Feature requests

hotswank

Punch in any number with the 0-9 keypad and DEC and INC for incremental up or down, hit REC to send the program change to the selected track. (ROUTE)
In LOOP mode, option to record only ONE cycle or MERGE each cycle: i.e if LENGHT is 8 beats, REC stops after 8 beats. (LOOP)
Check % available memory (SYSTEM INFO + TWEAKS)
DELETE any note by hitting ANY key or channel with a midi controller in LOOP mode in realtime (ALT+REC+TRACK, STOP is UNDO)
Power ON/OFF with a soft key, to avoid wearing out that flimsy plastic switch or unplugging the USB-C cable. (Press and hold STOP + REC for 3 seconds, toggles ON/OFF)
Auto switch Power OFF when using the battery and/or USB power. (Wake up by any key)

Thank you for your attention 😁

Zzz

I can’t remember exactly where in the menu it is, but you can already check what % of memory has been used

Elekktrikk

Is this an official feature request thread in the making? 😃

sticky buttons (no need to hold Alt for muting tracks) either return to normal status after single use or toggle (like caps lock)
in song mode: define loop range (step X to step Y, maybe even number of repetitions) (simpler version: loop from end but define loop start point to skip intro)
song mode: set number of repetitions per step
song mode: alternative: set number of bars/beats per step
song mode: copy part number and all settings (including mute and transpose settIngs) from current step to next step by button combo
next hardware iteration: USB host mode

Apologies if one or the other already exists. I read the manual to the best of my abilities. I discover functions or subjective lack thereof during working on project/in hyperfocus. 🤩😃

Cheers! 😃🤩

RobJD

Elekktrikk

"sticky buttons (no need to hold Alt for muting tracks) either return to normal status after single use or toggle (like caps lock)"

I'd love to see this implemented. I know and appreciate the ability to do it in performance mode but it would be so useful elsewhere. A double press of the Alt button to toggle it on/off would be great. I have a couple of pieces of gear that have this functionality, to save you from having to hold it down. It would make it so much easier to access the functions. I often find the finger gymnastics needed a bit frustrating at times, especially when I'm jumping between Filter, Trans and Quant.

grit

We did provide a new loop function in song mode in v2.19+ You can insert/delete songstep repetitions using ALT+> or ALT+0 when in songstep edit mode. Performance mode (ALT+ROUTE) provides mute / unmute functions without holding ALT. Increasing and decreasing values for digits can be done with ALT+INC and ALT+DEC. Available memory can be checked with ALT+9 - shows directly after the song entry. Power on off can be done by long-pressing the stop button. This is the link to the latest manual by the way, perhaps you have an old firmware release on the RK008? https://retrokits.com/rk008/RK008_manual.pdf

hotswank

Thanks. I have version 2.20 and the 2.20 manual, but can’t find the power STOP on/off shortcut anywere, ditto the ALT+9 shortcut. Please correct me if I’m wrong. Is there a hidden UNDO button maybe? I accidently erased the whole part instead of the track because I clicked one to many times and did not notice it on the display (I’m 56) and lost my work…

grit

euwh.. I now see the stop-tip had gone off-page because of the revisions - I have updated the manual and reinstated the long-stop/RK008 sleep note on page 1. The ALT-< / ALT+> tip is something which is mentioned on several entries, it's something which has to grow as a 2nd nature on the RK-008 I guess, we tried to replicate that input method on as many input fields on the RK-008 (MIDI channel selection, inputting Program Changes, changing parameter settings, etc etc).

nohub

Hi 🙂
Are individual track lengths and/or a midi-in-channel filter planned? Those features would be so amazing! x3
Cheers!
L

grit

The filter section (ALT+4) filters MIDI input as well - but there’s not channel filter - individual track lengths are already there since v2,0. In the current version (2.2) there's even more: you can start a Track at any point in time.

The result is that each Part now has eight independent Tracks which can have different lengths, can hold MIDI data for 16 channels and play independently.

You can set Track Queue mode and lengths at the ALT+1 menu (and then select the Track you want to change). Track length can also be set in the StepTime editor; navigate to the step you want (and timedivision you want) and press digit 9 to Toggle a track endpoint. Doing this while playing can be pretty cool btw.

nohub

grit Thanks for your reply and the nice tip with the track endpoint in StepTime! x3
Is it also possible to have the option to keep/extend when changing the track length of a single track? 🙂
Currently, it seems that this feature is only available for the global length.

nohub

grit It would also be amazing if the individual track length is kept after erasing the whole track. For me, it disrupts the workflow if I quickly want to delete and re-record a pattern with the desired length.
Right now, the track length is reset when pressing Alt-0, which adds a bothersome step of typing in the individual length again.
Would this be an option you could consider? 👉👈 🙂

jako

I'd like to be able to send a midi file to one of the track I choose between the 8 tracks available. Now I can only send a midi file to track 1.
By "send a midi file" I mean upload a midi file from the computer to the RK8 using the management page.
And not erase the others tracks note used by the midi files.
Thanks

grit

A midi file can contain multiple tracks by itself so if you export it in track1, the RK008 will import it there. If you just grab a .mid file from the internet (just try some corny pop-song cover file) 99% you will see it filling out multiple tracks at once on the RK008. The problem is that a DAW like Ableton does not allow you to export in multiple tracks anymore.

The way to get around this on a DAW which can not do multi-track export is to use one Part for importing and use the track swap + inter-Part Track copy to arrange it:

Import a .mid
Swap Track 1 to another Track (alt+2,>,[destination track]
Copy [destination track] to other part , (alt+2,[select destination part with grey digit numbers]

Andrew J

I posted a thread already about this, but I wish there was a way to do the realtime tape erase head style erasing of midi notes that is on the MMT-8. As of right now, the biggest setback of the workflow is erasing is limited to erasing the whole track, erasing a note (across the whole track), and erasing a single midi channel out of the track. But what if you want to replace an unwanted section, and for instance it contains notes that are used already in the track?
In general, I feel there is a huge creative benefit to being able to record something, and gradually whittle it down to taste, or to something completely unexpected, by erasing on the fly. I often find myself just re-recording parts just because of a tiny section I wasn't happy with, or recorded just slightly off (like note lengths were off, or realizing I would have rather taken out the snare at the last beat etc.) There isn't a way to go in and edit notes, step by step, wouldn't want that. This is 90% a real-time only device, and I adore it.
I'm not sure how it would be implemented, but I hope that maybe one day it will be!!!

albert

maybe the step-editor is what you can use after all:

stop the sequence (not strictly needed, but maybe easier while getting acquainted with the stepeditor)
press alt-mode to enter step-editor
press 'REC' to enter editing
select a quantize value (digits 1..6, multiple presses on the same value selects variations of the quantize size) ---> this acts as a 'bucket-size' during edit
use '<' and '>' to navigate to the position of the bucket which you want to erase.. the notes on the track are audible while navigating.
press '0' to erase the bucket
press 'REC' to commit, or 'STOP' to cancel the edit

ps: the idea of heaving a 'real-time-eraser' is tempting... we will think about that too

Andrew J

Didn’t think of using the step editor in blocks like that! Sweet, going to try that right now.
Glad it interests you too, I think it would really be a major addition to the workflow.

albert

Hi nohub

in the current version we've changed this as per your suggestion: so erasing a track keeps the track-end markers now.

thanks for the suggestion

you can update the RK008 from the settings page:

https://www.retrokits.com/settings/rk008

nohub

Also, deleting multiple notes simultaneously (Alt-0 + holding down a chord) would be awesome!

nohub

Select the active track with Alt-Track in performance mode.
Currently, Alt-Track is muting, too, which is a bit redundant. Additionally, entering performance mode automatically switches to T1 as the active track, regardless of the previously selected track, before pressing Alt+Route.
Sorry for the spam, haha. I'm having great fun with the RK8 right now, and it's already amazing. 🙂

grit

There is not really an active track anymore in performance mode - once you use this the RK008 is in a 'default in-out mode' which means your midi channel will not be altered by track settings at all. This is also because in performance mode you have the realtime midi note transpose: If you set a track transpose value to 99 it will say 'PRF' and the track transpose value will respond to incoming notes on the 'RK008 remote control channel'. This feature is a bit hard to combine with the realtime track modifications in the 'regular Part mode'

Here are the quick key combo's to get in the options mentioned:
midi key performance transpose mode: ALT+5,99,REC (display shows 'PRF')
midi control channel set: ALT+9,>,REC,>,[input midi ch],REC
Performance mode: ALT+ROUTE

nohub

A key combo for undoing the last recording process would also be massive 🔥