sir.clk is a modular to midi clock interface (you’re right! CV to MIDI).
You can now clock your midi gear with your modular gates, triggers and CVs.
The interface is quite simple, there’s a “.clk” input, and a “midi” output.
It follows and adjust to the tempo of the 2 last steps.
The potentiometer controls an internal randomisation algorithm that works in the following way:
1. when centered, the incoming clock runs unaffected;
2. when turned clockwise it increases the possibility of random clock divisions and multiplications;
3. when turned anti-clockwise, introduces jitter to the clock;
The 3 position switch controls the following:
1. when centered, a STOP message is sent to the MIDI machine and MIDI clock message transmission is interrupted;
2. when positioned to the right, the MIDI output will run in “SAFE MODE”, which follows the MIDI standards for minimum and maximum speeds, clipping the range of your MIDI clock between 30 and 300 bpm. It also forces a restart of your sequence whenever the potentiometer has been re-centered (this to match the phase of the MIDI and input clock).
//THE PHASE QUESTION: the MIDI clock out will be forced in phase only in this case or when the MODE switch gets flicked to Safe or Black hole mode, it is natural behaviour of the module (and a design choice on my side) to fall in different phase positions when the input clock changes.
3. when positioned to the left, the module will run in “BLACK HOLE MODE”, this is an EXPERIMENTAL mode, has a speed limit of 3000 BPM, this depends on your MIDI machines capabilities, some machines (i.e. model cycles / octatrack mk2 / roland jp8080) can follow up MIDI messages of that speed, others don’t and stop the sequencer until you run back your clock to the “CLASSIC” MIDI limits (i.e. behringer td-3).
I’ve put a limit of 3000 bpm as it seemed the max speed the elektron cycles would run before crashing.
Every time the switch engages one of the 2 modes, it sends a START message to your sequencer.
//BEWARE///
IT IS UP TO YOU TO EXPERIMENT WITH THIS MODE, AND FIND OUT THE CAPABILITIES OF YOUR INSTRUMENTS.
I HOPE, TOGETHER WITH YOU, WE CAN CATALOGUE AND COLLECT A LIST OF INSTRUMENTS ABLE TO RUN IN BLACK HOLE MODE.
!! the module comes together with a MIDI to TRS adaptor (type A, the standard one) !!
