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A long list of questions

#1

Hello. I’ve been considering picking up an SSP for years, now, and even though it’s been years I’m still unsure. Currently I am leaning even more towards yes on the fact alone that the SSP can be used as a multichannel audio/DC interface/recorder, however I’m still on the fence as to justify taking up that much rack space I need to consider all the modules that I won’t be able to fit in my case - particularly for live performance. I’m really hoping the SSP is not just a capable substitute, but a joy and inspiration to work with.

Here are a lot of questions which I think will really help me gain a better understanding of what creative possibilities are at hand as well as what limitations. I have read the manual, but there are a lot of modules with no links and some that do are just support issues or feature requests that tell me little. I have also watched videos at one point or another and dived deep into many forum posts, software update announcements, etc. - indeed I have spent hours trying to answer the following questions on my own, though it’s likely I missed a point here or there. So apologies for the long list of questions and thanks in advance for any time spent in response. None of these questions alone are remotely close to being deal breakers or anything, I just really want to know!

ADSR

  1. Do the ADSR segments support curves (log, exp, etc)? (exponential is particularly important for percussive sounds, for example)
  2. If yes to #1, are those curves modulatable?

Reverb

  1. What parameters are available?
  2. Can all parameters be modulated?
  3. Can more than one reverb be used? There is no entry for the reverb module in the forum manual index, though it is mentioned in the global effects section. There is also a forum post complaining about how unusable the module is and that nothing can be changed or modulated, but it’s really really old and I’d be surprised if that was still the case.

Delay

  1. Did this ever get sorted out? Modulating delay time is super important to me: Delay and Reverb Modules If that has been sorted out, what is the algorithm? Is it the cross fading type that results in smooth changes (like a 4MS or Disting) or is it the doppler effect?
  2. Is feedback patching possible (e.g. low filter in the feedback path)?
  3. Can more than one of these units be used?
  4. Is the delay clockable and if so can the clock be divided and/or multiplied?

MIDI

  1. Can MIDI CCs from a controller be used to control parameters? (The current MIDI documentation explicitly states that this is not possible, however I’ve seen forum posts suggest that this was added at some point)
  2. If yes to #1, am I able to choose what channel? For example Channel 1 CC 1 vs Channel 2 CC 1 and use them both without conflicts?
  3. Again if #1, is anyone using a MIDI Fighter Twister controller with the SSP? That would make me extremely happy (love that controller, I have two, but zero usefulness in Eurorack for me now - this could be its own forum post I guess)

Simple Delay

  1. What’s the unit precision? Milliseconds? Microseconds?

Of all of these questions this is the most important for me. I need something that will give me 100% wet delay down to an increment of at least 1ms on an input to compensate for various latencies throughout my system introduced from other digital modules. The way I deal with this now is not ideal and really hoping I can solve this with the SSP.

Network page

16 pages of 8 slots :thinking:

  1. Can things be moved after being created without losing connections for organizational purposes?
  2. Any other visual tools to aid organization?
  3. Does anyone ever run out of slots ie. is 128 the maximum module count? If so, why is there a limit?
  4. Are interconnections between modules constrained to those within those 8 slots, and is that what the BUS module was made to address?

General

  1. Is there a concept of abstraction or encapsulation? I see that there is a “macro” control, but has any progress been made on Meta Control Module (you REALLY want this)? Either more outs from the DCG module or similar?
  2. I see that there are 200 presets but I imagine these are complete snapshots of the entire state rather than “units” that can be mixed & composed. Is that true?
  3. If yes to #1, are things like “change all instances of the microtonal quantizer’s scale at once” possible?
  4. Is there a way to live loop / sample / “granularize” incoming audio?
  5. Is there a way to pitch and/or frequency shift “live” signals?

Thanks again

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#2

For question about midi

[1 & 2]
You can use MIDI CC from MIDI controller to control parameter of SSP’s module.
And you can choose midi channel and midi CC Number in MIDI module and the number of modules to insert is not limited. So, you can split Channel 1 CC 1 and Channel 2 CC 1.

[3]
You can use a MIDI Fighter Twister if it is Class Compliant USB midi devices.
I tested several midi controllers which are class-compliant, and those worked fine.

For me, the midi function is one of the reasons I bought SSP.
I love midi pad controller and I wanted to build a sampler which has a unique feature at eurorack controlled by pad.
But it will be a complicated setting if without SSP.
(Imagine, how many midi module and sampler is needed using 16 pad with midi velocity and CC!!)

If there was no SSP, I didn’t start Eurorack.

#3

Awesome. That’s a big plus for me and means I won’t have to sacrifice my sacred analog offsets.

The MIDI Fighter Twister is advertised as class compliant, however I have experienced issues across different OSs but there are so many variables who knows what the cause (could be banging them around in my backpack for years). Thanks for the reply.

#4

Many questions with a quick reply - Hope this helps you make your decision. In summary the SSP is a unique machine in Eurorack land that can be used in many many ways.

ADSR

  1. Attack: Exponential to linear. Decay and Release: Linear to Logarithmic
  2. Yes

Reverb

  1. Mix, Ambience, Speed, Image
  2. Yes
  3. As many as you like. Reverb is an independent module that can be patched anywhere in the signal chain

Delay

  1. With -this - I guess you mean modulating the delay time? Unfortunately not yet. At the moment the Delay is a set and forget as far as delay time is concerned
  2. Within the grid certainly. You can route the delay output to anything you like and ultimatley send it back to its inputs. Not the -every- patch connection has offset and scaling controls at its input and output. In this case this would allow you to very precisely control a feedback path
  3. As many as you like. delay is an independent module that can be patched anywhere in the signal chain
  4. This would be the case if the delay time modulation would work

MIDI

  1. Yes. 8 controllers can be defined per MIDI module. You can use as many MIDI module as you need
  2. Yes
  3. Don’t know about that one. Never heard of the MIDI Fighter. If it is class compliant, than most likely

Simple Delay

  1. Hard to tell. The range is 0.000 to 0.995 in 0.005 steps

Network Page

  1. Only Copy/Paste of individual modules within a Preset
  2. This display is fantastic. Navigation through the grid is easy. The display is used to great extent in some modules and sparingly (under)used in other ones.
  3. I have never used more than 8 pages and have never run out of space / CPU cycles either so havent really maxed out the SSP (although I only work in 48kHZ and switching some Presets to 96kHz immediately creates sonic mayhem in more extended Presets)
  4. You can either use multiples of the same module (e.g. a MIDI Input module for every couple of pages) or use BUS modules. The BUS module is unique to the SSP and is essentially a 512 * 512 signal routing matrix - in 64 groups of 8 inputs and 64 groups of 8 outputs

General

  1. Only Copy/Paste of individual modules within a Preset
  2. Yes. A Preset is a complete set of modules patched together. To get in the direction what you’re referring to is a matter of creating your own template Presets (Though this will give you a head start, it does not cover assembling from multiple templates)
  3. No. This is not always what you would want either.
  4. Yes. There is a dedicated module that does that
  5. Not sure. There is no dedicated Pitch Shifter module and I’m not sure whether the Grain or Sampler module allows for that. It wouldn’t surprise me if it did though. I havent got time to test it right now.
#5

a couple of things I’d add…

feedback patching - on any digital system will have some limits ‘inter’ module due to the use of sample buffers. (128 *44.1k on SSP) - but for many use cases it’ll be ok.

pitch shifting -
GRA should be a able to do it, but I suspect it wont be as clean as you might want.
CLDS (my VST) also has ability to pitch shift - in a number of ways , see the Mutable Instruments clouds manual … and dont forget the extended modes :slight_smile:

Reverb usablity…
yeah, I think the comments you refer to are due to it it not handling DC offsets well, which means you should put a HPF in front of it. However, my PMIX mixer removes this issue , you can put RVB on an AUX channel an it will remove DC offsets ‘automatically’.
(I find removing DC offsets makes a lot of the SSP modules sound better/more reliable)

tape modulation - again, perhaps play with my CLDS module… which has a looping delay mode (again in clouds manual)

Im pretty new to the SSP, and had some similar expectations to those you list…

I love the usb audio interface aspect, its really excellent - makes recording things very simple, and also bring a laptop into the mix if you want :slight_smile: e.g. playing with BWS grid or VCVRack

Recorder, very useful, again the fact it records multi channels is excellent.

this plus the number of physical inputs means Im using it as the centre of my rack and even bring in other synths and an octatrack… its really the hub.
this is why I developed PMIX so that i could easily control levels etc.

so something things that I love…
I love the screen, and really like the patching workflow.
support for VSTs for 3rd party dev (I’ll return to this ;))
INP/OUT show waveforms on all IO - very useful
scale/offset on every module inlet and outlet
GRA, STE, SAM, BUS modules :slight_smile:
(ARP is starting to grow on me too)

there are a few things, that I think are ‘functional’ that I don’t personally gel with.
in particular RVB and LFO just don’t do anything for me… but perhaps its just I cannot ‘dial them in’ - MATTS in his youtube video loved the RVB … so perhaps its ‘taste’

there are a few that I get mixed results with … i.e. sometimes great, sometimes not so great , WTO falls into this category for me.

but the SSP is modular, so mostly its about how you patch it and use it… its whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

which brings me on to my final point… which is quite personal…

the SSP is a big undertaking for a small company… not only has Bert produced lots of great modules - but also the hardware and the software foundation that these run on.
This is why Im really excited by the latest improvements to the VST support.

I think there is a tremendous opportunity now for us to help move the SSP forward, to bring some more great modules to the SSP, to let the community help with the development.

so… as I mentioned I didn’t gel with the RVB , and there were some limitations to DLY - thats why I created CLDS, as Clouds is a well respected in these areas - and it works great on the SSP.
I loved the PMM module (still do), but wanted more physical modelling so added RNGS (Rings)
and I wanted a bit more beyond the oscillators from LFO, so have PLTS (plaits).

so where I see ‘gaps’, Im looking to fill them… also with utilities like PMIX, or a new matrix switch I have in dev…

in fact, Ive so many ideas… its hard to know which to work on next :slight_smile:

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#6

Thank you @titaanzink and @thetechnobear for the detailed replies. That’s a lot of good news as far as my concerns go. The SDK also looks quite promising. Hopefully I can try my hand at it some day.

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