cadmium is really ugly poison. there is no way to remove it from your body at all.
means
the more you eat of it over the years the more it grows in you. 😱 wow
That is quite grim I must say.🧐
On another note.
Here’s my custom overlay for the Crave.
Yes, indeed we can do that. :)
We’re currently seeing how fine we can print on wood veneer and engineering card with the laser cutter.
Were also experimenting with different fonts and stuff.
This overlay was a tester for colours. :)
Yeah, I’ve seen them.
The colours are certainly eye catching.
The arguments on the forums are even more hilarious and it hasn’t even arrived yet.
The Edge though is apparently shipping right now so I predict a lot more arguments, oh well. ;)
Talking about the Edge…
Here’s my take on the DFam using dRambo and a Behringer X-Touch.
It could easily be adapted for other midi controllers. :)
Update time.
Though things have been rather quiet on this end of things I've been busy deep in the lab.
I've given my rig a complete overhaul including rewiring everything down to the power supplies.
I've moved my main (now vintage) outboard to one side for easier access
and moved all playable equipment to be in front of me.
I've re-arranged everything so that it could make room for
my mini modular setup in my quest to fuse dRambo with Eurorack
combined with my own personal exploration into modular and what it is.
Like with all things huge change requires time for adjustment so
I'll be going into further details as we go along until then here's how it currently looks.
Context.
Sound shaping shizzle.
Left hand side.
iPhone 7 functioning as a mixer, CV controller and macro oscillatorith dRambo as the main host.
Teenage Engineering M4 24db/oct low pass filter x 2
Korg NTS-1
Behringer 902 VCA x 2
Michigan Synthworks 2HP2CV usb to CV adapter an adaptation of the Mutable Instruments CVPal.
Centre
Komplete Audio 6 mkii sending out 2 CV signals,
2 oscillators into the Teenage Engineering filters with main audio out via SPDIF
Moog Werkstatt acting as a secondary oscillator going into a 3rd Teenage Engineering M4 filter.
Behringer Crave using the "ASSIGN" function to control both filters on the Behringer and
the T.E M4 filter that the Moog is going into.
The easel directly in front has a SubZero SZ-MiIX08USB functioning as a summing mixer
for the audio outs from the Komplete Audio 6 mkii, Behringer UMC-1820 and
Art Multiverb Alpha S.E which is on the Auxiliary.
The Zoom U-44 is in standalone mode acting as an A/D for the Komplete Audio 6 mkii
giving an extra 2 inputs via SPDIF.
On a side note, the D/A from the Komplete Audio 6 mkii is coming out
from a Behringer SRC2496 into a dBx 266A compressor/gate.
Finally on the right on side is a JoeMeek C2 option stereo compressor
for subtle and not so subtle compressing.
And finally on the right hand side is an Air 3 iPad with dRambo as the main sequencer and router
and SoundCraft Notepad-5.
The three controllers are 2 x Novation XL's and a LaunchPad X.
dRambo is the main host and everything that can respond to midi and
now CV signals (from side of things) is being done directly from within dRambo.
Before I continue I must say a huge thank you to the following.
Novation U.K for repairing my LaunchControl XL with an awesome turn around.
They removed all of the components in one of my XL's
and replaced them with new ones in less than a week.
Native Instruments for sending a replacement Komplete Audio 6 mkii
free off charge when my original one died and finally
Teenage Engineering for sending two replacement filters for the faulty one
from my original pair hence why I now have three T.E filters, very happy about that.
In regards to the Teenage Engineering Eurorack modules?
For the price they are amazing, their filters are the most affordable around
and it sounds much better than the filter on the Moog Werkstatt
and you don't have to DIY.
They track to 1V/Oct with ease so I now have three more oscillators.
The only downside is that the power cable requires an adapter
to fit standard Eurorack and they don't come with front panels
however you can order the adapter and panels from OddVolt.
They do come with standmounts so you could mount them on something
I have one mounted on cardboard at the moment powered via usb.
Yeah, cardboard.
Yeah, I'm grinning.
Further thoughts...
The Komplete Audio 6 mkii comes with CV capable audio outputs
however it only outputs 2v+- which is enough for somethings but not enough for others.
After roaming the internet for awhile I came across two main solutions for
amplifying the K.A mkii outputs which are the the Maths module and
the Doepfer A-183-3, the latter of which I'm going to be purchasing at some point in the future.
I am currently using two Behringer 902 VCA's to amplify the K.A 6 mkii CV outputs
and I've successfully got 4v +- which is more than enough for my purposes at the moment
and it's given me a nice challenge more on that note later.
If you are sensitive to tuning like I am then I would advise getting a CV calibrator
or something similar or you could use Tunathor from MiRack.
Setting it up requires a little bit of thought however once done works a charm
and because of Tunathor I don't need to get a Doepfer A-183-3 as yet.
It does take some experimenting with to get enough range but it's thoroughly enjoyable once done,
the reason why I'm mentioning this is because the K.A mk2 has only
2v +- so to get 8 octaves one has to amplify the CV signal quite a bit.
Now, here's the thing, I decided to get the Behringer 902's instead of the Doepfer A-183-3
because I had read somewhere that it can amplify cv and audio signals similar
to the A-183-3 so I took a chance and bought two especially as
the price for two on Reverb.com was the same for the price of one Doepfer A-183-3.
The Behringer 902's doesn't amplify 2v +- to 10v +- so heads up there
unless someone knows different as I did have some issues with calibrating them.
Nothing major, simply me experimenting with the output and exponential bias.
However I did discover that one of them I doesn't have as much range as the other
and I thought that's it I can't have 2 tuned self resonating filters.
Luckly MiRack has Tunathor, a hardware calibration tool and so I'm now typing this
waiting for it to do one last calibration before I drop it into my Eurorack synth mix template.
Screenshots are on the way along with the calibration tool I put together.
Here's Tunathor wrapped up and good to go for the K.A mkii using the K.A mkii's usb 3+4 inputs/outputs.
Change the inputs and outputs for your rig.
To use the calibration tool all one simply needs to is select the Audio input
with the oscillator coming in and Tunathor will automatically detect it's pitch.
To calibrate Tunathor press the "Calibrated" button shown in this screenshot
Then go into MiRack and then press the "START CALIBRATION" button.
Remember to turn down the channel volume otherwise you will be greeted with pitch sweeps.
Wait until it goes up to 4200Hz and says "MAP IS AVAILABLE" or there abouts and then
come out of MiRack and press the "Calibrated" again and that's it, playable CV.
Do the same for whatever oscillator or self resonating filter that requires it.
After much trail and error I have now managed to sync
the Behringer Crave's sequencer using the Michigan Synthworks 2HP2CV usb to midi adapter
using two of the Gate outs and the CV out for "TEMPO", "PLAY/STOP" and "RESET".
One thing to bear in mind, the external "RESET" input needs a long Gate signal not simply a pulse.
Using dRambo's Gate+Velocity sequencer with a gate length of 150ms, a Midi CC Generator
out via a Midi Out module set to midi channel 6 on the Michigan Synthworks solid sync is achieved.
Changing the sequencer tempos from normal to double speed
or half speed is now a CLIP of set notes in dRambo sending gate outs.
The nice thing is that one can also double the tempo gate output from the 2HP2CV
and send that on to the Korg NTS-1 which doesn't have much choice in regards to it's inbuilt Arpeggiator.
The next thing is the modes of the CV Pal.
Yup "RTM", sometimes it has to done.
For those who need to sequence the Behringer Crave using CV.
As mentioned I'm using a Michigan Synthworks 2HP2CV which has 2 CV outputs and 2 Gate outputs.
The CV outputs have a max of 4v and the Gate outputs have a max of 5v.
I initially tried using the CV outs for the Reset and it was a bit hit and miss so
I switched the Reset signal from the CV output to the Gate output which works much, much better
when changing the Crave's patterns on the fly and wanting it to reset on the next phrase.
Here's the thing I put together to do just that.
CV 1 - Play/Stop
Gate 1 - Reset
Gate 2 - Tempo
Adjust Gate length on the G+V sequencer and Offset to taste.
Your mileage may vary.
Screenshot
and link to the Mutable Instruments manual which the 2HP2CV is based on.
https://misw.us/CVpal-User_manual.pdf
On a side note I'm using controller messages instead of midi notes which gives
more freedom in regards to modulating CV signals and sending Gate signals separately.
On a side note.
Though the Moog Werkstatt has a nice sounding oscillator, it's inbuilt filter and VCA
is pants however it does pair up nicely with dRambo's inbuilt filters.
I'm sure some Moog purists will have an apoplectic fit when reading this
but it's internal filter just doesn't do it for me.
I'm so happy that it was my second synth and not my first.
It doesn't squelch, it just sounds fizzy so on the physical side of things
I'm looking into getting another VCA and external filter.
Okay back on topic.
When I first got the Crave which I've mentioned earlier
I immediately started building my own version in dRambo
using dRambo's inbuilt modules, quite successfully actually.
It doesn't sound identical to the Crave as that would require
far more experience in coding and with modular
than the experience I have had up until now however
I did make a really powerful mono synth which can be turned
into a polyphonic synth with ease.
The three main challenges I faced were the sound of the filter,
the behaviour of the VCA and the characteristics of the 3340 SEM oscillator.
The oscillator in the Crave has internal bleed through and drift typical
of analogue synths which for a lay person is difficult to replicate
because the oscillator's in dRambo are simply solid sounding beasts.
Bravo to Giku.
Continuing on, the other thing that I discovered, as my journey to analogue
synths and Eurorack per se started with dRambo, is that dRambo is theoretically and virtually perfect
so you don't really need to think to in-depth about scaling, CV voltages or the sequencers losing sync,
it just works so we're spoilt in that regards.
The thing is through learning all of the modules in dRambo I discovered that even though
the real filters and VCA's that I now have have their own quirks what I learnt from creating in
dRambo translates very well into the real world much to my surprise.
More to follow....
Update in regards to Tunathor.
It does tune external oscillators quite nicely.
If you're into drones and similar it's perfect however for fast runs it glides the notes so it's not much fun.
Granted I am trying to scale up 2v +- to 4v +- and trying
to play oscillators in tune which is a challenge in itself.
I've got my eye on an Animodule Line amp which can amplify audio and CV signals x 3
so when that lands I'll be trying this all over again without Tunathor
other than that my low pass gates are on loan so when I get that back
I'm going to see about turning my external filters into drum sounds
and experimenting with the famous LPG sound.
More to follow.
Ahhh yes the challenge that I had set for myself.
One of the issues that can happen when scaling up voltages is that
the CV signal stops being linear when it comes to the 1V/oct.
It starts to curve and that curve isn't very nice when it comes to accurate pitch.
Granted this is dependant upon how you're scaling the voltages,
as mentioned earlier I tried using Tunathor however Tunathor has latency so the notes glide into place.
I'm currently trying to create a Precision Adder, which is what one would use in physical Eurorack,
using dRambo modules and this comes with it's own challenges.
My math isn't the greatest however I'm almost there for 1 octave
this means that over one octave I can adjust tuning per note by 0.005 +- in dRambo.
I chose 0.005 +- because anything larger will send the signal into the stratosphere.
I've yet to test this in the "real" world but I'm getting there so bear with me
because now that I've done this the next part is for it to cover 10 octaves.
Who said this stuff was easy. ;)
On another note I've added a PayPal donation link to my dRambo/iOS YouTube playlist
and I will be offering lessons for beginners to advanced dRambonauts
and other stuff so get in touch if you're interested.
More music videos are on the horizon now that I've reconfigured
my music room for ease and performances.
Here's my dRambo/iOS playlist.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm4TVAMl3GOux7YQCLRe8P8XU467xeHip
More news to follow. :)
Challenge done, well the first iteration that is.
I’ve now realised that I’ve made a mistake.
There are 13 layers per octave when there should only be 12 (Coltrane would’ve liked this)
so there’s an overlap and because of that I’m going to have to go back into each layer
and delete the 13th layer and adjust the scaling on the output to match other than that
it’s almost perfectly linear taking into account that we cannot input really fine numbers
which for most purposes isn’t necessary.
So basically one can fine tune individual notes by almost semitone either way and that max-minimum value
can simply be increased by changing the values in the relevant knobs.
It doesn’t look like much but for someone who’s sensitive to tuning it makes the world of difference.
Now to test it on the tuneable out of tune filters.
Screenshot;
Ahh yes, what is it????
It’s a precision adder/tuner or whatever I‘ve interpreted a Precision Adder is supposed to do.
Basically it’s a tuner that covers 10 octaves.
In regards to the tuning knobs? think like a guitarist.
Back soon.
In total this is what it’s starting to sound like.
Hhmmmmmm.
I’m having to rethink the Sequencer Play/Stop Reset patch for the Crave over CV so bear with me.
Further testing and it’s not dRambo at all.
The Crave has a Reset issue.
I’ve got access to another Crave so I’ll double check that at some point in the future.
Behringer Crave current workaround.
Leaving it’s sequencer with Play/Stop permanently switched on via CV input seems to make sure
that the Reset signal gets received properly and that the sequencer always starts on the one
when syncing the Crave’s sequencer to dRambo via CV.
Very important in regards to performances.
This may be applicable for other systems that are using CV to trigger the Crave.
Not quite EuroRack however I must say that this landed today
courtesy of Sigma from over on the Audiobus Forum.
Stay tuned.
cool, best volca in my opinion, really great drum synth engine !
Korg Volca Drum editor.
I thought I’d share this with you.
My new module landed today, nothing that great but it’s really useful for boosting audio and cv voltages,
something that’s going to come in handy for getting things in line so to speak especially
when I need just that little bit extra and in this case it’s 3 x extra.
However I had a stomach churning moment when I powered up my Eurorack utility rig and there was no sound.
Thankfully a cable wasn’t in it’s right place so a couple of deep breaths later…
There was sound and cv voltages are boosted over +-5 v so I can now have as much voltage as I need.
Here’s the list for those interested in such things and why…
Yorkmodular Optothing 3.5 which is a gritty LPG/VCA/Filter for experimenting with LPG’s obviously.
Michigan Synthworks 2HP2CV which is a Midi to CV converter
Behringer 902 VCA x 2 with multiple CV inputs (can be used as a cv voltage amplifier with some caveats)
Animodule Line_Amp for boosting audio and CV voltages.
As the Komplete Audio MK ii only has +-2 v per output it needs something like the Animodule
to boost it’s voltage up to +- 5 v to get the full range of pitch cv for instance.
Teenage Engineering -24db self oscillating low pass filters x2.
All of this paired up with dRambo is going to make for some very interesting sounds.
dRambo is going to be the macro oscillators by the way. ;)
Quick update.
Korg Volca Drum fully repaired with a drum stand design for it in progress.
Here’s a rudimentary dRambo drum editor for it.
https://patchstorage.com/korg-volca-drum-editor/
The drum editor uses the available CC messages that the Volca Drum
communicates with and it can also be used as a rather basic preset manager,
to build upon the 16 memory slots that it already has, more on this later.
Here’s some eye candy whilst I move on to the
Precision Adder design mentioned earlier on in this thread.
The original Precision Adder design version that I was going to release was way
to clunky and not as intuitive as I would’ve liked so a major rethink had to be done.
The tuning process is now much smoother without losing any of the original concept
which was to find an easier way to tune external self resonating filters and synth oscillators
note by note from C0 to C8 using only dRambo modules and a good tuner.
Screenshot.
Comments
cadmium is really ugly poison. there is no way to remove it from your body at all.
means
the more you eat of it over the years the more it grows in you. 😱 wow
That is quite grim I must say.🧐
On another note.
Here’s my custom overlay for the Crave.
Yes, indeed we can do that. :)
We’re currently seeing how fine we can print on wood veneer and engineering card with the laser cutter.
Were also experimenting with different fonts and stuff.
This overlay was a tester for colours. :)
Yeah, I’ve seen them.
The colours are certainly eye catching.
The arguments on the forums are even more hilarious and it hasn’t even arrived yet.
The Edge though is apparently shipping right now so I predict a lot more arguments, oh well. ;)
Talking about the Edge…
Here’s my take on the DFam using dRambo and a Behringer X-Touch.
It could easily be adapted for other midi controllers. :)
Update time.
Though things have been rather quiet on this end of things I've been busy deep in the lab.
I've given my rig a complete overhaul including rewiring everything down to the power supplies.
I've moved my main (now vintage) outboard to one side for easier access
and moved all playable equipment to be in front of me.
I've re-arranged everything so that it could make room for
my mini modular setup in my quest to fuse dRambo with Eurorack
combined with my own personal exploration into modular and what it is.
Like with all things huge change requires time for adjustment so
I'll be going into further details as we go along until then here's how it currently looks.
Context.
Sound shaping shizzle.
Left hand side.
iPhone 7 functioning as a mixer, CV controller and macro oscillatorith dRambo as the main host.
Teenage Engineering M4 24db/oct low pass filter x 2
Korg NTS-1
Behringer 902 VCA x 2
Michigan Synthworks 2HP2CV usb to CV adapter an adaptation of the Mutable Instruments CVPal.
Centre
Komplete Audio 6 mkii sending out 2 CV signals,
2 oscillators into the Teenage Engineering filters with main audio out via SPDIF
Moog Werkstatt acting as a secondary oscillator going into a 3rd Teenage Engineering M4 filter.
Behringer Crave using the "ASSIGN" function to control both filters on the Behringer and
the T.E M4 filter that the Moog is going into.
The easel directly in front has a SubZero SZ-MiIX08USB functioning as a summing mixer
for the audio outs from the Komplete Audio 6 mkii, Behringer UMC-1820 and
Art Multiverb Alpha S.E which is on the Auxiliary.
The Zoom U-44 is in standalone mode acting as an A/D for the Komplete Audio 6 mkii
giving an extra 2 inputs via SPDIF.
On a side note, the D/A from the Komplete Audio 6 mkii is coming out
from a Behringer SRC2496 into a dBx 266A compressor/gate.
Finally on the right on side is a JoeMeek C2 option stereo compressor
for subtle and not so subtle compressing.
And finally on the right hand side is an Air 3 iPad with dRambo as the main sequencer and router
and SoundCraft Notepad-5.
The three controllers are 2 x Novation XL's and a LaunchPad X.
dRambo is the main host and everything that can respond to midi and
now CV signals (from side of things) is being done directly from within dRambo.
Before I continue I must say a huge thank you to the following.
Novation U.K for repairing my LaunchControl XL with an awesome turn around.
They removed all of the components in one of my XL's
and replaced them with new ones in less than a week.
Native Instruments for sending a replacement Komplete Audio 6 mkii
free off charge when my original one died and finally
Teenage Engineering for sending two replacement filters for the faulty one
from my original pair hence why I now have three T.E filters, very happy about that.
In regards to the Teenage Engineering Eurorack modules?
For the price they are amazing, their filters are the most affordable around
and it sounds much better than the filter on the Moog Werkstatt
and you don't have to DIY.
They track to 1V/Oct with ease so I now have three more oscillators.
The only downside is that the power cable requires an adapter
to fit standard Eurorack and they don't come with front panels
however you can order the adapter and panels from OddVolt.
They do come with standmounts so you could mount them on something
I have one mounted on cardboard at the moment powered via usb.
Yeah, cardboard.
Yeah, I'm grinning.
Further thoughts...
The Komplete Audio 6 mkii comes with CV capable audio outputs
however it only outputs 2v+- which is enough for somethings but not enough for others.
After roaming the internet for awhile I came across two main solutions for
amplifying the K.A mkii outputs which are the the Maths module and
the Doepfer A-183-3, the latter of which I'm going to be purchasing at some point in the future.
I am currently using two Behringer 902 VCA's to amplify the K.A 6 mkii CV outputs
and I've successfully got 4v +- which is more than enough for my purposes at the moment
and it's given me a nice challenge more on that note later.
If you are sensitive to tuning like I am then I would advise getting a CV calibrator
or something similar or you could use Tunathor from MiRack.
Setting it up requires a little bit of thought however once done works a charm
and because of Tunathor I don't need to get a Doepfer A-183-3 as yet.
It does take some experimenting with to get enough range but it's thoroughly enjoyable once done,
the reason why I'm mentioning this is because the K.A mk2 has only
2v +- so to get 8 octaves one has to amplify the CV signal quite a bit.
Now, here's the thing, I decided to get the Behringer 902's instead of the Doepfer A-183-3
because I had read somewhere that it can amplify cv and audio signals similar
to the A-183-3 so I took a chance and bought two especially as
the price for two on Reverb.com was the same for the price of one Doepfer A-183-3.
The Behringer 902's doesn't amplify 2v +- to 10v +- so heads up there
unless someone knows different as I did have some issues with calibrating them.
Nothing major, simply me experimenting with the output and exponential bias.
However I did discover that one of them I doesn't have as much range as the other
and I thought that's it I can't have 2 tuned self resonating filters.
Luckly MiRack has Tunathor, a hardware calibration tool and so I'm now typing this
waiting for it to do one last calibration before I drop it into my Eurorack synth mix template.
Screenshots are on the way along with the calibration tool I put together.
Here's Tunathor wrapped up and good to go for the K.A mkii using the K.A mkii's usb 3+4 inputs/outputs.
Change the inputs and outputs for your rig.
To use the calibration tool all one simply needs to is select the Audio input
with the oscillator coming in and Tunathor will automatically detect it's pitch.
To calibrate Tunathor press the "Calibrated" button shown in this screenshot
Then go into MiRack and then press the "START CALIBRATION" button.
Remember to turn down the channel volume otherwise you will be greeted with pitch sweeps.
Wait until it goes up to 4200Hz and says "MAP IS AVAILABLE" or there abouts and then
come out of MiRack and press the "Calibrated" again and that's it, playable CV.
Do the same for whatever oscillator or self resonating filter that requires it.
After much trail and error I have now managed to sync
the Behringer Crave's sequencer using the Michigan Synthworks 2HP2CV usb to midi adapter
using two of the Gate outs and the CV out for "TEMPO", "PLAY/STOP" and "RESET".
One thing to bear in mind, the external "RESET" input needs a long Gate signal not simply a pulse.
Using dRambo's Gate+Velocity sequencer with a gate length of 150ms, a Midi CC Generator
out via a Midi Out module set to midi channel 6 on the Michigan Synthworks solid sync is achieved.
Changing the sequencer tempos from normal to double speed
or half speed is now a CLIP of set notes in dRambo sending gate outs.
The nice thing is that one can also double the tempo gate output from the 2HP2CV
and send that on to the Korg NTS-1 which doesn't have much choice in regards to it's inbuilt Arpeggiator.
The next thing is the modes of the CV Pal.
Yup "RTM", sometimes it has to done.
For those who need to sequence the Behringer Crave using CV.
As mentioned I'm using a Michigan Synthworks 2HP2CV which has 2 CV outputs and 2 Gate outputs.
The CV outputs have a max of 4v and the Gate outputs have a max of 5v.
I initially tried using the CV outs for the Reset and it was a bit hit and miss so
I switched the Reset signal from the CV output to the Gate output which works much, much better
when changing the Crave's patterns on the fly and wanting it to reset on the next phrase.
Here's the thing I put together to do just that.
CV 1 - Play/Stop
Gate 1 - Reset
Gate 2 - Tempo
Adjust Gate length on the G+V sequencer and Offset to taste.
Your mileage may vary.
Screenshot
and link to the Mutable Instruments manual which the 2HP2CV is based on.
https://misw.us/CVpal-User_manual.pdf
On a side note I'm using controller messages instead of midi notes which gives
more freedom in regards to modulating CV signals and sending Gate signals separately.
On a side note.
Though the Moog Werkstatt has a nice sounding oscillator, it's inbuilt filter and VCA
is pants however it does pair up nicely with dRambo's inbuilt filters.
I'm sure some Moog purists will have an apoplectic fit when reading this
but it's internal filter just doesn't do it for me.
I'm so happy that it was my second synth and not my first.
It doesn't squelch, it just sounds fizzy so on the physical side of things
I'm looking into getting another VCA and external filter.
Okay back on topic.
When I first got the Crave which I've mentioned earlier
I immediately started building my own version in dRambo
using dRambo's inbuilt modules, quite successfully actually.
It doesn't sound identical to the Crave as that would require
far more experience in coding and with modular
than the experience I have had up until now however
I did make a really powerful mono synth which can be turned
into a polyphonic synth with ease.
The three main challenges I faced were the sound of the filter,
the behaviour of the VCA and the characteristics of the 3340 SEM oscillator.
The oscillator in the Crave has internal bleed through and drift typical
of analogue synths which for a lay person is difficult to replicate
because the oscillator's in dRambo are simply solid sounding beasts.
Bravo to Giku.
Continuing on, the other thing that I discovered, as my journey to analogue
synths and Eurorack per se started with dRambo, is that dRambo is theoretically and virtually perfect
so you don't really need to think to in-depth about scaling, CV voltages or the sequencers losing sync,
it just works so we're spoilt in that regards.
The thing is through learning all of the modules in dRambo I discovered that even though
the real filters and VCA's that I now have have their own quirks what I learnt from creating in
dRambo translates very well into the real world much to my surprise.
More to follow....
Update in regards to Tunathor.
It does tune external oscillators quite nicely.
If you're into drones and similar it's perfect however for fast runs it glides the notes so it's not much fun.
Granted I am trying to scale up 2v +- to 4v +- and trying
to play oscillators in tune which is a challenge in itself.
I've got my eye on an Animodule Line amp which can amplify audio and CV signals x 3
so when that lands I'll be trying this all over again without Tunathor
other than that my low pass gates are on loan so when I get that back
I'm going to see about turning my external filters into drum sounds
and experimenting with the famous LPG sound.
More to follow.
Ahhh yes the challenge that I had set for myself.
One of the issues that can happen when scaling up voltages is that
the CV signal stops being linear when it comes to the 1V/oct.
It starts to curve and that curve isn't very nice when it comes to accurate pitch.
Granted this is dependant upon how you're scaling the voltages,
as mentioned earlier I tried using Tunathor however Tunathor has latency so the notes glide into place.
I'm currently trying to create a Precision Adder, which is what one would use in physical Eurorack,
using dRambo modules and this comes with it's own challenges.
My math isn't the greatest however I'm almost there for 1 octave
this means that over one octave I can adjust tuning per note by 0.005 +- in dRambo.
I chose 0.005 +- because anything larger will send the signal into the stratosphere.
I've yet to test this in the "real" world but I'm getting there so bear with me
because now that I've done this the next part is for it to cover 10 octaves.
Who said this stuff was easy. ;)
On another note I've added a PayPal donation link to my dRambo/iOS YouTube playlist
and I will be offering lessons for beginners to advanced dRambonauts
and other stuff so get in touch if you're interested.
More music videos are on the horizon now that I've reconfigured
my music room for ease and performances.
Here's my dRambo/iOS playlist.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm4TVAMl3GOux7YQCLRe8P8XU467xeHip
More news to follow. :)
Challenge done, well the first iteration that is.
I’ve now realised that I’ve made a mistake.
There are 13 layers per octave when there should only be 12 (Coltrane would’ve liked this)
so there’s an overlap and because of that I’m going to have to go back into each layer
and delete the 13th layer and adjust the scaling on the output to match other than that
it’s almost perfectly linear taking into account that we cannot input really fine numbers
which for most purposes isn’t necessary.
So basically one can fine tune individual notes by almost semitone either way and that max-minimum value
can simply be increased by changing the values in the relevant knobs.
It doesn’t look like much but for someone who’s sensitive to tuning it makes the world of difference.
Now to test it on the tuneable out of tune filters.
Screenshot;
Ahh yes, what is it????
It’s a precision adder/tuner or whatever I‘ve interpreted a Precision Adder is supposed to do.
Basically it’s a tuner that covers 10 octaves.
In regards to the tuning knobs? think like a guitarist.
Back soon.
In total this is what it’s starting to sound like.
Hhmmmmmm.
I’m having to rethink the Sequencer Play/Stop Reset patch for the Crave over CV so bear with me.
Further testing and it’s not dRambo at all.
The Crave has a Reset issue.
I’ve got access to another Crave so I’ll double check that at some point in the future.
Behringer Crave current workaround.
Leaving it’s sequencer with Play/Stop permanently switched on via CV input seems to make sure
that the Reset signal gets received properly and that the sequencer always starts on the one
when syncing the Crave’s sequencer to dRambo via CV.
Very important in regards to performances.
This may be applicable for other systems that are using CV to trigger the Crave.
Not quite EuroRack however I must say that this landed today
courtesy of Sigma from over on the Audiobus Forum.
Stay tuned.
cool, best volca in my opinion, really great drum synth engine !
Korg Volca Drum editor.
I thought I’d share this with you.
My new module landed today, nothing that great but it’s really useful for boosting audio and cv voltages,
something that’s going to come in handy for getting things in line so to speak especially
when I need just that little bit extra and in this case it’s 3 x extra.
However I had a stomach churning moment when I powered up my Eurorack utility rig and there was no sound.
Thankfully a cable wasn’t in it’s right place so a couple of deep breaths later…
There was sound and cv voltages are boosted over +-5 v so I can now have as much voltage as I need.
Here’s the list for those interested in such things and why…
Yorkmodular Optothing 3.5 which is a gritty LPG/VCA/Filter for experimenting with LPG’s obviously.
Michigan Synthworks 2HP2CV which is a Midi to CV converter
Behringer 902 VCA x 2 with multiple CV inputs (can be used as a cv voltage amplifier with some caveats)
Animodule Line_Amp for boosting audio and CV voltages.
As the Komplete Audio MK ii only has +-2 v per output it needs something like the Animodule
to boost it’s voltage up to +- 5 v to get the full range of pitch cv for instance.
Teenage Engineering -24db self oscillating low pass filters x2.
All of this paired up with dRambo is going to make for some very interesting sounds.
dRambo is going to be the macro oscillators by the way. ;)
Back soon.
Quick update.
Korg Volca Drum fully repaired with a drum stand design for it in progress.
Here’s a rudimentary dRambo drum editor for it.
https://patchstorage.com/korg-volca-drum-editor/
The drum editor uses the available CC messages that the Volca Drum
communicates with and it can also be used as a rather basic preset manager,
to build upon the 16 memory slots that it already has, more on this later.
Here’s some eye candy whilst I move on to the
Precision Adder design mentioned earlier on in this thread.
The original Precision Adder design version that I was going to release was way
to clunky and not as intuitive as I would’ve liked so a major rethink had to be done.
The tuning process is now much smoother without losing any of the original concept
which was to find an easier way to tune external self resonating filters and synth oscillators
note by note from C0 to C8 using only dRambo modules and a good tuner.
Screenshot.