Oh, yeah a “shape scrambler” and/or curve function would be sweet. I find that my V Phase VC input is often free, could be good for that use case.
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Thanks for taking a look at this @creatorlars Of late Diver is probably my most used module, either as a shape generator or an FM/other modulation Source. I never use my Diver as a visualizer (After all this time it now dawns on me the module is called a ‘waveform visualizer’ not a ‘ramp generator’ which may have been where some of my initial expectations of performance originated, oops!)
I dug through my old emails and posts about bug reports and feature requests, there may be some duplicates but a list follows. I think some of this may be in the other thread too.
Sync Issues: once the module is sync’d it’s generally solid.
I have been using it in blissful ignorance of the jitter/edge noise @nerdware has pointed out, I took a close look and they are certainly there. AFA the noisy edge I just chalked this up to system noise and patched around it. I usually have the ramps moving so this must minimize the noticeability of the jitter to me.
Also it seems to affect the H ramp more than the V ramp (I can see it happening at the single pixel offset). Which would also explain why I didn’t notice it so much in one of my main use cases (Oscillator FM)…
Issues:
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The Seam/Single pixel offset
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Visible Stepping even with analog CV at slow motion values. This may just be NTSC resolution unfortunately.
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I have multiple divers and default scroll setting is different between them – I have to nudge the slider to get them to line up (neither all the way up or down results in a centered shape which I’d expect)
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My late model diver has a different ramp shape for H-V in bank 1. The H and V each!
seem correct.
EDIT: 5) Fix the squared - off ramp shapes, I think this might only be in the H+V/H-V but Bank 3 definitely seems wonky
Feature Requests:
- State Save on power cycle!
- Ramp shape crossfading/blending on a per axis basis
- More complex ramp/gradient shapes as mentioned.
- Slower scroll motion as mentioned.
- Oscillator/Wavetable oscillator functionality.
- Ability to internally scale ramps so the don’t take up the whole screen
- Along with 6) ability to have a different ramp appear when the previous scaled ramp scrolls off-screen, or cycle through ramp shapes.
- EAB Videolab Series II Module B pattern Source
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My biggest request is HD if it’s possible.
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Mine works fine! If you and some new features I would so happy. Keep up the great work! And thanks for doing all this great stuff.
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Maybe the trigger input can skip to the next bank, and sliders can be used to adjust a range of “auto skip” banks?
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Didn’t check if it’s already possible but, could be possible to modulate the scrolling velocity at audio or video rate?
I guess it would create a pattern of scrolling ramps with a nice effect.
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Modulate your H and V Phase CV inputs! You won’t get full video rate response on those inputs, like you won’t get what you might expect by plugging in an image or H sync oscillator, but it goes pretty darn quick.
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Hey Lars, not sure if ‘minutes’ was a typo, or if that’s an issue as well. But I have, and heard reports, of a sync skip that happens approx every 3-4 seconds rather than minutes. It’s been consistent with different Divers and different sync configs. MemPal is my sync source, currently, but have had same issue with different sync sources.
Looking forward to the TBC2 & Chromagnon as well as Diver update! Thx!
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Very excited at the prospect of this!
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any news here? I´d really like to get my diver fixed, no moneyz for the shiny new stuff and chromagnon might still take a while
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Yes, some of us have personal priorities which conflict with the production schedule. We may appreciate the LZX priorities while still being unhappy.
For example, I need to sell modules to pay for gen3 modules, so I’m keen to discover if Diver is a “keeper” or not. The firmware update will help, otherwise I might have to sell it as it is. A potential buyer might be unhappy about that, making this module harder to sell, and making it harder for me to buy a gen3 module.
This is just a statement of interest, of course, not a complaint.
LZX has opened preorders for new standalone instruments and has produced a new generation of analog modules in the years following the initial release of the Orion series. Updating firmware in any regular manner or in reaction to bugs or user requests hasn’t happened. As a customer, it seems releasing fully functional digital modules and expanding on their functionality through regular firmware updates is not a part of their model at this time. I hope how they have handled past projects is not an indication of how they will handle projects to come, especially as they increase in number and complexity.
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It must be said that Memory Palace firmware has been upgraded a few times since that module was released. Supporting products via firmware upgrade is part of the LZX model. Lars has been working on a project for the past year and a half. It’s an LZX software environment meant to support TBC2, Memory Palace, Diver, and Chromagnon. Admittedly, the project grew bigger and more challenging than anticipated, necessitating the release of the Gen3 modules.
It is important to keep in mind a couple things when you consider Diver’s firmware. The first is that we have one person (with occasional help from others) writing firmware for several complex instruments that have never existed. That person is also developing hardware instruments and running a manufacturing facility and a small retail/wholesale venture.
The second is that, for the last couple years, that person has had to do all of the above during a global pandemic which has disrupted the foundations of manufacturing. That disruption began in December/January of 2020, as Chinese factories began shutting down in response to COVID, and it has mutated into new challenges for LZX throughout the pandemic (which isn’t over). It is essential that we don’t underestimate the effect of the pandemic on LZX. It’s been a rough couple of years.
Diver firmware is important and it will receive an update. The module is not broken–simply flawed. Luckily that flaw will be eradicated. However, firmware-heavy instruments like TBC2 and Chromagnon are priorities over Diver firmware. Once those two products start shipping, there will be spacetime for the Diver firmware update.
Thank you all for your patience and your feedback–both propel us forward.
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at least there is still talk of getting diver updated
escher sketch is what it is.
I hope there is a new gesture/interface module at some point…
trying to stay positive about this one but it was a bit of a gut punch
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Gutpunch indeed…hoped for an soonish Update since the day i installed diver in my Rack two years ago
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I know this is frustrating for lots of people but its really important to remember that lots of this delay has been completely out of LZX’s hands. COVID has caused unprecedented component shortages globally and dented supply chains massively, this was also compounded by delays from the Evergiven getting stuck and blocking shipping lanes.
Huge companies buy the most components so effectively get the first pick of available stock and also have the resource to design around component shortages, when parts start to dry up it hits the smallest manufacturers of electronic goods first and hardest. In the past two years I’ve worked at two electronics companies, both which were small but still significantly larger than LZX and both really struggled getting components. These delays then require redesigns, which then requires more time for testing, which takes engineers away from Firmware and other updates. Designing Video stuff is HARD, even without all these other issues!
Getting this level of support, insight and honesty from a manufacturer is extremely unusual and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Hope the team manage to get some well earned time off soon!
If anyone’s still not convinced, I’m looking to buy a Diver in the New Year once I’ve paid for Christmas, so drop me a message then.
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Nothing’s changed about this project being next on deck after TBC2. I hope to do some updates for Escher Sketch too, we are just trying not to set any new expectations at all until our current projects are finally wrapped.
There’s a giant world of LZX software and firmware that’s been developed over the past couple years in pursuit of TBC2, including node patching frameworks and modulation scripting. I’m excited to finally pull all of threads together, but there’s only me right now on the software side, and I’ve been struggling to wrap everything up so we can move on to this and other overdue projects. I was hoping to hire a software developer or another engineer in early 2020, but the pandemic made that impossible.
If I were to go back and know it would all be dragging out this way, I would have tackled the Diver update much earlier. I just need to carve out 2 weeks after I know the TBC2 and Chromagnon releases are going to be solid, and then we can release some of these new features for Diver.
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Looks at the NLC Sloth DK for inspiration
Some of us may see 24 hours per cycle being reasonable 
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Lets’ think about the time increment in terms of resolution – if we are moving the ramp in NTSC mode, that is 720 pixels. If we divide the frame rate by 720, we get 29.97 / 720 = 0.041Hz or a period of about 25 seconds. So cycle times longer than 25 seconds would be easy to implement, but you don’t get an infinitely smooth response beyond that point like you would with an analog LFO.
So a range that maxes out at 25 secs/cycle and then a range that goes up to more like 10 minutes per cycle would be good. We can go longer – digital systems are good at keeping time.
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I’ve always felt like LZX needs a full time firmware coder to work with Lars, hopefully that’s in the roadmap.
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