Jiggery-Pokery Steerpike BBD Delay Ensemble Delay User manual

v2.1.0
Produced and Designed by Matt Black
Additional redesign by esselfortium
Coding by Pitchblende Ltd for Jiggery-Pokery
© 2014, 2017 Jiggery-Pokery Sound
All rights reserved.
AVAILABLE IN THE
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Steerpike BBD Delay Ensemble
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Steerpike BBD Delay Ensemble
Steerpike is a multi-tap delay providing up to six delay lines, based on the classic Bucket Brigade Delay integrated circuits of
the 1970s and 1980s, found in many a classic delay pedal.
BBD Delay
A BBD is a type of Integrated Circuit (IC), which is a Sample & Hold device with a fixed number of stages, known as a delay
line; an audio input would be held as if it was a bucketful of water being passed along a line of people (hence, “bucket
brigade”). For a chip such as the SAD512D, think of it as if there were 512 people in the line. Other BBD ICs had differing
lengths, up to 4096 stages.
Although Steerpike is not designed to be a literal recreation of a specific BBD—they have different dynamic ranges, SNR and
THD figures etc, not to mention sound differences caused purely by changes in operating temperature—or a particular delay
module, this super-BBD-ensemble-delay has been designed to give you the flexibility to sculpt your delay by giving access to
a breadth of parameters you would not normally be able to access: it can be as subtle or insane as you choose!
Steerpike overview
Six BBD delay lines are available in Steerpike, Delay Lines 1 to 6. Each BBD can have independent delay times, set by number of stages (#), time (ms) or tempo synced to the Reason transport. For the first time in Reason, tempo sync ranges are no
longer entirely determined and limited by the designer: you can select any beat division from /2 (minim) to /16 (semiquaver)
and all halved and triplet steps up to /256 using the Subdivision control, and any the number of delays to that division using
the Duration control, from 1 to 16. Thus you can create flexible and creative tempo synced delay times such as 3/7, 13/5, 3/2,
5/3, 2/15 as well as the Reason standard 3/16, 1/8 and so on.
Each Delay Line supports up to eight seconds of delay time, regardless of the sample rate or song tempo, and each Delay
Line can be independently set as a reverse delay without feedback.
The delay time is linked to the global BBD clock rate, and so the delay time will be correct for whatever the clock rate is set to.
Steerpike features a dual LFO for delay time modulation, an envelope, low and high pass filters, a three channel EQ, and
separate pan control for the dry input. Each Delay Line also has a Tap Out and Tap In audio connection, essentially send
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and return breakout jacks for feedback loops. Audio can be input directly before the BBD of each Tap, and can be sent out
directly after the BBD Tap level adjust. The Tap In has its own level adjust on the front panel.
GLOBAL Section
Bypass/On/Off Switch
This is an important control! In an emergency, if the delay audio is doing things you would rather it not be doing, set this to
Off to immediately stop audio output. This will also purge all the delay lines. Setting to Bypass will not clear the delays.
Delay Type
Steerpike features five alternative modes: X-Stereo, Parallel, Serial, Feedback and
Ping-Pong. Select the desired mode by clicking the Mode display and selecting
from the pop-up menu.
Some modes make use of pairs of BBDs, in which case a “Link” indicator will
light up between Delay Lines 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 5 and 6. Each Mode is
explained in later in this guide (page 12).
Gate (Audio to Delay Line In)
This useful oversized button turns the delay line gate off and on. If turned off,
no audio enters the delay lines, and is only passed to the Dry/Wet mixer in the Dry output. When on, the audio is also passed
to the delay lines.
What is particularly useful about the Gate function is that turning it off doesn’t clear the delay line, so it allows you to shut
off new audio into the delay line while still allowing the already delayed audio in them to progress and finish playing. With
infinite delays—where feedback set to 100%—this is especially important, as you can effectively record the delay like a loop,
letting it play indefinitely, while shutting off the delay line input to prevent it swamping the dry signal as you continue playing a unique input over the top with the dry signal.
Try mapping Gate to your sustain pedal for delay-sustain.
Mode
Use this button to switch between BBD and DDL (Digital Delay Line) modes. Use BBD for a vintage analogue pedal delay. DDL
is the typical interpolated digital delay typically used in plugins. With DDL mode you will avoid aliasing entirely (see Clock,
below). More usefully it will allow you to have longer feedbacks, even infinite feedbacks, without the sound degradation
that would occur when using BBD mode, or with tape delays, even with THD at minimum. As with Bypass/On/Off Switch Off,
switching BBD mode will also instantly clear the delay line of all active channels.
Clock Rate
Set the clock rate to a value between 1.5kHz and 100kHz when BBD mode is enabled. There is a strong relationship between
clock rate and aliasing: the lower the clock rate the more you should reduce the low pass filter (LPF) frequency if you want to
prevent aliasing. Some BBD delays, especially those using the Panasonic chips, had a minimum clock rate of 10kHz. At this
rate the aliasing is noticeable until you reduce the LPF down to around 4kHz, but we provide a full range down to 1.5kHz for
the creating of lo-fi, aliasing effects. In normal operation for a traditional BBD guitar pedal delay we recommend keeping the
clock rate above 20kHz with the LPF control set to around 10–12kHz.
The DDL mode on Steerpike uses the host sample rate and therefore the clock rate cannot be changed: the display will show
“—”. Note that due to an unexpected Rack Extension GUI behaviour where the clock rate is adjustable in BBD mode, unfortunately this value in DDL mode using the same control must equally be automatable otherwise it won’t work at all, and thus
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it will show up on the Combinator programmer or sequencer (listed as “Internal Rate”), despite the fact you can’t actually
adjust it! In this mode you can safely leave the delay output unfiltered, unless you wish to do so purely for creative purposes.
MOD LFO Section
This section sets the internal LFO used for modulating each BBD. The amount of modulation applied is set per Delay Line using its individual Mod control. Steerpike has a fast LFO
and slow LFO, the output of each added together.
Phase Offset
This button adds phase offsets for the LFO. Unlike in sister product Chenille, there is no
significant benefit to multiple phase modes, so here we have a fixed relationship using
Chenille‘s CE-1 mode. With Phase Offset off, the same LFO is sent to each BBD.
Shape
Use the Shape control to adjust the LFO waveform shape from filtered square (0%) through triangle (33%) to sine (66%) and
to smooth random (100%). Use the latter for a random “wow & flutter” tape speed modulation type effect.
LFO Slow/Fast Rate
The Slow LFO rate can be set between 0.01 Hz and 4.0 Hz. Default is 2.0 Hz. The Fast LFO can be set between 1.0 Hz and
11 Hz, the default is 6.0 Hz. If both are set to a Hz value then the output of both is mixed, but you can use just one internal
LFO by setting the other to the “Off” position at the extreme left of its control range.
6-DELAY LINE BBD/DDL CONTROL Section
The main area adjusts the parameters for each Delay Line output. Note that in some
delay modes some controls, such as Pan will have no effect.
Delay Time
At the left of each Delay Line is the most important control: the Delay Time. Drag the
mouse up and down directly over the value to adjust the delay time. There are three
different ways you can set the delay time, by clicking on a button to the right of the
display to change the delay time mode.
• Stages (#): Use this mode to set the fixed number of stages the BBD uses, from
2 to 16,384. The hold time between each stage can be changed via the Clock
rate in the Global Section.
• Time (ms): This mode allows you to set the delay time in milliseconds (0.01–
999ms) or seconds (1.0–8.0s). In BBD mode Steerpike internally sets the number
of stages to provide the correct time based on the current Clock rate setting.
• Tempo Sync (Duration/Subdivision): These two controls allow you to independently set duration and subdivision for tempo sync values. In BBD mode Steerpike converts these to a number of
Stages based on the current Clock rate setting. (Note: There are two tempo sync selector buttons to maintain backwards compatibility with Steerpike version 1; for version 2 either button can be selected, but they show exactly the
same display). Use the left side of the display to control the Duration value, the right side to adjust the Subdivision.
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Why two Tempo Sync values?
Normally in Reason devices you are given a fixed list of tempo synced values by the designer of the device. This list usually
has to be fairly short so as not to be overwhelming, but has the disadvantage of providing a limited range of rates, at a limited range of BPMs with which to use them.
In Steerpike, while we do still have a preset list for tempo syncing the built-in envelope, the BBD delay itself can be freely
set to a massive range of creatively tempo synced delay times by adjusting the Subdivision (the right hand number, the beat
division) and the Duration (the left hand number, the duration, or number of beats at the set subdivision). While some are
settings are going to be the same as others, (e.g. 2/128 is the same as 1/64), you can simply dial in the precise number you
want rather than have to work out what is equivalent to what. You can select from 1 to 16 beats over 36 subdivisions: that’s
576 possible tempo synced delay lengths, per BBD. With some thought, in Serial mode that’s 3,456 possible tempo synced
delay lengths!
For displaying the length we have, for consistency, used US style numeric subdivision values, from /2 (Half Note) to /256 (Two
Hundred and Fifty-Sixth Note). The most important ones you may wish to be aware of are /16 (Sixteenth Note/Semiquaver),
/12 (Triplet quaver), which is often listed in Reason as 8T, and /24 (Triplet semiquaver), aka /16T.
Steerpike Duration
Steerpike Subdivision
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
1 to 16
/256
/192
/128
/96
/64
/48
/32
/24
/20
/16
/15
/14
/13
/12
/11
/10
/9
/8
/7
/6
/5
/4
/3
/2
Equivalent to:
/128T
Demisemihemidemisemiquaver
/64T
/32T
/16T
Thirty-Second Note Triplet
Thirty-Second Note / Demisemiquaver
Sixteenth Note Triplet
Sixteenth Note Quintuplet
Sixteenth Note / Semiquaver
/8T
Eighth Note Triplet
/4T
/2T
Eighth Note / Quaver
Quarter Note Septuplet
Quarter Note Sextuplet
Quarter Note Quintuplet
Quarter Note / Crochet
Half-note triplet
Half Note / Minim
Naturally /16 is the most useful at typical BPMs, so /16 is the default for the Subdivision value. If requiring just /16 values,
you’ll only ever need to change the Duration figure. At slow BPMs however, you might find it’s easier to use /32 or even /64,
while at very fast BPMs /8 or /4 become useful.
But we only have a delay buffer of eight seconds! Well actually eight seconds is a very long time for a delay. It’s likely to
be rare you’d need a delay time that long: if you have a really long delay time, such as 16/2 and your song is 58 BPM, or
perhaps you have set a delay time of 16/4 and a song tempo of 27 BPM, in both cases the required buffer size for that delay
to be achievable is too big when in DDL mode and will trigger the MEM warning lamp to the left of the Delay Time display.
The delay time for that Delay Line will still be limited to eight seconds. If you need that 16/4 delay time at lower than 28
BPM, then you can still use Serial or Feedback Modes, which use each delay as part of the delay time, and split the delay over
multiple Delay Lines.
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Steerpike BBD Delay Ensemble
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Delay Line Enable
This the master enable button for the entire delay line. Leave delay lines you do not require turned off. Switching a delay line
off will also instantly clear its own delay line.
Level
Centre is zero output level. Increase the value positively to the right to set the individual delay
level into BBD Mixer. Increase the value negatively to the left to phase invert and high pass
filter the output. Note the HPF on the inverted level is a fixed frequency and independent of the
global HPF in the Filter/EQ section.
Pan
Set the stereo position of the delay line output. Be aware that in Serial or Feedback modes the pan is only applied using the
Pan control of the last active channel in the chain.
Feedback
Use this control to the feedback amount of the delay. Steerpike’s Feedback control provides up to 100% Feedback for infinite
delay. In BBD mode destructive interference because of sample & hold will still cause the delay to fade, so DDL mode will
normally be the preferred option when you require a continuous, non-fading repetition that will continue until you clear the
delay line, but even then in DDL mode for infinite delays you will likely not want to use internal EQ/filtering or LFO modulation.
To the left of the Feedback control is a small indicator lamp to notify of whether this control is available. Different Delay
Modes have different needs: in Serial mode all the channels can add Feedback, but in Feedback mode, only the last active
channel can use Feedback. For Ping-Pong mode only the left channel of each pair needs this functionality, while setting any
channel to reverse delay disables the Feedback control.
THD [Total Harmonic Distortion]
Harmonic distortion is introduced by BBD circuits. The more stages in the BBD the more
distortion is introduced. The THD knob controls the Total Harmonic Distortion produced.
Typically you might expect approximately 1% of THD per 1,024 stages. In Steerpike you can
drive the THD from zero right up to 36% independently of the number of stages, although
that 36% figure is fairly arbitrary: it’s based on a sine wave of 80Hz at a particular input
level, so the actual THD amount, as you would therefore expect, will not necessarily reflect what is set by this control.
The effect of this control will be most obvious on signals with less harmonics to begin with.
Tap
This control adjusts the input level of the Tap In audio jack. WARNING: There is a serious risk of a loud feedback loops with
high Feedback and Tap In levels. Use Tap with caution and reduce levels first and increase gradually!
Mod
Adjust the depth/amount of delay time modulation, whether from Steerpike’s internal Mod section or from an external LFO.
Env
This controls the amount of effect the envelope has on the output level of that delay. Remember that an external gate is
required to trigger the envelope, so you won’t hear any delay if this control is greater than 0% and there is no active gate.
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Rev [Reverse]
Each channel can be independently set as a Reverse delay by enabling the Rev button. This disables the Feedback of that channel. See the next section for more information on this feature.
EQ
Enable the EQ button to route the output of that delay through the EQ section. The EQ is outside of the feedback loop to
prevent nasty things happening. Be aware that this button does not effect the Filter section, which the delay lines are always
routed through.
Reverse Delay
Reverse delays are complex to produce, since of course we cannot predict the future: everything we want to reverse must
be in the delay buffer before we can reverse it! To get a reverse delay with feedback is even more complex, as it requires
two buffers, one for the delay and feedback, and another to reverse it. For example, to reverse delay a one second block of
audio with feedback requires up to three seconds of delay: the first to delay and add feedback, and up to two seconds for
the reverse (since the reverse recording is free-running, its point of recording the loop may not be where you need it). You
also cannot, for most practical scenarios, have the reverse in the same buffer as the feedback or else you will get a forwardreverse-forward-reverse effect.
Adding two 8-second buffers for six channels all the time, even when you don’t need reverse (since all required device memory must be reserved at startup), it makes no sense to include the feedback when enabling Reverse, as we can easily achieve
this using the existing buffers by simply by putting Steerpike into Serial mode and setting BBD1 as the regular forward delay
where you add feedback, then set BBD2 as your Reverse delay. This will give you the classic “Backtalk”-style reverse delay
pedal effect, as shown in this example patch from the Reverse Delay patch folder {“Feedback Reverse 16ths”}. With another
four BBD delay lines available, you could even have forward-reverse-forward-reverse-forward-reverse if you wanted!
While Steerpike’s reverse delay is available in all Delay Time modes, there’s no doubt the preferred usage will be when tempo
synced, as that largely avoids the free-running behaviour. It may even help to not think of reverse delay as a “delay” at all, but
simply as the length of a record loop. You can use the keyboard trigger, as described in the next section, to “arm” the recording, play the material, then retrigger the channel to play the reverse buffer immediately.
Channels with Reverse delay enabled feature a blue metronome lamp in the upper right of their Delay Time display to help
you time triggering and recording of the loop. As you may find you need to predict the future, it is likely there will be scenarios where to get the reverse ending at precisely the correct moment, such as at the end of a bar, you will have to manually move the required clips until the timing is correct.
Envelope and Keyboard Triggering
Steerpike includes an internal envelope that can be used to fade the delays in and
out. It is a six-stage envelope with pre-delay (H1), Attack, hold (H2), Decay, Sustain
and Release. Sustain sets the final Decay level; all other stages are time-based. Stages
Attack to Decay are loopable by enabling the Loop button. This particularly of use for
infinite delays. You will find it works best if the Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release
values are not zero, otherwise you will notice unwanted “clicking” artefacts.
Some thought is required to ensure that, for example, the H1 and/or Attack time of
the envelope is less than the decay of the feedback repetitions, otherwise the delay
will have finished before you hear it! So the envelope is likely to be used only on de-
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lays with high to infinite feedback amounts. Enable the Sync button to change the envelope time from milliseconds/seconds
to tempo sync.
While only one actual envelope shape is available, each Delay Line can have its own envelope “voice”, or you can trigger all
at the same time. The keyboard is split at C3: B3 and below will trigger the channel/s that have Rev disabled, while C3 and
above will trigger the channel/s where Rev is enabled.
If you create a dedicated Sequencer track for your Steerpike (right-click the device panel as usual and select “Create Track for
Steerpike”) and now you can trigger the envelope directly with your keyboard:
Note C: Triggers Delay Line 1
Note D: Triggers Delay Line 2
Note E: Triggers Delay Line 3
Note F: Triggers Delay Line 4
Note G: Triggers Delay Line 5
Note A: Triggers Delay Line 6
Note B: Triggers all Delay Lines simultaneously.
These note triggers are mapped across all MIDI octaves, so any C from C-2 to C2 will trigger Delay Line 1, any B from C-2 to
B2 will trigger all Delay Lines and so on, if they are not Reverse-enabled. With Reverse enabled, same principle applies but
the range is C3 and above.
This means you could also create a Combinator instrument with any single octave keyboard range, such as C1-B1, dedicated
to triggering Steerpike, with C2-C8 triggering the instrument notes as usual. Remember that if using Steerpike in a Combinator, you will need to manually arm its “Receive Notes” option.
Since you are in the Combinator, you could hook your sustain pedal to trigger the Gate function for additional control!
Below the envelope faders are a pair of radio button LEDs marked CV Gate and CV Env. If triggering Steerpike from an external
source this allows you to set whether to merely use the external gate to trigger the internal envelope, by selecting CV Gate, or
over-ride the internal envelope completely if using an external envelope such as Charlotte Envelope Generator, in which case
select CV Env.
Channels triggered via MIDI will display a green “note on indicator” in the bottom right of their Delay Time display.
Reverse triggering example
In the following test case we trigger a crash cymbal and
then play it back in reverse, ensuring it triggers at the correct moment.
In this Combinator (and you don’t need a Combinator for
this, you can simply provide a separate sequencer track
for each) we have arranged a default RedRum kit and a
default Steerpike patch, mapping the former to the low
half of the keyboard, and the latter to the upper half. We
enable the Rev button on Delay Line 1 and set the time
delay to four seconds.
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Because the reverse delay is always “recording” it is free-running, so
we need to ensure that it starts recording at the correct time. Our song
tempo is 120bpm, which means 4 seconds is two whole bars in 4/4.
In the sequencer we program the reverse delay to start by entering a
C3 (or any C above C3, to reverse trigger just Delay Line 1), and for the
drum hit, here we’re hitting the crash cymbal on A1. We programmed
the drum hit just slightly later than the “Arm” trigger.
If you now play the song you hear the regular crash, then the 4 second
reverse recording should start to play back after four seconds, with
the reverse crash finishing with the initial crash transient at 8 seconds,
shown in green.
But by programming a second “Fire” trigger on C3, the reverse delay will
re-align to the beginning and thus immediately play whatever is in its
buffer and not wait the full four seconds. You will find the end position
of the reverse is now more arbitrary, shown here in blue.
The same principle is available in tempo sync delay time modes as well.
The key to understanding and using reverse delay is to remember that
the reverse delay should end at twice the delay time you have set. So for
a 1 bar delay the first transient of the input signal should arrive at the end of the second bar. As suggested earlier, when
especially requiring “one-shot” reverse, think of reverse delay as the length of a record loop: 1/4 delay = 1/4 record time. This
recording length needs to be at least as long as the input:
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The graphic shows how setting a reverse time of 1/4 creates recording “slices” of 1/4, that are replayed consecutively while
recording a new slice in another buffer. The entire slice is reversed, so something at the beginning of the record buffer will
be played at the end of the playback buffer.
The first example works as the length of the snare is equal to or less than the recording time of the slice. In the second example, to play the reverse correctly you should increase the delay time to 3/8, to ensure the entire drum hit is still recorded in
the same slice, otherwise the end of it will be in the subsequent slice, and the start of the reverse might be truncated. This is
still a useful effect in its own right, but be aware of the pitfalls!
Filter/EQ Section
The 48dB/octave LPF filter is primarily used as the low-pass anti-aliasing/reconstruction filter for the
BBD mode, but can be used as a creative effect or shelving filter in its own right, by leaving it high in
BBD mode to make use of the aliasing, or as a traditional, if steep, filter in DDL mode to reduce the
high frequencies that might be swamping the dry signal, allowing the latter to cut through more cleanly. The 36dB/octave HPF is a global and adjustable high-pass filter that you can use to cut low-end so
that the delay does not muddy your mix. This HPF control does not effect the separate fixed frequency
HPF applied using the phase inverted left-side range of the Level control: it is an additional filter.
Next to the filters is a 3-band parametric EQ with adjustable frequency and gain (+/- 18dB). Ranges
available are: Low (centre frequency 40–200 Hz), Mid (150–850 Hz) and High (800 Hz – 12kHz). Only
BBDs with their EQ button enabled are passed through the EQ section.
Bass Boost
Turn this on for small low shelf boost which can add some low-end “warmth”. Note that this boost is
on the wet signal only and will be removed entirely if you increase the HPF above 200 Hz.
Compressor
This switch enables an extra internal compressor. They were prevalent in early analog/
digital delay devices as part of a compander (compressor-expander), used to reduce
internal noise by effectively boosting the SNR signal-to-noise ratio; as Steerpike is a
noise-free software device, low SNR is not an issue, but the compressor is included in
Steerpike for experimenting with delays where you may like to model more accurate
response, especially those that are quite aggressive on transients, which guitar pedals
frequently were.
Unlike Chenille, we don’t include the expander as the internal topology of Steerpike is
far more complicated and it was not viable include it, but on the plus side you can additionally set the
Threshold, Ratio, Attack and Release of the compressor as required.
Master Section
Dry/Wet
Predictably, this knob controls the amount of Dry and Delayed signal in the output. Unlike the equivalent control on Chenille, where the value is an important component in patch designing, on Steerpike
this parameter is not saved with the .repatch file, as the ability to patch browse with the same wet
level is more beneficial. The value is of course saved in Combinator (.cmb) and song files.
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Delay Gain
Use this control to trim or boost the overall delay level from all the delay lines into the Dry/Wet mixer. It is effectively the “master fader” for all the delays.
Dry Pan
An incredibly useful feature, this allows you to set the pan position of the Dry signal. Reason’s Main Mixer
does not handle insert delays particularly well, as if you have, for example, a delay on the left channel and
want the dry on the right, it can’t actually be done via Main Mixer at all. Pan the Main Mixer channel right and
you lose the delayed left signal. So traditionally one has typically needed to add insert delays using the extra hassle of setting
up a Line Mixer or ReMix and bypass the Main Mixer panner entirely to allow for both wet and dry to be panned differently.
If the input is mono this control will pan the dry signal left or right. If the input is stereo the control adjusts the balance between left and right.
Ducking
Increase the Amount amount to reduce the delay audio level when there is incoming dry audio, the
higher the setting the greater the wet level reduction. As the dry audio level drops, the delay output increases to full level as set by each delay line Level and the master Delay Gain. You can also use a
separate sidechain input instead of the dry signal by connecting the sidechain input on the back, which
over-rides the internal dry input. You can adjust the recovery time of the Duck compressor (10–400ms)
using the Speed control. For near-instant recovery of delay output level as dry signal level drops, set this
to a low value; to fade the delay back in gradually as the dry signal level drops, set this to a high value. The Duck Speed is also
applied if you are using external Sidechain In to trigger the compressor instead of the dry signal.
Steer
The Steer knob is a bipolar control that adjusts the delay times of all six channels simultaneously, up to 16
times slower or faster. Use it for strange speed-up/slow-down effects!
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Delay Modes
There are five delay modes available in Steerpike. The following section explains the setup of each mode.
I. X-Stereo (Cross Stereo)
X-Stereo mode is Steerpike’s true stereo mode, and is the preferred option when using a stereo input. X-Stereo is a Link
mode: in this mode, the left channel input is sent to Delay Lines 1, 3 and 5, and the right channel input is sent to delay lines
2, 4 and 6.
For real “cross stereo”, delay lines 1, 3 and 5 should be panned right, and Delay Lines 2, 4 and 6 panned left. You can of
course pan the Delay Lines as you see fit and leave the output pan the same as the input. A mono input is sent to the delay
line of each pair.
II. Parallel
Parallel mode uses a mono (left) input, or summed mono for stereo inputs. The mono or summed mono signal is sent to
each Delay Line at the same time, processed separately, then mixed to a stereo output. Reverse modes are unable to use
feedback, so the Feedback lamp will be unlit.
III. Serial
Serial mode can be used for extra long delay times, creating a single output of multiple mono delays. Each BBD output is also
sent to its own monophonic Tap Out after the Level adjust, so you can get the current output state at any of five intermediate delay points. Each BBD also receives its own monophonic tap in, so audio can be added at any of the additional tap
points.
Note that Pan is only applied in the final active BBD stage. You can use any number of Delay Lines, just remember that the
final active channel is the one that is output to the Stereo Mixer. Feedback, however, is applied per channel.
As well as extra long delay times, Serial mode is important when using a Delay Line with Reverse, as you can use the preceding—or subsequent—Delay Lines to the one that’s doing the reversing to add feedback.
IV. [Serial] Feedback
Serial Feedback, like Serial mode can be used to extra long delay times, creating a single output of multiple mono delays. The
difference here is that the output of the last active Delay Line in the chain is fed back to the input of the first active Delay
Line. The Feedback Lamp will indicate which Feedback knob is currently active.
V. Ping-Pong
Ping-Pong is a Linked mode, so Delay Lines 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 5 and 6 operate in pairs, but unlike X-Stereo mode, the
input is always monophonic/summed mono.
Ping-Pong delays alternate two delay lines. For a non-offset delay, the Delay Time of each Delay Line in the pair must be the
same. For example, if using a tempo sync delay, trying setting both Delay Line 1 and Delay Line 2 to 3/16 for a non-offset
Ping-Pong. You will hear an even “bounce” between each Delay Line output. For an offset Ping-Pong set Delay Line 1 to
3/16 but Delay Line 2 to 1/16, and now the “bounce” is uneven, with the second delay sounding quickly after the first.
Note that the “left” Delay Line of each pair, that’s 1, 3 and 5, is always processed first. Each Delay Line output is also sent to
its own monophonic Tap Out. Only the left Feedback control is required, so the right Feedback knob is disabled, but note that
12
Steerpike BBD Delay Ensemble
www.jiggery-pokery.com
when the left Feedback is at zero, only the left Delay Line output will be heard. This is normal and expected behaviour. So
increase the Feedback of the left Delay Line channel to hear the ping pong effect.
Reverse Ping-Pong is not currently available natively, but can be achieved by leaving Rev turned off and putting either another Steerpike (or Titus) before it and set that to output in reverse mode instead.
Back Panel Connections
On the right are the main input/output jacks and an audio sidechain input, which overrides the dry signal level into the ducking compressor, allowing you to use a different signal (e.g. a kick drum) for the delay line ducking. Use the Duck knob on the
front to adjust the intensity of the compression in the same way you would use the main dry input to duck the delay level.
On the left are CV inputs for Clock Rate (BBD mode only), a CV trigger for the Gate button, and Steer control modulation.
The Env Gate CV input will trigger all six channels simultaneously.
Each Delay Line features monophonic tap in and tap out audio jacks, as well as external CV inputs for envelope triggering,
and modulation. The Gate/Env In row override the internal envelope on a per channel basis. Whether “global” or per channel, remember to set CV Gate or CV Env on the front as appropriate: CV Gate takes just the gate input and triggers the delay
according to the internal envelope, while CV Env triggers the delay using an external envelope. Also available per channel is a
Mod LFO input: this overrides the internal LFOs to that particular channel. The Mod and Env knobs on the front can be used
as normal to adjust the external inputs amount. Delay Time, Feedback, Level and Pan round out the channel CV ins.
Finally, there is a CV output for the Mod LFO if you wish to modulate other devices with the same values.
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Steerpike BBD Delay Ensemble
13
BBD Delay Times
Clock Rate
kHz
BBD Stages
2
10
50
256
512
1024
2048
4096
8193
16384
ms
ms
ms
ms
ms
ms
ms
ms
ms
ms
1.5
0.6667
3.333
16.667
85.3
170.7
341.3
682.7
1,365.3
2,731.0
5,462.0
2
0.5000
2.500
12.500
64.0
128.0
256.0
512.0
1,024.0
2,048.3
4,096.5
3
0.3333
1.667
8.333
42.7
85.3
170.7
341.3
682.7
1,365.5
2,731.0
4
0.2500
1.250
6.250
32.0
64.0
128.0
256.0
512.0
1,024.1
2,048.3
5
0.2000
1.000
5.000
25.6
51.2
102.4
204.8
409.6
819.3
1,638.6
6
0.1667
0.833
4.167
21.3
42.7
85.3
170.7
341.3
682.8
1,365.5
7
0.1429
0.714
3.571
18.3
36.6
73.1
146.3
292.6
585.2
1,170.4
8
0.1250
0.625
3.125
16.0
32.0
64.0
128.0
256.0
512.1
1,024.1
9
0.1111
0.556
2.778
14.2
28.4
56.9
113.8
227.6
455.2
910.3
10
0.1000
0.500
2.500
12.8
25.6
51.2
102.4
204.8
409.7
819.3
11
0.0909
0.455
2.273
11.6
23.3
46.5
93.1
186.2
372.4
744.8
12
0.0833
0.417
2.083
10.7
21.3
42.7
85.3
170.7
341.4
682.8
13
0.0769
0.385
1.923
9.8
19.7
39.4
78.8
157.5
315.1
630.2
14
0.0714
0.357
1.786
9.1
18.3
36.6
73.1
146.3
292.6
585.2
15
0.0667
0.333
1.667
8.5
17.1
34.1
68.3
136.5
273.1
546.2
16
0.0625
0.313
1.563
8.0
16.0
32.0
64.0
128.0
256.0
512.1
17
0.0588
0.294
1.471
7.5
15.1
30.1
60.2
120.5
241.0
481.9
18
0.0556
0.278
1.389
7.1
14.2
28.4
56.9
113.8
227.6
455.2
19
0.0526
0.263
1.316
6.7
13.5
26.9
53.9
107.8
215.6
431.2
20
0.0500
0.250
1.250
6.4
12.8
25.6
51.2
102.4
204.8
409.7
25
0.0400
0.200
1.000
5.1
10.2
20.5
41.0
81.9
163.9
327.7
30
0.0333
0.167
0.833
4.3
8.5
17.1
34.1
68.3
136.6
273.1
35
0.0286
0.143
0.714
3.7
7.3
14.6
29.3
58.5
117.0
234.1
40
0.0250
0.125
0.625
3.2
6.4
12.8
25.6
51.2
102.4
204.8
45
0.0222
0.111
0.556
2.8
5.7
11.4
22.8
45.5
91.0
182.1
50
0.0200
0.100
0.500
2.6
5.1
10.2
20.5
41.0
81.9
163.9
55
0.0182
0.091
0.455
2.3
4.7
9.3
18.6
37.2
74.5
149.0
60
0.0167
0.083
0.417
2.1
4.3
8.5
17.1
34.1
68.3
136.6
65
0.0154
0.077
0.385
2.0
3.9
7.9
15.8
31.5
63.0
126.0
70
0.0143
0.071
0.357
1.8
3.7
7.3
14.6
29.3
58.5
117.0
75
0.0133
0.067
0.333
1.7
3.4
6.8
13.7
27.3
54.6
109.2
80
0.0125
0.063
0.313
1.6
3.2
6.4
12.8
25.6
51.2
102.4
95
0.0105
0.053
0.263
1.3
2.7
5.4
10.8
21.6
43.1
86.2
96
0.0104
0.052
0.260
1.3
2.7
5.3
10.7
21.3
42.7
85.3
100
0.0100
0.050
0.250
1.3
2.6
5.1
10.2
20.5
41.0
81.9
14
Steerpike BBD Delay Ensemble
www.jiggery-pokery.com
Remote Mapping
//Remote Map template for
Effects
Jiggery-Pokery Sound: Steerpike BBD Delay Ensemble
Scope Jiggery Pokery com.jiggerypokery.Steerpike
//
Control Surface Item
KeyRemotable Item
Scale Mode
//Map _control_
Delay Mode
//Map _control_
Delay Line Gate
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
Clock Rate
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
Delay Ducking
//Map_control_ Steer
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD Enable
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
LFO Phase Offset
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
Modulation Shape
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
Slow LFO Rate
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
Fast LFO Rate
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD1 Delay Time Mode
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD1 Stages
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD1 Time //Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD1 Sync Duration
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD1 Sync Subdivision
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD1 Level //Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD1 Pan
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD1 Feedback
//Map _control_
BBD1 THD
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD1 Tap Level In
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD1 Modulation Depth
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD1 Envelope
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD1 Enable
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD1 EQ Enable
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD1 Reverse Enable
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD2 Delay Time Mode
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD2 Stages
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD2 Time //Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD2 Sync Duration
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD2 Sync Subdivision
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD2 Level //Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD2 Pan
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD2 Feedback
//Map _control_
BBD2 THD
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD2 Tap Level In
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD2 Modulation Depth
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD2 Envelope
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
BBD2 Enable
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BBD2 EQ Enable
BBD2 Reverse Enable
BBD3 Delay Time Mode
BBD3 Stages
BBD3 Time BBD3 Sync Duration
BBD3 Sync Subdivision
BBD3 Level BBD3 Pan
BBD3 Feedback
BBD3 THD
BBD3 Tap Level In
BBD3 Modulation Depth
BBD3 Envelope
BBD3 Enable
BBD3 EQ Enable
BBD3 Reverse Enable
BBD4 Delay Time Mode
BBD4 Stages
BBD4 Time BBD4 Sync Duration
BBD4 Sync Subdivision
BBD4 Level BBD4 Pan
BBD4 Feedback
BBD4 THD
BBD4 Tap Level In
BBD4 Modulation Depth
BBD4 Envelope
BBD4 Enable
BBD4 EQ Enable
BBD4 Reverse Enable
BBD5 Delay Time Mode
BBD5 Stages
BBD5 Time BBD5 Sync Duration
Steerpike BBD Delay Ensemble
15
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
BBD5 Sync Subdivision
BBD5 Level BBD5 Pan
BBD5 Feedback
BBD5 THD
BBD5 Tap Level In
BBD5 Modulation Depth
BBD5 Envelope
BBD5 Enable
BBD5 EQ Enable
BBD5 Reverse Enable
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
BBD6 Delay Time Mode
BBD6 Stages
BBD6 Time BBD6 Sync Duration
BBD6 Sync Subdivision
BBD6 Level BBD6 Pan
BBD6 Feedback
BBD6 THD
BBD6 Tap Level In
BBD6 Modulation Depth
BBD6 Envelope
BBD6 Enable
BBD6 EQ Enable
BBD6 Reverse Enable
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
Envelope Delay ms
Envelope Attack ms
Envelope Hold ms
Envelope Decay ms
16
Steerpike BBD Delay Ensemble
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
Envelope Sustain
Envelope Release ms
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
Envelope Delay Tempo Sync
Envelope Attack Tempo Sync
Envelope Hold Tempo Sync
Envelope Decay Tempo Sync
Envelope Release Tempo Sync
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
Envelope Loop
Envelope Tempo Sync
CV Trigger Mode
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
//Map
HPF Frequency
LPF Frequency
EQ1 Frequency
EQ2 Frequency
EQ3 Frequency
EQ1 Gain
EQ2 Gain
EQ3 Gain
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
_control_
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
//Map _control_
Dry/Wet BBD Mixer Gain
Dry Signal Pan
//Map_control_
//Map_control_
//Map_control_
//Map_control_
//Map_control_
//Map_control_
//Map_control_
Duck Speed
Compressor
Compressor Threshold
Compressor Ratio
Compressor Attack
Compressor Release
Bass Boost
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Version history
2.1.0
• Delay time selector displays updated to use custom displays; tempo sync mode can now display both duration and subdivision on the same screen for
improved usability
2.0.0
• Beautiful new design by esselfortium
• Bass Boost, Compressor and Duck Speed controls are now available on the front panel, and automatable/Remote™-able
• Bug fixes
1.0.1
• Fixed error in compressor threshold
1.0.0
• Initial release
Special thanks to the Steerpike testing and patch crew: Dogboy1973, JesseRyckman, 0zone0, meowsqueak, alteree, kylelee, NaviRetlav, xcountrycoach.
Steerpike BBD Delay Ensemble was designed and assembled by Jiggery-Pokery Sound, of London, England; DSP coding by Pitchblende Ltd, of Middle Earth.
“Reason”, “Rack Extension” and associated logos are trademarks of Propellerhead Software AB.
All commercial symbols are protected trade names of their holder and their inclusion within this guide and the associated
Reason Rack Extension product are merely indicative and do not constitute endorsement of this product by any party.
Pitchblende
Jiggery-Pokery Sound
London, England.
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.jiggery-pokery.com
Twitter: @JiggeryPokerymb
Facebook: JiggeryPokerySound
www.jiggery-pokery.com
Wellington, New Zealand.
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.pitchblende.co.nz
Twitter: @PitchblendeLtd
Facebook: PitchblendeLtd
Steerpike BBD Delay Ensemble
17
From the maker of …
Rack Extensions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ammo 100LA Modulation Oscillator - Portable single-channel oscillator for audio and CV rate synthesis and LFOs, featuring 128 waveforms
Ammo 400R Modulation Oscillators - 4-channel LFO generator with audio output, featuring 136 waveforms and advanced modulation mixing
Ammo 1200BR Modulation Synthesizer - Advanced 4-channel LFO generator and audio synthesizer adds S&H, Comparator and Electro-Switch
Anansi Mid/Side Mastering Router - Mid/side audio router with mono compatibility check, 3-in merger and 3-out splitter
Charlotte Envelope Generator - 9-stage EG with time, level, curve and velocity control per stage, and a priority-selectable MIDI-to-cv-pitch splitter
Chenille BBD Chorus Ensemble - Realistic BBD chorus device, based on the 70s string synth ensembles and the classic Roland Dimension D rack unit
Combo 310 Unique Organ - The legendary Dutch electronic home/church organ, best known as the “Jarre” organ of Oxygene and Equinoxe.
Combo B3T Organ - The famous American tonewheel organ and Leslie combo in highly tweak-able and addictive Rack Extension format
Combo Compact Organ - The classic Italian transistor organ now in a brilliant, easy to use and equally compact Rack Extension format. Bags o’ fun!
Combo Continental Organ - The classic British transistor organ in a fantastic Rack Extension for that instant 60s feel!
Combo Electric Harpsichord - A rare example of a lovely 60s curio, the Baldwin Solid Body, aka Electric, Harpsichord!
Combo X~705 Space Organ - An inspirational Frankensynth monster: an all-in-one Hammond clone, synthesizer and Rhapsody 610 string ensemble!
Itsy Stereo/Phase Inverter - L/R channel flip, cv-controllable 180˚ stereo inverting width adjust, stereo phase inverters and phase correlation metering
JPS Harmonic Synthesizer - Vintage additive synthesizer emulation, based on the ultra-rare RMI keyboard
Lolth CV Delay Splitter - 4x4 channel cv splitter with independently adjustable gain and inversion controls, channel delay, and mirroring
Miranda CV Delay Merger - 4x4 channel cv merger with independently adjustable gain and inversion controls, channel delay, and mirroring
Mordred Audio Bypass Merger - 4 x 5 channel stereo audio merger with independently switch-able outputs and auto-fade control
Shelob Audio Bypass Splitter - 4 x 5 channel stereo audio splitter with independently switch-able outputs, mirroring, and auto-fade control
Steerpike BBD Delay Ensemble - Vintage style 6-tap BBD device, with multiple delay modes including parallel, serial, and reverse
Titus BBD Delay Line - A lightweight 1U delay device featuring a single Steerpike delay line, with reverse
ReFills
•
•
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Guitars vol.1+2: Stratocaster & Telecaster - Multi-sampled guitars with slides, mutes, signature L6 effects and keyswitching
Elements2: Vector Synthesis Workstation - Massive patch collection featuring Korg Wavestation/MS2000, Waldorf Blofeld and Roland SC-8850
Additions: Vintage Additive Synthesizers - DK Synergy + Kawai K5m + Thor FM.
Blue Meanie: Virtually an ARP2600 - Thor and Kong-based analogue synth machine
Kings of Kong Classic Drum Machines* - the premier ReFill for Reason 5+, with over 50 classic beatboxes for Kong Drum Designer
Retro Organs v2- Hammond B3 + Farfisa Combo Compact + Vox Continental in one brilliant ReFill. Also available for Reason Essentials
B3 Tonewheels v1.5 - the original 24-bit non-Leslie samples ReFill with advanced rotary speaker emulation
Farfisa Combo Compact Deluxe v1.5 - the complete set of original 24-bit Farfisa samples covering, both standard and Deluxe models
Vox Continental v1.5 - a complete set of original samples from the classic C300 organ, featuring original and extended Continental footages
Hammond Novachord* - the near-antique pre-WW2 monster polyphonic valve synthesizer
Retrospective: 40 years of Synthesizer History* - Over 1Gb of vintage samples from synths and electronic keyboards from the Hollow Sun archive
FreeFills
•
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Additives - demo version of Additions: the fantastic Additives tracks from PUF Challenge #2 can be found at http://soundcloud.com/groups/additives
8-BIT Magic: The ZX Spectrum ReFill
Classic Drum Machine Collection v1.1
Eminent 310 Strings** v3 - the classic Jarre string sound, with stereo samples plus the Oxygene II / Equinoxe 4 pizzicato lead
Harpe Laser** - the famous Laser Harp sound, the Elka Synthex preset 46 “Ring Mod”
Moog Taurus Bass Synthesizer** v1.1
For more information on these products and for direct downloads of these
latest versions, plus a wide range of great Combinator skins, please visit
www.jiggery-pokery.com
* Includes samples licensed from HollowSun.com
** demo ReFills for Retrospective
18
Steerpike BBD Delay Ensemble
www.jiggery-pokery.com
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