Mars said there were some updates coming, but haven’t heard anything in a couple months. Wondered if anyone has any info?
Does anyone have any info on updates?
Hey there, apologies for taking ages!
I’ve had to juggle priorities and this is what they look like at the moment:
- deliver Kickstarter: Alchemist, Wizard and Magus are due to ship this month and next
- update Max Gen, FAUST and Pure data targets with some new features
- publish new, official OWL firmware release
These might all look like different things but they are in fact closely related!
The Kickstarter devices are based on the new OpenWare firmware, which has a bunch of new features and all round good stuff.
On that end, there are a few loose ends to tie up, in particular a new MIDI-based bootloader that needs to be completed and tested.
Once that is done a beta-release will be made available for OWL users. Because, yes, the next OWL firmware will (most likely) also be built on OpenWare.
The new firmware features then need to have support added in the different target languages. And along with that we will publish an official OWL firmware release.
So while the new products that we are creating have taken some time and resources away from bug fixing and improvements on the old/current OWL firmware, the flip side of that is that we have been able to focus our efforts on the new OpenWare firmware, which will hugely benefit all OWL users once we get a release out.
In parallel to this we are also doing some web updates, more news on that coming very soon.
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Okay, thanks! I was just getting a little worried with the radio silence for the past few months on all things Owl. Is the noise issue a priority for the updates? I’ve had my Owl for two years and have been wanting to use it live ever since, but that’s still the only thing keeping it from being usable.
Yes the noise problem is top of the list after basic funcionality is done. Got some ideas how to use DMA and interrupts to smooth parameters with minimal overheads, and will soon have better test equipment for deep analysis.
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Cool, thanks! I’m excited! Keep me in the loop!
Any update on this mars? I too would like to be able to use this live but after looking for every avenue for alleviating the noise issue I have concluded it’s something I cannot fix with my scope of knowledge. As far as I can tell the constant background noise (sounds almost like a harsh saw wave at certain buffer settings) seems to be related to software because when changing buffer size/patches the loudness and the frequency of the tone changes. I would absolutely love the ability to use my pure data knowledge integrated with my pedalboard but unfortunately the noise is just too much and I may have to abandon this. Have we identified exactly what the issue is out of curiousity?
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Any news on the new firmware update V15? Thanks!
There have been no recent news from Rebeltech. Magus kickstarter is not delivered after more than a year’s delay (last update to backers was written 3 month ago). Don’t see anything recent in github since spring. Last news from Martin was that he relocated with his family from UK to Barcelona, production is paused, but new revision of OWL modular is being worked on.
Ah, I see - do you think I made a mistake buying a new one? I mean you mentioned a revision is on its way for the OWL mod. I hope I did not “waste” my money by buying an unsupported device…
Nope, it’s still a great device if you want something to learn DSP in Eurorack. We don’t know what kind of update it would be, but I’m certain that there were no plans to drop support for anything old for the time being. Also, they’ve moved from having separate firmware per device to a shared firmware platform, Owl support is there.
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Apologies for not checking in here more frequently, it’s difficult to know what to focus your time on when you have a very limited supply.
antisvin is right that I’ve relocated with family to Barcelona. Another big change has been that I’ve taken a job outside of Rebel Technology, which has meant lots less time for development. It also means I’ve had to focus on a smaller number of important tasks, like delivering the Kickstarter - I still can’t believe how long it has taken!
Meanwhile Paddy is still working at our London workshop, building modules, filling orders, and fulfilling the Magus Kickstarter. There are now 8 shipments left to do, which are all the Timeless Magus rewards. I’ve been holding out on updates, probably for two reasons: firstly it seems that each time I post an update and try to estimate when the final delivery will be, I’m so wrong it’s not even funny. Secondly, I really want the next update to say that we’ve done it, 100% shipped.
For the OWL Modular and OWL Pedal we have paused production for the moment. The reason is that we’ve run out of the OWL Digital boards used in those designs. Producing more right now would be silly expensive, as the specific SRAM used is out of production. We have a new mkII digital board, which is in Alchemist, Wizard and Magus, and the plan is to update the other products to use that instead. But first, we need to deliver the Kickstarter!
When the new OWL revisions do come, and new firmware versions with them, the original hardware will still be fully supported.
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Thank you for the update, Martin! Wish you and your family the best in Barcelona! Also all the best for your new job 
I can imagine that it is hard to find time - family, job and development - someone should have some rest as well 
and I hope you have!
ad Owl module - as I understand the digital boards will get a revision - will there be a possibility to flip the digital board on an old HW with a new digital board? as the digital board is user exchangeable.
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