Tried the pico.ihx from your archive - probably the same as the one on git?) Still leads to the LIBUSB-error above (the firmware path in picomidi.json and picoaxo.json have to be adapted when just copying everything to ~/MEC. Have also added the eigenharp section to osckontrol.json, as expected same result).
Will try the same on the Pi2.
Getting failed LIBUSB_ERROR_ACCESS message on Pi2 when executing as user patch and LIBUSB_ERROR_NO_DEVICE when executing as root via sudo.
have you tried with a usb powered hub?
Its a while since I tried the pico with bela … so can’t remember details.
(also I cant remember if ive tried since bela updated the kernel)
from the above log, looks like it connecting ok, but that having issues continuing the comms
if you try on a pi , not as the root user, remember you’ll need to add the udev rules
No powered hub at hand atm, will look in the cellar tomorrow. Would a little defy my “bus powered by Onde” approach, but if it works then we know at least that everything else is fine.
Have gotten some sounds out of the Pi default sound card (with Linnstrument) - horrible latency though, waiting for pisound 
@bengersfood: Saw your posting on the Organelle thread (not registered there yet). The easiest way to get the Pico working with Orac is probably to copy’n’paste the eigenharp section from the picoosc.json file linked above into the mec section of the ~/MEC/osckontrol.json file (*) (if you copied pico.ihx to the same folder as osckontrol.json, you might also have to change “firmware dir” from “./resources/” to “./”. Then restart mec and fingers crossed it might work, if picoosc and stuff did work for you.
(*) that is at least the location for Bela, for Organelle this might also be under /usr/local/MEC like for Raspberry Pi, don’t know, you might have to search for it.
Thank you. I will try that oit
Just thought I should mention that I haven’t been able to get Pisound working with any of my usb power supplies. I simply didn’t get any audio and couldn’t understand what was wrong. Eventually I saw Blokas recommended using the official RPI power supply, which I bought to make it work. So powering it from the Onde might be problematic.
Edit: After some thought this might be a better fitting combo:
-
I hope I can bus power both the Linnstrument and ContinuuMini from the Pi2/Bela+MEC while bus powering the combo from the Onde. This doesn’t need pisound. In case the ContinuuMini and Linnstrument cannot both be bus-powered by the Pi2/Bela while bus powering the Pi2/Bela itself I could use a Y-cable to the second Onde USB-power output.
My hope is that ContinuuMini and Linnstrument are very similar instrument wise (the Linnstrument being “8 stacked Minis” - so the Mini sounds might be a close fit for Linnstrument. We’ll see…)
Optionally I could use the Tau with that setup - if a power source is nearby. -
And then have a second “big, stationary” setup with Morphs used like a big Continuum on top of my stage piano (just got me a second tier for my keyboard stand to permanently put the Morphs there) and Eigenharp Alpha. Sound source would be soft synths (mainly Pianoteq, Voltage Modular/u-he synths and the AudioModelling stuff).
-
Then a third setup could be Pi3+pisound and MEC+Orac with Seaboard and Pico.
That way I can keep everything plugged together and ready to play. So I don’t have to start fiddling around before playing. One of the important lessons learned for electronic instruments I think - at least for me
Mine seems to work, but I get warning messages onscreen that the voltage ain’t high enough. (That’s off of a powered hub – might be a different USB standard than you’re using, or perhaps regional power specs come into play)
I’m looking about for a proper AC adapter now.
whats the Onde output?
the rPI3 is rated at 2.5a (!) , but this is too allow for various peripherals, but its still high 300-1350ma , varies with cpu load etc, and then a pi sound attached is bound to add more.
I personally, found the rPI3, unreliable on a 1a supply, even without anything connected, and @Kai I ended up getting a 2.5a, and its been fine ever since
@NothanUmber , I think the pico pulls a pretty heavy load from the usb supply, I think this is sometimes the cause of issues with things like rPI.
also be aware the PI3 does not have 4x 500ma (2A) on its usb ports, it maxes out much lower than that - 1.2a
Ok, when using a powered hub I don’t get the IBUSB_ERROR_NO_DEVICE errors with Pico anymore on Bela - so it was a power issue, as you assumed. So everything is fine software wise!
Just putting the eigenharp section into osckontrol.json was a little too naive it seems, don’t get any sound out of the Basic Mono synth yet when loading this into slot a1. Will see…
Will have to see what the Onde can output. Bela might be less demanding than Pi2 perhaps? Might strip down to BBB even without the cape. Essentially all I need is a MIDI host that can optimally be bus powered to be able to connect the Linnstrument to the ContinuuMini (as unfortunately both are USB slaves).
Another idea would be to use an Axoloti as USB host for the ContinuuMini and connect the Linnstrument via DIN MIDI (powering the Linnstrument via the second USB out from the Onde separately). Could be nice, as both ContinuuMini and Axoloti sound engines would be available, ready to play!
No Pico then unfortunately without a power supply/extra powerbank? But perhaps the second USB power output of the Onde might come at rescue with a Y-cable?
@Anckorage - is already settled which output amperage the Onde can provide on both ports?
My hope would be that the Pi3+pisound (with Orac) +Pico+Seaboard can be driven from my powerbank (5V, 2.4A). (Seaboard should be out of the equation because it has an internal battery). If not then I’ll have to use the official power supply and perhaps even an additional powered USB hub between Pi and Pico - this should work in any case then. Realistically the times where I would play in the woods far away from any power socket would be limited anyways - always nice if you could of course…
Hm, I honestly don’t get why the Pico doesn’t produce any sounds with Orac. If I enable the console output I am getting touches when playing the Pico:
touchContinue - touch: 1 note: 65.0015 x: 0.0275879 y: 0.273926 z: 0.178223
touchContinue - touch: 2 note: 65.9967 x: -0.0407715 y: 0.165527 z: 0.151367
touchContinue - touch: 0 note: 73.0994 x: 0.2229 y: 0.288818 z: 0.262695
touchContinue - touch: 1 note: 65.0015 x: 0.0270996 y: 0.273926 z: 0.177979
touchContinue - touch: 2 note: 65.9967 x: -0.0407715 y: 0.165527 z: 0.151367
touchContinue - touch: 0 note: 73.0994 x: 0.2229 y: 0.288086 z: 0.262451
Do I understand it right that MEC is communicating with Orac via MIDI? At least there is a MIDI out called “Pure Data:Pure Data Midi-in 1 128:0” configured in osckontrol_pico.json. So the Pico note events should go out over that MIDI interface to Pd? Adding a synth in Orac does just nothing though.
I am wondering anyways why the communication between MEC and Orac is going via MIDI and not OSC? Or it is and I am simply editing the wrong json file? But in /etc/systemd/system/mec.service it is “ExecStart=/root/MEC/mec-app osckontrol.json”?
I have the feeling that I am overlooking something fundamental?
Yes: the Onde has 2 USB power plugs for a max total about 2A… I’m always powering my Mini from the Onde !
Thanks! Should be enough for ContinuuMini, Bela and Linnstrument then - fingers crossed!
Did some further experiment with the Pi2 and Pico: Even when setting max_usb_current=1 in /boot/config.txt the Pi couldn’t power the Pico (at least still got USB_TRANSFER_ERRORs). Only when using a powered USB hub it works (so no difference between Bela and Pi2 in that regard). The Pi2 was connected to a 2.0A power supply in all tests.
Pico is a power hungry beast, indeed.
On a positive side: The 1.2A possible via max_usb_current=1 should be enough to power both the Linnstrument and ContinuuMini from a Pi2 which in turn gets 2A from the Onde. Might be preferrable to Bela because of the additional USB ports…
Ive not added the T3D osc module yet
(its trivial to do, but just been very busy on other things… and this module is only interesting to a few people)
be also aware in the current release all synths are fixed to 48 semis pb, i need to go to each of them and make them configurable - i plan to do this for the next beta.
rpi3 etc
yeah, all this stuff only really became viable with the pi3 (and bbb), hence why we are seeing commercial instruments based on the CM3 - but for sure there are still ‘power’ issues, and the usb controllers on them are not great.
(they are not really 100% mini desktop/laptop replacements yet due to these things)
Im quite looking forward to the next gen, as raspberry have said that this is the end of this ‘line’, they have reached its limits - so new one will have different architecture, so hopefully that will give us the next ‘step’.
Ok, was stupid. Pi2 can power the Pico when setting max_usb_current=1. I just unplugged the power cable from my usb hub, so what I really measured was whether my USB hub, when powered by the Pi can power the Pico.
When directly plugging the Pico into the Pi it works. Phew, so Pi+Pico+Onde should work! Hopefully with enough headroom for either ContinuuMini and/or pisound for Orac…
Still don’t get any sound out of Orac when using the Pico (which happily measures touches). It works with Linnstrument though. But: Is MIDI from Linnstrument really coming from MEC or is Orac reading that directly and MEC is currently only providing the OSC-Kontrol functionality? That would explain it…
MEC can be configured to send MPE, so it can work with the pico as well…
just I don’t have time to do this currently, which is what I said on the C&G thread.
also as above, really the pico would be better to be used with pb range on -/+2 , and that needs changes on the synths.
I will also say the synth has to define what MPE is used for, this cannot be done by modulation learn - since this is not/and cannot be ‘per voice’ - so I put it a fairly ‘quick’ implementation for each (since there are quite a few) e.g. I took a synth ‘parameter’ that looked interesting for Y axis and used it.
this is the kind of area where the community could help - either by creating new modules, or extending existing ones.
(making sure they work for both non-mpe and mpe is important)
(note: im using MPE as a shortcut term here… the modules don’t actually see midi at all , they just see notes/modulations - hence why I can easily make t3d osc work)
Right, so I think I have Orac up and running correctly on my RPI, but I suspect I have missed some info somewhere. It took me a while to find the lemur client templates, for instance. Anyways, I don’t see a list of modules in lemur, only «midi out» and «note repeat». Do I need to install them from somewhere, perhaps?
You have to scroll up to the “…”, then scroll up again to see the other categories like synths etc.
Would perhaps be more intuitive to jump to the beginning of the lists instead to the end? Then it would be immediately be obvious that additional stuff is available. Additionally at least for me the timeout until the selection menu closes is a little short, quite often I don’t scroll fast enough and it jumps back to where it was and I have to restart the selection.