Incredible work here. I’m very very excited to get a Tetrapad + Tete now.
I might be dreaming a bit too big here, but it would be amazing if the scope of Combo Mode’s functions were widened – e.g., so we could dedicate the first 2 columns to 8 zones/banks of stored voltages (or to an 8-key keyboard), and dedicate the last 2 columns to Combo functions (faders, LFOs, Euclidean, etc.). (Or, hell, why not dedicate half of the pads to Voltages and the other half to Notes?) Since the impact of the assignable CV inputs can be contained to individual pads in Combo mode, it should then be possible to use all the standard Notes- or Voltages-relevant CV input functions (e.g., Bank CV) on the pads that are assigned to a Notes or Voltages mode.
I think this would be especially nice for Voltages mode, because it doesn’t utilize Tetrapad’s full potential for expressive (i.e., positional or pressure-scaled) gestural control. I hate to bring up “competition”, but if there’s anything Pressure Points has on Tetrapad, it’s that you get both “bank selection” of stored voltages AND pressure-scaled CV outputs in the same touch interface. If Tetrapad’s Combo Mode could get this “combinatorial upgrade” it would fully address this USP.
It would also be nice (but less of a game-changer than the above) if it were possible to extend the Scale Library with .scl files stored on the microSD and lend microtuning capabilities to Tetrapad & Tete.
The difficulty with adding more options to Combo mode, is that a combo function only has 2 outputs available. So if you were in combo mode and assigned a voltage pad to one pad, the 8 banks would only have 2 outputs. If you set up a note pad, you could maybe have one be pitch and the other gate? It’s probably worth considering as that would be a fun addition to combo mode.
It’s true, the keyboard and voltages modes would have their number of outputs and relevant encoders reduced, but I still think that in a scenario where 2 of the pads are dedicated to notes or 2 of the pads are dedicated to voltages gives plenty of outputs (4) for those modes. then there are 2 more pads left for “expression”, not unlike many keyboard controllers have.
granted, this assumes that it would be possible for more than 1 pad to be dedicated to a “non-combo” function while assigning other functions to the remaining pads. maybe this would break the core data model, but it would be really nice if possible!
I think it would potentially be possible to add new combo options like voltages or note pads without breaking the model as long as they were restricted to use 2 outs only.
In that case it might be more useful for a note combo pad to have two pitch outputs and then be able to assign that pad’s touch gate/trig and pressure to the X or Y outputs.
great, I hope it is explored. it would be quite incredible if the tetrapad could do both (1) notes or voltages and (2) continuous cv output from pressure or position on the same configuration / touch plane!
I’m surprised the sequencing is only single channel considering the potential with all the outputs. I just assumed at least a two channel sequencer would be a given. The UI is very well done. I can’t imagine how much went into it.
the Pressure output option for the A/B outputs shown in the demo video doesn’t seem to be documented in the manual. I hope it is available with the Tete because that would go some ways towards unlocking the potential of Tetrapad’s expressive control in Voltages mode.
I’d like to make a few more feature suggestions, maybe others will feel me on these, maybe not.
in Voltages mode, to be able to edit multiple banks at the same time. as on the newer Elektron interfaces, where you can hold down multiple steps at the same time and turning an encoder sets values (which might differ for any steps that already have “locked” values, in which case the encoder turn offsets the locked value) across all those steps simultaneously. or maybe something more clever, where holding down one bank and then any subsequent banks you touch while holding the first down “gang” them to the “edit group”, so it’s possible to quickly edit all banks at the same time (and then the “group” is cleared the next time you touch a new bank after releasing the first). in this scenario of “multiple bank editing”, the Tete display would probably have to temporarily null out the fader levels graphic until the group editing is finished, as of course it can only display one bank at a time.
this would be really nice for situations like resetting only one or two encoders across all banks, or programming step sequences much much more quickly.
if a Pressure output is indeed available on the Tete in Voltages mode, it would be great if that could still be responsive to pressure while we’re in Edit Mode. this way we can switch to Edit mode while a sequence of banks is running and use the pad for pressure output, without disrupting (or having to manically chase) whatever sequence of bank positions is running. hell, why not a Position CV output from A/B, too, while we’re at this level of offering Edit mode as an auxiliary plane of touch control for Voltages mode?
much less important to consider I think, but: <50% swing values, as on the Roland TR8 and TR8S and elektron sequencers that have “swing trigs”. This moves each swung step closer to each previous step, rather than closer to each following step, and lends a feel that is less house and hip hop but absolutely useful grooves especially for techno.
Just want to say I’m working part time on updates for the Tete, some of this stuff is already in beta testing at the office and others will be logged and reviewed for the inclusion
To many suggestions here to address them all with replies, thanks for all your feedback
But yes, the pressure output is already available in votlages mode, we’ll get the manual updated.
There is one thing I am disappointed about with tetrapods that was just never possible. I had really hoped that tête would fix it. I was hoping in combo:switch mode that the expander would provide the ability to split the two switches on each pad. That is, to decide separately whether the top and bottom halves could be on or latched, along with the option to use it the classic way, where the bottom is the inverse of the top (on if the top is off and vice versa), and both are latched or unlatched.
When I set Tete to Combo Mode and use Euclidean to play melodies (with CV output quantized), I cannot change octave. I can change voltage up to +5V, but this, unlike Note Mode, divide one pad into several octaves, which is one way to reach higher register but it becomes kind of difficult to play, since an ‘area per note’ becomes small as I increase the number of octaves.
I think it’ll be a nice additional feature to add with the future software update (or, is there any other way to do this with current software?)
You can patch this currently, assigning CV Offset to the Fader you are using for pitch, then use another voltage source (fader or other module) to offset the voltage into the range you want.
We are considering an alternate way to play notes in combo mode that would account for octave, but the UI is pretty limited when you have 1 encoder per-column, but we’ll figure something out
In relation to this topic, when we quantize cv from faders or Euclidean pad on Combo Mode and choose keys other than C, the root note does not come to the bottom of a fader. Currently it’s more like enabling/disabling notes from a chosen scale on a fixed keyboard printed on the third fader. I think people have different opinions about this depending on how they perform in real life situations, but I think it’ll be nice if there’s an option set the root note to the bottom.
(Sorry for asking too much! I really love tetrapad. There’re so many ideas coming to my head as I spend more time with it)
That’s a good point, generally we try to keep the bottom of any quantizer / sequencer at or around 0V, which people usually tune to “C”. But I guess in the case of Tete it might make sense to tweak this a little so the bottom is the root note closest to 0.
I think a more notes oriented column for combo mode is probably the best solution here, something we’ve been talking about already. Just a matter of locking down a UI.
After jamming for a few loops a Euclidean track eventually becomes 100% full/active. In looper mode is there a way to delete just one of the 4 tracks, or alternatively overdub silence/rests in Euclidean mode?
Would be great if you could somehow erase a pads entire loop with one press, rather than holding it to erase it all. Sometime I have along loop, and want to just reset a pad, and not hold it down. Also if you could latch the bypass pad mode, that would also be great?
