#28

Added a second HD3 to the main case. Had the most beautifully breathy saxophones coming out of them this afternoon. Absolutely amazing sounding module…

2020-11-09-025537847
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#29

Welcome to the SH2 club. This video shows a great overview of how this amazing module works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajDtWHukOec

Press and hold the rotary encoder, then press the DESTINATION button to find out what firmware version is currently installed on the module. There is a lot of contradicting info about the firmware update all over the internet. Besides the info at the IME website I used these two sources and got the job done:


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#30

I find the look and a lot of the features of the Stilson Hammer MKII very appealing. The main thing that keeps me a bit reluctant is controlling the gates and CV of ofur channels with one set of sliders. I find this already a bit cumbersome on the Hertz Donut but at least independent gate buttons would have been great (though obviously no way to place them on the faceplate).

Of course it is very obvious, that despite of me thinking that it would be impossible to use it this way, a lot of people really like it and it would not have been designed and sold if it would not make any sense at all. But I still have a feeling that this conecpt only really works with digital encoders as compared to analogue sliders.

So I wonder how are people using it and how the design influences the way you are sequencing stuff? I somehow would expect me to use only one channel most of the time or try to build up something more complex and than hardly touch it again.

#31

I have a SHmk2 and I like it so much, although there are at least a couple of things I would love to be slightly different, like the non-ability to actually use a real probability function on ratchet (who gots one probably knows what I’m talking about) and a couple of bugs never fixed. Anyway I can’t get rid of it!
The immediacy you have using it is remarkable in my opinion! I use it for drums and to sequence sample slices on ER-301.
A month ago I bought a Monome Grid and a White Whale module by 2nd hand to use it while I’m waiting to Ansible being available again and I thought to sell the SHmk2, but once again I’ve not being able to get rid of it…

Now, This summer, on Scott Instagram Account, popped up a pic of something seemed a new sequencer, at the beginning I thought it could’ve an expander, but a week ago I’ve noticed SHmk2 was out of production… (anyone knows when the sequencer went out of prod. actually??)

So, doing i lil bit of “maths“, seems we will see a new IME sequencer ???

Shoot your shot please, let me know if you know something more clear than my conjectures.

#32

I see your point. I came from a Metropolis, so also had to adapt to the SH2 concept. First of all switching between the gate and cv pages is easy and I find the visual feedback more than sufficient during live use. I improv a lot and it is here the module really shines. I use it for tons of random generation on the fly. But the module is also great for further ‘micro editing’.

There are 3 features that help getting a grip on gate and CV while remaining on the CV page:

  1. press the ENCODER to reveal which steps have active gates on the slider LED’s.
  2. move a slider to change pitch, the display will show you note number and octave.
    3 you can always generate random gates by pressing the the RANDOM+GATE buttons, even if you’re on the CV page.

With the A and/or B assignable controllers routed to CV plus the 16 cv sliders, you can do two hand magic when it comes to creating transpositions, build ups and other melodic wizardry. Hitting INT+CV will take the entire sequence back to the root note. Great for break-down after a huge build up.

(PS: I learned this weekend that in August Scott posted a picture of what might a detail of an SH3 concept. Unconfirmed yet exciting.)

#33

big same. its really great to set up a totally random sequence (including direction) and then throw it into ‘cv tie’ mode or whatever its called where the cv only updates if there is a gate on the same step, and then, as volt mentioned there, micro edit. being able to chain gates is also really great when have a slow, prodding sequence…great for really looooong envelopes.

yeah, i’m not holding my breathe on a mk3 just yet (hell, some of us are still waiting for escalation dominance in 2020) but if and when it shows up, and to my point earlier up-thread, i’ll be curious to see if it replaces a mk2 or if i am going to have to find some way to get them side by side, though i imagine in 6U thats going to be nearly impossible.

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#34

So, you are using it more in vain of the MKI and Zorlon Cannon, right? Just with a bit more oppotunities for hands on interventions and occasional adjustments. I think from that angle it makes more sens to me. There are not too many sequencer modules where all pots are sliders and can be grabbed with on hand just so. I haven’t thought in that direction until now. I guess I am more of a controll feak with sequencing. For example I like the Zorlon a lot but also tend to meticulously control the clock input and how to devide it over time so the pseudo random gates all match just right before I AND combine them with a controll gate signal just to switch Tyme Sefaris modes or induce circuit bend crackles. It reminds me a bit of the old Turing Machine CV Expansion with the sliders where the bit pattern makes it basically impossible to really plan a sequence but you still can induce some kind of tendency when changin them.

#35

uThunder
uThunder1080×1080 80.1 KB

got this guy fully working yesterday for the tyme sefari. passive 2hp cv/gate control over the SOT pitch/circuit bending functions. the vactrol response is pretty damn fast all things considered. not perfect, but for the cost of a multiple panel, some jacks and some leds…hard to beat.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHgCyu5h7xn/
(second slide is a video demo)

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#36

Would love to hear any thoughts from anyone who has a stillson hammer mk1 racked.

#37

I would be interested to hear about the SKI experience too. It looks interesting and I somehow adore its oldfashionedness but then I have a teletype and Meadowphysics and alwayss end up thinking that I have the functionality more or less covered. Looka like a nice partner for the Tyme Sefari though. It does not seem to be synchronizable to a main clock in all versions?.

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#38

i could go on and on and the mk1 for a while, its definitely an unsung hero in both the harvest lineup, as well as euro in general. yeah, it’s called a burst generator, but thats not really doing it any favors. its crazy flexible as clock divider, burst generator, sequencer (when paired with a bipolar mixer) and random trigger source. i would even go so far as to say that i could easily throw out my zorlon mk1 and replace it with a second hammer, as i don’t get much milage out of the noise section as i thought i might and the hammer’s offers much more complex output randomization than the cannon, imo.

the playability of the manual burst generator is one of its important selling points (as demonstrated in that video link i posted above) and i can’t really think of its equivalent in euro… but the fact that it will accept a clock in OR a dummy cable (coughstillsonnailcough) to get it to run kinda puts it over the top in terms of adding to the versatility. the threshold mode is also pretty wild when you pair it with a wonky modulation input, and works very similarly to how the xaoc drezno works in terms of gate derivation, but doesn’t have all the noise on lower bits like drezno does.

anyway its comes highly recommended from me if you can find one, but if you have a more specific use case i’m always happy to test whatever.

stillson mk1 did have an update along the way that allows it to sync to external clocks. flick the mode button till all the lights are off, turn the clock freq knob all the way CCW and insert the clock in to the clock freq cv with the attenuator all the way CW

#39

I have heard of this but was not sure - is it a firmware update or was the hardware physically updated?

#40

i am not 100% sure, but i believe it was fw oriented…but it happened so early on that there are probably very few out there that don’t have the upgrade already done by scott before distribution

#41

serendipitous trade this weekend has led to my first jump into ime with a stillson hammer mk2!

all the buttons on it are pretty loose and jiggly - wondering if this is just how they are? couldn’t find anyone talking about this anywhere.

more importantly, if anyone has some favorite tricks they’d like to share i’m all ears!

#42

yeah the led button jiggle is standard on all harvest-tech for sure.

while its not exactly a novel function any more, the cv/gate tie is great, as is the ability to divide the track speeds down into what is basically sloth territory for slow sequences/long envelope times.

if ever you find yourself in need of an offset, have an unused track, and you wanna drive a ferarri through a school zone, you can set one track to 2 steps and set both gate sliders to max, tying them together…then output that track’s gate out to an attenuator/verter and boom, offset.

also you can get things really into left field by sequencing one or two voices and then using one or two other tracks to use as modulation sources for the assignable cv controllers for the first two tracks

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#43

Tricks to perform two hand magic when it comes to creating transpositions, build ups and other melodic wizardry:

  • Route the A (and/or B) assignable controllers to the CV of one or more channels. Route cv to pitch of osc.
  • Use left hand to control A/B controller(s), or use external cv to control these parameters (I use the Lightstrip module a lot for this).
  • Use right hand to control the 16 cv sliders.
  • Use both hands to transpose/manipulate/mangle the cv to manually create variation in the melody.
  • Throw in some further live manipulation (random gates, bursts, clock divisions, sequencer direction variation, etc) and you’ll be able to keep stuff interesting for a very long time.

And hitting INT+CV will take the entire sequence back to the root note (provided A/B levels are set to zero). Great for a break-down after a huge melodic build up.

Curious to learn what stuff you come up with. Please share!

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#44

Yeah, they’re all pretty jiggly…

#45

After a brief trip home to meet its maker, my Stillson Hammer is headed home. I have the week off to get to know it. If I do not check in here, throw a bucket of food and water into the studio…

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#46

even tho i now have only the zorlon cannon mk2 and hertz donut mk2, IME\harvestman is my favourite single eurorack manufacturer, and if i had to build a single brand system it will surely be IME (doepfer would be my second choice). i sold a couple of ime modules and now totally regret it. pretty sure sooner or later i’ll buy back the Tyme Sefari mk2, even if i have an er-301 that can cover that ground and tons more, there is an esoteric appeal to the sefari that’s not present in any other module i found. i recorded a series of improvisations (titled “music for scrying”) based on the sefari, in each of them it managed to conjure up really eerie sounds out of thin air, especially very haunting voices. i swear it was scary at times :slight_smile:

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#47

… but totally solid in my experience. Never had an IME LED button fail on me in many years of use.

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