Mutable Instruments Grids 1/2: Basic Operation

The MI Grids produced three channels of drum (or other) triggers with manual and voltage control over the underlying rhythm pattern and how many hits per measure are produced per drum channel. This video gives an overview of its basic operation; the next video ( • Mutable Instruments Gr... ) dives into its advanced settings options. This video breaks down into the following sections:
00:00 quick overview
00:38 clocking
00:59 starting pattern
01:47 Fill (trigger density)
03:32 Map X & Y (pattern)
06:07 Chaos (random fills)
07:19 Accent
Learning Modular Patreon subscribers ( / learningmodular ) also have access to an additional informational post about this module.

[@octochrome]

Thanks 🙏 I bought this module after watching your video 👌

[@LearningModular]

I hope you enjoy it as much as I still do!

[@ajsmcs]

Thank you for making this. I'd had the damnedest time trying to get anything useful out of it to the point where it was the only module I'd regretted building. At the time I couldn't find any tutorials on how to make it work the way I wanted it. Now that I know what I was doing wrong, I'm psyched to give it a try again. :)

[@Antonrl93]

When you plugged that accent trigger in, I died! amazing tutorial!!!

[@Deep_Flux]

Thank you for this tutorial!🙏🏼

[@MarkoDeLaVoota]

great , you sold it to me 👍🏻

[@BadWisdom523]

Great video. I’ve been having a lot of fun controlling the X and Y with a Planar 2, the fills modulated with Frames and and a Theremin module to control the Chaos.

[@oyoyoyo7624]

That sounds fab

[@Audiorial]

hello, thank you. half of the sounds are panned far left and the other far right.

[@luxaeterna8481]

Just heard that Grids has been discontinued (as of March 2021), so grab one while you can. I expect there will still be clones available, though.

[@madmac66]

Dammit, I knew I recognized that voice. Sure enough I look at the about page and there you are. The same Chris that taught me After Effects all those years ago. So cool to see you into the modular world and making electronic music. Are you and Trish still in Santa Fe?

[@LearningModular]

An hour south of Santa Fe. We love it out here.

[@NICUofficial]

This is module is particularly interesting to me because it has this "early modern Eurorack feel", don't know how to explain it. Don't know if it's really going to stay in my main rig in 2022 onwards, but it's nice for demoing drum sounds and really quickly getting a beat underneath something. The clocking is super-weird though... it's optimized more for MIDI clocks than modular clocks!

[@LearningModular]

You'll find in part 2 how to change the clocking. I currently have mine set up to follow 1/16 note clocks, as I'm using the outputs to drive sequencer patterns as often as to play percussion. 24 ppqn did come from early drum machines and MIDI, but it's not uncommon to find Eurorack modules that can follow that as well (Pamela's New Workout immediately springs to mind, along with the Vector sequencer, I believe the Metron sequencer, and others).

[@NICUofficial]

@@LearningModular very interesting info thank you!!

[@precarious333]

Sounds like Skinny Puppy. I love my Grids!

[@RawVeganRising]

precarious333 - Deep Down Trauma Hounds (Remix)

[@brianobush]

yesss!

[@DJfreddyfresh]

so the three triggers are outputs? I notice you are triggering the Pico inputs? So clock runs all three voices on the Grids? Great video man

[@LearningModular]

Yes - Grids has three trigger outputs, plus accents for each of those channels. All coordinated from a central clock. There are also Fill parameters for each channel, and an overall Chaos (variation) control. Grids is still the center of my percussion programming.

[@DJfreddyfresh]

@@LearningModular thanks currently using Queen Of Pentacles but considering this as I'm a Mutable fan

[@monsieurmurphy]

Hi Chris, This is a great tutorial (and or convinced me to: 1. Pick up a Grids module on eBay; and 2. Sign up for one of your modular courses). I have a quick question. What’s the background, behind the drums, what are you using to generate that? Thanks in advance! Keep up the great work.

[@LearningModular]

The Mother-32 plus a second oscillator from a Disting are creating the voice behind the drums. You can see in the section in Accents (7:19 onward) that I'm also using a second envelope from the Roland to add in longer decays on the Mother's voice.

[@russ254]

came here hoping to find this, thanks

[@VictorSteiner]

Have you taken any security measures to not damage the Mother-32 with incoming CVs over 5volts over time?

[@LearningModular]

No security measures needed. Eurorack-compatible modules need to be designed to take at least +/-10v. I've been sending well over +/-5v to the aux in for a coupe of years now without issue (aside from the fact that it starts to go into asymmetrical clipping once you go over +/-5v).

[@jamesbtex58]

Hey Chris, where can I find those LED couplers?? I haven't seen anything like that until this video.

[@LearningModular]

I had some from San Pedro Soundlabs, but he doesn't make them any more, and they don't work great at all angles. I think there are some better ones available now that add LEDs to the end of plugs; you would need a splitter to send one copy to the LED plug and another to its actual destination.

[@jamesreynolds2190]

Thanks for this. Are you using the CV output from the Max 25?

[@LearningModular]

Most of the time, I use the MIDI out through an Expert Sleepers FH-1 so I can also get its velocity, aftertouch, and values from its faders. learningmodular.com/unlocking-the-expert-sleepers-fh-1-faderhost/

[@jamesreynolds2190]

@@LearningModular Thanks that's really helpful to know. I was hoping to use the CV output though to send a clock trigger to the Delptronics trigger man v2 if I decide to get that for my mini case of various drum modules.

[@LearningModular]

It doesn't really have a clock out (unless you're using MIDI). When its arpeggiator is running, or if you have its step sequencer going with a note for every clock division, you can use its analog Gate out to trigger other modules; I do that sometimes. But it's not a good clock master, otherwise.

[@JadanDuffin127]

Hey Chris, where can I find those LED couplers you have @ 7:56 kzbin.info/www/bejne/ombcf2OEa8aHrdU Thanks for the knowledge over the years, you and Trish taught me everything about AE and now Im so happy youre here on my new journey with modular!

[@jamesbtex58]

I would also like the answer to this question. I'm surprised that after 3 months no one has answered this question. Chris can you please tell us where to get these??

[@effyiew7318]

Wish you would have never changed the second sound to a kick. You got all into variation and chaos and all the interesting features and used two kick drums instead of a kick and snare. What a waste.

[@LearningModular]

Personal tastes. For a lot of music, a prominent snare is great. For what I do, I like the listener to focus on a sequence or lead line floating above the bass, and the snare can compete with that, so I like using a double kick to propel things along as a heavy undercurrent. And I happen to like the sound of a double kick driven by the kick + snare channels of Grids or Knight's Gallop or whatever, panned a bit left & right to really whip the head around under headphones.