Hello everyone! For people who didn’t watch till the end: I really enjoyed exploring and using Droid, let me know in the comments if you like me to dive more into it on this channel in the future! In the meantime, you can download DROID Forge and find more info on: Website: shop.dermannmitdermaschine.de/pages/downloads Discord: discord.com/invite/9TUcRmH
Hi Monotrail, Personally, I've really appreciated your videos that explain specific functions in modular synths exemplified by a particular module you have yourself or are demoing patched in different ways. This has meant that I have learnt something I can try out with my own modules and/or pick up second hand options that show up in my area without it being the specific module you are demoing. Although it seems interesting, that is not really possible with the droid as it is its own ecosystem and quite pricey at that compared to something like e.g. a crossfader. This is the reason that I personally didn't watch this one to the end. Thanks for the great modular content!
@@nielshulgard3722 Hello, and thanks for the feedback! And very true. One of my main goals with this channel is to do exactly as you prefer. Aim for beginner friendly videos on basic building blocks of modular synthesis. I will keep that a main focus for as long as it makes sense. For example, there's a video on matrix mixers coming soon. Still like to tackle logic and also working on an entire series on making a basic synth voice. On the other side I also want to keep things free and fun to myself. Basic topics are limited. And I also have to say that as much as I like making videos, I personally as a musician and creator am also triggered and inspired by new and creative things like this Droid setup. So will probably aim to see and strike a balance. I appreciate you letting me know! Trough patreon I have more and more time for these videos, and viewer preferences are what drives my topics! All the best :)
@@MonotrailTechTalk Thanks for the detailed response, will be looking forward to those videos you mention! It goes without saying that your enjoyment with making the videos is the most important thing, as that is what shines through regardless of topic. Cheers!
Units like the Droid really make pressing the question of what modular is becoming. More and more modules are turning into arbitrarily flexible DSP platforms with increasingly unintuitive control surfaces. What will have been achieved when we have our cases filled with super-powerful processors that can do anything we like but become ever more generic and exchangeable, while requiring super-brains to memorize all the countless button combinations and/or endless menu-diving on tiny screens, so that 90% of our time will be spent turning encoders to find the parameter we want to adjust instead of just patching a cable and turn a knob that immediately has an effect on our sound? Mind you, we already have software environments (called DAWs) that give us all the processing power while at the same time giving us all the knobs and buttons and graphical feedback we could ever wish for. And for a much cheaper price. So what will the extra reward of the modular experience be in such a situation? What, if anything, makes it worthwhile?
All that has a very easy answer. Modular is just offering more and more flavors. That's a good thing. I you like simple analog stuff, plenty of choice! If you can handle complicated digital solutions with custom functionality, sure, that's available too. Use what you like, leave what you don't. Simple as that :)
I found your introduction incredibly inspiring. I'd love to see more videos on the Droid. Your video helped me discover Droid Forge and opened my eyes on how to utilize the P10 module. Thank you for making this video!
Thanks for letting me know! Really enjoy Droid, so will keep using it for sure. And as there are already some people saying they are interested, I expect to dive a bit deeper in the future! All the best :)
What a great video! Happy to see you starting to use droid! Your pach examples are always super indepth and creative, witch is a great fit for the module. Would love to see more videos about droid from you! :)
Awesome, thank you! And will for sure, there are enough positive reactions to this video. Hope to get to it early next year, already planned to much for this year :/ Cheers!
Hello! Glad to hear you like it, and thank you for the opportunity! It was really a lot of fun to work with Droid, get to know it and explore it over the last months. Happy to dive deeper and use it more :)
I would be very interested in tutorials on replacing existing modules with Droid circuits. A good example would be the Quadigy Logica XT and other similar logic modules. Another would be using Droid to supplement Maths.
Thanks for the suggestions! This video was a lot of work for me to make, as I tried to keep it entertaining with different setups, music etc. But I am interested in making 2 less production intense videos in the future. One with quick patch ideas, just to give a series of more creative examples. And one with a 'patch from scratch' kind of setup, but in Droid Forge. Not to familiar with Quadigy Logica XT but will have a look at it. Good idea to try and approach other modules. Someone mentioned a Mutable Grids type of idea, etc!
@@MonotrailTechTalk I probably know the Grids guy. They have already done a lot of work to replicate Grids. I'm hoping the devs turn it into a "circuit". I actually hope for a bunch of "circuit" replacements for other modules.
I can understand that, but don't think they will :) The idea of the circuits as building blocks is to create a lot of flexibility in creating your own setup. Making circuits after modules with exact features has no end! But what I do hope will develop is a platform for people to share patches! This way people can exchange their versions or variations of things like Grids, or Maths or other modules, and other could use or customize those.
Nice video on a really interesting CV modules and environment! That’s super nerdy but could for sure open the door to designing and beta testing some advanced ideas, eventually opening the door in creating new dedicated concepts/modules before jumping into soldering
Thanks! And if you mean making a patch from scratch video using Droid Forge, that's exactly what I had in mind! This video took a lot of production time. But happy to share more patch ideas, or dive deeper into showing Forge.
Wow I’ve not been able to play with my modular for a few months and now find out i dont have to create droid patches anymore in txt! Droid is awesome, but making the patching easier is even more awesome. Hopefully ill have time for my modular again soon. Looking forward to more indepth videos
Hello! Yes, can imagine that's a nice surprise! Worked a bit with text files as well, but Droid Forge really is a game changer in my opinion. Think it will open up the system to more people, and inspire new ideas for users! Hope you can find the time, cheers :)
Glad you liked it! Think I will get to more in the future. Will start with this kit probably though, without adding more expansive stuff, but the M4 sure is unique and interesting!
@@MonotrailTechTalk I was amazed when I first saw a video of the M4! I think Droid is great for anyone who has ever thought they would like to make their own module but doesn't have the knowledge how to. I also think it's a really interesting implementation of a digital eurorack module, because there is such depth and complexity to it, but the coding and creation of patch is really nicely separated from the actual playing of it (no menu diving).
Totally agree! It feels very creative and fun to come up with your module concept, and try and puzzle it together. Still takes some creative thinking, but there's no programming languages or things involved. And indeed you can use your own modules with a high quality module front end :)
Hallo, @ 2:10 and again @ 11:53 the The T-Zed into the Quad Multimode filter coming out L/R to audio interface, right?... been searching for exactly this sound for over a year. When I see a modular like the one you're demoing, its clear to me that you have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish. My first modular a (Mocan) had many quad modules and 4 Osc. I starting over again and your expertise is very valuable to me and the community. You got a triple subscriber. YT, SoundCloud and Patron. Great videos 🎉
Hi there! Thanks for the kind words :) Have to admit I have trouble re-tracing my own patch XD. But seems you're right. The low Wrooop-wrrpppp sound is the Dixie II trough the resonant wasp filter. And the higher tak-ta-tak the T-Zed through the Eowave Magnetiques. The complex Droid envelope modulation is what gives that sound the delay like vibe.
My one real complaint (you hear that? I only have _one_ complaint!) is the lack of large persistable arrays in the configuration language. I realise that these aren't things that people usually want anyway, but two projects that have so far defeated me on the Droid are quantisation to completely arbitrary levels and sample-based pitch ornament playback. But-notice that I'm even thinking about such things! It's a beautiful tool for those with a small willingness to write code. Well, ok, it would be nice to have multichannel cables and processing blocks. And nameable software components. And… no, make me stop, sitting and coding all day is what I was trying to escape from. Yeah, yeah, that slippery slope back to programming may be my other complaint.
Hello, good to hear you have only one complaint! But sounds to me like you enjoy to dig into the coding part :) For people who might get scared by tings like 'configuration language', please make sure to have a look at the final chapter of my video, which shows the basics of how the new interface 'Droid Forge' works. This turns creating patching into using your creative head, and entering values. There's no programming language necessary :)
@@MonotrailTechTalk You caught me-I had to go out before I finished watching! And I imagined I was qualified to comment merely because I have enjoyed my Droid for quite a long time now. And you're right-as a programming language designer by trade, my outlook may be-different-from your typical viewer. Don't be afraid, folks, just because I am odd! Even if you use the old method it's just a config file, when I look at it as a programming language it's because I'm the guy with the hammer, out looking for nails. ;)
After using Droid for a few months: that thing is bonkers. Need a quick and cheap sidechain compression? Well, just trigger a contour from the same trigger you send to the kick. Want to do classic acid bass line? Use one 16 step Algoquencer for the melody, a second one which sets the gatelength to over 1.1 or 0.5 (that's what the TB-8 wants for slide over MIDI) and a third one which sets accents. Just for the fun of it, two multiple of 16 steps long CV recorder for cutoff and resonance. I actually right no use both of these as well as another four Algoquencer with Fill an Activity and a B32 for drums, for some techno fun.
Great video. Really enjoyed the clear presentation. Would be even better if you could share the .ini files that you used for the techno and generative melody performances. Thx.
@@MonotrailTechTalk Thanks, glad you liked them. Now we'll see what Droid can help me with. Will look into your Patreon. Would love to see the build on the Droid.ini's 🙂
It is a really neat module and software set. I wonder if it is possible to develop your own apps or as they call them "circuits" for this set of modules? Do they have tutorials for writing the code to do this?
Hi, thanks for this great video. I think I am interested to buy this module kit but I would like to first explore Forge before. I think some of the patches you showed looks very interesting. Especially the ones you control a page with a pot and use different trigger sequencer channels. I wonder how did you achieve such a thing in this software. Is there any chance that you shared those patches so I can load and inspect them on Forge?
Hello! You're welcome! Definitely recommend downloading DROID Forge, and have a look around it. A big patch might be overwhelming, so try the LFO/envelope patch first, and see if you can trace what's happening :) You can find the .ini files at the DROID forum on moddwiggler - modwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=231105&start=300 - Look for my post (TRM) halfway page 18, all four used .ini files are attached in a .zip file. In short: Most circuits like LFOs, envelopes, and sequencers have all the parameters you need. But there are a few advanced circuits available to create more involved routing. In the patch you mention I used a comparator before each sequencer to select it. This is similar to a modular window comparator. A knob on DROID can have a value from 0 to 1. So you can link certain values to a result. If the setting of a knob is around 0, select sequencer 1. If the value is around 0.25, select sequencer 2. If around 0.5 select sequencer 3 and so on. On the .ini patch you can see each sequencer - and the main page - have a comparator before for it, and the value to select it specified.
I like do it all modules like europi and daisy Patch and this also looks really cool. I just noticed me going back to 1 or 2 functions all the time so maybe I will replace them with the "real" thing they are emulating.....I guess this one would also end up doing one thing in my rack at the end 😁
Nice! This one doesn't need a programming language to use though, that makes a difference. Also you can use it for a lot of functions at the same time :) But think Daisy Patch is focused on audio right? That's also interesting of course!
Can you code your own "circuits" or are you limited to what is supplied in the editor? If I had it I would want to make my own version of mystic circuits IDUM or my own expanded version of mutable grids.
Hello! It might help to think of the circuits as building blocks. For example there are circuits like the Bernoulli gate, Logic, Mixers etc. So you don'T have to 'code' your own circuit, but you can use the circuits to create something complex with features you like. For example the mentioned Bernouli gate, logic and mixers can be used to create what Grids does. Take incoming triggers, swing them left or right, use a pot to set the probability and so on. you can go much more complex that Grids. I don't know the IDUM to well, so can't comment much on it. But you can create an internal clock, or take an external clock and set up patterns, variations of that pattern, and have knobs assigned to pattern variations and so on. It takes some tweaking though, as those others work out of the box of course :)
@@MonotrailTechTalk I imagine the building blocks still have some code behind them. I am curious if I think of a 'circuit' building block that doesn't already exist if I can code my own and set up what I want the input/output parameters to be....or if that is too deep in the firmware to allow simple modification by an outsider. It also might be nice if I have a common set of 'circuits' that are used to create something, if I can abstract that circuit combo into a new circuit that I can re-use to simplify things, that would be really cool. Right now I am imagining a module similar to grids but with way more patterns and clocked ratchet/fill options at various clock multiples as well as off beat fill options that use bouncing ball physics, also some form of internal switching of trigger pattern outputs.
That's true of course! The circuits are the user interface. The firmware itself is not open for change. That is a good thing for people like me. I don't know any programming languages, and would instantly create something that crashes :) There are also circuits like Math (not like the make noise module, but like, well, maths.) as well as if else logic etc, I think you could create what you are looking for. It's also possible to copy paste 'patches' or part of a 'patch', so a combination of circuits. So for example I created a 'clean' version of the patch I use in the Melodic section on control surfaces. I can reuse that setup with it's 5 pages, and easily create variations. Or copy a sequencer I made into another patch, and just adjust the in and output jacks for example. It's also possible to share patches with other users. I'm sure there are people on the Discord server who already made multiple versions of a Grids setup. If they share their patch, you could copy it, or copy parts of it, adjust etc.
hi :-) in your video about utilities (mia) you said that digital modules can only handle voltage between 0v and 5v. did that change? here you say that droid runs from -10 to +10. i bought a bunch of this digital swiss knife modules (droid, cvilization, o_c, disting ex). cvilization handles -10 to +10 as well. i saw you have a disting mk4. what is its range? do you know about the o_c? would be super nice if you would let me know!! have a good week start and kind greets :-)
Unless I messed up I think I said 'Most digital modules only respond to 0 to +5 volt.' For example most digital LFOs or sample players can only handle 0 to +5 cv inputs. That's why attenuating / offset can be useful. But that changes per model. and indeed definitely the output voltages can really differ! DROID indeed does the full range from -10 to plus 10. And can handle CV inputs wit that range as well.
It's definitely not for everyone, esp if you are a plug-and-play kind of person :) You need a bit of patience and see some joy in creating and evolving patches. Different people, different preferences, that's all good. Personally, this quite excites me, and ill be using it a lot!
Hahaha, yeah that's the truth... Over time you can see me try with a few real plants, but the room is small, dark, and I hate what heating does to the air, so it's pretty cool s well. All real plants kept dying, so decided to go for the easy route :)
Far to complex for me, I was lost in first few minutes, and at end of all this programming is basically not making anything new that SURGEON wasn’t doing 5 yrs ago on a lot less modules and to me no where near as good, just over complicated, might be proved wrong, I don’t use any Daw or PC just hands on Eurorack modules , Live Instrument, instant, spontaneous Din I still enjoy your output , watched many but this not for me Apologies
Not sounding as good as SURGEON is for sure on me XD. But fair enough! A lot of people are into modular/eurorack for the one-knob-per-function approach. No laptops, no hassle, and that is a completely fair approach. I like there are so many options in modular land, but you don't have to like all options of course :) Cheers!
@@MonotrailTechTalk I’m not criticising your music as I’ve loved most of your output on many vidios, explanations you show using a variety of modules, utility modules which have helped me understand importance and I photo your diagrams of patching from module to module, valuable information for a novice like me , just the vidio you did on the tiny Echo module was inspiring, I like basic , simple Rhythmic melody’s on basic, minimal module amounts like SURGEON, Ben Kiaty, Ihor, Mark Booth nearer Pallette case size setups not to complex but vast array of sonic possibilities, also how to express feeling, emotion without being to Mechanical which is why a lot of Electronic music is not popular with General public except the Dance Cultures🌈🙏👁🎶🎶🎶🆒👍🔱😎
I've been using droid for 4 months. It is wildly versatile and flexible. It's the last utility module you'll ever need. A couple words of warning: 1. Droid is the opposite of plug and play. It will take WAY more time than you think wrapping your head around the system (for someone with moderate coding experience), and to build usable patches. 2. Unless you have the X7 expander, you are physically swapping an SD card from the droid master to your computer every time you want to test your code, which could be every few minutes. Droid is not for the faint of heart, and not for those who lack the patience for an enormous amount of configuring on a computer. If you can get past that, it's incredibly rewarding and powerful. With enough creativity and general understanding of signal architecture, you can honestly rebuild just about any existing module that doesn't require audio signal, or build the perfect solution for your system. I gag every time a gear marketers say "the possibilities are endless!", but in droid's case, it's true. Edit: A couple more restraints worth knowing. The internal memory is finite, so patches can only be so large. Also you only have 8 CV outs. (The expanders are just trigger/gate.) So that's something like pitch control for 4 voices, and 4 modulation sources. If you need more memory or CV outs, you'll have to get a 2nd droid master, which cannot be internally patched to the 1st.
Hello! Thanks for sharing your thought! Indeed I agree it takes some time to learn and feel comfortable with the system. That was important for me to mention early in the video as well! The 'coding' is pretty much gone due to the arrival of Droid Forge, but still some basic feeling for a multiplication, adding numbers, and some logic thinking is useful. For people wondering if it's for you: Make sure to watch the last chapter to get a realistic idea about making a simple patch. I would also recommend to download Droid Forge and just browse around in it a bit. It's free, and you can see if the interface and explanations of the circuits etc is something you connect with, without slapping down cash first :)
Feedback: your channel is really great. I'm interested in modular a bit, but not a lot. Nevertheless, I do like to listen to you talk about a product as you're not trying to "sell" the product as much as provide some education (and I have learned a lot from your videos which translates to my own set up). I have a few semimodulars, and your videos have helped me to better understand different things I can experiment with. Thanks for your contributions.
Thank you! After 'Feedback:' I expected a bunch of things you'd like to see different, but that was all very nice to read :) Indeed I try to approach stuff from a pretty clean 'how does it work and what can you do with it' kind of way. I accept some modules so i can talk about a wide range of topics, but I never get paid and always work with complete freedom over my script. It's nice to hear people see that. Thanks for watching and enjoy your setup!
droid is incredible.. Now whenever I see some cool new utility module, I pretty much always think "yep, the droid can do that". I highly recommend the x7 expander. With that you can send the patch via sysex. On my computer I just have to save the patch file and a small script that watches the droid file for changes will then run the droidpatch program to send the patch over. Basically I edit, then save, and droid immediately is running with my changes. It makes developing patches so much funner. (I just use emacs for editing patches)
Glad you like and now Droid already! It was all pretty new to me, but it has been changing the way I look at my modular indeed! If I want to try or add certain features, it's a couple of clicks away, and bam, added to the setup. I've also started to look funny at some basic modulation modules I own, they feel very threatened :) Can totally understand the easy of use the x7 adds! Cheers :)
Thanks for letting me know! Think I might come back to Droid with a focus on creative patch ideas, without going to much in depth with showcasing everything. Or a 'patch from scratch' kind of video in Droid Forge, now I have my screen capture set up :) Also, of course now I am curious how you use your DROID?
Ah, nice! Also like the quantizer a lot. before Droid I used multiple synced modulation like envelopes and triggered LFOs with random and mixers to feed a quantizer and generate looping melodies. I made a patch for Droid like that and worked like a charm! Ended up not using it in the video because it was complex to explain, and more easy to use Algoquencer for melodic stuff in this first introduction. Also have to explore the Chord circuit more, haven't touched that at all yet! Enjoy the M4s :)
Yeah same here! :( Thanks for heading over there though! Truth is my time is really limited these days. This Tech Talk channel is picking up and actually starting to generate some income. There's so much positive feedback I want to keep going! At the same time I still need to do a lot of freelance graphic design work to finance this, and pay the bills, so two jobs basically. That leaves not so much time for actual music making :/ But, also good news, I am planning things more ahead and making a more efficient setup, so the plan is to get to 2 tutorial videos, and 2 music videos on the other channel a month. I rendered three videos out yesterday, so I will pick up uploading there soon! Thanks for your interest in my things, and all the best!
Thanks! Have to say it was a challenge indeed, because there are so many things it can do that deserve attention! I want to keep the video fairly beginner friendly, aimed at people who don't know the system yet. But all the time writing, I thought, hmm, can add this as well, and that, and that and so on, but the video would have been hours long :)
The droid is so good and is actively being developed with updates and expanding controllers. It can do SO much and excels at music quantization, sequencing, cv looping, and has full midi in and out converting to cv and back to midi.
Glad you like it! And true. Functions and features have been added and improved over time. Droid Forge is entirely new and adds a lot to ease of use, and fun creating patches. The midi implementation seems powerfully to!
Looks and sounds amazing in the hands of an expert user. However having to use a computer to program a modular synth somehow seems to defeat the whole purpose - At least for me, the reason I was attracted to modular was to get out of the computer.
That's legit! To be honest it was the same for me. Worked almost full time as a freelance graphic designer for a long time, and loved to turn of the laptop and noodle on the modular. But these days I have more and more time for music, and the laptop is again becoming a thing I enjoy for creative use. Also have to say that with a good patch, the setup just feels like a module or control surface. And I use it, practice a live set etc without touching a computer. But at the same time I know that if I want other functionality, I could just change it myself. Anyway, I really enjoy showing what's what in these video, it's completely reasonable not to be attracted to all of it. All the best!
Amazing module and amazing explanation! I just saw a video with motorised faders and I thought my god I need those, now to find out Droid is this cool and flexible! My bank balance is going to take a hit over the next couple of months! Can you customise the colour LED's on the Droid Master to represent different elements? eg. green for clock, orange for LFO, blue for gate etc... to make it a little easier to identify what's what on the input and output CV?
Glad you liked it! And yeah those faders look amazing. Sorry in advance for your bank balance! Also pretty sure the answer is yes, but i'd have to double check if it's crucial to you. Also, you can download Droid Forge from the DMMDM website for free and browse around in it to see what's available and get a feel :)
Shit, this is going to be tough, Droid or Tetrapad+Tete. I keep coming back to the conclusion that T+T combo might be overkill, while the Droid could be more direct while skipping features I might use. Droid does seem pretty easy to set up once you know exactly what you want it to do.
Hello! The used patches are all also my own (first) explorations. I plan to come back to DROID and make a few more streamlined patches with notes and explanations etc for public use. But the ones used in the video are available for Patreons.
It seems like it wouldn't be too hard to recreate stuff like Batumi or Mimetic Digitalis - is that right? Are there examples of Droid being used to recreate (parts of) existing modules or there?
Hi there! For sure, that's pretty possible. In fact one of the fun things to do with it :) Often when I see or hear new ideas my mind goes to if I can make that with Droid. Id say the best place to check is the official DROID discord server. I think there must be some examples for sure!
@@MonotrailTechTalk thanks for the tip. I'm thinking about switching from rene2 as my main sequencer - I love 2d/grid sequencing only one channel does it. Just wondering about using Droid as an alternative...
Hi there! Good question. All patterns and sequences active are stored when turning power on and off. I don't think it's possible to store a variation of live created sequences on the fly.
Fair enough! It's a particular setup with lots of power, but also not a plug and play unit. I'm happy to work with it and share, but totally understand if it's not for you! Cheers :)
@@MonotrailTechTalk I liked the unit and you presented it well. I never say never when I see new gear. I have a habit of changing my mind all the time lol.
Wow. This is a great video to show someone how much of a noob they are at modular synth. I was starting to feel like I had a bit of a handle on this whole thing, but watching the insane flexibility of this module set just showed me that I wouldn't even know what to do with that amount of power. As much as I love this thing, I realize it would be a complete waste on me. Lol. Maybe someday I'll know enough to take advantage of this.
Haha, didn't mean to do that! But have to agree this is probably mostly useful if you have an understanding of what you could and want to do with it! No problem if people have other preferences of course, I'm happy to demonstrate options :)
Hello! That's on the list! Has been for a bit, DROID videos are among the time consuming ones :) But I want to make a DROID video where I combine a series of ideas, with a full patch from scratch example or two in DROID Forge. DROID is great, and will give it more attention for sure!
Great video… Received mine…love it…amazing melodies bringing a smile to my face, just inspiring …I hope there’re more videos with froge ( this make it more accessible, great point) Possibilities are almost endless
Glad you enjoyed it! There are already enough people showing interest, so I plan to make a more detailed video in Droid Forge. But my time is very limited, will probably be earliest next year! And enjoy your DROID :)
Glad you liked it, I enjoyed making this! And will for sure. Saved almost enough to go full time UA-cam next year, and focus more on my own topics and interests. DROID is high on the list! All the best :)
Glad you liked it! The friendly responses of people are so great, makes it worth it! I can imagine that. Almost makes sense to design a case around this system, but that would have to be planned early on. Enjoy what you have!
@@MonotrailTechTalk yeah I now use Poly Hector, Zoia Euroburo and the er-301 to creat my own modular in a modular. It’s nice to be able to save whole patches and recall.
Nice! Hope you're enjoying it though. Just asking around, what would you like to see more: a video with a series of patch-ideas, without demonstrating everything in detail, just to share ideas. Or a video where I dive a bit deeper in creating a patch in Droid Forge? All the best!
@@MonotrailTechTalk That's a tough choice. I'd like to see a deep dive into how to use Droid Forge, but I think it would be more fun to do a few patch-ideas, maybe focusing on one 'circuit' at a time. The algoquencer is huge in what it can do, so too the minfonion and the arpeggiator.
A question I have: can the lights on the master module be controlled, as in dimmed down? The feedback they give is good, but at the same time, it looks too loud. That would be the ONLY thing that detract from these modules. Really brilliant design. Very exciting. Great video on this. Thanks for sharing.
Hello! And yes :) I stopped showing circuit tabs at MIDI, but there is a tab called Other after that, with a few general controls for DROID. You can set the overall brightness for all 24 LEDs on the master at the same time. All the way to 0 if you like to wiggle in the dark :)
Droid Forge is only just released to the public. You can already download it from the Discord server, I linked to that. But there is a download link from the main website coming soon.
I don't get the concept. It's a module which needs a computer to program it? No changeable patches? No screen? How it is supposed to work in live situations (not a studio vacuum)? We live in 2022, with powerhouse modules Disting EX and PNW, which need no computer to play with. For computer lovers there is always ES-8 which gives DAW-to-CV bridge.
Hello! Watch again :) You don't need a computer to play it, just to customize the patches. Everywhere where you see me play with it, it's running stand alone, how I would use it during a performance. You can create such deep patches, with basically all features you like, so need to switch between functions. It can do everything at the same time. But of course, (I didn't mention that in the video,) If you want that, you can load different patches for different situations from the module itself. I love my Disting, but this is on another level. You can customize and create the patches you switch between. Or just create a set of features you'd need a hole series of Disting to do.
Think of it as a module prototyping module, then, or perhaps a compression method for a pre-wired block. You can make your patches as dynamically changeable as you want by using CV inputs or adding physical controls, and there are certainly lights for output. Yes, it _does_ require identifying the functions that you need in advance, just as you have to decide what to put in your mobile rack, but it lets you compress a whole row of tricky CV wrangling into 8HP (plus as much space as you want to dedicate to knobs). Of course, tricky CV wrangling might simply not be what you do with Eurorack. And, all that said, I admit that if I'd designed it it would have had a screen and some baroque method to configure it standalone that would have turned out to be useless live anyway (because that's who I am and that's the mistake I would make). Now, if we had an audio rate base module in this exact format…!
There are multiple angles to approach Droid, but let me point out one very specific one: let’s say there’s a (CV-oriented) module you really wish existed but doesn’t, or what exists just doesn’t function quite the way you-personally-wish it did. There’s a good chance you can use Droid to realize that non-existent module for yourself.
Yes you need a computer to program the module, but you wouldn't be programming a patch in a live scenario. You essentially custom design a module to do what you want and then play it. And you can have multiple patches loaded on the SD card. So you can set it up to convert midi to cv and use all 12 tracks on the syntakt to sequence your modular, and then press two buttons and you can load a different patch on the fly to have multiple turing machines and cv loopers, then load a different patch now it's a full fledged sequencer with quantized chords. It does what you want and it does it well.
Imagine using a sequencer with as many channels as you want, and if there's one thing you want it to do, you can set it up. I usually put together a patch and then only slightly tweak it. In other modules you are limited with the functions that it provides, with Droid if you want to change something you absolutely can. The secret is know what you want, say you have 2 sequencers that you like, you can probably combine their functions into a single sequencer on a Droid setup.
Hello everyone! For people who didn’t watch till the end: I really enjoyed exploring and using Droid, let me know in the comments if you like me to dive more into it on this channel in the future! In the meantime, you can download DROID Forge and find more info on:
Website: shop.dermannmitdermaschine.de/pages/downloads
Discord: discord.com/invite/9TUcRmH
Hi Monotrail,
Personally, I've really appreciated your videos that explain specific functions in modular synths exemplified by a particular module you have yourself or are demoing patched in different ways. This has meant that I have learnt something I can try out with my own modules and/or pick up second hand options that show up in my area without it being the specific module you are demoing. Although it seems interesting, that is not really possible with the droid as it is its own ecosystem and quite pricey at that compared to something like e.g. a crossfader. This is the reason that I personally didn't watch this one to the end. Thanks for the great modular content!
@@nielshulgard3722 Hello, and thanks for the feedback! And very true. One of my main goals with this channel is to do exactly as you prefer. Aim for beginner friendly videos on basic building blocks of modular synthesis. I will keep that a main focus for as long as it makes sense. For example, there's a video on matrix mixers coming soon. Still like to tackle logic and also working on an entire series on making a basic synth voice. On the other side I also want to keep things free and fun to myself. Basic topics are limited. And I also have to say that as much as I like making videos, I personally as a musician and creator am also triggered and inspired by new and creative things like this Droid setup. So will probably aim to see and strike a balance. I appreciate you letting me know! Trough patreon I have more and more time for these videos, and viewer preferences are what drives my topics! All the best :)
@@MonotrailTechTalk Thanks for the detailed response, will be looking forward to those videos you mention! It goes without saying that your enjoyment with making the videos is the most important thing, as that is what shines through regardless of topic. Cheers!
yes please
I’m all in on Droid so would love a follow up video. 😊
I bought my DROID system because of this video, would love to see more videos on DROID as well.
Awesome! Hope you'll enjoy it, but pretty sure you will :) My time is still limited, but will come back to DROID for sure!
Great video! Thank you for taking the time to give an overview and demo of this super flexible system.
Thank you! Took me some time, but was fun to explore Droid and make this. Especially if people get some use out of it! Cheers :)
Units like the Droid really make pressing the question of what modular is becoming. More and more modules are turning into arbitrarily flexible DSP platforms with increasingly unintuitive control surfaces. What will have been achieved when we have our cases filled with super-powerful processors that can do anything we like but become ever more generic and exchangeable, while requiring super-brains to memorize all the countless button combinations and/or endless menu-diving on tiny screens, so that 90% of our time will be spent turning encoders to find the parameter we want to adjust instead of just patching a cable and turn a knob that immediately has an effect on our sound? Mind you, we already have software environments (called DAWs) that give us all the processing power while at the same time giving us all the knobs and buttons and graphical feedback we could ever wish for. And for a much cheaper price. So what will the extra reward of the modular experience be in such a situation? What, if anything, makes it worthwhile?
All that has a very easy answer. Modular is just offering more and more flavors. That's a good thing. I you like simple analog stuff, plenty of choice! If you can handle complicated digital solutions with custom functionality, sure, that's available too. Use what you like, leave what you don't. Simple as that :)
I found your introduction incredibly inspiring. I'd love to see more videos on the Droid. Your video helped me discover Droid Forge and opened my eyes on how to utilize the P10 module. Thank you for making this video!
Thanks for letting me know! Really enjoy Droid, so will keep using it for sure. And as there are already some people saying they are interested, I expect to dive a bit deeper in the future! All the best :)
What a great video! Happy to see you starting to use droid! Your pach examples are always super indepth and creative, witch is a great fit for the module. Would love to see more videos about droid from you! :)
Awesome, thank you! And will for sure, there are enough positive reactions to this video. Hope to get to it early next year, already planned to much for this year :/ Cheers!
Thanks for this amazing video. It's really well made, well explained and with cool example music!
Hello! Glad to hear you like it, and thank you for the opportunity! It was really a lot of fun to work with Droid, get to know it and explore it over the last months. Happy to dive deeper and use it more :)
I would be very interested in tutorials on replacing existing modules with Droid circuits. A good example would be the Quadigy Logica XT and other similar logic modules. Another would be using Droid to supplement Maths.
Thanks for the suggestions! This video was a lot of work for me to make, as I tried to keep it entertaining with different setups, music etc. But I am interested in making 2 less production intense videos in the future. One with quick patch ideas, just to give a series of more creative examples. And one with a 'patch from scratch' kind of setup, but in Droid Forge. Not to familiar with Quadigy Logica XT but will have a look at it. Good idea to try and approach other modules. Someone mentioned a Mutable Grids type of idea, etc!
@@MonotrailTechTalk I probably know the Grids guy. They have already done a lot of work to replicate Grids. I'm hoping the devs turn it into a "circuit". I actually hope for a bunch of "circuit" replacements for other modules.
I can understand that, but don't think they will :) The idea of the circuits as building blocks is to create a lot of flexibility in creating your own setup. Making circuits after modules with exact features has no end! But what I do hope will develop is a platform for people to share patches! This way people can exchange their versions or variations of things like Grids, or Maths or other modules, and other could use or customize those.
Nice video on a really interesting CV modules and environment! That’s super nerdy but could for sure open the door to designing and beta testing some advanced ideas, eventually opening the door in creating new dedicated concepts/modules before jumping into soldering
Hey, glad you liked it! And for sure! It's a great playground for all sorts of interesting concepts and module ideas :)
Great video! It would be helpful to see more patches built from scratch!
Thanks! And if you mean making a patch from scratch video using Droid Forge, that's exactly what I had in mind! This video took a lot of production time. But happy to share more patch ideas, or dive deeper into showing Forge.
Wow I’ve not been able to play with my modular for a few months and now find out i dont have to create droid patches anymore in txt! Droid is awesome, but making the patching easier is even more awesome.
Hopefully ill have time for my modular again soon.
Looking forward to more indepth videos
Hello! Yes, can imagine that's a nice surprise! Worked a bit with text files as well, but Droid Forge really is a game changer in my opinion. Think it will open up the system to more people, and inspire new ideas for users! Hope you can find the time, cheers :)
Great demo! Interested to see more, especially with the M4 moto faders.
Glad you liked it! Think I will get to more in the future. Will start with this kit probably though, without adding more expansive stuff, but the M4 sure is unique and interesting!
@@MonotrailTechTalk I was amazed when I first saw a video of the M4!
I think Droid is great for anyone who has ever thought they would like to make their own module but doesn't have the knowledge how to.
I also think it's a really interesting implementation of a digital eurorack module, because there is such depth and complexity to it, but the coding and creation of patch is really nicely separated from the actual playing of it (no menu diving).
Totally agree! It feels very creative and fun to come up with your module concept, and try and puzzle it together. Still takes some creative thinking, but there's no programming languages or things involved. And indeed you can use your own modules with a high quality module front end :)
Brilliant. Nice video as always!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching :)
Excellent presentation! Thank you so much.
Glad it was helpful!
Hallo, @ 2:10 and again @ 11:53 the The T-Zed into the Quad Multimode filter coming out L/R to audio interface, right?... been searching for exactly this sound for over a year. When I see a modular like the one you're demoing, its clear to me that you have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish. My first modular a (Mocan) had many quad modules and 4 Osc. I starting over again and your expertise is very valuable to me and the community. You got a triple subscriber. YT, SoundCloud and Patron. Great videos 🎉
(Modcan) Modular synthesizer company in Canada.
Hi there! Thanks for the kind words :) Have to admit I have trouble re-tracing my own patch XD. But seems you're right. The low Wrooop-wrrpppp sound is the Dixie II trough the resonant wasp filter. And the higher tak-ta-tak the T-Zed through the Eowave Magnetiques. The complex Droid envelope modulation is what gives that sound the delay like vibe.
My one real complaint (you hear that? I only have _one_ complaint!) is the lack of large persistable arrays in the configuration language. I realise that these aren't things that people usually want anyway, but two projects that have so far defeated me on the Droid are quantisation to completely arbitrary levels and sample-based pitch ornament playback. But-notice that I'm even thinking about such things! It's a beautiful tool for those with a small willingness to write code.
Well, ok, it would be nice to have multichannel cables and processing blocks. And nameable software components. And… no, make me stop, sitting and coding all day is what I was trying to escape from. Yeah, yeah, that slippery slope back to programming may be my other complaint.
Hello, good to hear you have only one complaint! But sounds to me like you enjoy to dig into the coding part :) For people who might get scared by tings like 'configuration language', please make sure to have a look at the final chapter of my video, which shows the basics of how the new interface 'Droid Forge' works. This turns creating patching into using your creative head, and entering values. There's no programming language necessary :)
@@MonotrailTechTalk You caught me-I had to go out before I finished watching! And I imagined I was qualified to comment merely because I have enjoyed my Droid for quite a long time now.
And you're right-as a programming language designer by trade, my outlook may be-different-from your typical viewer. Don't be afraid, folks, just because I am odd! Even if you use the old method it's just a config file, when I look at it as a programming language it's because I'm the guy with the hammer, out looking for nails. ;)
No worries! I'm happy to hear from the Droid users out there! Please feel free to share :)
After using Droid for a few months: that thing is bonkers.
Need a quick and cheap sidechain compression? Well, just trigger a contour from the same trigger you send to the kick.
Want to do classic acid bass line? Use one 16 step Algoquencer for the melody, a second one which sets the gatelength to over 1.1 or 0.5 (that's what the TB-8 wants for slide over MIDI) and a third one which sets accents. Just for the fun of it, two multiple of 16 steps long CV recorder for cutoff and resonance.
I actually right no use both of these as well as another four Algoquencer with Fill an Activity and a B32 for drums, for some techno fun.
Hey, good to hear you're making good use! That sounds like fun, enjoy :)
Great video. Really enjoyed the clear presentation. Would be even better if you could share the .ini files that you used for the techno and generative melody performances. Thx.
Glad you liked it! Might give them another tweak and share them on my Patreon in a while :) Some powerful pieces on your channel!
@@MonotrailTechTalk Thanks, glad you liked them. Now we'll see what Droid can help me with. Will look into your Patreon. Would love to see the build on the Droid.ini's 🙂
It is a really neat module and software set. I wonder if it is possible to develop your own apps or as they call them "circuits" for this set of modules? Do they have tutorials for writing the code to do this?
Agree! But no. It's very user friendly software, not meant to be altered.
Hi, thanks for this great video. I think I am interested to buy this module kit but I would like to first explore Forge before. I think some of the patches you showed looks very interesting. Especially the ones you control a page with a pot and use different trigger sequencer channels. I wonder how did you achieve such a thing in this software. Is there any chance that you shared those patches so I can load and inspect them on Forge?
Hello! You're welcome! Definitely recommend downloading DROID Forge, and have a look around it. A big patch might be overwhelming, so try the LFO/envelope patch first, and see if you can trace what's happening :) You can find the .ini files at the DROID forum on moddwiggler - modwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=231105&start=300 - Look for my post (TRM) halfway page 18, all four used .ini files are attached in a .zip file.
In short: Most circuits like LFOs, envelopes, and sequencers have all the parameters you need. But there are a few advanced circuits available to create more involved routing. In the patch you mention I used a comparator before each sequencer to select it. This is similar to a modular window comparator. A knob on DROID can have a value from 0 to 1. So you can link certain values to a result. If the setting of a knob is around 0, select sequencer 1. If the value is around 0.25, select sequencer 2. If around 0.5 select sequencer 3 and so on. On the .ini patch you can see each sequencer - and the main page - have a comparator before for it, and the value to select it specified.
@@MonotrailTechTalk Amazing, thanks for getting back and this great explanation. I will dig dive in this weekend and get back to you. Cheers!
I like do it all modules like europi and daisy Patch and this also looks really cool. I just noticed me going back to 1 or 2 functions all the time so maybe I will replace them with the "real" thing they are emulating.....I guess this one would also end up doing one thing in my rack at the end 😁
Nice! This one doesn't need a programming language to use though, that makes a difference. Also you can use it for a lot of functions at the same time :) But think Daisy Patch is focused on audio right? That's also interesting of course!
Mind blown!!!
Haha, hope in a good way!
Can you code your own "circuits" or are you limited to what is supplied in the editor? If I had it I would want to make my own version of mystic circuits IDUM or my own expanded version of mutable grids.
Hello! It might help to think of the circuits as building blocks. For example there are circuits like the Bernoulli gate, Logic, Mixers etc. So you don'T have to 'code' your own circuit, but you can use the circuits to create something complex with features you like. For example the mentioned Bernouli gate, logic and mixers can be used to create what Grids does. Take incoming triggers, swing them left or right, use a pot to set the probability and so on. you can go much more complex that Grids. I don't know the IDUM to well, so can't comment much on it. But you can create an internal clock, or take an external clock and set up patterns, variations of that pattern, and have knobs assigned to pattern variations and so on. It takes some tweaking though, as those others work out of the box of course :)
@@MonotrailTechTalk I imagine the building blocks still have some code behind them. I am curious if I think of a 'circuit' building block that doesn't already exist if I can code my own and set up what I want the input/output parameters to be....or if that is too deep in the firmware to allow simple modification by an outsider. It also might be nice if I have a common set of 'circuits' that are used to create something, if I can abstract that circuit combo into a new circuit that I can re-use to simplify things, that would be really cool. Right now I am imagining a module similar to grids but with way more patterns and clocked ratchet/fill options at various clock multiples as well as off beat fill options that use bouncing ball physics, also some form of internal switching of trigger pattern outputs.
That's true of course! The circuits are the user interface. The firmware itself is not open for change. That is a good thing for people like me. I don't know any programming languages, and would instantly create something that crashes :)
There are also circuits like Math (not like the make noise module, but like, well, maths.) as well as if else logic etc, I think you could create what you are looking for.
It's also possible to copy paste 'patches' or part of a 'patch', so a combination of circuits. So for example I created a 'clean' version of the patch I use in the Melodic section on control surfaces. I can reuse that setup with it's 5 pages, and easily create variations. Or copy a sequencer I made into another patch, and just adjust the in and output jacks for example.
It's also possible to share patches with other users. I'm sure there are people on the Discord server who already made multiple versions of a Grids setup. If they share their patch, you could copy it, or copy parts of it, adjust etc.
hi :-) in your video about utilities (mia) you said that digital modules can only handle voltage between 0v and 5v.
did that change?
here you say that droid runs from -10 to +10. i bought a bunch of this digital swiss knife modules (droid, cvilization, o_c, disting ex).
cvilization handles -10 to +10 as well.
i saw you have a disting mk4. what is its range?
do you know about the o_c?
would be super nice if you would let me know!! have a good week start and kind greets :-)
hey man, i looked it up.
the distings range is +/-10v as well and the o_c has -3,5 to +6,5
Unless I messed up I think I said 'Most digital modules only respond to 0 to +5 volt.' For example most digital LFOs or sample players can only handle 0 to +5 cv inputs. That's why attenuating / offset can be useful. But that changes per model. and indeed definitely the output voltages can really differ! DROID indeed does the full range from -10 to plus 10. And can handle CV inputs wit that range as well.
@@MonotrailTechTalk big thx man for explaining! im quite new to this stuff
too complicated, I sold all the lot a few weeks after getting them... Not spontaneous at all and finally boring to use.
It's definitely not for everyone, esp if you are a plug-and-play kind of person :) You need a bit of patience and see some joy in creating and evolving patches. Different people, different preferences, that's all good. Personally, this quite excites me, and ill be using it a lot!
How can I believe you when you have plastic plants, wizardry
Hahaha, yeah that's the truth... Over time you can see me try with a few real plants, but the room is small, dark, and I hate what heating does to the air, so it's pretty cool s well. All real plants kept dying, so decided to go for the easy route :)
Far to complex for me, I was lost in first few minutes, and at end of all this programming is basically not making anything new that SURGEON wasn’t doing 5 yrs ago on a lot less modules and to me no where near as good, just over complicated, might be proved wrong, I don’t use any Daw or PC just hands on Eurorack modules , Live Instrument, instant, spontaneous Din
I still enjoy your output , watched many but this not for me Apologies
Not sounding as good as SURGEON is for sure on me XD. But fair enough! A lot of people are into modular/eurorack for the one-knob-per-function approach. No laptops, no hassle, and that is a completely fair approach. I like there are so many options in modular land, but you don't have to like all options of course :) Cheers!
@@MonotrailTechTalk I’m not criticising your music as I’ve loved most of your output on many vidios, explanations you show using a variety of modules, utility modules which have helped me understand importance and I photo your diagrams of patching from module to module, valuable information for a novice like me , just the vidio you did on the tiny Echo module was inspiring, I like basic , simple Rhythmic melody’s on basic, minimal module amounts like SURGEON, Ben Kiaty, Ihor, Mark Booth nearer Pallette case size setups not to complex but vast array of sonic possibilities, also how to express feeling, emotion without being to Mechanical which is why a lot of Electronic music is not popular with General public except the Dance Cultures🌈🙏👁🎶🎶🎶🆒👍🔱😎
I've been using droid for 4 months. It is wildly versatile and flexible. It's the last utility module you'll ever need. A couple words of warning: 1. Droid is the opposite of plug and play. It will take WAY more time than you think wrapping your head around the system (for someone with moderate coding experience), and to build usable patches. 2. Unless you have the X7 expander, you are physically swapping an SD card from the droid master to your computer every time you want to test your code, which could be every few minutes.
Droid is not for the faint of heart, and not for those who lack the patience for an enormous amount of configuring on a computer. If you can get past that, it's incredibly rewarding and powerful. With enough creativity and general understanding of signal architecture, you can honestly rebuild just about any existing module that doesn't require audio signal, or build the perfect solution for your system. I gag every time a gear marketers say "the possibilities are endless!", but in droid's case, it's true.
Edit: A couple more restraints worth knowing. The internal memory is finite, so patches can only be so large. Also you only have 8 CV outs. (The expanders are just trigger/gate.) So that's something like pitch control for 4 voices, and 4 modulation sources. If you need more memory or CV outs, you'll have to get a 2nd droid master, which cannot be internally patched to the 1st.
Hello! Thanks for sharing your thought! Indeed I agree it takes some time to learn and feel comfortable with the system. That was important for me to mention early in the video as well!
The 'coding' is pretty much gone due to the arrival of Droid Forge, but still some basic feeling for a multiplication, adding numbers, and some logic thinking is useful.
For people wondering if it's for you: Make sure to watch the last chapter to get a realistic idea about making a simple patch. I would also recommend to download Droid Forge and just browse around in it a bit. It's free, and you can see if the interface and explanations of the circuits etc is something you connect with, without slapping down cash first :)
@@MonotrailTechTalk Agreed that Forge streamlines the process a ton.
Feedback: your channel is really great. I'm interested in modular a bit, but not a lot. Nevertheless, I do like to listen to you talk about a product as you're not trying to "sell" the product as much as provide some education (and I have learned a lot from your videos which translates to my own set up). I have a few semimodulars, and your videos have helped me to better understand different things I can experiment with. Thanks for your contributions.
Thank you! After 'Feedback:' I expected a bunch of things you'd like to see different, but that was all very nice to read :) Indeed I try to approach stuff from a pretty clean 'how does it work and what can you do with it' kind of way. I accept some modules so i can talk about a wide range of topics, but I never get paid and always work with complete freedom over my script. It's nice to hear people see that. Thanks for watching and enjoy your setup!
droid is incredible.. Now whenever I see some cool new utility module, I pretty much always think "yep, the droid can do that". I highly recommend the x7 expander. With that you can send the patch via sysex. On my computer I just have to save the patch file and a small script that watches the droid file for changes will then run the droidpatch program to send the patch over. Basically I edit, then save, and droid immediately is running with my changes. It makes developing patches so much funner. (I just use emacs for editing patches)
Glad you like and now Droid already! It was all pretty new to me, but it has been changing the way I look at my modular indeed! If I want to try or add certain features, it's a couple of clicks away, and bam, added to the setup. I've also started to look funny at some basic modulation modules I own, they feel very threatened :) Can totally understand the easy of use the x7 adds! Cheers :)
I love the DROID. But I think I use it totally different, so I’m interested in more in-depth follow-up videos.
Thanks for letting me know! Think I might come back to Droid with a focus on creative patch ideas, without going to much in depth with showcasing everything. Or a 'patch from scratch' kind of video in Droid Forge, now I have my screen capture set up :) Also, of course now I am curious how you use your DROID?
@@MonotrailTechTalk I use my DROID setup manly for sequencing, chord progressions and creation and as a quantiser. I now also try to integrate 2x M4.
Ah, nice! Also like the quantizer a lot. before Droid I used multiple synced modulation like envelopes and triggered LFOs with random and mixers to feed a quantizer and generate looping melodies. I made a patch for Droid like that and worked like a charm! Ended up not using it in the video because it was complex to explain, and more easy to use Algoquencer for melodic stuff in this first introduction. Also have to explore the Chord circuit more, haven't touched that at all yet! Enjoy the M4s :)
I just found your music channel and was dismayed to see you haven't uploaded there for a year. Let's hear some new stuff, man!
Yeah same here! :( Thanks for heading over there though! Truth is my time is really limited these days. This Tech Talk channel is picking up and actually starting to generate some income. There's so much positive feedback I want to keep going! At the same time I still need to do a lot of freelance graphic design work to finance this, and pay the bills, so two jobs basically. That leaves not so much time for actual music making :/ But, also good news, I am planning things more ahead and making a more efficient setup, so the plan is to get to 2 tutorial videos, and 2 music videos on the other channel a month. I rendered three videos out yesterday, so I will pick up uploading there soon! Thanks for your interest in my things, and all the best!
Nicely handled introduction to a daunting product.
Thanks! Have to say it was a challenge indeed, because there are so many things it can do that deserve attention! I want to keep the video fairly beginner friendly, aimed at people who don't know the system yet. But all the time writing, I thought, hmm, can add this as well, and that, and that and so on, but the video would have been hours long :)
The droid is so good and is actively being developed with updates and expanding controllers. It can do SO much and excels at music quantization, sequencing, cv looping, and has full midi in and out converting to cv and back to midi.
Glad you like it! And true. Functions and features have been added and improved over time. Droid Forge is entirely new and adds a lot to ease of use, and fun creating patches. The midi implementation seems powerfully to!
The DROID Forge is now available for download here: shop.dermannmitdermaschine.de/pages/downloads
Perfect! Added the link to the pinned comment and video description as well :)
Looks and sounds amazing in the hands of an expert user. However having to use a computer to program a modular synth somehow seems to defeat the whole purpose - At least for me, the reason I was attracted to modular was to get out of the computer.
That's legit! To be honest it was the same for me. Worked almost full time as a freelance graphic designer for a long time, and loved to turn of the laptop and noodle on the modular. But these days I have more and more time for music, and the laptop is again becoming a thing I enjoy for creative use. Also have to say that with a good patch, the setup just feels like a module or control surface. And I use it, practice a live set etc without touching a computer. But at the same time I know that if I want other functionality, I could just change it myself. Anyway, I really enjoy showing what's what in these video, it's completely reasonable not to be attracted to all of it. All the best!
Amazing module and amazing explanation! I just saw a video with motorised faders and I thought my god I need those, now to find out Droid is this cool and flexible! My bank balance is going to take a hit over the next couple of months!
Can you customise the colour LED's on the Droid Master to represent different elements? eg. green for clock, orange for LFO, blue for gate etc... to make it a little easier to identify what's what on the input and output CV?
Glad you liked it! And yeah those faders look amazing. Sorry in advance for your bank balance! Also pretty sure the answer is yes, but i'd have to double check if it's crucial to you. Also, you can download Droid Forge from the DMMDM website for free and browse around in it to see what's available and get a feel :)
Shit, this is going to be tough, Droid or Tetrapad+Tete. I keep coming back to the conclusion that T+T combo might be overkill, while the Droid could be more direct while skipping features I might use. Droid does seem pretty easy to set up once you know exactly what you want it to do.
Excuse me, might not use.
a truly modular modular, love this design freedom it provides
Glad you like it :) Cheers!
In Droid forge can you crate granular synthesis or operators for fm?
Hello! DROID does everything with CV, not audio ;)
great presentation as always. But ill stick to my O&C
Thanks! And fair enough, both great options with unique features :)
Where can I find the patches? Would love to use the lfo as it is✌️
Hello! The used patches are all also my own (first) explorations. I plan to come back to DROID and make a few more streamlined patches with notes and explanations etc for public use. But the ones used in the video are available for Patreons.
The quality of the demo is directly related to the quality of the patches. How fun are they to listen to?
It seems like it wouldn't be too hard to recreate stuff like Batumi or Mimetic Digitalis - is that right? Are there examples of Droid being used to recreate (parts of) existing modules or there?
Hi there! For sure, that's pretty possible. In fact one of the fun things to do with it :) Often when I see or hear new ideas my mind goes to if I can make that with Droid. Id say the best place to check is the official DROID discord server. I think there must be some examples for sure!
@@MonotrailTechTalk thanks for the tip. I'm thinking about switching from rene2 as my main sequencer - I love 2d/grid sequencing only one channel does it. Just wondering about using Droid as an alternative...
Hi - can the loops be saved and recalled?
Hi there! Good question. All patterns and sequences active are stored when turning power on and off. I don't think it's possible to store a variation of live created sequences on the fly.
Nice unit! It’s not something I would buy but it is interesting. A very nice video.
Fair enough! It's a particular setup with lots of power, but also not a plug and play unit. I'm happy to work with it and share, but totally understand if it's not for you! Cheers :)
@@MonotrailTechTalk I liked the unit and you presented it well. I never say never when I see new gear. I have a habit of changing my mind all the time lol.
Wow. This is a great video to show someone how much of a noob they are at modular synth. I was starting to feel like I had a bit of a handle on this whole thing, but watching the insane flexibility of this module set just showed me that I wouldn't even know what to do with that amount of power.
As much as I love this thing, I realize it would be a complete waste on me. Lol. Maybe someday I'll know enough to take advantage of this.
Haha, didn't mean to do that! But have to agree this is probably mostly useful if you have an understanding of what you could and want to do with it! No problem if people have other preferences of course, I'm happy to demonstrate options :)
Amazing Demo.
Thanks for watching!
I'd definitely be interested in a tutorial dedicated to Droid Forge.
Hello! That's on the list! Has been for a bit, DROID videos are among the time consuming ones :) But I want to make a DROID video where I combine a series of ideas, with a full patch from scratch example or two in DROID Forge. DROID is great, and will give it more attention for sure!
@@MonotrailTechTalk Groovy!
god damn :D now i need to sell a bunch of modules and get a few droids.
Haha, start with one droid! :)
@@MonotrailTechTalk on it :D
Great video…
Received mine…love it…amazing melodies bringing a smile to my face, just inspiring …I hope there’re more videos with froge ( this make it more accessible, great point)
Possibilities are almost endless
Glad you enjoyed it! There are already enough people showing interest, so I plan to make a more detailed video in Droid Forge. But my time is very limited, will probably be earliest next year! And enjoy your DROID :)
thanks for this introduction to the DROID Concept, will be glad to get more deep stuff on this, and keep you channel alive please.
Glad you liked it, I enjoyed making this! And will for sure. Saved almost enough to go full time UA-cam next year, and focus more on my own topics and interests. DROID is high on the list! All the best :)
Thanks for doing this. Along while ago I was thinking of using these as they are so versatile. No hp space these days tho
Glad you liked it! The friendly responses of people are so great, makes it worth it! I can imagine that. Almost makes sense to design a case around this system, but that would have to be planned early on. Enjoy what you have!
@@MonotrailTechTalk yeah I now use Poly Hector, Zoia Euroburo and the er-301 to creat my own modular in a modular. It’s nice to be able to save whole patches and recall.
Please do more videos on Droid, it's amazing (I have it), but I do find myself a bit over my head with all the possibilities
Nice! Hope you're enjoying it though. Just asking around, what would you like to see more: a video with a series of patch-ideas, without demonstrating everything in detail, just to share ideas. Or a video where I dive a bit deeper in creating a patch in Droid Forge? All the best!
@@MonotrailTechTalk That's a tough choice. I'd like to see a deep dive into how to use Droid Forge, but I think it would be more fun to do a few patch-ideas, maybe focusing on one 'circuit' at a time. The algoquencer is huge in what it can do, so too the minfonion and the arpeggiator.
A question I have: can the lights on the master module be controlled, as in dimmed down? The feedback they give is good, but at the same time, it looks too loud. That would be the ONLY thing that detract from these modules. Really brilliant design. Very exciting. Great video on this. Thanks for sharing.
Hello! And yes :) I stopped showing circuit tabs at MIDI, but there is a tab called Other after that, with a few general controls for DROID. You can set the overall brightness for all 24 LEDs on the master at the same time. All the way to 0 if you like to wiggle in the dark :)
@@MonotrailTechTalk hehehe. Wiggling in the dark sounds like a nice technique for happy accidents....
@@MonotrailTechTalk Yes, you can dim them. But It's also the case the in videos the LEDs always look much brighter than in real.
Where can I get the software (no link included)?
Droid Forge is only just released to the public. You can already download it from the Discord server, I linked to that. But there is a download link from the main website coming soon.
DROID Forge can now be downloaded directly from the website: shop.dermannmitdermaschine.de/pages/downloads
I don't get the concept. It's a module which needs a computer to program it? No changeable patches? No screen? How it is supposed to work in live situations (not a studio vacuum)?
We live in 2022, with powerhouse modules Disting EX and PNW, which need no computer to play with. For computer lovers there is always ES-8 which gives DAW-to-CV bridge.
Hello! Watch again :) You don't need a computer to play it, just to customize the patches. Everywhere where you see me play with it, it's running stand alone, how I would use it during a performance. You can create such deep patches, with basically all features you like, so need to switch between functions. It can do everything at the same time. But of course, (I didn't mention that in the video,) If you want that, you can load different patches for different situations from the module itself. I love my Disting, but this is on another level. You can customize and create the patches you switch between. Or just create a set of features you'd need a hole series of Disting to do.
Think of it as a module prototyping module, then, or perhaps a compression method for a pre-wired block. You can make your patches as dynamically changeable as you want by using CV inputs or adding physical controls, and there are certainly lights for output. Yes, it _does_ require identifying the functions that you need in advance, just as you have to decide what to put in your mobile rack, but it lets you compress a whole row of tricky CV wrangling into 8HP (plus as much space as you want to dedicate to knobs).
Of course, tricky CV wrangling might simply not be what you do with Eurorack. And, all that said, I admit that if I'd designed it it would have had a screen and some baroque method to configure it standalone that would have turned out to be useless live anyway (because that's who I am and that's the mistake I would make).
Now, if we had an audio rate base module in this exact format…!
There are multiple angles to approach Droid, but let me point out one very specific one: let’s say there’s a (CV-oriented) module you really wish existed but doesn’t, or what exists just doesn’t function quite the way you-personally-wish it did. There’s a good chance you can use Droid to realize that non-existent module for yourself.
Yes you need a computer to program the module, but you wouldn't be programming a patch in a live scenario. You essentially custom design a module to do what you want and then play it. And you can have multiple patches loaded on the SD card. So you can set it up to convert midi to cv and use all 12 tracks on the syntakt to sequence your modular, and then press two buttons and you can load a different patch on the fly to have multiple turing machines and cv loopers, then load a different patch now it's a full fledged sequencer with quantized chords. It does what you want and it does it well.
Imagine using a sequencer with as many channels as you want, and if there's one thing you want it to do, you can set it up. I usually put together a patch and then only slightly tweak it.
In other modules you are limited with the functions that it provides, with Droid if you want to change something you absolutely can.
The secret is know what you want, say you have 2 sequencers that you like, you can probably combine their functions into a single sequencer on a Droid setup.
where can you download droid forge?
Hello! I'ts already available from the discord server. But believe an official release will follow soon. It's hot off the press!
@@MonotrailTechTalk I will provide a download link in the next couple of days. I'll post that here.
DROID Forge can now be downloaded directly from the website: shop.dermannmitdermaschine.de/pages/downloads
eine ganz interessante Sache....!🙂
Glad you like it. Lots to explore. Hope you get some value out of the video. Alles Gute! :)
@@MonotrailTechTalk like always, well done und sehr informativ 👌
How much does the entire thing cost?
shop.dermannmitdermaschine.de/collections/droid-master