Dedicated Multi-Track Objects

#1

I've been reading-up on the status regards Axoloti recording/playback to/from SD card.

As far as I can tell, that area is a bit hit and miss right now. I'd love to build a multi-track recorder, and while it sounds as if that's already possible, I also get the impression that full-duplex operations using the SD card are not refined enough yet. So personally, I would love to see that sort of stuff getting more attention. I think as long as it's capable of recording at least two mono tracks of audio, while simulataneously playing at least four mono tracks, then you would at least have an official standard set of objects for Axoloti that are specifically designed to deal with that stuff.

Dedicated objects for such things would ideally have inlets for modulating sample position, and outlets for retrieving it. Inlets for dictating recording modes such as overdub etc. I know these things exist already in one way or another, but they don't exist as dedicated full-duplex SD card related objects for building things like multi-track recorders etc.

Sampleplayer questions
#2

There was an object for recording to SD card but it didn't function properly as I understood when I talked to Johannes about it a few months ago. This needs work from someone who knows some of the details about how the cards work.

I have tried recording to SDRAM and then writing that to the card. This works, but is obviously limited size-wise, and the way I did it blocked the Loti while it was writing. It should be a little easier than streaming directly.

Playing from the SD card is tried and tested as I understand.

#3

Maybe the requirement to use separate objects to create a 'sort of' full-duplex is part of the problem. If there were dedicated super-optimized full-duplex SD card objects where all the coding and optimization is handled in one object, it might help with performance and stuff like that.

Compare to a ZOOM R8 for example, it does what it does using even avarage quality cards. It's purpose-built for the task, so it's not a fair comparison, but it might suggest the cards are not the issue regards the performance thing. So really, I'm just hoping it's down to not having a dedicated object for doing SD card full-duplex stuff.

#4

Indeed I believe multi-track streaming could be done when combined in a single object that uses a large buffer size. It will not cooperate well with wave/play... objects though.

#5

Ah, but what I meant was to completely combine them so that it's a dedicated full-duplex object.

If you did that, it wouldn't matter whether it plays ok with the separate wave/play object, cause what that object does would already be combined and super-optmized in a single object, dedicated to the task of multitrack-recording.

The way you offer the mux objects in various sizes, I think that's the way to do it. As long as the smallest version can at least record two mono tracks while simultaneously playing-back four mono tracks, it would be fair to say you have a dedicated full-duplex object for multi-track recording and playback.

So for example, the smallest full-duplex SD card object would have two ins and four outs all in one object:

In 1
In 2
Out 1
Out 2
Out 3
Out 4

If it works ok, and you can get even more tracks, then just add another two tracks to each object:

In 1
In 2
Out 1
Out 2
Out 3
Out 4
Out 5
Out 6

Might even make it up to 16 track out and perhaps 4 or 8 ins depending on how well the optimization goes. Anyway, I'm clueless as to the technicalities/abilities, it's up to King Axoloti and his workmates :grin:

But yup, would love to see super-optimized/integrated objects dedicated to multi-track recorder tasks.

#6

I'm just doing a cheeky little bump cause King Axoloti posted in this thread, so it's just to remind him :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Would love to be able to build a custom MIDI-controlled Mixer/Recorder using Axoloti. Wish I were a coder, I would definitely help out on this task cause the lack of proper full-duplex objects is really a shame when you consider everything else that Axoloti is capable of. We'd be able to make our own multi-track digital recorders, stuff like that.