midibox.org Blog

After almost one year of work on the new MBHP_CORE_STM32 module, MIOS32, some example applications and documentations, I’m happy to announce the availability of “Core32″ kits in SmashTV’s MIDIbox Store, and the release of MIDIbox SEQ V4 as a public beta version!
(press the Reload button on your webbrowser if you don’t see the updated pages)

List of major changes:

• uses the new MBHP_CORE_STM32 module (ARM Cortex M3 based derivative)
  
• firmware completely rewritten in C – it can be optionally emulated under MacOS
  
• patterns/songs/grooves/configs/etc. now stored on SD Card in a FAT32 filesystem
  
• USB MIDI natively supported, MIDI events are sent more than 100 times faster to a DAW/virtual synth
  
• two “common” MIDI IN and MIDI OUT ports, up to 8 additional MIDI OUT ports can be added with MBHP_IIC_MIDI modules
  
• track length increased to 256 steps
  
• track memory can be partitioned, e.g. 64 steps and 16 parameter layers, or 256 steps and 4 parameter layers. Each track provides 8 trigger layers
  
• resolution increased to 384ppqn (16 times faster than common MIDI clock)
  
• new MIDI event scheduler concept priorises and sorts queued MIDI events
  
• new parameter layer options like “Pitch Wheel”, “Roll” and “Probability”
  
• special drum mode for easier editing of percusive patterns
  
• additional chords (now: 32 in Major/Minor scale)
  
• new track progression parameters like “Interval/Repeat/Skip”
  
• groove templates can now be customized and stored on SD Card
  
• Echo Fx with variable number of repeats, damp, tempo change, note incrementer (can be forced to scale!)
  
• LFO Fx with different waveforms, synchronized to track clock, step based selection of period and reset, assignable to Note/Velocity/Length + separate CC with definable ppqn resolution
  
• value range Limiter Fx
  
• Loop Fx (also nice for editing)
  
• overworked realtime record function with better quantisation
  
• hardware configuration file now read from SD Card. No need to recompile the firmware on changes.
  

Future beta updates will be announced here

A big thank-you goes to nILS for creating the layout of the MBHP_CORE_STM32 module, Bugfight and especially StrydOne and This for MIOS32 beta testing, Seppoman for providing the first STM32 presoldered prototype boards to programmers, SmashTV for providing STM32 presoldered PCBs to users, Wilba for creating the beautiful looking MBSEQ Frontpanel, Marco and Francois for beta-testing the firmware on their MIDIboxes, and to everybody else who gave me helpful proposals and mental support.

Best Regards, Thorsten.