8Heads editor

Tape

Timing

Main

X · vol / fb

X knob + CV In 1

Y · pan / width

Y knob + CV In 2

Freeze

Levels

InOut

Faders

Card presets

Eight presets kept in the card's own flash, which the card loads with the 8mu alone (hold A and move a fader), and saves (hold D and move a fader). At power-up the card loads the last one saved or loaded. Save puts the settings here into the slot.

Browser presets

Presets in this browser, as many as you like. Click a name to load it (and send it to the card). → slot copies one into a card preset without loading it.

Inputs & outputs

Inputs
Audio In 1, 2	Left and right in. With only Audio In 1 patched, it feeds both sides
CV In 1	Added to X: +5 V adds ×1 to every head's volume and feedback
CV In 2	Added to Y: +5 V adds ×1 to every head's pan and width
Pulse In 1	Clock, a pulse a beat. A jack plugged in syncs the heads: to the clock from its second pulse, until then to the last beat it had (120 bpm at first)
Pulse In 2	Freeze, while high
Outputs
Audio Out 1, 2	Left and right out, dry and wet as the Mix fader sets
CV Out 1	The tape's wow and flutter, ±5 V at full depth
CV Out 2	Envelope of the delayed signal, 0 to 5 V
Pulse Out 1	A trigger every beat (synced), or every free-time length (a fader at the top) when free
Pulse Out 2	High while frozen
Panel
Main	Free: time multiplier, ×¼ to ×4, ×1 at the centre. Synced: ratio, /4 /3 /2 ×⅔ ×1 ×1½ ×2 ×3 ×4
X	Volume and feedback multiplier, ×0 to ×2, ×1 at the centre
Y	Pan and width multiplier, ×0 (mono, centred) to ×2
Switch up	Freeze
Switch down	Tap tempo (momentary). Hold 1.5 s to go back to free time

8mu

The 8mu can plug into the module (no computer needed) or into this computer, which passes it on to the card. Its eight faders are the eight heads; its buttons are acted on when you let go.

Short press	The page. Press the same button again for its next page: A Time → Reverse (forwards / reverse / reverse clocked, in thirds) B Volume → Rate → Bits C Pan → Width D Feedback → FX
Long press D (½ s)	Freeze on or off
Hold A + move a fader	Load card preset 1-8 (the fader's number). The fader's LED flashes three times
Hold D + move a fader	Save the settings as card preset 1-8. The fader's LED blinks fast
Faders	Pick up: after a page change a fader does nothing until it reaches (or passes) the stored value. While one is waiting, a dashed line on its on-screen fader shows where it is
Tilt	Back lifted multiplies every head's feedback up to ×2, front lifted down to ×0 (on top of X). Left/right pushes every head's pan towards the side tipped down. Both past a dead zone of about 15°
Two 8mus	Each drives one editor (any Workshop editor on this computer). The picker at the top shows which is here; choose another to take it, and Identify flashes its LEDs. With one 8mu, it drives the editor you last clicked in.

How it connects

The card picks its USB mode at power-up. 8mu plugged into the card: the card reads it directly and this page isn't used. Computer plugged into the card: the card appears as a MIDI device called 8Heads, and an 8mu plugged into this computer is passed on by this page. After plugging a computer in, power-cycle the module.

Help

Use Chrome, Edge or another Chromium browser. Safari and iOS browsers can't do WebMIDI with SysEx.
Press Connect card & 8mu and allow MIDI with SysEx when the browser asks.
On-screen faders: drag, or focus one and use the arrow keys. Double-click resets one to its default.
Ping-pong: give two heads a width of 0 (so each takes the mono sum), pan one hard left and one hard right, and give them feedback.
Freeze loops the tape at the length of the longest head that's playing; the heads keep moving over it, so changing times while frozen slides around the loop.
Without a card the page still edits and keeps presets; the tape picture then shows free time at ×1.