Picostudio is a four-track live looper inspired by the Teenage Engineering OP-1 and Tascam’s Portastudio series.
Each track runs independently which means that the tracks are (intentionally) not synced. Once recording stops, a track is played immediately. Every track is recorded onto the device as a WAV file so it can be exported afterward.
Controls
– Aux: start recording to the selected track.
– T1: select track 1.
– T2: select track 2.
– T3: select track 3.
– T4: select track 4.
– Knob 1: set the start position for the selected track.
– Knob 2: set the end position for the selected track.
– Knob 3: set the speed for the selected track.
– Knob 4: set the volume for the selected track.
– B: enable bounce mode which bounces track 1, track 2, and track 3 to track 4 once recording starts.
– T: enable tape mode which adds a bit of wobble to the output.
– M: mute the input.
LED
– Red means recording.
– Teal means bounce mode is enabled.
– Purple means tape mode is enabled.
The colors of the LED are listed in the order of importance, e.g., if both bounce mode and tape mode are enabled, the LED will be teal. If you then record, it changes red and returns to teal once the recording stops. If none of the three modes are enabled, the LED will be unlit.
If you have any videos of performances using Picostudio on YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, etc., feel free to send me links, and I’ll include them in the description.
Please, add bug reports under issues here: https://github.com/majjoha/picostudio/
AMEN! 🙏
I would love to see a video of how it works
t30m: I was considering recording a video of it but I ended up abandoning the idea because I do not have a good way to do it both in terms of equipment and editing skills. I’d greatly appreciate if somebody else would be able to do it, though.
this is incredible! exactly what i’ve needed, thank you so much! any way to save the samples in the track slots? when i save a new patch the settings are restored but the samples are deleted. I feel like this function would make this patch more practical… any tips?
really enjoying this patch! though i was wondering, what is the difference between the first and second values for each parameter – sometimes they are different and i’m not sure why (just want to be clear on what i’m doing!)
Ryan_Hachem: You’re welcome. I am glad you like it. If I understand you correctly, you want to be able to recall the samples that you’ve previously recorded, right? The patch itself currently does not support this. The samples are stored on the USB flash drive, however, so you can access them on a computer. It is something that I’ve been thinking about adding from time to time, and I agree that it would be a great feature, so I might look into it in the future.
napsounnds: I am happy to hear that you enjoy it. I understand that it is a bit unclear. The numbers in parentheses are the positions of the knobs that the track is currently using, and the other numbers are the current positions of the knobs.
Ideally, I’d like to track the position of the knobs in the same way as Orac does but I haven’t found the time to actually update this behavior. I hope this makes it a little clearer, though.
Nice patch !
Is there a limit to the duration of the recorded tracks?
Thank you! The recordings are stored on the device as WAV files directly, so you should be able to record as long as you have any available space.
Really like the patch and would love to see it developed more!
I’m using v1.1.0 and noticed there is a lot of pops and clips at the beginning and end of the samples as they are cropped, the Speed knob didn’t seem to be working for me, and when I used the bounce function it introduced a lot of distortion to the bounced track. Also the bounced track could never be turned down in volume to 0, theres always a little sound bleeding through.
Hi great patch but i can not find the recordings anywhere, all i see are four wav files that are 44kb in size. I am running from the SD card, is this supported? Thanks,
Ibycus: Thank you. I am glad you’re enjoying it. I hope to be able to set aside time to improve the patch at some point. Most of it was developed last summer, however, so I’d have to refamiliarize myself with it and fix these more complex issues which can be time-consuming. Hopefully, I can find the time to do so within a foreseeable future.
Do the pops and clips happen when the track is played, or after stopping a recording? The speed knob does not react when playing the track directly after recording it. In order to set the speed after recording, you need to press “Play”, unfortunately.
I haven’t noticed the issue with the distortion on the bounced track before but I’ve been able to reproduce it. If you have a user on GitHub, would you mind adding an issue here: https://github.com/majjoha/picostudio/issues? Regarding the volume, I’ve noticed this as well and already have an open issue here: https://github.com/majjoha/picostudio/issues/6.
somaaudio: Thanks! I do not have an SD card reader so I cannot reproduce it unfortunately but when checking the files from the web interface, I can see the WAV files. I’ve noticed that track 1 and 4 often are deleted, however, though typically only one of them. I am not sure why this happens but in case you’re on GitHub, would you mind adding an issue here: https://github.com/majjoha/picostudio/issues?
Hi, this is such a useful patch, thank you! For me, however, the Speed knob doesn’t seem to do anything. Also the Mute button has no effect, doesn’t seem to be implemented. Any clues?
Edit – oh, it seems that the Source Code on GitHub contains updates that don’t show up in the main download here. How do I run that version? Sorry, total novice here with this kind of thing! Will experiment…
Thanks for a very live based patch!
robbie: Thank you, and my apologies for the late reply. The speed knob should take effect once you’ve hit the “Play” button. I just ran a test to compare the folders from Patchstorage and GitHub but they appeared to be identical on my system. I’ll reupload the version from GitHub to Patchstorage in a moment for good measure. Did you figure out how to put the version from GitHub onto the Organelle? Otherwise, it is simply a matter of going to https://github.com/majjoha/picostudio/releases, downloading the latest release, and installing it on the Organelle as you’d normally do.
Antonio Gonzalez: Thanks! I am glad you like it.
Thank you! Fantastic patch.
Is it possible a version with Knob 1setting the PITCH for the selected track?
I think it could be very nice :)
Rui_Miguel: Thank you for your positive feedback. This is not something I plan on implementing. The closest solution would be to use the speed knob (while it is, of course, not entirely the same). I hope this helps!
It’s nice to contact to you.
I just started Organelle M and studying about pd.
I got your great patch through you for my further studying and enjoying.
Sincerely appreciate for your sharing and keep in touch. thanks!
neu6869: Thank you for your kind words. I am glad to hear that you find the patch useful, and I hope you’ll learn a lot from it.
I love this patch. It’s what I would like the Organelle to do more of… instant Eno tape music. What I like the most is that the lengths are different. If there was a way to pan the tracks (or even fixed panning) it would be even better.
zinoff: Thank you! Eno is definitely a hero of mine too, and I am thrilled to hear that you find the patch useful for Eno-esque music. I agree that panning would be extremely useful. It is always hard to strike a balance between simplicity and functionality but perhaps one day I’ll revisit the patch and add it.
I love this patch’s general idea but switching between the tracks scrambles the settings of another track, the speed and start and stop settings carry over in a not so easy to figure out way from track to track. This can get very confusing quickly. I also spotted a bug where sometimes after recording to the 1st track, when switching to track for another recording, the playback of the track 1 disappears.
I also noticed that the input channels were “wired” in PD in a way that was making it record two channels into one channel and then using the other channel correctly. Assume that this is for a situation where the source is mono. Either way, I figured out how to unlink one of the channels in PD and all is how I wanted it now (probably all I can do so far in PD, lol! ). Thank you for this patch!
well I could make a video of how it works if I can figure it out I can send you some stuff I already did thats in the backburner
Hi! I just had some fun playing around with this! There’s no way to rhytmically sync different tracks or start them in unison, is there? I’m guessing your aim was for this to kind of generate different unexpected juxtapositions… But it would also be nice to stay in sync!
Matreve: Thank you for your feedback and for reporting the bug.
I also agree with you that the way settings are carried over across tracks is far from ideal at the moment. Ideally, I’d want a behavior akin to the one in Orac. Stereo handling is also on my list of improvements I’d like to tackle eventually.
I am glad you figured out a way to unlink the channel yourself, and thank you for using it. :-)
Pigeon Hipster: If you post it to YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, or whatever, I’ll make sure to post a link in the description here. :-)
Okayokay: I am glad to hear you are enjoying it. No, it was intentionally made to generate juxtapositions, as you mention. If you have dabbled in Pure Data, it should not be too difficult, though.
Is there a way to delete the old files or at least disable the automatic storage of recorded clips? I find myself messing up and recording a new clip but it’s discomforting to know that I’m just piling up samples in the memory card-thanks
SineWaveMossWorld: The patch only records four audio files which are then overwritten when the patch is reopened. You can delete the audio files via the web interface or through SSH’ing into the device. They are stored in the same folder as the patch. I hope this helps!