Running in parallel with Zero’s Playback decks, the External Deck brings DJ-style control to your grooveboxes, modular synths, and drum machines. Apply DJ effects and isolator EQ to other gear in your setup. Play, pause, nudge, and sync clock and USB MIDI sync signals. Capture, generate, modulate, loop and re-quantize CV signals.
In the Playback Screen, the External Deck sits between Decks 1 and 2. Select it using the middle piano key button along Zero’s top-right. Quickly and intuitively swap control among the different decks as you move through your performance.
With the External Deck selected in the UI, the Play/Pause button starts and stops the clock signal, and the jog wheel nudges the clock forward and backward, just like the Playback decks. The External Deck’s behavior is context-aware — it responds appropriately whether you are sending a clock or following an input clock.
Any audio signals routed into the External Deck pass through its EQ, trim and effects signal path.
The Routing Mixer lets you individually route audio, clock, and CV signals into and out of Zero. Audio signals plugged into the input ports can appear at the Playback or External decks, bypass to the L/R mix, or be routed to an Aux Out, allowing for send/return setups.
Signal gain can be adjusted in the mixer UI, and padded based on drive level (Zero supports Eurorack and line-level audio I/O).
The Routing Mixer UI is currently in pre-alpha state, and will change before launch.
Zero can generate clock signals and follow clock signals. Clocks can be synced to the internal beat-grid tempo and start/stop can be quantized to note values (whole/quarter/eighth, etc.) allowing for easy integration with improvised performance.
Alternatively, clocks can be decoupled from internal sync parameters, clocking external gear at a different tempo than internal playback.
Zero supports multiple clocking protocols. From single-line PPQN signals and trigger pulses, to two-line clock+reset signals.
Clocking is currently under heavy iteration based on user-feedback so if you have feature requests, be sure to jump into the Discord and join the discussion.
Zero’s USB MIDI implementation is a little further down the roadmap, but the design calls for similar behavior to the above. Input and output will be supported, signal types and routing are configured in the Routing Mixer, and transport will be controlled by the External Deck.
CV signals are also on the dev roadmap. Current notions involve recording and playback of input CV signals, internal generation and direct editing of signals using Zero’s physical controls, looping and loop-based modulation, and re-quantization of captured 1V/oct signals based on the musical key of songs in the Playback decks. We’re actively seeking input on the feature-set here, so please jump into the Discord with your thoughts!