randy's Recent Posts
Sorry you are frustrated, but I don't have the time or the money to work on a Windows version right now. I have plans to do so later, so stay tuned, if you like.
I haven't had time to try Ardour. Hopefully someone else here can help.
You can also try the VST version of Aalto if the AU is not working.
im sure this has been requested before
actually not...
but can aaltos sequencer delay dials be fine tunable (instead of just 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5... 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 or even more fine than that)
I can probably do that though.
I'm not too interested in making the sequencer or envelopes much more complicated with other modes and such. I'm more likely to add these to a future, fully modular, product.
do you feel like the initial soundplane release has raised sufficient funds to continue making them?
Yes it has.
I'll have some new automation features in the 1.3 update coming later this month.
Hey, there's now a menu with two pitch modes. This and the other changes are noted in the release notes up above.
Maybe separate OSC and MIDI rate controls would be easiest? Although I can see an argument for wanting some kinds of data but not others.
I'm going to take a couple of days off to work on Aalto / Soundplanes, will think this over.
This is not something I am looking at doing anytime soon, but I do appreciate the info.
To be clear, there are some "features" of the current version, like always sending out controller 7 for y position, that are just there because they made the demo work! I'm replacing these with more configurable and usable features ASAP.
yes.
what does adjustable filter snap time allow for?
quantize with some motion allowed. selectable how much. think auto-tune for finger position!
I made this patch very minimal and not awesome sounding so as not to get carried away playing it. But even so, I spent a solid hour doing just that yesterday. OSC is the most expressive way to play the Soundplane for the time being. There's a lot to get your head and fingers around. Amazing possibilities just ahead.
Does Elton John owe you some rent money?
I have no idea but this is the best post ever! Thanks for sharing.
Here’s the preliminary Soundplane users manual. I'm going to update it fairly often, add pictures, correct spelling, etc.
I'm happy (okay, elated) to announce that the Soundplane A is available now for preorder in North America at an introductory price of $1,695. This price is limited to the initial production run of 30 Soundplanes, and will rise slightly afterwards. The discount is a thanks for helping bring the Soundplane into the world. Full payment is needed to reserve your Soundplane, and the estimated production time is 8-10 weeks after the close of preorders.
Remember, if you're an Aalto customer, you have already put $100 towards a Soundplane, and this discount is valid with the introductory price. Just remind me when you reserve and I'll refund your $100 on receipt.
To those of you on other continents, sorry that this initial run is for North America only. I need more time to sort out the customs issues and regulations we will face in getting Soundplanes to other countries.
See the hardware page for more ordering details, a product specification sheet, and high resolution images of the Soundplane A!
Aalto won't affect your setup unless you are actively running a copy of it. So I wouldn't bother trying the uninstall test. Just try mapping some parameters to another soft synth (or effect) and if that always works just fine, there is probably some problem with mapping to Aalto-- if not, then the problem is probably not Aalto's.
If you really want to try that you can just get rid of the AU component-- it's in /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components. You can reinstall to replace it.
I forgot why it defaults to 63. I'm sure 1 would be better. Anyhow, sorry we didn't figure this out earlier. Enjoy your modulation.
Later this month. Thanks for the reminder.
Mod data works here though. Did you set the "mod" dial to 1 to receive CC1? If not, please email me your Live clip and I'll give it a try.
Last week was an interesting one. We have been playtesting the first instruments, and seeing what kinds of variations there are due to component tolerances. We have put together ten Soundplanes now, and this gives us the novel capability to look at the differences between them and work to reduce sources of noise. So we're taking some time this week for tuning the client software based on what we're learning, and finding the best carrier frequencies for all the instruments.
Attaching FFC (flat flexible cables) to the main board. All the red things are precision capacitors for the carrier circuits.
A closeup of the assembly showing sensor boards and the main board. At center is one of the aluminum thread inserts that hold the bottom of the instrument. The combination of CNC milling and metal thread inserts makes the Soundplane's slim yet rigid structure possible.
Looking down the instrument with the main board out of focus in front. The long rails are spacers that hold the sensors away from the aluminum back. Made on the thickness planer, they are 0.230" thick, give or take 0.005".
The last step before playtesting: attaching the LRFs (Little Rubber Feet). The feet fit into small depressions in the back so they won't go anywhere. I tried five different kinds of feet that claimed to be 1/2" in diameter. Only the 3M brand Bumpons ended up fitting accurately into the milled spaces. Yay 3M.
I'm glad to see a patch with an alternate envelope strategy like this. Aalto was definitely designed with things like this in mind. Thanks for sharing.
If you try running Mainstage on the internal audio, and then mapping some Aalto parameters to MIDI, you can tell if there is a problem without the pedal. Not that I know how to do this in Mainstage, unfortunately.
If you are seeing crashes or unexpected behavior, it's not the small amount of RAM that's to blame. too little RAM would just make things slow down. So I would try to figure out the crashing / weirdness before you invest in more RAM.
I realize we got on a tangent about other DAWs but you may want to stick to Mainstage. That's fine. I'll see what I can find out.
You might try the Numerology demo and see if that is a host that floats your boat. The demo is very permissive, so if I recall, you can actually do some work with it before paying. It's very easy on the CPU.
Aalto really does not use that much RAM. Although, 2GB is not a lot for any DAW these days. Aalto shouldn't take more CPU when you automate parameters either.
I would try turning animations off in Aalto ('anim' button) to see if that helps.
Hi Seth,
What if you turn off the animations with the 'anim' button? If that helps I recommend it as a workaround for now.
We're putting together the first production Soundplanes this week. Here are some shots of number 0001 moving through the various stages of production.
This is me using fine steel wool to rub down the paste wax that protects the finish. If I ever have an intern he or she will definitely have to do some “wax on wax off”. If you don't understand that reference, put The Karate Kid on your Netflix queue. It was pretty important for the MTV generation.
Gluing the back plate in. Our friends at Gurian Instruments gave us a great tip on using Teflon tubes to control the application of super glue.
Here's the back plate glued into the case. Yup, this is serial number 0001, headed to Portland soon.
It's cool. I always appreciate the input---it's up to me to make any sense of it.
Chris and I are on the home stretch, assembling production machines. I calibrated the first Soundplane and it is performing beautifully. I look forward very much to sending these out next week, thereby reaching a milestone three years in the making.
Me, calibrating Soundplane #008. Out of all the 30 instruments, this one had the worst imperfection in the case, a small tearout in the edge of the walnut power light surround. So I used it to calibrate and refine our assembly process. It's been put together and taken apart about sixteen times. It's going to be a demo unit for the time being.
Here Chris is applying Kapton stiffeners to our sensor flex circuits and inspecting his work with a loupe.
Tomorrow from 9am-5pm or so we'll be at the MMTA (Mostly Modular Trade Association) Summer Synthfest 2012 in Seattle, showing off our first production units. The event is at the Experience Music Project in the shadow of the Space Needle. Come down and see us if you'd like to get your hands on a Soundplane. Details here. [mostlymodular.com]
Something like you describe sounds more possible. Thanks for the input.
I hear your fair request but I feel like I have too many formats to support already.
The way Rack Extensions do UI, I don't think it's even possible to make anything looking remotely like Aalto in that environment.
OK, thanks for the update. hard at work on Soundplane at the moment but I'm definitely going to look at this.
Thanks for the report, will investigate.
Please add your Mainstage version number (2.?) and OS version.