The Gate Sequencer, commonly know as a TranceGate is a sequencer which uses clock pulses to retrigger Envelopes and other events.  It is then possible to create the rhythmic sequencers used throughout electronic music. The Astralis Trancegate is polyphonic and so can be used to create complex Polyrhythms.



The Buttons represent 32 positions of the sequence, blue indicates that  this slot will send a retrigger.  The pulses cycle through the top 16 left to right and the through the second row (assuming forwrd and 32 steps is selected; see below).

• RESET BUTTONS - Green button to the left will switch all to ON or a subsequent click will set all to OFF.
• SHIFT LEFT/RIGHT - The Triangle buttons will move the pattern either left or right by 1 step.
• DEFAULT - Sets the Section to its default values
• RANDOMIZE - Randomizes the most useful settings in the Section.

• FLIP - This will reverse the Buttons, if RND Lock is ON, it will only reverse the active section, otherwise it will reverse the full range.
• RND LOCK - Locks the random mode to only affect the active steps when using Randomize, Flip or Shift Range, otherwise they will all affect the entire range.
• RETRIGGER - Restarts the sequencer  with each note press, this is usually best left on for most purposes.
• RANDOMIZE - Randomizes the Buttons.

• TEMPO - Selects the current clock tempo for the sequencer.
• STEPS - Decides how many steps will be used.
• DIRECTION - Selects the play direction from the following:
• Forward - Plays notes start to end and then restarts.
• Reverse - Plays End to Start and the starts from the end again.
• Random - Selects a random value for each step, same notes can occur.
• Alternate - Plays front to back and then back to front.
• POLARITY - Selects how the second output behaves. The second output affects S2 Env and S1 S Start:
• Normal - Same as Main Sequencer Output.
• Full Polarity -  Output 2 will play all Off positions.
• Single Note -  Output 2 will play only the first off position of a row of off positions.

NOTE:  An example of the Polarity setting in action is that if S1 Env and S2 Env are selected in the destinations and Polarity is set to Full, Synth 1 will play on all On Notes, Synth 2 will play on all OFF notes, so they won't play at the same time.  If polrity was set to single note only the first OFF position would play on Synth 2, great for creating bass notes in a sequence.

 

• S1 Sample Start - Retriggers Synth 1's  sample back to the start slider position. Can be glitchy but can be a nice effect. Note that this uses the sequencers second output and so obeys the polarity setting.
• S2 Sample Start - Retriggers Synth 2's Sample back to the Start slider position.
• S1 Envelope - Retriggers Synth 1's Volume Envelope - Note you should use small Release times to avoid clicks from note stealing.
• S2 Envelope - Retriggers Synth 2's Volume Envelope - Note you should use small Release times to avoid clicks from note stealing, additionally this uses the polarity setting.
• Envelope 3 - Retriggers Envelope 3.

This effects the length of the pulse, note at fast tempos pulses can cancel each other out like a latch effect when using high values.