Thor Polysonic Synthesizer Part 4: Modulation Bus Matrix and Step Sequencer

In this post I am going to look at two components that a lot of people I talk to seem to find daunting and intimidating.  I will admit that I rarely (if ever) use the step sequencer "successfully" and The Matrix takes a bit of experimenting with in order for you to get exactly what you want.  But they are invaluable tools that can drastically alter the character and behavior of your Thor patch.  As I mentioned in my first post, the best way to learn how to use Thor is to jump in with two feet and play around with it.  And you can't experiment without the Mad Doctor modulation bus matrix:

Modulation Bus Matrix

Now I know this looks a bit crazy and a bit too close to an Excel spreadsheet for ANYONE's comfort.  But I assure you, it is MUCH better than playing the 97 Flight Simulator easter egg.  Beginning with the left-most section we see four columns with seven rows.  Each row is an individual modulation path beginning with the Source.  From this drop-down menu, you can select an ungodly amount of modulation sources including the aforementioned LFO's and Envelopes.  The next column is the amount by which your modulation source will alter a specific parameter which is selected in a similar drop-down menu in the "--> Destination" column.  The last two columns allow you to scale the modulation amount by another modulation source at another specified amount.  For example:

Here I am using LFO 2 to modulate Oscillator 3's Detune Amount, by an amount of 33%.  The 33% is scaled by the Modulation Envelope by an amount of 19%.

That is literally the gist of the entire modulation bus matrix.  I swear.  There are two more sections but the only differences are the additional destination for modulation (in the upper right section) and the additional modulation scaler (in the lower right section).

Step Sequencer

The step sequencer does exactly what you think it should do: it sends note data to the three sound generators which then route signal through Thor as if the information was coming from the sequencer window or a MIDI keyboard.

This section offers a 16-step gate sequence with adjustable synchronized/unsynchronized rate.  Each step can be turned on/off with the corresponding LED square above the step number.  The number of steps can be adjusted with the "Steps" rotary in the bottom right corner.

This sequence is engaged with the "Run" button.  It can be set to play repeatedly, once ("1 shot") or step by step ("step").  The sequence can also be set to to play forwards, in reverse, forward<-->reverse with steps 1 & 16 repeated ("Pendulum 1"), forward<-->reverse without steps 1 & 16 repeating or in a random order.

The rotaries above each step affect the parameter that is selected by the Edit rotary.  These allow you to individually change each step's pitch, velocity, gate length, and note duration.  The final two curve options can be used to send amount values to any parameter in Thor via the Modulation Bus Matrix.  

Finally, if it gets way too hectic, out of control and you need to calm the god of thunder, you can always hit the Reset button in the upper right corner to initialize the step sequencer.

Thanks again for reading.  Stay tuned for the last edition on Thor's built-in delay and chorus modules.