Audio Damage Ricochet - Manual (Page 13)

5. Grid Size
The GRID SIZE knob sets the maximum time of Ricochet’s main, multi-tap delay. If the SYNC switch at the
bottom of Ricochet’s window is off, the grid size is set in units of milliseconds. If the SYNC switch is on, the
grid size is calculated from the current tempo of your host sequencer and the GRID SIZE knob operates in
simple fractions of the duration of one measure. In either case the delay time is displayed as you move the
knob. The values available when the SYNC switch is on are ¼, ½, 1, and 2. For example, setting the GRID
SIZE knob to “1/2” will set the grid size to half a measure. If you then move one of the tap control dots to the
position marked “04”, that tap will have a delay time equal to an eighth-note’s duration (assuming that the
pre-delay time is zero), regardless of the current tempo of your song, because 4/16 equals ¼, and ¼ times ½
equals an eighth
2 .
Now that we’ve examined all of the controls that determine the actual delay time for the output taps, let’s
reconsider how they all fit together. The Pre-delay Time knob controls sets the shortest time that the signal
will be delayed, since the pre-delay comes before the main multi-tap delay. Like the pre-delay parameter of a
reverb processor, the Pre-delay Time knob creates an offset between the original signal and the onset of the
processed signal. The Grid Size knob sets the length of the main multi-tap delay, and hence the range of delay
times available for the output taps. The positions of the tap dots determine the locations of the output taps
along the main delay, and hence the delay times of the outputs. These times are added to the pre-delay time.
This means that you can create changes in Ricochet’s overall effect simply by rotating the Pre-delay Time and
Grid Size knobs. Each of these knobs effectively changes the delay times of all of the output taps. Rotating the
Pre-Delay Time knob moves all of the taps while maintaining their delay times relative to each other, since the
pre-delay comes before the main delay and hence its time is added to the times of the taps. On the other
hand, rotating the Grid Size knob increases or decreases the delay times of the output taps relative to each
other, since the effective delay time of a tap is represented by the tap’s dot’s position on the grid and rotating
the knob changes the size of the grid.
2 Don’t panic if you do not consider math to be your strongest skill. You’ll find that you can turn on Ricochet’s SYNC switch
and forget about fractions altogether since the delay times are automatically calculated for you and Ricochet’s grid size is
deliberately restricted to simple divisions of a measure. You’ll also notice that the positions on the grid marked 00, 04, 08,
and 12 are highlighted as a gentle reminder that these positions will tend to produce the most rhythmically pleasing delay
times.