KOMA Elektronik has introduced Kassiopeia, a 4-channel DC interface that lets you control motors, solenoids, LEDs, fans, lights and more using MIDI or CV/Gate.
Kassiopeia lets you control motors, solenoids, fans, LEDs and lamps using MIDI or CV/Gate. Each channel can send short triggers, which can be used for things like triggering percussive hits, or continuous voltages, for doing things like controlling motors.
It was developed in collaboration with composer Hildur Guðnadóttir and her band Osmium, incorporating ideas from the modified Halldorophone, used in the Joker soundtrack.
Osmium uses custom robotic string instruments controlled by solenoids, motors, and physical triggers powered by Kassiopeia. The devices rhythmically strike, bow, or vibrate the strings during live performances.
Kassiopeia lets you:
Trigger solenoids to create percussive rhythms on any object.
Control motors and fans to shak, vibrate, or bow strings.
Control lamps and LEDs for an immersive performance.
Build kinetic sound sculptures that interact with the physical world.
Power-starve devices for glitchy, unpredictable results.
Kassiopeia is available now for $369 USD/€298. Compatible DC motors and Solenoids are also available.
Erica Synths has introduced Konstrukt-8, a new DIY modular drum machine.
Each of its eight DIY modules comes with a detailed build guide and can be explored on a breadboard first, letting you trace every circuit design decision before assembling the final instrument.
Features:
Konstrukt-8 includes four fully analog drum voices:
Kick Drum. A resonant bridged-T network produces deep, punchy kicks.
Snare Drum. A burst of filtered transistor noise layered over a tuned resonator creates a crisp snap.
Hi-Hat. Six dissonant square-wave oscillators are mixed, filtered, and overdriven to create metallic percussion.
FM Drum. Two interacting oscillators form a versatile percussion voice capable of kicks, toms, bells, and cymbal-like sounds.
A four-channel drum sequencer lets you tap in rhythms that loop automatically. Under the hood, shift registers store the pattern as a circular sequence of binary data.
All voices feed into a four-channel mixer with per-channel FX sends and a master insert, allowing you to shape the entire beat with external effects or the built-in distortion and compressor.
Two effects modules complete the system: an analog bucket-brigade delay (BBD) with flanger and delay modes, plus a diode-based compressor with sidechain capability.
Erica Synths says that the project is of ‘intermediate’ complexity.
The Konstrukt-8 drum machine is available now as a DIY project, starting at €490 for the full DIY set.
Sitka Instruments let us know that they have open sourced Gravity, their 6-channel Arduino-based clock and trigger sequencer Eurorack module.
Combined with an optional MIDI Expander, Gravity is designed to provide a comprehensive clock solution.
“Gravity started 3 years ago as a hobby project. Back then I didn’t know much about electrical engineering and didn’t have a lot of experience in coding, and it was a huge help and inspiration for me to be able to see how more experienced people do stuff in open source projects. This helped me to learn a lot and get started pretty quickly,” explains developer Oleksiy Hrachov. “I decided that it’s time for me to give back to the community and make Gravity open source.”
By making Gravity open source, Hrachov is encouraging others to make DIY Gravity modules, to build and modify the code to meet their own needs and to use the code as a way of learning more about Arduino module development.
Features:
6 Multi-Mode Channels: Each channel can function as a steady clock, a randomly skipped clock, or a trigger sequencer.
Clock Mode: Divide the master clock down to /128 or multiply it up to x24, perfect for driving sequencers or clocked modulations. Can be offset within a 24ppqn grid to add some movement to your sequences.
Random Skip Mode: Adds rhythmic unpredictability to your patches.
Trigger Sequencer Mode: Program percussive parts with a 16-step xox-style sequencer or live-record sequences by tapping the button. Store patterns in 2 banks with 8 memory slots each
2 CV Inputs: Freely assignable CV inputs (bipolar 5v) for modulating subdivisions, random skip chance, switching sequencer patterns, or even modulating master BPM.
External Clock: Apart from internal clock, Gravity can be synced to other clock sources with 24ppqn or 1/16th note pulses, or MIDI clock (with MIDI expander).
Expansion and Connectivity: Header pins on the back of the module for daisy-chaining and connecting a MIDI expander.
MIDI Expander adds TRS MIDI clock input and output as well as extra x24 pulse output.
