Dualchord Expander

[XORadmin]

Now that the Dualchord is going to be released soon I thought it would be a good idea to start the official Dualchord thread.

Here added to modulargrid:
https://modulargrid.net/e/xor-electronics-dualchord

I will put it up into the webshop when the black friday deals start (no deal for this one), other shops will follow up. Shipping starts in the 1st/2nd week of december.
There will be more and more information over the next days.

Basic specs:
Dualchord 6HP Expander, (uses 1 NSA channel)
- 2 x 4 voice oscillator with each 4 freely mixable waveforms (Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth, Pulse (with PWM). 32 waveforms running at the same time
- 2 audio outputs for each 4 oscillators
- 2 Trigger/Gate outputs
- 8 integrated LFO freely assignable (also syncable)
- 4 Knobs freely assignable to all Dualchord functions
- Stereo-ish modes (dephase, detune)
- PWM, Oscillator spread, mini-super-saw, glide, detune, multi-octave chords, preset chord modes
- waveform morph modes
- dedicated tracktype to support all dualchord functions, columns for all 8 oscillators and Trigger/gate
- full mapping support
....

Price 169€ (ex VAT)

https://xor-electronics.com/downloadfile...d_info.pdf

There will be either a promo video or I will make a live-stream going through its current functions. To be announced...

[48484B]

If you have 4 Oscillators which can do sine waves and modulation thereof, why not add routing for Frequency Modulation of the Oscillators to do 4 Operator FM (if the processing power is sufficient to calculate the modulation at audio rates)? The configuration could be also be a preset routing list to choose from like in the FM synths (TX81z), or it could be free?

Looking forward to how this module will sound! The trigger out may be nice to trigger Filter Envelopes or Amp Envelopes that follow the output of the module, or have you thought of a different purpose?

[XORadmin]

If you have 4 Oscillators which can do sine waves and modulation thereof, why not add routing for Frequency Modulation of the Oscillators to do 4 Operator FM (if the processing power is sufficient to calculate the modulation at audio rates)? The configuration could be also be a preset routing list to choose from like in the FM synths (TX81z), or it could be free?

Looking forward to how this module will sound! The trigger out may be nice to trigger Filter Envelopes or Amp Envelopes that follow the output of the module, or have you thought of a different purpose?

I assume that should be possible. However not planned at this point and without additional envelopes it would maybe be a bit limited. Luckily you got the 4 operator FM in the NerdSEQ which can produce also some great sounds :-)

The additional trigger outputs are exactly to trigger envelopes etc but are not restricted to that of course. They are multi-purpose just like the local ones.

[48484B]

LFO can be routed to the AMP of the individual waveforms? 
Yes, envelopes would be pretty much necessary for FM. Maybe single cycle LFOs or triggered LFOs could be useful as well as a free running LFO mode? That could also be used as poor man’s Envelope.
Individual AMP values can be written/programmed directly as parameters by the Nerdseq sequencer?

The Nerdseq internal FM is pretty cool, though a bit hard to set up, because it is stretching across the voices and tracks. For me it is rather a choice of using pure samples or do FM. I did not mix it yet (e.g. 2 operator FM and the other 2 for normal sample playing) and as sample tracks are limited it would be cool to “outsource” FM to a module with tight Nerdseq integration of the parameters. Especially as FM shines when modulated. Downside would be that the module has no samples to do FM with.
With FMs complexity it is good to have sound patch storage for individual FM sounds. With Nerdseq constructing a 4OP FM sound and storing and reloading just this sound, I don’t know how to do this efficiently. So it is more like patching a FM sounds which is across multiple tracks and voices and its setup every time from scratch. Maybe I should RTFM again..
I’m a bit spoiled though from the Essence FM which has a very good FM programming interface and workflow. The Nerdseq has a nice crunchy sound though.

Another Idea would be to enable AMP modulation using other waveforms as inputs, to utilize what’s already in there and to get a vast array of wave shapes out of it as an oscillator module.
Maybe it would be a good idea to have a slope parameter in the inputs that’s configurable to smooth the parameter changes (similar to glide which is used for pitch) from the Nerdseq going directly to the waveforms? Then the parameter changes would result in small “Envelope” sections in the transition phase. For doing chord type evolving sounds this would also be nice to do changes smoothly in the sequencer synched to the tempo in a more linear fashion than LFOs or piecing LFO sections together.
Just sharing my thoughts.

[XORadmin]

LFO can be routed to the AMP of the individual waveforms?  

Yes

Individual AMP values can be written/programmed directly as parameters by the Nerdseq sequencer?

Yes

The Nerdseq internal FM is pretty cool, though a bit hard to set up, because it is stretching across the voices and tracks.

It's not easy, FM never is. But you can completely set it up without leaving the screen (except if you want to add envelopes). The UP/DOWN buttons guide you to Operators 1,2,3 and 4.

I’m a bit spoiled though from the Essence FM which has a very good FM programming interface and workflow.

That is a dedicated FM synthesizer with it's own big screen as a main product and I don't really think that it is comparable in a way.

Another Idea would be to enable AMP modulation using other waveforms as inputs, to utilize what’s already in there and to get a vast array of wave shapes out of it as an oscillator module.

Worth to experiment with that.

Maybe it would be a good idea to have a slope parameter in the inputs that’s configurable to smooth the parameter changes (similar to glide which is used for pitch) from the Nerdseq going directly to the waveforms? Then the parameter changes would result in small “Envelope” sections in the transition phase. For doing chord type evolving sounds this would also be nice to do changes smoothly in the sequencer synched to the tempo in a more linear fashion than LFOs or piecing LFO sections together.

That could be something for the future.

For now, it is what it is. It's 'oscillators' with some nice extra features. No-one but me played with it so lets see first what users will do with it. I am not planning to make a FM synthesizer add on for the dualchord as it would involve much more development time (think about the synth itself and the user interface etc) to get this nicely done. It might be technically possible but maybe also not. For now I concentrate on the new NerdSEQ firmware release which got to be there once the first Dualchords arrive.

[48484B]

Sounds good! I myself don’t have the need for jet another (half baked) FM synth. I thought about FM to enhance the sound palette for evolving chord type sounds, there may be easier ways to do this, e.g. wave shapers or other modulations. A Chord synth module with modulation capabilities and tight Nerdseq integration for controlling it without needing hundred cables sounds like a good plan!

[XORadmin]

Sounds good! I myself don’t have the need for jet another (half baked) FM synth. I thought about FM to enhance the sound palette for evolving chord type sounds, there may be easier ways to do this, e.g. wave shapers or other modulations. A Chord synth module with modulation capabilities and tight Nerdseq integration for controlling it without needing hundred cables sounds like a good plan!

Something you got to keep in mind. If FM then you would lose chords as the oscillators are then used as operators and not for multiple notes then. And adding more oscillators for that is probably not possible. Right now 32 waveforms / 8 HQ oscillators are running. You would need 32 Oscillators (128 simultane running waveforms)  to keep the same amount of chord notes. Lets keep that for another project with a CPU instead of a microcontroller :-)

[48484B]

Very good point with the polyphony!

[Momec]

Is it correctly understood that the only way to control this is with the new track type?

Would it in any way be possible to implement a way to control it with any track type through, eg. the FX column?

The reason I ask is because I use the Nerdseq for live performance and have everything set up in one project, so I use a lot of patterns spread out over two tracks. If I need to add a third track, I loose a the ability to have as many songs as I need.

I know this is not the way it was intended, and hope my post makes sense.

[XORadmin]

Is it correctly understood that the only way to control this is with the new track type?

Would it in any way be possible to implement a way to control it with any track type through, eg. the FX column?

The reason I ask is because I use the Nerdseq for live performance and have everything set up in one project, so I use a lot of patterns spread out over two tracks. If I need to add a third track, I loose a the ability to have as many songs as I need.

I know this is not the way it was intended, and hope my post makes sense.

A new tracktype is the best way to control it as as usual different tracktypes match perfectly to different needs.

You can control the dualchord parameters also by using the mappings and those can be controlled through every FX then again (like a XMAP executes some rows in the mappings which change dualchord parameters).
You still need to assign a track as dualchord because there you set up how you want it to behave (like monophone multi osc, chords, clone etc) but you don't need to use the patterns then from the track.