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Soundmondo-app, transmission of user patterns?

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Soundmondo-App: Are user-recorded patterns transmitted with the performance data? For example additional self-created drum-styles, bass lines or something like that?

 
Posted : 25/03/2020 8:48 am
Bad Mister
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Soundmondo-App: Are user-recorded patterns transmitted with the performance data? For example additional self-created drum-styles, bass lines or something like that?

No. The app simply transmits and receive just the Performance, not anything you’ve played. Recorded Patterns and Songs can be exported via what is called a Standard Midi File (.mid format)

 
Posted : 25/03/2020 9:52 am
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OK. Thank you, Bad Mister, for the quick answer. I had in mind to export a user-arpeggio (that once was a midi snippet). But there seems to be no possibility to save it alone without a complete backup of the instrument.

 
Posted : 25/03/2020 2:50 pm
Bad Mister
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Correct. Self created drum grooves, bass lines or anything you can make into an Arpeggio are MIDI data... their association with a Performance or a Part is only temporary — they are not, technically speaking, apart of the Performance or the Part — they can be assigned to any Performance Part — you can export them as Standard MIDI Files (.mid) using the same data you used to create/import them into the MODX as Arpeggios.

Where did you want to export the data?

Personal user created data such as Arps, Motion Seqs, etc. are in your instrument’s memory... when you export data to Soundmondo or MODX CONNECT, the “pointers” to your data are apart of the Performance data. So when restored to your instrument they will find your personal data.

If you are looking to share an Arp with others, simply share the .mid file you used to make it.

 
Posted : 25/03/2020 3:53 pm
Jason
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Right - the only non-factory data Soundmondo deals with are your Performance's settings. What falls off the plate of (some) Performances would be non-factory ARPs, non-factory Waveforms (samples), non-factory Curves (if used in Mod/Control source->destination matrix), non-factory Pulses (if used in Motion Sequence), non-factory microtunings, system settings. I may have missed something.

I can understand why Waveforms may not be a good fit for Soundmondo. It's (likely) lots of data, it's possibly copyright infringement if shared, and there really isn't currently a user-provided method for just transferring waveform data that I'm aware of (not over the USB connection to a PC or iOS device). Thankfully, this isn't affecting your request.

For the other items (user) - ARPs, Curves, Pulses, and Microtunings - I'm not sure why more work hasn't been invested in providing the "hooks" to transfer these with Soundmondo. Currently, I'm not sure there's a MIDI-over-USB set of "registers" to provide this data. And this is what limits the current system from retrieving this data from MODX. But I believe the firmware as it stands today and PC/iOS-side software as it stands today just doesn't transfer this data.

Unlike Waveforms - none of these areas (ARPs, Curves, Pulses, Microtunings) represent the possibility of "big data" (lots of data) and less of a chance of copyright infringement. Although the chance or concern over defining ARPs, Curves, Pulses, and Microtunings as intellectual property for commercial sets may be a sticky point for ever seeing this as a feature.

Note that there isn't an ideascale item for Soundmondo to add transfer of Arps. There is one idea for Soundmondo to add Waveforms. But not the other user data (curves, pulses, microtuning, and arps).

 
Posted : 25/03/2020 7:16 pm
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Maybe, I initiated some reflections about enhancing soundmondo's possibilities. Evolution is the key for surviving, not only in nature.

My "problem" is not a big issue, of course. But I loved the accompaniment function the MOTIF offers, and I used it in duo gigs with a trumpet player/singer. And the MODX offers so much more! It seems to be the most neglected feature. MODX's big advantage is that it does not sound like an arranger keyboard, and, deliberately programmed, the accompaniment has some occational "flaws" that make it less synthetic and more human-like.
I shared one performance, the "Gipsy Jazz", and it got some "favourited" tags. Maybe, there is a "market" for something like this, don't know. I also programmed three variations of New-Orleans-grooves, that are a lot of fun to play and are definitely liked by our audience in the duo gigs I mentioned. But with this, I use self-programmed drum patterns that are not part of the MODX arpeggios. Unfortunately, I didn't save them as MIDI-files. In these performances I also puzzled out banjo-tracks from guitar arpeggios (built-in) that do sound like a not-so-experienced banjo player -- great fun. There is a field of possibilities that deserves to be explored.

By the way -- is it planned to add some comment function to the soundmondo app? How come the scores? The forum here is great, but a bit too indirect to my opinion, and not so easy to find.

Cheers!
Peter

 
Posted : 26/03/2020 9:54 am
Bad Mister
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I shared one performance, the "Gipsy Jazz", and it got some "favourited" tags. Maybe, there is a "market" for something like this, don't know. I also programmed three variations of New-Orleans-grooves, that are a lot of fun to play and are definitely liked by our audience in the duo gigs I mentioned. But with this, I use self-programmed drum patterns that are not part of the MODX arpeggios. Unfortunately, I didn't save them as MIDI-files. In these performances I also puzzled out banjo-tracks from guitar arpeggios (built-in) that do sound like a not-so-experienced banjo player -- great fun. There is a field of possibilities that deserves to be explored.

Excellent. Good to hear that you are using the accompaniment-like features. The fact that there might be ‘a market’ for something like you point out, should/could, perhaps spur you into creating a cottage business of your own.

Not saving your self-programmed drum patterns as MIDI Files should not present a problem. You can do so after-the-fact!
Drum Arps are typically converted to Arps using the FIXED Note Convert Type. This means if you transfer them back to a MODX Pattern Scene, you can simply tap the box to “Save as .mid”

The new Pattern function will print the active Arp data as events on the associated Track. Here’s how:
Call up a Drum Kit (any drum kit)
Assign your custom Drum Arp
Press the Record button and select a blank Pattern
Set the Length to match the Length of the Drum Arp
Set “Key On Start” = On
Set “Loop” = Off

This will allow the Arp Rec to be started by touching a Key and ended automatically when the Length is reached.
The event data is now printed to the Track
Touch the “Edit/Job” box
Tap “Save as .mid”
This will allow you to put the file on a USB stick.

You can now ‘share’ your data by sharing the .mid file (not on Soundmondo however, but via email, download or other method). The concept was to share the *essential* concept of what you programmed... if you are creating your own Arps, your own custom Curves Types, and Patterns, etc., etc — you might consider going into business. While everyone seems to understand why Waveforms are not shared (the amount of work that goes into the creation of the data, and the prohibitive size that they can involve, make this impractical at this time in human history.

Anybody remember bulk dumping audio samples? You could back in the day... TG500 (the rack mount SY85) and the RM50 (rack mount drum unit)... ha! The rack units didn’t have a floppy drive, USB? wasn’t a term in the musicians vocabulary. Back in those days, you were used to hitting execute and waiting. It took like 8 minutes to move 1MB of sampled audio data via MIDI bulk. This was barely practical because most drum sounds were only a couple hundred KB maximum. Anybody remember dial-up modems? 2400 baud? Yikes!

Just FYI... Standard Midi Files (.mid) has been the method to share this kind of MIDI event data since 1983. And the problem is not just speed...
It is because this event data is, technically speaking, not apart of the Program that uses it. It’s small enough to deal with in most instances. Any/all programs have access to this data — this is what allows you to “mix and match” different arps with different programs. The Arp Phrases all remain in the instrument’s ARP Folder, each identified by its location. To associate it with Any program you simply *reference* (point to) its location. Imagine if you had to export it with each program that potentially could use it.

Adding the load of everything/anything you might play along with the instrument parameters is a huge burden (it’s simple to say ‘put it up on IdeaScale’) but in reality, not really practical. Pattern, Songs, Arp share real-time as a thing, they also share, thankfully, the ability to be used with any/every Program.

I’m not saying it’s not possible, just not practical based on how most folks want to use Arps, Patterns, Songs... and I’m not aware of anything that bulk dumps .mid file information. It is usually kept separate from the instrument data expressly because of the way it is used. As you noted it is not a big problem...

Your drum groove, stored as a separate Arp, can be used with any Drum Kit you desire, because you pick the Kit from *this* list and you pick the Arp from *that* list.
Never say never, but “that’s how gravity works on this planet” as my science teacher used to say!

By the way -- is it planned to add some comment function to the soundmondo app?

I may be missing the point here, but you can create a description of your upload (highly, highly recommended) you can even post links to your personal SoundCloud page or to your YouTube page, etc. where you can show and tell others how to play your creation. If you want to giveaway your Arps, for example, post a Dropbox link (or something similar with your SoundCloud or YouTube channel) .. and post the .mid file — it’s a universal format.

And anyone wishing to comment on your Soundmondo post can simply repost it (under their own name) with their own comments (hopefully constructive comments). Hopefully, they will give you, the original author, some credit and explaining what they added to your creation.
These are some of the under-utilized features of Soundmondo imho.

Thanks for your comments and for sharing how you actually use the instrument and on the Soundmondo experiment. I can tell you that sharing how you use the instrument is very important information for those on this end.

Believe it or not, complaints about what it does NOT do, and what it SHOULD do, run the gamut from very useful to the completely ridiculous and everything in between. (Sometimes you simply can’t defy gravity, easily). But we can glean more from actual cases of what you do use — than we can from most ‘wishlists‘.

Stay safe! And thanks again!

 
Posted : 26/03/2020 12:47 pm
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Wow. That is what I would call a detailed answer. Thank you very much, Phil.
I‘ll try to go through that process. Soundcloud, Youtube channel, dropbox, personal webspace are installed but reprehensible abandoned. At the moment, we are quasi confined at home due to covid-19 hysterics. No playing, all concerts cancelled. Time to diving inward this amazing synth. Preferably with some good Italian red wine or Proseccho.

Salute!

 
Posted : 26/03/2020 10:45 pm
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