Sequencers

A Sequencer is a 1–16 step sequencer that advances one step per beat division and outputs the current step’s value to a mapped parameter. Each step can carry an optional condition — an Elektron-style rule that decides, in real time, whether the step fires or is silenced that pass.

Creating a sequencer

Right-click any float or bool parameter → Map to Sequencer → New Sequencer.

The sequencer editor opens automatically. Steps are numbered 1–16 left to right. Drag a step to scrub its value; right-click for the full context menu.

Step controls

Control	What it does
Drag step knob	Set the step’s output value (0–100 %)
Eye icon	Toggle the step active/inactive
Right-click	Copy, paste, set value preset, set condition
PLAY / PAUSE	Start or freeze the sequencer; in Pause the highlighted step is the static output

Rate

Sequencers run at beat-synced divisions using the same Time Multiplier options as LFOs (1/32, 1/16, 1/8 … up to 64 Bars). There is no free-Hz mode — sequencers are always locked to the project tempo.

Step count

Use the Steps slider to set 1–16 active steps. The pattern loops continuously.

ADSR envelope

Each sequencer can apply an ADSR envelope to shape the contour of its step output. Enable it from the sequencer editor’s envelope section, then tune:

Stage	What it does
Attack	How quickly the output rises when a step fires
Decay	How quickly it falls to the sustain level
Sustain	The held level after the decay
Release	How quickly it falls to zero after the step ends

This is the same envelope model used by MIDI note mappings. It’s disabled by default, so existing patterns are unaffected until you opt in. Preset configurations (e.g. tight, plucky, pad-like contours) are available as quick starting points.

Conditional trigs

Every step can carry an optional condition that the engine evaluates on each pass. A step with no condition always fires (unchanged behaviour for all existing patterns).

To assign a condition: right-click a step → Set Condition… and choose from the sub-menu. An orange badge appears at the bottom of the knob showing the active condition (50%, 2:4, FILL, PRE, etc.).

Tap the badge at any time to open the precision editor for that condition.

When a step’s condition is currently preventing it from firing, the knob dims to ~35 % opacity and the badge turns grey — giving immediate visual feedback about which steps are active on this loop pass.

Condition types

Badge	Name	Fires when…
50%	Probability	A random roll beats the set probability. Roll happens once per step entry per cycle — the result is latched for the full step window, so the step can’t flicker.
2:4	Cycle	The loop counter is on the matching pass. 2:4 fires on the 2nd loop of every 4-loop group. Supports up to 1:8 – 8:8.
FILL	Fill	Fill mode is currently active (hold the FILL button, or trigger via MIDI).
!FILL	Not Fill	Fill mode is not active — the inverse of FILL.
PRE	Pre	The step immediately before this one fired last pass.
!PRE	Not Pre	The step immediately before this one did not fire last pass.
1ST	First	Only on the very first loop after playback starts (cycle 0).
LAST	Last	On the first step after each loop wrap — useful for pickup hits and transition cues.

Probability

Set the percentage in the precision editor (tap the badge) using the slider from 1 % to 99 %. Context-menu presets are available at 10 %, 25 %, 50 %, 75 %, and 90 %.

The roll happens once when the step is first entered each cycle. The same result holds for the entire duration of that step, so there is no per-frame flickering.

Cycle

pass:of notation means “fire on pass pass of every of loops.” For example:

• 1:4 — fires on the 1st loop of every 4 (every 4 bars if the pattern is 1 bar)
• 3:4 — fires on the 3rd loop of every 4

Set pass and of in the precision editor. pass is automatically clamped to of.

Cycle counters restart from pass 1 whenever playback starts — both when unpausing the sequencer in Arkestra and when an external MIDI clock source sends a Start message. This matches Elektron behaviour: pressing play on your Octatrack (or any MIDI clock master) always begins a fresh cycle group, so a 1:4 step on the first pass fires on every transport start.

Fill mode

Fill is a momentary performance trigger. Hold the FILL button (in the sequencer controls bar) to activate fill mode; release to deactivate.

• Steps with a FILL condition fire only while FILL is held — they’re silent otherwise.
• Steps with a !FILL condition fire only when FILL is not held — they drop out during fills.
• Steps with no condition are unaffected by fill state entirely.

This is additive: you can combine FILL steps (new hits added during a fill) with !FILL steps (elements that drop out) in the same pattern.

MIDI mapping: Click the mapping indicator dot next to the FILL button to assign any MIDI note or CC to fill. A MIDI note with velocity > 0 acts like holding the button; note-off releases it.

PRE and NOT PRE

These conditions look at whether the immediately preceding step fired on the last pass (after its own condition was evaluated). This lets you build conditional chains — for example, a reverb-tail step that only fires when the main hit that preceded it also fired.

First

Fires only on cycle 0 — the first loop after playback starts, after the sequencer is unpaused, or after an external MIDI Start message. Use it for intro hits or one-shot setup events.

Last

Fires on the first step of each new cycle (immediately after the loop wraps). The musical intent is “just before the loop restarts” — useful for transition cues, pickup notes, or snare rolls that resolve into the next bar.

Global sequencers

Global sequencers appear in the project’s top bar. They work identically to per-parameter sequencers, including full support for conditional trigs and the FILL button. Multiple parameters can be mapped to the same global sequencer, so one pattern drives several targets simultaneously.

Each sequencer has its own independent Fill state. Hold FILL on a specific sequencer editor to fill only that sequencer’s steps, leaving others unaffected.

Performance tips

• Stack a FILL step on top of a !FILL step at the same position to swap between two values (e.g. a long sustain on normal passes, a short stab during fills).
• Combine 1:4 and 3:4 on separate steps to create a pattern that shifts emphasis every 4 bars.
• Map a sequencer to a chain select parameter for rhythmic automatic effect switching.
• A 1-step sequencer used as a beat-triggered one-shot is a useful kick-sync trick.
• Use odd step counts (5, 7, 11) against a 4/4 grid for polyrhythmic drift.