Prototyping Nearness, a minimal panning mixer module

[bmoren]

coming soon!
I’m ordering the first batch of PCB panels today & I’ll post the files once I know that they will work (if you really want them ahead of time, I’m happy to share)
I’ll have 2 extra panels from the first batch and likely some extra complete modules as well.
Very Exciting!

[simondemeule]

I’ve been silently following the topic since it’s beginning and I think it’s a brilliant idea. The panel you and @laborcamp have made is gorgeous. I’d be glad to purchase a panel/module combo from you or even just a panel.

[madeofoak]

just thinking how fun this would be to use with those landscape allflesh connectors

[billyhologram]

coming soon!

Bet those will look great in black and gold!

L/R markings might be helpful in the context of panning, but really, there are two outputs: one, and the other. If they’re left and right, front and back, dry and wet, filter chain and, uh, other filter chain - that’s up to how you patch them. Those are my thoughts; you do you.

just thinking how fun this would be to use with those landscape allflesh connectors

Oh! Looks like they’d fit too: they’re 11 mm wide, and the center-to-center distance between the jacks on Nearness is just over 12 mm (0.475").

[yoyosandshoes]

Fantastic looking! well done to you both and @billyhologram. This is something I’ve been looking for for a while now and have been following this thread in eager anticipation. Super excited

[bmoren]

I added the 3hp black and gold panel version to modular grid for any of you rack planner / tracker type folks out there:

Other/unknown Nearness (black and gold panel)

[bpcmusic]

Short Story

Assembled and tested my 2HP remix of nearness this weekend. Got it up and working quickly; took it on a test drive this evening. My hats off to @billyhologram for creativity, time, and energy to design the module. It is everything I had hoped it would be: a perfect companion for the TXo in oscillator mode.

Here is a quick experiment with the TXo providing the four voices, panning provided by nearness, and a little reverb from the ER-301’s freeverb module. (Please don’t judge the performance; I just wanted to share something with you quickly that showed off the panning. Thus, headphones required.)

–

Long Story

Well, the PCBs for my 2HP remix of nearness beat the nearness PCBs to my workshop - even though I ordered them several days after I ordered the nearness boards. I had planned to only build the 2HP version AFTER building the original version, but decided to move ahead regardless due to the free time I had over the weekend.

The panning section of the remix is identical to the original, just with smaller parts (0603). The two differ in the physical layout of the boards and in the power section. Small differences aside, the modules function identically.

Assembly-wise, the 2HP version is a beast compared to the original. It needs all kinds of jigs and holders in order to keep the various sections within the tolerances of 2HP. Parts are tiny and, in some places, jammed in tight.

–

Here are some photos from this weekend’s build:

This is the back-board of the remix after taking it out of the reflow oven (calling it the TXn - TELEX Nearness for right now):

Brendon Cassidy

The jacks are stuffed in like sardines. The ground leads are bent a little to fit them closer.

Brendon Cassidy

Keeping them straight was a problem due to a twist induced by the bent ground lead, so I laser-cut a little frame to hold them all in alignment while soldering them in:

Brendon Cassidy

Final assembly has the back board floating behind the front one on right angle headers; another laser-cut jig holds the boards in alignment while soldering together - and yet another one holds the jacks .2mm above the front board which helps avoid shorts with the angled headers:

Brendon Cassidy

–

Man - I’m so jazzed to finally have one in my rig. It sounds amazing and is super-intuitive to use. I love it!!

Also, looking forward to the far less stressful build of the original version this week.

For the remix, once I’ve gotten everything organized, I’ll be sharing my files. I’m also considering a run at some point; I’ll post an interest check once I’m ready.

–

Thanks again @billyhologram - this thing is AWESOME!!!

[jnoble]

@bpcmusic

20 characters of want

[billyhologram]

Wild! That looks like it’ll be great for the folks who prefer a 2hp version (that is, everyone except me, haha). You even managed to keep the attenuation jumpers on there.

[burn]

I had a few hours to myself today and knocked out 3 of these beautiful modules.

First off, thanks very much @billyhologram for putting Nearness out into the world. It’s a wonderful exercise in ‘less is more’. I showed it to a friend and she called it ‘an opinionated mixer’ which I think suits it very well. Using 2 chained together is something very special indeed.

Also, thanks to @joshhh for the panel design. The results back from FPE exceeded all my expectations. The quality of the materials and design are excellent. Dare I say it, it feels a lot like a Monome project. The only tiny issue is the black circle print over the outputs is ‘slightly’ off. Some black jack nuts would disguise it completely. Just an FYI for anyone planning on getting some made. It’s well worth it. They feel fantastic.

Total build cost was £60 per unit including the high quality metal panels. Each one took an hour to build. 3hp.

How does it sound? Magical. Everything finds it’s place in the stereo field. Here’s a quick psych demo using mono samples from the ER301 driven over i2c. No gate or CV cables! Needless to say, this is a ‘headphones or don’t bother’ moment.

Incidentally, this demo is sequenced with the Monome Grid, grid ops and Teletype to make a quad algorithmic scale playpen. Thanks very much to @scanner_darkly for making it possible.

Finally, I made 3, but I’m happy to let one go. If anyone wants it, PM me. £60 + postage. Person closest to Liverpool UK can have it. Edit: Sold.

[joshhh]

awesome! did you have the panel made exactly to the design I shared? It looks great! it also feels cool to see it manifested in real life

[bpcmusic]

Your build looks amazing and the demo is wonderful!

Congrats!!!

[burn]

Yes, no changes at all. Really pleased with the results. Thanks!

[burn]

Thanks! Building a set of txi and txo next!

[billyhologram]

Glad to hear the build went well! And yeah, those panels do look fantastic!

Surreal seeing these little things in the wild.

[grey]

I just love this project so much.

[bobbcorr]

Three things:

1. CONGRATULATIONS.
2. Can you share a little more about why chaining two together is “very special indeed”?
3. I’m totally down for buying one if you make more. I can imagine pairing this with a MUTE 4 would be a hoot.

bob

[stripes]

i am in love with that image of 9 jacks squeezed in on a tiny 2hp panel

[jwm]

would definitely be interesting in one of these (in 2 or 3 hp)
paired with a switch, some random pans would be awesome.

[bobbcorr]

This feature request piqued my interest, but perhaps not in the way it intended.

What module or combination of modules could you pair with Nearness to offer the user some control over which audio streams go to which inputs? I suggested MUTE 4: that wouldn’t help you move a signal from a left pan to a right, but it would allow you to select which combination of signals made it to a particular pan location.

Thanks for your thoughts.