Changing patches "on the go"

OWL
#1

I noticed this bit in the kickstarter FAQ:

Is it worth putting a two-digit LED display and a knob for selecting programs or does that make it a lot more complex? It is possible to program either effect-chains, or a program that contains several patches which you can switch between using one of the assignable pots.

I exactly understand the logic behind it: if you have multiple patches you want to e.g. switch between, you can use one of the spare knobs or even the (all new) push-button and writing the code that does the switch is the easiest thing there is.
The thing I’m concerned about is how it will work out when you want to use other people’s patches, since there’s a number of difficulties here (please correct me if I’m wrong):

  1. The artists that can't code won't have the freedom the coders will
  2. If you download a compiled patch (as opposed to the source code) from somebody else, you don't have the ability to plug it into your switching code anymore. I think many people will prefer to release their patches compiled, wanting to keep their code to themselves or being ashamed of the quality of the code
  3. Anytime you want to change a set of patches you'll be using for a performance for instance you'll have to rewrite some of the code and make sure there are no conflicts - it's not a breeze anymore

Do I see it the way it is? Do you have some ways to mitigate the problems on mind?

While writing this I figured that if there’s a simple CLI interface (like a script ready) for loading patches (in addition to drag-n-dropping), one could just have a computer plugged to the OWL and load the patches with one hand, with a single keystroke. I think it should be good enough for anybody :slight_smile:

BTW: thanks for doing this project, I’ll be donating as soon as I’m sure the rest of my money will keep my belly full :wink:

#2

Hi there!

These are all valid concerns, and we’ve been thinking and talking quite a bit about how to do this.
It would be easy enough to reserve one control, say a button, for switching patches, and then letting users upload a number of them to switch between. However that takes one (or more, say if you want to move up/down) of the assignable controls away from use within the patches themselves. Also whatever solution we come up with might work well for some people but not for all. So currently we’re planning to keep it open.
Saying that, it’s fairly easy to write a kind of supervisor-patch which lets you switch between other patches, regardless of what they are, as long as the controls are assigned in a sensible way.

#3

Wondering if anyone has made any progress on a solution for changing patches without a computer (whether it be “a kind of supervisor-patch” or some integration with another piece of equipment using the USB port) or if something like this is on the product roadmap for Rebel. I’d love to be able to do this with the OWL but I’m just getting familiar with the SDK. Any thoughts/suggestions on this topic would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all!

#4

The solution we settled on is: hold down the LED pushbutton for three seconds, until it blinks. Use the A knob to select patch bank. Use the B knob to select patch within bank. Stepping through the patches toggles the LED.

This works on both OWL Modular and OWL Pedal, and gives you access to 40 patches (5 banks of 8) of which 4 are user defined.

The factory patch list for v12 (same for v13 and v14) is here: https://hoxtonowl.com/mediawiki/index.php/Firmware/v12

1 Like
#5

@mars Fantastic - thanks so much! That’s great to know. Is there some documentation that I overlooked that covers this functionality?

Thanks again,
Dave Flaherty