Messages

Manuel en francais
https://www.baloran.com/The3B/Manuel_The_3B_FR.pdf

English manual
https://www.baloran.com/The3B/Manual_The_3B_EN.pdf

Karplus-Strong synthesis implemented in The 3B.

Sorry for the delay. Yes, it's on my TODO list, but these last few weeks I've mostly been working on The 3B. For example, I've just added the Karplus-Strong synthesis,

https://youtu.be/TL5plliCxEM?si=T4pjI2tTzMnB0UKw

The Pool should be able to benefit from it soon enough. Incidentally, the two get on very well. The 3B is an excellent MIDI controller, and all the axes of movement can be found in The Pool's modulation sources. 

I had the pleasure of presenting Baloran's new instrument at Synthfest France 2025. The BumBleBee (aka The 3B) met with a very warm welcome.

Deliveries of the first units will start in a month's time, but you can already check out the product sheet, some videos and reviews on the Baloran website.
Baloran web site

Chrisp sent me the following message: thanks to him !!!

"
Just an update on the working mac configuration.
I ve made quite a few tests and it seems the old macbook i9 offers very good communication with a usb C to usb A converter / hub.
The newer mac studio m1 offers good communication only with a hub / converter from usb C to usb A.
The usb A ports of the M1 mac are very unreliable. One port shows consistently no communication at all and the second port
flickers regularly every 5-10 seconds to an on-off communication behavior which can lead to problems when updating firmware.
So, in general, a converter / hub form usb C to usb A is a must.
"

Before reorganizing anything, I'd like to be able to diagnose the instrument. A priori, the USB link is completely inconsistent, since no voice card has been able to switch to 1.63 and remain in 1.60. The 0.0 card seems to be an upgrade that went wrong.

I'd like to know if other MAC users are experiencing similar problems when upgrading.

Chris, you'd really have to do a test from a WIndows PC (a friend, at work etc...) because as the link seems inconsistent, whatever the position of the dipswitches on the back of The RIver, I'm convinced that it's the whole environment that's not working properly. This is the only solution that allows me to establish a definite diagnosis and to know whether to return the instrument or not.

To update the cards on MAC, there may be another solution.

https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/loader_mac.html

If anyone feels brave enough to test

Ok, thank you for this accurate reporting. For the Load, I see what you mean about the OK, but I'm half convinced. I'll have to think again  

The idea is good, and the idea of doing something in the same spirit as microtonal is not bad. Just try to express more finely the need, the relationship between tempo / division and the finesse of what can be adjusted. Anything can work for me, but in the end, the sum of the shifts has to bring me back to the theoretical time

I would be a little afraid with PLA but I saw that you have planned nice thicknesses

For those who don't have a 3D printer, there are some serious sites that can do the job. The bodyia file is perfectly processed.
On a site like JLCPCB (https://jlc3dp.com/ for 3D printing), for NYLON 3D printing, the price per part is around ten euros, for PLA six euros for each sample.

Bravo What material (ABS, Hyper PLA, NYLON...) you use ?
 

For the moment, no, this is not planned. The time required for design, prototyping and production seems unreasonable in relation to the potential market.

Sorry, no, it's not possible for tempo by step and very difficult for swing because delaying an event is possible, but anticipating it is more complex

For validation,
https://www.baloran.com/ThePool/Updates/ThePool_163.zip

• This version improves the name editor in the SAVE function. You can now move the cursor, insert characters etc....
• It adds a "SHOW ALERT" system parameter. Set to "ON", as soon as a sound is modified, the INIT, PANEL, RAND and LOAD functions generate a warning. In the SAVE function, a warning confirms the replacement of an existing file.
• Effects modulation via card 1 has been improved.
• A nice bug on the VCF4 when activating the F envelope has been corrected. 
• Noise color is better managed in A2D, no longer leaving a noise even when the NOISE slider is set to 0.
• Cursor blocking in A2D has been corrected. 

-----------------------------
Pour validation,
https://www.baloran.com/ThePool/Updates/ThePool_163.zip

• Cette version améliore l'éditeur de noms dans la fonction SAVE. On peut déplacer le curseur, inserer des caractères etc....
• Elle ajoute un paramètre system "SHOW ALERT". Défini sur "ON", dès qu'un son est modifié, les fonctions INIT, PANEL, RAND, LOAD génèrent un avertissement. Dans la fonction SAVE, un avertissement permet de confirmer le remplacement d'un fichier existant.
• La modulation des Effets via la carte 1 a été amélioré.
• Un joli bug sur le VCF4 aund on active l'enveloppe F a été corrigé. 
• La couleur du Noise est mieux gérée dans A2D, elle ne laisse plus un noise meme si le curseur NOISE est amené à 0.
• Le blocage des curseurs dans A2D a été corrigé. 

[Modulations]

Modulations
- CC values as modulation source.  The waldorf iridium gives the user CC22-CC31 as sources for modulation.  It could be an interesting way to connect The Pool to outboard midi gear like the Low Frequency Expander.

After much thought and testing, I'm not going to add multiple sources of modulation, as I think the whole package is already rich.
I've just mapped
CC22 to SEQ1
CC23 on SEQ2
CC24 to SEQ3
SEQ1, SEQ2 and SEQ3 are "smoothed" to avoid staircase effects, so the CCs will be too.