RS130 Programmable Scale Generator you should study the section of this manual that describes the philosophy and operation of a conventional Quantiser. You will find this in the chapter headed "RS260 QUANTISER". The rest of this chapter will assume that you have already done so, or that you are already fully acquainted with the ideas relating to voltage quantisation. 

To recap, a Voltage Quantiser is a device that rounds (or " quantises") every voltage passing through it up or down to an exact sernitone. This means that any voltages output by the Quantiser will lie on one of the 12 sernitones of the conventional 'even-tempered' scale 

A "Scale Generator" (or Scale Quantiser) takes this principal one step further: it quantises the signal in such a way that the output conforms to a predetermined musical scale. Examples of such scales are the common 'major' and 'minor' scales. 

Like the RS260, the RS130 incorporates software that ensures glitch-free transitions between quantised notes, and offers the same two timing modes. These are "Free Run", in which the output CV shifts every time the input changes enough to move from one note to another, and "Gate", which requires a pulse to tell the device when to detemine the next note. 

But in addition to these, the R130 incorporates no fewer than six quantisation modes, and you must fully understand these if you are to get the best from the module. 

Quantiser Mode 

When this is selected the RS130 will act in the same way as an RS260 Quantiser, quantising the input to an even-tempered semitone (also known as "chromatic") scale. 

C Maj Scale Mode 

With the OFFSET set to zero and no CV applied to the TRANS IN socket, the RS130 will quantise the input to the C major scale. This means that, no matter what voltages you apply to the input, the only notes present at the output will be the 'white' notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. 

C Min Scale Mode With the OFFSET set to zero and no CV applied to the TRANS IN socket, the RS130 will quantise the input to the C minor scale. This means that the only notes present at the output will be: C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, and Bb. 

C Maj Arpeggio Mode 

With the OFFSET set to zero and no CV applied to the TRANS IN socket, the RS130 will quantise the input to the notes of the C major arpeggio. This means that the only notes present at the output will be: C, E, and G. 

C Min Arpeggio Mode With the OFFSET set to zero and no CV applied to the TRANS IN socket, the RS130 will quantise the input to the notes of the C minor arpeggio. This means that the only notes present at the output will be: C, Eb,and G. 

User Memory (Programmable) Mode 

The RS130 will quantise the input to any scale that you detemine and save within the module's single non-volatile memory. Note: If you do not understand the musical terms involved - major, minor, and so on - we advise you to acquaint yourself with them. Otherwise , you will not be able to get the best from your PSG .

IN USE 

MODE 

Use the MODE button to step through the Quantisation Modes. 

SAVE 

This is used to SAVE a user-programmed scale (see below: programming the User Memory).

RECORD 

This is used to RECORD the notes within a user-programmed scale (see below: programming the User Memory). 

Mode Select Switch 

There are timing modes, selected using the FREE RUN/GATE switch.. 

FREERUN 

In Free Run, the RS130 outputs a new CV every time the mixed input CV changes enough to move from one note to another. . 

GATE

In Gated mode, the RS130 requires a pulse to tell the device when to determine the next note. 

OFFSET 

You can apply a fixed transposition (offset) of up to 2V (2 octaves) to the input. You can also use this control to program a scale, but you will then be limited to the 2 octave range it offers. If you wish to program notes across the full 5 octave range of the RS130 you should use a 0V to +5V CV source from another module. 

CV Inputs: V-IN 1 and V-IN 2 

Any two voltages in the range 0v to +5v presented to the V-IN 1 and V-IN 2 inputs are summed linearly by an internal mixer. The summed voltage will also lie within the range 0v to +5V giving a maximum output range of 5 octaves. 

Note: You can use V-IN 2 as a quantised "transposer" that shifts the output according to the voltage presented to it. This allows you to shift each of the preset scales - C maj, C min, and so on - into any key desired. In this way, all 12 major scales, all 12 minor scales, and (using the programmable scale function) all of the£ diminished, augmented and other scales are available to you. 

GATE IN 

If the Quantiser is in GATE mode, you must apply a Gate pulse in the range + 1V to +20V to this input to cause it to determine the next output voltage. The output is determined on the positive-going edge of the pulse, and will be held until the next positive-going pulse is received. The GATE IN LED will light when a suitable pulse is detected at the GATE IN.

TRIGOUT 

A +10v trigger pulse is output every time the output voltage shifts. In FREE RUN mode the timing of this trigger will be determined by the voltages received at V-IN 1 and V-IN 2. In GATED mode, the output trigger will echo the leading edge of the pulses received at the GATE IN. The TRIG OUT LED will light each time a trigger is output. 

You can use this trigger to perform tasks such as clocking a sequencer, or triggering an envelope generator so that each new note is articulated independently of previous notes. 

TRANS (transpose) IN 

Any voltage applied at the TRANS IN input will be added to the quantised output derived from V-IN 1 and V-IN 2. This will transpose the output up or down allowing you, for example, to fine-tune the output to match the tuning of other instruments. Note however that TRANS IN operates after the Quantiser circuit, so any voltage applied here will shift the output by an unquantised amount. 

OUT 

There is a single output that carries the quantised CV. 

PROGRAMMING THE USER MEMORY 

Use the MODE button to select the Quantiser mode. 

Now use an external voltage source connected to either of the V-IN sockets, or use the OFFSET control, to select the notes in the desired scale, as follows: 

Starting from the bottom of the range, you should sweep slowly upwards through the chromatic scale. Then, each time the display shows one of the notes that you wish to include in the scale, press RECORD. 

For example, if you have decided that the first note in your scale is to be the Ab in the lowest octave, the RS130 screen will look like this:

The four parts of the screen show: . 

VAL: The note value, where C 0 is note VAL=0 . 
NOTE: The note name, in this case Ab . 
POS: The position of the note in the programmable scale . 
NOTE: The note stored in POSl. 

If this duplication of note information seems odd, it makes more sense when you choose the next note in the scale. Let's say that the next note is to be Eb in the octave above the first note. The screen will now look like this:

The four statements now show: . 

VAL: The new note value, where C 0 is note 0 . 
NOTE: The new note name, in this case Eb+ 1 . 
POS: The position of the previous note in the programmable scale . 
NOTE: The note in the previous position. 

The two NOTE names now allow you to see the previous note in the scale, plus the current note. This makes it simpler to see how your scale is developing. 

If you now press RECORD, the screen will change to show that NOTE Eb+1 is stored in POSITION 2 

When you have incorporated all the notes you require, press SAVE to store the scale into the single User Memory. This memory in non-volatile, and it will retain your scale even when the power to the Integrator is removed. 

Note 1: Do not RECORD the same note twice. It will confuse the PSG and Lead to unpredictable results. 

Note 2: Always RECORD your scale in one direction. Do not alternate between "up" and " down " when selecting the notes. To do so will cause problems when User Memory Mode is selected and you try to use the scale. If you use the OFFSET control to program a scale you will be limited to the 2 octave range it offers. If you wish to use the full 5 octave range of the RS130 you must use a 0V to +5V CV source from another module. 

To replace an existing scale, simply return to Quantiser mode and repeat the exercise.