation Notes

NOTE: after installing v4.1, if your coarse tune knob doesn't work, don't panic! Just do a settings reset, using RST=DFLT (so you won't need to re-calibrate the module), and it will then work again. Not sure why this occurs, but I noticed it happen once when upgrading my Braids to v4.1. A settings reset cures it immediately and permanently.

Like the Mutable Instruments Braids firmware on which it is based, Bees-in-the-Trees is completely open-source, and is available at no cost. Like most open-source software, including the official Braids firmware itself, Bees-in-the-Trees comes with with no warranty or guarantee whatsoever, and you use it at your own risk.

Before installing Bees-in-the-Trees on your Braids module, please take time to read the warnings in the Installation and De-installation section of the documentation careful, and if you still wish to proceed, follow the instructions given there very carefully. If you do that, you should not encounter any problems installing Bees-in-the-Trees, nor any problems re-installing the official Braids v1.7 (or later) firmware should you wish to. At the time of this release, lots of people have installed development versions of Bees-in-the_trees successfully and without incident or mishap - no-one has "bricked" their Braids yet by installing it, as far as I am aware. However, I have added contact information to the documentation for people in North America and Europe who have kindly agreed to offer an unblocking service, for a small fee and on a best-effort basis, in the unlikely event that you do brick your Braids while installing Bees-in-the-Trees.

Bees-in-the-Trees v4.0

This is Bees-in-the-Trees v4.0. It does not contain code for storing settings as presets - that is still being worked on and will appear in v4.1 or v4.2. In the meantime, this release adds three new "bytebeats" oscillator models! For background information on ByteBeats, see http://canonical.org/~kragen/bytebeat/

The three new oscillator models use the following byte beat equations:

• BYT0 is ((t_*3) & (t_>>10)) | ((t_*p0) & (t_>>10)) | ((t_*10) & ((t_>>8)*p1) & 128) where t_ is a 32-bit time accumulator, driven by the oscillator phase accumulator divided down via a modulus set by the pitch setting, and p0 and p1 are the parameters set by the Timbre and Color controls, respectively. This algorithm is by Jamie DeLorio and can be found at http://royal-paw.com/2012/01/bytebeats-in-c-and-python-generative-symphonies-from-extremely-small-programs/
• BYT1 is ((t_*p0) & (t_>>4)) | ((t_*5) & (t_>>7)) | ((t_*p1) & (t_>>10)), by stephth via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCRPUv8V22o (watch at about 3:38).
• BYT2 is ((t_ >> p0) & t_) * (t_ >> p1), from the list of byte beat equations compiled by a2aaron at http://www.reddit.com/r/bytebeat/comments/20km9l/cool_equations/

Note that both of these play "tunes", thus pitch is more an offset or transposition of the tune: the pitch controls (the pitch knobs and the V/oct and FM inputs) affect the speed at which the time accumulator advances, and thus affect both loop speed and the pitch of the notes played. Timbre and Color modulate other parameters in the equations. Note that all the internal modulation sources in Bees-in-the-Trees, the meta-sequencer, Turing Machine etc, all still work with these models. You probably want to filter their outputs through a low-pass filter to remove some of the high-frequency digital noise they can produce - they can be harsh, but appropriately filtered, they can sound rather nice too.

The only other changes in v4.0 are a bug fix to the RNDM mode for SDIR (meta-sequencer direction) - it now works as intended and as described in the documentation, the inclusion of BYT0 , BYT1 and BYT2 in the list of oscillator models when using META mode (i.e. when FMCV=META).

Like the Mutable Instruments Braids firmware on which it is based, Bees-in-the-Trees is completely open-source, and is available at no cost. Like most open-source software, including the official Braids firmware itself, Bees-in-the-Trees comes with with no warranty or guarantee whatsoever, and you use it at your own risk.

Before installing Bees-in-the-Trees on your Braids module, please take time to read the warnings in the Installation and De-installation section of the documentation careful, and if you still wish to proceed, follow the instructions given there very carefully. If you do that, you should not encounter any problems installing Bees-in-the-Trees, nor any problems re-installing the official Braids v1.7 (or later) firmware should you wish to. At the time of this release, about 25 beta testers have all installed development versions of Bees-in-the_trees successfully and without incident or mishap - no-one has "bricked" their Braids yet by installing it, as far as I am aware.

Bees-in-the-Trees v3.9.0 modified firmware for the Mutable Instruments Braids synthesiser module

Bees-in-the-Trees is modified firmware for the open-source Mutable Instruments Braids eurorack synthesiser module. It adds a number of additional features and capabilities to the Braids module, including dual highly configurable internal modulators which can act as LFOs or envelopes, a meta-sequencer which provides simple 8-step sequencing of note values and oscillator models, a virtual implementation of the popular Music Thing Turing Machine semi-random note sequencer, note quantisation to a wide range of musical scales, utility functions such as note sample-and-hold, and external voltage control over many of these additions and enhancements via the FM CV input on Braids. All this comes at the expense of having to removing a small number of lesser-used features and oscillator models in order to free up storage space for the extra program code needed for Bees-in-the-Trees.

Like the Mutable Instruments Braids firmware on which it is based, Bees-in-the-Trees is completely open-source, and is available at no cost. Like most open-source software, including the official Braids firmware itself, Bees-in-the-Trees comes with with no warranty or guarantee whatsoever, and you use it at your own risk.

If you are interested in trying Bees-in-the-Trees, please read through its documentation first. If you are a modular synthesist who hates "menu-diving" and who insists on one-knob-per-parameter, then Bees-in-the-Trees is probably not for you. However, if you stick to its default settings and ignore the many menu settings, you will find that Bees-in-the-Trees behaves almost identically to the official Braids firmware - but there are many additional capabilities available if you need them.

Before installing Bees-in-the-Trees on your Braids module, please take time to read the warnings in the Installation and De-installation section of the documentation careful, and if you still wish to proceed, follow the instructions given there very carefully. If you do that, you should not encounter any problems installing Bees-in-the-Trees, nor any problems re-installing the official Braids v1.7 (or later) firmware should you wish to. At the time of this release, about 25 beta testers have all installed development versions of Bees-in-the_trees successfully and without incident or mishap - no-one has "bricked" their Braids yet by installing it, as far as I am aware.

Feedback, suggestions, usage questions and bug reports are all welcome - please post them on the Mutable Instruments form under an appropriate heading, or email me directly at tim.churches@gmail.com

Have fun! Version 4 of Bees-in-the-Trees is expected to be ready in May or June 2015 (although no promises!).