CV Overhaul

While I was investigating MIDI Page Q-link mapping bug, I found that CV side of things will most likely receive it's overhaul.
The directory for CV page was renamed to "Legacy CV" and was replaced by another CV directory. Inside of it apart of normal stuff such as q-link mappings and Touch Interface Layout script, there is a directory with image components of that new page and it looks like CV will get:

set of it own utilities - bg_utilities


some sort of matrix - bg_matrix


4x envelopes / 4x lfos - bg_env bg_lfo


its own sequencer - bg_stepper


assignable routing - bg_routing

as someone who own a couple of modules and who apart of breaking music equipments, since a good couple of years make his own modules / study electronic design, I think it's a fantastic news and if it comes to fruition I won't say a bad thing towards Akai for next month or two...
Unfortunately MPC app still points to an old legacy directory so in order to check how does it look like IRL i need to swap both directories. Problem is that I'm having a seizure rn and for some reason I can't remount the partition for writing
Where is Ultros when you need him
by the time you see it, my brain most likely will calm itself down and figure it out but just in case:
"mount remount -o rw / ---> special device remount does not exist "

dont you need the partition identifier ? /dev…

and i would do -o remount,rw

This is awesome -- I use CV a lot with MPC and I find it very reliable but also a bit rough in the implementation compared to some other parts of the MPC. I'm looking forward to using this.

Anyone know if the MPC inputs/outputs are DC coupled? If they are or assuming it's plugged into a DC coupled interface, would we be able to sample and play back CV?

chilom wrote:dont you need the partition identifier ? /dev…

shiiit... you're my hero !!! told you I was having a seizure... forgot comma lololol
don't need identifier and mount -o remount,rw / will work without problems. There is one small issue I'm facing rn , check it there:
https://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=218271&start=15#p1884909

Oscar South wrote:This is awesome -- I use CV a lot with MPC and I find it very reliable but also a bit rough in the implementation compared to some other parts of the MPC. I'm looking forward to using this.

Anyone know if the MPC inputs/outputs are DC coupled? If they are or assuming it's plugged into a DC coupled interface, would we be able to sample and play back CV?

They're not afaik

thank @chilom for setting my brain straight
btw. forgot to mention in the video that envelopes have an additional "delay" parameter at the beginning of each envelope so the trigger can be delayed by certain time (steps ?) offset.
here you have it guys:

I wonder if the CV outputs are still driven by a 240 Hz interrupt, as I concluded from my experiments recording the Force's output viewtopic.php?p=1852207#p1852207

dustyslices wrote:thank @chilom for setting my brain straight
btw. forgot to mention in the video that envelopes have an additional "delay" parameter at the beginning of each envelope so the trigger can be delayed by certain time (steps ?) offset.
here you have it guys:

you're welcome. Thanks for digging the mpc internals

HouseWithoutMouse wrote:I wonder if the CV outputs are still driven by a 240 Hz interrupt, as I concluded from my experiments recording the Force's output viewtopic.php?p=1852207#p1852207

Daaamn son... that went deep
no time at hand to make it more scientific than that but I'll quickly check in a sec how does it look like on MPCs.
I guess the results will be completely different when CV will get their own sequencer.

EDIT:

What I tested was: I recorded the gate (CV) output of a steady 100% quantized note pulse played by Akai Force, as audio into a computer audio interface, into a WAV file, and then I wrote a Python program which reads the WAV file and calculates the time differences between consecutive notes. The timings of the Force's CV output are very clearly quantized, with the time quantum being a little over 4 milliseconds, corresponding to a 240 Hz quantization rate. Similarly, I recorded MIDI signals as audio, in order to compare the MIDI timing jitter of various sequencers/devices, and you can see the results in the thread I linked.

Why this might mean something is, if you're using the Force or MPC to gate-trigger analog devices, the note-onset times will have a _minimum_ jitter of a little over 4 milliseconds. This is not an exceptionally good jitter figure for particularly drums. But I've heard from modular synth experts that it's not unheard of for modular sequencers to have bad jitter characteristics, so compared to horrible crap, the MPC/Force might actually seem good. Even though using USB MIDI or plain old MIDI would give better accuracy. If your device can accept both MIDI and CV, it will be better to use MIDI, if you want accurate timing. Use the MPC/Force's CV output if it gives you extra analog magic vibes, or if the target device doesn't have MIDI input.

I'll have to hook up the Force to an oscilloscope and see if I can find out a way to show if, where and how the jitter can be seen there.

yeah there are crappy modules but there are sub $100 ones as well with 50 microseconds jitter (endorphines) but most of them have HW generated clocks.
As for the oscilloscope, most of the non analogue ones can capture data and save it as .csv file so it just a matter of good prompt that will ask chat gpt politely to plot the jitter for you or simply write the data in a separate file

shiit...back on topic

Keygroups as well
Two global LFOs, some sort of matrix, Two filters with routing(?), embedded three mode Unison (classic/linear/parabollic), Harmonizer, some sort of randomization, amp/filter/pitch/aux envelopes, note counter and last but not least Keygroup Stacking with most probably blend functionality as there is a blend slider as well.

This is really cool, thanks for digging.

I have the Pittsburgh Taiga and the Behringer Edge, being semi modular and having their own Midi I haven't really bothered with CV to control externally. The Taiga is a really interesting synth, with lots of unique options compared to most analog (real and modelled), but the envelopes for me are it's weak point. They are just so damn long (I'm looking to replace 2 SMD Capacitors that should shorten the time scale) and with so many options available it would really benefit from more envelopes. There is only one LFO (Although you can use an OSC as an LFO) and it doesn't have sync. I had thought about getting a pair of Envelopes, and seeing if I could power them off the Taiga's bus and not get an additional supply.

But knowing this option is coming I can just hold off researching and spending. (Although I still want to change those capacitors). The modular world has really exploded, but for me most modular music where they only depend on modular is a bit meh, with little pleepy phrases and patterns, and adding modular drums starts costing and arm and leg ! I think anyone not looking at modular should really consider the MPC and a sequencers drum machine and effects processor/mixer, then starting that journey they can focus on getting sound modules that really do cool some stuff. Now adding envelopes and LFOs to the MPC makes starting that process so much easier.

Sometimes I just sit and look at her