U-he Hardware - CVilization Eurorack Module

[Urs]

Hah! You're exploring things quickly!

[Shabdahbriah]

Select Bus and Gate Bus stuff is also handled via the power cable.

Interesting. That's part of the Doepfer spec, I'm assuming? I know his system 100 stuff (with his case/power supply) does behind the module 'rail related' stuff, but I've not looked into it at all, though I have a dozen or so Doepfer modules, I assumed it was a spec particular/integrated into his specific system.

Gate Bus:
Doepfer's spec says the first two rows of pins are for CV and Gate...

I started with a Doepfer Basic system, when there wasn't much else, and my A-190-1 MIDI>CV converter could control any oscillators and trigger envelopes which were on the same bus board. CVz ignores the CV bus but listens to the Gate Bus, when a Clock Source is set to the color teal.

Select Bus:
At some point people started repurposing the CV and Gate bus pins on Dopefer bus boards for other stuff. If I remember correctly, Mungo was the first company to use the the CV/Gate buses to transmit data between modules. Later Macro Machines, made their Storage Strip module which could be used to initiate save and load functions on compatible modules, remotely (as well as control the Zoom function on Mungo modules). Malekko, WMD, Expert Sleepers and Make Noise (forgive me if I'm forgetting anyone) have since implemented Select Bus support for some of their modules.

In terms of the data being used, Select Bus is basically MIDI for your eurorack modular. In practice, it works more like the preset system in Buchla's 200e series. Only one Select Bus module can be configured to transmit, the rest are receivers. The transmitter module can initiate save and load functions, transmit tempo data, etc. for any receiving modules. I use Expert Sleeper's Select Bus breakout module, so I can send MIDI from my Octatrack to my Select Bus compatible modules but you can also use Make Noise's Rene v2, Malekko's Varigate8 or WMD's Meteron as Select Bus transmitters. There may be others.

Anyway, there is a setting in the CVz configuration file (discussed toward the end of the manual) which allows you to have CVz listen for Select Bus messages, rather than just getting gates from the Gate Bus. With this configuration you can save/load Presets on CVz from a Select Bus transmitter or by sending program change messages to a Select Bus breakout module. With the Select Bus option selected, setting the Clock Sources on CVz to Teal will allow you to sync to MIDI Clock (or the clock of the Select Bus transmitter). It will also listen to MIDI start/stop messages in Modes 2 and 3.

Other stuff:
I think TipTop Audio has used these bus lines for sending audio from their drum modules to some kind of summing/mixer module. I can't remember the details.

Cool, thanks for all this. I went and read Doepfers page on it (as well as the CVilization online manual) right after I posted, and your expansion on that theme helped make sense of it, and Urs response solidified its usefulness/potential. F'ing brilliant to make it work with available modules (Varigate, etc) as well.

[Urs]

Hehehe, thank you!

One could argue, that the whole point of Eurorack modular is, naturally, to make things work with each other. I loved the connection between Varigate 8+ and Voltage Block, but I hadn't known how it works until Justin pointed out the Select Bus protocol.

It's not exactly the best defined standard in the world though. For instance, Make Noise Rene 2 only saves "all presets at once", which CVilization simply can not (CVilization has 1 edit state per Mode, it doesn't have enough RAM to hold 100 presets). Therefore, CVilization can recall presets though Rene, but it can not save them. So I guess we have to add an option to save Select Bus presets to the current program slot to make it work. Not sure how to accomplish that... we'll see...

[vurt]

glad to see foosnark is enjoying his purchase after blaming me and justin for talking him in to it

[foosnark]

glad to see foosnark is enjoying his purchase after blaming me and justin for talking him in to it

Heh I probably would have gone for it after watching more videos.

I'm really happy with it, not just for the basics that I wanted to cover but all kinds of other stuff as well. It seems to encourage experimentation, and has lots of ways to extend a basic CV sequence or two.

Today I was using mode 4 as a complex modulation source (patch positive and negative DC offsets into two inputs, self-patch two outputs to two inputs, and use the autopanners), as a waveshaper (mult an audio signal into an input and the CV, maybe do some self-patching too) and a wicked cool stereo AM (one osc into an input, another into CV, and give it a little more motion with an autopanner).

[vurt]

glad to see foosnark is enjoying his purchase after blaming me and justin for talking him in to it

Heh I probably would have gone for it after watching more videos.

I'm really happy with it, not just for the basics that I wanted to cover but all kinds of other stuff as well. It seems to encourage experimentation, and has lots of ways to extend a basic CV sequence or two.

for sure! as much fun as it is with audio, mixing up sequences and cvs is just the same!!
getting some wild seq runs then a ramp lfo giving a long slide then repeat some runs :synth widdle:

Today I was using mode 4 as a complex modulation source (patch positive and negative DC offsets into two inputs, self-patch two outputs to two inputs, and use the autopanners), as a waveshaper (mult an audio signal into an input and the CV, maybe do some self-patching too) and a wicked cool stereo AM (one osc into an input, another into CV, and give it a little more motion with an autopanner).

ooh that waveshaping sounds like fun!
may have to give that a look!!

thanks for the ideas

[justin3am]

Cleaning up the studio, while preparing to shoot some video.

[pekbro]

So I've been playing with this module for a few days. The module is beautiful, fit and finish is excellent as well as all the DSP functionality. The mucorder is particularly interesting. TBH, at this point, I'm not overly fond of it. While in theory, the color coded UI seems interesting, in practice I don't really like it. Certainly I will get used to it, so it's not much of an issue, but the lack of alpha numerical feedback for me is surprisingly detrimental, and I don't expect that to change.

Anyway, I'm not unhappy about the purchase, I am still thrilled about u-he's entry into hardware and continue to look forward to any new eurorack releases. And I hope that negative feedback is just as appreciated by everyone as positive feedback is.

Bear in mind, my opinion is subjective and very much, YMMV...

[vurt]

is it that its taking more time to get the colour coding in memory? as in its not as immediate for eg 8 for divided by 8? and such?

i find im rarely using the pdf now, the cheat sheet is enough. but i tend to do more by ear than seking a particular scale/division. so maybe thats one ŕeason i dont see it as a problem?

[Urs]

I'm quite certain that we need to show some more practical examples. CVilization can do a lot, but one doesn't have to use it "in every way possible". It is designed to cover a lot of useful bases, and much of that does not require knowing it inside out or memorizing many colours.

[vurt]

I'm quite certain that we need to show some more practical examples. CVilization can do a lot, but one doesn't have to use it "in every way possible". It is designed to cover a lot of useful bases, and much of that does not require knowing it inside out or memorizing many colours.

more videos cant hurt

or even just patch ideas, similar to the make noise manuals? although, i guess thats more difficult as youd be using other companies modules? is that ok with written/images? i know in the videos its obviously using other modules, but i dont know if rules are different?

although i guess you could use generic terms if there is an issue

[Shabdahbriah]

I'm quite certain that we need to show some more practical examples. CVilization can do a lot, but one doesn't have to use it "in every way possible". It is designed to cover a lot of useful bases, and much of that does not require knowing it inside out or memorizing many colours.

more videos cant hurt

or even just patch ideas, similar to the make noise manuals? although, i guess thats more difficult as youd be using other companies modules? is that ok with written/images? i know in the videos its obviously using other modules, but i dont know if rules are different?

although i guess you could use generic terms if there is an issue

Use cases with "other companies modules", is pretty-much a given, in that U-he doesn't make any other modules (at this point), to constitute a 'system' or market share/niche like Make Noise, Pittsburgh Modular, Intellijel, or WMD etc, to use their modules exclusively in presentations. Showing it being used with as many popular (and/or common, and accessible) modules as possible, is at this juncture, an inescapably good thing, as pertains to users incorporating it into their existing or potential (future) system expansion plan.

[vurt]

yup, i know its a given and for sure, would be cool to see it with any other modules for ideas, im just persinally not sure how that is in the business sense?
not saying its bad, just thinking out loud about possible issues? (which of course may not even exist)

[Shabdahbriah]

yup, i know its a given and for sure, would be cool to see it with any other modules for ideas, im just persinally not sure how that is in the business sense?
not saying its bad, just thinking out loud about possible issues? (which of course may not even exist)

Showing anyone's module being used (or even just sitting there in the case) is FREE advertising.

Doubtless you have wondered "Oooo, what's THAT module?"

[vurt]

yup, i know its a given and for sure, would be cool to see it with any other modules for ideas, im just persinally not sure how that is in the business sense?
not saying its bad, just thinking out loud about possible issues? (which of course may not even exist)

Showing anyone's module being used (or even just sitting there in the case) is FREE advertising.

Doubtless you have wondered "Oooo, what's THAT module?"

indeed, i see the benefits of it (even if my wallet disagrees) so hopefully its all fine.
just some companies (in general no one specific in mind) can be a bit possessive about their brand

like i said, just my mind working hard on problems that dont exist
too much time alone with the lockdowns.