Expert Sleepers ES-9

The Lounge Other Gear
#1

I am in the middle of changing music room and will also change my setup.

A part of this will be going into a new interface and since I want to get more out of my semi-modulars I am thinking to invest in the Expert Sleepers ES-9 with midi breakout. Using software I already have seems a lot more affordable than buying every eurorack hardware utility twice for convenience :slight_smile:

Any Expert Sleepers ES-9 users out here with feedback about the product? I would just put it in a little baby case and then see later what I actually want and need more of in hardware.

The output of the ES-9 will go straight into the OT, of course :thup:

https://www.expert-sleepers.co.uk/index_files/es-9-shipping.php

#2

I have one. It works perfectly for interfacing modular to a daw. Sending and receiving CV is very easy to set up in Ableton.

I do hate how you canā€™t control the monitoring level with the one knob on the module. That knob only controls the audio level for headphones. I wish they were linked. Also the UI configurator that comes with it is too confusing for me, so I wonā€™t be trying the internal matrix mixer until someone makes a tutorial on what is even going on with that functionality. My last complaint is that if you use it as your computers sound card as well, whenever things are silent on your computer and then say you play a youtube video, youā€™ll hear a small pop/click at the beginning of the audio change. I think this is an ac/dc coupled thing. And you can change those settings in the UI configurator, which I have, but still get a click sound when my computer goes from silent to playing any sound.

I imagine these things will be ironed out in future updates or someone will school me on what Iā€™m doing wrong. Other than that, Iā€™m very satisfied with it and Iā€™m glad I replaced my desktop audio interface with it.

Oh also, make sure your speakers are off before you turn on or off the ES-9.

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#3

Solid feedback, thx.

#4

Do you have/use the midi expander? . I would like to know if I can just connect my OT and sequence all the other outputs that way, cv of course but also Ableton Drumracks for example.

Update: maybe I will need to throw my iConnectMIDI4+ into play as well, not sure and would like to avoid using it (in this side setup)

#5

I donā€™t have the midi connections. But Iā€™m almost certain you could use that with your octatrack and it would work perfectly.

#6

Iā€™m currently looking at solutions for keeping things synced up and on grid, with accurate note on/offs when recording with a complex setup - for me itā€™s RYTM, A4, some modular.

Itā€™s important to me to be able to overdub and maintain accurate sync with previously recorded tracks (ex: record drums from RYTM, overdub A4, possibly re-record or record additional drums/samples from RYTM)

Curious to hear if/how this worked out for you @TobySD, if you also needed to use it with the iConnectMIDI4, or in general what your experience has been - thanks for any advice!

#7

Hi @kalin

I changed my mind again a bit later and changed my setup in another way. So I do not use the iCM4+ anymore, still have it though. Also did not get the ES-9. I simplified my setup and got a Koma Elektronik RH301 ā€“ Rhythm Work Station.
I also threw my computer out of the music room for now and took the mackie mixer back in. I just record my main out to a Zoom recorder.

#8

Cool - after some testing with my current setup, I concluded itā€™s not necessary. My A4 and AR seem to be just as closely synced when clocked from Logic as when clocked to each other. Iā€™m on a 2018 Mac mini, using direct connection from Elektrons using USB-B to USB-C cables, and have wifi turned off (Bluetooth still on). The offset between the machines seems to be less than 5ms (based on toying with the clock send delay in logic settings).

I kind of wonder what people are talking about when they experience phasing issues. I also wonder why so many people talk about ā€œchopping off the empty spaceā€ at the beginning, after recording. My experience is that while the first hit is consistently late, the hits following that seem to be within 5ms of being ā€œon gridā€ - wouldnā€™t a better solution be to have a quick 4 beat ā€œintro patternā€ that you play before what you actually want to record (which can be removed later)? If I just chop off the empty space and drag the rest to the left, everything ends up off grid to the left.

#9

Apparently the ES-9 isnā€™t compatible with the ES-3

Kinda a bummer, it would have been so perfect in my setup.

Anybody know of what I can use to expand the audio outputs using the SPDIF I/O on the ES-9?

#10

Spdif on the ES9 is 2in2out (TOSLINK), I bought a lil box for it (2/2 DAC) on amazon to connect it to my tascam portastudio. Have not done it yet (the connecting), one of the days for sure.

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#11

You ever get the es-5 to expand the es-9?

This is such an absolute pain to get off the ground i sincerely with i has stuck with my es-8/6/3 and just got a digiface instead.

And all this effort just to get gate/clock out.

#12

ES-9 by itself is cool, but vastly lacking when compared to the ES-8

Expandability is greatly diminished.

Iā€™ve spent all day trying to configure the ES-5 to work(unsuccessfully).

The ES-5 only sends gates and clock, you need ANOTHER module if you want to have expanded modulation or notes out.

Documentation is vastly lacking on getting up and running with the ES-5. Iā€™ve followed a few threads and followed along with a few videos- i got close, but only by running the demo of Silent Way- and even that didnā€™t produce logical results.

I hate this.

Instead of going from es-8 to es-9 I should have just gotten a digiface and aggregated ADAT interfaces.

Day wasted. Iā€™m getting a drink

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#13

No, I only have the midi expander.

There is s lot of info on the subject on the MW forum, also Os himself helps out.

I use mine very simple, standalone mixer or as an audio hub in and out of Bitwig. Would like to dig deeper but it takes time and I prefer to jam instead of being a techy all the timeā€¦ :blush:

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#14

Good idea, but donā€™t give up. Come back to it later! Folks who made it work really like it. I will figure it out one day probably when the fam is out of town.

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#15

Nah, im returning it- selling the ES-9 and replacing it with a digiface ES-8 + 6+3 is sufficient enough

10 inputs 16 outputs(i believe also audio for all 16)

BUT THE ES-9 IS GREAT EVERYONE SHOULD BUY MY ES-9!

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#16

The ES9 works also great with ios, AUM etc. Just saying :yum::joy:

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#17

Iā€™ve been reading on modwiggler that the es-9 can handle line level instruments like the A4 or the Rytm but the signal comes in a bit low Anybody tried using the es-9 for individual tracks of the Rytm or A4? How low is the signal?

#18

I use one. Itā€™s pretty good value for what it does. As someone above says the software that ships with it isnā€™t great - is not intuitive IMO at all, very ā€˜designed by an engineerā€™ UI in my opinion.

However it is powerful once understood. As you can use it as an oscillator mixer all summed to one output, or as an extra mult if needed - can also be used to mult an input out to the 1/4 outputs (which I was doing the other day to send eurorack to AH)

Sure there are some extra uses but Iā€™ve only started to customise it via itā€™s config tool recently.

Agreed on other people saying itā€™d be nice for the dial to control the main output too but as I mainly use it remotely when using headphones itā€™s not a big deal for me.