I discovered euclidean rhythms fairly recently and I have to say the concept has blown my mind. As someone with little to no formal music theory/rhythm knowledge, this crossover between mathematics and music is very inspiring and one of the reasons why I got into eurorack in the first place. Anyway...
As much as I like more traditional x0x style sequencing, I think euclidean sequencing deserves a fully fledged offering in eurorack and there is a bit of a gap in the market right now. To my mind the two best euclidean sequencers available right now are Pam's and Euclidean Circles. My views on their pros/cons and what the perfect euclidean sequencer would look like:
Pam's
Pros
- 8 outputs with up to 32 steps each
- A lot of options to vary sequences with, for example, probability
- CV inputs for modulating basically any parameter (including the euclidean ones)
Cons
- Not very playable or immediate, to put it mildly. This is a more general criticism of Pam's given the single knob and amount of menu diving. For some purposes this is not a deal breaker but part of the appeal of euclidean sequencing for me is how immediate it is and having to menu dive kills that
- As an extension of the point above, poor visual feedback as you can only view one parameter for one output at a time
- Only 2 CV inputs limits modulation possibilities
Euclidean Circles (v2)
Pros
- Big circles with lots of blinking lights. No but seriously, super easy to dial in rhythms vs. Pam's and having access to 3 outputs at once is great. This alone makes it the best euclidean sequencer out there in my view
- Better visual feedback than Pam's and easy to switch between outputs 1-3 and 4-6
- F button allows for some variation through fills etc.
- Expander is quite handy for live use and instant mutes
Cons
- The big circles. Yes, I know I listed that as a pro but from an ergonomics/live performance perspective I actually think the circles are not a great use of space despite how pretty they are. In my head I think of euclidean rhythms in the x,x notation (for instance 3 triggers on 7 steps) and as the step count goes up I find myself having to count the lights to remind myself how many triggers/steps I'm on. This is actually something that Pam's does better even if you can only see one parameter at a time
- For any given output you can only change one of the euclidean variables at a time
- Only 16 steps. You can chain some of the outputs for longer sequences but the implementation is not particularly intuitive in my opinion
- No modulation. As mentioned in the pros, you have some degree of control with the F button but generally I find that my drum patterns end up being a bit static apart from obvious changes to the number of triggers etc.
- 'Only' 6 outputs. Not the biggest issue but a con if comparing to Pam's
The perfect euclidean sequencer?
So with all the above in mind, here's my view of what an ideal euclidean module would look like:
- At least 8 outputs with 4 controllable directly via the panel (access to remaining outputs through A/B pages or similar)
- Each of the 4 outputs visible on the panel should have a small screen showing 3 digits (perhaps one bigger screen with 4 lines) for each of the euclidean variables (number of triggers, number of steps and rotation). This would make it much easier to track what's happening with each output and quickly adjust. Next to the screen there should be 3x4 ratcheted dials (3 for each of the 4 outputs) for each of those parameters to allow for simultaneous editing of the euclidean variables
- At least 3 CV inputs which can be freely assignable à la Pam's to either a specific output's parameters or global parameters such as direction of sequence (similar to the Rebel Technology Klasmata). Assignment of CV could be implemented via the screen(s) on the panel
- Similar to both Pam's and EC, both internal and external clocking options
I think a module like this would be very popular, if a little niche (but hey that's what eurorack is all about right?) Keen to get people's thoughts on this or perhaps there is a module that already does this that I have missed.
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