Sitka Instruments - Gravity Review
A budget friendly Clock Generator for everyone!
Building a Eurorack synth will definitely force you to re-think every single aspect of a synthesizer and that means you would probably need to buy a module for each and every one of those aspects. Some things are obvious like an Oscillator or a Filter and some things are not. One of the not-so-common modules is a Clock Generator.
I was lucky enough to come across a brand new module manufacturer, Sitka Instruments, and test out their first module called Gravity which is exactly that. A very easy-to-use and very affordable clock generator with a few more bonus features so today we are going to go through all of its specs and see if this can become the module that will solve all your problems with syncing & clocking stuff on your modular synth!
Module Overview
Gravity is a 6HP module with 6 outputs, 2 CV inputs, an External Clock input, two buttons, a rotary encoder knob, and a quite big screen that displays all the necessary information you’d want. Its main function would be to output gates relative to the master tempo that you can set by rotating the big knob or by feeding Gravity with an external clock. And there are 6 available outputs to distribute those clocks to your system.
The second mode of Gravity is a Random pulse generator which outputs regular pulses but will occasionally skip some of them to create a random pattern and the third mode is a Step Sequencer. On the Sequencer you can have two banks. Bank A has 8 predefined patterns and Bank B has 8 empty slots to edit or record your own patterns. The sequencer is pretty cool because you can see the whole pattern and add or remove pulses for each step so that you can create your own sequences.
By the way, you could also use the Clock mode to create tempo-synced rhythms and trigger drum parts but the sequencer mode allows you to create more rhythmic patterns that are not tied to a tempo subdivision and that’s why it’s here.
In Clock mode, which is the mode I’ve used the most, you can set tempo subdivisions for each of the 6 output channels. So Gravity allows you to have 6 completely independent outputs with different time divisions relative to the master clock that you’ll see on the screen. To do that, you can use the knob and buttons to scroll through the channels and change the tempo divisions to taste. A cool little detail is that the LEDs on each output will flash according to the time division so you also have a visual representation of your different outputs’ time signature.
The two CV inputs can be used to modulate the Master Tempo, Subdivisions, the Probability of skipped pulses in Random Mode, and to switch sequences using an external modulation CV signal. That can be quite handy to add another level of modulation and randomization to your clock patterns!
Lastly, keep in mind that Gravity has contacts for daisy chaining which means you can connect to a new module that is coming very soon! And from what I know it’s going to be a MIDI module that will allow you to use MIDI to set the clock or use MIDI to clock external gear that are not in Eurorack format!
Patch Ideas and how I used it
There are a few patches that the need for a Clock module is quite obvious. For example, if you are sequencing drum sounds, you will definitely need to use the sequencer mode on Gravity to create patterns. Gravity, at its current firmware, does not allow you to also sequence pitch changes so you can’t use it to create melodic patterns (yet).
If you have a relatively large Eurorack system, you’d be amazed at how many sync and tempo inputs you already have so having a module like Gravity can be so useful. That’s what I did and I realized this was a very important missing part for my modular synth.
I’ll do a quick rundown of the modules I have and can use Gravity’s clock (and I’ll probably forget a few of them). The first thing I did was to sync my Keystep Pro Chroma and OXI ONE sequencer using Gravity. That way Gravity was my master clock and it’s almost always that. Then I synced Erica Synths Black Stereo Delay 2 tempo to the tempo of my project. Other modules that can use a Clock signal are LFOs! I have a couple of oscillators that can also become LFOs like the Nano Modules ONA, or the Klavis Twin Waves MKII that both can accept a sync signal to have their LFO’s rate synced to the tempo. Then there are modules like Sample & Hold, Random, or Slice by 2HP that also have a trigger or clock input that I also sync to a specific time division so my modulation is synced to my project. Or Bela Gliss which also accepts a clock to trigger its melodic sequencer!
As you can tell, there are so many ways you can utilize a Clock Generator in your system. I kinda knew this beforehand and I used OXI ONE’s clock multiplied through a Mult to spread it across my system, but now that Gravity is here my options are so much more and it’s also a lot more versatile than just having the same clock going through a Mult module.
For example, having tempo-synced LFOs is a pretty big deal for me so now I can not only have them synced but also use different tempo divisions for each LFO which can lead to some very cool results! Or a tempo-synced delay will allow you to do all sorts of modulations to your delay’s time and still be in sync which sounds amazing! Having a module like Gravity just makes things organized and easy!
Things I’m hoping to see in the future!
I think it’s time to address the elephant in the room. When you see Gravity, you’ll immediately think of a couple of modules. Make Noise Tempi and ALM Busy Circuits Pamela’s New or Pro Workout. Pamela’s Workout is one of the most popular modules ever made because it’s not only a very capable clock generator but also a ton of other things in just one package. I never got one myself for two reasons. The first reason is that it’s quite expensive and has a lot more things than I actually need. And the second reason is that it has so much menu-diving that I know I’ll get mad about very soon.
Sitka Instruments Gravity can become a lot of the things that Pamela’s Workout is. And the fact that it’s less than half of its price makes it such a great choice. The things I would add first to Gravity would be the following:
Quantizer mode: The two CV inputs can be utilized to accept a CV signal, quantize it to a specific scale, and output them using two of its outputs. That would be so useful to everyone that doesn’t have a quantizer module and either doesn’t want to spend extra money for one or simply lacks the space to put one on his case.
LFO: It would be awesome to be able to use any output channels as LFOs. There are times when you don’t take advantage of all 6 outputs so having the ability to turn them into synced LFOs with variable shapes would simply be amazing.
Just with those two additions, Gravity would become even more useful and, honestly, unbeatable in its category. As it is right now, it’s still the best affordable clock generator I could find so I’m sure that Sitka Instruments will keep updating it and making it even more feature-rich in the future.
Conclusion
I truly think that Sitka Instruments created an amazing value-for-money module with Gravity. It’s a utility module you will appreciate once you have it in your system and understand the multiple things it can handle. It’s small in HP, it’s very easy to use, and it will solve all clocking issues you might have in your modular.
I will be much more useful to people having a somewhat bigger system that can utilize all 6 outputs but with the upcoming release of the MIDI expander, Gravity can become the Master Clock of your synth setup too (we’ll update this post when it’s out and we have it in our hands).
No one wants to pay a lot of money for utility modules like that, so Gravity is an excellent choice that is too affordable for what it is. It may not be fully-featured like other similar modules yet but you get much more than you paid for! And from what I know from Sitka, the plan is to continue updating Gravity, adding new features and functionalities in the future which is awesome! But even for what it is the moment I’m writing this review, it’s still totally worth its price. A simple and effective way to control your Tempo and sync everything together is highly underrated but when you start using it you will never be able to go back.
PS: I’m really excited to work with smaller and upcoming companies like Sitka Instruments and just give them a tiny boost and a bit more exposure. I truly believe that innovation and new exciting things will only come from companies like Sitka who are trying to provide the maximum value they can to their customers while still being very fair with their pricing. The modular world is full of companies like that and while it may be not the most searched thing on our website or in the news right now, I much prefer to support people like that than huge manufacturers that think of profit first.
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