MP-201 firmware in active development! Please read

Prime NL · Post by **Prime NL** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:37 am

I am more curious at which date this firmware will be released...

Amos · Post by **Amos** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 7:52 pm

patobrujo wrote:
Is this an ADSR envelope? how does it work, please give us some details...

The short answer is, it's an HADSR envelope with looping.

there is an optional Hold (after you trigger the envelope, before the start of the attack stage) and then it is a normal ADSR if you have EG Loop turned off. If you turn on EG Loop, then it loops the Attack, Decay and Release stages for as long as you leave the Gate on. So, it can be a complex LFO as well...

Oh and did I mention that each stage (attack, decay, release) can have its own shape (linear, logarithmic, exponential)? There's that, too.

I think the code became solid and reliable today. Now I have to test it very carefully to make sure... no fixed release date yet but I promise it will be soon.

Portamental · Post by **Portamental** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 8:23 pm

Amos wrote: no fixed release date yet but I promise it will be soon.

You really got a bunch of us drooling by now.

mtmelvin · Post by **mtmelvin** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:00 am

Portamental wrote:
Amos wrote: no fixed release date yet but I promise it will be soon.
You really got a bunch of us drooling by now.

...yeah, including me. I KNEW there was a good reason that I bought my MP-201 (besides what it already does). I guess I'm no longer in the market for a MIDI-CV converter

Thanks for all your great work, Amos!

-Mark

patobrujo · Post by **patobrujo** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:20 pm

only great news!!

thanx a lot Amos!!

DontBelievetheHype · Post by **DontBelievetheHype** » Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:58 am

Amos wrote:
patobrujo wrote:
Is this an ADSR envelope? how does it work, please give us some details...
The short answer is, it's an HADSR envelope with looping.

there is an optional Hold (after you trigger the envelope, before the start of the attack stage) and then it is a normal ADSR if you have EG Loop turned off. If you turn on EG Loop, then it loops the Attack, Decay and Release stages for as long as you leave the Gate on. So, it can be a complex LFO as well...

Oh and did I mention that each stage (attack, decay, release) can have its own shape (linear, logarithmic, exponential)? There's that, too.

I think the code became solid and reliable today. Now I have to test it very carefully to make sure... no fixed release date yet but I promise it will be soon.

This thing is going to be too much... can't wait!

jufros · Post by **jufros** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 5:34 pm

Can you include a way to export midi clock data via tap tempo in expression mode in the next version?

Amos · Post by **Amos** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:02 am

You mean, output a MIDI clock whose clock rate is set by tap tempo?

I just tested that, it seems to work fine.

I think it was already possible in the firmware that is out there... you set up an LFO, set its LFO SYNC = TAP TEMPO...

Then on the ALL menu in edit mode, (Channel = ALL), set MIDI CLK OUT to whatever channel number your tap-tempo LFO is on.

So that's how you'd set up an LFO to generate MIDI clock at the rate you set by Tap Tempo.

The only thing I don't understand in your question is what you mean by "in expression mode." You can only send MIDI clock from an LFO channel, since Expression channels don't have any inherent "rate" associated with them. You could use one channel for a clock LFO and have three other Expression channels though...

-Amos

alamilla · Post by **alamilla** » Thu Oct 08, 2009 10:58 am

Amos, once you mentioned the HADSR envelope for the MP-201 this now makes it pretty much a MUST BUY

DontBelievetheHype · Post by **DontBelievetheHype** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 9:33 am

Amos, correct me if Im wrong;

Would I be able to 'play' the Freqbox with the hard sync off, the MP201 controlling the Frequency, triggering audio with my bass, and using either the foot pedal or a foot switch to control the Freq/which note its producing? ie with the foot pedal set to an A at heel down, and a B at toe down for instance? So at toe down if Im not playing my bass and there no signal, then no audio, but when I play any note with my bass (hard sync off) that it will put out the B in a given octave range I previously programmed? Or in a preset, have footswitch 1 set to 100hz, heel down at 100hz and one octave range from heel to toe, and audio is triggered by my bass, regardless on the note played on the bass because hard sync is off, correct?

If this basic principal will work, then I can do some wild stuff with it (and the Freqbox+MP201 are already awesome!).. Im adding a 2nd Freqbox in parallel the one Im currently using, and if this works, I could detune one with the hard sync off, and keep the other hard sync'd, and shuffle through the notes with my foot while playing the other hardsync'd with my bass for some huge sounds. I approximate this now by running my octave+freqbox in parallel with a 'square'd' octave, and 'detuning' the freqbox with an lfo on the freq (pwm seems to add to the effect)...

Anyway, there's one way to find out for sure, but in the mean time while we wait for the firmware release, I'd love to know if I have my head wrapped around this tightly, thanks

*edit*
Well, after typing the whole thing out, I think I figured it out on my own and I can test it with a tuner and my MP201 now. I'll give it a shot tomorrow and see what happens; I think the ringmod as a tracking oscillator, triggered by my bass and somehow controlled by the MP201 in this fashion is confusing me more... maybe not possible.. any thoughts from anyone reading?

Amos · Post by **Amos** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 10:59 pm

Hey there... Well currently the only way to get a whole array of different in-tune CV pitcjes is via MIDI notes. However you can certainly dial in a specific pitch for the pedal toe and heel positions, and save a group of presets with different notes. you can step through the presets for different keys or chords. Try setting one up to see how it works for you.

In other news we are testing a V 2.0 release candidate this weekend. It has really come together wonderfully and is just about ready.

Best regards,

Amos

r05c03 · Post by **r05c03** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:07 am

DBH. I have done exactly what Amos mentioned, but with the "analog" EP-2. You can use the attenuator knob to dial in two different desired notes, one in the heel and one in the two position, and if you want to get tricky, and it does not need to be exact you can attain in a third note by ear in the mushy middle...

lsd · Post by **lsd** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:37 am

Hi Amos,

Great work going on, thanks!

I've just been getting to grips with the MP201 and am loving it apart from the tap tempo/channel select issue you've already addressed.

With reference to the Tap tempo/midi clock question posed earlier:

I'm using an LFO from the MP201 to trigger the filter envelope gate of my voyager. I'd like to be able to tap this Lfo to time it to my drummer. Constant lfo triggered synth lines are abig part of our sound and this is one of the primary reasons I bought the MP201. My question/suggestion, if it's not too late is this: would it be possible to have some way of 'multiplying' the tapped tempo before the output? For example, my band often plays at 175bpm. If I want to set the lfo to 8ths or 16ths at this tempo it's almost impossible. If there was a way I could tap 1/4 notes and the lfo actually outputs 8ths or 16ths or whatever it would be incredibly usefull, kind of a clock divider in reverse. Does this make sense?

Also relating to the suggestion of having a 'pedal off' function in lfo mode so that the pedal doesn't affect the expressor on another channel. the suggestion was made to set the heel and toe amounts on the Lfo to the same value but this doesn't help me if the lfo sync is set to 'tap' as the pedal amount will override the tapped tempo. If i could set the pedal to 'off' in lfo mode, i can still output the lfo to trigger the voyagers filter envelope and sweep the cutoff with another channel in 'exp' mode without affecting the lfo. I hope this makes sense.

Also, one more observation is that the tapped tempo always seems to be slightly slower than what is tapped, not by a huge amount but it's noticeable. Has anyone else noticed this?

The timing of this thread is incredible for me, I'm just beginning rehearsals with a band and have just tried out the MP201 properly for the first time, thought it was broken due to the quad/tap issue and then came across this thread in the nick of time. I think it's great that you are asking for feedback from the people who use your gear. This is business with integrity.

Thanks again,

Peace.

Liam.

P.S. I'll send you a more detailed email about my band project and some other quick questions about implementing the MP201 in a personal mail so as not to go too OT.

Amos · Post by **Amos** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:54 pm

Liam, thanks for your suggestions!

I'm happy to say that tap-tempo is overall much more responsive now and should be more accurate to the tapped tempo as well. The entire operation of the pedal has been sped up and streamlined at the system level, so everything is faster and more accurate.

As for the LFO pedal off mode you're describing, it's already possible. Set LFO OFF MODE to CONTINUOUS, and when you turn off the LFO channel the LFO keeps going... only it's no longer affected by the pedal. So you can dial in an LFO and turn it off in this mode, and the LFO will keep wobbling away at the same rate while you're free to use the pedal for other channels.

Cheers,

Amos

jufros · Post by **jufros** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:20 pm

Ok I'll clarify...

I set channel 1 to an LFO slaved to tap tempo. Channel 1 is exporting midi clock.

I connect to the MIDI OUT to the MIDI IN of an effects unit. It's successfully receiving MIDI clock. I connect the MIDI THRU of that unit back into the MIDI IN of the MP-201.

I set channel 2 to a MIDI clock synched LFO. I want to be able to set the heel and toe positions to different subdivisions of the midi clock and use the expression pedal to move between the two.

It would also be really convenient if you could just subdivide a tap tempo synched LFO and have the expression pedal control the number of subdivisions at heal and toe. Does this make sense?