Now that we have a pretty good idea of where we are going with the i8 and g3, time has come to work on the actual PCB layout. For that part, being a Mac user, I do not have many options, and DipTrace seems to be the best of them. It installed flawlessly thanks to XQuartz, and the built-in library of components is amazing. Here, you can see the schematics for the AD75019 crosspoint switch. With a bit of luck, all the components that I need will be there…
Now that we’ve broken our backplane into 4 dual-channel backplanes, the starting price for the 2-channel version of the ISHIZENO i8 could be around $995, while the 8-channel model could retail for $1,995. To that, one should add around $400 for a full synthesizer like the Mutable Instruments Elements, and about $200 for something like the Moog Werkstatt-01, taking into account that our submodules won’t need any enclosure or controls.
Therefore, we can consider the average price of a submodule to be in the neighborhood of $300. This would add $2,400 to a 4-channel model, or $4,395 in total. From there, one might want to add the ISHIZENO g3 grid, which I anticipate will retail for $2,495. This would bring the bill to $6,890. Definitely not a low-cost instrument, but certainly cheaper than a Moog Modular…
I have decided to add a stereo output on the faceplate of the i8 module, and to remove the one added to the g3 grid. This will help us avoid having to send a clean audio signal from the i8 to the g3. That way, we could connect the g3 to the i8 over WiFi as well.
Following this recent redesign, here is what the ISHIZENO g3 grid could look like. The 16 drum pads have been grouped together and a set of 8 configurable keys have been added on top. These keys could be used to switch between modes, as well as for transport control (play/pause, forward, backward, etc.). Also, a 10mm groove has been added along the top side of the grid, allowing tablets to be held in a vertical position with a slight angle. With these modifications, the grid would be 910 mm long and 215 mm wide (35.83″ × 8.46″).
Following the advice of Meng Qi, I am trying to make sure that the ISHIZENO i8 can be used in a standalone configuration. By the same token, I am also designing it so that it could fit within a more complex setup, in a very incremental fashion. Here is what such a setup could be made of:
One of the key design elements of the ISHIZENO i8 is its web-based user interface. Instead of using MIDI, USB, or a proprietary interconnect format, we will use web technologies to connect our submodular synthesizer to a control surface. This will be made possible by the embedding of a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B, which will be used as web server. As a result, the graphical user interface will be provided as a set of web pages served by an io.js server.
One of the main side benefits of this approach is that musicians will be able to connect as many control surfaces and displays as they want. For example, you could have an ISHIZENO g3 grid with one iPad Air on each side. Or you could line up 8 iPad Minis in the grove of the g3, one for each polyphonic channel. And because each control surface will do nothing more than displaying a web page, we won’t have to do anything at the software level to support the most insane configurations.
One of the most drool-worthy pieces of hardware that I have come across recently is the Avid S6. Taking a cue from this beauty, the ISHIZENO g3 grid will be designed in such a way that optional tablet docks can be attached on the left and right sides of the grid. A dock will be nothing more than a single piece of wood, similar to the awesome HEKSESKUDD trays. They’ll have grooves allowing the routing of USB cables underneath, and the grid will provide a set of USB ports to which they can be connected. We will also include a groove along the top side of the grid, allowing tablets to be held in a vertical position with a slight angle. The grid will be sized in such a way that one could dock a regular iPad in landscape mode, or an iPad Mini in portrait mode, on either side of the grid.
While playing with the Pro 2, Tempest, and S3, I am discovering new ways in which the ISHIZENO g3 grid could be used. Initially, it was designed with two modes in mind: playing and sequencing. But now that I got a taste for the S3 control surface, I am thinking that it could be used for mixing as well. And the Tempest is giving me a few ideas regarding playing and sequencing.
Playing Mode
In playing mode, 8 rows of 36 keys are used for playing, while the top row can be used for sequencing. Each one of the 8 bottom rows is connected to one of the 8 polyphonic channels in the i8 module. Each key on the top row corresponds to one sequencing step, while each column of keys on the 8 bottom rows corresponds to one note, across 3 full octaves.
Sequencing Mode
In sequencing mode, 8 rows of keys are used for sequencing, while the top row is used for note selection. The 8 bottom rows are also connected to the 8 polyphonic channels, but the 36 key columns on the 8 bottom rows correspond to individual sequencing steps.
Muting Mode
In muting mode, the layout is the same as in sequencing mode, but clicking on a key on the 8 bottom rows mutes or unmutes a channel for a given sequencing step, while clicking on a key on the top row mutes or unmutes a sequencing step across all channels.
Mixing Mode
In mixing mode, each one of the 8 bottom rows is used to set the output level of one of the 8 polyphonic channels, on a 36-step scale, while the top row is used to set the master output’s level. Furthermore, the 36 columns of RGB illuminated keys are used to display color-code signal meters (in classic green, yellow, and red) across the 8 polyphonic channels and the master output.
I am still trying to figure out how modes will be selected…
The ISHIZENO g3 grid is up for a redesign as well:
While it would have been quite nice to control the i8 module from the g3 grid through the grid’s knobs, duplicating these knobs on the grid would add significant cost and complexity to the design. Furthermore, it would require that we add 48 to 64 knobs to the grid if we decide to go for dynamically-assignable knobs (soft knobs) on the i8. Therefore, knobs have to go. As a result, the grid will have a smaller and constant height, which will make it easier to carry, while removing the risk of damage to the knobs.
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