How to typically clock a virtual module from the outside?

Still a newbie here. I used the Valley topography (grids) in my patch and patched the Gate 1 to clock it externally. I triggered and clocked it from NerdSeq but nothing happens. How does one typically clock a virtual module (grids, seq, marbles) into Meta? Thanks for reading!

Robert.

I use gate 1 in if I want to do it via cv. then use panel jack gate 1 → module clock/trig.

or you can use midi, and map that to the jack.

note: Ive not tried topography, but been using various other modules like marbles etc.

I have noticed you need to be a bit careful with how modules are setup initially in MM, they often default to some ‘odd’ settings (that are different from vcv desktop) which can cause confusion.

also, its a shame we have little in the way of feedback on cables/jacks (e.g. no scope/voltage readouts), which can make it tricky determine the underlying cause.

Do gate 1 and gate 2 inputs have to be gate signals or can we use them for any input?

they have to be binary - high/low. (i.e. not continuous voltage like CV)
apart from that, you can use for anything you want.
e.g. as above, I often use for clock and run (or reset)
note: gate 1/2 can also takes trigs, not just gates

basically, its a digital input, rather than analog…
Id guess, the gate label was considered a little more ‘user friendly’ than Digital 1 / 2.

note : you can also (obviously) use cv 1-6 for gates/trigs, its just voltage for them.

Q. @danngreen - whats the high voltage level for gate in 1/2?
often in eurorack it’s around 2v? - might be worth including on tech specs?
(or perhaps I missed :slight_smile: )

I figured it out. Topography requires a high resolution clock (PPQN). When I set NerdSeq’s CLOCK OUT to Din Sync 24 it works.

I played with Topography last night… indeed its very confusing.

eventually, I found two issues.

a) 24 ppqn
in vcv (desktop) you can actually select clock rate ppqn on module menu but here on MM that option does not exist.
which is why you dont know what it takes… whereas its clear within vcv.

b) Tempo knob has to be set to ZERO to use external clock.
I think in vcv if it detects an external clock this automatically happens. also this is labelled as EXT so its obvious what is going on.

in MM, this external clock detection does not appear to happen… not does the knob have any indication that you need to set to zero to select ‘ext’

not sure what the best solution is , it would be good if it worked the same as vcv desktop @danngreen ?

For comparison, here’s how MI Grids works: knob is fully counter clockwise to use external clock, for the rest of its rotation it selects the speed of its internal clock. There is no clock detection, external clock is ignored unless knob is at zero.
Holding down a button selects between 4,8 and 24 ppqn.

because when MI created grids, they didnt use jack detection - later modules did e.g. marbles.

vcv has jack detection, this is why in vcv desktop Topography auto sets tempo to zero, it does not within mm.
issue here is, all we see on MM is 0% for tempo , no hint whatsoever that this is required to utilise a clock.

usability is important on a module like MM, since you may have lots of modules available and not use them frequently.

add how is that done in Topography on the MM?
its a menu in vcv, which is not present on MM.

I think the ‘guiding light’ here is simple…
I tried to get Topography to work on the MM, externally clocked via my Hermod+… and even though @Cinematic had already mentioned that it required a 24ppqn clock signal, to get it to work - I still had to go back to my Mac, recreate the patch in vcv to see what was going on.

this is becoming, unfortunately, all too common experience for me with the MM.
partly due to lack of scopes/visual feedback and ‘odd’ (different from vcv) module initialisation.

hence why I commented on this about the ‘issues’ I saw on Topography.

I think since more people are likely to be trying to match a patch made on VCV than with hardware modules, it should match the functionality of the VCV/Valley version.
It sounds like adding the right-click menu options to the MetaModule version of Topography would solve it. I’ll double check the Ext clock jack detection is working the same, too (the code for it is present)

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Ah, I see the issue with the jack detection. On the Valley VCV version, the Clock knob jumps to 0 when the jack is patched. On the MM, you have to manually turn it. I think I can make a workaround for that easily.

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exactly, this is what I said…

also, in vcv (topography) the tempo is displayed underneath the tempo dial (as text).
so when this is set to ‘zero’, that text changes to Ext.

I know, this is small details, but (imo) in ui/ux it is often about small details esp, when you are using different blocks of functionality regularly… so don’t have the ‘muscle memory’ to know the details/quirks.

ofc, I spent 15 mins discovering this with Topology, and then discussing here - so will never forget, but hopefully it’ll help others :slight_smile:

Ah ok, I see now what you meant by “Topography auto sets tempo to zero”.
Hmm… so we could also have the knob label be a dynamic text element that says “Ext” or the BPM. With v2.0 the knob can also stay locked to the 0% position (in v1.x API the user can move it, but it’ll have no effect).

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Is there a module available for MM that does the same as Impromptu CLKD module ?

probably the closest is RebelTech CLK, but maybe you’re thinking of something beyond base clocking…

I would love a module with the mode option as the CLKD module. Leading external clock from Ableton/Yarns into MM gives me extremely fast sequencers in some cases. The options of the CLKD module is perfect for dealing with this.

Why not try contacting Prof Marc Boule from Impromptu on the VCV forum and see if he’ll consider porting CLKD? He’s very approachable.