Modern Instruments Drop

Every live performer knows the feeling: you build the tension to breaking point, add a filter here, three effects there, hands go up in the air, everyone’s waiting for the big reveal – and then you realise: You can’t just get out of the mess you’ve made that easily!

The sweat on your forehead drips onto the equipment and, in a fireworks display of flying sparks, your gear and your fans say goodbye forever...

- It doesn’t have to be like that!

With Drop, you can now map your MIDI equipment across devices and simply save different control settings as snapshots. During the performance, you can then jump back to the snapshots at any time (JUMP mode) and fire them off. The whole thing is also quantised and features variable fade time, so you can use a snapshot to build tension slowly by moving as many controls as you like simultaneously.

The real highlight, however, is triggering snapshots in DROP mode at exactly the right moment – namely, right at the end of a pattern of, say, 8 bars. To do this, Drop offers a built-in master clock that counts any number between 1 and 32 bars (= Cycle). In DROP mode, you can now mark a snapshot at the end of a cycle, build tension in the music as you please up to that point, and then sit back and relax as the snapshot sets the controls to the correct position at exactly the right moment, bringing the live set back to safe ground.

Saving and recalling snapshots is also quick and easy in a live setting, so you can work with new snapshots on the fly even during a performance. The LED buttons always provide clear visual feedback on what is happening.

If you want to plan further ahead, you can also prepare sequences of DROP snapshots in the studio to match the song arrangement and then trigger them as a sequence in CHAIN mode. Several chains and banks of snapshots are available, so you can prepare your live set to suit your songs if desired.

As with our Warp synthesiser, Drop also features two main control levels: the PLAY level, offering direct hands-on access to the most important parameters, and the MENU level for configuration in the studio. The PLAY level is stripped down to the essentials, such as the clear progress indicator (showing how many bars remain until the DROP at the end of the cycle), similar to a countdown clock. The buttons here can be used for beat jumps, allowing you, for example, to spontaneously extend or bring forward a break. Furthermore, the number of bars per cycle and the quantisation behaviour can be selected directly via the buttons. With no sub-menus or hidden button combinations, everything is simple and directly accessible.

Mapping is carried out directly on the device in the MENU level. No additional software is required, meaning Drop is not dependent on outdated operating systems. Copy/Paste/Move functions and MIDI Learn assist with quick setup. Furthermore, an integrated MIDI monitor allows you to record and analyse incoming and outgoing messages. All possible MIDI commands are supported, including 14-bit CCs (NRPN), Program Change, Bank Select, Aftertouch, Pitch Bend and, of course, CCs and notes.

Each controller enables macro-mapping by sending up to eight different MIDI messages simultaneously to any MIDI output port. An individual curve can be assigned to each destination. This allows a single control to manage multiple devices simultaneously, resulting in a manageable yet expressive set of controls for your live set.

MIDI messages can also be assigned to snapshots, so that, for example, the programme and bank of the devices can be changed automatically in sync with the DROP snapshot. Thanks to pre-delay, this also works seamlessly with grooveboxes and devices that have their own sequencer.

On the output side, there are four MIDI In/Out ports via jack sockets (Type A and B) as well as two USB-C ports. Device and Host modes are automatically detected, so that in addition to synths and grooveboxes, external keyboards, two laptops or other MIDI controllers can also be connected via USB.

Thanks to the numerous outputs, each device is assigned its own MIDI port with full data rate and all 16 MIDI channels, as well as its own MIDI clock. This can even be set individually for each output to the nearest millisecond, ensuring that all devices run perfectly in sync. There are also two CV outputs, which can also be used for clock signals or as freely assignable 0–5V CV voltages. Should one of the receiving devices accidentally lose sync, e.g. by accidentally pressing the Stop/Play button, Drop offers a readily accessible Resync button that resynchronises all devices at the start of the next bar. As a master clock generator, there is also a nudge function for manual beatmatching (DJ-style), or you can simply synchronise Drop to an incoming MIDI clock or a 0–5V clock from your modular system.

Another feature is the reception and routing of incoming MIDI signals. Using the MIDI Merge function, incoming messages can be filtered by channel and distributed to the connected devices. This allows a master sequencer, which outputs sequences for all devices across multiple channels, to be connected and relayed via Drop. In doing so, Drop adds the MIDI messages from its own controllers (MIDI Merge), so that the recipient receives the sum of both signals. You can go one step further and, for example, integrate an external MIDI keyboard so that you can play a few notes of your own in addition to the sequencer. Such routings were previously mainly the preserve of software solutions, but now you can do without the laptop on stage, as Drop takes on this role as the hub.

The silicone buttons on the Snapshots can be used not only for snapshot control but also as a 4x4 clip launcher for Ableton Live integration. To do this, simply load the relevant script (download below) into the appropriate folder on your computer. Drop now offers navigation through Ableton clips with RGB LED feedback, a play/stop function for clips and tracks, scene triggers, and even the ability to start a scene synchronised with a Snapshot DROP.

Even without Ableton, the button matrix can simply be used as a mini-keyboard if you want to quickly send a few notes to your favourite synth without having to lug a separate keyboard around. Includes handy features such as a note scale and transpose function.

Drop can be powered via USB-C. This means Drop can be elegantly connected to your laptop with just a single USB-C cable. However, an external power supply is also included to effectively prevent the notorious ground loops in branched USB setups. The power supply also includes globally compatible power adapters (EU, UK, US, AU), making it ideal for international tours. The package also includes a USB-C cable, a USB-C to USB-A adapter, and two MIDI-TRS cables with 3.5mm stereo jacks.

The solid metal housing, metal faders and encoders, and high-quality soft-touch buttons guarantee long-lasting enjoyment and genuine roadworthiness.