ARCSerge TKB Touch Activated Keyboard Sequencer

ARC Serge TKB

Officially licensed from Serge Tcherepnin, ARC’s Serge TKB touch-activated keyboard sequencer is electronically identical to the original, albeit optimized for the eurorack format. Like its predecessor, this module is geared towards the expedient creation and performance of control voltages within a modular context. Think of it as an amalgamation of a touch-sensitive keyboard, voltage programmer, and sequencer—in other words, a workhorse of a control source if there ever was one.

TKB’s primary section is comprised of 16 “stages” and their corresponding gate outputs, each of which are sequentially numbered. Despite multiple stages, only one can be active at a time. The active stage can be assigned via the touch pads or external clock signal. The gate section emits +5v gates whenever that stage is active. Additionally, each stage features a row of 4 pots (ABCD) that construct a control voltage from 0-5v.

TKB’s output section is positioned just to the right of the primary section. It features 8 jacks in total; one section bears a different voltage configuration that can be manipulated via corresponding cv potentiometers, another is a 16-step CV source whose output is dictated by the keypad rather than the active stage, a key pulse output that emits a 0-5v gate signal (the gate goes high whenever the key pads are touched), and a pressure output that emits a +/- 5v source whenever the key pads are touched (touching the pad causes the signal to climb, releasing the pad causes it to decay).

The final section consists of various inputs, including a vertical clock input, clock input, hold input, up/down input, random, disable, and reset. All of this and more makes the module a no-brainer for gigging and gestural performances. In this instance, whoever said “out with the old, in with the new” was certainly mistaken.

TKB Features

• Officially licensed from Serge Tcherepnin
• Electronically identical to the original
• Optimized for the eurorack format, used 3.5mm jacks in lieu of banana
• 3 sections: primary, output, and input
• Primary section comprised of 16 stages with dedicated potentiometers
• 16 touch plates