Der Mann Mit Der Maschine

Notes: The MASTER18 is a very flexible generic CV processor.

You can think of the MASTER18 as a smaller and cheaper version of the DROID MASTER without CV inputs and LEDs, but with an integrated USB and MIDI, six additional gate jacks, two of which are inputs and four are outputs.

Details:

It has 8 CV output jacks with a voltage range from -10 V to +10 V, driven by highly accurate low jitter 16 bit DA converters:
2 gate inputs switching at 0.1 V
4 gate outputs switching between 0 V and 5 V
2 MIDI interfaces via MIDI standard B (mini jack)
MicroSD card reader and a button for reloading the MicroSD card
USB C to access the SD card from your computer or to send/receive MIDI MASTER18 comes with two interesting bonus features:
It can be connected to the Sinfonion as a follower of the Harmonic Sync.
It has an integrated tuning device for VCOs (can measure their frequency).

The MASTER18 is a good choice if you intend to just create CVs and don't need to process incoming CVs. It's perfect for building sequencers and MIDI to CV converters. MASTER18 can do almost any CV task you can imagine, such as sequencing, melody generation, slew limiting, quantizing, switching, mixing, working on clocks and triggers, creating envelopes and LFO or other fancy voltages, or any combination of these at the same time. While doing this, is very precise both in voltage and in timing.

You can attach several different DROID controller modules, such as the E4, the P2B8, the P10, the B32, the P4B2 or the M4 in order to get direct hands on access to all parameters and values of these patches.

Easily create your desired DROID patch utilizing our simple and easy-to-use editor with built in tutorials - the DROID Forge. It is available for Windows and Mac (both Apple Silicon and Intel).

The file created with the DROID Forge is a simple text file named "droid.ini" and needs to be loaded on the micro SD card that goes into the MASTER18.

Notes: E4 Encoder Controller

The E4 is a controller with four rotary encoders.

The encoders look like normal potentiometers, but you can turn them endlessly in either direction. (Don't be fooled by the knobs, which do have a pointer).

This allows for a wide range of applications and great flexibility.

Each encoder is surrounded by a square of 32 multicolor LEDs. This LED ring is used to indicate the current value of the encoder. And it looks really great! The LEDs help you to give you an orientation by displaying the current value.

Each encoder contains a push button, which can be used just like those on the P2B8 or on the B32.

The E4 is perfect for mapping many different functions or presets to one encoder and then switch with the buttons of a P2B8 or B32 to some other context. Because of the LED rings you instantly see the current value after switching. And other than with pots, no "picking up" of the value is needed.

Furthermore, the nature of the encoders allows for some useful features, for example:

Create a "multi turn" pot, that needs to be turned several rounds for going through the total range (which allows for a finer selection).
Enable a mode where a slow movement of the encoder changes the value even slower, so it allows for instant fine tuning.
Use an encoder as a switch with a fixed number of positions (the LEDs visualise that)
Select a bipolar value with proper visualisation by the LEDs.
Use an encoder for "strumming", where you get triggers when it is turned.
As a bonus, there is a circuit called encoquencer, that allows you to build a melody sequencer based on the encoders and LEDs of the E4. It has the same features as the sequencer that is based on the motor faders of the M4 (motoquencer).

Power consumption:

+12V: 220 mA when all LEDs are white, 53 mA during normal use case
-12V: 0 mA
5V: 0 mA

Hint: The LEDs only shine fully white when you set them up to do so in your DROID patch. As long as you use the encoders in a normal way, the LEDs display colored light which is not as bright, so the power consumption is much less under normal circumstances.

Dimensions
6 HP
23 mm deep

Current Draw
53 mA +12V
0 mA -12V
0 mA 5V

Notes: This is 40 cm (15.7 inch) long cable for connecting the DROID controllers controllers to your master. Its main purpose is to separate the controllers from the master at a longer distance.

You also can use this cable for connecting two of Der Mann Mit Der Maschine's multiples into a CV bus.

Notes: Selection of five Droid sequencer modules for Eurorack, including MASTER18 master module, two M4 motor fader controllers, a P2B8 controller and a B32 controller. Excellent value for a comprehensive package.

Supplier's Notes:
This kit is two things at once:

1. A full featured total innovative musical performance sequencer controlled by motor faders and haptic feedback.

2. A powerful self contained Droid setup with motor faders that can do and can be anything - at a very good set price.

The sequencer

Let's talk about the sequencer first! In the configuration that it is shipped, it has four independent tracks, each controlling one voice, either via CV/Gate plus extra modulation CV, or via MIDI. MIDI connectivity is provided with two DIN/TRS (mini jack) outputs and one USB port. In our free software "Droid Forge" for Windows and Mac there is a tool called "patch generator", which allows you to not only configure the MIDI routings but also decide about the feature set and even the button layout.

The modules come all prepared so that within a few minutes the sequencer is setup and ready to go. Once your are satisfied with your configuration, you can use the include stickers to label the buttons of your modules (as shown in the images).

This Droid motor fader sequencer is very unique and innovative in many ways. Most importantly the direct control with the motor faders makes it stand out. The big faders allow easy instant control and real "playing". In the normal mode, each fader represents one step in the sequence. With eight fingers you can change eight notes at once.

When you switch to another track or to another function within the track (e.g. to the velocity / modulation CV), all faders immediately move to the correct position of these settings, so you can immediately see what's going on and change the values without any "pickup", as is necessary for sequencers with normal sliders.

When you edit alues that are stepped in nature - first of all the selected notes of the scale - the faders use ther tiny motors to give you haptic feedback! For every note you feel a little notch. You can change by say exactly two notes by feeling the notches and don't need any display for hitting the correct note.

Musical functions

The Droid motor fader sequencer is built to improvise and play music, for being creative, finding new melodies, and everything right in the moment - a perfect tool for live performances, but also for jamming and recording in the studio and get inspired. It does this not only by its unique haptic interface but also by including lots of interesting musical features and algorithms - all of them accessible by a single button press.

Chord note selection: Use seven buttons (on the P2B8) to select those notes from the scale that are allowed. Play with these buttons to temporarily make a melody simpler and more complex, again. Or change its harmonic structure but removing the root and third and add the ninth or 13th. Since all seven notes are part of the scale, you can never go astray, however. You will always by "in tune", even without any knowledge of music theory.

Diatonic transposition: Shift up and down a melody by a number of notes - within the scale and within the selected notes. One simple movement of a fader brings a great and refreshing alteration to your melody. Touch one button and you are back to normal.

Built-in arpeggiator: Press one button to switch from the sequenced melody to an algorithmically created melody - based on the same scale and selected chord notes. More than different controls change the played pattern - all of them can be combined, which creates millions of melodies - without any randomness!

Pitch accumulator: The note of one step moves up or down within the scale by one or two notes every cycle of the sequence. So with just one little setting, you can create a 32 step melody from just 8 steps.

Conditional gates: For example play a step just every second time. This doubles the length of the sequence and creates musical variations - without need of randomness.

Mini arpeggiator for reapeats and ratches: Make every repeat of a step (you can repeat each step up to 16 times) use a different note. Similar for the ratchets (ratchets divide a step into multiple faster sub-steps).

Inversion: Press just one button and lower notes get higher and higher notes get lower - like a vertical mirror of your melody.

Forms like AAAB and AABB: Split up your melody into two halves - for example 16 steps are split into 8 and 8. The first half is called A, the second half is B. Now A is played three times, than once B. So the essential length of the melody is double, in a very musical way.

Activity: For each step select an activity level that is needed for the step to be played. Then with a global fader you select the activity. This allows you to make your melody more sparse or more complex - in a very controlled way and again without any randomness.

Autoreset: Restart the sequence after a fixed number of clock cycles. This is done with one fader with virtual notches.

Shift steps: Again with one fader, rotate all steps. The changes the musical timing of your melody in relation to the rest of the tracks. Again this can be undone with one flip of a fader.

Transpose by root: When this is turned on, your melody is transposed along with the root note whenever that changes.

Contents of the Moto Kit

The Moto Kit is a selection of five Droid modules. Even if you don't need a sequencer, you get these modules for a very good price as set. Or maybe your start with the sequencer but then use the free Droid Force software to change the configuration, change some of its features, add new features. Droid is a super flexible universal CV processor that is not limited to sequencing!

The Moto Kit contains the following ingredients:

MASTER18
P2B8 controller (special Moto Kit edition with red LED in button 8)
B32 controller (special Moto Kit edition with various coloured LEDs)
2x M4 motor fader controller
2x MIDI TRS-DIN adapters (type B, matching MASTER18)
USB-A to USB-C cable
All necessary ribbon cables for power and controller connection, of course.
One addition 80 cm controller cable in case you want to put the MASTER18 at a different place in your rack.
Micro SD card with standard start patch in MASTER18
Extra SD card with Motor Fader sequencer (put this into your MASTER18 to use the sequencer)
SD card reader
Folded cheat sheet for the Motor fader sequencer
3x Sticker sheet for the sequencer (three times, so you can rearrange things later if you like)
2x 1HP blind plates (if you can afford the extra space, it is recommended that you put one after MASTER18 and one between the B32 and the M4s)

Notes: The P8S8 controller is for those who love those little sliders. The sliders behave like regular pots, so we named the module P8S8 (the "S" stands for the switches).

The P8S8 has eight Alpha sliders with a range of 20 mm. As a speciality the sliders contain LEDs. Their brightness can be controlled and used for any purpose. As long as you don't use the LED registers, the brightness of the LEDs reflect the current slider positions.

At the bottom the P8S8 has eight 3-way toggle switches.

As always in the DROID universe, it can be patched as whatever comes to mind, but looking at this module, it's almost imposing to be used as modulation sequencer or ADSR controller.

Shipping includes a short ribbon cable for connecting the controller to the master or to the previous controller. If you want to place the controller further away from the master, you can purchaser longer ribbon cables here in the shop.

Current Draw: 20 mA +12V, 0 mA -12V, 0 mA 5V
Width: 8 HP
Depth: 25 mm

Notes: Welcome to the DROID X7 expander. The X7 gives you USB and MIDI connectivity for your master and also four gate outputs with modular levels.

You can process incoming and generate outgoing MIDI streams, both via classical DIN cables and via USB. Both the in and the out direction support polyphony with eight or even more voices in parallel.

For size reasons the X7 uses 3.5 mm TRS jacks for MIDI instead of the classical DIN jacks. But it comes with two DIN to TRS adapters, so you are free to use either form factor.

As a bonus feature, the X7 provides super fast loading of DROID patches via USB - without any need for putting the SD card in and out anymore.

Here are some examples of what you can do with the X7:

Attach an external keyboard to your modular.
Use an external hardware sequencer for playing melodies and beats in your modular.
Use an external MIDI controller to influence your DROID patch.
Do the same with a MIDI controller app on your tablet or phone (via USB).
Use your modular for playing polyphonic music and beats on your hardware synths or software synth plugins in your DAW, tablet or phone.
Connect two DROIDs (both with X7) and exchange real time CVs and triggers.
Use the four additional gate outputs on the X7 for sending clocks, gates and triggers and free your valuable CV outputs for other things.
Access the SD card in your master just like a USB stick for direct access to it via your PC, Mac, phone or tablet.
Alternatively load new patches to your master via MIDI sysex from your PC - and get your new patch ideas up and running in less than a second.

Dimensions
4 HP
23 mm deep

Current Draw
94 mA +12V
0 mA -12V
0 mA 5V