Curious to know what features people would love to see on the uScale if we ever updated it?
Some common suggestions:
Rotate the keyboard so it relates correctly to the right hand
Add a trigger input so you have the option to trigger quantizing instead or let it free run
remove the uni/bi button switch and just make the shift input work bipolar by default
Create a tuning mode where all outputs are set to 0 plus allow the ability to set an offset octave
Faster processor
To add a trigger input jack the HP would have to increase at minimum to 8hp. If we went bigger than this then there could be a lot more features added but I feel like a lot of people want their quantizer to be small unless it is much more than a quantizer.
Would you rather have a trigger out or a 3rd interval cv output?
In 8hp I could definitely fit the additional trigger in and out along the bottom. I think if we went any bigger than this we would be looking at an entirely different product that would do a lot more than just quantizing
I feel like the triggers would be the most important at an 8hp update. Any additional functions like a 3rd interval seem more like a mega-scale feature. IMO of course.
My vote is larger with more features.
The current version i think is fine for a low HP solution.
I would like to see the keys horizontal, and indented like a keyboard actually is (not in a straight line with colors to indicate black/white keys). Real buttons, those small ones are hard to get to. Trigger input definitely. Manual transpose slider and button for triggering. Slew rate adjustment.
A cool idea might be some kind of built in logic… maybe a 2nd gate input to compare, and a resulting gate output kindof like a MN Rene. Arpegiator tied to the logic? Clock input maybe?
I would see up to 12-20 HP depending on the feature additions… if you include things that save you from needing extra modules it can really save space in the end.
A key thing for me would be non-convoluted access to the features. This always kinda turned me off of the tricky features in the current version and had me using it for the basics. A “Function” button is always a nice workaround for getting 2nd use of the numerous keys without being confusing. Or like the rainmaker does it with a switch
When using the uScale to quantize random voltage coming from for example a sample and hold, I usually send the voltage through an offset module first. A micro knob with offset or just attenuation control over the incoming voltage would be a welcome addition, but I also value that the uScale is as narrow as it is. As for tuning mode, I always use the uScale to tune oscillators by setting it to play only C and using an output from MATHS to change octaves. (As shown in the excellent tutorial from Once upon a synth). I plug the C from uScale’s output into a digital oscillator that I trust to be in tune and then tune my analogue oscillators by ear to this signal. Anything to skip steps or make that workflow easier would be great.
Not interested in the rotated keyboard, I feel like the module would take up too much space at that point. But the trigger input is vital. Some people (me) only want to use quantizers with envelopes and lfos, and with the uscale in its current configuration, the zippering noises on fast shapes aren’t ideal.
It would be great to have the module work in its current configuration, but then defeat that as soon as a cable is plugged into the trigger jack, and at that point it holds values based on trig input.
I don’t know if any other quantizers have this; I think it would be unique. If the uScale could generate a gate when the pitch changed that would be awesome… so by manipulating the CV you get completely different rhythms as well depending on the speed of the pitch changes.
IMO of course.