ucApps.de MIDIBox Seq

Airyck · 2018-01-21T14:54:47.804Z

I’d have to dig into the pyramid specs because I’m not familiar with them. There are a few reasons.

1: because I can
2: there is some satisfaction of completing a project like this and then using it to make music.
3: it’s open source so if I feel like something is missing I can work on implementing it myself.
4: It’s a great experience
5: I can fix anything that goes wrong with it
6: It can grow and change with me

Edit: Pyramid looks similar but it looks like a different experience/interface. One knob per step is nice on the MIDIBoxSeq

Plus the OLED displays match my Digitakt

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panelist · 2018-01-21T15:18:06.423Z

@Airyck sums it up nicely.

One of the things I love most about the midibox is that I can configure it the interface how it best suits me. If I want to assign a menu destination to a button, I can usually make that happen. I’ve reassigned most of the buttons on mine to better suit my workflow.

Plus, the developer (TK on the midibox forum) is very responsive to bug reports and very open to feature requests when good reasoning is provided. It did take time and effort to build and understand, but really is the best hardware sequencer I’ve used despite the barriers to entry.

I really believe that when the new case and PCBs are finished, the platform will gain a lot more attention. I think the lack of a straightforward case solution has been a major hurdle for a lot of DIYers.

Airyck · 2018-01-24T02:00:12.166Z

I designed a crude knockoff of the adjustable extrusions that I’m going to try and 3D print in pieces that make up the whole length of the front panel. I’m going to start by printing a very small version and see how it well it works. After that I’ll make an interlocking version that can be assembled (due to print volume limitations). Maybe try some various finishes on it and see if I can make it look nice.

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Adjustable Extrusion sideview.png2157×1241 18.3 KB

Airyck · 2018-01-28T01:24:04.375Z

So the adjustable extrusions worked okay but didn’t look the greatest as 3D printed pieces.
In the meantime I received an order of the very standard quarter round extrusions and came up with wood end panel design.

The wood is raw and hasn’t even been sanded. I still need to design a smaller Aluminum rear panel so that I can keep the size of the unit down (it’s already bulky enough).

Anyway, I’m sort of sick of trying on different outfits for my MIDI box so I think I’m going to just finish this case and call it good for a while.

Here’s where it is so far…

Still need to sand the wood and stain it (a dark brown oak color I"m thinking).

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The left wood panel got messed up while I was cutting it so I need to remake that one.
Still need a bottom panel, rear panel, and to tap the holes in the aluminum extrusions to more securely attach the wood and hold it together tightly.

I’m also going to see if I can find a couple different colors of buttons to help organize the front panel a little.

Open_Mike · 2018-01-28T01:44:47.701Z

Man that’s sweet, nice job, I think it looks great…

Airyck · 2018-01-28T01:50:44.622Z

Thanks! I kind of dig the raw aluminum color. Just gotta finish the wood really nicely and get that back panel made. Should be very sturdy once it’s all screwed together.

Open_Mike · 2018-01-28T02:00:23.051Z

Yeah, I dig the aluminum, I kinda like the light wood color too, I’d even consider a finish that keeps it more that color even…
I like the looks of it more than the red and black pic up top…

I’d love to make that kind of custom stuff for my rig but I think I’d have to clone myself to get around to it… I can imagine some day in the future having some kind of project shop room to do stuff like that, and enjoying it a lot…

Airyck · 2018-01-28T02:06:24.433Z

I’ll consider keeping it a light color. I could always make a couple of end pieces to try out.

My whole work area started with a 3D printer. I made the CNC machine with my 3D printer and taught myself to use Fusion 360 over the last couple years. I even ended up doing Mechanical Engineering at my job even though I was hired to do Electronics (I do both) because I kept making little things we needed at the office for prototypes.

I’ve been off of work to spend time with my newborn son so I did all this MIDIBox stuff whenever he was sleeping. Back to work Monday though so I think my time to do projects like this is going to become very limited very soon. Which is also why I wanted to finish this before I went back to work.

If you ever have any questions about any of this maker stuff just hit me up.

Cnicht · 2018-02-05T10:19:50.012Z

Great build of your Seq 4!

I’m considering building one and a couple of quick questions please.

Are the CC values p-lockable like Elektron sequencing and can they be smooth between successive changes?

Can the LFOs be sent to the CV outputs (assuming an AOUT board of course!)

I’d like to sequence both MIDI and modular with this so the ‘mix-and-match’ appeals!

Many thanks

panelist · 2018-02-05T11:17:06.512Z

Is the bottom side left open? It looks that way from the end piece routing. Not a bad solution given the restriction of those standard corner extrusions

AlexCase · 2018-02-05T13:27:54.546Z

Looking amazing, Airyck !

Does anyone know these things about the MIDISeq?

-How many MIDI events can you store per project?
-Can you name MIDI CC assignments so that you can see the name of the parameter you’re controlling on the screen?
-Is it possible to make the playhead position for the entire sequence jump to the start or to any step within the sequence, with the sequencer staying in time? (like hitting locator buttons on Ableton Live’s arrangement mode). This is great for live improvisation and is sorely missing in the Elektron boxes…

Airyck · 2018-02-05T15:54:29.354Z

Thanks guys!

I’ll answer the questions that I know the answers to.

You can plock steps just like on the Elektron sequencers. Individual tracks can play at different time scales to extend track lengths but you already get 256 as an option vs 64 on Elektron sequencers.

I don’t know how many events you can store per project but it’s alot. You can load a new project without stopping the sequencer so it’s really as many events as your sd card can hold

There is a function that lets you draw a smooth ramp between any number of steps so you can definitely step “smoothly” between parameter values over time.

You can write a long name for a track which displays on the right screen for any track so you can name your CC controllers whatever you want.

LFO can be sent to AOUT so it should be able to control CV without issue.

There is a “sync to measure” functionality that lets you restart the sequencer at different points in the sequence while it’s playing so you should be able to jump around to different steps but I haven’t played with it much.

You can also quantise muting and un-muting of tracks which is cool.

You can copy/paste/move steps, groups of steps, or entire tracks.

Yeah the bottom is open for now but I plan to work out a bottom part for the next milling session for side pieces.

This project takes a while to finish and then after that there is a decent learning curve to use it (I’m barely scratching the surface) but it’s powerful as a sequencer that’s for sure. Clock is solid though and it feels like a professional well thought out piece of gear.

Cnicht · 2018-02-05T16:47:27.314Z

Thank you

AlexCase · 2018-02-10T22:27:18.980Z

Awesome! One more please! How many CCs per track ?

I’d jump at this if all the parts were easily available…

panelist · 2018-02-11T02:39:20.489Z

you can specify tracks with up to 16 CCs. Basically tracks can be different ‘types’ (note, chord, CC, drum). Each track can have up to 16 layers, where each layer is a parameter of the type (note type would have note, velocity, length, roll, etc…) and generally you can assign unused layers in any track type to CCs. The number of layers in a track depends on how long you want your track length to be. The more steps in the track, the fewer layers you can have. For a note track, you can chose 64 steps with 16 layers, 128 steps with 8 layers, or 256 steps with 4 layers (each of these types also has 8 additional ‘trig’ layers, for gate, accent, roll, glide, skip, …)

the parts are pretty easy to source, and the PCBs are all at modularaddict.com now. Really the hardest parts is making a decent case.

Airyck · 2018-02-11T07:25:36.295Z

What panelist said

AlexCase · 2018-02-12T21:16:18.750Z

I’m looking but it’s confusing. There’s a bunch of midibox PCBs and whatnot on Modular Addict but no full Seq v4 kit. The MIDI I/O board seems unavailable.
On the ucapps “User Manual” page there’s a bunch of options and I don’t really understand what is needed. There’s stuff like

“The MIDI IN port is not supported, accordingly the “OUT only” version is sufficient.”
wtf?

I know a professional technician with a serious lab, and he can totally build this… but he charges by the hour so I want to get everything ready so he doesn’t have to spend time sourcing the parts… I don’t get why there isn’t a full kit with everything included. The ucapps.de forum has a whole lot of subforums and I don’t even know where to start.
I feel stupid!

This project has been going for quite a few years and you’d have thought they would have made it more accessible by now?

I guess I’ll have to wait for this:

Premade PCBs for Antilog’s frontpanel and also kits will be available in spring 2018!

Not holding my breath though…

JustinA · 2018-03-14T17:42:10.145Z

No, there is no full kit available. You need to source the parts from mouser. This guy has a real nice build guide that even has Mouser parts carts with all the components: http://niroke.blogspot.com/2017/07/an-unofficial-build-guide-for-midibox.html

At a minimum, you need the MBSeq PCB, the Core PCB, and the MIDI I/O. I’ve also added the AOUT_NG and a DOUT board, which adds 8 CV channels and 64 gates/triggers for analog gear. Yes, the pages are confusing. I first started messing with midibox in 2001, and the info has just piled up. I did recently add a BOM from mouser for the Modular Addict PCB: http://wiki.midibox.org/doku.php?id=wilba_mb_seq_parts_guide

Yes, the MIDI I/O is sold out. I may have gotten the last one in stock, since I just got my parts about a month ago. It is actually a really simple circuit with about 5-10 parts, and could be built on a small PCB while waiting for them to get back in stock, Also, the core board has PC USBs, so you can route the MidiBox outputs to soft synths on the PC without the Midi I/O board.

This is not a build for the feint of heart, but it is very rewarding. I had my panel laser cut at ponoko. If you are a first time user, you can get it cut for about $25 once you use their coupon. I’m a woodworker, so I am making my own case for it. I think I went a bit on the beefy side:slight_smile:

I really think you can get the cost down to $300. The case/front panel are big expenses, along with OLED displays. I just have regular LCD’s. The darn buttons are a big expense. You need 58 switches and keycaps if you use Wilba’s panel design.

I’ll try to attach a photo of my MBSeq.
Justin

MBSeq.jpg730×974 128 KB

JustinA · 2018-03-14T17:51:38.017Z

Oh, I forgot to mention, you can add on a button/light matrix. Up to 16x16 RGB lighted buttons for selecting steps, etc. I am just getting started on a 4x16 button matrix.

richie · 2018-08-23T12:07:31.180Z

Things are really shaping up for the SEQ v4+ now:

MIDIbox Forum

Montage! SEQ v4+ with key labels plus TPD mini matrices...

This is just a montage, of how we hope it should look. The final looks may differ a bit. Note: the beat LED (above the midiphy logo) will be in t...