Hi - I’m new here. I got a PO-32 as my first pocket operator a week ago, and started fiddling with Microtonic to make my first custom kit. Check it out here - data transfer starts at 01:02 after the sound demos:
This kit is a heavily modified version of the PO-32 factory kit preset in Microtonic. The “B” morph knob selects between quiet and loud versions of the patches. Musical notes are split across columns 1 and 4 for flexibility, you can use them as bass lines or melody. To tune them, hold down a step in write mode while paused, then turn the “A” knob to display exact parameter values. 50% is the default C, each 10% is three semitones. The major scale is C=50, D=57, E=60, F=67, G=73, A=77, B=83, C=90. Subtract 40 to drop an octave.
Let me know what you think, and if you have any suggestions for improvements.
I used it to make a rather mangled version of “Fool in the Rain”, the pattern for that is included. See the video description for details. Enjoy!
Edit: listened to your patterns but only lightly read your post that accompanies it. I’m a dummy
Have you checked out the Sonic Charge Patternarium website for MicroTonic (which I just re-read in your post above, and notice you specifically mentioned), the VST that inspired the PO-32? You can use the generator here to make some pretty neat stuff too.
I’m a bit confused - I thought the Patternarium provides .mtpreset files and that you need Microtonic to get those onto a PO-32? (I do have Microtonic myself.)
I might have misunderstood the reason for MicroTonic and Patternarium. I also have the PO-137, and I recall reading that the drum sounds could be swapped out, exactly like those in the PO-32, which is what brought me to the conclusion that the patterns could be loaded without MicroTonic, and that MT was only really for DAW use of the drums. The way to restore backups on PO-137 is to save a .wav file, and then you can plug a TRS to TRS aux cable from computer to the input of a any of the Metal series (as I understand it), then place the unit in recover mode, and then play back what would just sound like a bunch of varied static, if you tried to play it out loud on your computer, as a file. I will look into this further and get back to you @kwx!
The PO-137 is a sampler, so I guess you could sample some sounds from Patternarium via the PC speaker. The PO-32 can’t sample, it uses a drum synth. Its microphone can only receive data (the modem-like sounds), and as far as I know the only way to get that data is from Microtonic or from someone else who had recorded the data as an audio file.
Ah, I didn’t know the details. So are the drum channel sounds on the PO-137 also modifiable via Microtonic? I thought that was a feature specific to the PO-32. (That’s the only one I have, so I’m just guessing here.)
@docshermsticks lol I love the username. @kwx I took the relevant page sections from the manual so you can see what I am talking about. You will note that the ‘restore’ process is exactly the same as the ‘receive’ process. This is what I was referring to (black is PO-137/35 and brown is PO-32). Edit: forgot to mention the final conclusion that, in theory, the PO-32 and PO-35/137 should be able to take the sounds from Patternarium (without MicroTonic, which I do own, but I am just trying to see if my impression/inference was correct) if they can be played back the same way as the backups. I just need to tinker with it this weekend, when I have some time.
The part I don’t get is how to make Patternarium play the modem-like noises needed for a data transfer. I may be missing a button, but so far I’ve only found a download button which gets an .mtdrums file.
I’m not one of those dudes that has an ego about things I say, which is why I readily admitted I might be wrong. I was just hoping I wasn’t mistaken, because i knew it would bring some joy to those that didn’t want to pay $100 for MicroTonic. I’m sorry to say, though, that I was wrong. I found an answer directly from someone at Sonic Charge reply to say this of MT, who said they thought of building a webUI to allow the info dump of the Patternarium, but it is just too much work when they already have an interface that does it in existence within the app.
From a DSP programmer’s point of view, I can totally understand why it is a nightmare scenario to try and build that capability for free, since the channels don’t line up, and there would have to be a default state of the info dump, and not everyone would be happy with it, so they said ‘sorry, but it is just not happening, presently.’ So I am sorry for misleading with my misunderstanding of the situation, and you are completely correct @kwx .
However, as a small bonus, I was just poking around TE’s site for new firmware and looking at the singular POM modules one can buy and then build their own setup, earlier today. When I was looking at them, I noticed a sound packs section for PO-32/33 in that firmware area. That is here, where there are 3 free soundpacks. I hope this kinda makes up for my ineptitude, and I apologize for getting anyone’s hopes up
just created an account to say : thank you
the thing in po32 i was missing most, has been: that the volume was not changeable.
your setup is really nice.
Thanks! There is an accent function for all sets including the factory default, but that can be a bit subtle depending on how the instrument is configured. Ghost notes definitely need more fine-grained control.
By the way, I had messed up the C major scale in the initial post. It’s supposed to be C=50, D=57, E=63, F=67, G=73, A=80, B=87, C=90.
