Machine 2’s main area of specialty is its ability to store and play back preprogrammed short melodic sequences. It is capable of stepping through two eight note patterns, which can be played together in a parallel fashion or the patterns can be played one after the other in serial fashion.
Machine 2 is a standalone musical instrument. It has on-board tone generators whose audio output is controlled by a four stage envelope generator. It can also control external voltage controlled oscillators, voltage controlled amplifiers and envelope generators.
All sequence patterns are retained until overwritten by new ones. Each pattern bank stores 16 patterns of eight note sequences. Sequence patterns can be selected on the fly while the sequencer is running.
The tempo or rate of sequencing is controlled by an adjustable clock. Sequencer patterns can be transposed up or down in pitch from an external keyboard and manually using the transpose knob.
Machine 2 is designed to interface with Martian Music Machines 1, 3 and 4 and other terrestrial voltage controlled equipment using standard quarter inch jack inputs. It accepts standard 1 volt per octave control voltages use to change the carrier oscillator’s pitch, and gate signal inputs to initiate envelope loudness functions.
Facsimile of Martian
Music Machine 2's control panel with native language labeling. |