HybrisBehemoth
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Just signed up to this forum in my new found quest to replace plugins with hardware. I've been researching and reading for a bit while waiting for parts for a midibox FM and messing around with LSDJ. But I'm still not sure what setup to go for.

Ideally I would like to control the gameboy (and other units) externally, treating them like rack synths. That would mean not just sequencing via midi but also tweaking filters, oscillators and other parameters via midi. Is this possible, and what sort of hardware setup would I need? USB-Boy / Arduinoboy / other?

I assume mGB would be an option, but it seems sort of rudimentary. Does it allow saving of the settings or could this somehow be done externally? Also, would it allow external control of parameters or just sequencing? Could LSDJ or other software be used in the way described?     

Thanks for any input

oscillating
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oklahoma

Either interface is fine. Depends if you want midi connector or midi over usb. Midi control of parameters is the hang up. Gameboy stuff is mainly just sequenced with midi or synched via midi. Pushpin is supposed to have more midi control. I always seem to mess it up sending too many cc's maybe. And I can't figure out switching the wave channel.
Main thing with chip stuff is trackers doing their thing. The midi control of stuff is pretty limited.

e.s.c.
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IL, US

mGB is better than pushpin imo. Also, the nanoloop usb midi adapter can be used for it (or arduinoboy/usb boy of course). If you're sequencing via midi anyway, just have all the cc messages you need to change the settings to what you want right at the beginning of the track

herr_prof
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With MGB youd be better off saving snapshots in your daw.If you use a daw with midi plugins you can do cool stuff with LFOs and midi envelopes beyond the features MGB gives you. Then youd save these basic settings in the daw and send them as needed in your songs.

Duck
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London, UK

I've sort of been wrestling with how best to get this working too....


I think MGB is a bit neater than Pushpin for this sort of thing, but they both essentially do the same thing (Pushpin maybe has more separated CC numbers, which could be good or bad I guess...)

I'm kinda intending on getting this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx0dQ0DPQnM

and building an MGB/DMG skin for it when I have a bit of time, as this would allow a permanently set up set of CC knobs so you don't have to remember the numbers/set it up everytime from a DAW

I've also had loads of joy using an Elektron Digitakt sequencer to control mGB/Pushpin via MIDI.

On the other hand:

LSDJ has a lot deeper sound editing capabilities. So I think there's also something to be said for making a load of patches in LSDJ and then using "Program Change" to play them rather than the external CC stuff in a way.


BUT - as far as I can tell (and would love to be corrected tbh) you have to be in either PU1/PU2/WAV or Noise channel to play via MIDI keyboard, so you can kinda only use the appropriate patches for the channel without touching the DMG (?)

BUT!  the arduinoboy "MIDI Map" mode seems to potentially solve that issue as it allows you to play full song rows, which you could set up in advance.....

Those last two are not "full MIDI control" obvs, but it seems like the real depth of DMG sound just isn't necessarily reachable from MIDI (tables, speech etc)....

After thinking about it and trying all the options I am beginning to think that what would be really good (and I am working towards) is maybe a couple of DMGs, one with mGB and one in LSDJ keyboard mode in the wav channel with loads of instruments set up to be switched to with Program Changes.

And a GBA with the MIDI synth thing for chords and drones (https://catskullelectronics.com/gbamidi)

wink

2PLAYER
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Rhode Island

When using LFOs and envelope filters make sure your CC data is stepped instead of a smoothed curve. With a few CC automations this isn't a big deal but when you create multiple instruments with fast changing parameters you can bog it down and have missed commands