First of all, big THANKS to everyone who made it to our KOMAPARTY 2.0 some weeks ago! We had great fun and were happy to hang out with friends and our community <3
Big ups Bertolt Meyer, Teslator, Cate Hops with FridaY and Echosisters!
Here's a few snaps for the vibes:
KOMA BOOTH AT SUPERBOOTH
What's all this??? We're excited to share what we've been working on during the Superbooth preparations, including a few mysterious surprises! You will find us at Booth O400 - same as last year. Just walk up the main big stairs and turn left until you see a bunch of nerds in black dungarees playing weird looking instruments… Probably our best SB drip yet!
This year, we will showcase a handful of brand new designs of upcoming modules to be released later this year including Monoplex - a smaller version of the Komplex sequencer, Bürste - a noise burst generator, a Wavefolder, a Dual Envelope and a KOMA VCO! Sensei and Kassiopeia, which are both available for pre-order, will also have their space in special installations we’ve prepared especially for this year.
One of them is using your movements or even your heartbeat to generate cool shapes with our new VCO and Sensei sensor modules. You'll be able to print out the results as a sticker!
Review of the DROID multipurpose CV processing module for the Eurorack format by Der Mann mit der Maschine, including an explanation of its internal patching language and its concept of "circuits".
Chapters:
00:00 Intro: One CV module to replace them all 00:53 DROID Module and P2B8 Expander overview 02:52 Example 1: 3 Envelopes with one pot-controlled parameter each 05:23 Example 2: Quantized turing machine 07:39 Example 3: LFO 08:00 Changing the DROID's settings 08:53 Final thoughts, price considerations, and recommendation 09:43 Acknowledging the manufacturer 10:24 How to pronounce 'Der Mann mit der Maschine' correctly 10:50 The gates expander 11:15 How to write a Patch for the DROID: Coding example
The DROID is a very flexible generic CV processor for modular synthesizers in the Eurorack (Doepfer) format. It has 8 CV inputs and 8 CV outputs, all ranging from -10V to +10V. The DROID can do almost any CV task you can imagine, such as sequencing, melody generation, slew limiting, quantizing, switching, mixing, working on clocks and triggers, creating envelopes and LFO or other fancy voltages, or any combination of these at the same time. While doing this, is very precise both in voltage and in timing.
You tell your DROID what to do by means of a simple text file called “DROID patch”, while is located on a micro SD card. No special software is required for creating that file. A simple text editor running on Windows, Linux, Mac or any other device is all you need.
Controllers and expanders
By attaching up to 16 P2B8 controllers, each having two potentiometers and 8 push buttons, you can control any parameter you like while playing your music.
The G8 expander gives you 8 more jacks, which can be used for gate or trigger inputs and outputs.
The Circuits
The building blocks of a DROID patch are called circuits. Every type of circuit performs some specific task. A circuit is very much like a Eurorack module itself. Some of these do basic things like slew limiting, sample & hold or switching. Others are much more comlex, such as an advanced trigger sequencer with algorithmic extensions. Just like a Eurorack module, each ciruit has inputs and outputs. You can wire these either directly to one of the 16 jacks, or even connect them internally. Every parameter can be CV controlled.
Here are a few examples of what your DROID can be for you. As long as you do not run out of inputs and outputs you can implement as many of these functions at the same time in one DROID. You also can connect them together internally.
LFO Envelope generator Melody and trigger sequencer Random generator, bernoulli gate Sample and hold Precision adder Slew limiter Clock tool with divider, multiplier and delay Logical and mathematical functions CV looper Euclidean rhythms generator Versatile musical quantizer, octave switch Addressable and clockable CV switch CV mixing and routing matrix VCO precision calibrator ... and many many more... You can use these circuits either directly - just like normal Eurorack modules - or combine them internally in order to implement more complex functions. Then you can assign pots and buttons of your "P2B8"-controllers for switching, tuning and live performing with these. Basically you can transform your Eurorack modular system into your own custom instrument. Or you simply use the DROID as a replacement for several utility modules, because it is very space efficient.
"The ADDAC303 Muscle Sensing module brings EMG muscle sensing to the eurorack format. It allows you to control a modular synthesizer with muscle signals that the module picks up with medical electrodes that you can stick to any muscle. I used two of those in my last generative ambient piece [posted here]. I felt that the module doesn't get enough love on YT, so I followed up with an introduction to this quirky module. I explain the overall principle, the best way for electrode placement, and the optimal settings for getting a clean signal."
"Generative ambient patch in which my phantom limb - my missing imagined left arm - controls the gate of a voice and the routing to the LZX Cyclops laser controller through tiny muscle signals that usually control my myoelectric prosthesis. Muscle EMG sensing is done with two ADDAC 303 muscle sensing modules that work really well once you find good settings. The patch is based on a Turing Machine that goes to a new random sequence after 16 repetitions of the given random sequence. The pitch CV goes through a 2hp Arp and subsequently through the ADDAC Intuitive Quantizer before being sampled with different trigger patterns with the excellent DivKid RND STEP. From there, the pitch branches off to three voices: A QU-Bit Chord, two Doepfer A-110s, and a MI Elements. The phantom limb does the gates for the two A-110s - it feels really weird, because I just have to think about moving the prosthesis THAT I AM NOT WEARING and the voice plays a note."
"Live modular performance with our SynLimb arm-prosthesis-to-CV hack. I've been practicing a lot and am slowly getting there. The modular is sequenced by the Winter Modular Eloquencer in the first half; I then transition to the Toraiz Squid. It was a lot of fun to play this in our living room. Thanks to my husband Daniel for filming. This was aired on modular.world on June 13 2020 with a Q&A afterwards:"
Modular World-Ep. 3-Bertolt Meyer, Probbie, Death Whistle, Eden Grey and Hawthorn
Modular World
"Featuring: Bertolt Meyer (Germany), Probbie (U.K.), Death Whistle (Spain), Eden Grey (U.S.) and Hawthorn (U.S.)"
Hacking my arm prosthesis to output CV so that it plugs into my synth: Thought-controlled music!
Published on Feb 13, 2020 Bertolt Meyer
"Together with Chrisi from KOMA Elektronik and my husband Daniel, I am in the process of building a device (the 'SynLimb') that attaches to my arm prosthesis instead of the prosthetic hand. The SynLimb converts the electrode signals that my prosthesis picks up from my residual limb into control voltages (CV) for controlling my modular synthesizer. The SynLimb thus allows me to plug my prosthesis directly into my snythesizer so that I can control its parameters with the signals from my body that normally control the hand. For me, this feels like controlling the synth with my thoughts. I show the prototype(s), explain how we put it together and how it works, and do a little demo.
The inspiration to just try this despite not being an engineer came from wonderful Sam aka lookmumnocomputer
The inspiration to venture into modular synthesis in the first place came from the wonderful mylarmelodies"
