Audio Damage Bitcom - Manual (Page 13)

Sequencer Controls
On the right of the button matrix you’ll find the controls for Bitcom’s sequencer. The STATUS buttons are
possibly the most important: click on the RUN button to make the sequencer run, and click on the IDLE button
to stop it. Bitcom’s sequencer is locked to your host program’s transport, and hence will run and stop when
your host runs and stops.
The STEPSIZE buttons set how rapidly Bitcom’s sequencer moves
from one step to the next by choosing the metrical unit for one
step. If the 1/16 button is set, for instance, Bitcom’s sequencer will
advance with each 16
th note. The SWING knob varies Bitcom’s
rhythmic feel to line up its sequencer with source material with a
swing or shuffle feel. If the SWING knob is at 50%, the sequencer
has straight timing and all steps will have the same duration. As
you turn up the SWING knob, the even-numbered steps get longer
and the odd-numbered steps get shorter.
Finally, the RESET knob sets the step at which the sequencer jumps back to step #1. If you set the RESET
knob to 16, Bitcom will cycle through all 16 steps. If you set it to 1, Bitcom will stick stubbornly to the first
step.
To maintain some semblance of sanity, Bitcom also resets its sequencer to step #1 when it perceives that
your host sequencer has reset its own transport position, for instance when you jump the playback position
back to the beginning of your song.
Synth Controls
Bitcom has a simple internal synthesizer; its controls are found below the button matrix. Starting at the left
we have two buttons, labeled WAVEFORM, which select one of two wave shapes, PULSE and TRI. The PULSE
choice gives you a rectangular wave shape whose pulse width (or duty cycle, as it’s known in engineering
circles) can be varied with the SHAPE knob. The TRI setting produces a triangular wave that can be skewed to
produce a ramp wave. With the SHAPE knob at 50% you get a symmetric triangle wave; with the knob at
95% (its maximum setting) you get a ramp wave that rises at a fixed rate and drops back to zero almost
instantly.