Exciting! That sounds like a fun rig!
Sensory Translator vs. Diver: They are both tools that are great for audiovisualization, but are entirely different functionally.
Diver is more like a sampler/buffer that can transpose audio waveforms across the dimensions (horizontal and vertical) of the video image. Think of it like a 1D to 2D converter, or a video oscillator that can capture the waveform of an audio input. So this would be used to actually take the shape of an audio waveform and make it visually viewable, freezable, and 2-dimensional. In context of the whole system, that’s quite powerful because all the analog shape modules (Staircase, Navigator, etc) work as video rate waveshaping processors for horizontal and vertical waveforms, meaning Diver can feed audio into a patch in such a way that all your resulting pattern generation is based on the original audio itself. Say you were using this with a track, it would work best if sent something simple – like a bassline or the kick track, or whatever you want to add specific visual emphasis to.
Sensory Translator is an analog FFT decoder and envelope follower, essentially. This splits audio into 5 different frequency bands and then applies low frequency amplitude following to each. So the results could be patched to different destinations that will then animate in time with the presence of each frequency component. So this is good for sending in a full mix or track, and splitting it up so that you can have different frequencies effect parts of your video patch differently.
The two would play well together because you could use the envelope band outputs from Sensory Translator to do things like modulate the phase inputs on Diver. Audiovisualization works best in my opinion, when you are doing at least 2 different things that interact, so these two modules are a powerful combination.
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hahhaha
I think Lars just sold me (nearly) everything
I definitely want TBC2, Diver and Memory Palace
but those will have to be for next year!!!
as for this year (@creatorlars) if I order the modules I mentioned above from MidiAmsterdam tomorrow (Saturday) any vague idea when I can expect to see them? - & yes I’ve seen the production schedule thread!!!
modules were Visual Cortex, Prismatic Ray, Bridge, Color Chords, Staircase and Arch… seriously considering adding a Sensory Translator to the order too
@Agawell I’m not sure what MidiAmsterdam have in stock currently, but our production status updates are all here: LZX Production Status 2018, Updated August 8th
We expect to have restocked everything before the end of the year. Visual Cortex and Prismatic ray are some of the next ones up in September. The others should be available.
@creatorlars thanks
doesn’t look like they have any stock, everything is “will be ordered on request”
but that timescale looks good to me…
and they’re ordered!!!
the wait begins…
@creatorlars I was looking for the knowledge base article about what peripherals I need/might want now I have a visual cortex (on order) - iirc converters, cameras, black magic intensity shuttle etc
could you please re-share this or create a new one
found the links and added it here:
Just circling back:
I ended up going with a visual cortex and am currently pacing by the mailbox; Will soon be following @creatorlars suggestion and expand with some cadet modules. Very excited to embark on this journey and be a part of such a welcoming community.
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Getting ready to take the plunge and I can’t wait!
I’m currently borrowing a friend’s Vidiot and having a blast. I already have a full Eurorack system, and am plenty comfortable doing DIY. Since I want to ventually expand to a system like this, I’m leaning towards a Visual Cortex over vidiot. I think I will start with a system like this (maybe with a doorway, shapechanger or navigator in the unfilled area)
Since I’m really loving the Vidiot though, I was curious about getting some more feedback on where to start, as there are some things it immediately gives you which you don’t get with a Visual Cortex…
I love the immediacy of the Vidiot’s two oscillators, but I think getting a prismatic ray, staircase (or 2?), and building a Cadet scaler to go with the Visual Cortex would probably be enough to have the oscillator/pattern generation aspects mostly covered. Would love to get the cadet VCO but it would be too big for my current skiff (only 50mm/61.3mm). Creating the default patterns from Vidiot seems relatively straightforward w/ the right utilities and two oscillators. Maybe lose some potential by only having one oscillator that is capable of being FM’ed at video-rate, but that doesn’t seem like a terrible thing!
One thing I love about Vidiot so far is patching the RGB outputs back to various inputs - but I believe this could be achieved with VC by patching the YPbPr outputs to the YPbPr inputs (though this prevents camera usage… unfortunately). Can someone verify that this would be what I expect?
Another thing I love about the Vidiot is CV over colorization (e.g. using LFOs from modular to control colorization). I believe with clever patching of the compositor section this would be easily achievable: For instance, in multiply mode, you could patch your pattern into colorize, turn MIX for channel A on, and then use channel B for your slow color modulations. (maybe dummy-cable composite to keep the composite VC at 0). Alternatively using 3x Cadet Multipliers could do the same thing.
I also really like the Gate/key inputs for solarize/negative/color+rgb negative on Vidiot, but I think you could also get lots of related results by creative patching of the compositor and/or Cadet/utility modules. It seems like you could really get some unique things by how you decide to patch signals to colourize and/or composite, how you set the mix+composite mode switches, etc. Getting color chords now (instead of e.g. shapeshifter or navigator) seems like it would make a lot more crazy stuff possible with the compositor on VC
Obviously with Vidiot you get 2 keys, but with the Cortex you can automate threshold changes which seems incredibly useful to me based off of how much fun I’m having playing with the Vidiot thresholds.
VC also doesn’t have all the useful attenuators/inverter switches, but that doesn’t seem like a huge deal.
Anyways I know this is a lot, but if anyone has any more thoughts on this, I would certainly appreciate hearing them!
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You may want to look at Marble Index too. It can do a lot of the things it sounds like you’re interested in.
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I just wanted to add my two cents. I’m coming from a circuit bent hardware mixing background and I had to consider this question seriously. I decided to go with the vidiot, and I know that the chromaganon is replacing the vidiot but I absolutely love the vidiot. Used in conjunction with circuit bent hardware it creates absolutely wild Wonderland’s that I didn’t even know could exist. I’ve had it for a couple months and it has inspired me to order my first module (da bridge) and I’m very excited to get deeper into the modules. I would have went with the Cadet series but im just tired of doing it myself.
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you could always ask someone to build it for you:
https://community.lzxindustries.net/t/cadet-castle-module-builders-list-and-build-requests/
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