GENE 616 - First Look

video upload by Gene Synths



GENE 616 is an all analog, stereo polyrhythmic drum machine with two independent CV / Trigger sequencers.

The upper sequencer controls the Bass Drum Generator and Oscillator 1, a Synth Drum voice with a unique architecture which can produce almost any frequency, multiple waveforms, sweet and soft or totally untamed and unhinged, and is CV controllable over a wide range of pitches, timbres and decay times.

The lower sequencer controls the Snare Drum Generator and Oscillator 2, which is the same type of Synth Drum voice but with slightly extended high frequencies.

This range of sound sources along with two optional switchable germanium diode overdrive circuits and the ability to decouple the CV and Trigger sequences give the Gene 616 drum machine a wide palette of tones and textures and the ability to generate evolving rhythms and melodies.

Inspired by the experimental drum machines and modular systems used since the 1960s in groundbreaking recordings, the control signals that both sequencers generate can be shaped and processed to quickly sculpt and fine tune new patterns without needing to change the CV pattern sliders.

Each drum generator has its own threshold controls, which are used to select the range of slider positions that will trigger each drum. This is very intuitive and gives a great way to adjust rhythms on the fly.

All four drum generators also have their own swing controls, which are quantised to allow perfect syncing at different swing settings, but can be dialled in differently for off-kilter rhythms or set all the way to 100% swing, which effectively lets you double the amount of sequence steps to 32 (or more) using some settings and at fully clockwise turns off the even steps altogether.

The upper sequencer drums and lower sequencer drums have separate outputs that are summed to mono if only using one jack cable. (If you would like a single stereo jack output like the demonstration video unit features, please enquire.)

At the top of each sequencer, there are 16 control voltage sliders. Each sequencer has a Reset Threshold control so you can select the control voltage at which the sequencers will independently reset. At fully clockwise you will hear both sequencers play all 16 steps in sync.

As you lower the Reset Threshold, the sequencers will independently reset whenever their sequence reaches a control voltage slider that is set to a higher voltage than the threshold.

This allows pattern length to be changed in a variety of ways, and creates some really interesting polyrhythms and beat variations.

The Bass Drum Generator is a unique take on the classic analog bridge-t design, with adjustable Pitch Sweep Time (for super relaxed to punchy bass drums) and Decay Time (wide range) controls.

The Snare Drum Generator is a transistor-only circuit that creates a really crunchy, compact snare tone that perfectly compliments the wilder sound of the Oscillators. It has Pitch and Decay Time controls.

The Oscillators - this is where the magic and madness happens. The sound of these oscillators is really special, they can be sweet and soft, or totally untamed and unhinged.

The Pitch controls go all the way from triangles, bells and whistles down to the subsonic range where they can oscillate the other signals like an LFO.

The Pitch CV control sends the CV sequence to automatically control the oscillator frequency, but it also warps the waveform as it lowers the pitch, resulting in a deep growling sawtooth at full CV depth, while high notes remain more sine-shaped.

The Noise control allows independent analog white noise generators to interfere with the pitch of the oscillators, which results in air and instability at lower settings and outright blasts of tuned noise at higher settings. A pure noise signal can be achieved by setting the pitch of the oscillator all the way to zero, and at higher pitch settings the sound is like a tightly band-passed noise signal, all controllable by CV.

The Noise level itself can be CV controlled, which allows all sort of bizarre transformations to happen.

The Decay controls for the oscillators have a nice wide range, and there is also a touch of CV which shortens the decay times of steps with higher slider positions slightly.

This means that with CV controls turned all the way off, the oscillator tuning and tone can stay the same, but the decay time will fluctuate slightly with the settings on the sequencer sliders, giving a nice human feel to the rhythm.

Separate Glide Time controls also speed up or slow down the rate at which the control voltage shifts from one voltage to the next.

The Tempo Frequency control has a wide range. External Clock inputs and CV inputs are available as optional extras (there are a few variations available).

Trigger Swap exchanges all the upper sequencer trigger pulses for the lower sequencer trigger pulses, often resulting in even more interesting and complex patterns, as the CV sequence stays the same. When the two sequencers are set to different lengths and CV control of Pitch is used, this results in gradually evolving patterns and melodies.

The drum machine is built into a hand-made wood case.

Other Specifications

Inputs and Outputs:
2x 6.35mm (1/4 inch) audio output sockets (LEFT/MONO , RIGHT)
2.1mm 9v centre negative 500mA power input socket

Dimensions: 27 x 22 x 5 cm

£1,799 GBP / $2,424.00 USD