The digital revolution. I’ve decided that I really want to sort some drums out. I’m really drawn to being able to modulate analogue drum sounds so I’m definitely going to be building some dedicated drum modules. So, I need something to sequence them. My clock divider is going to be woefully inadequate, so I’ve found this DIY digital, TR-style drum sequencer, the SWT16.
It’s a big build, definitely the most complex I’ve done, but it’s well documented, so no trouble.
It’s a 16 channel trigger sequencer, with up to 64 steps per channel and loads of great features.
It uses an Arduino Nano to run the firmware and generate the triggers. I had to program this myself using the Arduino IDE, which gave me a chance to edit the source code so the blinkenlights would spell out my name while the module is at rest.
I did have some issues with this module. It was the first version produced by Robaux (they have since changed the design) and it wouldn’t trigger some of my modules. I fixed the issue by adding some additional resistors, but in doing so, damaged part of the board, meaning I needed to jumper one of the connections with wire and I also damaged one of the jacks, which I will replace at some point.