16-step burst gate sequencer for VCV Rack VONK — by Grant Pieterse
Barrage is a 16-step sequencer where each step is a self-contained burst generator. Instead of a single gate per clock, each step fires a burst of evenly-spaced gates — with independent control over how many gates fire, how long each one is, whether the step fires at all, and how fast the burst runs relative to the clock.
| Control | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| COUNT | 1 – 16 | Number of gates to fire within the step (integer) |
| LENGTH | 0 – 100% | High-time fraction of each gate subdivision |
| PROB | 0 – 100% | Probability the step fires on each pass |
| SPEED | 0.25× – 4× | Burst speed relative to the clock period |
| Control | Description |
|---|---|
| STEPS | Number of active steps in the sequence (1–16, integer) |
| DIR | Direction mode knob — selects Forward, Reverse, Ping-pong, or Random |
| Jack | Description |
|---|---|
| CLK | Burst clock — each rising edge fires one gate on the active step's output. Gate high-time = CLK period × LENGTH. |
| STEP | Step advance — each rising edge moves the sequencer to the next step. |
| RST | Reset input — returns to step 1 on the next step advance. |
| Jack | Description |
|---|---|
| GATE 1–16 | Per-step burst gate output |
| EOC 1–16 | Fires a pulse when that step's burst completes |
| EOC | Fires a pulse at the end of each full sequence cycle (not fired in Random mode) |
| STEP CV | Current step as a 0–10 V CV value (0 V = step 1, 10 V = step 16) |
On each rising STEP edge Barrage advances to the next active step and rolls against that step's PROB knob. On each rising CLK edge, if the current step is active and its burst is not yet complete, a gate fires on that step's output. The gate stays high for the leading LENGTH fraction of the CLK period, then goes low. This repeats for COUNT CLK pulses, after which the burst is complete and the per-step EOC fires. Sending a new STEP edge before the burst finishes cuts it short and fires EOC immediately.
Each step has its own GATE output, so all 16 burst generators can be routed independently to different instruments or modules simultaneously.
The DIR knob selects one of four direction modes:
| Mode | Behaviour | EOC |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | Steps advance 1 → 2 → … → N → 1 | Fires on wrap |
| Reverse | Steps advance N → N-1 → … → 1 → N | Fires on wrap |
| Ping-pong | Steps bounce 1 → N → 1 → N → … without repeating endpoints | Fires when bouncing off step 1 |
| Random | A random step is chosen on each clock | Never fires |
- Patch STEP CV into a quantizer or V/Oct input to turn the sequencer into a melodic line driven by burst rhythm.
- Use EOC 1–16 to chain modules or trigger envelopes at the moment each burst finishes rather than when it starts.
- Set SPEED above 1× with COUNT > 1 to pack many fast gates into a single clock step; set it below 1× for slow, sparse single gates that trail into the next step.
- Clock two instances together with different DIR modes — e.g. one in Forward and one in Ping-pong — for evolving polyrhythmic textures.
Requires the VCV Rack SDK.
# clone into your Rack plugins folder
git clone <repo-url> Barrage
cd Barrage
make installProprietary — © Grant Pieterse. All rights reserved.