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Artiphon Instrument 1 and Orba Users Sub-Forum
I recently got an Instrument 1 and I’m trying to set up MPE with the SWAM instruments. I’m able to midi learn the expression to aftertouch, but what about something like vibrato? Any and all help appreciated.
Comments
Turn on Instrument 1 accelerometer tilt and you should find that in the MPE or Seaboard presets this already maps the CC1 it sends out to vibrato, which is ideal.
@mjcouche @masanga, I've got no-one else to share this hard found info with, so I'm going to pass it on to both of you while we're all here as members of the ABF AIO club.
If you want a very short lightning to usb MFi cable this one works with the Instrument 1:
http://www.meenova.com/st/p/lgtnmuc.html
It's micro usb, not mini usb, but I don't think a short mini version of such a cable exists, and a micro to mini adapter is easy to find (I suggest a right angle one). This cable for me is very useful if you want to attach a phone to the body of the Instrument (either to run apps or as a bluetooth sender). I tried several others that did not work, so very pleased this one does.
Also, I recently got a Zivix Pic+ on ebay for Bluetooth. The only info for Artiphon use I could find was that it didn't work, but it's working perfectly for me with a USB OTG 'Y' cable and again a micro to mini adapter. I don't need the power in on the Y cable, but I guess that will be useful for other USB midi devices that aren't self powered. Stuck it to my Instrument 1 with a magnet (when I'm not using it with an old phone as above), very happy.
Wow good ideas. I wish the puc+ were more available. I do have a Yamaha bt01 (not the usb) so I’m almost there haha...Glad to hear that the puc works though. Very promising. What are you using for a strap?
That sounds really cool! A BT solution for I1 is something of a grail quest. Where on the I1 do you stick the Puc? (I always have trouble finding not-in-the-way places to attach things, but the Puc form factor may make it easier.)
I did get a BT-01 working with the I1 using this guy's setup, but the need to attach both a powerbank and a keep-alive was too much of a faff.
I still can’t get around why Yamaha couldn’t figure out how to make this nonpowered as the 5pin din is. I’m sure I’m missing something obvious.
Didn't know there was an Artiphon forum. And thanks for the link link ok the cable. I've been super careful with it when I checked the Artiphon website for a replacement but they didn't have it on the website.
It’s growing every day, 3 yesterday, 4 today - won’t be long until we’re live-streaming on YouTube
From my laborious cable research, IK multimedia sell a lightning to mini usb cable, but it’s very long and very expensive. The TC Helicon Go Guitar Pro also comes with a similar one. Of course you can always use a regular USB cable of any length with a CCK (and I often ask myself why I can’t be content with that solution).
I took some pics of my 3 satisfactory Bluetooth solutions, puc+, old iPhone se (with the meenova cable linked above) and Yamaha ud-bt01. I use magnets to attach them - much as I love the wonder of Velcro it does have its irritations. Normally I use dashboard phone mount magnets on guitars and stuff, but here I used the bare neodymium magnets to maintain a low profile for playing the Artiphon flat (which I find myself doing more and more).
The Yamaha ud-bt01 is the neatest solution, but they are hard to find and expensive now. I picked up the PUC+ for not too much and I was curious to try one. It looks quite bulky in the pics, but while it does add some weight to the tail I find it comfortable to play with it attached (sat down, not tried Artiphon rock god stance yet). There’s also the DIY Raspberry Pi usb Bluetooth solution detailed elsewhere on this forum, that would currently be the cheapest way to do it (with a usb battery).
Ironically for me is that bringing Launchpads into my setup means I’m now much more likely to be using a USB hub and so connecting the Instrument One by cable is no longer so much of an issue. Still, nice to have the Bluetooth options though. The battery I use with the Yamaha udBt-01 (more often used on my midi foot pedal) has an on/off switch and doesn’t need a ‘keep alive’.
I use an old Nikon bridge camera strap, just the right length. Thanks for reading, I hate working out solutions and not being able to share them.
@steve99
Thanks for sharing. You've given me a few ideas. I also have a iPhone SE, a Raspberry Pi, and a UD-BT01.
Where I'm currently at is using the Artiphon with an iPhone, and finding a way to send the bluetooth MIDI on the iPhone to my iPad. I believe Audiobus and AUM allows for this, but I haven't tested it to confirm. It did work with the KB-1app so there's some promise in this.
The other thing I tried was using a wireless guitar sender/receiver, and connect it to the Artiphon's headphone jack. That worked well, although it was mono audio (which wasn't a problem to be honest).
The apps I really like to use the Artiphon with is Animoog for iPhone, and Thumbjam. I really need to release more videos using the Artiphon. It's the instrument I'm usually travelling with, combined with my Novation Launchkey.
If the iPhone bluetooth doesn't work, I'll look into the others. I liked the iPhone idea since it already has a battery, the Artiphon app, bluetooth, and is easy to setup.
Here's a few videos I've done with the Artiphon.
(Compiled them in a small playlist)
@seonnthaproducer it’s really easy to use the phone as a bluetooth midi sender. Midimittr is the app I would recommend for routing (on the phone you’re sending from) and it is free, very straightforward. I’ll have a watch of your videos. How about an Orba? Or should we have a separate thread for that?
And +1 for ThumbJam, always.
We can include Orba here. Looking forward to watching your videos @seonnthaproducer
Just tested it. Worked super well. I did notice a delay when I compared it to the one that was connected directly. It’s still very much usable but I might have to work around it. I’ll try midimittr, and a few other settings.
Appreciate it. Are there any other apps you use with the Artiphon? I’ve tested Reason Compact, GarageBand, and Pure Synth Platinum and they seem to work as well. I planned to release those videos earlier in the year but had trouble with the audio so I couldn’t use those footage. I really should get back to it, haha.
Edit: Thanks @mjcouche . Did you get the Orba as well? I was almost going to but then I started using Oval Synth on my iPhone and that filled the need for me.
The Orba is really cool for MPE fingerdrumming and expressive droning, but it doesn't quantise yet and of course you're limited to eight-note scales, so it's more one for the beatmaking looper than the melody player. But it encompasses an amazing number of dimensions of expression if you have the software to handle them; I like it best with ROLI sounds rather than SWAM-style natural instrument models.
Artiphon have their own Freshdesk forum at https://artiphon.freshdesk.com/support/discussions, but most of the I1 discussion is in the archived Discourse forum that they retired a year ago when the Orba launched because they needed a more integrated helpdesk system for the suddenly massively expanded user base. Unfortunately most of the old I1 crowd didn't follow, perhaps understandably put off by the grim Freshdesk interface and lack of community tools, but it's still worth checking out.
@seonnthaproducer I did get the Orba too. Haven’t had much time to dig deep yet as the I1is the main thing I’ve been interested in. My young son loves it though.
Slightly OT, but this a recent active Artiphon thread so: Any instrument 1 users experiencing frequent disconnection issues when using with iPadOS 14.5? Could be a software issue, but I’ve had random disconnections before updating, just not as bad. Currently not playable. Would advise against updating if you rely on the instrument for performance, although I can’t imagine anyone daring to use it live even before the update. Could be I have a defective device but who knows?! (Submitted support ticket, FYI)
I am seriously considering replacing my seaboard blocks with an instrument 1, since I am a guitarist with little keyboard experience. I have a couple of question I was not able to get answered by watching YouTube videos.
I have seen vibrato used in fretless (or slide) mode, but not as much in fret or guitar mode. Can a realistic finger vibrato be done in fret or guitar mode? I’m mainly concerned about doing finger vibrato for SWAM instruments.
For fretless (or slide) mode: I know the default is for the note to be played on the fret bar, but can it be set up so that the note is in tune in between frets but still be able to slide fretless style?
1) Yes. You can map it to aftertouch or the tilt. By default it is to the tilt of the instrument but it makes sense to me in aftertouch.
2) Didn’t occur to me to change this or even ask this question. Still exploring.
EDIT: It was the cable. All good now.
Glad to hear!
@mjcouche thanks! Regarding vibrato; can I do my own vibrato (literally wiggling my finger like a violinist does) while in guitar mode or fret mode? I have seen videos of people doing this in slide or fretless mode on I1, but I haven’t seen a specific case of it being done in any other mode. I’m wondering if the instrument 1 responds to the wiggle of the finger when in other modes.
I would try all possibilities for mapping with SWAM vibrato to compare of course, I just didn’t know if manual (finger wiggle) vibrato would be a possibility or not.
Hmmm. I’ll have to look into this. @Masanga may know more. I mainly use the I1 with SWAM, and up until last night was using a custom mode I made that was fretted, similar to GeoShred but without slide. This works very well when not needing any slide.
I switched over to try slide mode and I like it a lot, but even that vibrato is mapped to aftertouch, not a “wiggle.” I’ll keep you posted with some research tonight.
Sort of – though remember you're not playing a real tensioned string but exerting variable finger pressure on a Seaboard-like surface, which (as @mjcouche has just beaten me to saying while I was typing this) is sending out MIDI Aftertouch for you to map to vibrato or other expressive dimensions. (And then by default Pitch Bend in fretted mode is sent at the end of the Aftertouch curve with higher pressures; it's a very different kind of action to bends on guitar strings, though easy to get used to and if anything easier to do well.) You'll probably want to experiment with what you prefer to map to aftertouch and what to the I1's accelerometer tilt, which is a different but again very natural and expressive controller action and dimension.
Thank you both for the responses. I have always played vibrato on guitar different from the traditional guitar way.
I always did a side to side (toward and away from the bridge) action on the string, instead of bending the string up and down for vibrato. I know I’m a weirdo in the guitar world, but my style is very similar to violin style vibrato, so that would likely be the most natural way for me to play SWAM strings.
@Masanga is there a way that you have found to be able to do the “wiggle” vibrato in the SWAM instruments using fret less mode?
Hey guys, I got an Orba a few weeks ago and I am still learning how to use it to its full potential (mostly as an MPE controller). Today I came across a couple of interesting threads on the Artiphon forums:
This one is named "Orba hacking knowledge base" and talks mostly about editing presets manually - a user even made a preset editor!
https://artiphon.freshdesk.com/support/discussions/topics/44001013185
This one has presets in it that you can download and load to your Orba using the Windows software:
https://artiphon.freshdesk.com/support/discussions/topics/44001013186
Sorry if these have been shared here already - I got the link to the forum from this thread but I don't recall seeing these links specifically.
I really like my Orba despite the software feeling very half-finished. I guess I'm used to that - looking at you, Nanoloop, and I am happy there is a little hacking community springing up to make up for some of the software shortcomings.
Thanks for the info @rmore
Thinking about getting an Orba as well. This things is one of the kind.
Yes, as usual with the I1, there are multiple ways to do things and you can usually customise them to fit your own playing preference. Bear in mind I'm a guitarist rather than a string player, so my idea of a a finger wiggle is based on the fretted version of the action (though I don't think that makes any practical difference here). I can fool myself into thinking it sounds okay on the I1 by mapping both Vibrato and Vibrato depth to Aftertouch (and then Expression can be mapped to CC1 if you want to keep that as a distinct dimension; I think that's @mjcouche's preferred mapping). You can then experiment with the baseline Vibrato Depth slider setting to taste. But I personally prefer to keep Vibrato mapped to CC1 and just use the I's tilt; a bit of finger wiggle will in fact trigger Vibrato anyway from the I1's own motion, and you can just raise the slider to get the amount you need. At any rate a real string player will quickly find their own preferred solution.
@steve99 Thanks for all the cool ideas for Bluetooth Instrument 1--sure would be nice if Artiphon took what they learned from Orba BT MIDI and applied to Instrument 1, eh? According to their customer service folks, they would love to hear from users if that is something that would be preferable in future versions of the I1.
I have a question, which I fear is kind of dumb but I haven't been able to find any confirmation online as I research the I1: when plugged directly into the iPhone or iPad, do the I1 speakers act as a monitoring source for the entire iOS device? Meaning, if I have AUM rocking some backing tracks can I monitor those simultaneously to monitoring the instrument sound?
That is correct.
That is pretty handy. Thanks for confirming!
Anyone try the Jammy G and have a comparison to the I1?