MIDIbox SID V2 Release + Feedback

[Altitude]

How about support for a 4x20 screen seeing that so many ppl will be using them with the wilbabeast

[glitched]

Just wondering, is there was a way to enter the special instrument modes (multi, bassline, drum) without the use of a "shift" button?

I just finished my V1, but V2 is working great; the lead engine is so deep!  I wanted to try out the different modes, but don't have all the buttons hooked up for V2. 

Thanks.

[Wilba]

Quote from the MIDIbox SID V2 User Manual --- Frontpanel

The SHIFT button was formerly called LINK button. It has a new purpose compared to MIDIbox SID V1 - now it displays a special page which allows to select the Left/Right audio channel, to change the sound engine, to initialise a patch, to generate a random patch and to send out a SysEx dump of the patch.

In addition, values are incremented faster so long this button is pressed (encoder speedup).

Especially for the Sound Engine selection there is no alternative control possible, therefore this button is a hard requirement.

The Up/Down buttons have been added to the minimal control surface, as there are two digital input pins free anyhow. They are not really required, but speed up the menu navigation. Depending on the menu page, they can be used to increment/decrement the OSC/LFO/ENV/MOD/WT/Knob/... number from any page view without scrolling to the leftmost menu entry.

These two buttons were formerly used to activate the CC/Edit function - both functions are still accessible by pressing SHIFT+UP (for CC) or SHIFT+DOWN (for Edit).

That means you can reuse your Link, CC and Edit buttons for this purpose (if you have them).

[Wilba]

How about support for a 4x20 screen seeing that so many ppl will be using them with the wilbabeast

I forgot to reply to this: I will write the code to use the full 4 lines of the 4x20 screen, and have been waiting for V2 to be close to official release before I started (so the entire feature set is there). This can also be a bit more of a collaboration, after people finish their MB-6582 and can comment on what they would like in the extra two lines.

[glitched]

Especially for the Sound Engine selection there is no alternative control possible, therefore this button is a hard requirement.

Wow, that's a RTFM if I ever saw one.  The one chapter I didn't look at.  Time to buy a few more buttons!

Thanks.

[Rio]

1. LCD 4bit mode

i'm not really sure... is it necessary to connect D0..D3 from LCD to ground or should D0..D3 be opened?

2. 8x8 matrix

where i find a documentation for 8x8 matrix connection? mbsid_v2_din_default.pdf and mbsid_v2_dout_default.pdf shows only the standard connection without volume connection.

Will precompiled application automatically detect the 8th matrix line...?

[Wilba]

1. D0..D3 should be open.

2. That's TK's V1 wiring... You can extend the LED matrix another row of common cathodes to D0. The MB-6582 matrix is wired differently (common cathodes in vertical columns) (see MB6582 wiki). You can switch in the firmware which way the matrix is wired. Precompiled application will use the 8th matrix line LEDs.

[Rio]

you mean application (not firmware), i'm right?

i don't understand it right... which application you mean? MB-6582 or MBSIDV2. I wanna only upgrade a MBSID to MBSIDV2 with an 8x8 matrix.

is the application for 8th matrix line precompiled in TK's application? and where i find a connection schematic for DIN and DOUT for TK's MBSIDV2 with included volume for DIN / DOUT?

[TK.]

The MB-6582 hardware is running with the MBSID V2 firmware.

All hardware variations are documented at Wilba's page - I think that there is no need for writing an additional documentation.

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[Wilba]

Sorry I confused the issue there...

If all you want is an extra row of LEDs then do as I suggested and extend the 7 rows you see in the diagram to 8 rows, connecting the 8th row's common cathodes to the unassigned DOUT pin. Then add another switch to any DIN input and assign it to CS_MENU_BUTTON_M_Vol. The V2 firmware will work with 8 rows (i.e. with a LED matrix between two DOUT). The MB-6582 diagram I was directing you to was just to show you that you can (if you want) arrange the LED matrix the other way, with common cathodes in vertical columns instead of horizontal rows, and also (if you were interested) put all LEDs and switches in the same matrix.

[TK.]

Beta8 is now available: http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php?topic=9457.msg67779#msg67779

Changes: I've replaced the simple clock divider by a BPM clock generator.

This leads to minor incompatibility issues with WT and bassline patches, but the "speed" values can be easily adapted... The advantage: sequences will now run with exactly the same speed like your external gear when the internally generated BPM is matching, even when MBSID is not clocked via MIDI.

The BPM can be changed within the ensemble (-> CLK menu)

I've overworked the appr. preset patches which are using the WT or bassline sequencer, just upload the new preset bank under presets/v2_vintage_bank.syx

Please note that the new BPM generator requires a MIOS update (MIOS V1.9f or higher) - the update needs to be done for master and slave cores!

Another change is the sustain (hold pedal) feature as proposed by Rutger. It currently only works for lead patches, and I'm not happy how it behaves with WT sequences - some improvements can be expected in later versions.

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[TK.]

Beta9 is now available - it contains three new button functions for the MB6582 hardware, which have been added by Wilba (Play, LR, Matrix/Meter button), a bugfix for meter display, and an "Up2 Octave Transpose" option for bassline mode

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[abcmann]

Great work Thorsten!

But I cant use cc's by now. Isnt this already implemented?

[TK.]

NRPNs are not implemented yet.

But the 5 knobs are accessible via CC (Knob 1: CC#1, Knob 2..5: CC#16..CC#19)

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[TK.]

Beta11 is now available; from the ChangeLog:

  o various improvements for drum sequence editing:
    - cursor now controlled with encoder
    - the "<" function has been replaced by a rotate function, which
      allows you to scroll the pattern left/right
    - the ">" function has been replaced by a direct shortcut to
      the DRM menu page - the instrument number will be set 
      automatically according to the selected track
    - the mod target buttons (named with E1/E2/L1/...L6) now 
      change to the track editor, and select the appr. track (1-8)
[/code]
Some minor issues have been fixed as well.
E.g., there shouldn't be a loud background noise during the startup phase anymore.
Best Regards, Thorsten.

[TK.]

MBSID has left its beta state, the first release candidate is available (see link in first article of this thread)

ChangeLog of the last features for V2.0:

  o implemented MIDI Clock Master/Slave Auto Detection
  o bassline/drum sequences now deselected when a MIDI Clock Stop
    event has been received (ignored in MIDI Clock Master mode)
  o improved "play button" function (e.g. only selected instruments
    played, selected drum is triggered, etc...)
  o support for "Sync" button (it just jumps into the ENS->CLK
    menu for Master/Slave/Auto mode and BPM selection)
  o support for full parameter access via NRPNs
    see mbsidv2_parameter_chart.txt for details
[/code]
The parameter chart is also located here:
http://www.ucapps.de/midibox_sid/mbsidv2_parameter_chart.txt
Best Regards, Thorsten.

[NorthernLightX]

Great work TK!

[huck]

is tk man or machine....  thanks whatever you are.... :)

[stryd_one]

Congrats TK!

[TK.]

Thank you! :)

Wilba pointed out a conceptional flaw in the sequencer synchronisation via MIDI Clock - this is solved in rc3 (link: see first article of this thread)

Now, bassline and drum sequencer are starting with a MIDI Clock Start Event, no initial note is required anymore if a sequence was already selected before. MIDI Clock Continue is supported as well.

In slave mode, the sequencers will continue to run if no pattern is selected (but no notes will be played in this case), so that MBSID is always in synch with the external MIDI Clock master. If a new sequence will be selected via MIDI note, it won't start from the first step anymore, but from the actual song position of the MIDI clock master.

This behaviour leads to small inconsistencies between the handling in MIDI Clock master/slave mode, but I think that it is much better now.

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[Rio]

The last 2 days i have upgraded my old midibox SID 1 to 2.. (MBSID2 beta 11)

First, I say thank you very much for this huge work and nice application!!

While testing i notice some problems (but my wires seems connected correct):

1. DINX -> SR 10 connections (SR > 9) will not be recognice for my setup (e.g. METER Switchbutton is set up to SR10, 0

(i've recompiled the asm and uploaded - the button doesn't react. Then i have tested SR11, 0 in asm and i've sticked the Cable to SR11... but it doesn't work too. Then i checked a button < SR 10 and that works for testings)

2. DOUT-Matrix is shown selected LEDs in mirrored position.

If i press the right matrix-buttons, then the correct horizontal select-line will be shown... if i press the bottom matrix-buttons, then the second correct vertical select-line will be shown (both to a reticule).

But then the selected LED will not be in the middle of the reticule, but in another postion---> because the selection for an option (like L1, L2, L3) will not be shown in a vertical selection - but instead of horizontal selection in matrix (active LED mirrowed diagonal in 8x8 field - that must be wrong!)

The effect is the same for VU-Meter. The VU-Meter works horizontal, instead of vertical.

Greets Rio.

[TK.]

You will have to increase the number of SRIO in main.inc (search for MIOS_SRIO_NumberSet) - I will bring this setting into the setup_*.asm file for future releases.

To 2: how does it behave when you enable/disable following options (there are 4 combinations, one has already been tested by you):

DEFAULT_SRM_USE_SINKDRIVERS

DEFAULT_SRM_TK_OPTION

Check also the connections of the anodes/cathodes - maybe the shift registers are swapped?

DEFAULT_SRM_CATHODES

DEFAULT_SRM_LEDS_DOUT

how does it behave when you are swapping the SR numbers in your setup_*.asm file?

and last question: according to which schematic did you connect the LED matrix?

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[Rio]

You will have to increase the number of SRIO in main.inc (search for MIOS_SRIO_NumberSet) - I will bring this setting into the setup_*.asm file for future releases.

ok, i'll try it.

To 2: how does it behave when you enable/disable following options (there are 4 combinations, one has already been tested by you):

DEFAULT_SRM_USE_SINKDRIVERS

DEFAULT_SRM_TK_OPTION

i've to try it... but i won't damage anything...

Check also the connections of the anodes/cathodes - maybe the shift registers are swapped?

DEFAULT_SRM_CATHODES

DEFAULT_SRM_LEDS_DOUT

anodes are at SR7, Cathodes are at SR8 ... like in definition and for MBSIDV1! I only added the last cathode-line for MOD VOL.

Everything should connected correct like in MBSIDV1...nothing special..

how does it behave when you are swapping the SR numbers in your setup_*.asm file?

if i swap SR7 -> SR8 and SR8 -> SR7

all LED will be shown red...

and last question: according to which schematic did you connect the LED matrix?

mbsid_dout_default.pdf (similar to MBSIDV1)

[TK.]

Ok, I see - this LED matrix variation hasn't been tested for a long time, and when I look into the source code, I see a potential source for a coding error. I will check this and probably release rc4 in ca. 1 hour

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[TK.]

P.S.: could you please check if the LED matrix is working correctly with following setup:

#define DEFAULT_SRM_CATHODES		7
#define DEFAULT_SRM_USE_SINKDRIVERS	1
#define DEFAULT_SRM_TK_OPTION		1
#define DEFAULT_SRM_MODMATRIX_DOUT	8
[/code]
(no hardware change required, don't be confused about the swapped CATHODES/Anodes definitions)
Best Regards, Thorsten.