Gechologic Support Forum

Ah sorry you're completely right, I haven't noticed that the encoder is not working properly in the 3-byte message mode because the controller which I used has 14 potentiometers and only one encoder so maybe I just never assigned a function to it where it was obvious that it only goes between min and max values.

So the logic needs to be expanded as currently Gecho cannot tell a difference between 3-byte message from potentiometer, which can also returns the same max and min value, and 3-byte message from encoder. But it is easy to make this work, we simply need to look at whether any other values are transmitted in between; if yes, it's a potentiometer and we will parse the values as absolute, and if not, it's an encoder and we will parse the messages as increments by 1.

For now you'd need to send 6-byte messages to make this work, but looks like your controller does not support it?

I'll make sure that this is fixed in the next fw update, thank you for reporting the problem!

Hi Jean-Luc,
Thank you for your kind words! 
Glad to hear you figured it out, and that you like the new functions, enjoy!
Cheers,
Mario

Hi Paul,

Sorry about the slow reply, the notifications were not set up correctly so I missed your post.

Just wondering if the Gecholoop's 3.5mm MIDI jack is wired to the "A" or "B" standard. I'm assuming it's Type-A, but don't want to damage anything...

Yes you're right it is "A" standard, like used by Korg, IKMultimedia, Make Noise and others (I followed the specification here and decided for that group of devices, so for example the Uno synth can be connected directly with a 2.5mm to 3.5mm Jack cable).

Of course better safe than sorry but the risk of damage should be very low, Gecho definitely won't get damaged even if the other device short-circuited its output. The other way around, if the incoming signal was reversed, it will just do nothing, next to the octocoupler there is a protective diode and a current-limiting resistor. Quite often I mistakenly connected one device's output to another, forgetting changing the I/O selector switch, but nothing happened - the voltages and currents involved are very low.

Also, any update on the CV input capability? I've just got my hands on a Teenage Engineering OP-Z, and hope to start exploring the pair.

It is on the TODO list, I definitely don't want to leave this bit unfinished therefore it's still printed on the front panel, next to that switch. But for the next update I want to finish everything around the MIDI first, and that is almost done. I don't have the OP-Z, but if it has a MIDI output then there is plenty of things you could already do with this combination.

Happy to hear you enjoy the loopsynth, if you record something to share with us, please do not hesitate to do so! 

Cheers,
Mario

Hi Jean-Luc,

Yes the update should come out soon but not sure yet how much of the sync functionality will be there - I'll try to add the analog tempo detection (useful with Pocket Operators) and MIDI clock parsing (e.g. from Keystep), which almost worked last time, but in its current implementation it is not a true "sync" yet, meaning that it only sets up the tempo while the unit is idle, but once you start playing, it does not update the tempo dynamically. So the timing might drift off after a while. In some channels it will be easy to add continuous syncing, but in some others there might not be enough CPU time left for this task. Anyway, in some channels - e.g. the basic soundscapes - it is perhaps not as useful anyway but I will try to add it to reverb, granular, and other more universal "effect" channels.

The next update will also bring some cool new upgrades to existing channels, for example the reverb now has polyphonic variant, controllable via MIDI, and it sounds very cool with external sound from some other device (for example mmxx t-ape).

I know it takes ages, but I'm still the only developer working here And have to switch between prototyping of new things, arranging production and building the units too. And because of elements shortages, time consuming redesigns are often needed when some chip disappears from stock globally... it happens often that we have something ready to manufacture but suddenly it is not possible anymore.

Also recently I've been distracted by moving home and company, which meant that for over a month not much was done except for bare minimum required to ship orders - but we're getting there.

Thank you for your patience and support!

Cheers,
Mario

That's cool Yes I remember Delphi, or earlier Pascal in DOS which was the first language we used at school.

things like the key combinations of RST-B1 and so on driving me nuts (since RST turns the program off if you don't get the exact timing)

Yes that's an unfortunate combination, I've put it only for presumably less important / less often required settings, which one in particular do you use more often? It could be changed everywhere to more handy way where SET invokes a sub-menu, just like it's in the Dekrispator.

starting programs with line input mode too

At some point this setting was remembered in Flash, but I've been receiving a mail a day about "my microphones do not work anymore". But makes sense to allow it again, maybe add an option somewhere in config file if it should be remembered - the same with all input levels, for example when using Gecho + T-ape it's quite annoying to have to set them every time as the signal from T-ape is too strong.

I am right that if I totally brick it it is restorable just using the service menu B3 ?

There is only one binary handling everything so if it is missing or corrupted then it can't restore its own backup or flash an update from SD, you'd need to use USB to restore it.

trying to run the target 'flash'  (gecho not connected but would expect compile first then some kind of timeout)

That's correct expectation, but it looks your IDE does not issue the build command, just tries to flash the result? make flash is the last step, for the compile / build to happen you first need to run something like this:

python C:/bin/esp-idf-v4.0.3/tools/windows/eclipse_make.py -j6 all
If you press Ctrl+B it should rebuilt all that's necessary, I don't use IDE to flash it as it will flash bootloader + partitions + code every time, and possibly at the wrong address, so instead I just do this in a separate MinGW window:

python C:/path/to/esptool/esptool.py --chip esp32 --port COM2 --baud 1500000 --before default_reset --after hard_reset write_flash -u --flash_mode dio --flash_freq 40m --flash_size detect 0x30000 C:/path/to/workspace/whale-v150/build/app-template.bin
Of course you could also modify the settings in IDE to match these parameters.

Hi Jean-Luc, no I was not aware of this problem, thanks for reporting it!

Indeed there is a bug and I was able to repeat it, in my case it restarts and sometimes indicates an error by blinking the whole row of red LEDs. This looks like pressing of B2 may be misinterpreted for "load custom chord progression" (e.g. what you can put in via channel 111) while there is none. When I had a chord progression defined, the B2 could be used to leave recording open. This should be easy to fix.

Pressing the B2 to "lock" recording again ruined the clean sample as the sound of the button was heard. Sensor would work better here. I wonder if it makes more sense to make it work in the same way as in #34 Clouds, where recording of new sound is enabled / disabled by triggering the S3 sensor repeatedly (and in Clouds that should be changed to S2 for more consistency).

Thanks a lot for sharing your song! It is very cool to see the little lizard used alongside the more serious gear (which I do not have so double thanks for showcasing it ) and a good example what it might be used for: background textures. By the way channel Dekrispator (#33) has many more patches that could be used this way, it's possible to modulate them by voice as well, and the effects - e.g. delay - can be turned off when not needed.

I've added your video to the reviews page. There is no formal process for this, only that whenever I see a cool demo on YT or IG, I ask people if it's fine to embed it on the website. But thanks for starting this thread too, it's a good idea and hopefully it will inspire others to share their content here.

This also reminds me that the Clouds channel needs an update. It was ported over from the Mutable Instruments open source code base as a quick test, but never finished at my side - it has more parameters internally than bound to Gecho's controls. I did not have a more complex MIDI controller than Keystep before but now I have one with 16 knobs so it will allow to control everything at once.

And please feel free to post link to your album when it's out. We need to start a thread / a website page for that too, there already have been a handful of people who actually used it in a music production... And that's super cool!