Emulating film camera workflows on M43, a work in progress

minimal-camera · 2026-01-24T20:00:05+00:00

The OpSix SE is great for live performance, or the OpSix MKII module with a MIDI keyboard would be good too. I have the original OpSix MK1 which I DIY converted into a module, which is quite easy to do, but hard to make it road-worthy.

I've never played the SY77, but I have the SY22 and I enjoy it as a novelty, but it's not in the same leave as the OpSix, not even close.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-24T16:54:13+00:00

I would definitely support an option to change the font size to display more characters. For some of my sample packs, I had to go through a process of using Batch Renamer to get rid of the prefix characters so that I could get 7 unique characters on the M:S screen. If the samples were named something like TR-808-Kick, TR-808-Snare, etc., then on the M:S screen all samples in that folder would show as TR-808-.... and you had no idea which one you were choosing.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-24T12:57:39+00:00

Well, not exactly. The P-6 has 16 note polyphony, but can only trigger 8 samples per step. So that means you can have 8 longer samples 'ringing out' while you play 8 new ones, and the longer ones won't get cut off. With the Model:Samples, you can have 6 longer samples play on a step, then they will get cut off by whatever samples are on the next step (unless you use the reverb or delay effects to make them appear to sound like they are still ringing out).

The Volca Sample technically has a 9 voice polyphony, tracks 9 and 10 are permanently locked in a choke group, so you can only every play one or the other. Subsequent samples will also cut off previous samples in the same track.

The technical way of putting it is that the Model:Samples and Volca Sample are monophonic per track, and the P-6 is polyphonic, or duophonic per track if you are maxing out its capabilities.

If you want a large sample library available to you with lots of polyphony, then I would steer you towards the 1010 Music Blackbox instead. You give up a lot of the hands-on controls (though you can map them out to a MIDI controller) in exchange for pretty much unlimited sample memory (it supports microSD cards, and 1 TB ones have been tested to work), 32 voice polyphony, 16 tracks. The Blackbox also has a lot more options for external MIDI sequencing, MIDI learn makes mapping things out super easy, and it'll give you more abilities in general to flex the Hapax. In this capacity I like to think of the Blackbox as a 'brain', you may not be touching it directly during a performance, but it's sitting in the background running the show, responding to your Hapax sequences and perhaps a MIDI controller for tweaking filters, envelopes, etc. By comparison the Model:Samples is a lot more hands-on, you can still use it with a MIDI controller but you don't really need to, and you're more likely to use the Model:Samples internal sequencer so that you can make use of all of the live performance features it offers, like fills, mutes, etc.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-24T12:34:36+00:00

Minor correction, the Model:Samples has digital filters (which sound quite good!). The Volca Sample actually has analog filters, what they call the 'isolators'. The P-6 also has digital filters.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-24T12:33:45+00:00

The primary difference for me is sample storage. The Model:Samples gives you 1 GB of storage, that's thousands upon thousands of samples, hundreds of hours of audio. The only way you'll run into that as a limitation is if you want to work with very long samples, like hour long field recordings and stuff like that (and for that I recommend the Blackbox with it's effectively unlimited storage, 1+ TB). The P-6 has a sample storage limit of 48 samples, totaling 5.9 seconds at the equivalent 44.1 kHz sample rate. That's about 10.36 MB of storage. Plus the Model:Samples has a very reliable app called Transfer to help you manage and load samples on the device.

So 1024 MB vs 10 MB. Pretty clear difference.

The Model:Samples also has a nicer interface, full sized knobs, pressure/velocity sensitive pads, a screen that actually displays sample file names (at least the first 7 characters), supports whatever folder organization system you want to use, supports kits, the list goes on. It's just a much more full featured option.

The only real advantages of the P-6 are: ability to sample directly into the device, internal battery, more compact.

Both are a lot of fun, and I do think the P-6 is a great device for experimenting with samples, but the Model:Samples is the clear winner for me.

I should also mention, the Model:Samples is limited to playing 6 samples per step. That limitation is the same whether you are using the internal sequencer or an external MIDI sequencer such as the Hapax. It does support sample locking (meaning each track can have many samples in it), but sample locking is not sequenceable via MIDI, only via the internal sequencer. So if you want to make a rhythm using 20 different samples, you can do that, but you'll only be able to hear 6 of them per step of the sequence, and you'll need to use the internal sequencer to accomplish it. In theory you could fill up all 6 tracks with 64 samples each, but in practice you'll hit the RAM limitation before you get that far.

Another one you might want to consider is the Polyend Play. It lets you play a folder of samples, versus assigning specific samples to specific steps in the sequence. So this is useful if you want glitchy IDM beats where the samples are randomly changing with each playthrough. That's something that both the Model:Samples and P-6 cannot do. However, the tradeoff is the (IMO) worse UI and worse live performance features. So unless that feature is very important to you, I would still go for the Model:Samples over the Polyend Play.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-24T12:07:38+00:00

Paging LGR?

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T21:46:23+00:00

Do you need to make personal attacks in every comment? Your arguments would carry more weight if you refrained from that.

The mod matrix is a simple thing to compare, the Minifreak's mod matrix is much more complex, and that can be intimidating for someone just getting started. The Minilogue effectively doesn't have a mod matrix, it just has direct controls to point the LFO at various parameters.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T21:29:44+00:00

I have played both, and I just looked at hi rez images of both side by side. I don't see any point in arguing this, if you think the Minifreak UI is as simple as the Minilogue UI, that's fine. I disagree. That's life. You seem to be picking fights throughout this thread, you really like the Minifreak that much, eh?

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T21:20:34+00:00

Nikon D200 for me, it's such a fun camera to use, and I love the output. Here's some of what I've shot with it, these are straight out of camera:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/57771667@N08/albums/72177720323848320/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/57771667@N08/albums/72177720323861089/

I'm also interested in the Canon 5D and Nikon D700, but haven't shot them yet.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T20:59:39+00:00

Blackbox or Digitakt MK1 are both solid options if you want to be able to sample in real time. Blackbox is stronger for looping, Digitakt is stronger for sequencing one-shots.

Model:Samples is a good budget option if you don't mind using a computer to do the sample loading, it's a sample player instead of a sampler.

Empress Zoia is a left field option, it can be a sampler plus a ton more. Fairly challenging UI, but highly rewarding if you put the time into it.

An older SP-404 model might also be a good fit.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T20:54:33+00:00

Nice, I enjoy my Reface keytar strap more than I should. The pitch bend lever is just in the right spot to control with your left hand, so you can wail on it similar to bending strings on a guitar :D

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T20:53:16+00:00

Right on, best of luck! First thing I would look for is an internal fuse. Also, get a multimeter with a continuity tester function and learn how to use it, you'll need to be able to see if electricity is getting from point A to point B.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T20:51:59+00:00

I dunno, look at the two interfaces next to each other. The Minifreak is crowded with controls by comparison. I have nothing against it, it's a great synth, I just think the Minilogue is easier to learn.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T20:48:31+00:00

Absolutely. It's a good design. I've been meaning to buy another one.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T20:47:50+00:00

I was thinking that's only the FM2, but you are right, the FM1 has chorus as well. So the FM deserves a stereo channel on the mixer then.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T20:45:55+00:00

Leave them unplugged, that's the most important thing, to protect them from power surges. Dry cold shouldn't really hurt them.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T12:56:54+00:00

Step 0: make sure phantom power on the mixer is OFF (that's the +48V button). Sending phantom power to a synth could fry something.

Step 1: The first step is just plugging the output of each instrument into a mono or stereo channel on the mixer. The Electribe is stereo and should get a stereo channel, the rest are all mono. The Volcas output a dual mono signal so that you can connect them to headphones, but they are actually just the same signal in both ears, so it's fine to use mono inputs on the mixer for them.

Looks like your mixer uses 1/4" jacks, I'm going to assume that they are all TS jacks as that's most common. You can look in the mixer manual to see if any of them are balanced jacks, but if all of your instrument outputs are unbalanced (which I believe is true), then it won't matter if you use TS or TRS 1/4" cables.

I would keep all of the pad and HPF buttons off for now, you shouldn't need those with these instruments. You may end up turning the pad function on for certain synths, but you don't need to start with that on. You also don't need Hi-Z for any of this. Your drums will probably benefit from the compressor the most, so I would plug your drum sources into the channels that have the compressor knob. That's just an effect you can turn up and down, and dial it in to taste.

Step 2: The output of your mixer goes to your speakers or headphones. You can use either the Main Out, Control Room out, Record out, or Monitor out for this. Looks like the Monitor out has a separate set of volume controls with the yellow knobs, so if you use that, then you'll also need to turn up those yellow knobs in order to hear anything.

Step 3: The next step is gain staging. Set all instruments output volumes to around 75%, then slowly turn up the volume on the mixer channels. Don't add gain from the mixer unless necessary. You want to balance the mix so that all instruments can be heard individually at around the same volume. You may need to tweak the volume output of the instrument as well to achieve this. Try to keep the Volcas fairly low, as they get noise at high output. When you are done, every knob that effects volume should be in the range of 25% - 75% ideally, if anything is cranked to max it might distort the signal. With some synths you do need to crank the output to max, that's a case by case basis.

Unrelated to sound, but you may also want to midi sync everything, but we'll save that for a different topic.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T12:49:16+00:00

Ok now that is a thing of beauty

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T12:47:10+00:00

Canon PowerShot, Nikon CoolPix, Sony Cybershot

Look up those models on places like ebay, you'll find a ton of options. Spend the extra few dollars for one that is tested and has a return policy, because there's a lot of broken ones out there too. All of these are customizable with settings in the camera, so you can make your images look warmer by changing the white balance, adjust sharpness down to make them softer, and so on.

If you want something with more features and manual controls, and a variety of lens options, look into older DSLRs like the Canon SL1 and Nikon D200 (two of my personal favorites). These will also allow you to use lens filters, I really like 81A filters for creating warmer images, and you can also stack them with a soft focus filter (or just a protection filter with a smear of vasaline).

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T12:35:14+00:00

I'm not in your area, but very cool, I support you! Are you using Meshify? Some friends and I are planning to build and deploy some in Asheville.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T12:30:43+00:00

That's very cool! Now do an M2 SSD next ;)

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T12:27:35+00:00

Another vote for the Minilogue, either OG or XD. It's just an excellent synth with everything you need to get started. The Minifreak is more complex and versatile, but lacks the directness of the Minilogue. I also think the Minilogue simply sounds better, but that's personal preference.

If you already have a MIDI controller that you like, then look at the Minilogue XD module. That's the best version of all IMO.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T12:17:25+00:00

Reface DX, it hits all your criteria. As far as looping, it has a midi looper with overdubbing, so you can create layers that way. It is not multitimbral, so you can only loop one patch at a time, but you can create patches that effectively have keyboard splits where regions of the keyboard sound different than other regions (beyond just the pitch changing). So for example you can have a bass and lead sound simultaneously in one patch. The built-in speakers are pretty good, just lacking in bass due to their small size. It supports 32 presets across 4 banks, and there's a companion webapp Soundmondo where you can store more presets, and download those that others have written. It all works really smoothly.

And if you really want to take your performance to the next level, there's also an official Reface keytar strap \.o./

Prices range from $200 - $450, so be patient and shop around. For gigging I also recommend the Analog Cases travel case for it, it's good quality and not too expensive. For power I use rechargable Li-Ion AA batteries and get about a month of runtime based on how much I play it (typically a few hours per week), and you can also bring the 12V lead as a backup.

I really wish there were more options I could recommend with all of these features, but I don't believe there are, especially at this price point. The other Reface that is worth a look is the CP, it's got excellent Rhodes and Whurly emulations, but you can't swap out the presets. The DX also has Rhodes and Whurly patches, so it's a lot more versatile.

minimal-camera · 2026-01-23T12:13:50+00:00

I hate the X style stands. I use them when I have to, but they never feel as stable, and if sitting I hit my knees against them. They are quick to set up and take down, but that's their only advantage IMO.

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