Pedalboard: Chainable FX for norns

[Comoving_Observer]

Haha, great, so working perfectly now!

I’m running a Shield, from a shield kit all updated to 210114.

[Cementimental]

Apologies if it’s obvious or already mentioned but is there any way to put norns Tape playback (instead of / as well as audio input) thru Pedalboard?

[21echoes]

Sadly, I’m 99% sure this is not possible on the norns platform – engines are “upstream” of tape playback. I went digging for the exact reference in the docs (i remember a big signal flow graph somewhere), but… yeah I’m pretty sure there’s no way to do this. cc @zebra

[license]

You can probably stream WAV files from the tape directory with SuperCollider. Obviously that wouldn’t use tape or softcut, but it might be functionally the same.

[oscillateur]

@21echoes

Sadly, I’m 99% sure this is not possible on the norns platform – engines are “upstream” of tape playback.

I actually think it’s possible (and I just read the other day someone mentioning that this is how they use norns).

If you go in Parameters/Softcut there is a variable for input tape (after input adc and input engine), which seems to be set to -inf db by default.

[zebra]

but, we don’t loop tape or softcut back to supercollider/engine.

i’ve gone on about this at length. i should have just added the change even though i don’t care for it. still hoping someone wlil PR it for me but it seems unlikely at this point.

qouting myself from here

Norns - can tape playback be routed through engines? [SOLVED]

thanks for spotting this, will get it in the param update

@zebra

Of course we could add these, it is not a technical challenge in itself, but my gut reaction re:usability and efficiency is that once we start adding routes with feedback it starts to seem a bit much. I would want to have controls to completely disable the processing of routes instead of just modulating their levels. I’m not categorically opposed to those features but am not motivated to pursue them, especially when UI plumbing is considered.

So yeah, consider just doing more in SC. Norns tape functionality is extremely simple, and it is only placed at the end of the chain to facilitate capturing stuff.

In particular, I think engines that are just a simple live effect (like Greyhole) would benefit from having a built-in facility to stream from disk in parallel with the ADC input (or to load a whole file to RAM buffer and play from there.) I’d be happy to create a couple simple abstractions / engine utilities in SC to facilitate this. We’re presently overhauling some of the SC Engine stuff and preparing better documentation for it, so maybe that will help things along.

i would still be happy to provide SC abstractions for putting TAPE-like functionality (better!) in your engines directly.

[21echoes]

@oscillateur

I actually think it’s possible (and I just read the other day someone mentioning that this is how they use norns).

If you go in Parameters/Softcut there is a variable for input tape (after input adc and input engine), which seems to be set to -inf db by default.

that’s making Tape available as an input into Softcut, but the Engine system is separate from Softcut, and Tape is not available as an input into the Engines system

@zebra

but, we don’t loop tape or softcut back to supercollider/engine.

i’ve gone on about this at length. i should have just added the change even though i don’t care for it. still hoping someone wlil PR it for me but it seems unlikely at this point.

No worries! Apologies I couldn’t find this in the threads / in the official norns docs quickly I think it’d be cool to do, but it’s definitely not something I’m up in arms about or anything agreed with the concerns you’ve laid out in that initial post

[zebra]

i’ll just add it. my main problem is that mix routes aren’t without cost on norns - they aren’t ad-hoc patch cables, they are permanent fixtures. every time we add a route it takes a little bite out of crone CPU budget.

my second issue is just adding more menu-diving controls - it’s a bad form UI factor for a complex feedback mixer.

finally, i’d be more enthusiastic about this if we put the work in to make TAPE a little more polished - envelopes, looping, pause etc.

[oscillateur]

Ah, I see. I got confused between the files generated by the tapes (when the recording ends) and the tape actually running itself. Thanks for the clear explanations, both of you.

[renegog]

@zebra

@zebra

In particular, I think engines that are just a simple live effect (like Greyhole) would benefit from having a built-in facility to stream from disk in parallel with the ADC input (or to load a whole file to RAM buffer and play from there.) I’d be happy to create a couple simple abstractions / engine utilities in SC to facilitate this. We’re presently overhauling some of the SC Engine stuff and preparing better documentation for it, so maybe that will help things along.

i would still be happy to provide SC abstractions for putting TAPE-like functionality (better!) in your engines directly.

this seems like a really elegant solution! it might add to the menu diving within a specific script when pursuing a specific purpose, but it wouldn’t impact the more general experience of the tape as it exists. you could record something to tape and then simply play it back through pedalboard (or greyhole, or delayyyyyy or what have you) and then record it to a new slice of tape! it seems like there would be no difference between this and the ability to play the tape through pedalboard from a users perspective, seems like a win win if i understand correctly…

[21echoes]

Beads isn’t yet open-sourced. Once the code is released we can look into compiling a supercollider synthdef for it, then use that in Pedalboard

[Gordon_Strange]

Hello.

I installed this today and was wondering if someone could explain why resonator and granular are unavailable to select.

Many thanks

[21echoes]

Assuming you installed the latest version, selecting them should send you through the install flow, which ends with a reboot, and after reboot they should be selectable.

Pedalboard: Chainable FX for norns

Version 1.5.0 (f3a934c) now available! Should be available in Maiden’s project manager when your norns is on WiFi, or if you want a direct download: ZIP File This release does nothing for everyone who was already on v1.4.2 and has manually installed dependencies for the Mutable Instruments-based effects (Resonator and Granular). What it does do is: for all newcomers (or those of you who haven’t installed the dependencies yet), Pedalboard can now install the dependencies for those two pedals fo…

[Gordon_Strange]

Ah OK. That seems to be downloading it now.

Many thanks.

[delineator]

Looking forward to trying out Pedalboard with a new electric fretless bass I’ve got arriving later today!

I don’t have a guitar amp.

So I’ll try plugging bass (with passive pickups) directly into my norns shield. That should be ok right?

I’ll also try plugging bass into my audio interface first, then monitor output into norns. Then norns output back into audio interface. Might be good for recording dry and wet signals on different tracks in a DAW.

[oscillateur]

A passive bass will need some kind of preamp for Norns. You might have something that does that already (pedals/etc.) maybe ?

[delineator]

Yes, I have a Scarlett 18i8 audio interface which has mic preamps. Looks like my plan for a lighter setup goes out the window!

[21echoes]

Pedalboard has a global input gain that can boost your input enough to work out (up to +20 dB). The downside is it’s digital gain, so you’ll get some digital noise. Try it out, though, it may be good enough for your use case! Otherwise I use a small clean boost pedal before going into norns (Seven Sisters Lily Boost - Red Witch Pedals is tiny, pretty flat EQ, and rechargeable)

[delineator]

@21echoes

Otherwise I use a small clean boost pedal before going into norns

Thanks. I’ll give my current setup a try first.

Was thinking my next G.A.S. purchase might be an EBow or Aeon string sustainer.

[21echoes]

Version 2.3.0 (3385b40) is now live. Available in Maiden (sometimes it takes a few minutes to show up) or as a ZIP file

The big change: Crowify! Now you can map Crow’s inputs to Pedalboard params. Use the params page to choose which params are controlled by which Crow input, along with some other fiddly things about how the mapping works