Artiphon

I *just* got the New Artiphon Connect App *and* I *just* created my *first* drum kit on my Android Phone.

I'm very excited.  *But...* how do I move my new drum kit to the New Artiphon Connect App on my PC?

Thanks,

-j

Have you tried syncing in the settings page of the app on the PC? 

Thanks David, that worked.

Now how about the Stem thing?  Can we only do Drum Stems or can we also do Bass, Chord and Lead Stems?

I usually start the app first and then attach the Orba to the PC and turn it on - that way, I think it syncs automatically, but I don't use my phone with the Orba much so I wasn't sure it would work that way as well.

I don't know much about stems at all. I think they are intended only for their "artist" creations. Personally, I don't have much interest in them either. I did consider trying to make one but I couldn't think of anything I wanted to do with one. What I did discover is there are some problems about trying to do it by modifying files. It would be quite an effort to do it anyway.

Unless Artiphon decides to make an app, or build a method into the existing apps for it, it's probably not viable. Even then it would be quite an effort getting the samples together for one. 

The main point is that drum presets work differently to the other presets - effectively they just play samples, they don't have to mess with them by changing the speed they are played at to change the pitch.

However, they also don't discriminate about whether the sample is tonal or just a noise, and that makes them an opening for creative usage! (Credit to Artiphon that they mentioned that themselves.)

Stem items for other modes use a lot of samples - and storage space therefore - and play in a fixed key to make it so the pitch doesn't have to be changed.

I hope I've got all that correct -  like I say I haven't spent much time on the subject.

I've just found that you can now create sampled drum presets using sample files, not just by recording sounds.

It seems that the app will convert the sample file to a suitable format, so you can use whatever format they happen to already be in (probably there's some that won't work, but that's to be expected, the most likely ones are there though).

There are slots for 12 samples. I would guess the Orba 2 would only use the first 8. If you're going to get a Chorda you'd want to use all 12 in anticipation.

It might be easiest to put the samples you want to use in one folder on your computer first -  save a load of navigating to the ones you want.

I haven't checked to see if you can edit your selections later - I suspect not, you'd just have to create another one. (So you really want to try and plan out what you want to achieve before you start.)

I don't use drum presets much myself, but this is a really good addition for the Orba 2, and great that Artiphon didn't just keep it for the Chorda. Thanks.

So..., are you saying that (for Orba-2) I would put 8 sound files (one for each drum pad) into a particular folder (of my choosing) and then open the Artiphon Connect app, select the SAMPLE option at the bottom of the app and the DRUM option near the top of the app, click the folder icon near the middle of the app, navigate to the folder where you put the sound files, and the app will automatically load those sounds into the SLOT ASSIGMENT near the top of the app?

If so..., I was wondering what that folder icon was for.  Thanks for letting us know.  But...., where did you get that info?  Is there a manual somewhere?

I really like the fact that Artiphon is actively fixing bugs and adding new features.  It adds lots of value to their products.

I specifically like the new feature.  Being able to sample Drums and create our own Drum Kit is terrific.

At this point, it's starting to resemble Teenage Engineering's Pocket Operators (PO).  If only Artiphon could have a 4 X 4 form factor instead of the round (Orba-2) and elongated (Chorda).  The 4 X 4 form factor resembles a Launchpad and is more like what I'm used to.  I have zero music training and do not know music theory.  But the 4 X 4 form factor looks like 4 bars and 4 beats per bar.  It is also easier to keep track when used as a sequencer.  Keeping track of the what bar you're in and what beat you're in is hard for me when using the round and elongated form factors.

I also like how in the PO you get to select a sound/note and specify which bar and which beat it goes.  I have a really hard time with live recording and hitting the right note at the right time in Orba.  Like I said, I'm not a musician.

The thing I like about the Artiphon products (which the POs lack) is the MIDI capability.  If Artiphon never goes to the 4 X 4 form factor, then I hope that they at least add the capability for Orba to record MIDI.  That way I can fix my timing errors in my DAW and send it to Orba.  I do understand that the purpose of Orba is to be portable so that you can take it with you anywhere and knockout an idea and then finish it off in your DAW (not the other way around).

BTW, the elongated form factor is not as portable as the 4 X 4 form factor.

Also, if Artiphon added the capability for Orba to accept/send MIDI Sync, then people could buy more than one Orba/Chorda and link them together (like the POs).  The trick is to keep cost down so that it is more cost effective than buying a MIDI Synth/Controller.

Anyway,  that's my 2 cents worth ;)

-j

@Gerald Rolon

That's pretty much right except that you need to choose each sample for each slot assignment, one by one - that's why I said about making navigation easier -  not because it would make it automatic. 

Because I've never used the sample recording function before I checked the original manual first (it's available on the downloads page on the Artiphon site in case you hadn't realised) and then when I saw the new layout I tried to see if I could drag and drop a sample, which didn't work, and then I noticed the folder icon and thought Ah! and found out for myself. (I quite like the assigning them one by one,  you can choose which one goes where according to your own logic for it.)

I would guess that the folk at Artiphon are wrapped up with the Chorda stuff at the moment and updating the Orba 2 manual is low on the todo list.

You need to be in drum mode first, then go to the sample page.  Select a slot then click on the folder icon - it will open your User folder (OS(C:)>Users>YourName) - so you'll want to put your samples in a folder there, because you'll have to repeat the process for each slot. Once you have created your preset you can delete the source samples folder you made - the converted samples the Orba users will be in the Documents>Artiphon folder.

There may be other tricks about this, but I've not actually decided on something I want to do with it yet so I've not tried it out fully myself!

@gerald rolon

There is a new (almost) 4x4 format device on Kickstarter which we have discussed here and has similarities to the Orba 2 - it lacks some capabilities of the Orba 2 though and I can't see it being as good to play - I was going to back it but changed my mind, I felt it would be too much like playing a kids toy and in some respects even more restricted than the Orba 2.

Just discovered that you can't use 12 samples for the drum kit feature (to be Chorda ready) when the Orba 2 is connected. (A shame since it seems they will be shared when the Chorda comes out - so you'd end up with having to have two versions of the same preset.)

(Sorry Gerald - I've started using this as a general thread for the Connect app!)

Also, just found that the app seems to normalise the volumes of the samples which can destroy the intended effect -  a light brush hit for example just won't work well, it well get amplified into something else.

so as for the 12 slots when you create a drum programme - i get that slots 1-8 correspond to 1-8 on the top of the Orba 2, but what about 9 -12? At least one of these, I assume, is assigned to when you hit the side of the orba, and perhaps another one to when you shake it (since some preset drum patterns have sounds associated with those actions), but which slots are they? Also, its annoying that once you create a preset and save it in the app, you can no longer edit it. peace and respect, Al