Rate Hike

Clockable Burst & Irregular Rhythm Generator

Rate Hike is a clockable burst and irregular rhythm generator that turns a steady clock into dynamic, evolving rhythmic patterns.

At its core, Rate Hike listens to an incoming clock and generates bursts — rapid-fire sequences of triggers and gates that can range from tight, controlled fills to sprawling irregular rhythms. Four knobs give you direct control over how those bursts behave: how many triggers fire, how long the sequence lasts, whether triggers cluster at the start or the end, and how long the gates stay open.

What sets Rate Hike apart is the Regularity control. Turn it left and triggers pile up at the beginning of the sequence — like a drum fill that front-loads its energy. Turn it right and they drift toward the end. At noon, they spread evenly. Combine this with CV modulation and the rhythmic feel shifts constantly, creating patterns that breathe and evolve.

Patch CV into any of the four parameter inputs and the module becomes a moving target, generating rhythmic material that never quite repeats.

Three distinct outputs — Trigger, Gate, and Reset — give you different angles on the same rhythmic event. Use the Trigger Out to fire drums and envelopes, the Gate Out to shape sustained textures that breathe with the rhythm, and the Reset Out to anchor sequences and phrases to the start of each burst.

Rate Hike is built as a living instrument. Firmware updates are planned to expand its capabilities over time, adding new modes and features without requiring any hardware changes.

Inputs

• Clock In — External clock input to sync burst generation
• Trigger In — Trigger input to start a burst sequence (or use the manual Trigger button)
• Bursts CV — Modulate the number of bursts
• Duration CV — Modulate the sequence length
• Regularity CV — Modulate trigger distribution within the sequence
• Gate Length CV — Modulate gate length

Outputs

• Trigger Out — Short triggers to trigger drums, envelopes, and sample & holds
• Gate Out — Gate output as a percentage of the time between triggers — perfect for shaping envelopes or driving VCAs
• Reset Out — Single trigger at the start of each burst sequence, ideal for resetting sequencers or syncing other modules

Controls

• Bursts — Set the number of triggers in each sequence
• Duration — Set the sequence length in clock ticks
• Regularity — Control trigger distribution: turn left to front-load triggers, turn right to back-load them, noon for even spacing
• Gate Length — Set the gate output length from 1% to 99% of the time between triggers

Buttons

• Trigger — Manually fire a burst sequence
• Strict Duration — Snap the sequence length to the clock grid
• Strict Regularity — Snap triggers to the grid or a subdivision thereof
• Random — Fully randomize burst parameters — go yolo

Patch Ideas

Rhythmic backbone — Clock Rate Hike from your master clock. Send the Trigger Out to a drum module for kicks or snares, use the Gate Out to open a VCA for sustained textures between hits, and patch Reset Out to restart a short sequencer at the top of each burst. Dial in the Regularity knob to shape the feel — front-loaded for aggressive fills, back-loaded for building tension.

Evolving phrases with CV modulation — Patch an LFO into the Regularity CV input. As the LFO sweeps, triggers shift from clustered at the start of the sequence to clustered at the end and back again — the rhythmic feel constantly morphs while the number of triggers stays the same.

Burst effects processor — Patch audio through a VCA controlled by the Gate Out. Crank the Gate Length knob for long, overlapping chops or dial it back to 1% for ultra-short glitch slices. The gate length tracks the tempo, so the results stay musical at any clock speed.

Synchronized reset — Use the Reset Out to restart a sequencer or reset a random voltage source at the beginning of each burst. The result: phrases that have a clear downbeat but unpredictable internal movement. Hit the Strict Duration button to lock phrase lengths to the grid, or leave it off for organic timing.

Go yolo — Hit the Random button and let Rate Hike surprise you. Patch all three outputs to different voices and see what happens. When something clicks, turn Random off and tweak from there.

https://bowl-modular.com/product/rate-hike-clockable-burst-irregular-rhythm-generator/