TubularCorporation

Thanks! I'm pretty happy with it so far. Much better than the first one I made. Still needs a truss rod cover and I'm going to make a new nut and possibly put in graphite saddles at some point, but that's all minor stuff. The only real issue is I designed it with the intent of putting binding on the fretboard but then decided at the last minute I didn't want to bother on this one. Thing is, I didn't really think about what that meant for the frets: with a Gibson style binding, I would have just filed them flat on the ends and let the binding itself be a kind of rounded cap (Gibson collectors call those the "nibs" and are a bit obsessed with them) but without binding I had to round off the frets themselves a little, and that means that the outer strings are a little too close to the ends of the frets now. Not close enough to cause problems but too close. Also I didn't round of the frets quite as much as I'd have liked, for the same reason. Other than that I'm pretty happy with it, hopefully two or three more and I'll be at a point where I'll want to sell them. I'm just starting a 12 string (actually 9, since I don't like having the three highest strings doubled) and after that I'm going to make some kind of MIDI guitar and a bass and then I won't need any more for myself, but with some luck (because when it comes to marketing myself I am bad at it and hate it) I'll be able to start making them for other people. EDIT: might make a new bridge pickup sometime, too. The one in there is the first one I ever made and I think I could wind it tighter now. It still sounds good, though, so I might not bother.

Question for people who actually know electronics: I'm almost done building a Fender 5e3 amp (got a cheap Chinese ebay kit and swapped out a bunch of the parts) and I'm getting ready to wire up the power transformer, but it has 5 different primary leads for different countries' line voltages (sharing a single 0 lead) and I can't really get a clear idea of what I should do with the unused ones. I had assumed I should just cap them and ignore them, but then when I was looking at the layout for a different kit of the same amp (all I got with this one was a not that well drawn schematic) and it showed some of the primary leads tied to the chassis ground so now I'm not sure. I'm pretty confident from measuring continuity that I don't need to connect any of them to each other (that is, it's not one of those transformers with multiple primary windings, just a single winding with taps for different voltages) but I don't know. There's lots of good info on transformers out there but I looked a lot and couldn't find anything relevant to this particular situation. I'll probably have to register a new DIYAudio account (forgot my old login years ago) and ask there, but just on the off chance one of you has an idea... I try to DIY as much stuff as I can, if only because the tools and experience will usually be useful long after the gear isn't. I don't have any background in electronics, so it can be tough to figure out what's wrong when something doesn't work but usually it does. Done a bunch of simple fuzz pedal clones from scratch over the years, and a few synth and amp kits. The trouble with kits for me is that I don't really learn much by doing them, other than getting better at soldering. The only exception t that is the x0xb0x I was working on before my last move, and have been stalled on ever since, because the build instructions include a lot of testing as yo go, so I do get a little bit of an idea of what does what (and some practice with the oscilloscope I trash-picked a while back) but overall kits are more of a "this is beyond my ability to do from scratch but I want it" thing than a way of learning, for me. Oh, and I posted it in another thread already but I just recently made this in my living room:

Cool, I actually didn't do much pattern switching yet, so that part I couldn't actually remember for sure. Most of my complaints are more about me being used to the MPC2000xl workflow than anything. But yeah, overall really, really satisfied so far. Sunday I'll have a chance to spend a good solid afternoon and hopefully record a demo noodle or three. It's already been said, but it feels a lot more substantial than I expected, too. Even the microUSB feels pretty solid, and it has a nice heft to it. The case doesn't have any give like a lot of stuff I've tried in this price range. I wouldn't want to knock on the pads like I'm comfortable doing on the MPC but I definitely don't feel like I have to baby it, either.

ooh congrats you should def post some samples when you get comfortable with it I will! I'm starting a minimal live rig based around it, but I have to get and learn the Axoloti before that will be done. I've pulle the Anushr out of my main setup and I've been practicing with that so far, but I might add a third piece. I'm actually thinking of using the old Yamaha QY10 I picked up when a local store was closing a few years ago, since it's small, pleasantly cheesy sounding and I could probably use it as a basic MIDI looper in pattern record mode, maybe build a loop on the BSP and then bounce it over to the QY10 to get some extra tracks without lugging around the MPC2000xl I've been sequencing on for the past few years. In the mean time, I can definitely record some simple noodling at some point. I haven't noticed the knobs being loose on mine, maybe only some of them have that. So far, my gripes are: -no pattern chaining or song mode of any kind. I knew that going in but I miss it more than I thought I would. It wouldn't be an issue though, except: -no "next sequence" type feature - unless I've missed something (I've only gotten to play with it a little bit and I mostly worked on one pattern at a time to get used the basic workflow) the only way you can change sequences is immediately jumping as soon as you select one. I'm hoping I just missed something obvious but I don't think I did. It would be nice to also be able to jump to the next sequence at the end of the current sequence. I also don't think you can change sequences without jumping to the first step of the new one, and sometimes it would be nice to, keep your position within the sequence when you changed. I used to have one of those Boss DR55 knocokoffs that Soundmaster made and the thing that made it fun was that you could program a few simple patterns and then turn them into really long, surprisingly complicated sounding beats just by turning the pattern select switch, since the actual step position was free running. I'm sure lots of other hardware sequencers do something similar, and it would be a great option in the Beatstep Pro. -finally, I haven't found a good way to restart a sequence while it's playing. Sure you can hit stop and then play again, but I'd really like a single button (or even a shift command would do) to make either the current sequence or all sequences jump back to beat 1. A good example of where this would be useful: If you have two sequences of equal length running. You shorten SEQ2 that as it cycles its start point shifts relative to SEQ1 (something I do a lot). Eventually you change the length of SEQ2 so that it is the same as SEQ1 again, but unless you timed your change so that it happens when the first steps of both sequences are already lined up, the actual steps in the two sequences will be lining up differently than they were originally, even though they're both the same length again. Sometimes this is a cool effect but other times it's a hassle. You can work around it by copying the original versions of the sequences before you change them btu it would be nice to have a simple control to jump back to step one on either the active track or all tracks. None of this stuff is too serious, it's more a matter of adjusting to the workflow of the thing and all of it could be added with firmware updates (not that I expect any of it but at least it's possible), and hopefully at least some of it is just stuff I've overlooked, but it could be a bigger deal for some people depending on how you like to work. Also I definitely noticed some weird, glitchy behavior in the synth when I was using the BSP's CV outs while powering it from USB but they went away when I switched to an external PSU so hopefully the ground loop blocker thing that it ships with will fix that. I don't plan on having it hooked up to a computer much anyway. although I was hoping to power it from the Axloti's USB port once that arrives. Overall I'm really happy with it and the good design choices definitely outweigh the complaints. Being able to leave the sequences running and jump into controller mode to tweak parameters on the synths they're playing is great. EDIT: I've read cmplaints about the editing software being clunky but I've had no problem with it, it does what it needs to do.

Just got one today. I won't have time to really dig in until after work tomorrow but I spent about 45 minutes playing around with it and the Anushri and so far I'm pretty impressed. It's intuitive, the build quality seems good for the price range, the knobs and buttons feel nice, and it's really fun. As mentioned already, the roller/looper is pretty useless and the timing does seem to hiccup a bit when yo switch from forward to reverse, even when you're using the internal clock, but I can live with that. I could definitely see basing a minimal live hardware rig around it, which was the whole point of getting it. I'll post more when I've had a few good chunks of quality time to get to know it better, but it seems like a winner so far. Oh, and the case it comes in is built to be used as a carrying case and is slid enough that you could probably get away with it. Nice touch.

That's a great track I never heard before, thanks!

1979 is the 80s, right? EDIT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQMnl9wOJoM

Yeah. As expensive as big, summer blockbuster CGI extravaganzas are, CGI is still massively cheaper than filming in actual locations, or with actual special effects. So there is a big market for new technology for CGI before you even factor in games and all the other areas computer graphics are used in.

Spur of the moment thing I snapped when I caught some baby spiders running around on the guitar I was finishing a few weeks back. Don't have much else on line since I quit Facebook.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jT_8zkeqKk No comment needed.

Almost a dealbreaker, but I'm still going to grab one of these since it's probably a firmware update away. Fixing a broken micro-usb jack is a real pain in the ass, I've never managed to desolder the old one without lifting a solder pad or two with it, not that I've tried many times.

For a tape I'm finishing up. I don't know the first thing about Warhammer 40k or golf.

I don't know that I'd call them favorite drummers, but in context these two are great:

I used to like Tassman for this but I haven't used it in a long time, so I can't say how v3 and v4 are.

I'm going to be able to get one of these in the next couple weeks. I'll post my thoughts on it when I do.

2 Fast 2 Furious

Thunder & Mud

I think they both have their place and the best stuff strikes a balance. I also think that (leaving the savant outliers who can just do whatever and it comes out brilliant aside for now) real spontaneity can only come after a lot of painstaking effort and craft. The trouble with improvisation is that anyone can do it badly with no real effort, so there is a ton of terrible improvisation out there, but to really do it WELL is a life long project, to reach a level where all of the painstaking effort and craft is still going n, it's just happening in real time. I always liked Zappa's talk about how improvising an composing were the same process for him, it's just that when he was improvising he was composing in real time. There was an old jazz musician I knew in college who said something to the effect of "improvising is about bringing a lot of stuff to the table and then only using a little bit of it, only using what you needed and leaving the rest for another day," and I have always thought that was a really good way of looking at it. Or, like, look at all these hand planes: In any given job you'll probably need to use four or five different planes AT MOST, usually more like 2-3, but every single one of them in that collection has a specific purpose. Improvisation is about looking at the project and materials and knowing which three planes to use without having to figure it out by trial and error. Not that trial and error is any less valid or important, it's just a different aspect of the same process. You're going to go through a lot of trial an error before you can intuitively grab the right tools, and conversely if you follow your intuition and just try stuff to see if it works then you're likely to grow a lot faster on the trial and error side of things. Pure theory develops out of practice, though, and it's just a tool to understand what already happened so you can build on it without having to reinvent it. It's an extremely useful tool but I don't think it's very often at all that really good work starts from theory.

I'm going to order mine from B&H specifically because of this, since they have a good return policy (no questions asked full refund for 30 days). That should be enough time to make sure I like it, make sure nothing is broken out of the box, and figure out what the bugs are and if I can live with them in case Arturia never fixes them. As far as I can tell fro reading customer reviews, the original Beatstep was build solidly enough for the money, and that's the main thing I'm skeptical about.

From what I can tell, it's not a USB host, so nope.If you don't mind buying another piece of gear, the Kenton USB Midi Host should do the job, although I've never used one myself.

Aaand, I just realized when the Axoloti finally arrives, this would pair with it really well since it works as a USB host. That would save me the money and effort of making some kind of custom interface. That's the last straw, one of these is in my future for sure.

  I'd be most worried about the Midi i/o getting scratchy, you could really mess up the midi data stream that way since there's no error correction or redundancy at all in MIDI. But I'm probably overthinking it, common 1/8" jacks seem to be a lot more reliable i the past few years, I haven't had a laptop or phone give me trouble in a while. Used to be they would be crackly and awful in a matter of months sometimes. I had a microbrute for two days and the jacks seemed fine on that, come to think of it. Too bad I got a defective one and so much else didn't work (sequencer was completely nonfunctional, pitch wheel was defective and just jumped from zero to full as soon as you moved it, keyboard was loose and nasty). I really like the sound of it, I wish they would make a desktop module that got rid of the keyboard and combined the functionality of the mini and micro with maybe a few more patch points. I still kind of want another one some day. Ended up using the refund to get a Mutable Anushri instead and that's a great little synth but has a very different sound. All the Arturia stuff I've tried is fantastic for the price, for sure.

Build quality on the sockets is very good, actually. At least on the original BeatStep. The plug goes in and stays in.It's mostly a space issue since a DIN socket actually wouldn't fit on the side of the unit. Only two pins are connected for MIDI out anyway—it wouldn't actually be difficult to make a dedicated 3.5mm to MIDI cable so you don't need the adapter. Well I'm convinced. The Arturia hardware I've messed with before has always been solid, I just don't trust 1/8" jacks because they always seem to get scratchy. Now what can I sell to justify getting this?

This looks like it addresses everything that kept me from getting the original, and the price is still good. Still wish they had sprung for proper DIN jacks for midi and 1/4" jacks for audio, though, I don't trust those 1/8th inchers for playing out live, and that's the main reason I'd want one of these. Still very tempted to sell something and grab one when they come out, though, since that stuff is nothing that couldn't be fixed with some soldering and maybe a case mod.