8 or 16 Step Sequencer

[brandon.lane6]

Hi

I have just recently made a couple of hand synths as a little project to do on weekends. I have become interested in this and was wondering if anyone knows and good but easy step sequencer schematics or circuits out there. I have done a little research on some and found that a popular design used a 4017 decade counter + 555 timer chip.

This looks like a fairly simple design but there is no schematic that includes bother the 4017 circuit and the 555 circuit.

If someone can point me in the direction of simple step sequencers that would be great.

Thanks

Brandon.

 

[Arkham00]

https://sub.allaboutcircuits.com/images/05280.png

 

[brandon.lane6]

Thanks, that looks like it would work ok
How would i go about putting in first a pot to control speed of the clock and also a pitch for each step?
I am going to wire in some switches to control wether the step is active and also a rotary switch for selecting steps.

This is a good starting point thanks

 

[Mr RB]

A pot to control the sequencing speed is easy, you replace the 1M resistor in the circuit with a 1M pot and 47k resistor in series with it.

Getting "a pitch for each step" is very hard. You need a separate audio oscillator for each step, and each one has it's own pot to adjust the "note" for that step.

For all those oscillators an easy method is to use quad schmidt NAND gate ICs, where each gate plus an RC is an oscillator. The other pin on the NAND gate turns the oscillator on/off with the sequencer.

Any way you do it will still be a large complex project with a lot of logic ICs. How much experience do you have?

 

[brandon.lane6]

I dont have much experience with IC's at all. I know a basic timer and a few other things like an amp but nothing to do with logic.

I have taken a look at a "baby 10" sequencer and might look into combining the lower part of the schematic(the pots) with the schematic arkham posted earlier.

I have seen a few videos on step sequencers that have pots to control the step but never thought it would be that difficult.

 

[3v0]

Maybe it is time to learn to program and use a micro controller. You will have a much smaller part count and way more flexibility.

Learning to program is an investment in yourself and your hobby.

 

[brandon.lane6]

Yeah I guess - I always like building circuits without the aid of a premade controller though.

I found this video on youtube that has the exact thing I'm after but he doesn't have a schematic for it
Here is the link:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rblCkU6mok4

If not I might invest in an arduino nano or something.

Can someone ok me if combining the two circuits i mentioned previously is a good idea?.

 

[3v0]

Not a lot of point in using an arduino for this. May as well use a AVR or PIC chip and make your own PCB. Or hand wire the board. You need the driver transistors with or without a controller.

If you know the arduino system I would get the AVR they use and go from there.

If you can't program and want to use a PIC there are people here who will help with that too.

I have a basket case 65 tbird that would like to get going some day. The old electo mechanical sequencer either needs to go or get rebuilt. It is sort of fun hearing the noise it makes but then it is limited to the one sequence.

 

[brandon.lane6]

I think I might just stick to making a baby 10 sequencer.

A couple of questions though:

How would you correctly hook up a 555 timer circuit.
How would I hook up a cv out when there is only one wire shown.
And what are the pulse outs for.