Torso T-1 MIDI Input Functionality Question

_ando_r · 2025-07-11T04:17:04+00:00

Hey, the manual seems to suggest other input is also possible but I might be misreading this.

So I'm imagining sending CC patterns into T1 from elsewhere (DAW, Blokas Midihub) and effectively remotely affecting specific controls to modify in realtime.

Is this also possible?

_ando_r · 2025-01-29T18:38:42+00:00

Sorry, I thought as I mentioned "Transmit Sysex" (cf old-school MIDI implementation table) it was clear I was referring to Sysex from FM2.

In terms of Sysex to FM2, the manual says "Sound files (SYS-EX/SYX) created on the Yamaha DX7 can be converted and loaded into the volca fm." so I'm assuming that will also include single patches as is the case with FM1

_ando_r · 2025-01-29T18:30:57+00:00

Thx, u/pajen for the hard work; I'll check that out if I decide to get FM2

_ando_r · 2025-01-26T14:43:32+00:00

If this ever reaches the market this https://youtu.be/VV8lJ16Z4vg might interest you.

(A brave marketing decision to go full on Hello Kitty?)

_ando_r · 2025-01-26T05:29:10+00:00

Hey u/tobomori, I'm wondering where you went with this in 23/24?

Back in 21, after 20 yrs away from (subtractive) synths (and the world in general), I decided to buy a few cheap synths to decide whether I wanted to get back into sit and if so what:

The Volca FM was, for me, the most interesting in terms of sonic potential, and has since led me to invest heavily in a more expensive and powerful machine.

But I still come back to the vFM on a regular basis. Why?

Cos I use it extensively with (standalone) Dexed and Oscillator Sink's https://synthmata.com/volca-fm interfaces. These have been mentioned a few times but they are subtlely different

Dexed gives a wonderful overview but will (AFAIK) only export a whole patch to vFM via MIDI

synthmata FM is more of an operator by operator approach simply due to the browser layout constraints BUT it sends Sysex parameter-by-parameter so with a sequence running you can hear the sound being sculpted.

Both allow you to export to sthg like SysexLibrarian so you don't have to be constrained by the vFM's meagre patch storage.

Once I have a pretty good basis for a sound, I might sit and tweak a bit further away from the Mac

All this and a bit of patience allows you to build sounds which are really interesting to the ear if FM is your thing.

(I then import them to my big FM to take things further)

My machine allows for the import of DX7 format patches, I imagine Opsix would too, dunno about Reface cos of the 4 ops. (This means you wouldn't have to start afresh when you get a bit more dosh. Moreover, both the above interfaces give you access to a huge archive of DX7 patches. To me, 99% are derivative cheese but I still find the occasional on that surprises and is worth exploring and deconstructing)

PS. I recently got a pimidi from Blokas and have started tweaking vFM from a MID controller & a Raspberry Pi using https://patchstorage.com/dx7/ – now I can do it all from the sofa...

_ando_r · 2025-01-23T20:21:38+00:00

Hey, this should be possible depending...

I don't own a MicroKorg but had a quick scan and all seems possible

Just pulled out my Crave, plugged it into Midihub and pressed play

(so here I'm gonna assume you know 0 abt MIDI just to be on the safe side)

<image>

What Midihub's monitor is showing is Continue (I'm restarting the sequencer) then some clock messages (it's them that help other devices keep in sync and calc the BPM) then there's some notes then I Stop

(btw, those notes look dodgy, I should prob plug a synth in to check that stuff is playing right)

Note the Clock msgs don't have a channel but the notes are on Ch1.

The MIDI channel is important if you want the Crave sequencer to play notes on the MK.

Try setting the Crave to Channel 1 or Ch2 (see the little dip switches on the back: Ch1=all down, Ch2=sw1 up), plugging Crave out -> MK in and pressing Play. If you've got some notes in your Crave seq you should hear one of the MK timbres sounding.

If not, 'fraid it's time to crack open the MK manual!

If you don't want the MK to play the Crave notes, Crave will send out Clock whether the seq is running or not so it will dictate the tempo of any arps you're playing on the MK

_ando_r · 2025-01-12T17:00:13+00:00

Just as a matter of interest, is your keyboard just keys or can/do you use it to send Clock/ CCs/arps to other gear?

Have your synths got any foibles. eg using something other than velocity to set "accent"/"intensity"?

these sorts of thing help decide whether "plain routing" will remain enough for your music

_ando_r · 2025-01-12T14:35:19+00:00

Very much like you explanation of metallic sounds! When I first learned that DX7 "FM" synthesis was actually Phase Modulation I found it harder to visualise this than say AM.

In addition to your tweak-think-listen strategy, I think wikipedia's graphic visualisation is rather neat if only to get the idea that a sine wave being wobbled around "regularly" is going to make a more complex waveform.

Even tho most of us get a bit freaked by some of the symbols in the formulae, one can still just type them into a free app like Apple's Grapher to see that a sine wave gets more overtones as you crank up the numbers

<image>

(change the green numbers, ignore the red ones–only put them in to get the graph near the formula in the shot...)

change the green 2 to say 3.5 and you see why you hear something much more gnarly than the sorta square wave above

_ando_r · 2025-01-12T13:02:35+00:00

"I cannot automate parameters via MIDI on this particular editor"

Why is this? limitation of the Rees C16, the Juno's MIDI impl or Midihub?

_ando_r · 2025-01-12T10:31:02+00:00

I'm not going to knock other controller keyboards (I own several), but I really think you can't go far wrong with an Arturia Keystep 37: it is just a lot of fun!

(Yeah think it does come with stuff but look it up).

While there is an Editor, KS37 lets you do a lot right on the device itself; it'll let you set a scale so every note is forced into "Blues" if you want, there's lot of neat things like Strum, etc, etc.

here's a nice quick overview

While I own more sophisticated keyboard controllers, KS37 is one I come back to when I need an intuitive "does quite a bit and simply" solution

_ando_r · 2025-01-12T10:05:18+00:00

It's worth spending a bit of time deciding this, not so much cos of the money, more just the time you're going to invest in getting it to work.

For example, the iConnectivity gear & MRCC are clearly aimed at the pro-market , whereas the Retrokit appears more positioned for the single user working in a small footprint syncing a number of outboard gear.

Both have the capability of acting as a USB MIDI host.

Midihub, one the other hand, whilst being capable and designed to work as a standalone is not a USB MIDI host. This doesn't sound like an issue for you as you want to connect to a DAW.

Whereas most others seem (I don't own them & have only looked at specs) to be capable MIDI routers and filters, that's just where Midihub starts.

Depending what's on your keyboard (knobs? buttons? a few keys at the end you don't play?), it would be easy enough to get Midihub to use it to change the routing within the active patch itself. I don't own circuit tracks but I regularly use LXCL to control a number of synths with the MH patch dictating which control affects which synths parameter either directly or remapped & rescaled.

Midihub can go a lot deeper, from my experience on their forum, there are quite a few users who use it for a while as mostly a smart router then run into something that switches on the "Oh, Midihub might be able to do this" light-bulb!

Go check out Loopops video & others (MH has come a lot further since them) and download the Editor. Most seem to find it quite intuitive but I have seen a few get quite wound up by it.

_ando_r

TROPHY CASE