The Mutant Brain
24.April.2018
Mutant Brain user manual v1.00
PG1
Hexinverter Électronique, 2018
16 output MIDI to trigger, gate, polyphonic cv…and more
Thank you for your interest in/purchase of the Mutant Brain. We would like to thank you for considering a
place for the Mutant Brain in your modular synthesizer! Simple to use yet incredibly versatile and highly
accurate, the Mutant Brain can be the nerve center of your modular system. The Mutant Brain is a Eurorack
modular format product, available as a built module only.
BRIDGING THE GAP
Since the early 1980s MIDI has been how most synthesizers, sequencers, drum machines and keyboards
have talked to each other. Yet both old and new analogue synthesizers still use voltage for control, in the
form of continuous CV, gates and triggers. The analogue resurgence and the growth of Eurorack has meant
that CV-equipped synths have increased, rather than decreased, in popularity. At the same time the number
of devices capable of sequencing MIDI have proliferated - and many of these tend to be on the cheaper side.
Then, of course, there is the MIDI sequencer that exists in your computer: DAWs like Cubase and Ableton now
include incredibly sophisticated MIDI sequencers. If you’re a Eurorack user who wishes to incorporate any
MIDI device in your setup, or if you wish to use your PC and DAW to control your modular, you need a MIDI to
CV converter.
With the Mutant Drums Hexinverter Électronique has
long been focused on providing modular users with the
best, most exciting and versatile modular drums experience
. With six drum modules and a mixer the only
thing missing from the Mutant Drums was a means of sequencing. We deliberated for years over the
question:
should we make a sequencer for our Mutant Drums?
But this didn’t seem like the right idea, since
there has been such a resurgence of inexpensive, standalone MIDI drum machines and sequencing units!
Why re-invent the wheel? Eurorack already provides plenty of great sequencers, but for many users these
take up too much rack space, are too expensive, or are too fiddly to use for performanc. For users who do
invest in a modular sequencer, combining them with other sequencers in a live setting can be tricky without
the ability to sync transport controls.
What’s needed is a reasonably priced, versatile, low-HP module that can effectively bridge the gap between
MIDI and CV…….enter, the
Mutant Brain!
The Mutant Philosophy
This module brings the Mutant Drums line to full maturity. With seven drum modules, a mixer and now
the Mutant Brain as the link to your MIDI sequencer of choice, the Mutant Drums form a remarkably
capable and utterly unique modular drum system.
There are already some great clones of vintage gear out there. The Mutant Drums are different. Although
every Mutant drum module began life as a classic drum topology, each one has been meticulously
designed from the ground up. We aim to create fully-fledged instruments that can transcend the
limitations and exploit the capabilities of the modern modular system.
