Pyramid + Axoloti?

I recently got a Axoloti board to dabble around with a few projects and to make some instruments with, I had one before but never did much with it, but this time I decided it is probably the most suitable platform to make some things I need and to integrate into other gear to add functions (along with zrna akso also).

Anyway, I today I thought of an idea using Axoloti which can solve a few things with Pyramid.

  1. A tilted stand
  2. Power and USB host
  3. Metronome
  4. Midi conversion stuff
  5. Drum/sample playback

So the idea being to make a enclosure for Axoloti which fits under Pyramid, power to Axo, USB from Axo to Pyramid.

Axo acts as USB host to convert Pyramid
USB midi to din midi, and power Pyramid.

Axo will have piezo fitted for metronome, with hardware switch to turn on/off, or maybe via midi note/cc.

Axo will have samples loaded to SD card, and patch which also handles the metronome, with CC controls mapoed to various parameters.

Possibly also a breakout box with some controls to control Pyramidi functions.

Maybe some other stuff too.

Anyone done anything similar? Any thoughts, ideas?

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I like the idea of making a stand that integrates the Axoloti… given the fact I like to tilt the Pyramid already!

only drawback I see, is it prevents having any kind of controls or display on the axoloti unless you extend the Pyramid footprint.

I like the idea of a metronome… that would be handy, something i wish was on the Pyramid.

so yeah, think its a great idea :slight_smile: … and one I’d be tempted to copy.
(pretty straightforward to do too… and ive a few axo lying around :slight_smile: )

at some point I did have the Pyramid plugged into the Axoloti, as you say to provide some extra midi capabilities (extra midi din) , and as you say for triggering drum samples. I also had the audio in, being linked to a reverb for external synths.

whats nice about the axoloti, is its low latency (16 samples @ 48k), so doesn’ muck up your midi timing via usb if your using that.

Can’t remember when/why I stopped using it, most likely because it was ‘another box’ on the desk, and I also got a drum machine…

but that’s why I like your idea of building into the stand, if it was ‘self contained’ , with a switch, it be more viable.

(off topic : Ive actually thought about embedding an axoloti into a few things , including the octatrack, and virus :slight_smile: )

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I think for external control of Axoloti (in this scenario) I’d probably just use midi and have a dedicated Pyramid definition to control it, actually the possibilities could be quite mad when these two pieces of gear team up.

Pyramid could have note definitions for various controls obviously not limited to just playing notes, but maybe also for switching modes, arming recordings, etc. and CC’s for adjustment of parameters, where the ranges and targets could be defined in the Axoloti patch.

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yeah… I think a lot of the time, id not even need external control.

I think even ‘just’ for an immediate multi sample drum machine/metronome it be very useful. also perhaps a simple poly synth (with reverb), or piano samples on another channel.
(perhaps use program change to switch between a bunch of presets)

this would give you something that on its own you could flesh out ideas on… and then switch out to other externals synths as ideas develop.

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I like the idea of using PC to select patches, how many can I store on the SD card? I’m thinking it is 8? So then it is a case if sharing 127 CCs and notes between the patches to use just 1 Pyramid definition file, with careful planning it should be pretty flexible, some patches won’t need much midi CC control so that should allow plenty of spare controls for others which might need more.

I’m thinking as well for certain patches a single note could give quite a lot of control for logic based stuff or switching etc by using note velocity, so with a bit of cunning patching a lot of possibilities exist.

Obviously I’m still a newb at Axoloti but experiments so far seem that I should be able to get quite a bit done, it seems a great platform for this kind of thing.

128 afaik…
its a bit fiddly with patch banks and stuff, but its detailed on the forum :slight_smile:

yeah, as you say, keyboard splits, and using multiple midi channels you can also do a lot in one patch.

how much you can do with one patch will come down to memory/cpu etc…