ALT firmware update
V.2.0
microtonal scales
microtuning edit per note
chord progression midi mode
adsr envelopes
portamento
and more…
New scale presets
we’ve made a few important changes in the scale presets.
the first 9 presets are western, equal temperament scales.
the 10th is a just intonation (5-limit) diatonic scale, and the last 5 are non western scales which have their own microtonal temperaments.
when a scale is selected, the notes that sit outside the equal temperament will be glowing.
the faster they glow, the further they are from their equal temperament frequency.
chromatic - all the notes!
minor 7th - only four notes, including a jazzy seventh.
minor pentatonic - five notes, endlessly versatile.
minor diminished - symmetrical and unsettling, tension without resolution.
minor natural - the most universal minor, melancholic and expressive.
major 7th - the major triad softened by a dreaming seventh.
major pentatonic - five open, consonant tones, joyful and spacious.
major - bright, resolved, the backbone of western harmony.
whole tone - six equal steps, floating, ambiguous, impressionistic.
just intonation (5-limit) major - pure harmonic ratios - mathematical tuning found in nature, for our fellow metaphysical musicians.
sanza - tuning of the mbira, rooted in central african musical thought.
anchi hoye - an ethiopian pentatonic scale, ancient and ceremonial.
hijazz - a maqam scale from the arabic world, intense and tense.
balinese pelog - the sacred scale of gamelan. the farthest one from equal temperament.
insen - a japanese scale, austere, sparse, deeply meditative.
Microtonal scale editing
each note, in each scale, can now be microtuned ±50 cents.
to microtune a note, first you have to go to the scale edit mode by selecting scale on the tonic/scale switch and clicking and holding the notes knob for 2 seconds.
then select the note you wish to microtune, and click, hold down, and turn the notes knob.
a microtuning gauge appears on the right LED column. release to save.
in scale edit mode, microtuned notes appear dimmed.
exit the scale edit mode by holding the notes knob for 2 seconds.
in scale selection mode, active microtuned notes glow.
the faster they glow, the further they are to their equal temperament frequency.
New MIDI features
midi mode 4
a new midi mode allows for real time scale editing.
use this mode for chord progressions.
notes played on a midi keyboard define the active scale dynamically.
hold a chord to edit the scale; release and play a new note or chord to reset it.
in this mode the oscillators are not played with midi - the midi notes simply edit the scale - the oscillators’ amplitude still need to be triggered with the matrix or the pushbuttons.
pro-tip: you can combine all the different midi modes by sending midi notes to different channels.
adsr envelope
CC messages can be set to apply an envelope to oscillators 2 to 5’s amplitudes when played via midi or arp mode.
attack CC 73
decay CC 75
sustain CC 70
release CC 72
settings are saved after power cycles and they can be enabled or disabled through the midi setup menu (see below).
portamento
portamento can now be applied to oscillators 2 to 5’s note changes.
portamento CC 5
settings are saved after power cycles and enable/disable through the midi setup menu (see below).
lfo hardsync
you can now choose to disable the LFO hardsync to the midi clock, or set it to half its tempo if you wish. the 3 options (enabled, half tempo, disabled) are configurable in the midi setup menu (see below).
And a few other things
improved oscillator amplitude in arp mode
improved frequency modulation range, now ±24 semitones (4 octaves)
improved tonic note visual feedback when browsing: LED is now glowing faster in the octave up page and slower in octave down page
fixed: oscillator frequency sliders not always reaching the octave (25 semitones)
fixed: some clicks could be heard between quantized steps