Sacrament The Cursible User manual

THE CURSIBLE
MANUAL
THANK YOU FOR PURCHASING THE CURSIBLE FROM SACRAMENT!
THE CURSIBLE IS A 14HP 6 CHANNEL, MORPHING EFFECTS-SEND MATRIX
WITH AN INCREDIBLE FEATURE SET AND A VAST AMOUNT OF
APPLICATIONS FROM MORPHING / SEQUENCING THROUGH AND
BLENDING EFFECTS THROUGH TO CADAVRE EXQUIS STYLE MIXING OF
SOUND SOURCES OR CONTROL VOLTAGES. THE CURSIBLE FEATURES
MULTIPLE MODES OF OPERATION INCLUDING:
PIANO MODE : Send your signal through your effects chains manually
via a momentary button push with user-defined fade times.
CLOCK MODE : Sequence your signal through your effects
chains via the clock input. Clock sub-modes include clockwise,
counter-clockwise, pendulum and random sequencing options!
CONTROL VOLTAGE MODE : Morph and switch your way
through your effects via the control voltage input / attenuator
using any CV source.
MANUAL MODE : Select your routing using the central knob for
a more hands-on approach.
RANDOM MANUAL MODE : Randomly advance through your
sequence with a turn of the central knob.
CV + CLOCK MODE : Choose your routing destinations using a
sample and hold style approach.
FILL OPERATION : When sequencing through one effects chain at a
time isn’t cutting it, use Fill to stack from 0 to all 6 sends and returns!
All modes feature user-defined “morph” timing to allow you to
adjust from click-less switching to long attack and decay times
and everything in between.
SPECIFICATIONS :
* 14 HP
* 52mA +12V
* 26mA -12V

THE CURSIBLE
22
MIN MAX
SUM
SHIFT BYPASS
XFD CLK AUDIO IN
6
666
42 21
13
13 21 22 42 6666
XFD CV LVL AUDIO LVL
SEND
RETURN
2
3
910 11
12
4 56
7 8
1
6 send outputs (1)
6 return inputs (2)
Audio / signal input (3)
Sum audio / signal output (4)
CLK clock input (5)
XFD CV input (6)
CV attenuator (7)
Audio input attenuator (8)
Bypass latching button (9)
Shift function button (10)
6 central channel buttons (11)
Central push button encoder (12)
2
1
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

APPLICATIONS FOR THE CURSIBLE INCLUDE :
Morphing your signal through 6 reverbs, delays, distortions, waveshapers,
flangers, phasers etc and truly creating your own sound.
Sending your signal to 0-6 destinations in any order you want with adjustable
fade times.
Morphing through multiple sound sources to create an ever evolving oscillator
timbre.
Morphing through multiple cv sources for an utterly unique, evolving voltage
source.
Sequencing oscillator “stacks” for rich, blooming soundscapes.
And much, much more.
INSTALLATION :
Be sure that your Eurorack case is powered down prior to installation.
Using the supplied IDC power cable, connect the module to an empty slot on
your Eurorack bus board making sure that polarities aren’t inverted (-12 goes to
-12). Once the power connections are secure, screw The Cursible into place
before powering your system on.
GETTING STARTED :
When patching The Cursible for the first time, make sure you set it up by
selecting which channels you intend to use, whether you want to use
INDIVIDUAL or FILL modes (described below) and what MORPH settings (also
described below) you’ll want to use. To do this, hold SHIFT and tap the first
central channel button (labeled 6). The SHIFT button is now blinking. You are
now in LATCHING mode and this is also where you’ll select which channels are
active. Highlight any / all of the channels that you plan on using. Each central
channel button corresponds to a SEND and RETURN channel (IE: button 1
{labeled 6} corresponds to SEND and RETURN channel 1 {also labeled 6}). If you
intend to patch out to 6 effects and sequence through them, for example, you’ll
want to make sure that all 6 buttons are highlighted in LATCHING mode first.
INDIVIDUAL AND FILL MODES :
By holding SHIFT and pressing the encoder knob, you can toggle between
individual and fill modes. These only apply to the various sequencing modes
listed above. Individual mode lets you sequence through the channels of The
Cursible one at a time while fill mode acts as a parallel processing hub of sorts.
In fill mode we can “stack” one channel on top of another.
MORPH SETTINGS :
The Cursible has 6 Morph presets that change the curve shape, attack and
release times of the internal VCA’s. These can be selected by long-holding the
SHIFT button for about two seconds. You will see one of the 6 central buttons
highlighted. While continuing to hold SHIFT, turn the encoder knob to select one
of the 6 MORPH presets. They are ordered in a shortest-to-longest
configuration with 1 being the shortest and 6 being the longest.

THE CURSIBLE IS CAPABLE OF A LOT AND FEATURES QUITE A FEW MODES OF
OPERATION THAT WE WILL LIST HERE :
PIANO MODE: Piano mode is the default mode of The Cursible. You
can access it by holding the encoder knob for 2 seconds. In Piano
mode, the channel buttons act as momentary switches that turn the
channels on while pressing and holding the buttons. This mode can be
a great performance tool for live or improvised effects, audio or CV
routing.
LATCHING MODE: in this mode, you can select which channels are
active. To do this, press SHIFT together with the 1st central channel
button (labelled 6). The selected channels are activated when their
buttons are pressed and turned off when the buttons are pressed
again. Remember - the channels you select in LATCHING mode are
also the ones that will be active in any of the following modes.
MANUAL SEQUENCING MODE: After selecting which channels are
active in LATCHING mode, we can use the MANUAL SEQUENCING
mode by holding SHIFT and pressing the 2nd central channel button
(labeled 13) to sequence through them using the encoder knob. The
highlighted channel buttons are visual indicators of where the
sequence is as you turn the encoder. (Try toggling between
INDIVIDUAL and FILL modes here by holding SHIFT and pressing the
encoder button).
CV SEQUENCING MODE: By holding SHIFT and pressing the 3rd
central channel button (labeled 21) you can enter CV SEQUENCING
MODE. You can now use a CV source (IE: LFO, CV sequencer,
envelope etc.) to choose which channels are selected with +5v being
the full span. You can use the CV attenuator to fine-tune your
incoming CV sources (Again, the sequencing modes can only access
the channels that are activated in LATCHING mode). INDIVIDUAL and
FILL modes are both available here as well so be sure to toggle
between them to see which you prefer by holding shift and pressing
the encoder.
RANDOM MANUAL SEQUENCING MODE: You can access RANDOM
MANUAL SEQUENCING MODE by holding SHIFT and pressing the 4th
central channel button (labeled 22). In this mode you can randomly
cycle through the channels by turning the encoder knob. This can be a
lot of fun to inject some chaos and unpredictability into a patch.

CLOCK DRIVE SEQUENCING MODE: We can access clock drive
sequencing mode by holding shift and pressing the 5th central
channel button (labeled 42). In clock drive sequencing mode we can
patch a clock or other gate signal to the CLK input and sequence
through the channels with each clock / gate pulse. It’s important to
know that clock drive has a sub-menu that allows us to select a
sequence direction. We can access the sub-menu by holding shift,
holding the 5th central channel button (labeled 42) and then turning
the encoder knob to highlight one of the 4 sequence directions (1:
FORWARD 2: BACKWARD 3:PENDULUM 4:RANDOM)
CV + CLOCK SEQUENCING MODE: This is essentially sample and
hold in which the incoming CV can only select a new channel when a
clock pulse is received at the CLK input. To enter CV + clock
sequencing mode we can hold shift and press the 6th central channel
button (labeled 666). Now we can apply a CV source to the CV input
and a clock or gate source to the CLK input and The Cursible will
select a channel based on the voltage level of the incoming CV when
it receives a pulse at the CLK input.
PATCH EXAMPLES :
SEQUENTIAL EFFECTS MORPHING: Try patching an audio source to
the audio input and then patch each of the send and returns into
various effects modules (IE: patch send 6 to the audio input of and
effects module and then patch the output of that effect into return 6).
We can then sequence our signal through the effects modules
sequentially by holding shift and tapping the 5th central channel
button (labeled 42) to enter CLOCK DRIVE mode. Long holding shift +
the 5th central channel button will give you access to the sequencer
directions. 1 being forward, 2 being backward, 3 being pendulum and
4 being random. Now when patching a clock signal to the CLK input,
The Cursible will morph your audio signal through your effects
sequentially. Depending on the speed of your clock, you may want to
adjust the morph settings by long-holding shift and then selecting a
shorter or longer morph setting by highlighting one of the 6 presets
(1 being shortest and 6 being the longest).
PIANO CV PERFORMANCE: Tap shift once to enter piano mode then
try patching 6 CV sources (IE : LFO’s, Envelopes etc) into the 6 returns.
Patch the sum output to the FM/cutoff CV input of your favorite filter
or the 1v/o input of a VCO. Now when you press one of the central
channel buttons, you’ll be routing the corresponding CV source to
your destination.

MORPHING CORPSE: Based on the classic cadavre exquis or
exquisite corpse patch we can take any 6 sound sources and let The
Cursible choose which of the sounds we are listening to. First, choose
CLOCK DRIVE mode by holding shift then tapping the 5th central
channel button (labeled 42). While holding shift and the 5th button, turn
the encoder knob to highlight the 4th central channel button (labeled 22)
to set the sequencer to random direction. Now try patching 6 sound
sources into the 6 return inputs (I like to use multi-waveform oscillators
such as DPO, Furthrrrr Generator or Mindphaser but any sources will
suffice). Now when you add a clock signal to the CLK input The Cursible
will morph from one signal to the next in a random direction with each
clock pulse. Depending on the speed of your clock, you may want to
adjust the morph settings by long-holding shift and then turning the
encoder knob to select a shorter or longer morph setting highlighting
one of the 6 presets indicated on the central channel buttons(1 being
shortest and 6 being the longest).
6 CHANNEL MUTIPLE: Patching an audio or cv source to the audio
input will multiply that signal across the 6 send outputs. When in any
mode, try patching a 1v/o sequence to the audio input and then
distribute to the oscillators in your system.
6 CHANNEL LATCHING MIXER: We can use The Cursible as a 6
channel mixer by first entering FILL MODE by holding shift and
pressing down on the encoder knob and then patching up to 6 audio
or CV sources into the RETURN inputs. Now enter LATCHING mode by
holding shift and tapping the 1st central channel button (labeled 6)
and now you’ll be able to choose which sounds are present at the
SUM output by pressing and highlighting their channel buttons.
SYNCED MODULATION SHIFTER: We can send up to 6 CV sources
into the RETURN inputs, sequence through them using a clock signal
and send the resulting sum to a CV input of our choice. If we want a
simple, 4 step repeating pattern we can go into LATCHING mode by
holding shift and tapping the 1st central channel button (labeled 6)
and highlighting only the first 4 channel buttons (disable the 5th and
6th by giving them a tap). Now patch 4 of your favorite modulation
sources (I like to use different synced LFO’s, envelopes and S&H) into
the first 4 RETURN inputs then enter CLOCK DRIVE mode by holding
shift and pressing the 5th central channel button (labeled 42). Now
patch a clock to the CLK input and The Cursible will sequence
through your 4 modulation sources in sync with your patch. Try
using different clock divisions for different patterns. I like to send
the resulting CV pattern into filter cutoffs and 1v/o inputs on VCO’s.

THE CURSIBLE
22
MIN MAX
SUM
SHIFT BYPASS
XFD CLK AUDIO IN
6
666
42 21
13
13 21 22 42 6666
XFD CV LVL AUDIO LVL
SEND
RETURN

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
Please follow the following instructions to ensure
that the module is used safely.
This module is NOT intended for use in a humid or wet environment.
Should liquids or other conducting substances get into the module, the
module should be disconnected from mains power immediately, dried,
examined and cleaned by a qualified technician.
Transport the module carefully, never let it drop or fall over. Warranty
does not apply to modules with visual damage.
The module has to be shipped in the original packaging only. Any module
shipped to us for return, exchange and/or warranty repair has to be in its
original packaging. All other deliveries will be rejected and returned to you.
Make sure you keep the original packaging and technical documentation.
This device complies to the EU guidelines and is manufactured RoHS
conforming without use of lead, mercury, cadmium and chrome.
Nevertheless, this device is special waste and disposal in household
waste is not recommended.
The module is developed in collaboration with Erica Synths and is
manufactured in Latvia.
You will find the Sacrament terms of warranty at
www.ericasynths.lv
Items for return, exchange and/or warranty repair must be
registered at SUPPORT on www.ericasynths.lv and sent back
to us according to the instructions in the support page.
Made in Latvia.
User manual by Nero Bellum.
Design by Ineta Briede@black8
Copying, distribution or any commercial use in any way is
prohibited and requires written permission from Sacrament.
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
Do not expose the module to temperatures above +50°C or below -20°C.
If the module has been exposed to extreme low temperatures, leave it in
room temperature for an hour before plugging it in.