Come On into the New Dawn!

Harness the full power of Teensy 4 with the next-generation firmware for the next generation of hardware. We’ve broken through some performance barriers, and provisions are in place for future feature expansion. This is your new hackable modular brain!

O.R.N.8 – Winner of #SuperBoot26 🥾

Teensy 4.1 has space to fit multiple partitions with completely separate firmwares. Hold ‘Z’ on startup to choose between them:

Hold ‘Z’ while making a selection to make it the default boot choice.

Everything is Awesome

If this framework catches on, I hope to see 4-way (or even 8-way) collaborative firmware packages, each section with a special curation of CV and/or Audio toys!

Version Two 2️⃣

Massive code refactoring finally incorporates the abandoned work from Patrick Dowling, using more forward-thinking design choices for app-switching and I/O configuration, while continuing to expand the Phazerville firmware architecture. Dynamic memory management leaves more room for what you actually use in a session, while also allowing more new Applets to be included…

Start Fresh?

A lot has changed. I can’t guarantee full backward compatibility with v1.x, although I’ve made a strong effort. On first boot of v2.0, you will be prompted to “Reset Settings in EEPROM” …

• it’s just a suggestion – does not reset calibration, only App Data and LittleFS
• recommended for new builds
• a good idea to start fresh with v2.0 after upgrading

If you Cancel to try to preserve your old App settings, it might keep asking unless you Long-press Right-Encoder on the main menu to re-save, which also sets the default startup App. (That gesture hasn’t changed!)

UI Gestures 👈

Watch out! Some things have changed. The two global gestures for Main Menu (long-press Right-Enc) and screensaver (long-press A) have been removed, paving the way for more advanced context menu actions and modifier buttons. You can now push-and-turn the encoders for 10x acceleration in many places!

The new global UI gestures are:

Alternatively, Hold A (or UP) instead of Z for the first two, which works on T40.

After you hold Z for a moment, some context help appears on screen. I plan to expand on this idea, making the UI more self-explanatory.

New Applets 🆕

So many new toys! Andy aka @uglifruit has been steadily cranking out new Audio and CV applets using some AI assistance… After being scrutinized with adequate care, I think these new sequencers and effects are well done. It demonstrates the potential of this firmware platform when paired with the right tools.

Also new additions from @beau-seidon, @defnpablo (#205) and @danut007ro (#214, #204) in here, as well as a pitch detection applet from @jklepsercyber (#160) and a Oneshot player from @twhiston.

Extra Storage

Some applets like EnvSeq, CVRec and the new CVSeq can now save their entire sequence data to the preset bank files, which is kind of a big deal – your sequences persist, no fuss. We can expand other applets with this as well…

Details

I love it!

I think the Markov sequencers sound like professional musicians without even trying! Plus, now you can tell your kids, “We have Rings-into-Clouds at home…” – thanks to a bunch of ornate criminals. >:]

The FMDrum makes fantastic little percussion bits, and Glitch is going to be my new best friend. I’m already filling up my SD card with jam recordings for later, so WavRec is working well.

Pong 2.0 🏓

Thanks to the efforts of @SwampFlux for the #SuperBoot26 challenge, Pong has been revitalized as a 2-player App! CV2 and CV4 control absolute position of each paddle, and output D now has cute little audio sound effects.

32 Channels 🎛️

Internal I/O structures have been expanded to allow 32 virtual channels of any type – Trigger inputs, CV inputs, CV outputs, MIDI Mappings, etc. This anticipates potential I/O expansions via USB, I2C, MIDI, etc. and also allows extra Applets to send signals to virtual DAC outputs.

The internal clock uses 4 virtual outputs:

Audio applets can use 4 more virtual outputs, 2 on each side:

We’re nudging this release out of Beta to wrap up what we’ve got before we freeze operations and migrate to v2.0.

What’s New?

UX Improvements

In Hemispheres/Quadrants, the applet header now changes when editing a parameter. Some applets have parameter labels here, and a ZAP icon indicates where an AuxButton action is possible. Hopefully, this provides better contextual clues when configuring applets, and reduces the need to read pesky manuals!

Snow!

The Zaps screensaver has been replaced with fluffy precipitation! If the system is running low on RAM (from loading too many reverbs, etc) the snow will turn back into Zaps…

Applet Updates

There’s an ambitious new wave-shape sequencer applet called EnvSeq, but to make it fit, I had to disable some applets in hemisphere_config.h. If something you want is missing, it’s still available in the “library”! ;)

• NEW: EnvSeq – a 32-step Envelope Sequencer contributed by @danut007ro
  • similar to the Curve track type on the Westlicht Performer, but perhaps even more versatile
  • each step can use a VectorOsc waveform (custom shapes), varied step durations, offset, amplitude, etc.
  • (sequences are not saved, but other settings are…)
• NEW: Relabi applet from @TricksterSam – #167
• VectorLFO – CV modulation for Shape – use AuxButton to toggle, and then sequence externally.
• VectorEG – CV modulation added for Shape and Frequency
• ResetClk – 1ms minimum spacing
• TB-3PO: “hold pitch” behavior – pitches don’t wiggle around when the gate is low – #180
• RunglBook – CV2 modulates Threshold, thanks to @xmacex – #194
• RndWalk – AI-assisted optimizations from @aking7
• Fixed #178 bug – Q-engine scale mask editing didn’t take effect
• New Beat Counter screensaver (assumes 4 beats per bar, 4 bars per phrase)
• For the ORN8 Audio Applets:
  • added a phaser effect (“Phazer”)
  • added a three-band dynamics processor (“3-Bandz”)
  • WavPlay: parameter for start position in beats, with CV mod; better WAV metadata handling
  • Dynamics: AI-assisted math optimizations from @aking7 – significant reduction in CPU usage
• Scala file support on T41 (not thoroughly tested)
  • user scales are saved/loaded as 000.SCL – 003.SCL files on the SD card

MIDI Out

I spent a little time to rework the applet for CV-to-MIDI conversions – you can specify any CC# now.

You can also toggle Auto-MIDI-Out in the General Settings config menu in Quadrants or Hemispheres… sends Pitch and NoteOn/NoteOff for each applet output. Beware, this can overwhelm the system if it generates a lot of traffic!

Output Attenuverters

On the applet help/config screen, along with Slew, you can now adjust attenuation of each output from -448% to +448% (exponential, same as Input Maps). Any signal can be dialed in for more precise modulation; triggers and gates can be inverted for ducking; etc. Thanks again to @danut007ro for this addition!

Randomize / Clear Applets

The option with strange symbols in the config menu popup gives you a clean slate, like a “New Preset” – it resets all input mappings and clock multipliers, clears out the Audio stuff, and switches to a set of random CV applets for you to try. In Quadrants, using the action repeatedly cycles through a few “starter templates” with sets of applets for common use cases – quantizers, envelopes, LFOs, sequencers, etc.

Stock Firmware

The OG quantizer apps can now do portamento/glide! Per a user request, I’ve added Slew and Slew CV parameters to Quantermain, Sequins, and CopierMaschine. Similar functions and other updates might be added to the other stock apps when I have time and Ko-Fi…

I’ve included additional “+stock” firmware builds for T32 – original apps only, without Hemispheres – so users with even the oldest hardware can get some updates to their beloved stock Apps. These updates will also be available on the legacy T32 branch for Custom Builds.

Full Changelog: PSv1.12...PSv1.13

Choices

Pay attention! There are 8 different binary .hex files here for 5 different hardware variants:

• T32 or T32+stock – for standard O_C hardware with Teensy 3.2
• T32+VOR or T32+stock+VOR – for Plum Audio O_C / OCP / OCP X hardware with Variable Output Range (VOR)
• T40 – for standard O_C hardware with Teensy 4.0
• NLM+cardOC – for the Northern Light Modular Easel card module with Teensy 4.0
• T41 or T41+audio – for all new O_CT4.1 aka ORN8 hardware

• BANK_009.DAT – demo preset bank, for the SD card
  • features VectorEG, EnvSeq, TB-3PO, HandSaw
  • uses TR4 to jump presets

(disclaimer: some settings won’t be saved in T32)

There are two T41 builds – the main one, and another with “+audio” for USB Audio. Both still have the audio applets for DSP, but on the latter, it’s easier to overload the CPU; sometimes the USB serial connection crashes; and it doesn’t play nice with Screen Capture. YMMV. Both T41 builds now use 48kHz 16-bit audio processing.

⚡ Enjoy! ☕