Squinktronix Arpeggiator discussion thread

Icet · April 11, 2022, 4:01pm

I think I’m using the same version as k-chaffin does

k-chaffin · April 11, 2022, 4:05pm

My problem may be that rather than using that link, i backed up a level and downloaded the 2.0.5 pre-release which was dated yesterday whereas the link I and Squinky just sent is dated 5 days ago.

Actually , I am confused now, but 2.0.5 is what he announced above last night.

Squinky · April 11, 2022, 4:07pm

2.0.5 is right, I think github is confused about version, probably because I named them the same thing.

k-chaffin · April 11, 2022, 6:01pm

I’m not going to say very much here as things are just confusing. It appears that another plugin that I just subscribed to in the library on Saturday may have been the crash culprit. I’ve sent the log file to Squinky for him to weigh in on whether he thinks it was another plugin.

Having given this caveat, what is the likelihood that a library plugin could cause a crash in a patch in which that plugin is not used? If no one has seen such, the misinterpretation is likely on my end.

k-chaffin · April 11, 2022, 6:56pm

Well, the log file does not implicate any plugin in the stack trace. It was probably just coincidental that the last plugin I have added to my Rack was the last to log some autosave info just immediately before the crash. All of the crashes seem in some way related to autosave.

Squinky · May 1, 2022, 8:56pm

I’ve decided not to submit these new modules to the VCV library, but current/final builds may be found here: Release old Release · squinkylabs/SqHarmony · GitHub. These are built with the “official” rack toolchain.

These should have all reported bugs fixed, “final” documentation, including block diagrams, and panels that are somewhat less ugly than before.

This code is now on the “main” branch, so anyone already building a different branch should switch back.

Steve_Russell · September 9, 2022, 12:16pm

How come you nuked the repo?

Squinky · September 9, 2022, 2:24pm

It’s not nuked, it’s private. After the most recent time that Andrew threatened to perma ban me for bad behavior I took down all my educational stuff and that unfinished repo.

steve · September 9, 2022, 2:32pm

Totally up to you what you do of course, but that does sound a bit like a retaliation directed towards the wrong people.

Your educational stuff is/was excellent - but if there’s one person who probably wouldn’t learn a great deal from it, it’s Andrew

marc_boule · September 10, 2022, 1:50am

Is the Portable sequence document available anywhere, since i now have a broken link for that in my Impromptu manual. If ever it is not, would it be possible for you to send me the .md file so that I can host it on my Impromptu github, if it’s ok with you of course. It would be a shame for the “standard” that we developed with Richie to not be public anymore.

Squinky · September 10, 2022, 3:38am

for sure, will do!

Squinky · September 10, 2022, 5:17am

Here it is. This is just a zip file that I changed the extension on to try and fool this bbs system: clipboard-format.zip.vcv (3.2 KB)

marc_boule · September 10, 2022, 11:28am

Thanks Bruce!

LarsBjerregaard · September 10, 2022, 2:16pm

I think that’s tragic Bruce. Do consider making that valuable resource available somehow.

Richie · September 10, 2022, 2:33pm

Marc, if you do publish the Portable Sequence document, please let me know and I’ll link my documentation to it. If you decide against it, also let me know and I’ll publish it in the Entrian Audio repo.

Bruce, thanks for the document. But also, you’re punishing the wrong people (including the Bruce that put a lot of valuable time and effort into all that stuff).

contemporaryinsanity · September 10, 2022, 3:58pm

Is there a list anywhere of which sequencers support the portable sequence?

marc_boule · September 10, 2022, 4:41pm

Hi Richie, apologies for not pinging you it slipped my mind but here is the link:

github.com

MarcBoule/ImpromptuModular/blob/master/clipboard-format.md

# Portable sequence format

(by Bruce Frazer of SquinkyLabs)

Entrian, Impromptu Modular, and SquinkyLabs have developed a proposed standard for representing note sequences on VCV's clipboard. This allows moving a common subset of sequence data between modules. The format is biased towards data that is similar to what might be in a MIDI file – a series of notes with pitches, start times, and durations. Possibly polyphonic. It can be used usefully in modules that don't use that model, however.

At the highest level, the data is a UTF-8 string containing JSON encoded data. VCV is already using this encoding, so the new proposal will not conflict with VCV's existing clipboard code.

Before diving into details, here is a simple example:

```json
{
  "vcvrack-sequence": {
    "length": 4.0,
    "notes": [
      {
        "type": "note",
        "start": 0.5,
        "pitch": 0,
        "length": 0.85

This file has been truncated. show original

Thanks for getting in touch on this!

marc_boule · September 10, 2022, 4:42pm

We had started a list at the end of that document, which you can see here, and if ever others have implemented the format, we can definitely uptate it

github.com

MarcBoule/ImpromptuModular/blob/master/clipboard-format.md#vcv-modules-that-support-the-portable-sequence-format

# Portable sequence format

(by Bruce Frazer of SquinkyLabs)

Entrian, Impromptu Modular, and SquinkyLabs have developed a proposed standard for representing note sequences on VCV's clipboard. This allows moving a common subset of sequence data between modules. The format is biased towards data that is similar to what might be in a MIDI file – a series of notes with pitches, start times, and durations. Possibly polyphonic. It can be used usefully in modules that don't use that model, however.

At the highest level, the data is a UTF-8 string containing JSON encoded data. VCV is already using this encoding, so the new proposal will not conflict with VCV's existing clipboard code.

Before diving into details, here is a simple example:

```json
{
  "vcvrack-sequence": {
    "length": 4.0,
    "notes": [
      {
        "type": "note",
        "start": 0.5,
        "pitch": 0,
        "length": 0.85

This file has been truncated. show original

Richie · September 11, 2022, 5:17pm

Thanks, and no problem! I’ve updated my documentation to point to your repo.

Squinky · November 6, 2023, 3:57pm

From @john_rose

Both: Panel design - use the convention of light borders for input jacks and dark borders for output jacks. [later] Oh, wait … I guess you do do that, but the difference between the dark purple and black is so slight that it’s hard to tell. Does the purple actually get darker in the middle, or is it just an illusion? Also, maybe a bit more contrast on the slide switches. I like the knobs though.

Yes, they are darker in the middle, there is a linear gradient, “inspired by” Vult. Of course Vult does not visually differentiate the outputs at all.

On these panels I’m trying to strike a bit of a balance: My old modules had a very plain and straight-forward look. I wanted them to be functional, and be kind of in the universe of VCV. But everyone thought they were terrible looking. With these ones I wanted them dark, and not quite as ugly. It’s true the visual contrast isn’t as good as the old modules, but the black around the outputs is visible. I hope they are reasonably usable. I also don’t want to spend forever making these panels. The old panels, ugly as they were, went through many rounds of testing and external feedback for each panel. no more!

Anyway, tx for looking at these and giving me some feedback.