Retrokits RK008 - midi recorder/sequencer

The Lounge Other Gear
225

looks like a great portable tool for a virus snow! now I want them both as my virus keyboard is a lot bigger.

226

It is simple and yet allows for many possibilities in a highly portable and user-friendly form factor.

Beyond notes, you can record automation on a separate track. You can also record everything on the same track, then filter out any events you don’t like to have on that track: eg record your piano with sustain as you like it. Then remove the sustain cc, re-record the latter on the same MIDI channel but on a different track. This works with other cc’s all the same. You can also “explode” a track to several tracks or “mix-down” several tracks into one, etc.

It’s a pretty nice experience once muscle memory kicks in - which it does pretty soon.

I think its only true negative is the event memory, which at 64kB per song, can be too small for modern professional needs. These days, memory is usually the last thing you want to worry about. For song sketching, simple accompaniment or track preparation, the available memory is more than enough though.

With MPE, it also works but there are a few caveats:

  • 16 bars of 8th notes will cost approximately a third of the song’s memory but it still works;
  • note off velocity is currently not processed;
  • quantising won’t work well for obvious reasons and neither do velocity transforms when the controller only transmit aftertouch to handle “strike” (eg Osmose, Continuumini).

I use it together with Blackbox, with the latter being the master clock.

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227

I think it’d work pretty well.
The benefits of using the RK008 with OT is you get actual polyphonic midi recordings, which will work better than recording in the notes on OT steps.
You’d also be able to get longer running loops on the RK008.
As a bonus you could use the second RK008 out back into the OT to get some extra free form modulation.

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228

Late thanks for taking time to offer all that useful info.

My RK just arrived, learning it now …

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229

Thanks for the response, good to know. Can it take a decent amount of CC message recording before it maxes out its memory do you know?

230

This depends on the resolution of the cc messages. A fine MPE controller such as the Osmose generates really a lot of cc messages. See my post here above for the limits with cc’s generated by Osmose. That will give you the worst case.

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231

Nice one thanks I’m not massively familiar with MPE midi messages but from what I can see each note press on the Osmose is sending quite a few CC messages, but the OT’s midi sequencers are more rudimentary messages so it should realistically be able to record a fair bit

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232

You can always ask on the RK forum or use their contact form to get a direct answer from the builders. After all, given the price it is best to check beforehand whether it will fit your use case.

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233

A new OS update is out. It fixes some issues and introduces MIDI FX such as arp.

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234

Haven’t tried the new firmware yet … just checking in to say as a new user that I love this little box.

All of a sudden I am using the S-1 and Volca FM2 more, because I always liked the synths but would get frustrated with them standalone because the sequencers didn’t really suit what I wanted. The RK solves all that, I can play and write freely.

The timing also feels very solid, I can play syncopations in unquantized mode and they come out sounding tight. I think the relatively low maximum timing resolution (is it 96 PPQ when unquantized?) is just right, at least for me—it cleans up sloppiness but doesn’t push notes into the wrong places.

This is what a Volca or “Rolca” Sequence should be, if there were such a thing. Small, battery, interface is workable, TRS MIDI A is compatible with Korg and Volca, just connect MIDI in and out with little stereo cables.

One initial speed bump … it took me a sec with the manual to grasp the importance of quick-saving (ALT + REC) before powering down. Prior to that, my sequences would seem to be saved (could go to another sequence, then come back to the sequence I’d written first and it would still be there)—but powering down would kill the sequence. Quick saving solved that.

Very pleased so far.

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235

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4hMjY6TaHEg

the new event editing it pretty neat too

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236

THAT looks interesting

237

If the Osmose is similar to Linnstrument with all axes turned on, which I imagine it is, I did not get much before getting a bummer dude message.
When using RK008 with linnstrument I turn off everything except note and velocity unless absolutely essential for what i’m doing, If using pressure, pitch etc, I run the ‘THIN’ function afterwards to optimise memory usage.

238

could you please quantify? resolution, speed, bars?

239

new update:

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240

Yeah, watching the videos even from Gerrit himself wouldn’t be as helpful as a well-written manual with more simple use cases.

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241

Now at 2.35
FIXES:

  • BLE Core update
    Solves M-Vave connection problems
  • Flex Part Length scaling
    Note lengths are now also scaled when using flex-type part length rescaler

https://retrokits.com/rk008/settings/

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242

There was a raffle for retrokits customers planned for late december, but I don’t find any info about it anywhere…Anyone knows if it actually happened ?

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243

Updated to v2.36

  1. Momentary Erase
    While you are in REC mode and are playing back MIDI, pressing 0 engages a temporary erase head, like pressing a magnet on a tape so to speak: Keep it pressed to erase MIDI data as it passes the MIDI playhead. You can listen to this while playing, if you don’t like what you’ve erased, pressing STOP will continue playback and undo’s the momentary deletion.

  2. StepTime recording now has a 1-bar time interval
    You could already press digit 6 in stepTime edit to swith to 1/2 or 1/2T length in playhead advance, but now pressing it again also advances to 1/1 or 1/1T intervals

  3. Song mode index counting
    Song mode part index started counting from 0 (also the step indexes in stepTime edit). You could already make the stepTime index start counting from index 1 and now, when this is activated, the SongStep index also starts counting from 1
    You can change this counting offset in ‘Info and Tweaks’ on the system menu:
    ALT+9, 5 x >, REC,3 x >, 1 so the screen says STEP1 (revert to STEP0 by pressing 0)

  4. Arpeggiator FX Expansion
    The arpeggiator has three more entries at the end:

  • RNDKEY - randomizes the arpeggio input note with a number of notes
  • RNDVEL - randomizes the arpeggio input note velocity
  • SCALED - adheres arpeggiator output notes to the selected scale in ALT+1, >,>

More on the MIDI FX:

This little MIDI workhorse is getting better and better!

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244

Barely time to blink and 2.37 is out :smiley:

FIXES:

  • Enable recording again after loop when you have used the playhead eraser
  • Stop recording in non-looped mode when part-length was set before recording
  • MIDIFX_CHORDS always initialized some params to default

MIDI FX ADDITIONS:

  • MIDI FX names now 5 characters, added:
  • MIDIFX_VEL2C
    Note velocity to CC converter (first version; experimental)
  • MIDIFX_KEY2C
    Note number to CC converter (same as above)
  • MIDI Delay
    Creates real-note clocked delay FX via MIDI
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