I’ve got a Microfreak for 2 months now, and an OP-Z for 3 weeks.
Both are great machines, and should match very well, I think!
But… I tried to connect it together today, first to sample sounds from the MF to the Z, but didn’t succeeded.
And I had strange behaviors.
For sampling I tried to plug the audio output of the MF (both the real big audio output then the headphone 3.5mm) to the jack input of the Z, but I have no sound in sampling mode, even with monitoring (play button), no level light, nothing.
When I plug my Apple Earpods with mic if works nice, the internal mic of the Z works too.
MF is sending audio sound (I checked plugging my earphones into it).
It seems that the Z doesn’t detect audio coming from the MF, and maybe doesn’t activate the right source.
It this a normal behavior?
Do someone use MF (or another standalone synth) and could help me with this? Maybe there’s a setting into the Z app…
Also, I managed to have synths sounds from the MF sequenced by the Z, while plugged by usb-c, but with very strange triggering.
If a specialist of MF + OP-Z reads this… Any tips would be welcomed!
First: you do not want to be plugging the audio out from the MF into the minijack input on the op-z. You could damage the op-z this way. The minijack is only built for mic-level inputs not line-level input like your MF.
You need to sample via the usb or get the line module from teenage engineering which has line-in plus midi in/out which might help with sequencing your MF. Or you could get the op-z splitter by digdugdiy which will allow you to sample through the minijack.
If I’m wrong on any of the above please someone correct me.
Second: In terms of sequencing, I had it working nicely with op-z sequencing the MF over usb but I did have to get the right settings. I believe I made a post/thread about it before so search for it. I will try to find it when I get time.
OK, I’ll not plug the MF audio output to the audio in of the Z anymore…
I don’t have the line module which is a bit expensive I think (at least for what I need to do), and the splitter looks nice but I do not understand what it does, and why the OP-Z is able to detect audio coming from a headphone’s mic but not direct audio.
There’s certainly a technical reason behind this ^^.
So it seems that sampling directly via USB is possible, do you mean that I need to record the MF note I want to sample on my computer, then play it while sampling with the USB port of the OP-Z connected to my computer?
That’s not straightforward as I’ll need a computer every time but that sounds pretty easy.
I’m going to try this!
The OP-Z’s jack is a TRRS jack, and the jack provides a left channel output, a right channel output, a microphone input, and ground.
If you are plugging in the output from the MF, it will be using a TRS jack, which is providing a left channel output, a right channel output, and a ground. You will basically be providing a line level output, to a line level output (sending electricity the wrong way), and if the microphone input picks up the line level output signal, you are mixing signal levels, so you can technically send voltage that is at a higher level out from the MF into the OP-Z’s microphone input that is rated for a lower level of voltage.
What the digdugdyi adaptor does is takes the TRRS jack, and converts it into a TRS jack to preserve the stereo line output from the OP-Z, as well as providing an attenuator that allows you to take a TRS line level output, and drop it down to a mono signal that is compatible with a microphone level input.
Personally, I’d say that the digdugdyi adaptor is necessary if you want to do this kind of application because it gives you the benefit of the highest level of compatibility with line level devices, while also helping ensure that everything is getting the proper level of voltage and limiting the exposure of overvaulting a circuit and potentially breaking a part of the device.
