3.2 Firmware Tease (MPE record and playback)

Ian_Jorgensen

A further tease of the MPE functionality in the upcoming 3.2 Deluge firmware. (Release date still TBA)

In this first part of this video you'll see a Roli Seaboard sending MPE into a Deluge, which is re-outputting it (still as MIDI) to 'Surge', an MPE supporting softsynth. The Deluge can record and playback this data. Will work with MPE supporting hardware synths also.

In the following clip, the Deluge is recording and playing back the MPE data sent from the Roli Seaboard to control the Deluge's own internal synth engine. In this case, x is controlling pitch and y is moving position within a wavetable (new feature also coming in 3.2). Z, or pressure, is controlling level and filter cutoff.

vanklomk

So excited for this! Glad I picked up a Medusa recently.

Baddaddy

This is EXCELLENT! thank you so much!

hurphendale

MPE is a huge one! I'm this close to buying a Linnstrument now [--]

jonharsem

My Linnstrument and Roli Rise are excited .. also have an Erae Touch coming (eventually -___-) that ought to play nicely with the Delli'

Ian_Jorgensen

make sure you do watch till the end to see MPE combined with Wavetable, it's a TON of fun We can't wait for people to get the opportunity to play with that

AndrewM

This is very exciting news
It's worth noting that the MIDI Association have reformed the MPE working group to improve MPE support amongst devices as many devices have incomplete support.

Will the Deluge be supporting Pitchbend Sensitivity as required by the specification? Is the Deluge going to act as a MPE MIDI Controller as well?

I look forward to being able to do some compliance testing the Deluge when the Beta is released

Andrew Mee

Percivale

Good job!

MarkCGrant

This is going to be a great year in many ways. For myself, I always wanted a Linnstrument since I saw Mr Linn do a prototype demo. As an Ableton Live user I didn't want to dilute the waters with a 2nd DAW just for MPE, so I decided to hold off on MPE till Ableton Live supports it. So was using the beta since December and ready to pull the trigger on a Linnstrument on Live 11 release, and also was looking for a Wavetable MPE synth - decided on the Argon8m. The week Live 11 comes out a spot a Linnstrument, as new, on eBay and I win it and been having so much fun designing and using MPE sounds. I was ready to get the Argon8m and saw that the Deluge 3.2 firmware will have Wavetable and MPE, I was aware of the Wavetable and others things coming. But MPE was a massive surprise. So you guys just saved me a nice wedge of notes - TY. Just a small question, will Deluge MPE support 'Lift'? I imagine 'velocity' is a given, and X,Y & Z is talked of, but no word on 'lift'?

sven_blob

ooooooooooh yeah !!!

Burtrude

Super-cool stuff guys!!! hoping one day we get full System Exclusive!!!

Myrk

I assume with MPE support we might get standard polyphonic aftertouch support too? That immensely grey area... I'm still genuinely confused by what MPE will bring that wasn't already in the full Polyphonic midi message stream? My understanding is that MPE means if I plug a synth into Deluge in the future, in midi mode the cutoff filter will automatically control the cutoff filter of the synth without me having to assign, correct? It's about automatic setup and communication right?

Heptagen

@Myrk said:
My understanding is that MPE means if I plug a synth into Deluge in the future, in midi mode the cutoff filter will automatically control the cutoff filter of the synth without me having to assign, correct? It's about automatic setup and communication right?

Uh I don't think so. MPE is a technology that can only be used with MPE Midi controllers, like the Roli Seaboard. They make it possible to also send data by (for example) wiggling your fingers left and right (x axis) or sweeping them up and down (y axis).
I believe this is where the modulators x and y come to play.

o_o

My understanding is that MPE means if I plug a synth into Deluge in the future, in midi mode the cutoff filter will automatically control the cutoff filter of the synth without me having to assign, correct? It's about automatic setup and communication right?

I think what you have in mind is MIDI 2.0, which is about automatic setup and better "understanding" between devices.

Put simply, MPE just means: Every note you play is sent on its own MIDI channel. Then, if you wiggle a finger that's playing a note, those CC changes are sent on the MIDI channel of that note. Because every note is on a separate MIDI channel, you get separate modulation (and pitch bend) per note.

joesh

Nice teases, do you have any news on a release date for the update yet?

Dekalboy

2 months passed after the first announcement of this update . What’s going on synthstrom ? Please talk

SjonSjine

@Dekalboy said:
2 months passed after the first announcement of this update . What’s going on synthstrom ? Please talk

I think the Eucledian sequencing, implemented in song and arranger mode could be a struggle for them. But the day you thought would never come, will come!

Leftarmist_Bestarm

I have a Linnstrument if you need another test subject.

Side note, the linnstrument has 128 "buttons" and the deluge has 128 as well used for the isomorphic keyboard. Imagine a partnership with Roger Linn where the LED button bed is replaced by the linnstrument LED key bed. That would be amazing.

spoor

I’d be keen to know which deluge synth parameters can be affected by this. Ideally, all or nearly all, could now be mapped…

volsteh

@spoor said:
I’d be keen to know which deluge synth parameters can be affected by this. Ideally, all or nearly all, could now be mapped…

I think all that can be modulated now, the x and y mod sources will be available

Affectionate_Bee_781

Yes, I would guess all the parameters that are currently available for modulation can be modulated by X/Y. I doubt new mod destinations will be open, besides the ones that correspond to wavetables. Just my opinion

broughtonfilm

@Leftarmist_Bestarm said:
I have a Linnstrument if you need another test subject.

Side note, the linnstrument has 128 "buttons" and the deluge has 128 as well used for the isomorphic keyboard. Imagine a partnership with Roger Linn where the LED button bed is replaced by the linnstrument LED key bed. That would be amazing.

Let’s keep these companies separate, please.

greaterthanzero

@broughtonfilm said:

Let’s keep these companies separate, please.

Partnership needn't entail acquisition. Just look at Dreadbox and Polyend. Both companies remain separate, but their combined efforts brought us Medusa; a product that neither could have pulled off nearly as quickly without the other.

(Still, I have to agree. Let's get the new firmware out before we start calling for an entirely new ecosystem to support.)

MarkCGrant

@Leftarmist_Bestarm said:
I have a Linnstrument if you need another test subject.

Side note, the linnstrument has 128 "buttons" and the deluge has 128 as well used for the isomorphic keyboard. Imagine a partnership with Roger Linn where the LED button bed is replaced by the linnstrument LED key bed. That would be amazing.

As someone using Ableton Live, Deluge and Linnstrument that is all I am thinking about these days, a Deluge inside a Linnstrument with a shed load of OLEDs with endless encoders.

mattopia

As someone using Ableton Live, Deluge and Linnstrument that is all I am thinking about these days, a Deluge inside a Linnstrument with a shed load of OLEDs with endless encoders.

Too heavy, too many connections, would be too expensive of a product to sell anyone. As much as I love the Linnstrument it has low sales because of the expense, both companies would suffer with such an integration.

Leftarmist_Bestarm

@mattopia said:

As someone using Ableton Live, Deluge and Linnstrument that is all I am thinking about these days, a Deluge inside a Linnstrument with a shed load of OLEDs with endless encoders.

Too heavy, too many connections, would be too expensive of a product to sell anyone. As much as I love the Linnstrument it has low sales because of the expense, both companies would suffer with such an integration.

I paid $750 for mine new so that means they are still making money from that which means it could be sold for $1750 and still be profitable. I think people would shell out $1750 for a self contained MPE sequencer. People spend more on less.

MarkCGrant

@Leftarmist_Bestarm said:

@mattopia said:

As someone using Ableton Live, Deluge and Linnstrument that is all I am thinking about these days, a Deluge inside a Linnstrument with a shed load of OLEDs with endless encoders.

Too heavy, too many connections, would be too expensive of a product to sell anyone. As much as I love the Linnstrument it has low sales because of the expense, both companies would suffer with such an integration.

I paid $750 for mine new so that means they are still making money from that which means it could be sold for $1750 and still be profitable. I think people would shell out $1750 for a self contained MPE sequencer. People spend more on less.

I agree. Look at the Expressive E Osmose. That is a MPE keybed and sound engine combo for $1,799. And people are tripping out for that. A Linnstrument/Deluge combo would be expensive, overly engineered, large and bewildering to most, but it would be so much more than the sum of its parts. It would be more than a sequencer, MPE instrument, music making device, DAW replacement - it would be a whole lifestyle choice, an all in with both feet kind of thing. And I think a few, like me, would jump in, but you would only be needing to sell 100's globally to start. And Linn wouldn't need a partnership to dev that, he is Mr. MPC - just outsource for skill gaps. It would make a great side product for a boutique company. Yes, big and expensive - yet kind of the point of the thing. And it would hold value and increase value after production. Recall the OP-1 going for over $8k on eBay when out of production. So those kind people at TE brought in back with a 50% price hike.

Jens_Meier

@Leftarmist_Bestarm said:
I have a Linnstrument if you need another test subject.

Side note, the linnstrument has 128 "buttons" and the deluge has 128 as well used for the isomorphic keyboard. Imagine a partnership with Roger Linn where the LED button bed is replaced by the linnstrument LED key bed. That would be amazing.

Jeez. This would be awesome!

moulfrit

Hello
It’s released?
Did I miss something?
:-)

Heptagen

@moulfrit No, 3.2 is not released yet.
I'll just paste this part from the community newsletter of may '21, which is when we last heard something from synthstrom about it (Source):

3.2 FIRMWARE UPDATE PROGRESS REPORT
Thank you for being patient. We know this update is highly anticipated.

This new update might be the biggest we've ever done in terms of complexity and Rohan is taking his time to get it right.

You're probably already familiar with what we've teased already:
Wavetable Synthesis.
MPE support, recording & playback.
Euclidean sequencing, individual row lengths and playback directions

You can look forward to more too, but we'll hold off teasing new stuff as we focus on getting it ready for beta testing.

moulfrit

Yes, I had read all this... it was just to relaunch the subject a little. It's been 5 months, it's long