ben
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Post by ben on Jan 3, 2020 16:28:27 GMT
I was looking for a simple solution to be able to set the tempo precisely in bpm. The only way I've been doing it at the moment - using Korg Volca sync out to AE modular's Master module. But now I see there's a new app from Audiokit called "Hey Metronome" - does anyone have an idea if this would work with AE system? i.e. sending app's metronome audio clicks to CTRL In and then to LFO etc.? don't know, maybe it's a stupid idea and the signal would be too weak or too hot. Hey Metronome: Anyone tried something similar or any other way to set tempo in bpm with AE modular? (maybe this could go to future module wish list)  |
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Post by NightMachines on Jan 3, 2020 16:46:48 GMT
Go ahead and try it and let us know if it worked. Audio pulses can certainly work as clock triggers. You might just need some amplification.
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ben
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Post by ben on Jan 3, 2020 19:58:27 GMT
and so i did It works, but had to use an op-amp and envelope generator to get rid of some noise and "sculpt" the sound in to a proper click so it would be recognised by step seq, lfo's and etc. Anyone has maybe any other ways of setting bpm? Thought maybe arduino project wouldn't be too hard to make a dedicated clock module with dials for bpm and maybe clock division. Altho I have no idea of how to do it |
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Post by NightMachines on Jan 3, 2020 20:13:01 GMT
With an iOS device you can also use many DAW or drum machine apps and simply attach a cheap USB-MIDI adapter cable to the Master I/O’s MIDI input. You can also create a simple audio click track or play a rimshot drum sound in such an app, which might work better than the sync app.
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Lugia
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Post by Lugia on Jan 3, 2020 20:22:42 GMT
There's a stompbox device made by Truetone, the "Time Bandit", that can extract clock pulses from incoming audio pulses. It also can function as a master clock. However, it wants to see clean and obvious pulses, which might require some filtering of your "clock" audio.
What I tend to do is to run the "clock" audio through a very tight bandpass filter...and I do mean TIGHT, such as a 1/10th octave passband or smaller...then on to the Time Bandit. This clears up a lot of the irregular behavior and gives the box a very clean/clear signal to work from. When extracting timing signals from devices such as old-skool rhythm generators, it's the way to go.
Another option is to send your DAW's clock out directly. The obvious way to do this is via MIDI. But if you use a DC-coupled audio interface + a CV processing package like Silent Way, you can send the clock out directly via the interface, with the advantage being very low latency when compared to MIDI.
Now, having said all of that, one other method to use would be to track the incoming audio with an envelope follower. This would definitely give you the clock pulses...but alas, the AE system doesn't have an input module with an envelope follower...YET. But it's definitely something needed...
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Post by spacedog on Jan 3, 2020 21:31:42 GMT
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ben
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Post by ben on Jan 3, 2020 23:06:53 GMT
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ben
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Post by ben on Jan 3, 2020 23:23:55 GMT
There's a stompbox device made by Truetone, the "Time Bandit", that can extract clock pulses from incoming audio pulses. It also can function as a master clock. However, it wants to see clean and obvious pulses, which might require some filtering of your "clock" audio.
What I tend to do is to run the "clock" audio through a very tight bandpass filter...and I do mean TIGHT, such as a 1/10th octave passband or smaller...then on to the Time Bandit. This clears up a lot of the irregular behavior and gives the box a very clean/clear signal to work from. When extracting timing signals from devices such as old-skool rhythm generators, it's the way to go.
Another option is to send your DAW's clock out directly. The obvious way to do this is via MIDI. But if you use a DC-coupled audio interface + a CV processing package like Silent Way, you can send the clock out directly via the interface, with the advantage being very low latency when compared to MIDI.
Now, having said all of that, one other method to use would be to track the incoming audio with an envelope follower. This would definitely give you the clock pulses...but alas, the AE system doesn't have an input module with an envelope follower...YET. But it's definitely something needed...
great tip regarding to the tight bandpass filtering method! I've done it with Envelope (decay value) --> amp (adding some gain, but not too much into noisy territory), so might be similar, but your's sounds like a more refined way to go. Yeah midi/DAW is obviously the way to go if all the session has to be recorded anyway into the DAW (and in most cases it is). I was just looking into something more portable, simple and "independent" - for the jamming purposes, and if everything sounds good - only then to connect with a DAW. Envelope follower - it's possible to do with already existing modular system, no? (i might be wrong). but yes, it requires at least 3 modules for one purpose, and a dedicated module would be awesome. |
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ben
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Post by ben on Jan 3, 2020 23:37:18 GMT
With an iOS device you can also use many DAW or drum machine apps and simply attach a cheap USB-MIDI adapter cable to the Master I/O’s MIDI input. You can also create a simple audio click track or play a rimshot drum sound in such an app, which might work better than the sync app. yeaahh.. but i was looking for a simple solution just to have a complete bpm control over AE modular system, without a need to run a separate audio-click track - in that case it's not that simple to set the tempo by changing a playback speed. But regarding to the midi - yes, that's a 110% correct way to go, and I was doing just that, but there's another annoying factor with iOS - dongles and connectivity issues.  it always stops me from a true pleasure at that moment - you have to plug in the dongle (firstly to find where you left it on the desk the last time), and make sure in the app it's all set correctly. Where with the audio signal/metronome it seems a bit more straight forward - you just set the bpm and that's it. Or maybe that's just me Thanks for your reply! it's always great to hear/see different approaches and methods |
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Post by robertlanger on Jan 4, 2020 12:41:14 GMT
Just FYI: On my list is also a precise BPM clock source, it will have tap-ping, some memories for tempo presets ans so on. Good to read there is at least one who has use for it ;-)
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Post by spacedog on Jan 4, 2020 13:02:59 GMT
Just FYI: On my list is also a precise BPM clock source, it will have tap-ping, some memories for tempo presets ans so on. Good to read there is at least one who has use for it ;-) +1 |
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Post by MikMo on Jan 4, 2020 14:09:53 GMT
I think that to shape a not so regular pulse as a clean sqr wave all you need is to run it through a 50 cent schmidt trigger
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Post by loopier on Jan 4, 2020 14:28:04 GMT
I have one of these laying around, I'll give it a try. |
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ben
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Post by ben on Jan 4, 2020 16:42:23 GMT
I think that to shape a not so regular pulse as a clean sqr wave all you need is to run it through a 50 cent schmidt trigger But if the signal is not very clean and has some noise or decay's etc., my guess it might be not enough, it might convert into squares but also the low noise/hiss/whatnot's and still leave some irregularities.. But - good point! clever will test it today or tomorrow. |
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ben
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Post by ben on Jan 4, 2020 16:49:19 GMT
I have one of these laying around, I'll give it a try. HA! Yes! Totally forgot that those exist. These might be very cheap and maybe could do the job?! Let us know! I see at Thomann can get one for less than 10€ and this also includes a tuner which might be useful sometimes: www.thomann.de/intl/thomann_ctm700.htm |
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Lugia
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Post by Lugia on Jan 4, 2020 22:27:05 GMT
Just FYI: On my list is also a precise BPM clock source, it will have tap-ping, some memories for tempo presets ans so on. Good to read there is at least one who has use for it ;-) +1 Make that +2! |
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Lugia
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Post by Lugia on Jan 4, 2020 22:32:33 GMT
Envelope follower - it's possible to do with already existing modular system, no? (i might be wrong). but yes, it requires at least 3 modules for one purpose, and a dedicated module would be awesome. Well, there's not an envelope follower per se in the AEsystem...YET...but it IS possible to use the SLEW/EDGE to extract a pulse from an incoming signal. This won't output a true envelope contour, but it can send a pulse every time there's either an upward voltage deviation or a downward one (or both...but that's not quite so useful here) at its input. |
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Post by Gaëtan on Jan 6, 2020 12:40:37 GMT
Just FYI: On my list is also a precise BPM clock source, it will have tap-ping, some memories for tempo presets ans so on. Good to read there is at least one who has use for it ;-) This would greatly improve the life of anyone who doesn't sequence from outside the rack ! Especially if the module has some built-in start/stop/reset signals and possibly dividers.
The LFO only goes so far |
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Post by rodney on Jan 6, 2020 20:49:06 GMT
Just FYI: On my list is also a precise BPM clock source, it will have tap-ping, some memories for tempo presets ans so on. Good to read there is at least one who has use for it ;-) +1 That would be great, Robert. I'd be inclined to make it a part of a LFO rather than a separate clicker module with display that can either show BPM or mSecs between pulses. |
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temel
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Post by temel on Jun 17, 2020 19:14:34 GMT
Just FYI: On my list is also a precise BPM clock source, it will have tap-ping, some memories for tempo presets ans so on. Good to read there is at least one who has use for it ;-) +1 +4 and counting... |
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Post by arti on Jun 17, 2020 21:52:21 GMT
Just FYI: On my list is also a precise BPM clock source, it will have tap-ping, some memories for tempo presets ans so on. Good to read there is at least one who has use for it ;-) +1 Count me in too:) |
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Post by lukylutte on Jun 18, 2020 4:51:33 GMT
+1 Count me in too:) +1  |
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Post by Daniel Linger on Jul 13, 2020 11:47:48 GMT
I've given a similar response on another thread with another subject, but here's what I do for external clocks.
I'm a self-confessed cheapskate. I've picked up various bits of musical equipment cheaply when they weren't popular.
So anyway, I use an old Yamah QY10 portable "notepad" sequencer as one option. I bought this way back in the day, and although the onboard sounds are dreadful, the actual funtionality of the unit, I've always found really used. It's the same size as an old vhs cassette, and can run off6 (?) AA batteries or 9V DC. I have a larger/later QY300 which has better sounds (but are still awful) but again the funtionality is where it counts and I picked that up for £30 a couple of years ago.
I'm sure there's tons of old sequencers like this knocking around from the 90s onwards that people don't want anymore. SO exercise your ebaying skills and this might be something worth considering?
I basically do a fair bit of noodling on my AEM whilst sat in bed. I'll either use a powerbank to power it, but I'll also have an Elektron Model:Samples as my rhythm device/sample player, and the QY as a sequencer to scratch out some loops and ideas to experiment with. MIDI out of QY, into Elektron Samples, then out again to the AEM. The bonus of the small QY is that it has a rudimentary keyboard of sorts on it, so it's easy to tap out a sequence on the fly without needing another keyboard.
Frankly, I find this setup pretty great for my situation. Maybe there's some similar cheap gear out there that might serve your purposes better?
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Jihel
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Post by Jihel on Aug 19, 2020 17:25:22 GMT
Just FYI: On my list is also a precise BPM clock source, it will have tap-ping, some memories for tempo presets ans so on. Good to read there is at least one who has use for it ;-) + 1000
(don't see the interest of Tempo presets...)
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it always stops me from a true pleasure at that moment - you have to plug in the dongle (firstly to find where you left it on the desk the last time), and make sure in the app it's all set correctly. Where with the audio signal/metronome it seems a bit more straight forward - you just set the bpm and that's it. Or maybe that's just me 
