Cheap hardware additions that helped your work.

[LimpyLoo]

 

 

my cheap hardware:

 

4) recently-acquired Boss SP-303...my favorite sampler of all time

 

I've heard a lot of nice things about this little guy. Mad Lib talked it up and I didn't realize Dilla even made Donuts on it. If I didn't already have an MPC and other samplers coming out my ears, I'd pick one up. Seems like a great time.

 

I'll throw in a recommendation for the Kaoss Pad mini. Most of the effects algorithms are garish and cartoonish, and it's probably inferior to most of the Kaoss line, but there are a few really nice delays and useable filters/EQs. I haven't owned any other Kaoss Pads but I love jamming with that little pad, it's such an intuitive and fun way to control parameters and has influenced my patches with its simplicity. It's also tiny and cute.

 

The SP-303 is my most important piece of music gear I have. However I don't recommend it as an MPC alternative at all if you are thinking about using it as a drum machine. It's really ass over backwards trying to program drums if you do anything other than live editing as there is no step sequencer. Truncating samples can take a very, very long time, MIDI options are also limited to sample trigger and velocity so ironically I use it more as a workstation than an instrument.

It's better for working on individual samples for export, doing loops, making pad textures and the awesome effects (both live and post-processing). The thing is not only a sampler but it's a really good effect unit, a cheap post-processing alternative (compressor is very meaty), and a recording unit if you get one of the old smartmedia cards to go with it.

 

 

Truncating samples can take a very long time? How do you mean? Just editing them?

 

You know how to change the start and end points, right? Just loop a sample and tweak until you get it. Shouldn't take much more than like 5 seconds.

[Entorwellian]

Nah if I had to get a proper loop going, or do slices where I wanted them, you had to use the sample start-end point changer and do changes by the decimal place in small increments. For a loop it can take me 10 minutes. It's the only time I wish I could just use the mouse and select/cut the trimmings off.

[LimpyLoo]

Nah if I had to get a proper loop going, or do slices where I wanted them, you had to use the sample start-end point changer and do changes by the decimal place in small increments. For a loop it can take me 10 minutes. It's the only time I wish I could just use the mouse and select/cut the trimmings off.

 

Oh actually

sorry

the quickest way to trim samples is

by repeatedly tapping the pad with one hand while you tweak the start/end points with your other hand

 

for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFFMrS30LTc

 

 

once that technique gets comfortable

it shouldn't take you more than 5 or 10 seconds to trim a sample

[Entorwellian]

edit: ah wait no already knew that.

 

Sorry I should put this into context. When you truncate it sets the points but the sample won't delete the null parts off until you resample it. You can get by it if you don't mind working with coarse truncation but for the decimal places and you want to shift them over bit by bit you have to resample the truncated parts over multiple times and resample them to get them exact. It's mostly for sample memory reasons.

[marf]

i bought two old macs. G4 laptop and the cheese grater. great software for them still. supercollider sounds better on these too. got turbosynth installed. all this shit for under $150

[LimpyLoo]

Hahahahahha. That is brilliant. Thanks for the tip. Always learning new shit for it 10+ years counting.

 

If you wanna sharpen your chops

go check out SP-Forums

it's an orgy of wisdom

 

here's my personal contribution to the SP-303:

panning is impossible on SP-303

however

if you unplug one of the RCA's when you record a stereo sample

(set in "stereo" mode, of course)

then bammo!

you can mix SP beats in LCR

(although I'm probably not the first to discover this, I've never heard this technique anywhere else)

 

 

 

lemme know if there's anything else you wanna know about the SP

there's a ton of tips, tricks, workarounds, etc to be learned

[Entorwellian]

Yeah I've learned a shitton of weird pitchbend-feedback stuff that I turn into sample-synth lines down the line. It's totally kosher to record with a shitty 20 dollar mic because the effects and constant resampling of stuff produces extremely beautiful sounds from the most shittiest of sounds. You don't even need a mic; I made a track entire with the noise generator and subtractive synthesis with it that was pretty cool.

[Entorwellian]

 

Hahahahahha. That is brilliant. Thanks for the tip. Always learning new shit for it 10+ years counting.

 

If you wanna sharpen your chops

go check out SP-Forums

it's an orgy of wisdom

 

here's my personal contribution to the SP-303:

panning is impossible on SP-303

however

if you unplug one of the RCA's when you record a stereo sample

(set in "stereo" mode, of course)

then bammo!

you can mix SP beats in LCR

(although I'm probably not the first to discover this, I've never heard this technique anywhere else)

 

 

 

lemme know if there's anything else you wanna know about the SP

there's a ton of tips, tricks, workarounds, etc to be learned

 

Cool. Thanks!

[LimpyLoo]

edit: ah wait no already knew that.

 

Sorry I should put this into context. When you truncate it sets the points but the sample won't delete the null parts off until you resample it. You can get by it if you don't mind working with coarse truncation but for the decimal places and you want to shift them over bit by bit you have to resample the truncated parts over multiple times and resample them to get them exact. It's mostly for sample memory reasons.

Nah you can totally truncate without resampling

It's the same process as deleting a sample

Except you press a button (I can't remember which without looking at it) before pressing 'delete'

 

It'll save you hella time and unnecessary generation loss

Google ' sp-303 how to truncate sample' and you'll find exact instructions

[LimpyLoo]

http://sp-forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3593

 

 

There, I just solved your debilitating workflow problem

and reduced your 'chop' time by like 90%

Enjoy

[LimpyLoo]

Edit: you can also truncate ALL your samples with 'trunc all' or whatever it's called

Check out SP-Foums yo

No joke, it'll blow yr mind

[modey]

How does the sp-303 compare to the es-1 electribe (besides not having a sequencer)? The electribe is one of my favourite pieces of gear.

[TubularCorporation]

Midi Pal

[modey]

wow that looks super useful!

[Real Human Bean]

Pen(cil)+paper.

Helps you express and keep track of ideas for later reference.

[TubularCorporation]

wow that looks super useful!

 

It's pretty great, I didn't realize they discontinued it recently but since it's open source and hardware it wouldn't be too tough to make one (with the added bonus of being able to wire up the 8 optional CC encoders). The only complaint I have is that not all of the different modules are available in a single firmware (so, for example, to use the full blown multitrack sequencer you have to flash a new firmware onto it and can ONLY use it as a sequencer until you change firmware again) but I mostly use it as a diagnostic tool and arpeggiator so that isn't a huge problem. If you have a way to fabricate PCBs on the cheap, you could make a few of them for the ~$100 that a pre-built one cost, and if I remember right there are even solder pads for daisy-chaining the MIDI i/o so you could put them all in a single case with a single pair of MIDI DIN jacks and have access to all of the modules in various combinations that way. It's got a whole bunch of potential uses.

 

EDIT: I'm quite enjoying the Ace of Space album so far, BTW.

[modey]

 

wow that looks super useful!

It's pretty great, I didn't realize they discontinued it recently but since it's open source and hardware it wouldn't be too tough to make one (with the added bonus of being able to wire up the 8 optional CC encoders). The only complaint I have is that not all of the different modules are available in a single firmware (so, for example, to use the full blown multitrack sequencer you have to flash a new firmware onto it and can ONLY use it as a sequencer until you change firmware again) but I mostly use it as a diagnostic tool and arpeggiator so that isn't a huge problem. If you have a way to fabricate PCBs on the cheap, you could make a few of them for the ~$100 that a pre-built one cost, and if I remember right there are even solder pads for daisy-chaining the MIDI i/o so you could put them all in a single case with a single pair of MIDI DIN jacks and have access to all of the modules in various combinations that way. It's got a whole bunch of potential uses.

 

EDIT: I'm quite enjoying the Ace of Space album so far, BTW.

Cool, I'm gonna look for one on ebay (or try to build one). I'm interested in the possibility of midi delays on a monosynth.

 

And thanks for listening, I really appreciate it!

[awepittance]

 

wow that looks super useful!

 

It's pretty great, I didn't realize they discontinued it recently but since it's open source and hardware it wouldn't be too tough to make one (with the added bonus of being able to wire up the 8 optional CC encoders). The only complaint I have is that not all of the different modules are available in a single firmware (so, for example, to use the full blown multitrack sequencer you have to flash a new firmware onto it and can ONLY use it as a sequencer until you change firmware again) but I mostly use it as a diagnostic tool and arpeggiator so that isn't a huge problem. If you have a way to fabricate PCBs on the cheap, you could make a few of them for the ~$100 that a pre-built one cost, and if I remember right there are even solder pads for daisy-chaining the MIDI i/o so you could put them all in a single case with a single pair of MIDI DIN jacks and have access to all of the modules in various combinations that way. It's got a whole bunch of potential uses.

 

EDIT: I'm quite enjoying the Ace of Space album so far, BTW.

 

someone is trying to sell a completed midipal for $200 on ebay in case anyone is interested: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mutable-Instruments-MIDIpal-MIDI-data-processor-/111719882784?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1a03062020

 

edit: attn Modey

 

[LimpyLoo]

 

 

wow that looks super useful!

It's pretty great, I didn't realize they discontinued it recently but since it's open source and hardware it wouldn't be too tough to make one (with the added bonus of being able to wire up the 8 optional CC encoders). The only complaint I have is that not all of the different modules are available in a single firmware (so, for example, to use the full blown multitrack sequencer you have to flash a new firmware onto it and can ONLY use it as a sequencer until you change firmware again) but I mostly use it as a diagnostic tool and arpeggiator so that isn't a huge problem. If you have a way to fabricate PCBs on the cheap, you could make a few of them for the ~$100 that a pre-built one cost, and if I remember right there are even solder pads for daisy-chaining the MIDI i/o so you could put them all in a single case with a single pair of MIDI DIN jacks and have access to all of the modules in various combinations that way. It's got a whole bunch of potential uses.

 

EDIT: I'm quite enjoying the Ace of Space album so far, BTW.

Cool, I'm gonna look for one on ebay (or try to build one). I'm interested in the possibility of midi delays on a monosynth.

And thanks for listening, I really appreciate it!

Can you explain midi delay?

[TubularCorporation]

 

 

wow that looks super useful!

 

It's pretty great, I didn't realize they discontinued it recently but since it's open source and hardware it wouldn't be too tough to make one (with the added bonus of being able to wire up the 8 optional CC encoders). The only complaint I have is that not all of the different modules are available in a single firmware (so, for example, to use the full blown multitrack sequencer you have to flash a new firmware onto it and can ONLY use it as a sequencer until you change firmware again) but I mostly use it as a diagnostic tool and arpeggiator so that isn't a huge problem. If you have a way to fabricate PCBs on the cheap, you could make a few of them for the ~$100 that a pre-built one cost, and if I remember right there are even solder pads for daisy-chaining the MIDI i/o so you could put them all in a single case with a single pair of MIDI DIN jacks and have access to all of the modules in various combinations that way. It's got a whole bunch of potential uses.

 

EDIT: I'm quite enjoying the Ace of Space album so far, BTW.

 

someone is trying to sell a completed midipal for $200 on ebay in case anyone is interested: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mutable-Instruments-MIDIpal-MIDI-data-processor-/111719882784?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1a03062020

 

edit: attn Modey

 

 

 

Wow, that's almost twice what they sold for new a few months ago!

[iococoi]

guys, that's the "successor"..

 

http://www.audiothingies.com/midibro/

http://www.audiothingies.com/product/midibro-kit/

[sweepstakes]

 

 

 

wow that looks super useful!

It's pretty great, I didn't realize they discontinued it recently but since it's open source and hardware it wouldn't be too tough to make one (with the added bonus of being able to wire up the 8 optional CC encoders). The only complaint I have is that not all of the different modules are available in a single firmware (so, for example, to use the full blown multitrack sequencer you have to flash a new firmware onto it and can ONLY use it as a sequencer until you change firmware again) but I mostly use it as a diagnostic tool and arpeggiator so that isn't a huge problem. If you have a way to fabricate PCBs on the cheap, you could make a few of them for the ~$100 that a pre-built one cost, and if I remember right there are even solder pads for daisy-chaining the MIDI i/o so you could put them all in a single case with a single pair of MIDI DIN jacks and have access to all of the modules in various combinations that way. It's got a whole bunch of potential uses.

 

EDIT: I'm quite enjoying the Ace of Space album so far, BTW.

Cool, I'm gonna look for one on ebay (or try to build one). I'm interested in the possibility of midi delays on a monosynth.

And thanks for listening, I really appreciate it!

Can you explain midi delay?

You just delay the note on/off triggers rather than the signal, usually decreasing velocity with each pass. I have a MIDI patchbay that can do this. Some synths have this built in too — TX81Z, Nord Lead, Volca Beats spring to mind.

[TubularCorporation]

guys, that's the "successor"..

 

http://www.audiothingies.com/midibro/

http://www.audiothingies.com/product/midibro-kit/

 

 

Oh cool, I didn't know someone was offerring a kit now (when I saw that listing I assumed it was an early Mutable kit that was discontinued before I learned about them). Nice to see it's still alive in some form, because it's fantastic.

[th555]

I have three of these. Couldn't live without them. They're like 15 bucks.

[sweepstakes]

I have three of these. Couldn't live without them. They're like 15 bucks.

DOD used to make one of these too - actually theirs was passive. You can build a passive one for cheap just using some pots and resistors but it's pretty hard to beat Behringer prices.