Hanging notes with Sawbench

robschroeder

I am having heavy issues with hanging notes in combination Ableton Live 9.2, Push and Sawbench getting it's Midi from Fireface UC Midi connection. Notes are hanging very often or are not triggered. Don't have this problem with any other Hardwaresynth (Meeblip Anode, Waldorf Rocket, EMU ESI2000 and others). Plase also see video.



Any idea what could cause this?

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Rob Schroeder
Composer & Producer

Web: http://www.robschroeder.info
Mail: rob@robschroeder.info
Skype: schroerob
Cell: +49 1575 180 37 80
Facebook: http://bit.ly/robschroeder

tastychips

Hi Rob,

Hmm. Well, we suspect something in the firmware could cause this. We are trying more and more MIDI controllers, but they all just seem to work.. People reported problems with the beatstep, for instance.. We bought one, but it just worked. Other guys report problems in conjunction with MIDI splitters, but these aren't available anymore.

We will probably release a firmware update that could _potentially_ solve the problem you are facing, for this you'll need to reprogram the MCU.. or we could send you a new MCU for testing?

Cheers,

Pieter

robschroeder

Pieter,

if you could advise me how to reprogram the MCU (I am no technician) then I could do this. Otherwise an MCU for testing would also be fine. Maybe I can then help in this issue.

//

--
Rob Schroeder
Composer & Producer

Web: http://www.robschroeder.info
Mail: rob@robschroeder.info
Skype: schroerob
Cell: +49 1575 180 37 80
Facebook: http://bit.ly/robschroeder

tastychips

Hi Rob,

Yesterday we did firmware v1.1 to potentially fix this issue: https://github.com/pietervandermeer/sawbench_firmware

Updating the firmware by yourself requires can be tricky, though.

We've asked a befriended abletonpush user if he can have a look if he can reproduce the problem.. We'll let you know more. If we don't find out more we'll offer you an MCU with firmware 1.1. Replacing the MCU is relatively simple and only involves some unscrewing and replacing the MCU in the socket.

Cheers,

Pieter

synthetek

What hardware is required to update the firmware?

tastychips

One or two Arduino Uno's, depending on the exact model MCU. Some are 328, some are 328P. Possibly also some jumpwires.

robschroeder

Any news?

tastychips

We're working together with a friend who has the Ableton Push. He said he could sometimes get some weird results.. we're waiting for a recording from his side. This is all still firmware 1.0.

tastychips

Got some news. Our friend was unable to reproduce the problem. He did note the fact that the Sawbench does not behave like most monosynths, illustrated by the following examples: press key 1, press key 2, lift key 2: on most monosynths key 1 starts playing again. The sawbench, however, will be silent. This could perhaps be related?

tastychips

We recently managed to reproduce a MIDI problem ourselves using ableton and a lot of automations (or envelopes as ableton calls them).. The sawbench started skipping notes. And indeed, firmware 1.1 fixes the problem.

check out the repository:
https://github.com/pietervandermeer/sawbench_firmware

This now also includes a README on how to install the new firmware using only an arduino uno, a screwdriver and an IC puller.

Maybe this also fixes your Push problem..

Good luck!

InactiveX

I've been having problems with skipped notes when using an arpeggiator.

I tried updating the firmware (I have a Uno) and I don't get far into the process before it complains:


Arduino: 1.6.5 (Linux), Board: "Arduino Uno"

sawbench_v3:13: error: stray '\' in program
sawbench_v3:13: error: stray '\' in program
sawbench_v3:51: error: missing terminating ' character
sawbench_v3:55: error: missing terminating " character
sawbench_v3:96: error: missing terminating ' character
sawbench_v3:121: error: missing terminating " character
sawbench_v3:282: error: invalid suffix "a9d283e735f216af3a9bba0577b9dd09a41b1bf" on integer constant
sawbench_v3:282: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:282: error: missing terminating " character
sawbench_v3:304: error: invalid suffix "a8243d539312ee913585ece0e656f97" on integer constant
sawbench_v3:475: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:479: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:483: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:487: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:491: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:495: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:499: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:508: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:512: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:516: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:520: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:524: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:528: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:532: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:536: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:540: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:753: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:2997: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:3025: error: stray '#' in program
sawbench_v3:3339: error: missing terminating ' character
sawbench_v3:3356: error: missing terminating " character
sawbench_v3:4: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:282: error: 'protocol_type' does not name a type
sawbench_v3:282: error: 'padding' does not name a type
sawbench_v3:282: error: 'display' does not name a type
sawbench_v3:282: error: expected unqualified-id before string constant
sawbench_v3:508: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:508: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:512: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:512: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:516: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:516: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:520: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:520: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:524: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:524: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:528: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:528: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:532: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:532: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:536: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:536: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:540: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:540: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:557: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:561: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:570: error: 'loopCount' does not name a type
sawbench_v3:570: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:574: error: 'loopCount' does not name a type
sawbench_v3:574: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:583: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:587: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:591: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:595: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:604: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:608: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:612: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:616: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:625: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:629: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:633: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:637: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:641: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:645: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:649: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:653: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:670: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:674: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:678: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:682: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:699: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:703: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:707: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:711: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:715: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:719: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:728: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:732: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:736: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:740: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:762: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:766: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:770: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:774: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:778: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:782: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:791: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:795: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:799: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:803: error: 'micros' does not name a type
sawbench_v3:803: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:807: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:811: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
sawbench_v3:815: error: expected unqualified-id before '<' token
stray '\' in program


I'm not at all familiar with Arduino, so I may have got something simple wrong. I suspect some paths may have changed at some point, but I don't know.

Any advice?

tastychips

that's odd. the latest sawbench_v3.ino is 700 lines long. where does arduino ide find line 815? using arduino ide 1.6.3 here and it works.

what might be important is to add the libraries.. Sketch -> include libraries. Also the project directory needs to be configured under Arduino -> Preferences...
//sawbench_firmware/piggy2

JeremyBernstein

Hi, just wanted to report success in compiling and uploading the firmware to my Uno, and in swapping out the ATmega chip. Tasty, and it does indeed appear to solve the MIDI communication issues I was seeing. Here's hoping there aren't too many additional firmware updates, though!

tastychips

Hi Jeremy!

That's excellent news. Thanks for the heads-up! :)

We also hope this will solve all the MIDI problems. For us, at least, it does seem to do that. A next firmware update is in the pipes, but it's not intended to have any bugfixes since there are no more bugs *coughs*. ;) But seriously, there are some new features lined up like exponential ADSR and LFO sync.

Cheers

JeremyBernstein

In that case, I might have to leave mine unscrewed on the table for a while. :-)

InactiveX

My problem turned out to be with my MIDI interface. I never did get round to working out the flasher, but that's OK.

Any news about the new firmware you mentioned?

tastychips

that's a relief. :)

the last weeks we've been swamped with work for the new ST4 synth, but if there's enough demand we'll finish the sawbench 1.2 firmware..

InactiveX

I see. Here's hoping for 1.2!

Cheers TC.