Spagyros

Spagyros is a 12 HP stereo effects module by Hermetic Modular. It has three effect slots arranged top to bottom; audio always flows through them in series (Top, then Mid, then Bottom). Each slot holds one of three effects, nine effects total. There are no screens and no menu system — every function is a knob, a button, or a jack.

Control Identification Notes

The panel has two main zones from top to bottom:

• Knob and button rows – Three rows, each with a large knob on the left, a small button in the center, and a large knob on the right. Each row is one effect slot: top row is the Top slot, middle row is the Mid slot, bottom row is the Bottom slot.
• Jack section – Ten jacks in two rows of five, with a USB-C port centered just above the jacks.

Knobs do have a cut indicator mark that can be felt, but the indicator is not as pronounced as, say, a Rogan style molded knob. There is also a set screw; the indicator mark is opposite the set screw.

Knob and Button Rows

Each row works the same way:

• Depth (left knob) – How much the effect applies. For most effects fully counter-clockwise is off.
• Cycle (center button) – Steps the slot to its next effect. Each press advances one effect forward; after the third effect it wraps back to the first.
• Shape (right knob) – The effect’s character parameter. What it does depends on the effect currently in the slot (see Effects Reference).

The top button is printed CYCLE|LOCK because it has a secondary function: hold it and turn any knob to record a parameter lock (see Parameter Lock).

Jack Section

Ten jacks in two rows of five. Described by column, left to right:

• Column 1 – Audio inputs, labeled IN. Top jack is the left input, bottom jack is the right input.
• Column 2 – Top jack is TOP – depth CV for the Top slot. Bottom jack is CLOCK – external clock input, 24 PPQN.
• Column 3 – Top jack is MID – depth CV for the Mid slot. Bottom jack is RESET – a pulse here snaps the internal clock to the downbeat.
• Column 4 – Top jack is BOT – depth CV for the Bottom slot. Bottom jack is BYPASS – a gate held high bypasses all three slots (same as the panic mute below).
• Column 5 – Audio outputs, labeled OUT. Top jack is the left output, bottom jack is the right output.

The three depth CV inputs are bipolar and are summed with the knob: a ±5 V signal swings the depth by ±half of the knob’s range. With nothing patched to CLOCK, the internal clock free-runs at 120 BPM.

Effects Reference

Each slot cycles through three effects, in a fixed order.

Top slot

• DJ Filter – Depth is the cutoff: at noon the filter is transparent, below noon sweeps a low-pass filter down, above noon sweeps a high-pass filter up. Shape sets the resonance.
• Bit Crush – Depth is intensity, from off (fully counter-clockwise) upward. Shape tilts the character from sample-rate reduction toward bit-depth crushing.
• Riser – A continuously rising build-up effect. Depth is wet/dry. Shape is the rise rate, from a slow drone to about an octave per second. Has a tail: it keeps ringing briefly after you turn Depth off.

Mid slot

• Chopper – A clock-synced gate. Depth selects the division in zones from fully counter-clockwise upward: off, then 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32 notes. Shape sets the gate’s duty cycle, from short stutter to long pump.
• Beat Repeat – Continuously records the last 5.4 seconds and replays slices. Depth selects the slice length in zones: off, then 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64 notes. Shape is playback speed, plus or minus 12 semitones around noon.
• Reverse / Slow – Continuously records about 2 minutes 55 seconds of audio and lets you drag the playback speed. The resting position is about 2 o’clock, which is normal forward speed. Turning counter-clockwise from there slows the audio down, passes a full stop (like a vinyl brake) at roughly half past nine, and continues into reverse playback at the counter-clockwise end. Turning clockwise from the resting position speeds playback up to 3× so it can catch back up to real time. Shape sets how strongly the playback head springs back toward its target.

Bottom slot

• Phaser – Depth is intensity, from off (fully counter-clockwise) upward. Shape sets the sweep rate, 0.1 Hz to 7.5 Hz.
• Echo – A stereo ping-pong delay. Depth is the send amount, from off (fully counter-clockwise) upward. Shape sets the delay time, 80 ms to 1200 ms. Has a tail.
• Space – A stereo reverb. Depth is the wet send, from off (fully counter-clockwise) upward. Shape sets the decay, from a short room (about 0.4 seconds) to a long hall (about 3 seconds). Has a tail.

Cycling Effects

Press a row’s button to advance that slot to its next effect. The new effect starts in its off position, and the outgoing effect’s tail is allowed to ring out — a swap never cuts audio off abruptly. Any parameter locks on that slot are cleared when you cycle it.

Knob Pickup (Pot Catch)

After certain events the knobs deliberately stop responding until you move them through a stored position. This prevents values from jumping. It happens after power-on, after cycling a slot’s effect, and after a panic mute. In all three cases the depth knob’s stored position is the effect’s off position: fully counter-clockwise for every effect except Reverse / Slow, whose off position is its resting point at about 2 o’clock. This is displayed as a white pip on LED rings surrounding each pot.

Panic Mute (or drop)

Press any two of the three buttons at the same time, or send a gate into the BYPASS jack. All three slots bypass immediately — there is no hold time. Every depth knob is parked back at its effect’s off position and must be picked up again (see Knob Pickup), and all parameter locks are cleared. The BYPASS jack is level-sensitive: the mute holds for as long as the gate stays high.

Parameter Lock

Hold Button 1 (the top button) and turn any knob to record up to 4 seconds of knob motion, which then loops as modulation on that knob. The recorded motion is added on top of wherever the physical knob sits. Hold Button 1 and nudge the same knob again to clear it. Locks are also cleared when you cycle that slot’s effect and on power-off.

Power-On Behavior

On every power-on the module spends about two seconds in its bootloader before the effects start. Do not hold any buttons while powering on: pressing Button 3 during this window puts the module into firmware-update mode (it will sit silent until power-cycled), and holding Buttons 1 and 2 during power-on starts a factory calibration routine. If the module seems unresponsive right after power-on, power-cycle it with no buttons held.

Accessibility Notes

• All performance control is direct and physical. There are no menus, no pages, and no on-device settings to get lost in.
• The only indication of which effect a slot currently holds is on the light rings, which is visual-only. Non-visually, track it by counting button presses (three per slot, wrapping) or by ear.
• Knob pickup (see above) means a knob can be silent when you first touch it. If a slot seems dead, sweep its depth knob across its full travel once.
• The panic mute needs no timing or hold — any two buttons pressed together, instantly. It is the fastest way to a known-bypass state.
• Depth zones (Chopper and Beat Repeat divisions) are firmware zones, not physical detents; you will not feel clicks. Find them by ear while audio is running.
• The Reverse / Slow resting position at about 2 o’clock is also a firmware position with no physical detent.
• The manufacturer’s full text manual is HTML on their website.