#209

I recently converted my stage sinto the ouroboros harmonic oscillator mode. Now I have a quandary.
I love having a harmonic oscillator.
I also really liked having all of the things Stages does.
So, do I get another Stages?
Do I bite the bullet and get a Verbos Harmonic Oscillator? (Are there alternatives?)
Or is there anything like Stages out there that I should consider?
Use it for AD envelopes, LFOS, maybe a more complex envelope, and occasionally SH.

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#211

Regarding the harmonic oscillator question, the Verbos HO could be replaced by a Stages + a RxMx. This setup has an upside and a downside in my view since Stages has multiple waveforms even for the partials and the Verbos only has sines, yet the Verbos has more partials (8 I believe?) and is a contained unit. Also, the RxMx works slightly differently from the scanning mixer in the HO, which may or may not be helpful in your case. Oh, and you get a strike input with the RxMx which is quite a lot of fun.

I’ve been thinking for a long time about whether to buy the HO or a second Stages or even both but space constraints kind of saved me from that decision for the time being.

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#212

Here’s the first thing i did with it. Maybe the subtleties are lost in the mix?
I like it is a pretty playable oscillator.

#213

Yeah, space and money are good restrictions for this kind of decision making. Definitely no room for an RxMx. Until I buy another case…

With Stages you can do a pluck/strike on each partial.

#214

There is actually an alternate firmware for Stages that allows you to turn on the harmonic oscillator by holding any of the buttons for 5 seconds, I’ve got it on mine and it’s really nice since it’s not a hard choice whether you want envelopes or an osc. It should be somewhere on the mutable forums.

edit: Here it is: https://forum.mutable-instruments.net/t/stages/13643/130

Beware though, it was only tested on a single, unchained Stages so I don’t know how it interacts with chained units.

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#215

I’ve installed the variant of Stages firmware that has the harmonic oscillator switch and also slower LFO rates.

…but there’s a “scanning harmonic oscillator” custom unit for the ER-301, which I like a lot. It’s relatively simple, but I’ve made a simpler version that removes the “scanning” part and puts the levels of each of the 8 partials under manual 16n Faderbank control.

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#216

I’m afraid of the ER-301!

#217

I will have to try this.
The harmonic oscillator is dying for lots of envelopes though. If only Stages could self-replicate!

#218

Afraid in what way? I think ER-301 is actually easier to work with (though not simpler) than a Disting. :smiley: I don’t want to derail too much, but the interface is really well designed, and you don’t have to learn to code to get tons out of it.

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#219

Maybe the size and price? But probably the idea of learning one more thing!

That is one reason I am leaning towards another Stages. I already have a grasp on the basics.

#220

The size and price are definitely significant. It made sense to me since I replaced 8 modules and a pedal with it, and was the impetus for consolidating my system into something that works better for me. But yeah, it’s not a small pricetag and it’s probably not something everyone would love. :slight_smile:

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#221

Have you considered Just Friends in lieu of a second Stages? They play incredibly well together.

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#222

Can you say more about how you use them together?

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#223

Finally got around to messing with the Harmonic Osc Easter Egg. LOVE IT paired with Tides, Batumi and Marbles. I wish I didn’t have to unscrew it and mess with the cable every time I want to switch modes. I’m thinking just soldering the three wires to a toggle switch so I can flip between modes. Anyone know of any 1u or 1hp DIY solutions?

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#224

joeSeggiola over on the stages MW thread was kind enough to compile a firmware update of stages which allows you to switch with a long button press

https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=198455&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=750

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#225

OH! Well damn, this changes everything. Now, I just need to make room for a second Stages! :slight_smile:

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#226

Do you use Just Friends as the sound source?
It is an intriguing idea.

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#227

or the other way around :slight_smile:

#228

I think my favorite way to use it is with Stages as the sound source and JF got envelopes to control the volume of each of Stages’ voices. You can get some really cool polyrhythmic patterns going on that way. Pretty positive that’s what I was doing to create the rhythmic chords in this patch:

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#229

I had missed that completely. Thanks for the heads up!

Pulling Stages in and out of the rack to switch it around wasn’t ever going to fly for me. But a 5 second button press I can manage.

Drone heaven…

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