The Catalyst modules are based upon a module of the same name from Emblematic Systems. However, 4MS have turned it into two modules: a controller, like the original, and a sequencer. Both versions of the module are available within the firmware of a single module via a special combination of button presses, and the faceplate is reversible if you’d like to stick more permanently with one or the other. They are very different, though, so it’s likely that you’ll end up with two.
The front panels look relatively intuitive but that’s quite deceptive. The Catalyst modules are cleverly multi‑levelled and use multi‑coloured illuminated encoders to hint at where you are and what you’re doing. Just fiddling around with them didn’t get me anywhere, and it wasn’t until I dug out the detailed 32‑page booklet that I started to make some headway.
To use the Catalyst effectively, you have to grapple with the colours and degrees of illumination that reflect the mode or function you’re engaging with. They are never physically pointing to anything, and so they never misrepresent what the parameters are set to. On the other hand, you’ll have to learn a range of button combos to ensure the lights are illuminating the thing you think they are.
The sequencer consists of eight pages of eight steps over eight channels. Each channel can be CV (quantised or unquantised) or gates, and each page of eight steps can be chained to form up to 64 steps. The colourful encoders can represent all sorts of things depending on what buttons have been pressed or held.
Flexibility
The first thing to understand is that the patch socket outputs for each step are not, in fact, outputs for each step. They are the output for each channel. So, if you create a sequence on channel 1 it will come out of the socket attached to step 1. If you create a gate sequence on channel 2 it will come out of the socket attached to step 2, and so on. The versatility is such that you could have eight channels of different CV sequences running melodies and modulation. Or you could have four channels of sequencing with four channels of corresponding gates. Or, perhaps, two channels of melody sequencing with gates and then four gate channels to run percussion. A huge amount of sequencing is available here from what looks like an eight‑step sequencer.
To get your sequence going, select channel 1 by holding ‘Chan’ and tapping the first of the eight central buttons. While still holding Chan, you can turn the first encoder (the channel 1 encoder) to select from 14 different quantisation scales, each denoted by colour, which gives us our first opportunity to experience the power of the illuminated encoders. I thought it might be tricky to discern between pink, salmon and dim orange, or blue, teal and green, but actually it’s completely fine. Just keep the manual on hand for interpretation.
Plug the channel 1 output into the V/oct input on your oscillator and hit the Play button. By default, you have all eight steps of the first page active in the sequence running at either the internal or external clock. Turn the eight encoders to select your pitch where each click or indent of the encoder is a semitone. You can also adjust up or down 4 cents using the Fine (tune) button. Written underneath every encoder is a secondary function that you get to by holding Shift. This includes sequence direction, tempo, transposition, starting step, phase or adjusting how the steps are ordered, randomisation of pitch (which we’ll come to) and length. Using the length function is how you push the sequence into further pages and up to the 64 notes. As you increase the length, more page buttons and encoders are lit and you can now switch between pages to edit their eight notes.
Other functions you can apply to the steps include glide and probability. The probability is interesting because you’d usually expect probability to be about the likelihood of a step occurring, whereas here, it’s the probability that the step will select a different pitch within the quantisation setting. You can alter the probability amount of each step and then the Random parameter sets the maximum range for which the pitch will change. It’s a very effective way of adding variation to the sequence.
If you’d prefer to use a channel for gates, then you can twist the quantisation all the way around until it lights up green. The eight steps then behave differently. Each step now has two states: on or off, unlit or green. But you can lean into a brighter green as you continue to turn, which increases the pulse width of the gate. Using the glide button, you can now add ratchets to each step, and using Fine, you can push the gate off the grid for some swing. Probability can now be used in the more usual way to dictate the likelihood of a step firing, but it can also be used to vary the pulse‑width amount.
Once you have your sequence in play you can jump around the pages, launch sequences, apply functions, chain pages into songs and save and load sequences.
So, why haven’t I mentioned the one stand‑out obvious front‑panel feature? Well, in sequencer mode, the fascinating crossfader doesn’t do a whole lot. It will scrub though the sequence, which is quite interesting, particularly when it’s not running, but it usually feels like it’s just messing it about. What is perhaps more interesting is the Phase CV input, where you can use an LFO to push the sequence around or use another sequence to re‑sequence the Catalyst sequence. The crossfader becomes a lot more useful in the Catalyst’s controller mode.
Controller is the original intention of the Catalyst module. It’s an eight‑channel generator of control voltage in which each channel can set up a different value within eight different scenes. The crossfader, which is much more important in this module, moves through the scenes from 1 to 8 and the values morph smoothly from one scene to the next.
Unlike the sequencer, where each channel uses all the knobs as steps, in controller mode the Catalyst has one knob for each channel routing to its own output. So, the idea is that you patch various channels to various parameters in your modular, set each one as a voltage level or gate for scene 1 and then set it differently for scene 2 and so on. You can then can tap on a scene button to direct the voltage values from all the channels into your modules. It’s like building up eight presets that radically change your configuration. Or, rather than leaping from scene to scene, you can beautifully glide your way along the ‘pathway’ using the crossfader as one mighty macro.
And it’s a macro with a comprehensive set of superpowers. You can create a pathway of scenes in any order you like. You can scale each channel’s morph curve to affect the arrival of different scenes so parameters occur differently on channel 2 than channel 1. The drag of the crossfader can be adjusted to give it a certain amount of slew. And then you can record the crossfader’s journey along the pathway and have it play back as automation. The playback isn’t looped, which feels odd, but instead, you can use the trigger input to re‑fire it.
Patching the controller into a synth voice is a great way of storing presets that you can jump or morph between. You could wire in a bunch of effects and drop them into different scenes, or use the crossfader to build towards something and drop back out. The fact that you can control eight things, with eight banks of eight scenes, is pretty phenomenal.
The usefulness of the controller in performance is huge.
The usefulness of the controller in performance is huge. You can enact wide changes and deep transformations with the slide of a fader. But it can also tie a lot of things into the one control, and that doesn’t leave you with much room for spontaneity. On the other hand, it enables you to work repeatable patch changes into your rack which, if you’re actually trying to do something on purpose, is really great.
The sequencer mode is pretty powerful and makes great use of the interface even if it largely ignores the crossfader. I’m not a huge fan of the encoders; I appreciate their power even as I dislike the feel and sometimes cryptic colour scheme, and there’s plenty of room for error in amongst the button combo gymnastics. However, there’s something about the sometimes‑clumsy approach to sequencing that makes the experience quite thoughtful and in some sense the way you’re puzzling your way to adding ratchets and probability is something I really quite like.
Catalyst is one module with two distinct and well‑implemented functions. I wonder how long it will take you to buy a second one?
£379 each.
$395 each.