the watmm GAS thread

[TubularCorporation]

18 minutes ago, Taupe Beats said:

Apologies if I've asked this before, but still on a mission:

Is there a hardware MIDI Controller that lets you add your own name to a parameter that shows up on a display? So for instance, you could name "cutoff" for CC74, and when you turn the control assigned to that CC, the display will show the name ("Cutoff" in this example) and the value for that parameter.

Never understood why MIDI Controllers don't do this. "Envelope Attack" is a lot more helpful to see than CC73.

I think the Novation Zero XL (both versions) let you do that but I never dug too deep int the MKI I had because it was physically too bulky.  Kind of regret trading it now, though, specifically because it had better visual feedback than other affordable controllers I've seen since.

 

Plus, I got it specifically to use with a TX802 but even with something like 40 encoders and buttons, some with multiple functions programmed, the DX series architecture still took 6 full pages of parameters and that ended up not being much better than just programming it from the front panel. I kind of feel like anything short of winning the lottery and buying a DTronics DT7 doesn't really make enough difference to be worth it. The DX/TX interfaces take some getting used to but they're organized in a way that makes it easier to keep track of where you are in the architecture of the synth than any hardware controller or software editor I've tried hooking up to it, so at this point if it's not a true knob-per-functon hardware programmer I'd rather just deal with the UI.

Edited February 7, 2022 by TubularCorporation

[Taupe Beats]

Updates to last post:

1. Looks like the industry term I was unaware of is "Digital Label".

2. I went on a bit deeper investigation after posting this and it appears the Faderfox EC4 is my ideal solution. 

 

3. I had forgotten the Novation SL MK3's and the NI Kontrol do this, but I remember they only let you keep 1 preset onboard with user configurable data (the rest are presets they give you for DAW's). Baffling and not helpful if you use a lot of hardware. The Faderfox appears to have 16 presets which isn't great but it also appears each preset has up to 256 independent controls (so it's really 32+ presets when you get clever).

 

[TubularCorporation]

2 minutes ago, Taupe Beats said:

Updates to last post:

1. Looks like the industry term I was unaware of is "Digital Label".

2. I went on a bit deeper investigation after posting this and it appears the Faderfox EC4 is my ideal solution. 

 

3. I had forgotten the Novation SL MK3's and the NI Kontrol do this, but I remember they only let you keep 1 preset onboard with user configurable data (the rest are presets they give you for DAW's). Baffling and not helpful if you use a lot of hardware. The Faderfox appears to have 16 presets which isn't great but it also appears each preset has up to 256 independent controls (so it's really 32+ presets when you get clever).

 

Oh yeha, that makes sense.  I forgot the EC4 has that, I've had a UC4 for about a year and it's great but it's one of the Faderfox controllers that DOESN'T have a real display.

[user]

There's also this:

https://electra.one/

Makes me wonder though with the increasing amount of devices that use some sort of web interface for firmware upgrades, uploading samples or general configuration, what happens, when of these companies goes bust or the internet disappears? No more config til you reverse engineer the entire thing?    

 

[Taupe Beats]

57 minutes ago, user said:

There's also this:

https://electra.one/

Makes me wonder though with the increasing amount of devices that use some sort of web interface for firmware upgrades, uploading samples or general configuration, what happens, when of these companies goes bust or the internet disappears? No more config til you reverse engineer the entire thing?    

 

I know at least with the Faderfox, you can configure locally. But I do agree, any device that won't let you configure locally will likely become either dedicated to whatever it's setup for at the time, or a brick.

That Electra is cool but it's like an iPad with knobs on it. For the price comparison, I'd rather have the Faderfox.

[TubularCorporation]

 

 

Dammit.

 

I do have a very strong suspicion, especially looking at the back panel, that there's some flavor of Axoloti derivative inside though.

Edited February 8, 2022 by TubularCorporation

[user]

15 hours ago, Taupe Beats said:

I know at least with the Faderfox, you can configure locally. But I do agree, any device that won't let you configure locally will likely become either dedicated to whatever it's setup for at the time, or a brick.

That Electra is cool but it's like an iPad with knobs on it. For the price comparison, I'd rather have the Faderfox.

That's a very apt description. And although I've no experience with the UC4 it must be said that Faderfox makes really, incredibly solid controllers. I've been using the FX3 for +5 years and bought a 2nd hand DX2 a couple of years ago. The DX2 was covered in a layer of muck when I got it, think it had seen some heavy shit go down during some parties or something. Had to take it apart entirely and clean it, it's been functioning without so much as a skipped value. Also I've contacted Mathias twice with some questions that could've been easily ignored but he replied pretty much instantly and above and beyond what one might expect giving support and info on long discontinued/oop devices.

[thawkins]

On 2/7/2022 at 9:06 PM, Taupe Beats said:

Updates to last post:

1. Looks like the industry term I was unaware of is "Digital Label".

2. I went on a bit deeper investigation after posting this and it appears the Faderfox EC4 is my ideal solution. 

 

3. I had forgotten the Novation SL MK3's and the NI Kontrol do this, but I remember they only let you keep 1 preset onboard with user configurable data (the rest are presets they give you for DAW's). Baffling and not helpful if you use a lot of hardware. The Faderfox appears to have 16 presets which isn't great but it also appears each preset has up to 256 independent controls (so it's really 32+ presets when you get clever).

 

The last time I went to search for this kind of thing I discovered that what I personally wanted would be something that implements the Mackie Universal Control protocol. Because that seems to be the industry standard for showing you different controllers and also automapping to DAW elements which is super important, if you do not want to spend ages trial and erroring your own.

In the end I decided to get the 1st generation Ableton Push. This solution works for me because I am doing everything in Live nowadays.

[TubularCorporation]

I want a completely no-frills MIDI footswitch with one or two buttons, no presets, nothing complicated, jsut programmable to send one C value per switch and nothing else, for controlling the punch in/out on the MPC.  There are plenty of options but they do more than I need and cost about 3x what I would be willing to pay (which is around $35).

[Taupe Beats]

17 hours ago, TubularCorporation said:

I want a completely no-frills MIDI footswitch with one or two buttons, no presets, nothing complicated, jsut programmable to send one C value per switch and nothing else, for controlling the punch in/out on the MPC.  There are plenty of options but they do more than I need and cost about 3x what I would be willing to pay (which is around $35).

Does your MPC have an input that would allow like a cheap Nux or Boss trigger pedal to work? My MPC1000 has 2. I'm able to trigger start/stop and a separate punch in/out that way.

[TubularCorporation]

37 minutes ago, Taupe Beats said:

Does your MPC have an input that would allow like a cheap Nux or Boss trigger pedal to work? My MPC1000 has 2. I'm able to trigger start/stop and a separate punch in/out that way.

Nope, it's a 2000xl, MIDI only.  There are a few simple Arduino programs I could modify to build a single-functon MIDI footswitch but am I going to bother?  Probably not.

 

Also, I have an old ART x-15 Ultrafoot that probably still works but it's like 5 feet wide.

Edited February 10, 2022 by TubularCorporation

[Taupe Beats]

Squarp announced a new hardware sequencer today. It looks like a monster.

https://squarp.net/hapax 

[TubularCorporation]

I already need another spool of cable, it never ends.

 

EDIT: on the way.

Edited March 2, 2022 by TubularCorporation

[iococoi]

 

[psn]

8 patterns per track doesn't sound like much?

[chim]

Behringer is having a massive teaser drop on FB, many miniature cheapo synths but this caught everyone's attention, a two voice SEM clone. (Up to) 4 oscillator poly for €299... 

Like everything else, the release date is who tf knows... 

Edited March 3, 2022 by chim

[chronical]

Got myself a Mackie 802 VLZ4.. Now I can finally use all my polysynths at the same time Anyone got experience with this line of mixers? I'm wondering if I should use it as an analogue master going directly to tape, or if I should route it into my Focusrite 18i20.. Could set the 18i20 to route audio without a computer back to the Mackie.. Not sure yet, will probably have to test it.

 

Edited March 17, 2022 by chronical

[Taupe Beats]

Do both. Use it with your interface but then you can also record whatever's running in the mixer right to tape (including softsynths). 

Also try no-input mixing:

 

[chronical]

11 minutes ago, Taupe Beats said:

Do both. Use it with your interface but then you can also record whatever's running in the mixer right to tape (including softsynths). 

Also try no-input mixing:

 

I can use my NAD amp's tape out to "mirror" the master audio to a Tascam CD-A500 to record to tape with, or route audio signals back into the Mackie for mixing and adjusting there, finally going back to the A500 all the same. So it can either be Renoise as a master end, passing the 18i20's signals through a CPU once, or routing it all back to the Mackie.. Now to see if the Focusrite signal path is actually analogue if set to routing back out, hm..

Honestly can't wait to test the difference Thanks for the video, checking it out now!

[Taupe Beats]

There is analog passthrough options on Focusrite interfaces, they're pretty flexible. What are your plans for the Mackie's tape input/outputs? The output mirrors the master (and the input doesn't have EQ's and stuff like a channel input).

A patchbay would be helpful for you.

[chronical]

43 minutes ago, Taupe Beats said:

There is analog passthrough options on Focusrite interfaces, they're pretty flexible. What are your plans for the Mackie's tape input/outputs? The output mirrors the master (and the input doesn't have EQ's and stuff like a channel input).

A patchbay would be helpful for you.

Right now I'm trying to figure out what to put where.. Need to plug in two midiverbs, which get fed from a JX3P and a Minilogue xd, then another stereo signal for a Polyend tracker, mono 303, 101, then there's a choice of inputs leftover for the behringer 909.. and a model cycles if possible(with pgm change sends from the tracker)

If the synths sound good enough without digital compressors (don't have any hardware ones), routing them through the Focusrite back into the Mackie would probably be the straightforward analogue mix.. then feed that (tape out) into a tube preamp, through the NAD's monitor onto a tape machine.. I've been experimenting with Renoise FX being triggered by the tracker as well, which would be impossible this way. patch bay would be fun but so is this

[Taupe Beats]

I guess I'm not following how you'll plug in that much stuff into an 8-channel mixer (I can see everything until the 909 and Elektron). Patchbay still seems like the way to go, and/or potential groupings of stuff into the focusrite and mix from there with sub busses. 

This is one thing that always pisses me off about smaller mixers. I wish one of these companies would make an 8-channel mixer that literally was 8 mono channels so you got inserts on each channel. That would be a major benefit for what you want to do. As is, I'd suggest running one of the Midiverbs via-the inserts on channels 1-2, but that pretty much forces you into running the mixer as 4 stereo pairs rather than having 2 mono channels (unless the Midiverb can run dual mono, I've never used a Midiverb). 

[xox]

Id just use the interface, you don’t need a mixer

[chronical]

50 minutes ago, Taupe Beats said:

I guess I'm not following how you'll plug in that much stuff into an 8-channel mixer (I can see everything until the 909 and Elektron). Patchbay still seems like the way to go, and/or potential groupings of stuff into the focusrite and mix from there with sub busses. 

This is one thing that always pisses me off about smaller mixers. I wish one of these companies would make an 8-channel mixer that literally was 8 mono channels so you got inserts on each channel. That would be a major benefit for what you want to do. As is, I'd suggest running one of the Midiverbs via-the inserts on channels 1-2, but that pretty much forces you into running the mixer as 4 stereo pairs rather than having 2 mono channels (unless the Midiverb can run dual mono, I've never used a Midiverb). 

I got this mixer as a sort of expansion for my setup with the 18i20, which already has 8 mono jack inputs that I can use in Renoise. Thing is unless I run those 8 through Renoise I've only got EQs on the Mackie and no compressors. Will probably end up running the Mackie into Renoise first as a stereo signal, with the inputs tweaked in the hardware mixer channels. This way I can use digital compressors/filters/FX for say the 909 kick, or for amens coming from the Polyend Tracker. I can only use 6 of the 8 inputs on the Focusrite that way, seeing as two will be used for the Mackie master out. So either 14 inputs or 16 without a CPU inbetween.

2 minutes ago, xox said:

Id just use the interface, you don’t need a mixer

8 inputs is not enough for this many stereo signals

Edited March 17, 2022 by chronical

[xox]

25 minutes ago, chronical said:

 

8 inputs is not enough for this many stereo signals

Why don’t you sell the interface and mixer and buy Roland Studio Capture interface with 16 ins then? You can use it as a mixer too in a standalone mode; you can  use it without being connected to your computer 

Edited March 17, 2022 by xox