Step on to the future

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tramp
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Step on to the future

Post by tramp »

Things become hot now, the MOD is shortly before it's Kickstarter campaign.
This will bring the first Open Source Hardware LV2 host, to the stages of the world.
Image
For more information please visit the Portal Mod promo site here:
http://stepontothefuture.com
and sign up the head start form, so you get informed when it starts.
Please spread the link above to help the MOD team to get a bigger publicity,
so that the Kickstart become successful.
On the road again.
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sysrqer
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Re: Step on to the future

Post by sysrqer »

This looks amazing, congratulations!
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Re: Step on to the future

Post by bluebell »

Very cool.

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Re: Step on to the future

Post by GraysonPeddie »

So this supports ZynAddSubFX-lv2, right? I could use that for offloading my computer's CPU.
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Re: Step on to the future

Post by tux99 »

Can't find the price for it, how much is it supposed to cost?

To give a comparison, I just bought a second hand Lexicon MPX550 which has awesome reverb and other effects (no LV2 effects come close) and only paid 120 Euros for it (which is an average price for it), so this MOD device needs to be cheap to compete with the second-hand market of professional gear.
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Re: Step on to the future

Post by GMaq »

Hi,

Looks like a great project, I'm curious if the "constructor" software will work with all Linux distros, So many commercial products are Ubuntu-centric or 64bit only (Tracktion, Lightworks, BitWig) that it's been a bit disappointing. It appears that maybe the MOD works with a web interface which gives me some hope at least..
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Re: Step on to the future

Post by tramp »

Hi GMaq

Don't you've been at the presentation from the MOD at the LAC this year?
http://lac.linuxaudio.org/2014/video.php?id=26

The MOD itself running a customized Arch Linux.
AND, you didn't need a MOD device in order to use it.
The software is all GPL'ed OpenSource, and run's as well on debian/ubuntu/Gentoo/Fedora/ "you name it".
Get the source here:
https://github.com/portalmod

That is one of the exiting points of this project, I guess it is the first Full Open Source Hardware Vendor.
If you build and run the MOD on your PC, you have full access to all resources provided by portalmod.com
Free of charge. You could as well run the interface on the same PC. Or a other blue-tooth capable device.
The Web interface works OS-independent,

The MOD device is indeed for the use on stage or in Studio environment, were you need a more robust solution then a Personal Computer could provide. Indeed a real Professional Solution from professionals for professionals.
( @tuxinator :which didn't need to compare itself with some outdated cheap sold Re-verb gear)
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Re: Step on to the future

Post by GMaq »

tramp wrote:Hi GMaq

Don't you've been at the presentation from the MOD at the LAC this year?
http://lac.linuxaudio.org/2014/video.php?id=26
Thanks for the link, I actually missed their lightning talk... probably passed out in an alley somewhere.... :lol:
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Re: Step on to the future

Post by tux99 »

tramp wrote:( @tuxinator :which didn't need to compare itself with some outdated cheap sold Re-verb gear)
Huh? The Lexicon MPX550 is neither outdated nor a "cheap sold Re-verb gear", it's less than 10 years old, a full multi-FX unit (not just reverb), and still sounds a lot better than any software reverb I have ever heard and as you might know Lexicon is the standard in professional studios for reverb and effects.

Don't get me wrong LV2 software effects are great when used on a PC with a DAW, especially since they are free, but if you have to pay $200 or more for a hardware gadget to run them then you might be better off with a professional multi-FX unit such as the Lexicon MPX550 (or other similar multi-FX units).

Anyway, nobody has answered my question yet, how much will the MOD cost?
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Re: Step on to the future

Post by tatch »

tux99 wrote:
tramp wrote:but if you have to pay $200 or more for a hardware gadget to run them then you might be better off with a professional multi-FX unit such as the Lexicon MPX550 (or other similar multi-FX units).

Anyway, nobody has answered my question yet, how much will the MOD cost?
I think it makes a difference that the MOD is a stompbox controller while the Lexicon is a rack unit. I don't know the price of the MOD either but in any case the MOD may be in direct competition with the line 6 amplifi fx100 which goes for about $300 USD/230euro so that's something to keep in mind.
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Re: Step on to the future

Post by tux99 »

tatch wrote: the MOD is a stompbox controller
It's certainly shaped like a stompbox but it looks way too fragile to be used as one, especially in a live stage setting...

What you didn't consider is that rack FX units usually have a connection for one or more pedals so they can be used like stomp boxes.

IMHO the success of the MOD depends on it's price, if priced below 100 Euros it might become a success, but if it will cost more than that then it will have a hard time competing with the huge variety of existing stomp boxes and multi-FX units.
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Re: Step on to the future

Post by ssj71 »

tux99 wrote:especially in a live stage setting.
This is one of their big advertized advantages over a laptop or something. I'm pretty confident they'll make it tough enough.
tux99 wrote:IMHO the success of the MOD depends on it's price, if priced below 100 Euros it might become a success, but if it will cost more than that then it will have a hard time competing with the huge variety of existing stomp boxes and multi-FX units.
I agree. The quadra was their first go at it and IIRC was costing ~700+USD. The Duo is smaller and simpler, and they're promoting it a lot more and will hopefully get good volume going. I'm sure it will be quite a bit lower, but I don't know if they'll get enough to hit the 100EU price point though... Time will tell, and I assume the kickstarter will give a good indication.
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Re: Step on to the future

Post by tramp »

ssj71 wrote:but I don't know if they'll get enough to hit the 100EU price point though
For sure not. It will be ~390 US$

We've seen last year the OWL (a OpenSource Programmable effects pedal), running successful at Kickstarter.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ma ... ects-pedal
It's price is now around 240 US$.
The MOD isn't just a effect pedal, it's a pedal board, cover a couple of OWL's inside.
And yes, it comes with Midi in/out, so you could use it as softsynth as well, even at the same time were you use the other channel as FX host.
About robustness, the MOD is made for the use on stage, tested by several METAL bands, but the @tuxinator, for sure, know better how robust the MOD is/looks. :lol:
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Re: Step on to the future

Post by tux99 »

tramp wrote:
ssj71 wrote:but I don't know if they'll get enough to hit the 100EU price point though
For sure not. It will be ~390 US$
Oh well, that's pretty much game over for it then, at that price it will only sell to a few dozen people like tramp who seem to be completely unaware of the much better sounding alternatives out there... :roll:
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Re: Step on to the future

Post by tux99 »

falkTX wrote:Are those alternatives opensource?
Is the MOD opensource? I can't find the published schematics and the firmware anywhere but maybe I didn't look hard enough.

The MOD runs open source software (just like any PC can) but that doesn't make the MOD itself opensource unless they publish the hardware schematics, the PCB layout, the list of all parts needed to build one yourself, in addition to the firmware.
I'm not sure similar commercial hw units can offer the same benefits and freedom.
First of all the MOD itself is a commercial unit too (they are not giving it away for free) so of course when you have to spend money you compare it to what else you can get for the same money.
Being able to run different effect plugins on the same hardware is of course very nice, but only if the quality of those effects is comparable to similar priced professional studio effect units, which isn't the case. The kind of hardware multi-FX units you can buy for $400 (and even for far less than that) offer far better quality effects than any LV2 plugins.
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