Stepper Acid
Stepper Acid tech specs
TSL Stepper Acid
- Released: 2014[1]
- Initial price: £295[2]
- Company: TSL
- Type: Digital step sequencer
- Control: 1V/Oct CV & V-trig gate out
- Display: 3×1 digit seven-segment LEDs
- Size: 3U (Eurorack), 32HP
Stepper Acid is a TB-303 style digital step sequencer made by TSL.
It has the regular 1V/Oct CV & V-trig gate outputs, along with accent. The latter can, for example, be used to control a VCA or VCF. Stepper Acid implements its own sliding, so it doesn't require an external slew limiter.
It can be used with regular bread-and-butter modules, such as the basic A-100 set, for creating entirely new sounding acidlines. As 1V/Oct CV & V-trig gates are also used outside of Eurorack, it can also control various regular synthesisers.
You can make acidlines that sound convincingly like a TB-303 by pairing it with a x0x-heart or M303 module, or even a TD-3-MO. For an MC-202 sound, it works well with an MS-1.
It's designed to be easy and intuitive to use, to be useful for live performance in particular, and to do only one thing — help you create acidlines — and do it well.
The hardware was designed and built by Nina Richards, while most of the firmware was written by myself.
Notable users
- Nine Inch Nails[3]
- Underworld[4] ("It's designed and built by these two female electronic musicians, and it's a fantastic little box.")
References
- "New Sequencer Module: Stepper Acid" Zoë Blade, Mod Wiggler, Nov 2014
- "New Sequencer Module: Stepper Acid" Zoë Blade, Mod Wiggler, Aug 2014
- "Trent Reznor — Archetype of a Synthesiser" Moog Music Inc., Sep 2015
- "4,120 Words About Underworld" Push, Electronic Sound, May 2018, p. 41
Further reading
Reviews
- "Transistor Sounds Labs Stepper Acid" Paul Nagle, Sound On Sound, Feb 2017
Downloads
Documentation
Digital step sequencers: CR-78 | MC-202 | MS-1 | RD-6 | RE-808 | SH-101 | Stepper Acid | TB-303 | TR-606 | TR-808
Eurorack: 100 Series (Behringer) | 900 Series (Behringer) | A-100 | Concussor | Stepper Acid
TSL: Stepper Acid
