MOD DUO - Linux Open Source Expandable Guitar Pedal

Started by admin, August 10, 2015, 02:07:26 PM

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admin

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/modduo/mod-duo-the-limitless-multi-effects-pedal
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/modduo/mod-duo-the-limitless-multi-effects-pedal/description
Power supply that works in every country (100V ~ 240V @ 50 ~ 60 Hz)
Compact dimensions: 180 x 74.7 x 160 (W x H x D, millimeters) / 1.2 kg
Completely independent audio inputs and outputs
Configurable input and output gain: use it with any instrument
Outputs usable in balanced and unbalanced mode: connect to any device
USB-device port for connecting to the computer
Headphone out with dedicated volume control and direct monitoring option
High-fidelity audio path
Relay-based True-Bypass
Full MIDI support - both legacy DIN and USB MIDI
USB-host port for connecting peripherals (Bluetooth dongles, etc)
Expand connectivity with a USB hub
Control Chain port for connecting MOD peripherals




http://portalmod.com/home

http://portalmod.com/store
The MOD's journey began in 2008, when Gianfranco Ceccolini decided to design a digital pedalboard that would give musicians more freedom. Gian got together with Angoera Sistemas Eletrônicos and they both started working on the first prototype, based on a DSP.

Development was slow until 2010, when the design was financed by the PRIME Program and the first protoype was completed. After a series of tests involving musicians, and thanks to increasingly popular new technologies, the DSP was replaced by a PC and Linux-based structure at the end of that year. In early 2012, with a new version of the prototype in operation, Hacklab, a software development company with extensive experience of web and free software development, joined the venture. The pedalboard assembly interface, MOD Social and MOD Cloud were born.

In 2013, the MOD Quadra came into existence. In September of that year, the MOD Quadra was officially launched at ExpoMusic Brazil. The impact was significant. Hundreds of onlookers, journalists and musicians came to the MOD stand and were very impressed by what they saw. In October of the same year, the MOD Quadra went on sale and what started as an idea finally became a product!


MOD TODAY
Thanks to the overwhelming response, the MOD was able, for the first time in its history, to assemble a team that was totally dedicated to its development.

By the end of 2014, a crowd funding initiative will be launched by the website Kickstarter for the sale of the MOD Duo, which provides the same concept of freedom of installation and creation as the MOD Quadra, but in a smaller and more affordable version.



http://www.gizmag.com/portalmod-virtual-pedalboard-quadra-duo/32406/









MOD Duo virtual pedalboard stomp heading to the US
By Paul Ridden - June 4, 2014 13 Pictures
Portalmod's MOD Duo prototype mounted in acrylic housing
Portalmod's MOD Duo prototype mounted in acrylic housing
Image Gallery (13 images)
The MOD system from Brazil's Portalmod was born of a desire to break free from the confines of carefully considered manufacturer-supplied digital effects for guitar and bass, and sail into the vast uncharted territory of independent developer-generated plug-ins. The hardware features its own mini computing system capable of wirelessly receiving user-customized virtual pedalboards configured via a browser-based interface. Having sold out of its original Quadra model, the company is currently making plans to release its next product, the MOD Duo, in the US.

The browser-based Constructor interface, where users design and build their virtual pedalboards Effects and amps line the bottom of the UI and can be dragged and dropped into position, and cabled up to create a chain The MOD system's tones are shaped by user-generated virtual pedalboards made up of high quality digital effects plug-ins in the LV2 open standard Portalmod plans to give LV2 audio developers the opportunity to sell their creations via the company's online store
The Musical Operating Devices (MOD) system is the brainchild of Gianfranco Ceccolini who, after spending four years developing a concept to have digital effects adapt to the needs of a user, rather than forcing a player to settle on pre-determined tones, partnered with Angoera Sistemas Eletrônicos to work on the prototypes. The project blossomed from a system designed to run on a digital sound processor, to a Linux-based, music-optimized computer in a stomp. Software development company Hacklab joined the party in 2012, and the interface, social aspects and MOD cloud sprang to life.


The first MOD pedal out of the Portalmod stable was last year's Quadra, so named because of its four footswitches, four LCD screens, and four control knobs. It doesn't have a signature sound of its own, but belts out tones shaped by user-generated virtual pedalboards made up of high quality digital effects plug-ins in the LV2 open standard. "Each knob controls dozens of parameters on your pedalboard and each footswitch acts as a button that can switch an effect on or off, or navigate within the pedalboards," Portalmod explains.

Inside is a 24-bit/48 kHz analog-to-digital/digital-to-analog converters, true bypass circuitry, a 1.8 GHz Atom processor, 2 GB of RAM and 8 GB of solid state storage. The rear of the unit features two instrument/line inputs, two outputs with gain control, a headphone jack, 5-pin MIDI in connector, USB port for a Bluetooth dongle and an RJ45 Control Chain port (to connect to additional controllers or peripherals), as well as the power switch and 100-240 V power input.


Pedalboards are setup in a browser-based interface called the Constructor that's resident on the MOD istelf and can be accessed by pairing a tablet, computer or smartphone over Bluetooth. Effects and amp simulations line the bottom of the UI and can be dragged and dropped into position, "cabled up" to create a chain, and then saved to the unit's onboard memory.

Since the MOD itself doen't connect to the internet, a paired device running the UI will need to head online from time to time to download and install system updates and get hold of newly-released plug-ins.

Interestingly, the developers say that "the MOD will allow any sensor to change a parameter on your pedalboard, this could be a light, humidity, altitude, pressure or temperature sensor, or indeed any sensor you could imagine."

An expression pedal has been developed which can control any parameter on the virtual pedalboard, or be used as a wah, and a community aspect has been introduced, where users can share board designs or short recorded samples with fellow MODers. There are also plans to give LV2 audio developers the opportunity to sell their creations via the company's online store.


The MOD Quadra has now sold out of its production run, but Portalmod will be crowdfunding the launch of a new pedal called the MOD Duo in the coming weeks. It promises much of the same functionality and feature set as the Quadra, but with half the number of footswitches and screens. The Duo will be the first of the company's units to be produced in the US, and will be pitched at about US$390 each.

Update: The Portalmod team has now launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, where early bird pledges for a MOD Duo are $299. You can watch the pitch video below.

Source: Portalmod






slooky

sounds interesting


sixeight

Great concept. Curious how well it performs in real live.  Latency,  patch change times.  Cpu/memory limits?

Elantric


mooncaine

Quote from: sixeight on June 02, 2016, 08:12:08 AM
Great concept. Curious how well it performs in real live.  Latency,  patch change times.  Cpu/memory limits?
Excellent questions.  I'm wondering what it sounds like when you change patches, too, and what happens when the power is suddenly turned off. How long does it take to reboot if someone kicks the power cord loose?

Very interested in this product. I'm going to look over their website and look for reviews.

imerkat

#6
I'm jumping from Sy-300, Eventide H9, or the MOD Duo and these examples might have pushed me towards the MOD Duo;
https://pedalboards.moddevices.com/




Haven't finished watching this but finally found one in English;

sixeight

There are a lot of audio demo's on the pedalboard page:
https://pedalboards.moddevices.com

It gives a good idea of what this pedal can do...

admin

#8



https://moddevices.com/pages/mod-duo


Hey,

I'm Gianfranco Ceccolini, the CEO and Founder of MOD Devices.

If you are a guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, vocalist or if you play any other instrument and you're into effects, synths, loops or any other audio processing devices you're at the right place.

Like many other guitar players, I've always used pedals or multi-effects units. Each time I had to pack and set my pedal effects before a gig or rehearsal I had the same thought:

"Why can't we have a device that works like a multi effect, has the ease-of-use of pedals but can be fully customized as a computer?!"

I started to look around but at that time, in 2008, nothing like that was available.

So I decided to do what most engineers do: build it myself ;-)

That's basically how it all started, then came an awesome Kickstarter campaign, then more friends joined the team and the community and after a few years here it is: the mighty MOD Duo.

Tried and tested by hundreds of guitarists, bassists, keyboardists, vocalists and even accordeonists. who use it at home, at their studio, on stage and even when they go on holiday.

"So, what's this MOD Duo you speak of ?"

" Well, the MOD Duo is much more than a multi-effects pedal, in fact it's 4 components that have never been combined like that before ...
spaceplay / pause qunload | stop ffullscreenshift + ←→slower / faster
↑↓volume mmute
←→seek  . seek to previous 12... 6 seek to 10%, 20% ... 60%
Rock-solid Hardware


spaceplay / pause qunload | stop ffullscreenshift + ←→slower / faster
↑↓volume mmute
←→seek  . seek to previous 12... 6 seek to 10%, 20% ... 60%
Rock-solid Hardware

Powerful computer inside a stage-ready die-cast aluminium  enclosure
Hybrid device, featuring Audio, MIDI and USB inputs/outputs to offer maximum flexibility
Modular design that allows future upgrades, ensuring the hardware won't end up obsolete or unable to run CPU-hungry plugins

spaceplay / pause qunload | stop ffullscreenshift + ←→slower / faster
↑↓volume mmute
←→seek  . seek to previous 12... 6 seek to 10%, 20% ... 60%
Rock-solid Hardware

Powerful computer inside a stage-ready die-cast aluminium  enclosure
Hybrid device, featuring Audio, MIDI and USB inputs/outputs to offer maximum flexibility
Modular design that allows future upgrades, ensuring the hardware won't end up obsolete or unable to run CPU-hungry plugins



Quick Specs

Power supply that works in every country (100V ~ 240V @ 50 ~ 60 Hz)
Compact dimensions: 180 x 74.7 x 160 (W x H x D, millimeters) / 1.2 kg
Completely independent audio inputs and outputs
Configurable input and output gain: use it with any instrument
Outputs usable in balanced and unbalanced mode: connect to any device
USB-device port for connecting to the computer
Headphone out with dedicated volume control and direct monitoring option
High-fidelity audio path
Relay-based True-Bypass
Full MIDI support - both legacy DIN and USB MIDI
USB-host port for connecting peripherals (Bluetooth dongles, etc)
Expand connectivity with a USB hub
Control Chain port for connecting MOD peripherals


Elantric

The Mod Duo folks also showed an external footswitch expander with LCD scribble strips due spring 2017.

Elantric

#10
https://forum.moddevices.com/


http://wiki.moddevices.com/wiki/FAQ

FAQ
What instruments can I use with the MOD Duo?
The MOD Duo is designed to work with a big variety of instruments. People use the MOD Duo with anything varying from regular electric guitars to wind-instruments like the trombone. A general rule of thumb: if it can be plugged in to a mono jack or MIDI port, it works with the MOD Duo.

Does the MOD Duo have a phantom power button for condenser microphones?
No. The MOD Duo has a MIDI input and two mono-jack inputs for connecting guitars, basses and dynamic microphones, but a condenser microphone could be connected via a pre-amp with phantom power.

How many instruments can I use simultaneously on the MOD Duo?
The MOD Duo has two completely independent analog inputs and outputs, as well as support for MIDI controllers with virtual instruments. This means that you can use two instruments that output an analog mono signal concurrently. On top of this, it is possible to add any number of virtual instruments that are controlled by external MIDI controllers.

Does the MOD Duo support MIDI?
Yes, the MOD Duo has great MIDI-connectivity. There is support for old-school MIDI over DIN-cables, as well as USB-MIDI over USB-cables. It is even possible to add a USB hub to the MOD Duo to expand the amount of USB connections that you can make.

Are the effects that run in the MOD Duo made only by MOD company?
No. The MOD Duo uses an open standard called LV2. It was created by the very active Linux Audio Community and hundreds of LV2 plugins are freely available, made by different independent developers.
Most of the plugins available on the MOD Cloud already existed when the project began and many more shall be created independently of MOD's existence.

Can I install plugins on the MOD Duo that are not available on the MOD cloud?
Yes. MOD gives full support to the LV2 standard and any working LV2 plugin will work in the MOD Duo. Installation is done using our free SDK.

How many effects can I use simultaneously on the MOD Duo?
The only limit to the number of pedals you can use simultaneously is the amount of processing they require. Certain pedals, such as Pitch Shifters and Tube Emulators, carry out numerous mathematical calculations and, therefore, require more processing. Others, such as delays and chorus, are mathematically simple and require little processing. Therefore, you may have problems if you try to use several Pitch Shifters on the same pedalboard. To help with this, the MOD Duo has a CPU usage indicator that alerts the user when the pedal board they have created is overloading the equipment.

Does the MOD Duo run VST effects?
No. The format used by the MOD Duo is LV2, which is similar to VST, but released under an open-source license, avoiding the license hassles related to VST and allowing multiple developers around the world to create effects for the MOD Duo.

Are plugins free of charge?
Yes, currently all plug-ins available on the MOD Duo are free. We currently have close to 200 plug-ins in our library and new plug-ins are added every month. Soon we will also have a store where developers from around the world will be able to sell their effects plug-ins, encouraging these programmers to spend more time creating new and unusual plug-ins.

How many plugin parameters can be adjusted via the controls on the MOD Duo?
You have 4 actuators at your disposal: two footswitches and two knobs. The switches only allow you to control one plugin at a time but can be used to switch between pedalboards. The knobs, on the other hand, can be pushed like buttons so that you can address and control a virtually infinite amount of plugin parameters with each one, though it might not be very practical. Each musician can find the perfect balance between the numbers of actuators, the numbers of parameters to be controlled and the pedalboard banks that fit their needs.

Can I use another power supply for my MOD Duo?
We recommend using the official power supply, as it keeps the noise-level low. Using a power supply with identical specifications is possible, though not supported by us.

How much latency is expected in the MOD Duo?
The MOD Duo is designed to present the minimum possible latency. We use specific PCBs and circuits for audio processing, producing a latency of approximately 5 milliseconds, which is imperceptible to humans. Our engineers are working to further reduce this latency.

Do I need a computer or other similar device to play with the MOD Duo?
No, you can take just MOD Duo to the stage and it works like any other regular multi-effects pedal.
The computer/tablet/phone is used to install new effects, create pedalboards (plugin arrangements with control assignments), upgrade the internal software and share your pedalboards on MOD Cloud.

Do I need to be connected to the internet to use the MOD Duo?
No. You can create pedalboards using the plugins that are already installed on your MOD Duo.
Internet connection is required only to install new plug-ins and to share or download other users' pedalboards.

How is the MOD Duo updated?
The MOD Duo checks if it is updated every time you connect to the graphical interface. If there is an update available, you will be notified. You can then perform the update with a single click.
Our team of programmers and engineers work to develop new features and to improve existing ones. We launch new updates every month, which means that your MOD Duo constantly becomes more efficient and more stable.

How long is the MOD Duo's warranty period?
Besides the 90-day money-back guarantee period, the MOD Duo has a one-year warranty, provided the problem is not caused by misuse.
Our support team can also help you with any queries, regardless of when the MOD Duo was purchased.


Elantric

#12




Debut  of optional external controller for MOD DUO


"MOD FOOTSWTICH" - uses CAT5 (RJ-11) connection for Power and data to expand and control the Mod Duo

(I ordered a Mod Duo at NAMM !)










Met Dean of Mod Devices and NS/Stick Channel ,

here's a few of his inciteful videos

Elantric

#13




Elantric

#14
Swift "fast track" for learning more about Mod Duo is follow Gianfranco Ceccolini's posts ( he invented the Mod Duo) on the Mod Duo Forum

https://forum.moddevices.com/users/gianfranco/activity

vanceg

This looks like a great solution for those wanting some super unique, custom sounds.  I've been watching/reading their forum and developers posts for a few months and might be daring enough to try to figure out how to get a MAX/MSP patch to run on the MOD.  Looking forward to your review.

Elantric

#16

Mod Duo finally arrived - hope to play with it in the next few days
https://moddevices.com/pages/mod-duo

http://wiki.moddevices.com/wiki/Releases

sixeight

QuoteMod Duo finally arrived - hope to play with it in the next few days

Looking forward to your review. Really want to know the latency and patch changing tine/gap of this device.


Elantric


Quote
I was really interested in moddevices. Had a nice chat at the stand. They have just implemented snapshots, because loading a new rig does take some time. I also had a quick playthrough. I think it sound allright. It has a lot of potential, but it is still early days and quite expensive.

sixeight

#20
Let me add some more information to my report of Musikmesse 2017:
MOD devices are trying to get the latency down. The rigs I heard loaded well within a second.

They had a prototype of an expression pedal. They will probably not produce their own expression pedals, but they will make a box that will allow for expression pedals to be connected using the same connector type as the one used for their footswitches, which can be daisy chained.


Elantric

#21
Ordered a beta version of the Mod Duo 4 button  pedal this week


http://moddevices.acemlna.com/lt.php?s=3372b2a24b04633c199699dc36492f23&i=165A225A4A1012


Elantric

#23
Although lately i'm reviewing the clever MOD DUO Arduino MIDI shield

http://blog.moddevices.com/2014/09/02/mod-and-arduino/


They employ CAT-5 cables for interconnecting their accessories  - they use RJ-45 jacks on the PCB, and use 8 wires  - which supplies MIDI IN, MIDI  Out and DC Power on one cable

To make MOD able to comunicate with Arduino we created the "MOD Arduino Shield", an Arduino Uno/Due compatible shield which converts the electrical levels between both, MOD and Arduino. The shield has two RJ45 connectors (the ordinary network cable) what allows the devices be connected using ethernet cables in the daisy-chain scheme.




http://blog.moddevices.com/2014/09/02/mod-and-arduino/

Besides the well-known MIDI connection, MOD introduces the Control Chain, a new and enhanced way to connect external devices, that allows you to expand the possibilities on how to control the effects parameters. Control Chain was designed focused on LV2, the standard for audio plugins used by MOD. It's flexible and ready to be upgraded if necessary.

We want the creation of new devices to be accessible to everyone, even for those who aren't skilled with programming or electronics. We have written an Arduino library that implements the core of the Control Chain protocol, leaving only the easy part to be done by you. But, what is Arduino? The Arduino website says:

"Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for anyone making interactive projects"

Arduino fits very well in the MOD context, and also, it has a huge and active users community with uncountable projects ready to use. In this way we don't restrict you to choose our peripherals, you're completely free to make your own devices or reproduce any other existent.

To make MOD able to comunicate with Arduino we created the "MOD Arduino Shield", an Arduino Uno/Due compatible shield which converts the electrical levels between both, MOD and Arduino. The shield has two RJ45 connectors (the ordinary network cable) what allows the devices be connected using ethernet cables in the daisy-chain scheme.



Once you have both connected you can explore your imagination to create funny and professional peripheral devices to control your effects. Some ideas that already crossed our minds are:

an accelerometer attached to a guitar headstock (✓)
a light sensor (LDR) and a flashlight (✓)
an optical tremolo box with different patterns ( ✓) (Inspired by this makezine article)
an ultrasonic sensor measuring distance (✓)
a hacked digital scale to change any parameter when you jump over it the Professor X device, powered by some electroencephalography sensors
We believe that it might be easy to replicate whatever device you want, simply following a tutorial. We hope that a new community grows over the Control Chain and surely we'll see many amazing cases.

####Check out below the MOD Arduino Shield in action.



The Control Chain will be open hardware and open source, we'll provide the schematic, PCB files and KiCad project of the shield and the source code of the Control Chain library along with the documentation detailing step by step how to create your own device.

Be unique!

admin

https://cycling74.com/articles/the-mod-duo-ecosystem



The MOD Duo Ecosystem

Introduction

This week sees an exciting new addition to the hardware device support with Gen code export. MOD Devices, makers of the ultra-flexible Duo effects pedal, have collaborated with us to create a way to export code from a gen~ object as effects for their robust hardware system.
So... what is the MOD Duo?

On the surface, the MOD Duo is pretty easy to describe: It's a pedal-like device that has a couple of switches, a couple of knobs, a couple of screens and some I/O. But the reality of this device is that it is the hub for the design and execution of an amazing effects layout - including effects that you can build yourself with using the gen~ object.

The whole thing begins in a surprising place: the web browser on your computer. Bring up a browser and point it toward the pedal (which has a built-in server) and you get an amazing user interface. This is old school guitar-style patching; you can select virtual effect pedals, wire them together in a variety of ways and design presets with your favorite settings. Right off the bat, it seems magical.
But things get even better when you fire up Max and start producing your own code using Gen and the MOD Duo Package (available from the Package Manager - see our companion article). There is a default pedal implementation that is provided to your device which conforms to most of the functional standards of the rest of the MOD Devices' tools.

All of this is live and nearly real-time, so you get a chance to check out the results of your labors as you patch and create presets. In additional, you can save the results onto the pedal; once you disengage the browser from the pedal, you are flying on a standalone hardware-only system. And, given the beefy processor and huge chunk of memory found in the Duo, you can implement completely improbable processing chains. For example, my looper obsession got the best of me one day, and I was able to patch together a custom-waveshaper and 8-looper extravaganza - and I was still using only about 20% of the processor and 25% of the memory!

What is even more interesting is the amount of control you can apply to these virtual pedalboards. The MOD Duo includes USB hosting functions, meaning that you can plug in a control surface directly into the pedal and use it to control the devices. Once the connection is made, there is a "MIDI Learn" system that helps you quickly assign both switches and continuous controllers to any parameter - including parameters for your Gen-based effects.
Rolling Your Own...
In order to get the gen~ object's code export working, you need to work with the MOD Duo Package. Using the MOD Duo package's Launch patch gives you access to a background 'watcher' patch that connects Max to your MOD Duo and interacts with the device compiler hosted by MOD Devices' cloud-based support system. You'll need to come up to speed with working with the gen~ object (standard Max patches won't work...), but this is one of the cleanest hardware/software integrations available for music systems.
Conclusion

The MOD Duo is a battle-ready piece of gear with an incredible amount of power that puts you in a position to create amazing, idiosyncratic performance effects. Their beautiful built-in effects patching/routing system means that you don't have to build everything into your Gen patch; you can focus on the piece you want to create while taking advantage of the other great effects that other users have produced.
Check it out at the MOD Devices website take a look at the companion article on the MOD Duo content package for more details. And, as part of this Gen-based rollout of the MOD Duo integrations, MOD Devices has provided a discount code - MODMaxFuryCode - that will give you a 100 Euro discount (good through September 30, 2017) as a Max master who wants to try your hand at on-hardware development.
Enjoy!



https://cycling74.com/articles/the-mod-duo-ecosystem