#385

Well, that will work for my timeline, because while I was debating this purchase with myself the unit I had my eye on sold. Oh well!

1 Like
#386

I’ve been having lots of fun using buffers to manipulate incoming audio. In this vid I’m triggering random slices of audio being recorded to the buffer. A little bit of help from clouds as well.

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#387

Just double my available rack space from a 4U 104hp to a 7U. This thread has been really tempting me…

Question, is there a good recent video/breakdown of where the 301 is right now in terms of function and ability?

#388

I think the truthful answer is “no”…which is what made the 301 difficult for me at first. I’ve had mine for two and a half years, and it does take a while to piece together where the firmware is at when you start discovering it. Although the Monome/Norns/Crow environment documentation is updated much more frequently and in an organized fashion than OD, I suspect that if you can follow along various threads here you will be able to piece together where the 301 is at…

That being said, there are 2 “power users” on the OD forum: Neil Parffit and “Joe” who have many introductory videos on youtube. They are very good, but some of them were made back in the very beginning of the 301 journey so the firmware and even the UI has changed significantly.

All those things being said, the 301 is definitely worth one’s time investment. If I can figure it out, I’m sure most people can crack it too.

FWIW, learning how to “successfully” use the 301 is what gave me the courage to dive head first into the monome ecosystem.

2 Likes
#389

Thanks for this. I should really begin hanging around the OD forums and seeing what folks do with it. I’ve gotten proficient with a bit of monome gear and I love the idea of the 301 and teletype working together (not to mention the work being done on connecting the 301 and NerdSeq). It’s hard to figure out what might squeezed out of the 301 that I couldn’t do with Ableton and a Es-8 working together. I know that’s sorta not the point, as folks enjoy everything being done by their modular, no computer included. I also know that really, any module could be replaced by my laptop with either AU’s or some clever Max Patching. But still, I am intrigued by the 301 and would like to see how the workflow could potentially achieve sounds and experimentation more quickly and creatively than other methods.

I’ll check out the forums though and lurk around. Honestly, that’s usually just what I do before buying the gear, but we’ll see, there’s a lot of other stuff to fit in the rack before the 301.

1 Like
#390

When I first got my 301 I went over the Neil Parfitt videos, in the first one even replicating his exact steps, pausing and rewinding a lot. Soon after I got the teletype, and I realized that I needed to invest time in this combo, so the next couple of month I only used those two modules. They still form the core of my system, and I consider myself rather fluent on both the 301 and the teletype.

Short story: If you’re ready to walk an extra mile and spend quality time with the 301 you’ll be fine!

And I agree you should start to hang out on the forum…

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#391

yes and yes. people are doing crazy stuff with it.

#392

I don’t know about Ableton, but for Bitwig, I would say the 301 seems to be more robust in buffer manipulation. A lot of Neil Parfitt’s videos from the older versions of the firmware are worth watching because they go into this a lot: how to build delays, loopers, samplers, granular processing including a psuedo-reverb, etc.

I learned a fair amount about FM, wavefolding and phase distortion in the course of working with the 301, but I think for synthesis rather than buffer manipulation, the 301 is competent but Bitwig or Ableton have the advantage. And the 301 doesn’t really deal with sequencing, algorithmic/generative stuff etc. much, but that’s where the Monome ecosystem comes in :slight_smile:

#393

It’s hard to figure out what might squeezed out of the 301 that I couldn’t do with Ableton and a Es-8 working together

( Great points from @Starthief above )

Leading on from that, the ER301 is meant to be something you can use away from a laptop - the way you interact with it is entirely different from working with a computer, and that’s what’s appealing to many people. I love that I can set up a scannable harmonic oscillator inside the ER301, patch that through a couple of LPG’s, sequence & trigger them with Kria, and then have that return to my main stereo mix inside the ER301.

Of course you can do exactly the same thing with an ES-8 and ableton, and more - it’s a question of what you value more, ultimate freedom, or freedom to work away from a (traditional)
computer :grin:

1 Like
#394

There are lots of ER-301 videos on my channel. They aren’t really broad overviews, but just specific little projects. Might give you a sense of what you can do and what it’s like to use it.

It does have the limitation that the outputs filter low frequency (CV) signals. I think the potential is there for generative, though. For example check out the awesome collection @mlogger created.

6 Likes
#395

I’d forgotten about that collection, good call :slight_smile:

It does of course do LFOs, envelopes, S&H, and other tools that can create generative music. I found that more satisfying to do with other gear, but it’s all in there. There are no DC-coupled outputs but you can sort of roughly work around that with AM in the 301 and an envelope follower externally. Mostly though, the designer wanted to focus the ER-301 on sound manipulation and synthesis, leaving sequencing and control to other modules.

1 Like
#396

These are all great breakdowns. I am intrigued by the device and will continue to dig in. I think when I move the rack and laptop won’t always be right next to each other. If that happen, the need for something more flexible like this will come much more in handy. This device also seems like it’s EXTREMELY complicated (in a good way :stuck_out_tongue:), so it might be worth waiting till I’ve got more of a foundation under my feet.

Dang though, can’t say it’s not so intriguing.

#397

It’s very deep. There’s as much to learn with the 301 as you care to indulge in. That said, I think there are a lot of things you can jump in and start using to your benefit without too much study time required.

2 Likes
#398

Well, the other two time consuming parts are the amount of work I do in order to afford these things and the delivery time :wink:

But with the additional rack space (and since my rack is in my home office) I will probably go with the Poly2 and a ES-8. Having VCV as a part of the equation will be nice. Probably will order the 301 in two months time, meaning I’ll have a healthy 90 to 120 days to follow the forum and whet my appetite!

2 Likes
#399

I really feel like im only scratching the surface, but being able to reference a buffer that you can actively record into is huge. Seeing @marcus_fischer 's setup with it was inspiring to me. Triggering grains from a buffer being recorded into. I haven’t been able to achieve something like that in ableton, though it certainly may be possible.

My rig was largely based around ableton, and while i didn’t buy it to get away from ableton, i have noticed i have been spending significantly less time in ableton which has been kind of cool. Kinda like i dont feel i need to open up the computer because i have so many options in the ER301.

Also, Pairing with 16N over i2C makes it very playable. I have dedicated channels that serve the same purpose on multiple units i have created.

4 Likes
#400

These are all super helpful comments and ideas. @lanserdj, your experience feels similar to what mine might be, re: stepping away from ableton.

My current rack, which I have shared before looks a bit like this:

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Its a great rig! There’s a lot of fun to be had, but I find myself feeling limited in general sound. The TXo has really helped that, but sometimes I just want something that can track CV easily and take a gate (like any normal VCO), not to mention more function generators, since the JF can be limited.

Plus, I’m on a tear with some retail therapy since work has increased drastically and some personal/familial/health issues have resolved with a resounding positivity! So, I believe THIS potentially where I am headed next:

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Now, my setup would be 16n i2c through Teletype, i2c style generative stuff to the 301, norns and crow, integration of OP1 and preordered Polyend Tracker through Poly2 (not to mention some Ableton/VCV automation) and the ES-8 to allow for VCV and Ableton sounds to come in to the Rack.

Is this a foolishly redundant use of the 301? Part of my desire is to have a rack that can do both generative stuff (which wow, my current rack can GO FOR) as well as more downtempo style electronic techno that is still heavily improvised or performative.

Would the 301 be good for this? Would the Instruo Arbhar conflict with much of the granular options within the 301, making the Morphagene or potentially a 4ms DLD a better choice? Should I have posted this in the EuroRack Questions thread?! Btw, some of the more DIY modules are things that I’ve built but have taken out of my current rack, those are just to fill space and could potentially be removed for further refinement of my new direction.

1 Like
#401

I’m probably a bit biased because I really, really like the ER-301. But I don’t think it would be redundant in your proposed case, or in any case for that matter.

That’s because the purpose it serves in any given patch is very much defined by you. It might be a granular synth today, an FM synth tomorrow, a mixer the next day, and a feedback delay the next. Or any number of other possibilities. Or it might be doing many of those things at once while routing them internally and also recording its own output and that of some other modules too.

If that excites you and you’re willing to spend some time with it, it’s probably a good choice. I’m not sure I’d buy it because you’re comparing it to some other module and hoping to achieve the same function (even though sometimes you can). I’d buy it because you want access to a very flexible DSP playground that integrates tightly with your Eurorack gear.

3 Likes
#402

Man, I really, really DO want what a module that works that way. At first I thought it would be the Zoia EuroBuro, but then the more I look in to the 301, the more I desire it… It sounds like it does so much of what I want it to do.

They say that “if you want to make the universe laugh, make a plan” but if things go the way I would like to this weekend, I’m going to put in a purchase of a new one (8 week lead time be damned!)

@EqualTemperament, if you don’t mind, after I look more at the videos and posts you have over on the OD forum, would you mind I ask some questions?

1 Like
#403

Sure, fire away. If I can answer them I will.

#404

Here’s a 301 question… How is the granular stuff handled? Would it come close to approximating some of what can be done with the Arbhar?