Aeros firmware 3.1.x

Aeros Loop Studio Docs and Downloads
1

Hi there fellow Aerosnauts!

EDIT (September 26, 2020): Version 3.1.18 firmware has been been published as the official non-beta version and is available to download over WIFI.

We have updated the Aeros Manual which can be downloaded here . We have also made a printer friendly version of the manual (no dark backgrounds that use up your ink)

The full changelog is below. If anyone discovers any bugs/issues, please post about it (nicely) below :slight_smile: We hope to start having smaller, more frequent releases going forward.

Make sure your Aeros is close to your WIFI router for a strong connection. If you have trouble downloading over WIFI, you can update with the SD card (note: the SD card must be between 4-32 GB in capacity): : Download this file , rename the downloaded file (currently named aeros-3.1.18.bin) to aeros.bin and then place it on an SD card and into your Aeros before turning it on.

IMPORTANT: Turn off your Aeros BEFORE putting in the SD card. Putting in the SD card while Aeros is on and then immediately turning it off can currupt the firmware file.

To go back to the previous firmware, use the same SD card update method to install the last official version 3.1.10

Firmware 3.1.18 Changelog

  • Allow undo while recording with hold command of track button or undo midi command. For quantized songs undo will happen at end of measure. If sync length setting is on, silence is added to the track to make it the proper length.

Fixes:

  • Fixed audio pop caused by second overdub layer
  • Fixed audio drop and sync issues caused by triggering playback or redo during forgiveness period
  • Fixed audio files lost if powering off unit less than 1 second after saving song
  • Fixed save to internal memory crash
  • Fixed audio pop in freeform ROP
  • Fixed MIDI record new track and new part when stopped
  • Fixed mixer volume saving when volume is changed by scrolling
  • Allow record new track MIDI command while transitioning to a new song part
  • Allow pending mute/unmute to take effect when they occur during a stop

Firmware 3.1.10 Changelog

  • Added MIDI command responsiveness for compatibility with MIDI Maestro Aeros Mode (see below for full list of supported MIDI commands)
  • Added MIDI IN/OUT Channel Select setting
  • All track actions are now on down press of the button for more accuracy. This includes, record, re-record (on an undone track), overdub, play, mute, cancel mute, unmute, cancel unmute.
  • Made Next Part command (lower left button) on press (not release) while recording for more precise recording in freeform with 2x2 mode
  • Added Main Setting: Track Action button RPO/ROP. This allows the track action sequence to either be Record/Play/Overdub (default) or Record/Overdub/Play which is useful for soundscape artists to capture the ā€˜tailsā€™ of loops by going directly into overdub after recording.
  • Base track for Sync Length setting is now the shortest track in the song part instead of the longest in freeform mode for additional flexibility
  • Added system to limit audio by hard clipping when merging audio to prevent distortion
  • Cross-fade refactor for much smoother audio edge transitions
  • Added sorting by date or title in songs menu (current sort type saved in memory for next use)
  • Added SD card update dialog when card is inserted and contains update file (aeros.bin)

Fixes

  • Allow saving settings from song edit screen
  • Fixed move song to SD crash. Prevent moving of currently loaded song.
  • Fixed not having clicks in count-in when Aeros is a slave
  • Fixed sync start setting following undone track when it is the only track in the song part. Now a new sync start point will be set when redoing the only track.
  • Removed extra midi tick when starting the looper which was throwing off the sync with certain time signatures
  • Fixed solo on empty tracks
  • Fixed scrolling song list with wheel
  • Fixed click track during count-in
  • Fixed various audio pops
  • Fixed MIDI record track when next part is pending
  • Disabled muting on undone track
  • Fixed MIDI mute/unmute while recording or overdubbing
  • Fixed reload of song parameters when MIDI tempo or time signature changes
  • Allow fast tap on RPO button when recording, toggles between overdub and play when recording or overdubbing instead of going to a mute

KNOWN ISSUE: There is one audio pop remaining when you start a second overdub (doesnā€™t happen on the first overdub), this is caused by a separate issue that we are working to fix now. The sound is not recorded, but a processing artifact. It was already present in previous versions, so we felt it is better to fix most problems and release that, rather than wait longer to fix everything.

What we are working on next:

  • Locked tracks feature (keep some tracks playing while song parts change)
  • Auto Quantize (Record first track in song part in Freeform and Aeros quantizes it)
  • Hands free song navigation system
  • Aeros as Master MIDI OUT commands
  • Fade Out/In Audio for mute/unmute and Stop option
  • Input signal level control
  • Pan audio in mixer
  • Import backing track support
  • Additional MIDI command responsiveness (TBD)

Current List of Supported MIDI IN commands:

Sysex: Start/Stop (implemented immediately upon receiving the command)

MIDI Clock: AEROS may take a few seconds to adjust to an incoming MIDI clock signal when starting a new song

Time Signature: This is sent by BeatBuddy whenever a song is loaded as a Sys-ex midi message.

(All values in hex)

(2/4) ---- F0 7F 7F 03 02 04 02 02 18 08 F7
(3/4) ---- F0 7F 7F 03 02 04 03 02 18 08 F7
(4/4) ---- F0 7F 7F 03 02 04 04 02 18 08 F7
(6/8) ---- F0 7F 7F 03 02 06 03 02 18 08 F7
(The above are given as examples. All time signatures are supported)

Save Song - CC:33, value 0

  • Saves the song from the Loop Studio Screen or the Song Settings Menu.

New 2x2/6x6 Song - CC:34

  • Value 0: Starts a new 2x2 song (same settings as previously loaded 2x2 song) and enters the Loop Studio.
  • Value 1: Starts a new 6x6 song (same settings as previously loaded 6x6 song) and enters the Loop Studio

Songs List/Loop Studio - CC:35

  • Value 0: Goes to Songs List
  • Value 1: Goes to Loop Studio screen (if already in Loop Studio screen, is ignored)

Scroll Up/Down (Songs List) - CC:36

  • Value 0: Scroll down list (songs list, or otherwise if relevant)
  • Value 1: Scroll up list (songs list, or otherwise if relevant)
  • Value 2: Select (currently highlighted item in song list)

Undo/Redo (1 layer) - CC:37

  • Value 0: Undo/Redo currently selected track (6x6 mode)
  • Value 1-6: Undo/Redo track (track # = value #)

Mute - CC:38

  • Value 1-6: Mutes/Unmutes track (track # = value #)
  • Value 0 - Mutes all tracks
  • Value 127 - Unmutes all tracks

Solo and Stop - CC:39

  • Value 1-6 - Solos track (track # = value #). This behaves like a XOR solo function, only one track can be soloed at a time in a given song part.
  • Value 127 - Un-solos track, this unmutes all other tracks in song part.
  • Value 0: Stop all playback immediately

Record New Part - CC:40, value 0

  • Record new song part

Record New Track - CC:41, value 0

  • Record new track

Next Part - CC:102, value 0-127

  • Changes song parts in 2x2 immediately. In 6x6, it will change song parts if a different song part than the one currently playing is selected. Please note: This command overrides the ā€˜Change Parts: End of Loopā€™ setting.

Change Parts - CC:113

  • Value 1-6 - Begin the transition to part (Part # = value #) according to the Change Part setting (Immediately/End of Measure/End of Loop). CC:102 will make this song part change immediate. If the part doesnā€™t exist in the song, the AEROS will ignore the command.

  • Value 101-106 - Begin the transition to part (part # = value # minus 100 so value 102 is part 2), according to the Change Part setting (Immediately/End of Measure/End of Loop). If the part doesnā€™t exist in the song, the AEROS will ignore the command. This allows you to send a single on-press command for changing parts. This also allows you to switch the part on the Aeros without switching parts on the BeatBuddy (which ignores values 101-106).

Screenshot - CC:127, value 127 will save a screenshot of the current AEROS screen to the SD card. Note: Must have SD card inserted in Aeros

11 Likes
2

Nice!!! Iā€™ll be trying this out tonight for sure

3

Question. If in 6x6 mode there are 3 song parts, and I send CC:113 value 4, then will it create and record on song part 4? Iā€™m looking at how to sync song parts on Beatbuddy and Aeros when creating a new song part without having to use a completely different button.

Edit: looks like it works in Aeros mode on the Maestro. Iā€™ll give it a try in a custom mode later.

4

Nice job Aeros team!

So far itā€™s working perfectly.

Is this the only difference between 2 and 102 for CC 113:

  • 2: Transitions both Aeros and BB
  • 102: Only transition Aeros
1 Like
5

So Iā€™ve played with the midi control of the Aeros a bit. This makes me very happy. :smiley: I think iā€™m going to have to make another custom mode on the Maestro to reduce taps and confusion, though. Iā€™ve found that having the Exit switch on the top left throws the intuitive numbering scheme off when exit isnā€™t there (like in the Play part screen)ā€“I think that would be far better if you guys changed the Aeros mode to have Exit on the bottom right.

I had taken a hiatus to finish my album, but I just uploaded it to the distributor last night, so I think I foresee some free time very soon for a return to some Aeros & BeatBuddy & Maestro videos for me.

1 Like
6

The value of this command doesnā€™t matter? If so, it might less confusing to document this on value 0. This would be consistent with the other no value commands: Save Song, Record new part, Record new track

If you wanted to conserve the precious CC #'s you could move this to CC 113 with a 0 value. This would be the same as the BB. Or that the point ā€¦ to keep this from affecting both devices?

1 Like
7

Can you say a bit more about how this works? Is it a fixed threshold limiter?

Is there a clip indication on the display? Great that you prevent the clipping, but really need a strong indication that the clipping is happening so we can adjust. If the limiter is done right, then it wonā€™t be overt, so we really need something on screen.

2 Likes
8

Does this mean no more weird stuff when in 6/8?

9

Amazingg!!! Downloading and giving it a try right now! :smiley:

1 Like
10

Thanks guys !
Maybe I missed something but is it possible for next updates to receive a warning (or even better a direct download link) by email? Thatā€™d avoid to have to constantly check the forum.
Second, Can I drive my Aeros with my old Yamaha DD5 midi pad now? Without having nothing special to set? 'Cause I donā€™t understand nothing about those ā€œCC codesā€ and I donā€™t think this can be programmed on that old DD5.
I just want to start rec, or stop or whatsoever just hitting one of the DD5 pad.
Thanks.

2 Likes
11

Youā€™ll have to map the midi messages to what the Aeros needs.

14

Thereā€™s no midi command to load an existing song? Why? That would be so great.
No midi command for tracks level?
No midi command for rec track 1, 2ā€¦?
No midi command for overdub track 1,2ā€¦?
No midi command for play track 1,2ā€¦?

:flushed:value 0-127?:upside_down_face: Donā€™t understand

Hope the implementation is going to grow. Iā€™m waiting it since one yearā€¦

1 Like
15

So Iā€™ve been playing with this and I found some inconsistency:

If I switch to a song part that isnā€™t new, I can tell it to immediately record a new track in that part upon switching, by hitting record after starting a transition and before the transition completes. This is not the case for mute. If I would like to mute a track before switching to its song part, it does not let me do so. This would be pretty useful (and consistent) if you could mute a track in the next part after starting a transition but before it completed.

1 Like
16

100% agree.

1 Like
17

Iā€™m getting count in clicks upon starting after first recording, but ā€œClick after first recordingā€ setting is off, click is routed nowhere, and count-in on song is 0.

Never noticed the click before this release.

18

Ooh, this sounds exciting, as well as the ā€˜up nextā€™ stuff.

Any plans to have fade ins/outs?

19

Indeed, it does, if it is the next blank song part, play part command will initiate the next part with a recording on the looper (following the Change Song Part/ Stop All setting), on the BB it will happen on the next measure. The CC102 command sent by the BB transitions immediately and overrides the Aeros transition it has set up.

One downside to the BB mode command is that is works on the release.

Also bear in mind that currently the BB responds to the CC113 values 101-106 as a next part command, but those values will be filtered out in the next BB firmware release. Ideally you would use these when it is not reasonable to use the BB and Aeros on separate MIDI channels. This would be to transition the Aeros without the BB changing.

That is the idea, wonā€™t work perfectly yet, due to BB still responding to those values, but this will be fixed in a BB update soon.

Sweet! Glad youā€™re making the most of the update!

Noted

Will ask and get more info for you, I believe we implemented a hard clip to keep the audio from hitting 0dBFS

Indeed

Noted. And yes you would have to make sure the CC commands match the intended usage, there are MIDI message converters on the market that can change a MIDI command to another. Maybe someone else can chime in there on a good product, you may find something mentioned on the forum

Noted

This can be something we can expand on, definitely

Hey there sorry to say that the only way to update to a beta is with an SD, you could wait a bit for the live version, it should be out shortly, given all is well with the beta.

It still can grow, yes

Noted.

I believe this is something that was requested, but I may be wrong let me look into that.

Maybe :innocent: we do have some fade ideas, not sure if we will implement that in these upcoming updates, stay tuned on that.

1 Like
21

Okay, spent a few hours with the beta last night, primarily on the ROP, the single biggest feature Iā€™ve been waiting for, since day 1 (THANKS!). A few issues/thoughtsā€¦

First, to note, I primarily do soundscapes, and have a lot of experience with the seamless overdub thing on other loopers. That said, there may be something Iā€™m not doing right or not understanding, so if thatā€™s the case, please let me know. I havenā€™t really messed around with overdubs, as Iā€™ve been waiting for this one to really dive in.

To do all of this I tried it with a constant sound (without much or any movement), using a sine wave, as well tried it with an ebow on bass, both in freeform mode.

A few strange quirks I noticed when using the overdubā€¦ Sometimes, when Iā€™d hit overdub, Iā€™d see the waveform overdub for just a bit (the yellow), but for some reason, it wouldnā€™t be yellow for most of it, almost as thought the overdub ended prematurely. Does footswitch timing have anything to do with this? I did this a few times, and couldnā€™t really predict.

Second, thereā€™s a huge volume spike where Iā€™m assuming the crossfade is occurring, and then it reduces to reflect the volume of the overdub merged with the original track. I can see it on the waveform, it looks like a big spike that drops rather abruptly. And doesnā€™t sound right. I get that there would be more volume as a new layer is introduced, but I donā€™t see why it would spike.

Which leads me to the third thingā€¦ the length of the crossfadeā€¦ I had a very difficult time getting anything to sound seamless. I donā€™t know if thatā€™s because of the above-mentioned spike, or if the crossfade is too short, or if Iā€™m doing something wrong.

Itā€™d be easy for me to just chalk it up to crappy technique on my part, but my technique isnā€™t crappy, and messed around with this for about two hours, last night. The only other thing I noticed was it was less pronounced on quieter fades (me hitting OD further on the tail), but even then, that weird volume spike always was keeping it from being perfect.

Few other thoughts/suggestions/questions
_ as someone else mentioned, itā€™d be much better to have this per song than global

  • are there particular settings that are optimal for this in the main settings?
  • What if I donā€™t want to go straight to OD on my other tracks? Often, I may get that seamless drone on the first track, but I want separate non-overdub things to bring in and out on the subsequent tracksā€¦ do I just have to double-tap quickly?

Very excited about this, just having a hard time figuring out how much of this problem is me vs. quirks in the Aeros.

24

Cool. Downloading before testing ā€¦
Thanks

26

Is there a way to disable the clicks in all cases?

Seems like I have the right settings to disable it already.