Percussa Super Signal Processor Update

via the Percussa SSP Kickstarter:

"Hi everyone,

This past week myself and Celine have been hard at work on the software. Like I wrote in our last update, we've been working on the SSP's menu system and fixing bugs in the graphical user interface.

We've also worked on adding support for the SSP's 16 inputs and 8 outputs in our software: the input and output modules, which are used in the module network editor to tie the jacks on the SSP to the internal modules, had to be updated to support all of the SSP's I/O.

One other important feature we added the past week is scaling the increase/decrease step size of the synthesis parameters using encoder speed/acceleration.

Besides that we took the opportunity to test the inputs and outputs with both AC and DC signals. As you already know from the kickstarter page, the SSP's 16 inputs and 8 outputs are DC coupled, and they all support up to 192kHz sample rate with 32 bit resolution (we use high end AKM DACs and ADCs, which are used for sampling both CVs and Audio signals). Below you can find six new videos we shot during our testing sessions."

You can find the videos at the Percussa SSP Kickstarter campaign.

Percussa Super Signal Processor Eurorack Module Update

via the Percussa SSP kickstarter:

"Front panel finishes, switch caps colours, menu system updates, demo case and more

Hi all!

It’s time for another update! This week the NAMM show is happening in Anaheim, CA, one of the main tradeshows for musical instruments and music technology. We are not exhibiting or going as we decided to focus on the development of the SSP. A lot has happend over the past 10 days, below is a summary of what’s new including lots of nice photos :-)

1) Ordering more parts for the upcoming production

We already bought most components with long lead times for the SSP right when the kickstarter finished (such as the CPU modules), and now we continue buying the rest of the parts, such as switches, switch caps, ADCs and DACs, etc. Our commodity components will be bought further down the line as we get closer to production. We already got our programmable logic ICs which we received last week from our parts supplier, which is one of the few lead time sensitive parts specific to our design that we wanted to have early on so we don’t have to delay the assembly and shipping later on. So planning wise everything looks good, we got our PCBs, front panels and most of our lead time sensitive components. We’ll continue buying over the coming weeks and keep you updated about the production of the SSP.

2) Further experiments with front panel customizations

Our initial idea for front panel customization was to do laser engraving, but we wanted to see what it would look like if we machined our logo (and potentially any customizations) into the front panel before anodization instead of doing laser engraving. Laser engraving looks like gray text on a black background while with machining you can have more subtle customizations. I did the machining for the prototype below on our own CNC router. We’ll make a decision about what process to use over the coming weeks.

Besides that we are thinking about cosmetic hardware features ways to make navigation as easy as possible in our software user interface, such as different colours of switch caps. Although originally we planned to use only black switch caps, we might group certain buttons together using a colour, for example red for the cursor keys and grey for the menu keys, while the function soft keys would remain black. Below you can see an example grouping. This might still change as we continue working on the software and see the need to group certain buttons together.

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Percussa Super Signal Processor Update: Prototypes up and Running; Testing in Progress

via the Percussa SSP Kickstarter where you'll find additional pics.

"First of all happy holidays, and we wish you a healthy and succesful 2018! We received our SSP prototype PCBs the 22nd of December, together with the SSP front panel prototypes. The first thing we did was a quick visual inspection of the PCB to make sure there was nothing odd going on. I use a stereo microscope for that and just a careful look at each of the sections of the PCB. The PCBs look good!

After that I checked the mechanical fit of the PCB, front panels, display and display holders, and the mounting studs which mount the front panel to the PCB. I also checked the fit of the switches and encoders, as well as the 3.5mm eurorack jack connectors, and the microSD card slot. The display flat cable slips through a slot in the PCB to connect on the other side.

We were pretty lucky - all we had to do is add a standard M3 spacer between the studs and front panel, and everything fits together well, as you can see in the photos below. As you can see, the display is sandwiched in between the PCB and front panel and is held by display supports which I designed.

After mounting everything together it was time to install the system-on-module (SOM) onto the PCB, connect the display to the back of the PCB, and apply power (I'm using a meanwell power supply at the moment for my tests, and built a 10-pin eurorack style power cable to connect to the power connector on the back of the PCB).

I had not prepared a microSD card yet, so the system was not booting yet, but my first goal was to measure all the power supplies on the board (there are a lot of them!). Everything looked good so I built a serial cable so I could get access to the console, and a cable to program the programmable logic on the PCB. Finally I wrote a microSD card, and after a quick fix on the PCB (removing a pullup resistor which shouldn't have been there) the system booted up just fine! You can see the beautiful display in action below.

In the photo you can see I connected a USB hub to the high-speed port, which I've connected a USB-ethernet cable to so I can copy stuff to/from the SSP while I'm testing, or SSH into it. Finally I built our synthesis software with the SSP-specific GUI, and started that up to see how it looks on the screen. It's by no means finished, but it's nice to see it on the screen.

We still have to connect the encoders and switch matrix to the application. That will happen in the next weeks. I/O wise, I've tested the USB high and full speed ports (left and middle). I haven't tested the USB device port yet, I might get to that next week. The 8 channel audio output works and sounds great as well. I still have some work to do for the 16 audio inputs, and I'll be working on that over the next days, more news on the next update.

Keep in mind in the above photos the front panel has NOT been anodized or engraved yet. We'll get to that after the holidays (probably the week of Jan 10th). I am going to get a few panels processed, take some photos and then update you on that.

So overall it's looking really good! We're excited and look forward to updating you somewhere next week when we have more news. Thanks again for your patience and support!

Bert & Celine"

Percussa Super Signal Processor Eurorack Module PCBs Arrive

via the Percussa Kickstarter:

"Hi everyone!

Exciting news - today we received the PCBs for the SSP. They arrived about an hour ago and I immediately checked the quality of the top and bottom side, paying attention to small details such as whether the vias are nicely drilled in the center of pads, whether copper has 'leaked' over other copper potentially causing a short, and of course whether the through-hole components of the PCB sit nicely in the holes of the footprints or not. One other important detail I wanted to check is whether I could reach the display connector on the PCB with the display flatcable, which needs to be fed through a rectangular slot in the PCB. I had already checked that a million times before I sent off the files for production, in my 3D modeling software, and I had also checked it with a paper print-out of the PCB layout, but it's always good to actually check it in reality when you get the PCBs back.

I'm happy to report that everything is looking good (at least with the naked eye). Tomorrow I'll be doing a final check using my microscope, and then I'll be kitting the parts and a couple of PCBs, and sending that off to our subcontractor so we can get a few prototypes built for testing. As always I'll keep you posted about the latest news. Thanks again for backing!

Bert"

Pictured in order:

"Inspecting PCB quality"

"Checking display FPC length with location of display connector"

"Inserting through hole components and checking footprints"

"Checking placement of rotary encoders and aluminium knobs"

Percussa Launches Limited-Time Slacker Backer Offer

via Percussa:

"PERCUSSA Completes Succesful Super Signal Processor Eurorack Kickstarter, Launches Limited-Time Slacker Backer Offer

Los Angeles, California - PERCUSSA completed its succesful month-long kickstarter campaign last Sunday, September 3rd, at 8AM PDT, reaching a total of $62,849 (314% funded, based on its original goal of $20,000), unlocking multiple stretch goals with additional features such as USB MIDI MPE support, and 10 additional DSP modules, including a powerful granular sound synthesis processor.

The kickstarter campaign it completed is for its new Super Signal Processor (SSP) Eurorack Module, for which development will begin immediately, and for which the first units are planned to ship in April 2018.

The SSP will be based on its PERCUSSA Engine and PERCUSSA Remote products, which were first presented last Winter NAMM 2017 in Anaheim, CA. Engine is a sound synthesis platform based on a powerful quad-core ARM Cortex A17 processor, delivering over 20,000 DMIPS, paired with high end AKM ADCs and DACs capable of 192khz sample rate and 32 bit resolution, and a full colour 1600x480 LVDS display. Remote is a professional USB control surface with high quality switches and encoders. Both Engine and Remote feature aluminium machined (CNC) housings and knobs.

The SSP will bring the same powerful sound synthesis capabilities to the eurorack format, and will feature 16 input channels and 8 output channels, USB host and device ports, and a micro SD card slot. It will also feature 4 high quality encoders and 18 durable switches, and the same 1600x480 full colours IPS LVDS display. The input and output channels will be provided using 3.5mm connectors, DC coupled, to support both audio and control voltage signals. The same high end AKM ADCs and DACs will be used for the inputs and outputs.

The kickstarter campaign is now over, but PERCUSSA has opened a limited-time only 'slacker backer' period, starting today, September 5th, and ending Friday September 15th, at 8PM PDT. Artists who wanted to back the campaign but did not have a chance to do so in time, can still pre-order an SSP module at the slacker backer price of $1650 + shipping. To do so they should contact PERCUSSA through the website at https://www.percussa.com/contact

After September 15th, this “slacker backer” offer will no longer be available, and the SSP will be offered for pre-order through PERCUSSA’s online store, and through select dealers, at a higher price point, to be announced in the next weeks.

For more information about the PERCUSSA Super Signal Processor (SSP) Eurorack Module, please see https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/percussa/percussa-super-signal-processor-eurorack-module"

Percussa Super Signal Processor Eurorack Module Stretch Goal #2 Reached - Onto Stretch Goal #3!

via the Percussa SSP Kickstarter Campaign:

"We’re very excited to share with you that we reached Stretch goal #2. Thanks so much to all our backers!

Besides MIDI MPE support, the SSP will now come with 5 extra modules:

1) sampler module with time stretching

2) granular processor

3) simple delay

4) bit crusher

5) physical modeling membrane

And we’re now on our way to Stretch goal #3: another 5 extra modules (2 advanced modules and 3 simple modules) will be added to the SSP when we reach the next goal at $55,000.

Please let us know what modules you’d like in this group!

Thanks so much!

Bert & Celine"

And they are onto Stretch Goal #3! You can find the Kickstarter campaign here.

Percussa Super Signal Processor Kickstarter Campaign Ends in 4 Days - Last Chance for Intro Price

via Percussa:

"The Percussa SSP Kickstarter ends in 4 days! Last chance to get the SSP at the backer price, which also gives you a front row seat in deciding what software features it comes with! After the campaign ends the module will be priced higher."

You can find the Kickstarter campaign here.

Percussa Super Signal Processor MIDI MPE Stretch Goal #1 Reached - Onto Stretch Goal #2

via the Percussa Kickstarter

"We have some exciting news to share with you: we reached our first stretch goal, MIDI MPE support! A big thank you to all our backers!

We’re now on our way to Stretch goal #2: Module Group #1. If we reach Stretch goal #2 all backers will receive 5 extra modules:



Module Group #1 consists of 2 advanced modules and 3 simple modules:

advanced modules (2)

sampler module with time stretching: allows you to load a WAV file and play it back looped or one shot, with the ability to change the sample’s pitch or length without affecting the other.

granular processor: an advanced granular processer module with support for different kinds of windows, with control over the spread of the grains, grain length, grain speed, grain pitch, offset, etc.

simple modules (3)

simple delay: a simple delay line to delay signals, mostly useful for signals that are used as control (modulation) signals.

bit crusher: a module to reduce the resolution of signals, for example from 32 bit to 8 bit.

physical modeling membrane: allows you to feed a signal trough a membrane implemented using physical modeling."

You can back the Percussa Super Signal Processor Kickstarter campaign here.

Percussa Super Signal Processor - Conversation II - Demo featuring step sequencers

A new demo is up here.

"The demo was made by request from backers and eurorack enthousiasts, to show what can be done with the step sequencer module. If you have any demo requests send them our way! :-)

Some info on the demo: 2 sequencers, 1 Wavetable Osc, 2 LFOs, 1 EG (ADSR). The first LFO modulates the Z parameter of the wavetable osc, 1 sequencer modulates freq of the wavetable osc and triggers the ADSR while the other sequencer modulates freq/amp of the other (second) LFO. Manual tweaking of the first LFO frequency, sequencer pattern length, tempos, as well as live editing of sequencer steps. Also experimentation with cloud/spread feature of wavetable osc and manual tweaking of XY parameters of the wavetable oscillator. Sound passes through global delay and reverb section."

New Super Signal Processor Audio Demo - Picard's Dream

Just in via the updates for Percussa's Super Signal Processor:

"Hi everyone! Just recorded a new audio demo on our functional protoype of the Percussa SSP: wavetable oscillator with manual tweaking and modulations using LFO and EG, with global delay and reverb section enabled, recorded directly to SD card. Let me know if you'd like to hear specific features demo'ed!"

You can find the demo on the Percussa Kickstarter updates page here.

Percussa Kickstarter Banner

You might have noticed the new Percussa Kickstarter Banner on top of the site! The banner will be on top during Percussa's Kickstarter campaign for their upcoming Super Signal Processor Eurorack module. You can keep track on the campaign by clicking through the banner. Of course any new announcements, including demos, will go up in individual posts. For those just catching up, Percussa has reached their funding goal and are now onto stretch goals for additional features. You can check out their Kickstarter campaign anytime to track progress.

Percussa Super Signal Processor Funding Reached - 1st Stretch Goal Added

The Percussa Super Signal Processor (SSP) Kickstarter campaign (announced Friday) has reached its funding goal of $20,000. That means the module will reach production. Percussa has added their first stretch goal for MIDI MPE Support with a target of $35,000. As of this post they are currently at $25,913. Click here for the campaign.

Percussa Super Signal Processor (SSP) Now on Kickstarter

Percussa's Super Signal Processor (SSP) eurorack module is now on Kickstarter here. If you haven't been following progress on the module, be sure to see the Percussa label for previous posts including demos with the prototype. The label does bring up everything featuring Percussa in reverse chronological order, so just scroll down to find them.

The following is the official press release:

"(August 4th, 2017, Los Angeles, CA) Today at 8am los angeles time our kickstarter project, the Percussa Super Signal Processor (SSP) Eurorack module, is going live.

It's the result of interaction with the eurorack community since we launced the Percussa Engine and Synthor System 8 at the Winter NAMM 2017 show in Anaheim, CA.

The SSP is very similar to the Percussa Engine, the synthesis platform we showed at the NAMM show, but comes with additional input and output connectors, featuring eurorack-compatible voltages, and will fit in a 60HP wide space in a eurorack system.

Among features of the SSP that are important to note, are a quad core ARM Cortex A17 processor @ 1.8GHz, one of the fastest ARM processors available, offering over 20,000 DMIPS of computing power (typical eurorack modules use cortex M4 or M7 processors which stay under 500 DMIPS), and high end ADC and DAC chips by AKM, supporting sample rates up to 192kHz and 32-bit resolution.



The SSP will feature 8 outputs and 16 inputs, and will support running multiple software DSP modules in parallel on multiple cores. The SSP comes with the same features of the Percussa Engine, featuring its rule-based patching system, preset storage and recall, and DSP modules such as:

Wavetable Oscillator with true 3D morphing (XYZ) and cloud features
Sampler with Layering features
LFO with multiple waveforms (sine, saw, square, triangle)
Variable Frequency Noise
DC generator
Enveloped Generator with Exponential A and DR
Waveshaper
Comb Filter
State Variable Filter
Step Sequencer
Important to note is that the Percussa SSP will support loading your own software DSP modules, which can be programmed in the C++ language. The SSP comes with the same wide-screen IPS display of 1600x480 pixels as the Percussa Engine and will feature an optimized user interface and workflow for eurorack users. The buttons and encoders will be located around the display for increased usability.

In terms of connectivity, the SSP will offer USB host and device ports for connecting a laptop for direct digital audio recording, or a USB MIDI class device for controlling the SSP. Storage wise the SSP will run of a microSD card, and a 16GB professional grade card is included in the main kickstarter pledges for the product. The SSP comes with 2GB of internal RAM which is especially useful for loading large WAV files.

One of the interesting features of the SSP is that it offers the same sampling features as the Percussa Engine, allowing you to record audio direct to SD card as WAV files, and then immediately use those WAV files as wavetables for the wavetable oscillator and sampler modules, without having to load them into software on a computer first. Everything can be done directly on the eurorack module.

In terms of pledges, the kickstarter offers normal production units, special pledges for early birds, customization options and special low serial number editions, as well as an interesting Godfather and Godmother pledge (only one of each), wich allows you to donate 5 Percussa SSP modules to 5 schools of your choice, giving students access to this powerful eurorack module.

More information about the Percussa SSP can be found here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/percussa/percussa-super-signal-processor-eurorack-module"

New GUI Renders of the Upcoming "Super Signal Processor" by Percussa

We saw the final hardware design for Percussa's upcoming "Super Signal Processor" eurorack module. We now have some images of the graphical user interface in via Bert Schiettecatte of Percussa:

"I worked on GUI mockups for the module the past couple of days and went back and forth on them with a few eurorack people, here is the result. All feedback/ comments welcome! I'd also like to confirm we are going to do a kickstarter for this module and will take all feedback and input into account as I set up the page and work on it in the coming weeks."

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Final Design for the Proposed Percussa Super Wavetable Oscillator/Sampler - "Super Signal Processor"

This is a follow-up to this post. Note the two modules are now one. Be sure to see this video if you haven't already. According to Percussa, this is the final design. You can see the name of the eurorack module will be the Percussa "Super Signal Processor". The following are some additional details:

"I've decided to make this module a bit more general and provide ALL the DSP algorithms from the ENGINE on it. So this becomes much more than a 'super wavetable oscillator'. Here is a list of modules I already have:

1) wavetable osc
2) sampler
3) LFO (sine, square, saw, etc)
4) variable frequency noise
5) white noise
6) DC generator
7) envelope generator (ADSR + A/DR shape control and looping features)
8) waveshaper
9) comb filter
10) static variable filter
11) step sequencer

Obviously there will be a menu to patch modules and route signals in and out."

"Regarding granular: You can already record wav files (up to 22 minutes long) and you can load those into either the wavetable osc or sampler module. The WT osc lets you chop up the sample on the fly using an encoder, and you can then use the index encoder to scroll through the chopped up parts. You can of course change pitch (coarse/fine). In the recorder you can crop samples, normalize and reverse them.

In the sampler module you can layer 8 samples or trigger them individually, change start/length of playback, pitch (coarse/fine), using them as looping samples or one shots, etc. All this functionality we already have in the ENGINE synth and will be in this module too.

Using slices/grains in a cloud formation with density control and forward/reverse scanning is not there yet, and morphing between snapshot is also not implemented. But those can be added.

You'll be able to have lots of modules, since this is a quad core A17 and not a single core A8. So about 10 times more processing power than what the ER-301 offers, for example."

Percussa Synthor Digital Modular Synth Demo #1

Published on Aug 16, 2015 Percussa AudioCubes

"Quick demo of the new Synthor digital modular synth for the Percussa AudioCubes.
https://www.percussa.com/2015/08/16/h...

Synthor runs on Macs and PCs as a standalone audio application and communicates wirelessly with the AudioCubes hardware interface. When cubes are placed next to each other, new patch connections are created, and moving cubes closer and further away change parameters such as modulation depth. Synthor is a free download for all AudioCubes users! Learn more at http://www.percussa.com/"

Some additional info via the Percussa News Letter:

"You can see different synth cubes in action: red/orange cubes are wavetable oscillators, purple one is a step sequencer, green ones are LFOs (frequency and amplitude modulation) and the cyan one is a toggle noise cube (white noise with variable frequency). The wavetable oscillator cubes are set to do frequency modulation, the step sequencer does frequency modulation, as well as the noise cube. There is also a waveshaper and state-variable filter (SVF) which are not demo'ed in this video but will be in upcoming videos.

The Synthor synth runs inside MIDIBridge so there is no additional software needed beyond our MIDIBridge software. There is an audio settings control panel now in MIDIBridge which lets you select the sound card driver to use (CoreAudio, ASIO, etc) as well as the sample rate and buffer size to use. The processing in Synthor is all done at audio sample rate, so you have really fast and smooth modulation possibilities and low-latency.

In Synthor, you first assign a synthesizer module to a cube (oscillator, LFO, noise gererator, etc) and decide what other cubes it can modulate. As soon as you’ve done that, you can start putting cubes together to create a modular synth patch.

As soon as cubes are placed next to each other, a connection is made between the synthesizer modules linked to the cubes. So for example, if you configured two cubes to be oscillators, one oscillator will start to modulate the frequency of the other oscillator (you can also set it to modulate amplitude if you prefer). It works the same way when you place multiple cubes together: even if you are only placing one cube next to a group of cubes, you will be creating multiple connections! All without needing real hardware patch cords. Try doing that in a traditional hardware modular synthesizer with only two hands.

Synthor also automatically scales parameters as you move cubes closer together: If you have two oscillator cubes next to each other, the modulation depth will change depending on the distance between the cubes. This is done completely automatic without you having to configure anything. Parameters can also be set using sliders in the Synthor user interface if you need to set them to specific values.

Last but not least, the signal output of each of the synthesizer modules is automatically connected to the brightness of the colours of the cubes. This way you can see how fast your LFOs are running for example, or you can see the steps of the step sequencer as they play back.

I’ve also built a default patch into Synthor / MIDIBridge, such that when you start the software and connect your cubes, they are all set into Synthor mode and a synthesizer processor has been linked to each cube (oscillator, noise, etc). This way you can immediately start making sound with the cubes without having to configure anything (don’t forget to set up your sound card - you only need to do this once). If you customize the default setup of Synthor you can save your settings and load them using the LOAD/SAVE buttons in MIDIBridge.

Bonus tip: if you go play live with Synthor, you can load different settings files for different songs, and each of those settings files can assign the cubes to different synthesizer modules! This is like having 10 different modular synth setups with you which you can instantly switch to within a few seconds. Impossible to do with a traditional hardware modular synth.

I need your feedback on the above video

I’ll be adding more synthesizer modules to Synthor over the next month. I have plans for granular processors, mixers, delays, etc. It’s going to be super exciting working on this. Please reply to this email and send me your feedback about the above video!"

You can contact Percussa at https://percussa.com/contact