mutable-instruments/marbles

Marbles

Marbles is all about randomness – generation of random events, or randomization of external CV/Gate signals. The module is organized as three sections: the t section generates and processes clocks and triggers, the X section generates and processes voltages, and the DEJA VU section imposes structure, in the form of repetition, upon all the events generated by the two other sections.547

Capabilities 5

Clocked Randomclocked-random: Internal clock with V/Oct CV input and range switch, or syncs to external clock with multiplier/divider. DEJA VU section locks random streams into repeating loops.547
Quantizerquantizer: Built-in programmable quantizer with 6 scale slots. Scales are learned by analyzing a played jam. STEPS knob controls quantization depth.547
Random CV Generatorrandom-cv-generator: 547
Random Gate Generatorrandom-gates: Three gate outputs: t2 is the jittery master clock, t1 and t3 are complementary random rhythm streams derived by three selectable methods.547
Random Sourcerandom-source: 547

Jacks 16 — 9 in / 7 out

Name	Signal	Voltage	Description
Inputs (9)
CLK	mixed	—	547
DEJA VU CV	cv	-5V to 5V	547
JITTER CV	cv	-5V to 5V	CV input for jitter amount. In v1.3 firmware, can be repurposed as an explicit reset input for the t section when both mode buttons E and N are held simultaneously.547
SPREAD CV	cv	-5V to 5V	CV input for X section SPREAD. In external processing mode, this input is sampled to provide the source voltage.547
STEPS CV	cv	-5V to 5V	CV input for X section STEPS. In v1.3 firmware, can be repurposed as an explicit reset input for the X section when both mode buttons E and N are held simultaneously.547
X BIAS CV	cv	-5V to 5V	547
X CLK	mixed	—	547
t BIAS CV	cv	-5V to 5V	547
t RATE CV	cv	-5V to 5V	547
Outputs (7)
X1	cv	-5V to 5V	547
X2	cv	-5V to 5V	547
X3	cv	-5V to 5V	547
Y	cv	-5V to 5V	Smooth full-range random CV output, clocked at 1/16 the rate of X2 by default. Never affected by the DEJA VU settings.547
t1	gate	0V to 8V	Random gate output — one of two complementary rhythm streams derived from the jittery master clock.547
t2	gate	0V to 8V	Jittery master clock output. Has a constant 50% duty cycle.547
t3	gate	0V to 8V	Random gate output — one of two complementary rhythm streams derived from the jittery master clock.547

Parameters 15

Name	Type	Range	Behavior
Clock Range	menu_setting	—	Range selection button further multiplying or dividing the clock by 4.547
DEJA VU	knob	—	From 7 o'clock to 12 o'clock: probability of recycling past decisions goes from 0 to 1 (locked loop). From 12 o'clock to 5 o'clock: probability of randomly jumping within the loop goes from 0 to 1. Virtual notch at 12 o'clock.547 Zones Pure random Random permutations Pure random -100–0%Probability of recycling past decisions goes from 0 (fully CCW / 7 o'clock) to 1 (noon). Fully CCW is completely random; noon is fully locked loop.547 Random permutations 0–100%Probability of randomly jumping within the locked loop goes from 0 (noon) to 1 (fully CW / 5 o'clock), yielding random permutations of the loop at extreme CW.547
EXT MODE	button	—	Enables external CV processing mode, sampling the SPREAD CV input instead of internal random data. Long press (2 seconds) enters scale recording mode.547
JITTER	knob	—	Controls timing randomness in the clock: from perfectly stable (CCW) to simulating an instrumentalist lagging/catching up, then complete chaos (CW). Always preserves the overall tempo.547
LENGTH	knob	1steps – 16steps	547
RATE	knob	—	Controls the internal clock rate. 120 BPM at 12 o'clock. When an external clock is patched, the knob becomes a clock multiplier/divider control.547
SPREAD	knob	—	Controls probability distribution width and shape. Fully CCW: constant voltage. 12 o'clock: bell curve. 2 o'clock: uniform distribution. Fully CW: only min/max voltages (binary gates). In external processing mode, also controls transposition range.547 Zones Bell curve Bell curve 0–0%At noon, output follows a bell curve — more likely near center but can reach extremes.547
STEPS	knob	—	At noon: typical S&H stepped output. CCW: smoother edges, then linear segments, then smooth curves. CW: progressive quantization to scale, then only root note remains at extreme CW.547 Zones Smooth curves S&H steps Quantized Smooth curves -100–0%CCW of noon: smoother edges, random linear segments, and fully smooth curves at extreme CCW.547 S&H steps 0–0%At noon, generates typical sample-and-hold stepped voltages.547 Quantized 0–100%CW of noon: progressive quantization to scale, gradually stripping notes until only the root note remains at extreme CW.547
t BIAS	knob	—	Controls the probability balance between t1 and t3 outputs. Full CCW favours t1; full CW favours t3; centre is balanced. Also adjusts gate length (1%–99%) when button E is held.547
t DEJA VU	button	—	Enables DEJA VU loop-locking for the t section. When illuminated, DEJA VU knob controls loop probability. Long press (v1.2+) activates super-lock: fully locked loop independent of DEJA VU knob.547
t MODE	button	—	Cycles through the three rhythm generation modes. Long press activates alternate hidden modes (blinking LED). Short press reverts to normal mode.547
X BIAS	knob	—	Probabilistic offset — skews the voltage distribution towards low (CCW) or high (CW) voltages without shifting the range itself. In external processing mode, acts as a transposition control.547
X DEJA VU	button	—	Enables DEJA VU loop-locking for the X section. When illuminated, DEJA VU knob controls loop probability. Long press (v1.2+) activates super-lock.547
X MODE	button	—	Cycles through output diversity modes: all follow panel, X2 follows panel while X1/X3 take opposite values, or X3 follows panel while X1 inverts and X2 stays in middle. Holding this button enables Y generator parameter adjustment.547
X RANGE	button	—	547

Firmware history 4 versions

Version	Released	Notes
1.3	—	Fixed spurious DEJA VU loop playback jumps and rare loop-change bug at 12 o'clock. Fixed external clock stutter bug. Improved quantizer hysteresis and LENGTH knob virtual notch. Added implicit reset after 3-second clock pause. Added explicit reset feature via JITTER CV (t reset) and STEPS CV (X reset) inputs when both mode buttons are held.549
1.2	—	Fixed external-processing-mode behavior when switching from external to internal X clock. Added automatic t-section pattern reset after 3-second clock pause. Added 'super lock' feature: long press on DEJA VU buttons locks a section independently of the DEJA VU knob.549
1.1	—	Added color-blind LED mode (hold X MODE on power-up). Fixed bug causing X-section clock follower to go haywire when a cable is inserted in the X clock input.549
1.0	—	Initial release.549

References 5

[547]
Marbles Manual (full)manual
source 547 canonical ↗ archived ↗

● verified 2026-05-19
[548]
Mutable Instruments Marbles product pageproduct_page
source 548 canonical ↗ archived ↗

● verified 2026-05-19
[549]
Marbles Firmware changelogfirmware_notes
source 549 canonical ↗ archived ↗

● verified 2026-05-19
[550]
Marbles Quickstart Guidemanual
source 550 canonical ↗ archived ↗

● verified 2026-05-19
[551]
Marbles Secrets (hidden features)manual
source 551 canonical ↗ archived ↗

● verified 2026-05-19