Essential B1: Donner Music - Beijing Modular 26

video upload by sonicstate

"Logan from Donner Music showed us the Essential B1 firmware update for the 303-style synth voice and sequencer. He explained that the update is scheduled for release on October 28 and includes pattern randomisation, expanded song mode memory, onboard sync settings, minor improvements and bug fixes.

The randomisation page is accessible with play and record. It lets pitch, rests, gate length, accents, switches and slides be edited independently. Pitch randomisation includes scale and key selection, with options including chromatic, modes, whole tone, pentatonic, melodic minor, harmonic minor and phrygian dominant. Rests, slides and accents can use selected steps and probability values, while gate length also has minimum and maximum settings.

Song mode now offers seven banks, expanding memory up to 112 slots. Patterns have a 16-step maximum, but they can be chained, transposed in semitones in real time, and assigned different lengths. MIDI input, MIDI output, clock source, division and sync polarity are now selectable directly on the unit. The B1 also includes delay, saturation and sawtooth operation."