Developer Jason Hotchkiss – creator of the Arpie arpeggiator, Le Strum MIDI controller and the CV.OCD MIDI to CV converter – has launched an IndieGoGo project to fund production of his new Noodlebox sequencer.

Noodlebox is a four part sequencer for making electronic music. It has analog CV/Gate outputs for each part and also supports MIDI.

Other features include Euclidean rhythm gate sequencing, ratcheting, probability, micro-timing, swing, accent & slides, MIDI looping and more.

Here’s what Hotchkiss has to say about the new sequencer:

The idea of Noodlebox came about from experience playing with simple knob-based step sequencers such as the Korg SQ-1, and in particular some experiments I did with linking multiple SQ-1s together in interesting ways (setting different sequence lengths/clock divisions, adding pitch CVs, multiplexing between CV outputs, swapping gates between sequencers and so on). What got me most excited were the quirky grooves and melodies that emerged; unplanned but inspiring to build upon, tweak and refine.

Noodlebox is intended to bring that kind of fun experimentation and serendipitous workflow into a single compact device. With over a year of jamming with the prototype I have expanded the functionality into what I hope is a very immediate and hands-on live sequencer, perfectly paired with Eurorack and desktop analog synths in improvisational setups.

Features:

• Noodlebox has four independent sequencer layers, each with a CV/Gate output. Each layer runs separately to the others (although staying in sync) and has its own step count, clock division etc.
• Each layer has four pages of up to 32 steps each. Pages can be used for A/B/C/D type pattern variations, for verse/chorus type song sections or chained to make a single pattern of up to 128 steps. You can cue up lists of pages for automatic cycling (up to 32 pages). Arranging pages is designed to be quick and easy to do creatively in a live setting.
• Each step has a value range of 0-127 corresponding to row position of the data point in the scrolling window. This value corresponds to a chromatic or scale-forced note pitch CV (V/Oct or Hz/V output) or to a general purpose modulation CV (0 to 8V range).
• User-entered CV points can be padded or interpolated into empty steps for fast creation of melodies and modulation slopes without the need to enter a value at every step. Voltage slew can be introduced between data points.
• Gate points can easily be edited separately from CV points, so you can experiment with the rhythm of a fixed melody and vice-versa. The gate length (duty) is adjustable at layer level and any step can be “tied” to the next for legato play or rhythmic variation.
• Gates can be set manually or by Euclidean algorithm. Each gate point can be assigned probability, retrigger/ratchet and accent (for MIDI velocity). Gate timing can be micro-offset for swing and slide effects, with or without randomness.
• All layers can output MIDI notes or controller change (CC) messages, on shared or different MIDI channels. MIDI notes from an external keyboard can also be recorded and quantized into the grid while the sequence plays. Use Noodlebox as a MIDI looper just as intuitively as a guitar looper pedal.
• Layers 2, 3, 4 can internally modulate the CV output of the previous layer by summing with it or overlaying it. This requires no special cable patching and can be used for automated transposition or adding simple variations to a sequence, right up to meandering microtonal craziness.
• Editing features such as cloning and erasing data points, shifting patterns in pitch and timing, setting loop point and play direction, adding randomness (and taking it away again) are designed to be hands-on and creatively useful in a live setting.
• Eight memory slots store the whole of the Noodlebox session (all four layers). An auto save memory slot is used when shutting down using the OFF button, so that you can pick up where you left off when you turn it on again. A special memory slot can also be prepared as a “template” for new sessions to save commonly used settings.

Pricing and Availability

Noodlebox production is being funded via a crowdfunding project, and it is available to backers for $375 USD.