BVR Instruments TS1 User manual

TS1 Reference Guide
Page 1 / 70 BVR INSTRUMENTS FEB2022
T.S.1
reference guide
https://bvr-instruments.net/
User manual for TS1trigger sequencer from bvr-instruments. Copying, distribution or any
commercial use in any way is prohibited and needs the written permission by bvr-instruments.
Specification are subject to change without notice. In case of any question, feel free to contact
us thought: [e-mail]
Software version V2.C.85

TS1 Reference Guide
Page 2 / 70 BVR INSTRUMENTS FEB2022
Contents
THANKS. .............................................................................................................................................................. 5
HISTORY OF TS1. ................................................................................................................................................. 5
LEARNING THE BASICS OF TS1. ............................................................................................................................ 6
WHAT IS TS1? .................................................................................................................................................... 7
WHO IS THE TS1 FOR? .......................................................................................................................................... 7
DO WE NEED A COMPUTER? ................................................................................................................................... 8
WHAT IS MIDI? .................................................................................................................................................. 8
INSTALLING THE TS1. ........................................................................................................................................... 8
PREVIEW OF THE FRONT PANEL. ......................................................................................................................... 9
PRESENTATION OF THE FRONT PANEL. ..................................................................................................................... 10
The upper part. ......................................................................................................................................... 10
The central part. ....................................................................................................................................... 10
The lower part. ......................................................................................................................................... 10
PLAYING POSSIBILITIES OF THE TS1. .................................................................................................................. 11
TRIGGERS AND DRUMS MODES .............................................................................................................................. 12
SEQUENCES 1 TO 4 AND CHORDS MODES. ............................................................................................................... 12
PRESENTATION OF THE SIMPLIFIED DISPLAY OF THE NOTES. ............................................................................ 13
DESCRIPTION OF THE PARAMETER MATRIX. .............................................................................................................. 13
Example of a note matrix display............................................................................................................... 14
INTRODUCING THE SIMPLIFIED CHORD DISPLAY OF THE TS1............................................................................. 15
DESCRIPTION OF THE PARAMETER MATRIX. .............................................................................................................. 15
TS1 MODES ....................................................................................................................................................... 16
TRIGGER AND DRUMS MODES: .............................................................................................................................. 17
Example of display of the 4 tracks in Trigger or Drums mode: .................................................................... 17
TRIGGER MODE: ................................................................................................................................................ 17
DRUMS MODE: ................................................................................................................................................. 17
PATTERNS USED BY TRIGGER DRUM MODES ............................................................................................................... 18
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRIGGER/DRUMS PATTERN. ...................................................................................................... 18
SEQUENCE MODE 1 AND 2: .................................................................................................................................. 19
SEQUENCE MODE 3 AND 4: .................................................................................................................................. 19
PATTERNS USED BY SEQUENCE MODES1,2,3 ET 4....................................................................................................... 20
SEQUENCE PATTERN DESCRIPTION. ......................................................................................................................... 20
PATTERNS USED BY SEQUENCE4/CHORD MODE ......................................................................................................... 20
DESCRIPTION OF CHORD PATTERNS. ........................................................................................................................ 20
SCENE MODE OVERVIEW. .................................................................................................................................. 21
SCENE MODE DESCRIPTION. .................................................................................................................................. 21
SELECT ONE OF THE 99 SCENES.............................................................................................................................. 23
SCENE MODE EDITING. ........................................................................................................................................ 23
SCENE MODE MENU. ........................................................................................................................................... 24
SONG MODE DESCRIPTION. .................................................................................................................................. 25
SELECTION OF ONE OF THE 49 SONGS. .................................................................................................................... 26
SONG MODE EDIT. ............................................................................................................................................. 26
SONG MODE MENU. ........................................................................................................................................... 26
OVERVIEW OF SETTINGS MODE. ....................................................................................................................... 27
NAVIGATING AND EDITING SETTINGS MODE PAGES. ................................................................................................... 27
Choosing the page to edit: ........................................................................................................................ 27
Choice of line to modify: ............................................................................................................................ 27
Parameter change: ................................................................................................................................... 27

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General Settings Page 1: ........................................................................................................................... 28
General Settings Page 2: ........................................................................................................................... 28
General Settings Page 3: ........................................................................................................................... 29
MIDI Settings Page 1: ................................................................................................................................ 30
MIDI Settings Page 2: ................................................................................................................................ 30
MIDI Controls Page: .................................................................................................................................. 31
MIDI Trigger In page: ................................................................................................................................ 32
MIDI Trigger Out page: ............................................................................................................................. 32
MIDI Trigger ON/OFF page:....................................................................................................................... 32
MIDI Drum input page: ............................................................................................................................. 33
MIDI Drum Output page: .......................................................................................................................... 33
Trigger timings: ........................................................................................................................................ 34
Notes Velocities: ....................................................................................................................................... 34
TR/DR Velocities: ...................................................................................................................................... 35
SERVICE MODE OVERVIEW. ............................................................................................................................... 36
o Starting the TS1. .............................................................................................................................. 37
o Navigation in the TS1 menus. ........................................................................................................... 37
o Selection of part A/B to play............................................................................................................. 37
o Transposition of sequences. ............................................................................................................. 37
o Mute/un-mute the 4 tracks in the trigger or drums mode ................................................................. 37
o Navigating through the TS1 menu parameters. ................................................................................ 37
o Selecting a pattern with the sequencer stopped. .............................................................................. 37
o Selection of the next pattern to play during the play. ........................................................................ 37
o Reset Sequencer to the beginning of the pattern. ............................................................................. 37
o Mute note sequences or trigger tracks. ............................................................................................ 37
o Soloing a sequence of notes. ............................................................................................................ 37
o Saving data in the selected mode. .................................................................................................... 37
o Enable and disable edit mode........................................................................................................... 37
o Start or stop the sequencer. ............................................................................................................. 37
o Selecting one of the four measures in a pattern. ............................................................................... 37
DESCRIPTION OF COMMANDS: ......................................................................................................................... 38
WITH THE MENU BOUTON. ................................................................................................................................. 38
1) Starting the TS1. .............................................................................................................................. 38
2) Navigation in the TS1 menus. ........................................................................................................... 39
3) Selection of part A/B to play............................................................................................................. 39
4) Transposition of sequences. ............................................................................................................. 40
5) Mute/un-mute the 4 tracks in the trigger or drums mode ................................................................. 40
DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMANDS WITH THE SHIFT BUTTON. ....................................................................................... 41
1) Navigating through the TS1 menu parameters. ................................................................................ 41
2) Selecting a pattern with the sequencer stopped. .............................................................................. 42
3) Selection of the next pattern to play during the play. ........................................................................ 42
4) Reset Sequencer to the beginning of the pattern. ............................................................................. 43
5) Mute note sequences or trigger tracks. ............................................................................................ 44
6) Soloing a sequence of notes. ............................................................................................................ 45
7) Saving data in the selected mode. .................................................................................................... 45
COMMANDS WITH EDIT BOUTON .......................................................................................................................... 46
1) Enable and disable edit mode........................................................................................................... 46
COMMANDS WITH THE START/STOP BUTTON ........................................................................................................ 47
Start or stop the sequencer. ...................................................................................................................... 47
DESCRIPTION OF ACTIONS WITH SELECT BUTTON ........................................................................................................ 48
Selecting one of the four measures in a pattern. ........................................................................................ 48
PROCEDURE FOR EDITING A PATTERN. .............................................................................................................. 49
INITIALIZING A STEP, NOTE OR CHORD. .................................................................................................................... 50
Manual editing. ........................................................................................................................................ 50
With a MIDI keyboard. .............................................................................................................................. 50

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SAVING DATA ON THE TS1 ................................................................................................................................ 51
TS1 PATTERN MENU .......................................................................................................................................... 52
DESCRIPTION OF THE PATTERN MENU: ..................................................................................................................... 52
EDITING A TRIGGER OR DRUMS PATTERN. ................................................................................................................ 55
Switch to edit mode .................................................................................................................................. 55
Insert a new Step: ..................................................................................................................................... 55
Delete an existing Step: ............................................................................................................................. 55
Sequence Patterns. ................................................................................................................................... 56
EDITING A SEQUENCE PATTERN. ............................................................................................................................. 57
Switching to edit mode ............................................................................................................................. 57
Insert a Note ............................................................................................................................................. 57
Delete a Note ............................................................................................................................................ 57
Mute a note .............................................................................................................................................. 57
Measurement progress bar. ...................................................................................................................... 58
Position bar of the measure to be played. .................................................................................................. 58
Progress circle. .......................................................................................................................................... 58
Song position bar while playing. ................................................................................................................ 58
MIDI activity icon ...................................................................................................................................... 59
INPUTS AND OUTPUTS ...................................................................................................................................... 59
THE TS1 CONNECTOR ........................................................................................................................................ 60
TS1 MIDI DATA MANAGEMENT MENU: ................................................................................................................... 61
TS1 QUICK EDIT SHORTCUTS: ............................................................................................................................... 62
ANNEX 1 ............................................................................................................................................................ 63
MUTE TRIGGER DRUMS AND SEQUENCES TRACKS VIA MIDI. ........................................................................................ 63
ANNEX 2 ............................................................................................................................................................ 64
TS1 DEMO PATTERNS ......................................................................................................................................... 64
ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION REQUIRED .............................................................................................................. 65
LIMITATIONS ..................................................................................................................................................... 65
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS .............................................................................................................................. 66
REGULATIONS ................................................................................................................................................... 67
THE TS1 COMPLIES WITH THE FOLLOWING REGULATIONS: ............................................................................................ 67
ETHICAL CHOICES: .............................................................................................................................................. 67
CLEANING THE TS1: ........................................................................................................................................... 67
PEOPLES' SECURITY: ............................................................................................................................................ 67
INSTALLING THE REPROGRAMMING SOFTWARE STVP. ................................................................................................. 68
CONNECTING THE REPROGRAMMING CONNECTOR. ..................................................................................................... 68
SUMMARY OF ACTIONS TO UPDATE THE TS1. ............................................................................................................ 69

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Thanks.
Thank you for choosing Bvr-Instruments and its flagship product: the TS1
Trigger/Sequencer.
History of TS1.
Since its first design as a TR" trigger module, the TS1 has continued to
evolve in order to offer more functionalities such as the sequencer part
with the aim of becoming a benchmark product for aiding musical creation.
Initially unveiled in the Trigger format at Syntfest 2017 with a compact 8
HP format, it will evolve over several years of development and expand to
become a 16 HP module offering the following possibilities:
• An improved trigger part to control 8 percussive instruments.
• A sequencer part with 4 monophonic parts, one of which can play
polyphony chords.
• A Song mode with sequence of scenes/sequences to play.
• Interfaces that evolve: from a simple trigger to the integration of
CV/Gates and via a MIDI In and Out interface equipped with
traditional connectors: 5-pin din.
Among these improvements, the original identity of the module has
remained with:
• The OLED graphic screen,
• The friendly user interface.
• A central selector which allows the choice of the mode of the TS1.
• A reduced number of control buttons to simplify user actions.

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About this guide.
This guide is intended to familiarize you with the basic commands and the
operating principle of the TS1, find this manual in French and English on
our site: https://bvr-instruments.net/support.
Learning the basics of TS1.
Important: To get started with the TS1, it is essential to read this
documentation carefully in order to learn and understand the basic
commands for:
• Menu navigation.
• Parameter selection.
Note: These few habits to adopt can change you from those already
learned with other electronic commerce products.
After these first moments, you will quickly reach a level of control that
will allow you to achieve your primary objective: to master the TS1.

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What is TS1?
The TS1 is a music sequencer for electronic musical instruments.
Note:A sequencer does not produce music but it drives your instruments
like musicians in a band.
And with the particularity of playing previously recorded sequences of
notes.
Who is the TS1 for?
The TS1 is intended for users who already own or wish to acquire
musical instruments such as:
• Synthesizers.
• Drum machine.
• Euro-rack modules equipped with trigger and CV/Gate inputs.
Whether you are a beginner, advanced or experienced in music:
• The TS1 has been designed to be easy to use thanks to its
friendly user interface.
• The TS1 incorporates an innovation that allows the simplified
representation of notes by means of a parameter matrix.
Each note parameter is easily accessible and can be modified with
ease: No more need to know how to read a score.
• The TS1 is intended for: studios for musical creation and
“live performance”.

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Do we need a computer?
No, the TS1 is a sequencer that allows you to record and replay
musical sequences without a computer.
The TS1 has a graphical interface, creative editing possibilities, no
need for a computer to enter your scores.
Note: you can however record all your sequences played by the TS1 to a
computer equipped with a MIDI interface and MIDI recording software, by
connecting the TS1 to the MIDI interface of your computer.
What is MIDI?
MIDI stand for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, is a communication
protocol and file format dedicated to music.
This format is used for communication between sequencers and digitally
controlled musical instruments.
Installing the TS1.
The TS1 is a Eurorack module designed to be mounted in a box
compatible with this format and provided with its power supply.
• It is supplied with a power cord to be connected to the +12V/-12V
connector on your box.
• Its 40HP (80mm) wide size allows it to be easily inserted into your
equipment.
Note: The TS1 is equipped with a low-power processor, this feature
allows the TS1 to be inserted into a box without significantly increasing its
power consumption.

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Preview of the front panel.
[M] Menu button
[E] EDIT button
[S] Shift button
[T] Start/Stop button
[L] Select/Push button
[O] Mode selector
[1] Cv In Jack (EXT1)
[2] CV out Jack (EXT2)
[3] Midi IN din
[4] Midi Out din
[5] Cv/Gate jack Seq1
[6] Cv/Gate jack Seq2
[7] Trigger jack 1-2-3-4
[D] OLED Graphic display
M
E
S
T
L
O
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
D

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Presentation of the front panel.
The upper part.
This area groups the EXT1 and EXT2 Sockets:
• EXT1 intended to start and stop the sequencer with an external
signal of the 0-5V type.
• EXT2 configurable as Clock output with multiple divisions or output
for a 5th trigger output associated with one of the 4 tracks of
Drums mode.
The central part.
This region groups the user interface composed of:
• An OLED[D] graphic display screen.
• A control surface made up of:
o Push buttons: MENU[M], EDIT[E], SHIFT[S], START[T].
o A SELECT[L] data selector which allows navigation in the
menus, the selection of parameters and their modification.
o 8-position rotary switch for modes: MODE[O].
The lower part.
This area groups the Takes: and MIDI In/Out, Cv/Gate and Trigger.
• A MIDI interface equipped with IN and OUT sockets to receive
notes from an external keyboard via MIDI In and to be able to send
notes to MIDI instruments via MIDI Out.
• A Cv/Gate 1 and 2interface for controlling two instruments
equipped with Cv/Gate sockets in 1V/Octave format.
• A Tr1, Tr2, Tr3 and Tr4 trigger interface composed of 4 control
outputs for modules receiving 0-10V trigger signals.