The Official Sequential/Oberheim Forum

SEQUENTIAL/DSI => Mopho/Tetra => Tetra => Topic started by: CrossModThis on January 20, 2017, 03:37:10 PM

Title: Anyone use an external controller (stereo ping or BCR2K ) to control their Tetra
Post by: CrossModThis on January 20, 2017, 03:37:10 PM
I love all of the possibilities of this synth, but I just can't get excited about using the sound tower editor. It's like I might as well be using a soft synth.

I was considering selling and just getting a prophet 08. I do like using the sub oscillators and feedback though. Any opinions?
Title: Re: Anyone use an external controller (stereo ping or BCR2K ) to control their Tetra
Post by: megamarkd on January 30, 2017, 11:42:01 PM
I agree that any instrument that requires a computer to properly program is as good as a softsynth with a hardware dongle.  I don't need to boot a pc and enter a password to play a guitar, I don't want to do that to use a synth either.  I'm not so worried about needing a computer to program a controller, but that's not playing music, that's programming a device. [/rant]

I'm using a Bitstream 3x to control my Tetra.  It doesn't do 14bit MIDI so I've spread a few of parameters over two faders.  At first I thought it was going to be a pain, but it works better in some cases to have a separate controller  for the upper and lower ends of the parameter data.  Originally I was using a Remote Zero as it has eight 14bit capable encoders but didn't like having to change templates all the time due to it's limited number of controls.  24 vs 40 makes a big difference to logically assigning which parameters to which controllers.  Having LFO speed next to Cutoff because I need to put all the 14bit parameters next to each other doesn't lend to intuitive tweaking really.

I've just bought a BCR-2000 and thought about programming it to control the Tetra, but I've waiting for one at a good price since I read about Zaquencer and don't want to waste time programming another controller for a box I've already got covered, not to mention I really don't want to think about Tetra NRPN's again for awhile, heheh.
But that said, I've looked at it's programming software and it seems logical enough and actually a bit more sophisticated than that for the Bitstream and the Novation (which is actually a beta and not available from their regular downloads repository).  If this is your first time programming NRPN's it might be a bit daunting, but it's not hard to learn how it all works and then work out how the controller company has implemented the programming of NRPN data.

tl;dr

Yeah, get a controller and keep the Tetra.  It's a very nice machine.  The Prophet will take up too much space.
Title: Re: Anyone use an external controller (stereo ping or BCR2K ) to control their Tetra
Post by: wavefront on February 19, 2017, 04:35:24 AM
I actually have two BCR2000 to control my TETRA.This is very powerfull setup since you have real time control of all parameters in the TETRA when playing Layer A in front of you.ITīs like having the editor as hardware.  You can also split the two BCRs to control layer A and B at the same time or have the BCR to control all four voices when in multimode by “jumping” between the presets you have done on the controller(S).

Another cool controller is Doepfer Pocket control (Can also read 14 bit). It has 16 encoders but 4 pages. That gives you a total of 64 t real time controllers for the TETRA.  On top of that, you can find switches on the back to changes the layput of the controller. Unfortunately they are located on the back of the controller, but with a little bit of training you can changes to a new setup easily and give you 64 new controllers..The only bad news about this controller is that Doepfer is not producing them anymore, so Ebay is your best frind. You can also buy the Dopefer pocket control as DIY kit…I have both, and itīs a quite robust controller. The case is metal.
Title: Re: Anyone use an external controller (stereo ping or BCR2K ) to control their Tetra
Post by: onoma on May 08, 2018, 05:08:59 AM
I use 5 pagese on novation SL Mk II to control it. 4 for editing, 1 for performance.
The one that I tailored to performance needs (immedieate params only - like vca vcf, lfo rate|depth) I use really often. Other ones not so much, since you dont see all the knobs at the same time as you do in VST.
I also have a polyevolver keyboard and it also require external editor to manage all the parameters properly. You just CBA to remember all the mod destinations and sequencer step values with oscillator shapes and all the stuff as they share same really basic display.
Both synth are amazing in any other way other than editing =).
Title: Re: Anyone use an external controller (stereo ping or BCR2K ) to control their Tetra
Post by: mattyp on October 22, 2018, 02:10:22 PM
Hey all,

I’ve installed the Synthgraphics Sysex file on to my bcr2000.

I have midi out of the bcr going into midi in of the tetra.

Midi channel 10 set up on both.

No love, any feedback?
Title: Re: Anyone use an external controller (stereo ping or BCR2K ) to control their Tetra
Post by: megamarkd on October 23, 2018, 07:45:39 AM
Plug it into a MIDI monitor such the one in MIDIox (if you are running a Windows pc) and check what's being sent out of the BCR-2000.
Title: Re: Anyone use an external controller (stereo ping or BCR2K ) to control their Tetra
Post by: will.taylor on May 16, 2020, 03:25:29 AM
The only bad news about this controller is that Doepfer is not producing them anymore, so Ebay is your best frind. You can also buy the Dopefer pocket control as DIY kit…I have both, and itīs a quite robust controller. The case is metal.

I'm still beating myself up over the time I passed up on a Doepfer Pocket Control... It would've especially been useful for my portable Tetra setup, which I might make a post about later today. If anyone can find one (or the kit!) for sale let me know. :))
Title: Re: Anyone use an external controller (stereo ping or BCR2K ) to control their Tetra
Post by: JohnnyMcBride on November 15, 2020, 11:43:01 AM
Has anyone got a template for setting up a doepfer control pocket to control tetra?
Title: Re: Anyone use an external controller (stereo ping or BCR2K ) to control their Tetra
Post by: JohnnyMcBride on December 20, 2020, 08:01:28 AM
I actually have two BCR2000 to control my TETRA.This is very powerfull setup since you have real time control of all parameters in the TETRA when playing Layer A in front of you.ITīs like having the editor as hardware.  You can also split the two BCRs to control layer A and B at the same time or have the BCR to control all four voices when in multimode by “jumping” between the presets you have done on the controller(S).

Another cool controller is Doepfer Pocket control (Can also read 14 bit). It has 16 encoders but 4 pages. That gives you a total of 64 t real time controllers for the TETRA.  On top of that, you can find switches on the back to changes the layput of the controller. Unfortunately they are located on the back of the controller, but with a little bit of training you can changes to a new setup easily and give you 64 new controllers..The only bad news about this controller is that Doepfer is not producing them anymore, so Ebay is your best frind. You can also buy the Dopefer pocket control as DIY kit…I have both, and itīs a quite robust controller. The case is metal.
I have a Doepfer and a BCR2000. However, I can't program them. Where might I find a sysex file for these controllers to run Tetra and Mopho?
Thanks