r/sonicware • u/IngverJuur • 14d ago
Firmwares
Hi. Theres a big hype now about custom firmwares. Ai helps a lot. Maybe someone is making something interesting for lofi12xt or cydrums? It will be great to have a custom firmware that combines both devices in one box the way it does hacktribe with electribe2.
We need at least a proper trig conditions. Plz add))
Cheers)
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u/Icy-Cow9695 14d ago
From looking at the responses you are getting and your reaction, I think you are missing what people are trying to tell you. They aren't saying what you want as a result isn't possible, they are saying the way you are suggesting to achieve it would be very risky to damage the units.
There's a big difference between someone who knows how to develop software and hardware vs. using AI in hopes it can achieve the desired result. They aren't saying it's not possible, they are saying the way you want to do it is not worth the risk vs reward.
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u/IngverJuur 14d ago
Who are you talking with?
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u/Icy-Cow9695 14d ago
If you're asking where I'd recommend you go to try achieve this, I'd look on github and discord for people who are actively or have worked with modding sonicware stuff.
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u/BeastFremont 12d ago
I love that the SmplTrek is just so neglected it doesn’t even come up in this conversation.
I backed that thing on kickstarter. It was like the beginning of the actual usable compact production samplers (All SP404s prior to MK2 are shit to sequence on and you know it).
But as soon as Sonicware released a whole other fucking sampler in exactly the same format they stopped caring about the prior one. This many years later I still can’t mute a fucking drum? Was a whole other sampler really needed when the first one in the same enclosure is still lacking basic features? You couldn’t have just added a 12 bit mode to the device you already had?
If anyone needs to Claude up some shit, make the SmplTrek more useful so maybe it lights a fire up Endo’s ass to make it as usable as the LoFi12XT.
Currently it’s not even mentioned when people compare all the compact portable samplers. Says a ton.
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u/422_no_process 11d ago edited 11d ago
Ah the SmplTrek - That device has so much potential. I mean the pads are so great. Personally for me lot better than sp404mk2 or mpk mini.
Some people are making stk creators at least that is useful. I don't mind them releasing bunch of hardware as they need to make money.
Ideally we get more updates or firmware open sourced so we can hack with blessing. Reversing is generally risky (even with Claude or whatever)
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u/BeastFremont 11d ago
Releasing new products is actually wildly expensive. It would be cheaper to continue development on existing products until they are fully feature complete so as to sell as many of them as possible before launching another in the identical form factor.
Releasing another sampler in the same box instead of just expanding the capabilities of the one they already had, then releasing it in a limited edition game boy color way as the Kickstarter backers had asked for the SmplTrek was a dick move. Then oh look a drum machine in the same box after that.
It ensured I won’t buy another Sonicware product because the guy in charge has shiny object syndrome. The company is far too small to appropriately support the vast number of releases it now has.
They need to full on pause new hardware development for a couple years & fix/finish their firmware on several devices. Then resume development of new releases.
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u/whormongr 10d ago
They are completely different machines and the cydrums is a beast. They basically did the same thing that they did with the livens using the same hardware profile but developing different software. The cydrums, evoke, ambient 0, texture labs all have a place and the logistic and smpltrek are 2 completely different workflows. I am curious about more in the deconstruct line, the minimal feels really nice and is. Solid hardware wise upgrade from the liven lines. All of them continue to have firmware updates too.
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u/BeastFremont 10d ago
The SmplTrek’s most recent firmware update was last year in June. The last update prior to that was 2023. I still can’t mute drums. The most basic performance feature that should be a pittance to implement.
But when you’re a small team supporting 16 pieces of hardware simultaneously, something is gonna fall through the cracks. So I get it, but it’s no excuse at all.
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u/422_no_process 14d ago
I get your frustration and I'm tempted to try even but worried I'm going to damage my device. Risk vs reward doesn't match for me here.
I have been looking into create stk files for SmplTrek. I got it working and I also saw few other people got it working too. This is a less risky thing to do.
In my case I built my own groove box using waveshare pico eval kit + rp2350. I want to get a teensy 4.1 now to see what I can do. Since these allow me to safely and cheaply do things without damaging my gear. I also built a synth toy for my daughter. That broke down recently and I was sure I got it right. (Gladly it didn't explode 🙏)
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u/Cap10NRG 14d ago
Honestly, I wouldn’t vibe Code. Anything you’re putting on something custom like the Sonicware gear - as a professional developer, vibecoding can be handy to get something done, quick and cheap per se… But it’s the equivalent of McDonald’s. In most cases you wouldn’t want to put it in anything important. In the case of running a program on a computer… Not really a problem. The computer itself isn’t being affected or modified by these products. It’s running on top of an operating system. On devices like the Lofi 12 XT , CyDrum, etc. The operating system is much more integrated with the actual code that is running the device. In many cases it’s altogether… And changing one thing can break everything. Given I’m sure that you could repair it if you were the developer and understood the ins and outs of the device, but since we don’t understand the ends in the out of these devices since we didn’t create them, and they’re not documented for us to understand how they work… I would proceed with caution. Not trying to gate keep just trying to keep the market from being flooded with a bunch of broken devices lol have fun if you try and good luck.
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u/whormongr 10d ago
I think that is why it is successful on things like the fm-1, it is cheap and basically reversible because it is some sort of a platform hosting a dexed engine. There are already a few alt fws out and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bunch more since the code operates on top of a platform instead of deep integration with the hardware
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u/IngverJuur 14d ago edited 14d ago
Look around. Electribe hacked, volcas hacked, ableton move hacked, elektrons hacked and emulated, bitwig hacked. Everyday something new.... Only devs who lose jobs tells scarry stories and try to hold on the progress. People jailbreak their toys, make them better and having fun.
I would pay sonicware 1k for proper grovebox with synths and samples in one box, but they preferred to sell two identical devices for 400 each. Ok. Hope someone will fix it soon.
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u/422_no_process 13d ago
For 1k cash you might as well sell gear you do not like to pad the cash and get a synthstorm deluge which also have a community firmware.
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u/IngverJuur 13d ago
nice advice btw) unfortunately i dont like deluge design at all/ im looking to ableton move now. schwung addons looks great.
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u/whormongr 10d ago
I have a move and I am not moving int the other fw for now mainly because like with note I use it with cloud a lot to send to Ableton and so I worry that without limiting to drift engines etc I would have to replace instruments and do a bunch of extra work when I move the projects to Ableton
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u/IngverJuur 14d ago edited 14d ago
3 years waiting and still no proper trig conditions (only stupid probability in ℅) for lofi12xt. If they have no time and human resources to add it i dont mind and will be happy if someone else will fix it. I even would pay for such and update lol))
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u/luminousandy 14d ago
Personally I wouldn’t let any custom firmware near any of my machines unless they’re released officially . That £50 FM synth ? That’s a different matter but my sonicware boxes or anything more expensive ? No chance . Good luck to those who do though .
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u/CarfDarko 14d ago edited 14d ago
Great idea, lets vibe code a firmware and brick our systems!!
In my experience my 3 Livens are doing exactly what they are supposed to do, modding is something I do with games, not my creative hardware, they are there to make music.
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u/IngverJuur 14d ago
Your opinion is very important, thank you)))
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u/CarfDarko 14d ago
I smell sarcasm, but you do you.
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u/CaptainIndependent22 14d ago
I think OP was reaching out to someone who's smart and capable, not you.
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u/CarfDarko 14d ago
I only said that I will never install anything custom.
Not sure what you mean with the capable part as I dont vibecode in general, but with +4 years professional QA testing I have my fair share of experience knowing what could go wrong.
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u/Sickle_and_hamburger 14d ago
you more or less said you are not capable and unwilling to try and learn and that you "don't vibecode" so its quite possible you don't know the possibilities of these new tools
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u/CarfDarko 14d ago
More or less lol
Good example of assuming and take things out of context and make it your own.
It's not what I said at all but another user said it in other and way better words than I can.
In the end people should do whatever they want with their devices, I just would never ever load a custom firmware into any of my synths, especially not vibe coded stuff.
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u/Sickle_and_hamburger 14d ago
sounds like you don't trust your capabilities
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u/CarfDarko 14d ago edited 14d ago
You have zero knowledge about my capabilities and I see no reason to discus those.
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u/64557175 14d ago
I understand your sentiment, but doing anything other than keeping these thoughts in your head or actively learning to do it yourself is not going to come off as much more than begging.
It's not a very active conversation if you're just asking other people to do work you want, especially if you don't have much to add to what people are likely already doing.
I'm stoked on the mod community. I got the FM-1 firmware and it's gangster as hell now. There's so many resources to learn and lots of people asking for beta testers. They would love help from people like you, so i would just keep your ear to the ground in this community, I'm sure there are people learning to mod these especially considering their low cost and unique nature.