Chapter 06: Step Sequencer & Song Mode
13 pattern slots, Kit-Level Groove Generator (7 styles), Modular Pattern Chain Studio with follow actions, 64 steps, scale quantization for bass and melodies, Euclidean engine, TrigConditions, Song Mode.
6.1 Introduction to the TOMiC Sequencer
TOMiC features an advanced 64-step polyrhythmic step sequencer and groove composition workstation allowing producers to compose complete multi-track arrangements — including intricate drum patterns, scale-quantized basslines, melodic leads, and evolving chords — directly inside the instrument without requiring external DAW MIDI note drawing.
Main Step Sequencer View
Figure 6.1: Step grid view, velocity, pitch, and step parameter controls.
6.2 Pattern Length & Pattern Banks (A - L + FILL)
Step Rate (Resolution)
Each channel features an independent step resolution setting (StepRate):
| StepRate | Description |
|---|---|
| 1/32 | 32nd notes — finest resolution for hi-hat rolls |
| 1/16 | 16th notes — standard resolution |
| 1/8 | 8th notes |
| 1/4 | Quarter notes |
| 1/2 | Half notes |
| 1/1 | Whole notes |
6.3 Per-Step Parameters
Clicking any step in the sequencer provides granular per-step parameter editing:
| Step Parameter | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | On/Off | Step active state |
| Accent | On/Off | Accented hit (increased velocity with transient emphasis, scaled by the channel's Accent Amount, see 6.11) |
| Reverse | On/Off | Reverse sample playback for this step |
| Velocity | 0 - 127 | Step velocity level |
| Pan | L - R | Stereo panorama placement |
| Pitch Offset | -24 to +24 | Transposition in semitones |
| Probability | 0% - 100% | Trigger probability (live randomness) |
| Ratchet (Roll) | 1x - 8x | Sub-step repetition count (trap rolls, hi-hat bursts) |
| Roll Style | - | Shapes the ratchet's sub-hits independently of the hit count: Pitch (Flat/Up/Down/Alt Up/Alt Down/Random, with a semitone-per-hit amount), Velocity (Flat/Crescendo/Decrescendo) and Time (Even/Accelerate/Ritardando/Burst) |
| Micro-timing (Nudge) | 0 - 100 | Micro-timing offset shift |
| Gate | 0 - 100 (or None) | Gate duration time |
| Mutation (Morph) | 0.0 - 1.0 | Step-specific Layer A↔B Morph position |
| Slice Index | - | Sample slice selection for this step |
| Sample Variant (VAR) | Auto or A/B/C/D | Forces one of the 4 round-robin sample variants for this step; Auto lets the voice's own round-robin cycling pick |
| Sample Start/End Override | - | Override trim points for this step |
| AR Lock | On/Off | Excludes this step from every Auto-Randomize lane, so it always keeps its manually drawn values even while a lane is actively rerolling |
6.4 TrigConditions (Conditional Step Triggers)
Each step can be assigned a conditional trigger (TrigCondition) controlling under what conditions the step fires, evaluated against the channel's own loop counter:
| Condition | Description |
|---|---|
| None | Step fires unconditionally (default) |
| Ratio(x, y) | Step fires only on the x-th pass out of every y loops of the channel's pattern (e.g. Ratio(1,2) = every 2nd loop) — x and y both range 1-8 |
| NotRatio(x, y) | Inverted Ratio — fires on all loops except pass x out of y |
| First | Step fires only on the channel's first loop after playback starts |
| NotFirst | Step fires on every loop except the first |
| Pre | Step fires only if the same step also fired on the previous loop |
| NotPre | Step fires only if the same step did not fire on the previous loop |
| Fill | Step fires only while the FILL pattern (see 6.2) is active |
| NotFill | Step fires only while FILL is not active |
Conditions can be scroll-cycled step by step in the editor, or set via the Randomize button, which draws from a musically curated pool of the more common ratios (weighted toward simple, frequently-used divisions rather than exotic ones).
6.5 Algorithmic Euclidean Pattern Generator
The Euclidean generator automatically produces traditional and exotic world rhythms based on the Euclidean division algorithm, distributing hits as evenly as possible across the channel's current step length:
Euclidean Generator
Figure 6.2: Algorithmic Euclidean pattern generator window.
There is no separate "Steps" field — the generator always distributes across the channel's own current pattern length (adjust that first via the length control described in 6.2).
6.6 Auto-Randomize Lanes
Every per-step parameter lane can be auto-randomized independently. There are 13 built-in lanes (AutoRandLaneConfig, indices 0-12) plus two further dedicated lanes for the SLICE and VAR (round-robin) grids — 15 randomizable lanes in total:
| Lane | Code | Target Parameter |
|---|---|---|
| TRIG | Trigger | Step activation/deactivation |
| ACC | Accent | Random accents |
| ROLL | Ratchet | Random sub-divisions (1-8) |
| PITCH | Pitch Offset | Random pitch shifts (optionally snapped to one of 14 musical scales, see below) |
| VOL | Velocity | Random velocity levels |
| PAN | Pan | Random stereo panning |
| PROB | Probability | Random probability values |
| REV | Reverse | Random sample reverse flags |
| NUDGE | Micro-offset | Random micro-timing offsets |
| GATE | Gate length | Random gate durations |
| MUT | Mutation/Morph (step) | Random per-step Morph values |
| MORPH | Morph | A second, independently clocked Morph randomization lane |
| COND | Trig Condition | Randomizes each step's TrigCondition from the curated pool |
| SLICE | Slice Index | Random slice selection (own clock, see 6.7) |
| VAR | Sample Variant | Random round-robin variant selection (own clock, see 6.7) |
Each lane's roll behavior is independently configurable:
6.7 Per-Lane Polymetry (Independent Lane Clocks)
Beyond giving each channel its own step length and rate, TOMiC lets individual lanes within the same channel run on their own independent length and StepRate — true nested polymetry inside a single voice or track.
length/step_rate verbatim.This is the mechanism that also powers the channel's musical cycle for Song Mode advance, pattern-chain timing, clip-launch quantization and TrigCondition loop counting — all of those always follow the TRIG lane specifically, while every other lane is free to drift against it.
6.8 Swing & Groove Templates
GrooveTemplate) — 7 built-in timing templates that nudge steps off the strict grid:| Template | Description |
|---|---|
| None | No groove — strict quantization |
| Laid Back | Behind-the-beat, relaxed hits |
| Push | Ahead-of-the-beat, driving hits |
| Shuffle | Classic 16th-note shuffle feel |
| Bossa Nova | Brazilian groove with asymmetric micro-timing |
| Funk Heavy | Heavy funk feel with sharp subdivisions |
| Human | Randomized micro-timing deviations simulating a human drummer |
6.9 Song Mode Arrangement & MIDI Export
Song Mode
Song Mode (SongMode) allows chaining pattern banks (A-L) into full song arrangements:
Window Song Mode
Figure 6.3: Song Mode arrangement window.
ChannelAutomation) plus global swing/tempo/Morph changes (GlobalAutomation) at any step of the chain. During playback, this recorded automation is layered on top of each chained pattern's own step-drawn parameter lanes — both sources are always composed together, so switching Song Mode on never silences a pattern's hand-drawn modulation. A persistent Song Automation strip below the chain view lets you inspect and hand-edit the same recorded curve at any time, and the window itself grows to make room for it rather than shrinking the OSC/Noise/LFO editor above.MIDI Export
TOMiC can export sequences as standard MIDI files (SMF Type 0) that you save to disk and import into your DAW:
.mid); TOMiC does not drag MIDI directly onto the DAW timeline.6.10 Choke Groups
TOMiC supports 4 independent Choke Groups (A, B, C, D) plus an Off state per channel:
When two channels share the same Choke Group (e.g. CH3: Closed Hi-Hat in Group A and CH4: Open Hi-Hat in Group A), triggering one immediately cuts off the other's decay. This behaves exactly like a physical hi-hat closing on a real cymbal stack.
6.11 Accent
Every channel has an Accent Amount parameter (modulation target LfoTarget::AccentAmount, range 0-100%, default 50%). Steps with Accent enabled play back with additional dynamic emphasis scaled by this amount.
6.12 Sequencer Range Ring & Correlated Copy/Paste Range Workflow
The Range Ring provides an intuitive, interactive ribbon positioned directly above the step matrix of any active sequencer lane (Trigger, Pitch, Velocity, Accent, Roll, Pan, Gate, Filter, etc.):
win_start and win_len). Click and drag the center body of the ring to slide the entire loop frame across the 16, 32, or 64-step sequence on the fly!From / Len / To).cycle_ticks), WAV renders, stem bounces, and MIDI exports strictly respect the active Range Ring boundaries.6.13 Kit-Level Groove Generator (🎲)
The Sequencer header features a built-in, kit-wide generative composition engine accessed via the dice icon (🎲):
1. Techno: Relentless four-on-the-floor kick anchors, driving 16th-note offbeat hats, rolling sub-bass, and syncopated industrial percussion.
2. House: Bouncy syncopated kicks, 909-style open hat swing on upbeats, snappy claps on 2 and 4, and Latin-flavored percussion interplay.
3. Hip-Hop / Boom-Bap: Heavy swung groove, displaced kicks, crisp snares on 2 and 4 with ghost notes, laid-back hi-hat subdivisions.
4. Drum & Bass: Fast breakbeat patterns (170+ BPM), 2-step kick with syncopated snare on beats 2 and 4.5, rolling ghost hi-hats.
5. IDM: Glitchy micro-timed bursts, unexpected metric pivots, irregular ratchets, and shifting polymetric accents.
6. Trap: 808 sub-bass glides, rapid hi-hat rolls (ratchets 2x-8x) with pitch drops, sparse halftime snare on beat 3, punchy kick syncopations.
7. Free / Experimental: Pure algorithmic exploration breaking traditional grid constraints.
6.14 Modular Pattern Chain Editor (✏)
Arranging patterns into evolving live performances and full tracks has been expanded with the dedicated Modular Pattern Chain Editor:
ChainBlock Architecture: Replaces the flat pattern list with modular block cards that can be reordered via drag-and-drop with an intuitive drop-ghost insertion indicator.[C, D, E] on every pass), enabling self-evolving, generative song arrangements that never repeat identically.chain_loop_step to a deterministic layout — ensuring that recorded Song Mode automation and offline export match live playback bit-for-bit.