Jam Jam#

Four-channel trigger and gate processor with three modes.

Overview
Etymology
Power
Input & output voltages
Interface
Patch tutorial
Design notes
Warranty
Special thanks

Overview#

Jam Jam is a four-channel trigger and gate processor with three modes: Random, Clock Phase, and Gate Delay. JJ is so versatile, you’ll find use for it in every patch.

Add a bit of variety to your patch with Random mode: use four channels of individually adjustable probability to process gate or trigger patterns.

Use Clock Phase mode to add some organic feel to your sequences—or break them in and out of sync completely.

Gate Delay mode is a powerful timing tool useful for anything from precise adjustments for latency compensation to big changes for creative patching: delay events from sub-millisecond adjustments to huge delays of over 15 seconds.

Jam Jam is a musical and fun utility you won’t want to be without. And with voltage control over each channel in all modes, Jam Jam is a completely new way to work with binary signals in your patches.

Type: Trigger/gate/clock processor
Size: 6 HP
Depth: .9 inches
Power: 2x5 Eurorack
+12 V: 40mA
-12 V: 10mA

Etymology#

Jam -- from English: "to improvise on a musical instrument with a group; to take part in a jam session"

Jam -- from English: "a difficult situation or state of affairs"

or Jam -- from British English: "a fruit spread; very delicious on toast with tea"

"A difficult jam session (we’ve all been there) but there are great snacks"

Power#

Power connector

To power your Noise Engineering module, turn off your case. Plug one end of your ribbon cable into your power board so that the red stripe on the ribbon cable is aligned to the side that says -12 V and each pin on the power header is plugged into the connector on the ribbon. Make sure no pins are overhanging the connector! If they are, unplug it and realign.

Line up the red stripe on the ribbon cable so that it matches the white stripe and/or -12 V indication on the board and plug in the connector.

Screw your module into your case before powering on the module. You risk bumping the module's PCB against something metallic and damaging it if it's not properly secured when powered on.

You should be good to go if you followed these instructions. Now go make some noise!

A final note. Some modules have other headers -- they may have a different number of pins or may say "not power". In general, unless a manual tells you otherwise, do not connect those to power.

Input & output voltages#

Jam Jam’s trigger inputs have a threshold of about 1.8 V. Its trigger outputs are about 6 V. Its CV inputs have a range of 0 V to +5 V; CV outside of this range will not harm the module but will be clipped.

Interface#

The Jam Jam interface

Jam Jam is a four-channel trigger and gate processor with three modes. The mode behaviors are described below. Mode selection applies to all four channels, but channel values can be edited separately. Each channel has a button that enables or disables it for editing; when a channel is enabled for editing, the LED next to its button will flash, and turning the encoder will change its settings. Multiple channels can be adjusted at the same time. If multiple channels are set to different values and then edited simultaneously, the encoder will respect the difference in their settings as they are adjusted further.

In 1-4: Gate/trigger/clock inputs. Pulsewidth is respected in all modes (minimum 5ms). Inputs are normalled top to bottom. Patching to an input breaks normaling from channels above.
Out 1-4: Gate/trigger outputs.
CV in 1-4: CV inputs for each channel. Responds to 0 V - 5 V.
Channel buttons 1-4: Used to select which channels are edited by the encoder. Channel selection does not affect CV response. Channel LEDs flash when selected.
Clear: Resets selected channels to minimum. Tapping again after resetting takes selected channels to their previous settings.
Edit (encoder): Adjusts selected channels. Press and turn for coarse adjustments, or turn for fine tuning. Channel behavior varies depending on mode (described below).
Rnd/Phs/Dly: Mode select switch.

Rnd (Random): A probability mode. Randomly skips gates. The encoder and CV input adjusts likelihood that a gate will be passed through, from 0% to 100%. Tracks the incoming gate pulse width (minimum 5mS).
Phs (Clock Phase): Different from a traditional trigger delay, this algorithm adjusts the phase of an incoming clock based on clock period, useful for creating slightly out-of-sync and varied sequencer timing. The encoder and CV input adjust phase offset. The algorithm used for phasing keeps track of incoming pulses and compensates for incoming modulation, so sequencers will be kept in sync even with extreme modulation and high BPMs (over 80hz/200 BPM at 24ppqn). It also tracks pulse width of incoming clock signals (minimum 5mS).
Dly (Gate Delay): A simple trigger/gate delay. The encoder and CV input adjust delay time, from roughly 50uS (0.05mS) to over 15s. The delay tracks incoming gate pulse width (minimum 5mS).