KVR Audio

graywolf2004 · Post by **graywolf2004** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 1:06 pm

This is BlueARP prototype mk1 rev2.
A serious progress since previous hand-soldered prototype shown in feb 2017.
Check the video, it is hardware-only performance, BlueARP HW + Korg Radias +Vermona mono lancet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PZmy31UdWs&sns=em

Saukar30 · Post by **Saukar30** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 7:43 am

Looks great! Is there going to be a swing knob/cobtrol implemented?

bronxsound · Post by **bronxsound** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 10:49 am

I think it is a great concept. The software plugin was/is great considering many alternatives in vst world. But this, is a very unique piece of hardware. I am really looking forward how it progresses as I would be up for it assuming the pricing would be approachable. Well done and congratulations on getting up to this stage of development.

Doc Brown · Post by **Doc Brown** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 3:49 pm

Looks awesome!

I'm not familiar with all the planned features for this but I was wondering if this could be used as a step sequencer also?

.jon · Post by **.jon** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 5:04 pm

Doc Brown wrote:Looks awesome!

I'm not familiar with all the planned features for this but I was wondering if this could be used as a step sequencer also?

The plugin certainly can, and afaik it runs the same code. If the interface is well done, having 8 such step sequencers is a very interesting alternative to other compact desktop units.

graywolf2004 · Post by **graywolf2004** » Sun Jan 14, 2018 6:04 pm

Saukar30 wrote:Looks great! Is there going to be a swing knob/cobtrol implemented?

No dedicated hardware knob on the unit itself, but it's accessible via menu.
Second option - you can automate it / assign any knob on your midi keyboard, the same way you do in software.

graywolf2004 · Post by **graywolf2004** » Sun Jan 14, 2018 6:08 pm

bronxsound wrote:I think it is a great concept. The software plugin was/is great considering many alternatives in vst world. But this, is a very unique piece of hardware. I am really looking forward how it progresses as I would be up for it assuming the pricing would be approachable. Well done and congratulations on getting up to this stage of development.

Thank you. Regarding price - I have no numbers yet, but the main thing I'm doing right now is changing the hardware design to make it serially manufacturable. Not the schematic, it's more or less done, but enclosure design and the way it's assembled.

graywolf2004 · Post by **graywolf2004** » Sun Jan 14, 2018 6:09 pm

.jon wrote:
Doc Brown wrote:Looks awesome!

I'm not familiar with all the planned features for this but I was wondering if this could be used as a step sequencer also?
The plugin certainly can, and afaik it runs the same code. If the interface is well done, having 8 such step sequencers is a very interesting alternative to other compact desktop units.

True - the same way as in software - set all steps to 'Fixed' and change 'Scale step' for the steps.

bronxsound · Post by **bronxsound** » Fri Jan 19, 2018 2:59 pm

graywolf2004 wrote: Thank you. Regarding price - I have no numbers yet, but the main thing I'm doing right now is changing the hardware design to make it serially manufacturable. Not the schematic, it's more or less done, but enclosure design and the way it's assembled.

That sounds promising. I guess it has to be quite a challenge. Unless you are going for huge amounts the things turn out to be fairly expensive. From the other hand, I can see how satisfying the whole thing has to be for you. Best of luck my friend and wish you a lot of patience (well I am sure you have it as you reached that far

).

asnor · Post by **asnor** » Sun Feb 11, 2018 4:46 pm

Put me down for one!

graywolf2004 · Post by **graywolf2004** » Sun Feb 25, 2018 3:41 pm

Hi all. While I'm working on hardware design and other stuff, I decided to give out some pics of my current prototype and it's internals. This design is not perfect and it will not go to customers (to expensive to manufacture), but it's a basis for further improvements. Probably the next design I'm working on right now will meet the first customers.

And now, some pics of my long way to the current prorotype.

PCB's I got from China fab (U-shaped PCB is a control board - buttons & LEDs, other is a main board):

1.jpg

Buttons and LED holders, ordered SLA 3d printing (it is pretty expensive, but they are too fine for cheap FDM printing)

2.jpg

Assembled control board

3.jpg

graywolf2004 · Post by **graywolf2004** » Sun Feb 25, 2018 3:45 pm

Assembled main board:

4.jpg

I'm using system-on chip (small blue PCB) with stm32f4 mcu and 1MB SRAM on-board (I need this extra memory for bluearp banks, each one is around 80 kb, 8 instances, 640 kb to store banks alone, 192 kbytes of on-chip RAM are clearly not enough)

graywolf2004 · Post by **graywolf2004** » Sun Feb 25, 2018 3:53 pm

Tried to print the enclosure with cheap FDM technology ... FAIL

5.jpg

All cheap 3d printers have 20x20 cm printing area, this enclosure is bigger, so I had to split it into parts and then guys at 3d printing service glued them together. Didn't work. Too large size drift for ABS plastic and it doesn't look accurate at all.

Better result I got with SLS 3d printing, but it is 5-8x more expensive ... SUCCESS
(it's a relative success - cause it's too expensive for serial manufacturing)

6.jpg

graywolf2004 · Post by **graywolf2004** » Sun Feb 25, 2018 3:57 pm

Finally, some pictures of the assembled unit

7.jpg

8.jpg

9.jpg

phreaque · Post by **phreaque** » Sun Feb 25, 2018 5:36 pm

graywolf2004 wrote:Finally, some pictures of the assembled unit
7.jpg

8.jpg

9.jpg

Oh goodness! How sexy it looks now! Impressive work & efforts master!

Molodetz

BlueARP DM: hardware arpeggiator/sequencer (news & discussion)