Cycle Instruments - Tetrachords

Tetrachords from Cycle Instruments takes you on different paths. 4-track CV-Sequencer with MIDI and fantastic concept!

Tetrachords special feature lies in its concept, which Cycle Instruments borrowed from (greek?) music theory: The Tetrachord. A look into a music lexicon tells us “A tetrachord (”four-string“) is a four-note sequence with the frame interval of a pure fourth”. And further: “Scales can be understood as two superimposed tetrachords.” This sequencer walks along these lines.  Wandering on the OTHER paths - away from major and minor. This is a deep dive into music theory. But this module makes it very easy for you. It's a great joy. Just trust your ears.
The excellently designed user interface enables you to create melodies and harmonies and modify them. With the ability to customize scales, note sequences, transposition and octave shifts, you can generate everything from simple melodies to complex polytonal sequences especially "on the fly". So this Sequencer might be ideal for your next live-performance.

With Tetrachords, you build your own scales with unusual (or the "usual") combinations of notes. These form the harmonic basis of your compositions. The notes are placed on the large buttons: two tetrachords = sets of four notes each. You determine the exact composition of the two tetrachords.

These tetrachords can then be transposed, sorted, mixed and so on - manually or via CV or Trig-In. Of course, you can define exactly which of the four tracks are connected and which are independent. This is where it gets more complex. Take a look at the very good operating instructions or watch the excellent video tutorials on YouTube. This was veeery enlightening for us.

With four CV outputs, six CV inputs, extensive MIDI (TRS and USB) and I2C connectivity, Tetrachords creates seamless connections to other devices in the studio and serves as a bridge between modular and other studio components.

All we can say is: Tetrachords is an extraordinary, exciting harmony generator. Fast, intuitive, extremely complex - if you want. A great composition tool and for us another proof of how exciting the world of modular synthesizers can be!

Features:

• 4-track polyphonic CV and MIDI sequencer
• Customizable scales and chord building
• Fast and flexible creation of harmonic compositions
• CV: 4 CV outputs, 6 CV inputs, 4 trigger inputs
• MIDI: TRS-MIDI and USB