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This looks aceā¦ and whilst the videos posted are helpful, I am hoping that Vaclav does a video manual for it. I learned so much from those he did for Pizza, Thyme etc. Not that it matters as Iāve some store credit with Signal Sounds so will likely grab one once they have them in stockā¦
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v1.1 firmware update is available that fixes (increases) the max delay length. Something like 250ms -> 1.25s
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Yes, it would be really helpful if he did such a video!
The thing is, this device is so vast that it could take hours to cover everything. Each effect is deep, with different parameters, and endless patching possibilities. Itās quite daunting.
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Hereās another demo with the fantastic Twisted Electrons TWISTfm, focusing a bit on Dub Techno, Ambient and IDM. Maybe you find it useful.
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A separate thread might not be needed as these are obviously part of the same series:
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Kastle 2 Wave Bard is an instant buy for me. Patchable, pocket size, and able to be powered by USB-C ticks all my boxes for portable fun.
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Just ordered! Gonna be a blast pairing this with the Softpop 2.
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I should not have sold the Fx Wizard 2. it was dope, but also you can load the Wave Bard firmware to it
the Fx2 and Wave Bard firmware are cross-compatible with each device apparently
We are happy to announce the new Kastle 2 Wave Bard ā an experimental patchable sample
player that takes the legacy and fun of our popular Kastle Drum (2020) and brings it to the next
level with user-uploadable samples, stereo, effects, and better sync and patch capabilities.
Kastle 2 Wave Bard is the second firmware for the Kastle 2 platform which already hosts the FX
Wizard effects processor. The firmware is cross-compatible between both devices. That means
the Wave Bard can be loaded onto the FX Wizard and vice versa.
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That is incredibly cool and suddenly makes either a Wizard or a Bard a much better cost proposition to me. Bastl is such a dope company.
Guessing the next model is going to be a Knight or Rogue with the DnD theme. I will have to get one if everything in the range ends up being cross-uploadable.
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this video is so bonkers good lord. best synth ad video ive ever seen hot mama
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Hey hey, less medieval on my end but I did a little jam to show the Wav Bard in a hard jungle / breakcore context if anyone is curious:
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Damn they shouldāve put your stuff in the trailer, selling me.
How tricky is it to dial in those consistent looping rhythms versus a ātrigger random sample noisesā kind of sound? I always get interested when I see new gear that makes sounds that go hard, and I own Bastl stuff, but I am trying to simplify my setup and sticking with more intuitive instruments and effects that I can feed in and extract my compositional ideas directly rather than fall down a sound design meditation pit for hours (I have plenty of gear for that already).
For example, I love my Softpop2 for its sounds, but itās sequencer and playability make it so I never really know where I am going to go with it beyond making cool drones and bubbles and chirps, and therefore it is more of a sound design tool and less of a song-writing tool for me. The Microgranny on the other hand is extremely direct and I can pick it up knowing what kind of beat I want to make with it and how gritty and stretched I want the samples to be before I start tweaking them.
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I find itās for sure in the department of the ājam with it and see whay happendā machine. The pattern generator makes it not so hard to get loops tho if you stick it to the sample / Bank selection.
But iād say itās nice to generade the idea for a track that you then finish with other stuff. Here for exemple it did made me want to keep the recording and make a track with it (will see if I have time for that one day hahaha).
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Thank you for the insight! That is the main thing holding me back from impulse buying one as I already have gear that is fun and can lead me to a ācool ideaā, but as you mention, it is actually taking the time and focus to craft those ideas into fully developed tracks that is the hangup on a lot of gear that is designed with randomness and exploration in mind. I have to admit to myself that I am a lot more musically productive and motivated when I am playing physical instruments or have direct melodic/rhythmic control on a device than when I zone out patching cables and twisting knobs.
Still keeping the Bard on my watchlist though, Bastl will inevitably get more money from me at some point.
This looks like another winner from Bastl. My current setup for taking round to my pals for synths and beer is a DN2 and Volca Bass thru FX Wizard. Which is really fun and the FX Wiz really is treasure trove. Itās really cool that the firmware is compatible but really, at that price, thatās just a try before you inevitably buy scenario.
There are a few decent YouTube vidos that I canāt link because Iām on my phone but worth watching for some useful tips. Weirdly, I can imagine it would be really cool to load banks of drones rather than the more obvious breaks. I could foresee a metric tonne of interesting textures in that situation.
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bastl instruments sound so good. but, after touring with kastles the baby cables became a nightmare. right-angled jumpers offered a solution, but were still flimsy patched cross multiple units
softpop2 sort of confronted this issue, even adding a midi port. but it still felt cramped, mayb due to eurorack compatability?
ā
what are the chances of seeing a thyme1/microgranny sized kastle series?
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if they put the wave bard in a thyme+ enclosure, it would be the most popular piece of gear on the internet for at LEAST 3 days
the fx wizard is actually very nice. it feels sturdily constructed and solid. also, just an excellent creative multi effect. it doesnt feel gimmicky like a nts-1 or strictly utilitarian like a ms70 cdr. it feels like most bastl gear does, imho, like an exploratory and extremely hands-on, playable instrument
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1 of the first ads for it, they played tennis with the 1.5 to show itās solid ā¦ iām talmbout the baby cables: manifesting a big kastle with switches like leploop
sidenote: only item kept from the bygone battery powered arsenal is the nts-1 [{3 in a row korg kept replacing for free bc achy breaky jacks} + a makerhart s mix] bc holy shit the nts-1 is so powerful! like the kastles, not to b underestimated. the i/o fit hand in glove w the kastle too
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I have the fx wizard- can the firmware really just be swapped? I read that somewhere but donāt know where to find the download.
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