Minitaur firmware update soon - your requests here please

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Amos
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Minitaur firmware update soon - your requests here please

Post by Amos » Sun Mar 10, 2013 11:24 pm

Hello all,

I am starting to work on a Minitaur update.
If you have any open issues with firmware bugs or behavior, please post here or post a link to the thread where it's been discussed.
This would be a good place to post any requests or suggestions you have for future Minitaur development, as well.

cheers,

Amos

Y-NE
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Re: Minitaur firmware update soon - your requests here pleas

Post by Y-NE » Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:17 am

As already posted here: http://forum.moogmusic.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=14726

Bugs/Errors:
- Capturing hardware settings in order to store a sound with the editor - Saved sounds differ from the original settings (e.g. LFO)
- Wrong names/order when capturing bank from the hardware with the editor
- Sometimes presets are not loaded correctly (differences in the sound - which means I have to open the wanted preset several times)
- different midi channels are used for sending/receiving data (bug or a feature?) - in my case I switched the minitaur to listen to midi channel 8. This means in the output settings I have to set this channel to be able to send data to the minitaur. However capturing settings or the bank from the hardware only works on midi channel 1 (so I have to use this channel in the input settings of the editor). Found this with trial/error because at first I thought the capturing doesn't work at all.

Feature requests:
- possibility to delete all saved sounds from the hardware in a simple way (couldn't find if this is possible already)
- The editor should display changes made via the hardware when minitaur is connected [like editor of Virus TI] (also don't know if this working already - for me it is not the case)

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Portamental
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Re: Minitaur firmware update soon - your requests here pleas

Post by Portamental » Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:54 am

Hi Amos...

I have briefly described my woes in this thread

Well, what can I say more? Please make sure it is thoroughly tested CV driven only, because right now it does not work.... at all.

Sections keep freezing, unfreezing sometimes. As I write this, the mod amount is full on, and sustain level freezed down to zero. Yesterday it was the opposite. It's flaky, never the same from day to day, or from power to power up. In a month now, over a hundred power up, I have never had the Minitaur operate will all its functions right, and the faulty ones make the synth useless.

- Mixer levels freeze both at any level, mostly full on (sudden sound increase).
- Modulation amount freeze to zero, or full on, or maybe some other level
- VCA Sustain freezes mostly to zero amount, or full amount (amybe some other level too)
- Decay and Release.. guess what.. pretty much the same as above.

Errors happen more on the EG VCA section than the VCF section, but after a power up and having checked the above (never right), if other knobs are flaky too does not matter anymore. No inital power up knob settings make any difference in the long run.

The situation is real bad Amos, as much as I hate to say it as bluntly, so far this has been nothing but a $600 door stopper with the Moog name on it. Again, I am sorry to say, but it's that bad.

Briman
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Re: Minitaur firmware update soon - your requests here pleas

Post by Briman » Mon Mar 11, 2013 4:11 pm

Hi Amos...

Great that you are starting on updating the Minitaur's Firmware...
and hopefully... doing an update for the Rev 2 Editor as well!? :)

Here's my Firmware Update suggestions:
- Once a Preset is called up... either by the Front Panel method...
or by MIDI Patch Change... make the Preset tweakable... with the Front Panel
Controls... then be able to Save it back into that Patch... with a specific
front panel buttons push procedure.

- Perhaps by holding down Release & Glide together... and pressing Oscillators
1 & 2 together... or something to that effect?

- Also add a method to the Minitaur... to save a "New Front Panel setting"
into a "New Preset Location" selected by either the Front Panel method...
or by MIDI Patch Change?

- This way... if you are at a Gig or Session... and your Computer/Rev 2 Editor
is at home... you could still save a Sound you created for a Song or Track...
into the Minitaur... right on the spot! Then the Minitaur would have it all!!

Here's an Editor suggestion:
- Why not have a "Save In Synth" Button... that then asks for a Minitaur
Patch Location... and then click SAVE?
The back & forth "workaround" thing with the >>> and <<< Tabs is totally confusing!

There is a Preset Naming problem with the Rev 2 Editor:

- When I save a new Panel settings sound into the Presets column...
then use the ( >>> ) tab to save it into say Minitaur #1... it does that...
and the sound is there... with it's new name!

- But when I do a "Capture bank"... the sound I saved is still in
Minitaur #1... BUT... the name is changed back to what the name was...
"before" I saved the new sound?

- Weirdly... the NEW Name shows up in Minitaur #2... on top of a different
sound that was already saved there... with a different name!?

- So my 2.0 Editor saves my new sound where I put it... but not the name?
It puts the new name 1 number location higher!?!?

- At this point... the only solution is to name them 1, 2, 3, 4 etc... and
only use MIDI Patch Select Numbers on my Controller... to identify them!
This is a pretty poor resolve though huh!

- Meanwhile... in the Editor's "Capture bank"... for example: 5 in the Presets
Column... has the sound of 5 in the Minitaur... but has 4 for a name?!
4 in the Presets Column... has the sound of 4 in the Minitaur... but has 3
for a name?! And so on for all the rest!?

- I tried clearing the Presets Memory inside the Minitaur itself by erasing
and re-installing the Rev 2 firmware... and also did the Factory Restore...
but the Presets I made and transferred to my Minitaur... are still there...
still with their names all messed up?

- Could there a way to delete all Presets "inside" the Minitaur...
so as to be able to start over... with the new Firmware etc?

Many thanks for your upcoming Updates in advance Amos!

All the Best,
Cheers,
Briman :)

Amos
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Re: Minitaur firmware update soon - your requests here pleas

Post by Amos » Mon Mar 11, 2013 4:43 pm

Portamental wrote:Sections keep freezing, unfreezing sometimes. As I write this, the mod amount is full on, and sustain level freezed down to zero. Yesterday it was the opposite. It's flaky, never the same from day to day,
Portamental, those aren't firmware problems. Sounds to me like the ribbon cable between the main board and the panel board is a little loose. Contact Moog tech support, they can advise you how to reseat this cable yourself or you can send the unit to Moog to be checked out. Sorry for the trouble, but I strongly suspect there's a simple fix. What you describe is not how other units behave at all.

Keep the feedback coming, folks; thank you!

Amos

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bichuelo
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Re: Minitaur firmware update soon - your requests here pleas

Post by bichuelo » Mon Mar 11, 2013 5:58 pm

Hi Amos,

My suggestions:

-make Program Changes optional: When you use another synth to feed the Audio IN, you usually hook a digital synth with many sounds. If you send a PC message, then both synths will change to the same preset number. In many cases you want only one synth to respond to these messages

-a sysex command to erase all patches stored in the unit

-a VST/AU wrapped version of the Minitaur Editor

-selected knobs for 14-bit hi-res, instead of the entire panel (14-bit on all knobs means too many MIDI messages)

-a hardwired Calibration Preset, such as the one in the Phatty series

-an option on the CV inputs so they reset either on 0 or 127 when you take the plug out
http://audiotecna.info
T-III, Voyager, VX-351, Slim Phatty, Model D, Sub Phatty, Subsequent 37, Minitaur, all moogerfoogers and minifoogers, EW+, Theremini, Model 15, Filtatron, Animoog, Model D App, iOS 11 Mother-32, DFAM, Werkstatt, Win7, High Sierra

LeCCComte
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Re: Minitaur firmware update soon - your requests here pleas

Post by LeCCComte » Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:16 pm

Hi Amos ! Got the same problems as everybody here.

Don't think the "freeze" problem is so simple. Got the same problem with the modulation section when the Minitaur is connected to the editor. All of the three rate & Amts are just stucked to absolute zero, whatever I do. But working fine when Minitaur preset is set to panel settings.

Same problem about the names moving. And the presets too. Got a headache.

It is JUST IMPOSSIBLE to correctly save a preset on the Minitaur. They just change a little bit, or a lot, according to the preset called just before. Especially the release... I tried to save TEN TIMES the same preset, and got every time the same problem : release saved far too high as I wanted it to be.

When I move the hardware buttons of the Minitaur, it sometimes (often I can say) move another button on the editor, several buttons, or differents buttons one after another.

(I don't know which problems are editor problems or firmware problems, so I say it all... But it's like both are not able to work together)


I'm REALLY worried about that. I Bought the Minitaur just for the new tour coming. We got already 30 gigs booked, and the synth we thought could do all of our bass section is out of control. And we bought it according to the new update. I feel like spending lot of money (for me it is) in something that don't work properly... Even if it sounds really really cool.


IDEAS :
Possibility to save ENTIRE banks in the editor
Possibility to save a preset "on the go", without the editor
Just put the release button in the editor, would be simpler for everyone (I know it's not THE subject)


Thx, and sorry for the poor frenchy English language.

Christophe.

EMwhite
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Re: Minitaur firmware update soon - your requests here pleas

Post by EMwhite » Tue Mar 12, 2013 11:15 am

How about a magic 3-button combo to either (or both):

- open kb gate (lots of people have asked for dummy-plug solution, which of course, will not work on Minitaur unless you have the wherewithal to wire up a two plug solution that steals 5V from ring of adjacent 1/4" CV; this confuses and/or spooks folks).
- open and close kb gate according to LFO rate or a multiple/divider of

Lots of people want a drone (sans weapons and aeronautics) and while the only tuning that is easily accessible will be the fine tuning of the 2nd OSC (two octaves I believe), it's a start. Still others will be fine throwing their Minitaur out of tuning for the sake of science.

The flapping of gate would provide for some tweaking fun and low-budget midi sync'd gating the old fashioned way like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgHxsi_kWLQ

With an appropriate envelope and pitch LFO sync'd to key press, a 2-note effect may be realized...
'76 Minimoog, Taurus 3, Oberheim FVS + Son of 2-voice; Sequential ProOne; Juno 106; Moog Model 15; Kurzweil 250; Hammond M3; and a handful of Fender Basses Flickr!

citric_acid
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Re: Minitaur firmware update soon - your requests here pleas

Post by citric_acid » Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:13 pm

Hi Amos,

nice to see that there will be a new update. as we talked about it in an old treat , anice feature will be the following.

Disabel of the Modwheel parameter or the LFO, so that you can use the LFO and a midi keyboard without that the lfo reacts on the modwheel. sorry can' t explain it better. hope you remind this thing :)

thanks, cit
I tweak the knop till it´s broken

aen
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Re: Minitaur firmware update soon - your requests here pleas

Post by aen » Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:07 pm

Yes, a thousand times YES to ENDLESS SUSTAIN! Or drone, or whatever you want to call it. Without holding a key down. This is something I have wanted on all synths ever. I thought I got it with my voyager OS, but it fades out over a couple minutes.

Anyway, yes. Endless drone power. Please please.

EMwhite
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Re: Minitaur firmware update soon - your requests here pleas

Post by EMwhite » Tue Mar 12, 2013 9:31 pm

It shouldn't (Voyager shouldn't decay after a couple of minutes)...

Unless you have Sustain on your VCA envelope set to nil or the wrong combination of filter cutoff and envelopes. With the switch set to on, you are in essence holding a key continuously which should bring both envelopes to the SUSTAIN point following Attack and Decay, and NOT allowing Release to begin.

If yours doesn't work like this, could be a calibration issue...
'76 Minimoog, Taurus 3, Oberheim FVS + Son of 2-voice; Sequential ProOne; Juno 106; Moog Model 15; Kurzweil 250; Hammond M3; and a handful of Fender Basses Flickr!

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Portamental
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Re: Minitaur firmware update soon - your requests here pleas

Post by Portamental » Wed Mar 13, 2013 12:21 am

Amos... nope.. sorry, this is a firmware issue.

I am so sad :cry: This thing will never work.

c7sus
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Re: Minitaur firmware update soon - your requests here pleas

Post by c7sus » Wed Mar 13, 2013 12:56 pm

How about a bug-free version of the T3 firmware while you're at it?
Voyager EB #165, T3 #292, MF-101, 102, 103, 104SD, 2x104MSD, 105M, 107, 108M, MP-201, VX-351, CP-251, Frostwave Fat Controller.

Amos
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Re: Minitaur firmware update soon - your requests here pleas

Post by Amos » Wed Mar 13, 2013 8:55 pm

aen wrote: I thought I got it with my voyager OS, but it fades out over a couple minutes.
solution = keep Decay less than halfway up. If you hear your level start to fade, check the volume EG decay, turn it down, volume level should come back. it's a funny behavior of Bob's Voyager VCA design...

Amos
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Re: Minitaur firmware update soon - your requests here pleas

Post by Amos » Wed Mar 13, 2013 9:00 pm

Portamental wrote:Amos... nope.. sorry, this is a firmware issue.
well email me and I'll send you an update and a panel pot calibration procedure and we'll figure it out.
If it's purely a firmware issue then we can fix it...

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