#1

I had part of this issue discussed at ansible midi thread and othe parts at Ansible earthsea thread but since investing more time with trying to play samples in a disting mk4 (multi sample playlists) it seems i have generally what i would describe Lag problems.

I am not able to dial in any fast attack and achieve normal to fast playing with Enveleope Generators. Without Env Gen it even seems the fastest tracking (but far from lag free) yet without EG i get some kind of double and triple triggering of the same note instead of clean tracking. (Correct note follows after like 2-3 pad or keyboard hits).

This stuff happens with CV cia Grid just as with Midi via usb to Ansible.

I am quite lost on what should be done to get rid of this heavy lag. I would say 1/4th of a second but could be wrong. I can only play very slow this way. I have to watch out for super clean finger technique to even get that playing correct.

Sth must be wrong here.
Is this Ansible Firmware related?
Underpowered? (Shouldnt be according to specs)

The most logical idea is, its related to the Gate/Trigger of ansible either overlapping with CV (but going through EG would have fixed that) or generally lagging?

If this should be moved in an existing topic, feel free but right now i didnt know where else to put it since i ve issues in Earthsea (CV) and Midi

Ansible Earthsea
#2

Funny enough i tried now with 2 distings in duophonic and it works better (quite good!) for straight CV but worse for midi. Midi lag is even bigger i think. 2nd note of a 2 note chord hardly sounds nat all.

Confusing!

But its fun to play chords with Grid

#3

it’s hard to say from the description above what the problem is.

can you describe specific steps to reproduce the issue? also how the outputs are connected, the desired outcome and the actual outcome. if you can make a video that would also be helpful.

#4

Firstly, try doing the same thing with simple oscillator and no envelopes, with a constant output through the VCA, and see if you hear the pitch change immediately.

Then gradually add back in what you were doing before with envelopes etc.

Learning to troubleshoot is a really important part of learning modular, in my experience. Not only do you understand how things work quicker, but you also discover loads of stuff this way!!!

My guess is that the Disting’s settings are not changing your sample selection immediately, but at the end of sample. But I don’t have the mk4. Scanner Darkly is correct, you are not providing enough info.

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#5

That selection is a pretty good possibility i think since it needs CV for pitch and Gate for trigger/retrigger wich somehow seems to mess up.

I will try to document with a video.

I am not having any classic simple VCO

#6

But you have a Just Friends you could use? Seems easier to troubleshoot and test than make a video?

#7

True. I was thinking you mean a bare bones vco.
I do not have these issues with JF wich so far i am using without any EG as voice. The timing isnt perfect either but i can work with it. Its again worse with midi (ansible as host). I would say via midi almost unusable…

With the issues playing samples in a disting (multi samples that is, single playback sample algorithms work pretty smooth aswell as multi sample drums), for instrumental sample sounds (like mellotron flute) i need to dial in Just Friends as EG very specificly in Transient mode with pitch above 12. if i dont do that or use the second disting as EG, i get worse up to bad „tracking/timing“ = Disting as EG (A/R) doesnt give me the same better timing i get from JF as EG.

There are so many variables that i think a video or audio is actually more informative so the timing that i write about can be listened to. Maybe its obvious to someone else than myself

#8

i’m still not sure though what you are trying to achieve, it’s missing a lot of context. i can try and guess but the fastest way to get to a solution is to isolate the problem first.

can you just start with a simple description, how is ansible/disting connected? what are you doing on ansible (playing notes, something else?). what do you expect to hear? what is actually happening?

#9

Hmmm i am trying.
When using grid i use your earthsea.
One cv/gate pair or 2 cv/gate pairs.
CV to disting Pitch input
Gates to Dual LPG and multed via stackcable into Just Friends. (Identity and 2n)
Just Friends trigger outs to disting trigger in.
Disting audio out to LPG.

For dual this works allright now with Grid, not great but usable.
With midi it seems bad (notes missing).

What i am trying to achieve? Having Ansible as Center Input piece easily repatchable between palying Just Friends as VCO or using samples from Disting. Idealy Grid and midi both smooth since sometimes i just need classic keys for instrumental samples or to replay a melody from piano translated to Cv

So yes. So far its just playing ansible melodically live. Until i get things better no need to sequence.

#10

I have tried, and failed, not to get sucked in and speculating on answers.

If you are using Just Friends as an envelope generator then it does not retrigger with a new gate/trigger:; it always plays the envelope in its entirety. When you talk about it ‘lagging’ but being OK past twelve o’clock, then this suggests to me that you are sending triggers too quickly to JF. If you have it past twelve o’clock then the envelopes will be short enough not to have this issue.

Right, that’s the best I can offer: again, try to troubleshoot yourself.

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#11

you should mult ansible gate outputs to disting trigger inputs instead of going via just friends. can you try that?

#12

Yes as said earlier. I get this problems with „fast“ playing.
Well i need to play slow motion to not get it… i dont think i am such a fast palyer.

#13

Will do right away. Thanks!

#14

also, what mode on disting are you using? and when you say “disting trigger in” which input on disting is it?

#15

That sounds like standard behaviour from the Just Friends envelopes to me; it’s what the module is designed to do. If you put repeated triggers into it, with longer envelope times, it will not respond immediately to the subsequent triggers.

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#16

Well i tried… just to remind myself that i get those delayed note reaction if not going through JF.

Precisely: when set up as mentioned above, going through JF, transients above 12, i do not get those trigger issues. Thats why i even do that.

If i skip JF i will have a grid pad or keyboard key playing 2-3 times until its actually changing the sample to its correct one.
Example i play C D# C A#
And it plays back C C C A#

I can get around it by playing controlled slow staccato:D not really a solution.and i still get at least 1 „delayed note“

As i said i am lost here too. It seems a timing and/or Envelope issue.

#17

we need to eliminate all extra variables, it is simply not possible to investigate the issue with multiple factors/modules involved.

let’s start from the beginning. can you describe what mode you are running on disting and what ansible outputs are connected to on disting?

#18

Disting firmware 4.7 mode J6 multi sample (pretty new)
2 distings loaded with the same sd cad content.
Same sample selected (mellotron flute)

As said, gates direct/multed to distings trigger in (x) = problems with delayed selection of samples while playing .

Going through JF as described eleminates that problem for grid, but not really for midi.

Ansible CVs go to disting (y) pitch in.

#19

Since drums as mentioned work much better if i go through JF…

Could this simply be a overload of the Sd/Ram since those instrument samples are 4-8 seconds long each.

Maybe just too heavy load??

Mh no… i get those hiccup triggers with drums too if not through JF. So without the JF method i would be basically screwed actually.

#20

this is likely the issue with either ansible issuing a trigger before the CV is set (so disting is sampling the previous CV) or disting delayed reading of the CV. which explains why delaying triggers via just friends helps.

do you have this issue when using just friends as a sound generator? do you have any other sequencers to try instead of ansbile and see if you’re getting a similar problem?

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