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CONSTELLATIONS SEQUENCER 1.6.2

Constellations Sequencer is an audio plugin that generates rhythmic patterns via Euclidean algorithms, dual-layer polyphonic channels, parametric modulation, and intelligent harmony engines in a streamlined focus-plus-context interface.

  • VST3 · AU · Standalone
  • Windows · macOS · Linux
  • 3 computers · works offline
  • 14-day refund

Free demo: the full plugin — unlicensed sessions mute output.

Jump to: Features · Changelog

CONSTELLATIONS SEQUENCER 1.6.2

Heads up: Constellations generates MIDI, not audio. Route it to any instrument plugin or synth in your DAW to hear it.

Features

A quick walkthrough of every tab. The full annotated manual ships with the plugin.

Core concepts

Dual-layer per channel

Every channel runs two Euclidean layers in parallel. Their step patterns are OR-merged: a hit on either layer produces a MIDI note, creating denser, more complex rhythms than a single layer.

Concatenated A + B

Each layer splits into two sub-sequences (A then B) whose step counts add up to the channel's total Steps. The A/B ratio knob controls the split, and each sub-sequence has its own fill percentage: asymmetric phrases impossible with a plain Euclidean circle.

Host-synced, sample-accurate

No internal free-running clock. Play, stop, song position, tempo and swing all follow the DAW exactly. MIDI timestamps are calculated to the sample.

Modulation system

Velocity, Duration, Notes, Contour, Polyphony and Strum share one LFO architecture: four depth faders, four morphable wave-shape knobs, a phase offset, and an Intensity / Min / Max / Rate macro panel. The resulting curve is drawn live.

Randomize with drag amount

Every tab has one or two dice buttons. Click for a gentle randomize; click and drag vertically to increase the randomization strength. The further you drag, the more values deviate from their current settings.

Wave shapes (0 → 3)

The small rotary knobs under each depth fader morph through four waveforms: 0 = sine, 1 = triangle, 2 = square, 3 = saw. Values between integers blend adjacent shapes.

Main window at a glance

The window is divided into three zones: the transport bar (top), the Tracks / Harmony viewer (middle), and the detail panel for the selected channel (bottom).

  • Transport bar: BPM, play/stop, swing, key/scale, global presets, undo/redo, randomize all, overlay toggles.
  • Tracks tab: timeline view with 16 channel lanes; click a tile to edit it below.
  • Harmony tab: constellation-wheel view for harmonic relationships between tracks.
  • Detail panel: nine sub-tabs (Rhythm · Velocity · Duration · Notes · Contour · Polyphony · Strum · Chance · Repeat) shape every aspect of the output.

Single-track vs Multi-track view

A pill switch in the transport bar toggles between two layouts. Multi (default) shows up to 8 track lanes for composing full arrangements; Single collapses the list into one expanded lane for focused step-by-step programming.

Rhythm tab: the Euclidean engine

The heart of every channel. Four knobs per layer define the two concatenated Euclidean sub-patterns; the merged result is shown on the right-hand step grid.

  • A/B ratio: how many steps belong to A vs B (0% = all A, 100% = all B).
  • A-Fill % / B-Fill %: density (hits) in each sub-sequence, 0–100%.
  • Rotation: rotates the concatenated pattern by N steps (0 to Steps−1).
  • Layer 2: same controls, independent values (magenta accent), OR-merged with Layer 1.

Velocity

Four depth faders (1/2, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8 rate) and four morphable wave-shape knobs drive a live velocity curve. Intensity, Min (0–127), Max (0–127), and Rate macros on the right panel scale the output. A Min/Max link keeps the range width fixed when dragging.

Duration

Min/Max are expressed in beats (0.05–32 bt) and control how long each MIDI note is held. When Legato is enabled, notes extend continuously until the next note triggers instead of using fixed duration values.

Notes

Min/Max are pitch names (e.g. C3, D#4). Output is snapped to the global Key/Scale. The base pitch from the Rhythm tab is offset by this LFO.

Contour

Contour

Macro-level shape applied across the pattern. Min/Max range is −24…+24 semitones. The Res field sets how many steps the contour is quantised to (1–64).

Polyphony

Min/Max are chord voicings (e.g. Root, Major, Dom13). Steps can output a single note or expand into a chord. 21 voicings available.

Strum

Min/Max are in milliseconds (0–50 ms min, 0–2000 ms max). Offsets chord notes in time so voicings arpeggiate instead of stacking instantly. Only Intensity and Rate are exposed on the right panel.

Chance tab

Chance tab

Probability gate per step. Uses the Rhythm knob layout as the modulation source and exposes per-step probability pads. A step only fires if it passes the probability test.

  • Per-step chance pads: click to force a step to always fire (100%) or never fire (0%), overriding the curve.
  • Intensity scales overall probability; Min % / Max % set floor and ceiling.
  • Phase offsets the probability pattern; Rate controls how fast it cycles.
Repeat tab

Repeat tab

Turns a single step into a ratchet / roll (also called "burst" or "flam"). Same layout as Chance, but Min/Max are expressed as a repeat multiplier (e.g. 3× = triplet roll within one step).

Harmony: Constellations view

Switches the main panel to a grid of constellation wheels: one row per layer, four wheels per row (Ratio · A-Fill · B-Fill · Rotation). Each wheel positions the tracks around a ring according to a selected harmonic mode, letting you create harmonically-related polyrhythms between tracks without manually typing numbers.

Changelog

v1.6.2

2026-09-25

Changed

  • Update checks now read a small version file hosted on fctr8.com instead of scraping the store checkout page, and automatically fall back to the store page if the version file can't be reached — checks keep working if either source is down

Fixed

  • Fixed the update checker never detecting new versions — it searched for a title format the store page no longer uses, so "Check for updates" always reported a parse error

v1.6.1

2026-09-22

Added

  • Made destructive actions undoable — deleting a track, removing a scene, and choosing "Init" from the project dropdown can be reversed instantly with Ctrl+Z or the undo button, with a toast message confirming what happened
  • Muted tracks now show a dimmed strip with a MUTED tag in the track list, so a silenced channel is visible at a glance (previously only the sidebar button dimmed)
  • Added hover hints to the Harmony constellation cells explaining their hidden gestures — drag a dot to set its value, double-click to make it the master, click legend squares to link tracks, right-click to exclude a track, and drag the center knob to rotate everything
  • Added hover hints to track strips and scene buttons for their right-click menus, and to the Multi/Single mode switch (which is now also keyboard-operable)
  • Added brief toast notifications at the bottom of the window for actions that previously happened silently or needed a popup — copying and pasting track settings or scenes, saving and loading project and track presets, resetting the project, and pasting with an empty clipboard now show a short message that fades away on its own
  • Added screen-reader support across the interface — harmony editors, track strips, modulation strips, and the step ruler now announce names and descriptions, icon-only buttons read as "Remove track 3" or "Scene B" instead of "X" or "+", the Multi/Single switch announces as a toggle, toast messages are spoken aloud, and the Tab key moves through panels in a sensible order

Changed

  • Resizing the plugin window now preserves the interface's proportions — content scales uniformly and stays centered instead of stretching, so circles and text keep their shape at any window size
  • Raised the minimum window size so all controls remain readable and clickable when shrinking the editor
  • Copying track settings from the right-click menu no longer shows a confirmation popup — the copy now happens silently
  • Brightened the dimmed text color used for labels, hints, and inactive menu items so it stays readable against the dark interface

Fixed

  • Fixed the channel number badge on each track strip never appearing — it was painted underneath the pattern lane
  • Fixed the "Open Download Page" button in the update-available dialog doing nothing — it now correctly opens the download page in your browser
  • Fixed playback not starting in a saved Ableton Live project until the plugin window was opened once — license validation now runs on plugin load without requiring the editor, so MIDI output follows the transport immediately on project open
  • Fixed plugin window size not being restored when reopening a saved project — the plugin now reopens at the window size it was saved with instead of falling back to the default 100% size
  • Fixed an activated license being treated as unlicensed when opening the plugin without an internet connection — a previously activated license is now trusted until the license server explicitly rejects it, so offline sessions no longer mute output or ask for re-activation
  • Fixed temporary license server errors (rate limiting, server hiccups) erasing the saved activation — only an explicit rejection from the license server removes a stored license