Manufacturer's description
A cellular automaton pattern generator that also functions as a MIDI to trigger converter.
Legendary mathematician John Horton Conway's "Game of Life" algorithm is generated and displayed on the 8x8 LED matrix, with the activity of the cells mapped to the outputs below.
The MIDI input can also be used to control 64 separate trigger outputs.
Overview
If you're not familiar with Conway's Game of Life, a brief explanation:
Imagine a grid of cells, each of which can be in two states, either alive or dead. A set of simple rules determine what happens to each cell, depending on the state of neighbouring cells.
For each step in time:
(1) Any live cell with fewer than two live neighbours dies, as if caused by underpopulation.
(2) Any live cell with two or three live neighbours lives on to the next generation.
(3) Any live cell with more than three live neighbours dies, as if by overpopulation.
(4) Any dead cell with exactly three live neighbours becomes a live cell, as if by reproduction.
The module makes use of these rules, applying them to an 8x8 grid of cells.
The generated patterns can then be used as an interesting source of triggers, which may be used to sequence drums, envelope generators, or any other modules with trigger or gate inputs.
After selecting a pseudo-random set of starting conditions for the cells, the simulation will run until the cells either die out, or end in a stable loop. If the cells die out or end in a stationary configuration, the simulation will reset with a new set of starting conditions. Loops can end up as the classic "glider" or "blinker", or more elaborate patterns.
Features and controls
MIDI IN: The module responds to notes ranging from C2 / note 36 to E7 / note 100.
CLOCK IN: By default the internal clock runs at 10Hz, but the clock input allows other sources to set the speed up to about 270Hz. After 270Hz things start getting weird, which of course is not necessarily a bad thing! Run it from any source of gates or triggers - LFO, VCO, or even audio for timing strangeness.
RESET: Clears the current loop and starts with a new set of cells. Also clears stuck MIDI notes if necessary.
MIDI / LIFE: Selects MIDI or Game of Life mode.
TRIGGERS / GATES: Sets active outputs to either trigger on every clock event, or to remain as a high gate signal as long as the cell is alive.
Technical details
- Width: 20HP
- Depth: 43.5mm behind 2mm thick panel
- Current @ +12V: Typically up to 80mA in GoL mode. Max 215mA if all 64 LEDs lit up via MIDI.
- Current @ -12V: 0mA
- Gate & trigger level: 8V
- Trigger length: 20 milliseconds
- Width: 20HP
- Depth: 43.5mm
- Current: +12V X80mA / -12V 0mA
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK it's normally around £4 for order values under £150, and free above that. Shipping to mainland EU is typically between £7 and £20, depending on the shipping method and the size and weight of the order.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of Parcelforce, DPD, Royal Mail and UPS for the UK, and for international orders it's either Royal Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 15:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes FedEx or UPS may come a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Shipping times
Since April 2020 the couriers we use have suspended guarantees for shipping times, so even though we're paying them for priority services - 24-48 hours for most of the world - in practice it's often an extra day on top and sometimes it can be longer.
There is absolutely nothing we can do about this unfortunately. If you are outside the UK and it's a life-or-death situation where you absolutely MUST have that passive mult for the next day then... it may be better to find a local supplier.
Saturday shipping
If you're in the UK and you order before 15:30 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday delivery (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). The success rate with DPD is about 95% so it's worth a punt most of the time. Please note that if you select Saturday shipping on an order placed earlier in the week, we'll wait until Friday to ship it.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
Product Overview
Manufacturer's description
A cellular automaton pattern generator that also functions as a MIDI to trigger converter.
Legendary mathematician John Horton Conway's "Game of Life" algorithm is generated and displayed on the 8x8 LED matrix, with the activity of the cells mapped to the outputs below.
The MIDI input can also be used to control 64 separate trigger outputs.
Overview
If you're not familiar with Conway's Game of Life, a brief explanation:
Imagine a grid of cells, each of which can be in two states, either alive or dead. A set of simple rules determine what happens to each cell, depending on the state of neighbouring cells.
For each step in time:
(1) Any live cell with fewer than two live neighbours dies, as if caused by underpopulation.
(2) Any live cell with two or three live neighbours lives on to the next generation.
(3) Any live cell with more than three live neighbours dies, as if by overpopulation.
(4) Any dead cell with exactly three live neighbours becomes a live cell, as if by reproduction.
The module makes use of these rules, applying them to an 8x8 grid of cells.
The generated patterns can then be used as an interesting source of triggers, which may be used to sequence drums, envelope generators, or any other modules with trigger or gate inputs.
After selecting a pseudo-random set of starting conditions for the cells, the simulation will run until the cells either die out, or end in a stable loop. If the cells die out or end in a stationary configuration, the simulation will reset with a new set of starting conditions. Loops can end up as the classic "glider" or "blinker", or more elaborate patterns.
Features and controls
MIDI IN: The module responds to notes ranging from C2 / note 36 to E7 / note 100.
CLOCK IN: By default the internal clock runs at 10Hz, but the clock input allows other sources to set the speed up to about 270Hz. After 270Hz things start getting weird, which of course is not necessarily a bad thing! Run it from any source of gates or triggers - LFO, VCO, or even audio for timing strangeness.
RESET: Clears the current loop and starts with a new set of cells. Also clears stuck MIDI notes if necessary.
MIDI / LIFE: Selects MIDI or Game of Life mode.
TRIGGERS / GATES: Sets active outputs to either trigger on every clock event, or to remain as a high gate signal as long as the cell is alive.
Technical details
- Width: 20HP
- Depth: 43.5mm behind 2mm thick panel
- Current @ +12V: Typically up to 80mA in GoL mode. Max 215mA if all 64 LEDs lit up via MIDI.
- Current @ -12V: 0mA
- Gate & trigger level: 8V
- Trigger length: 20 milliseconds
Technical Specs
Shipping Details
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK it's normally around £4 for order values under £150, and free above that. Shipping to mainland EU is typically between £7 and £20, depending on the shipping method and the size and weight of the order.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of Parcelforce, DPD, Royal Mail and UPS for the UK, and for international orders it's either Royal Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 15:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes FedEx or UPS may come a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Shipping times
Since April 2020 the couriers we use have suspended guarantees for shipping times, so even though we're paying them for priority services - 24-48 hours for most of the world - in practice it's often an extra day on top and sometimes it can be longer.
There is absolutely nothing we can do about this unfortunately. If you are outside the UK and it's a life-or-death situation where you absolutely MUST have that passive mult for the next day then... it may be better to find a local supplier.
Saturday shipping
If you're in the UK and you order before 15:30 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday delivery (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). The success rate with DPD is about 95% so it's worth a punt most of the time. Please note that if you select Saturday shipping on an order placed earlier in the week, we'll wait until Friday to ship it.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
