How do you use it with the s4. I have an s4 but I’m interested in the thyme and didn’t want it to be overkill doing too much of the same thing lol
Thyme is just a great creative delay and does broad variations on that really well, but the S-4 for me is more of a texturiser & mangler. I use the two a lot to get decent weird and rich sound design on the go. Usually it’s sampler/ sequencer > Thyme > S-4 and then resampled back into a sampler. Then it’s just chopping out cool sounds that come from it. Randomisation on the thyme and its sequencer get really cool results on chords/ stabs, pads, textural percs etc.
it’s entirely from a studio perspective that the two work well together for me though, not sure my use makes sense for live or is even stable enough, though I do still think the Thyme is a much more complex delay than the S-4 has on board so if I was generally using the delay on the S-4 on all channels then replacing it with something like the thyme is way more powerful imo
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I’m dusting my OG Thyme off and hoping to use it for a live set. I tried updating the firmware to 2.0.0 using Bastl’s uploader app on macOS, but all that happens is the LEDs go blank. Anyone else have any luck?
Is it a sysex file you could try with sysex librarian instead?
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It’s just a .mid file. There’s 2 different places to download it and I tried both. I just diffed them (which I probably should’ve tried before) and they appear to be identical.
Did you start the thyme in bootloader mode before sending the sysex?
Yup, held TAP on start up and all LEDs were lit until the transmission began.
I also tried sending it through the Max [seq] object with no luck.
What MIDI interface are you using? Using a type-A wired 3.5mm to MIDI DIN Adapter?
Faderfox UC-4 with the factory adapter. Port input routing set to 1 for USB → MIDI.
Dug my Roland UM-2 out of the closet and it wouldn’t connect to my computer. Tried again with my MPC1000 which I barely even remember how to use and I think I loaded the .mid correctly, but it had the same result as the computer.
I think I’m going to call it good for now. I don’t think this firmware adds anything really interesting or critical anyway.
In other news, I jammed with the Thyme for a couple hours today and it was really cool. It’s fiddly in ways that used to bug me but that I’m finding charming at the moment. I set out to make some beat repeat patches and I ended up making a bunch of broken reverbs. It’s pretty fun to set up a freeze patch and then keep pushing its button to refill the buffer and let it spin out into oblivion. It’s as versatile as it is characterful. Just have to keep an eye on that treble - there’s so many ways to make it screech.
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Ah darn, the Roland UM-2 might be good for it… but the driver looks stale.
I tend to keep around an old MAUDIO Uno for tetchy device updates.
And the MIDI-TRS connector you’re using is wiring type A?
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Yeah totally. One of the few good habits I’ve formed is immediately labeling factory cables/adapters lol.
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I was in the middle of reading your post when you deleted it! Lol.
Yeah there’s parts of the Thyme+ front panel that I’m not a fan of as much as the original. In ways they cleaned it up so it’s easier to read. It also lines up a bit more with Bastls newest panel for the Microgranny Monolith and their eurorack modules. But the tape diagram would have been nice. Also would have preferred those square buttons from the original instead of the round, somewhat domed, ones. Interestingly the Microgranny Monolith still has the square buttons.
As far as the knobs go, I like their new knobs. They feel premium. You mentioned having trouble taking them off, they might has a screw hole that you need to loosen first? I’m in another country right now and can’t check, obviously.
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ha sorry, i realized the whole gist of the post was kind of just whiny/complainy so i had second thoughts. thank you for the advice
yeah, i really miss the tape loop diagram. just a kind of cool inspiring design element. i like for example, old rack fx units with the schematic printed on the top
i was finally able to get the knobs off. i ended up having to pry underneath with one of my laptop pry-tools, which i was scared to do at first (risk of scratching something), but that tool is pastic and i used a microfiber cloth wrapped around it just in case
they are on VERY tight, but they do not have a set screw. i dont mind the look of them but i think my history of dry hand skin causes irritation of just an adverse tactile sensation with textured/ridged metal knobs. i tried using them, but found that i was actually touching them as little as possible in order to avoid that texture. so i temporarily put on the only (plastic) round shaft knobs i had laying around for now, and ordered some of these from ILoveSwitches
rubber, 16mm
hopefully they dont look too bad. obviously they arent as black as the enclosure, but they should feel ultra nice, and have a nice indicator
i drew up this hyper-realistic lifelike mockup to get a better idea of how they will look on the unit. im just hoping my ms paint skills aren’t indicative of the actual aesthetic result
i agree with you about the preferring the old square buttons, but i actually like the feel of these new ones. not sure i like them as much as the og ones, but they do feel nicer than i anticipated. it’s actually very easy to glide your finger across all 8 of them, which makes me wonder how cool a crossfader for presets would be. but the super-fast swipe across all eight and back is very satisfying. the unit sounds much nicer too. something about the height, diameter, feel of those old tall metal pots really felt like you were taking the affected audio and stretching and twisting it through the tape-loop path. it doesn’t FEEL quite the same to me. but the sound itself is unbelievably good. i dont remember having to twist so furiously to “catch” the knob value in order to release from it’s preset state on the old one, but it’s been a while so maybe i’m misremembering that
overall very nice. i cant say whether or not i’d prefer the original, but if the new firmware sounds anywhere near the new one on the old unit, i think that would be my preference.
also, it does feel ULTRA sturdy. like a brick. i was very surprised by that. and the filter sounds so good
original (design complaint) post side-by-side for reference:
[not a fan of the smiley on the front panel of the +,or lack of tape loop diagram, lack of side cheeks, or new knobs, etc, etc]
i have a very strong nostalgic tie to the original Thyme, so the choice was very difficult. but detroit modular had a really nice discount the past few days on the +
that tiny power supply is really cool too
*UPDATE: finally got the knobs. Not bad, in my humble opinion
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