Shakmat Modular Bard Quartet

Programmable quad quantizer for harmony, arpeggios, and microtonal control

Bard Quartet is a four-channel programmable quantizer designed for building harmonic relationships inside a modular system. It combines precise pitch control with hands-on scale editing, arpeggiation, and deep microtonal support.

At its core, Bard Quartet lets you define exactly which notes are allowed. The built-in one-octave keyboard shows active notes and the currently quantized pitch, turning scale selection into a playable action rather than a menu task. You can program custom scales, explore alternate tunings, or switch the module into arpeggiator mode with control over octave range and direction.

The four quantization channels can operate independently or as a grouped harmonic structure. This makes it easy to pull multiple sequences into a shared tonal space or generate parallel voices from a single idea. A dedicated harmony control and CV input recall up to eight scale sets instantly, which works well for structured compositions and live transitions.

Microtonality sits alongside standard Western tuning rather than replacing it. Bard Quartet supports user-defined microtunings and multiple pitch standards, so it integrates cleanly with a wide range of oscillators and controllers. Even if your sequencers already output quantized CV, this module adds scale unification, alternative tunings, and coordinated transposition across voices.

Shared transpose, gate, and trigger connections help keep complex patches readable. You can transpose before or after quantization, clock or reset arpeggiators together, and route interaction between channels through normalization or analog shift register behavior. Bard Quartet rewards deliberate patching and becomes more powerful as systems grow.