# Main - Micro Sequence Acid Bass with Tape Echo - SignalPath Patch: [[Patches/Main - Micro Sequence Acid Bass with Tape Echo]] ## Overview The Micro Sequence writes the line, the Mother-32 is the acid voice, Stages and the sliders shape the filter, and the Disting is the tape echo. The A-540 sends it out. Micro Sequence and A-180-1 jack silk-screens are check panel. ```mermaid flowchart LR MS[Micro Sequence] -- "pitch" --> M32[Mother-32 pulse bass] MS -- "gate" --> Mult[A-180-1] Mult --> M32 Mult --> St[Stages AD envelope] St --> Sh[Shades mix] MS -- "slider CV" --> Sh Sh --> M32 M32 --> D[Disting D-2 tape delay] D -- "A / B" --> O[A-540 line out] linkStyle 0 stroke:#9e9e9e,stroke-width:3px linkStyle 1 stroke:#d62828,stroke-width:3px linkStyle 2 stroke:#d62828,stroke-width:3px linkStyle 3 stroke:#d62828,stroke-width:3px linkStyle 4 stroke:#1e63d6,stroke-width:3px linkStyle 5 stroke:#1e63d6,stroke-width:3px linkStyle 6 stroke:#1e63d6,stroke-width:3px linkStyle 7 stroke:#e0b800,stroke-width:3px linkStyle 8 stroke:#e0b800,stroke-width:3px ``` **Cable colors:** [[Cable Colors]] after [Learning Modular](https://learningmodular.com/choosing-patch-cables/): ⚪ Gray 1 V/oct · 🔵 Blue modulation · 🟡 Yellow audio · 🔴 Red gates/triggers · 🟢 Green clock/sync · ⚫ Black external ## Why it squelches The Mother-32 plays a pulse wave with the width just under noon, cutoff low, and resonance at 2 o'clock, which is below the self-oscillation point the manual puts above 3 o'clock. VCF MOD AMOUNT is at zero, so the only cutoff motion comes from Shades. The sequencer stays stopped in KB mode, keys untouched, because the external pitch sums with the KB CV. ## Why muted steps still move the filter The Micro Sequence gate is split by the A-180-1: one copy fires the Mother-32 VCA, the other fires a snappy Stages AD envelope (segments 5 and 6 on RAMP) into Shades channel 2. The Micro Sequence analog CV, which follows the sliders from 0 to 5 V, goes into Shades channel 1. Channel 2's output carries both, so each note gets a filter blip plus a per-step brightness. Pull a slider to the bottom and that step is muted, but the analog CV still follows the slider, so the filter still moves. Stages can reach 8 V and VCF CUTOFF takes −5 to +5 V, so keep Shades below 2 o'clock or the filter pins open. ## Why the repeats sound like tape The Mother-32 VCA output goes into Disting D-2 Tape Delay. Output mode 1 puts the mix on both A and B, tape length is about 300 ms, and Z sets the feedback. Nudge tape speed and the repeats pitch-bend, the way tape does. ## Short version The Micro Sequence is the composer, the Mother-32 is the 303, and the Disting is the tape machine.