I have been thinking about semi generative pitch modulations lately, both in and out of the ER-301. Of course quantizers are key when it comes to this but I often find it difficult to get results I like. One quirk of quantizers I noticed (both in my intellijel ustep and the ER-301 quantizer) is the way they assign incoming pitches to the chosen quantized values. You can imagine each note chosen has it’s own range of incoming cv that will output a single pitch. This range extends halfway to the next chosen note. This is visualized excellently in the built in quantizer on the ER-301. The result of this is that the range of possible incoming pitches varies from note to note depending on the scale/notes you choose to quantize to. If you send a sampled random value to the quantizer the varying ranges means that some notes are more likely to play (the ones without many notes near them) than others.
I first noticed this when trying to send a linear ramp through a quantizer and into the Rings pitch input. With no trig input the rings will trigger whenever the pitch changes. I noticed that the pitch changes didn’t happen at a regular interval like I expected. Another result is that arpeggios will often strike the same note multiple times if there are large gaps between chosen notes.
It would be very nice to have a quantizer that evenly spaces the note regions, I think it would be more predictable for generative patches, especially if you are using basic waves as inputs.
Another related thing I have been thinking about is transposing quantized values and inversions. The idea would be to fold quantized values back around an octave down or up like in a chord inversion. That way instead of getting a simple transposition you would get more varied patterns. I think it is achievable with a sample scanner. I imagine the sample would look like a sawtooth wave with as many cycles as octaves in the range.
This isn’t really a feature request as this isn’t specific to the ER-301, but it has been on my mind and this community usually has interesting ideas when I have quandaries. If you have any techniques for varying generative patches, or any general tips for quantizer use in general it would be very much appreciated.