Heads and playback
Three heads
Like the RE-201, the echo can come from up to three playback heads:
- Head 1 is the memory echo described in How MINERVA works.
- A Delay head replays what head 1 played one segment earlier (head 2) or two segments earlier (head 3), like tape heads further along the loop.
- An Iterative head is cued by the previous head’s echo: head 2 recalls whatever head 1’s echo resembles, head 3 whatever head 2’s does. Each generation drifts toward memory’s prototype.
The Mode Selector picks a combination, as on the RE-201: 1, 2, 3, 2+3, 1+2, 1+3, 1+2+3 (delay heads), Iterative 1+2+3, or Custom, which uses Head 2 and Head 3 (Off, Delay or Iterative). Each head has its own Level and Pan. Heads 2 and 3 update at segment boundaries (not in Rolling mode). The matrix’s Heads column shows which traces each head is playing.
Playback
Playback decides how head 1’s activations become sound:
| Mode | Sound |
|---|---|
| Blend | Every active trace, weighted: MINERVA’s echo. |
| Voices | The strongest Voices traces as separate chorus voices: the strongest in the centre, the rest fanned out by Voice Spread, detuned up to Voice Detune and delayed up to Voice Delay. With no spread, detune or delay it equals the blend. |
| Sample | One trace per segment, drawn at random in proportion to its activation. |
Max Active Traces caps how many traces a blend mixes (the strongest are kept, at the same total level), which keeps very large memories cheap.
Tone and familiarity
Echo Tone is a low-pass on the echo. Familiarity > Tone moves it with familiarity (familiar echoes brighter or darker) and Familiarity > Feedback changes the feedback with it.