Expert Sleepers will soon release an interesting new utility module, called Disting - see its web page for a list of capabilities - it certainly does a lot for a 4HP module. And the code will be open-source, it seems, so potentially extensible. But the really neat thing, I think, is its use of translucent jack sockets, with tri-coloured LEDs behind each, thus saving on panel space. Perahps this isn’t novel, but I’ve not seen it before. Have a look at:
Well, if there was anything to make me want to start focusing on PIC microcontrollers, it was that.
Those jacks are cool too. The pitch and envelope tracking is also what interests me the most too. That is very smooth and can add more “realism” to your synth sounds.
Yeah, the pitch and envelope follower is clearly based on the Expert Sleepers Oomingmak plug-in. I dare say that Andrew Ostler, who is the Expert Sleeper, is a fan of the Cocteau Twins.
I hadn’t realised the recent PIC mirocontrollers had enough horsepower to run real-time audio analysis or synthesis alforithms, but clearly they do, hopefully without resorting to assembler.
After watching all of the videos, it reminds me of a hardware version of the Shruthi Operators. More flexible of course, but still the same idea. Does anybody know what the part number for those jacks are?
This is a module I would actually like to be wider with more inputs/outputs and functions. It really needs its own built-in clock for starters.
> I hadn’t realised the recent PIC mirocontrollers had enough horsepower to run real-time audio analysis or synthesis alforithms
This is a PIC32, with a 32-bit MIPS architecture. For everything they want to do it’s a piece of cake. It has very little to do with 8-bit PICs - just like the Atmel SAMs are totally different animals from AVRs… Enough to run an autocorrelation at 8kHz, so pitch tracking is certainly doable!
Peaks peakspeakspeaks! I’m going on vacation for two weeks, they’ll probably be gone with the wind by the time I return. Though, I’m sure more will be on the way, and I’m not quite ready for peaks yet.
Side view of the ES Disting module - looks like it might be done via SMT LEDs mounted underneath the jack sockets, which have some form of light pipe moulded into them (or just act as a crude light pipe anyway, being translucent)? Or are the LEDs embedded in the sockets themselves?
Yeah, looks like the jack sockets are made of the same material as light pipes. In which case it justs needs a LED underneath for the light to bounce all over and illuminate it.
