Around 40, max. 50
Do you think my idea is idiotic? I mean not building a Programma.
Only you can decide that.
My perspective on pots is that they make less sense on architectures with presets, like a universal controller. Of course you have relative/snap/absolute handling modes, but they don’t beat the simplicity of an incremental encoder. Pots (also encoders) are subject to wear and dust and are inherently more difficult to scan. This difficulty increases with the number of inputs (slower scan rate etc.), although I’m sure TK. has routines for minimising jitter errors.
If you’re sending CC data rather than NRPN (well first we have to look at the effective resolution of the ADC), it’s all quantised anyway. Pots also make little sense with lower resolution parameters. A prime example is the Rhodes Chroma ENABLER. Almost $4000 to have one built (a lot of wiring and parts) and some parameters have as few as 4 values. But it demonstrates that it can be done with pots if you choose.
Finally the likelihood of a project being completed is inversely proportional to its size and complexity. Pimping the ELO (Programma) boards, this breaks the task down into smaller chunks.
1 hour ago, latigid on said:
A prime example is the Rhodes Chroma ENABLER.
Is the Enabler based on Midibox?
1 hour ago, latigid on said:
My perspective on pots is that they make less sense on architectures with presets, like a universal controller.
Yeah, that’s the downside. IMO ok if you don’t mind old analog synths. They often have not even presets. But i can imagine a second synth controller wholly based on encoders.
Do you see jitter problems with around 50 pots? The AINSER board is ready for 64 inputs, so i assume it should work. I know that multiplexers will not make things easier concernig jitter. Therefor i asked before if i shoud go the AINSER8 route to get better wiring. But it seems you can’t have lots of AINSER8 modules.
Do you know someone who built a similar midibox, who could be asked about upcoming issues?
3 minutes ago, tago said:
Is the Enabler based on Midibox?
I don’t think so, but from memory it uses a PIC.
3 minutes ago, tago said:
Yeah, that’s the downside. IMO ok if you don’t mind old analog synths. They often have not even presets. But i can imagine a second synth controller wholly based on encoders.
Do you see jitter problems with around 50 pots? The AINSER board is ready for 64 inputs, so i assume it should work. I know that multiplexers will not make things easier concernig jitter. Therefor i asked if i shoud go the AINSER8 route to get better wiring. But it seems you can’t have lots of AINSER8 modules.
Do you know someone who built a similar midibox, who could be asked about upcoming issues?
I don’t have personal experience with scanning pots into MIOS, apart from the BLM 16*16+X. AINSER(X) is the external ADC solution to expand the AIN capabilities but I don’t know about the performance (try searching the forum). PICs in general have better handling of analogue inputs; this is why they are used as part of the MF_NG module. Then again, Mutable Instruments uses a single ADC pin and four multiplexer chips to scan 28 pots in Elements. I know from using the module that some parameters are definitely lower resolution, e.g. the tuning controls are quantised.
2 minutes ago, latigid on said:
PICs in general have better handling of analogue inputs; this is why they are used as part of the MF_NG module.
Is there an alternative PIC based AIN board?
I fear we’re getting too offtopic.
1 hour ago, tago said:
Yeah, that’s the downside. IMO ok if you don’t mind old analog synths. They often have not even presets.
& Old Synths dont have Midi = No Midicontroller anyway… so none sense.
7 minutes ago, Phatline said:
& Old Synths dont have Midi = No Midicontroller anyway… so none sense.
Sorry, but this has nothing to do with old synth’s don’t have Midi. I want to build a controller that does look/feel like an old synth, the sound engine will be digital (e. g. vsti).
Do you have something to show yet?
I love the message on the OLED - that’s 2min i’m out of laughing xD
Thanks, funny stuff.
Do you have a photo/video with the actual SCS on it?
I’m thinking about an emulated SCS composed of 4x OLED + an encoder under each display and on the right of it two banking buttons (up/down) + 1x exit button. Do you think it will work that way? Whats up with that shift button? Actually i don’t want to do it that way, but since i can’t mix display types/sizes this is my workaround to get a larger OLED display for the main section of my controller.
What i really want is one large 40x2 character display and multiple small 0,96" OLEDs.
Do you know a way to convert HD44780 to SSD1306?
HD44780 is a generic character display controller . SSD1306 is an OLED controller . They are not the same and are not controlled / plugged the same way. Why do you want to do the conversion?
It’s hard for me to get what you want to do with your displays. Maybe try to make a draw of the interface you are expecting in the end. It would help me to understand at least.
Bests,
Jerome
4x OLED acting as one large display, if you press Bank [SCS] the SCS will be activated, otherwise 1-4 Encoders act as bank to edit other sections of the synth.
all my other OLEDs will be placed near other sections of the controller. E. g. each VCO gets one OLED to display its waveform and other relevant parameters.
Ok . So you will use an AOUT module/ I2S DAC for DCO etc ? How will you generate audio output? Where will be the 40x2 display? I get the thing about the OLED stuff but could you extend a bit your drawing to the total interface?
Maybe MB-CV V2 project may contain much that you can expect instead of MB-NG , if your goal is managing Digitally Generated Audio ?
Bests ,
Jerome
14 minutes ago, tago said:
What i really want is one large 40x2 character display and multiple small 0,96" OLEDs.
Do you know a way to convert HD44780 to SSD1306?
Can’t be done on the same port because one is serial, the other is parallel. It’s obviously possible to do both (MBCV) but you’d have to look into the code and build your own application.
Just now, tago said:
4x OLED acting as one large display, if you press Bank [SCS] the SCS will be activated, otherwise 1-4 Encoders act as bank to edit other sections of the synth.
http://www.ucapps.de/midibox_ng_manual_scs.html
I haven’t played around with using an SCS, but it looks like it might be possible to split the button IDs across multiple displays.
Personally I’d avoid situations where encoder push functions also serve as buttons. It’s too easy to accidentally turn when you meant to press and vice versa.
10 minutes ago, Psykhaze said:
Ok . So you will use an AOUT module/ I2S DAC for DCO etc ? How will you generate audio output? Where will be the 40x2 display? I get the thing about the OLED stuff but could you extend a bit your drawing to the total interface?
Maybe MB-CV V2 project may contain much that you can expect instead of MB-NG , if your goal is managing Digitally Generated Audio ?
Bests ,
Jerome
The term VCO is a little misleading, it will be midi only. I have some sections like VCOs that will each get their own display and others will use the main/SCS displays via banks like in my previous screenshot.
Rough sketch here:
So if it’s MIDI only , how do expect to manage waveforms on OLEDs? If not generated in MBHP context, how do you plan to capture/generate waveforms?
It would be very cool to have an onboard solution for mixing display types/sizes. But, my programming skills are not sufficient. If someone with more brain cells left wants to corporate on this topic, please contact me.
Just now, Psykhaze said:
So if it’s MIDI only , how do expect to manage waveforms on OLEDs? If not generated in MBHP context, how do you plan to capture/generate waveforms?
The selected waveforms could be displayed as labels via simple graphics or just words like “SINE” or “SQUARE”.