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Questions from new Arp Owner

Hello, i just took possession and I am getting familiar, i had a few questions/observations:

The knobs on the white version were pretty loose, and moved/wiggled before a parameter actually changed, i added tissue paper in the D shaft to tightent them up, maybe a different knob supplier would work better, some of my other D shaft knobs were tight when i swapped them.
The main encoder seems to miss some turns here and there when turning slowly, and when turning faster, the exponential nature of the parameter change is a little hard to predict where it will land. is this something that can be tweaked in the software?
Is there a way or a future plan to allow each arp track to respond to separate incoming midi channels and not only one global channel? So each arp could respond to a different incoming channel.
On mono vs poly mode, i saw in the manual that mono mode was per channel, that isnt implying poly mode is not per channel correct? So it can be in poly or mono per channel and the main difference is the poly mode lets gates overlap, correct?
Is there a way to request a solo button combo, idea is to maybe hold one or more sequencer buttons then tap a mute button and those sequencers solo instead of mute.
Is there a setting for when Arp is receiving clock but no midi input, it will not output any notes or is mute/unmute the only option?
Is there a midi panic to send cc 123 or all notes off out to devices? i get some stuck notes sometimes.

11 comments

Comments (11)

Jul 27

Same issue with missing and skipping here when using the 5 encoders. There appear to be 24 stages in the encoder. Turning slowly it can sometimes move through 5 stages before a number changes, usually in the same places in the encoder's rotation.

I do wonder if it's a software issue rather than a hardware one. If the encoders are programmed to respond to the speed of turning then there might be points in the rate change where it just misses things altogether.

If turning very slowly one step at a time and allowing the number to update, it doesn't cause the issue. It doesn't miss any however, I do find that there is occasionally a lag between the step changing on the encoder and the number updating which is more pronounced when moving through several steps in one go.

So for me, it seems related to when turning the encoder without letting the number first update, and the speed/rate of turning - its responsiveness.

I suspect the main program encoder is doing a lot more than the four macro encoders - the latter of which seem a lot more responsive but sometimes have the same issue.

Cheers

mark

Edited

Denony

Jul 26

Hello

My black ARP has the exact same issue with knobs than your ARP, Steve (I watched both videos you shared). But I was not thinking that it was a knobs hardware issue. Now I am used to the way they work.

Regards

Edited

steve

Jul 26

Replying to

Thanks for the feedback, I do think I can adjust, but I thought I would bring it up in case there was something that could be done to tweak it. Like I said in one of my other comments, a single click not registering randomly is more problematic because it is a click type encoder. Turning to click should advance the parameter.

infotechrn

Jul 25

Just took stock of the ARP today (black version) and same issue with knobs. I would be interested in replacment knobs when that time comes. Thanks

Chris Brown

Jul 26

Replying to

Please email me via the website, and I will send out a new set for you when the replacements are found.

steve

Jul 25

Thanks

On knobs I have tissue paper that tightens them fine, if I have to send back for some other reason I would consider at that time.
I can work with how it’s exponential on turning, but it seems less consistent on the larger turns, on big range parameters, trying to fast turn gives different results each attempt, just not as consistent as I prefer but I can work around it. A bigger issue for me is missing single parameter changes on individual clicks. Some turns just don’t register.
Thanks
Thanks
I was thinking, but didn’t mention, mute on release is a good way to work. Which would also let you cue up single or multiple mutes and or solos for single handed operation on the button Combo.
Ok, it’s just different than expected that when I stop playing a sequence into it, that another sequence begins, the seed takes over. I can work with it with mutes.
I’ll check it out.

Thanks for the replies, I am enjoying the unit I just had some thoughts, maybe I am early in my usage to propose changes.

Chris Brown

Jul 26

Replying to

Thanks for following up with more info.

If you drop me an email, via the website, I'll happily send you replacement knobs when we source them.

Regarding the single value changes, I wonder if this is because of the knob fitment or if, perhaps, your unit has a faulty encoder. They are bourns pro audio encoders and as far as I know this isn't a common issue. If you could, please, share a video of the behaviour, it might show that there's an issue with the component, in which case we would happily send out a replacement.

In the mean time, using the Up and Down buttons also enables fine adjustment... and big jumps, if you press and hold.

Mute on release is and interesting suggestion that we could possibly add as a hidden configuration setting. I'll add it to the considerations list.

Sending MIDI notes into ARP only sets the global chord/scale (the Note Set). That is, the pool of notes from which each of the 4 tracks builds it's sequence. ARP's approach is unlike a classic arpeggiator. This is critical to the design of ARP and there's an explanation of how it behaves here: https://youtu.be/rWFOHhlZyfQ?si=eQ88IskR2yX3hocQ

If you want ARP to play only when it receives MIDI Notes (when you hold down keyboard keys) enable Live Play (menu).

You can also change the Arpeggiation Mode to "Classic" if you prefer it to behave like a traditional arpeggiator, however, this limits some of ARP's capabilities.

Thanks again for the feedback and I hope this information is useful.

steve

Jul 26

Replying to

Here is the single knob issue:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7jajhczs5i9td5em6ierg/Single-knob-turns-missing-value-change.MOV?rlkey=x1reehcv9yxna0467wz9snac6&dl=0

Here is the big turn inconsistency:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4ywfcyto3yjeq9z461rg4/Big-knob-turns-not-consistent.MOV?rlkey=h0cbd3ay1ht24fxgitw293j03&dl=0

If you cant take videos this way please let me know how to submit them, Im watching the youtube link you provided now.

Chris Brown

Jul 27

Replying to

Thanks for sharing the videos.

The single step issue definitely doesn't look right, I cannot recreate that issue with any of the test ARP here. It could be an issue with the encoder or possibly the loose fitting knob. In the latter case, the knob is not tight so is slipping on the shaft without turning the encoder. As you said, though, you have tried tightening the knob with tissue paper, so it's difficult to know for sure.

From the click sounds in the video, it seems like the encoder is turning and so I am leaning towards it being a hardware issue. In which case, we'd be happy to send out a replacement. If you'd like to proceed with this, please email me via the website and we will make the arrangements. Regarding the big turns, again it is hard to tell, however the value jump is based on the speed of rotation, not the distance travelled. Unlike a potentiometer, a fixed distance turn on an encoder would result in only a small value change, e.g. 1 step per dent. Again, perhaps you do have a faulty encoder and this is exacerbating the issue.

If the encoder is fault, I can only apologise. We source high quality components and each ARP is fully tested to ensure everything is working. An intermittent issue, like this, would not be picked up by our test procedures.

Chris Brown

Jul 25

Thanks for the feedback. We have had reports of loose-fitting knobs and are working to try to improve this with the supplier. We found a few knobs that were incorrectly manufactured and slip easily on the shaft, but we do check all knobs function correctly during assembly. We will be happy to replace the knobs if you feel the fit is unacceptable.
ARPs parameters have wide range of different values. Octave for example has just 7 values, whereas Tempo has a range of 300. The tuning of the encoders is designed to cover both small, single-value tweaks and big sweeps through a large range of values. At slow rotation speed, the parameter will change 1 value per dent on the encoder. Faster turns will make big jumps. It takes a little getting used to. We worked with a lot of tester feedback to decide on the right tuning. We have no current plans to change it or add different tuning options.
ARP's global scale is designed to keep the 4 tracks in harmony. We have no plans to allow different chords/scales (note sets) per track. You can, however, use Note Lock and Scale Lock parameters for a specific track. You can also use the Note Limit and Pitch Filter parameters to modify the Chord/Scale per track. There's information on each of these parameters in the User Manual.
You are correct, Poly mode allows layered notes on the same MIDI channel. Both Mono and Poly Modes can be independently set per track. However, if a track is set to MONO, then all tracks assigned to the same MIDI Channel will also be MONO.
The Solo Track button question has been raised recently on the forum. A 2 button combo is something we will consider for a future update. Although you can use 3 fingers to mute 3 channels, it is perhaps not the best solution. :)
You can use external MIDI Clock by setting MIDI Control Mode (menu) to IN. The global Chord/Scale (Note Set) is only detected on the MIDI Input Channel (menu) which you can set to OFF. For disabling note output, mute is the best option. However, you can also assign the track to an unused MIDI Out Channel or set the Velocity parameter to zero. There are also MIDI Output Routing Options (menu) in the global settings to disable specific MIDI Ports.
Pressing Stop twice will send All Notes Off (120) and All Sounds Off (123) on all MIDI Channels. I hope this information is helpful. I'd be happy to clarify with more info if needed.

steve

Jul 26

Replying to

As an add on number 3. I wasn’t looking to do multiple scales or change the global setting for seed or arp generation. Just simply to allow more than one midi channel to send in notes. Specifically to set a channel per arp. I would be sending from a sequencer that also adheres to a global scale but is sequencing devices on different channels.