randy's Recent Posts

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Thanks for your understanding! It's bad of me to break features, and I usually work hard not to. But better compatibility between Soundplane and MIDI patches is such a big improvement I had to go for it.

I'm sorry to have removed that possibility temporarily in the new version. I realized I could shuffle the positions of the outputs (in the KEY module) around to make all of the patches for Kaivo / Aalto play well with Soundplane. But in doing this I had to remove the dx output.

My plan is to add a way to select the meanings of x / y / dx / dy in the Soundplane app so there will be a simple way to have it back soon. So the x output can be either x over the whole zone, x within a key, or dx, and likewise for y.

That's if I am remembering all this right... my head is in other issues now with fixing the Kaivo granulator and the upcoming plugin. But I'll return to this soon.

No worries.

"Awful" seems a bit unkind. But I know what you are referring to.

The problem is, I animate the dials 30 times a second. This rendering is done in software. If I scaled up the dials to Retina resolution they would eat an unacceptable amount of CPU.

In the future I plan to rewrite the interface using OpenGL. But this is not a quick thing to get right, and I have other things to finish first.

These issues with this update are still a complete mystery. I am using the same build process here as I used for the last update, so I have no idea what could have changed. I'll continue to investigate.

The patches and samples are updated for 1.2 on the Kaivo page. I updated them to the new format and added a few example patches I plan to use in a tutorial.

I have to correct myself: I changed the body to fix some possible blowups as well, which unavoidably altered some sounds. The changes should be pretty subtle. I don't understand what's going on with Garf's path yet but will check into it. I'll wait for the dust to settle then get an update out.

re: the clicking / triggering: I can't reproduce this. Garf can you send me an email with as many details as possible, including Live version, 64/32, VST/AU, OS as well as the patch and a short audio clip? Actually, this is a case where video woul dbe even better if that's possible. I don't doubt that something is going on, but I can't imagine any way that clicking could trigger a sound.

[EDIT]

The granulator is responsible for the difference here—Garf's patch is using the a sine wave in the granulator with wrap off, and the way this is clipping creates more noise in the 1.2 version of the granulator. I'll see what I can do to make this more like it was in 1.1.

It's just a small section to test. And one test out of many so we can't read too much into it. :-)

@garf, the only changes were to the granulator. Can you email me a patch that you feel got messed up? I can get you an old installer but I would rather fix what is bothering you. Thanks.

I was finally able to reproduce this by using the 32-bit version. Sorry for the headache, I'll work on a fix. Meanwhile you can work around this problem by either using the 64-bit version, or turning "Auto-Hide Plug-in Windows" off in Live.

Some tips:

If the Audio Unit is not being found, the first thing you can try is simply rebooting.

Then I would try removing the old AU component manually if you had one installed. You can find it in ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components (your home dir) or in /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components (the root dir).

Then run the new installer again. After installation the new plugin component should be visible in ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components.

You can also try this voodoo to remove your Audio Units cache: http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1086

For Ableton Live, make sure "Use Audio Units" is on in the File / Folder Preferences page, and try "Rescan" there as well.

Please try and let me know how it goes. This could be a new El Capitan problem.

I would be doing the wrong thing to charge for the Soundplane software. I think that it has been a work in progress for some time, and so I prefer to keep it free. But thanks for helping me think outside the box of my habits.

You are not alone in the issues you are finding with precision, especially over MIDI. Everybody has a different reaction to them—some people focus on the technical details and try to iron out the problems, while others kind of probe out the limitations of the instrument, put those in a corner, and get on with music making. Both approaches are valid—your feedback is helping me improve both software and hardware.

It is possible but Aalto wants to stay small & simple!

Glad to hear! Other improvements that Aalto got since the 1.6.0 release should be present, too:

  • both AU and VST versions now use .mlpreset files in new JSON format
  • added preset converter to convert all old presets to new format
  • presets directory moved to ~/Music/Madrona Labs
  • improved speed of preset loading
  • fixed a problem with keyboard stealing in 64-bit VST
  • now saving window size state properly in compatible DAWs
  • added OSC enable / disable and port offset (Mac OS)
  • sequencer now quantizes to currently selected musical scale.
  • fix parameter loading when no DSP is active in application (for Max/MSP and Vienna Instruments)
  • fixed problem with sequencer retrig
  • fixed defaults for envelope trigger and x vel
  • added defaults to make MIDI patches more compatible with Soundplane / t3d
  • added clearer display of multiple channels in scope dials
  • fixed a bug affecting MIDI timing
  • added multi-channel MIDI receive for voice-per-channel operation with Soundplane, Linnstrument, etc.
  • fixed an issue affecting Save as... on some systems
  • improved graphics performance
  • fixed a problem that prevented MIDI program changes on some systems
  • fixed bug when no MIDI Programs folder was present
  • Scala keyboard mapping files (.kbm) now loaded if present in scales directory with same name as scale
  • improved UI response for dials with only a few values
  • on Save as... outside normal patch directory, warn then allow anyway.
  • fix an issue loading patches if the home directory was renamed (Mac OS)
  • fixed a bug where a program change could cause t3d to stop receiving
  • added environment menu that contains editor and OSC settings
  • added "reset editor size" option in settings

is the canDo(MPE) now in place?

In the VST, yes, it should be.

"+/-" pitch, has this changed?

The resolution is finer. Now 0.01, previously 0.1. Samples will also be cut off when the pitch drops so that they are playing backwards, if wrap mode is not on. If wrap is off in your patch, try enabling it.

@7lakes please keep me posted, here is a good place...

@anatolyj, this is a complete mystery for me too, for the moment I have no real suggestions except maybe trying a different host in case the issue lies there. Let's see if any pattern comes to light as more people try it this week.

Hi Fedor, listening now—very deep sounds, thank you for sharing.

With a 32-bit VST on Windows 7 64-bit in Ableton Live I see as follows:
8 voices of complex patch:
with Kaivo 1.1: 60%
with Kaivo 1.2: 50%

Your patch works OK here.
try without the plugin window—maybe it's a graphics issue?

Note that the preset format changed from 1.1 to 1.2 so when you copy from 1.2 you cannot paste into 1.1. You can copy / paste from 1.1 to 1.2.

Randy, is your plan to give the touch tracker some 'quality' time after Virta's release?

Definitely.

this is no 'criticism', I completely understand the competing time pressures, more just a plea to give the soundplane software some priority, over perhaps the more 'lucrative' plugin development...

It's not a matter of choosing what might be more lucrative. Plugins are what keep the business afloat. If I don't release a new plugin or two each year there is no more Madrona Labs, simple as that.

Mark, I am sorry the pace of my development is too slow for you—please know that I have not forgotten about your desire for better responsiveness over MIDI. And please be reminded that I'm just one person.

Yes, LFO sync is a totally reasonable idea. It just hasn't made it up to the top of the list yet.

The 1.2 update, coming within a week, will have some CPU improvements in the various modules as well as graphics optimizations. I'll be looking at the multicore work after my next plugin Virta is released.

Nearly no VST I know can do so much with so little knobs.

Thanks, I think a lot on that topic so it's nice to hear.

OK.

Hmm. I tried your patch, which seems to be nice and have no surprises. What host are you using? I think this may have more to do with the host.

Oh, thanks for reminding me!

I'm just going to attach this sketch. If you know your way around a modular synthesizer, you can probably guess some of the cool things you can do with Virta. The main purpose is to make new voice-controlled instruments. But you could also make, for example, a de-esser! Or a four-voice pitch shifter.

Price will be $89 unless the price of beer in Seattle changes significantly in the next month.

Virta sketch

Hi Andrew,

The issue with the top and bottom edges is one I have experienced too. I tend to compensate by attacking the notes harder at top and bottom and saving those slow onsets for the middle rows. A higher threshold will help, but of course that's not always what we want.

To a large extent it's really down to the way the instrument is put together. The way the frame is tensioned causes the actual force of the touch to be spread out more near the top and bottom.

There is also an effect where a very nearby hand or finger causes what, for brevity, i'll call a negative pressure. You can see this by looking at the calibrated data without any touches active. XY mode may be the best way. If you press with a pencil or something, you can experiment with what happens when you keep your hand away. By approaching more perpendicular to the surface and not keeping your hand resting near the edge, the effect can be mostly avoided.

This is definitely on my list of things I'm trying to improve in the new software.

I will try to reproduce this with your patch.

What host are you using?

Hmm, I haven't heard of this before. I'll check before releasing the update to make sure this is fixed.

Thanks for the feedback. This should be fixed in the Kaivo update I'm finishing up right now.

I posted an article about Kaivo and CPU. It has some tips that may help you:

Getting the most out of Kaivo