"Hi, Bert here, designer and inventor of AudioCubes. Sometimes, people ask me what the difference is between the AudioCubes we are selling today and the ones I originally released back in 2007. The AudioCubes today are called 'wireless' AudioCubes, while the ones from 2007 are 'classic' AudioCubes. But what does that mean?
In this newsletter I've decided to go a bit deeper into how the modern AudioCubes you can buy today work under the hood, and how they are different from the original AudioCubes I designed back in 2004, and which were released in 2007.
How do Classic AudioCubes work?
Originally I had designed the AudioCubes to forward data between each other, using infrared communication ports. Each AudioCube has 4 of these ports located around the AudioCube, which allow AudioCubes to detect each other as well as detect distance to your hands and fingers. This generates MIDI trigger notes or continous control messages respectively, so you can start and stop sounds and control effect parameters in real time.
In 2008-2009 we released a firmware and MIDIBridge update and also released the OSC server for AudioCubes, which not only allows AudioCubes to detect each other but also FORWARD data to each other, effectively creating a wireless network of AudioCubes, where data is forwarded to one of the cubes, which stays connected to your computer. We introduced the TOPOLOGY mode for the AudioCubes, which allows you to get MIDI note triggers and continous controllers at the same time.
However, I realized we wanted to offer higher data rates than was possible using the cube to cube infrared communication network, and so I started designing a wireless module, a hardware upgrade, which would allow all the wireless cubes to have a DIRECT connection to the central cube which stays connected to your computer. This would allow the cubes to communicate in a star network which offers much higher data rates :-) The wireless module has a custom designed protocol on board I worked on for several years, and which uses the 2.4GHz wireless radio band. Rather than using bluetooth or wifi, we designed our own protocol, because the needs of professional musicians are very different from the needs of the wide consumer market.
You can see two photos of AudioCubes hardware below. One photo is the classic AudioCube PCB WITHOUT the wireless module, and the other is the AudioCube PCB WITH the wireless module, which is how all hardware is built today.
15 wireless AudioCubes transmitting cube detection and distance information in real time
We're in the final stages of testing a big firmware and MIDIBridge update I've worked on over the past two years, day and night, which leverages this new module to the maximum. It's really exciting stuff - imagine a star network with one master cube and up to 15 wireless AudioCubes, all capable of sensing hands as well as cubes, transmitting cube detection and distance information, all in real time, and everything is MIDI mappable!
Imagine automatically patching modular software synths as cubes detect each other, and changing instrument parameters in real time as cubes get closer and further away.
A few of the AudioCube power users who are currently testing the BETA are saying it's the most exciting update they've seen in the past few years.
I hope this clears up what the difference is between the AudioCubes we ship today, which all include the high performance wireless radio, and the classic AudioCubes from 2007 which do not include this hardware upgrade.
I look forward to create more firmware and software updates in 2015 and to push AudioCubes to the next level together with all of you!
Connect with Bert, AudioCubes designer, to learn more!
Thanks for reading this newsletter, and don't hesitate to connect with me on Facebook, LinkedIn or via email at bert@percussa.com.
I'm happy to answer all your questions about AudioCubes and consider your feature requests for the AudioCubes software :-)
Bert Schiettecatte"
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