#738

I like it a lot. I’m not an expert in audio interfaces, but I haven’t had any latency or audio quality issues. Things work well enough that VCV Rack and Ableton CV tools feel like a part of my physical system. It’s a true hybrid.

2 Likes
#739

Thanks!

Have you felt any need for the midi breakout module?

#740

No, I haven’t…but I only have one piece of equipment that only communicates with MIDI DIN…so I don’t think I’m the user.

Plus, I prefer my clocks to be unsynchronized.

To quote @zebra who was probably quoting someone else, and I’m probably paraphrasing anyway, “I prefer to live in a clockless universe.” Or something.

the tyranny of midi

8 Likes
#741

My discovery last night was in using the CV out from Morphagene into the Zone input on Mimeophon, with both skew and ping-pong modes activated. Mimeophon is clocked to the master clock from Tempi, and Morphagene clocked to the gate out on Mimeophon. This creates some really interesting rhythmic movement for percussive sounds - which was in this case a self-modulated Sisters running through an LxD for a surprisingly realistic drum sound. This was triggered from a straight division of the master clock but with the delay creates a complex rhythm that sounds quite similar to a drum circle/tribal drums, with rolls as it moves into smaller zones, and really interesting overlaps in higher zones.

Sounds like this (jump to about 5:30 for the effect I’m talking about):

14 Likes
#742

I’ve been thinking lately about the East Coast aspect of the 0-Coast, which is really just the Contour. MN have justified the lack of filter by saying that circuit is actually the most defining part of the East Coast style.

I’ve been multing the Contour to cutoff and VCA on my Ripples in 4-Pole mode. I’m kind of surprised at how “fat” and “Moog-y” the result sounds, noticeably more so than putting together an envelope from Stages. I hadn’t really thought too much about the sound of an envelope, but it really is a special one.

Anyway long story short it led me to buy a standalone Contour module because I realized this envelope is just so juicy.

11 Likes
#743

On last Office Hours translation Walker demonstrated Contour benefits as a filter envelope for QMMG. Sounds fantastic.

#744

I’ve also got a Contour and completely agree. I was just after another solid, immediate envelope and so picked one up relatively cheap second hand, not expecting much, but wow this thing makes it into most of my patches now.

1 Like
#745

I have a Contour and an old-school MMG and they make a very good pairing, especially on percussive sounds.

#746

Contour is a fine circuit, but this is drifting into mythologizing something that is pretty concrete. Someone else on MW was recently waxing about how much more satisfying the envelopes were from his Cwejman ADSR. That may be anecdotally true under that person’s particular circumstances (or it may be the Cwejman reality-distortion-field at work). There’s plenty of room for nuance in analog ADSR designs, but it’s almost entirely in the particular expo/log curvatures,̶ ̶w̶h̶i̶c̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶M̶o̶o̶g̶ ̶A̶D̶S̶D̶s̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶’̶t̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶—̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶l̶i̶n̶e̶a̶r̶.̶ The Moogiest thing about the (Minimoog) ADSRs was their retriggering response (scroll down), so the fatness had a lot more to do with the VCA, VCO mixing, circuit saturation, and—of course—that transistor ladder filter. One of the nice things about the Contour is the continuously variable curvature, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that was making the difference for you. In the end, an envelope is an envelope. With the aid of a scope, you might be able to perfectly recreate a Contour envelope you like with your Stages. It would just be tweaky. And the immediacy of Contour over Stages is unquestionably an asset (in my opinion).

Later correction to the above: I had it backwards. The old Moog ADSRs (at least in the MiniMoog) were exponential (not adjustable), and the VCAs were linear.

11 Likes
#747

that makes total sense! it makes such a dramatic difference to the feel of the envelope.

#748

NB: I just had to correct myself (above)

#749

So, some time has passed since 0-CTRL got released into the wild. Apart from being an 0-Coast companion, how are current owners enjoying it? I ask because I can’t figure out if pressure points or O-CTRL would be a better investment to get some touch points/gates into my system. But I’m all out of case. :grimacing:

#750

I love the 0 Ctrl but it suffers from the same problem that got me into modular - I want it all in one place. I always think I’m going to fit these semi modulars: the 0 Coast, the Ctrl, the Koma Field kits into my patching but when the modular is on its like I forget everything else. It’s an amazing device, very much worth it, AND I wish I hadn’t put Pressure Points in the closet.

Depends how you work, though! I very highly recommend 0 Ctrl for these purposes to anyone less myopic than I

3 Likes
#751

I totally get what you’re saying. It’s easy to lose focus on things outside of the case (and you have to get the longer patch cables out lol).

That being said, (disclaimer, I don’t own the 0-CTRL yet but am definitely planning on getting one in the near future), it is very valuable to have something like touch plates and sequencing outside of the case. There’s so much you can add to your setup with an extra 20hp. Plus the closest you get to a 0-CTRL in a case would be 2 Pressure Points and a Brains which is 44hp. Just food for thought.

Would love to hear more peoples’ experiences with the 0-CTRL as well! I very much look forward to getting one :upside_down_face:

3 Likes
#752

I’ve had one since MN first shipped it. I love it. It’s basically like having half of a Serge TKB at 1/4 the price. I have a 7U MN case which I enjoy, but the 0-CTRL got me playing the 0-Coast more and more to the point that it’s actually one of my favorite synths and more often than not I’m using the 0-CTRL + 0-Coast with my satellite 4ms Pods and MN Skiff.

Obvious and less obvious benefits are an extra envelope, using it as an oscillator (patching the square out from 0-Coast into Clock), using it with a Korg SQ-1 to get irregular yet synchronized rhythms. I’ve also used it as an envelope generator (via Start/Stop/Reset). As a sequencer it’s even more powerful when paired with another sequencer that has some form of stage selection (like the Random*Source Serge Seq8 XL). I find myself playing with Strength and Time knobs on many patches.

But I’ve never felt the need to have a sequencer or touch interface in my case. The 0-CTRL suits my setup where I might be using it with other modulars (Korg 2600, and very soon a Hordijk) and composing via Logic Pro (can record clock signals for reuse via ES-9 etc.)

8 Likes
#753

I find 0-Ctrl is 100% reliable as a touch controller, where Pressure Points gave me a lot of grief for having dry skin.

I had some personal creative struggle with 0-Ctrl at first (trying to begin the process with a short sequenced bit just doesn’t work for me, but it seems I had to get that out of my system) but now it’s a very happy part of my studio. I don’t use it in every recording, but it’s pretty frequent, if only to transpose a couple of oscillators or act as a sort of “preset selector.” Sometimes its hybrid controller/sequencer nature is really fun, like setting it up as a pressure-controlled LFO or making notes trill as their envelope is in its release stage.

With Lyra-8, 0-Ctrl, Planar 2, Sweet Sixteen and as of today a Microfreak, I feel like I have a very nice set of hands-on instruments and controllers :slight_smile:

While I was waiting for it to ship, I had some ideas about pairing it with my SQ-1. (E.g. using a sequence of a different length to control the 0-Ctrl’s Time, for a sort of meta-polymetric thing that and I really should try someday…) But the SQ-1’s been sitting in a drawer ever since then.

4 Likes
#754

Is it possible to use the pressure output of the 0-Ctrl independently from the sequencer? Or would pressing a pad always influence the sequence in some way?

#755

Yes, you can toggle whether or not touching a plate will change stages,.

1 Like
#756

0-Ctrl is more like a set of tools that can complement any process than a standard sequencer. It has a wide range of touch sensitivity for fm index and timbre manipulation. And having time modulation as well as clock in and out, you can manipulate rhythmic material easily.

Like with Rene 1, in 0-Ctrl each constituent part is modular. That makes it fun. Frankly I’m not a big fan of kitchen sink modular sequencers because they are not really modular (no true multitempo, just divisions of master clock for instance, cv input lacking), and yet they completely dominate workflow and for me at least remain inferior for composing harmonic development to an actual keyboard. USTA with cv record is getting near the ballpark for me, but not quite there yet. That’s just my opinion. So I kind of prefer the 0-Ctrl approach that doesn’t get in the way, for the moment.

I like ergonomics of touch-plates or sequencer separate from case, and since 0-Ctrl is thinner than a skiff, it can go pretty much anywhere, or sit on top of a keyboard. You don’t have to hunch over it like a mouse eating cheese.

10 Likes
#757

anyone know when the tape and microsound skiff (or the majority of its modules) will be available again! i thought i was out of euro in favor of bananas but i love each of those modules and am feeling the pull. @walker perhaps??

1 Like