December 2016
What's new for the Continuum Fingerboard community
- New 8.00 Firmware
- New 2x Hardware
- Namm 2017
- Superbooth 2017
- Perfect Circuit
- ContinuuCon 2017
- LA and NYC Connections
- Continuum Users Group
Firmware 8.00 is the latest and greatest version of the Continuum firmware. There have been many improvements included in this release. Even more improvements are coming in the near future!
System Presets
- Firmware 8.00 includes over 120 new System Presets, designed by Edmund Eagan and other Continuum Fingerboard sound designers.
- System Presets are now organized by Category making a particular preset easier to find.
- Description bubbles offer patch information and suggestions for playing techniques.
Even More Ways to Play the Continuum
- Two new ways of playing the Continuum utilize and expand on performance techniques from two great historical electronic instruments, the Ondes Martenot and the Mixtur Trautonium.
- The Continuum's Touche allows one hand to control articulation while the other controls pitch. This concept can be greatly enhanced in the Continuum so that any performance parameter can be independently controlled by either hand.
- The Continuum's new Tri-Value Pedal allows for super-fast playing. A performer dedicates one finger for each micro-tuned pitch within one octave, and the performer does not change hand position during the fast passage. The Tri-Value pedal switches octaves up or down. This technique was used to great effect by Oskar Sala on his Mixtur-Tratonium in his stunning performance of Genzmer's Concert for Trautonium and Orchestra.
Pitch Trim
- The new Pitch Trim corrects pitch errors inherent in waveguide and filter feedback structures. Pitch Trim provides a graphical interface for the sound designer to create custom Pitch Trim maps for each preset.
Y-Based Rounding
- The new Y-Based rounding allows you to go from rounded to totally free pitch as you play, with the amount of rounding determined by the finger's Y position. This new rounding option has a definite pedagogical benefit, allowing one to gradually wean away from rounding, or use rounding to a limited extent only when absolutely needed.
New Formula Features
- 5 new Shape Generator shapes: Pulse at End, and 4 S-Curve variants.
- The Formula W component provides a new “Polyphony Scaler” for formulas that depend on polyphony, such as formulas using the Summed Delay.
Matrix Additions
- The Osc/Filt matrix sections provide a new “Noise from Seed,” with Trigger and Seed input columns. These make it possible to produce identical random number sequences, useful for certain narrowband resonance synthesis techniques.
- New column options for the BiqMode Banks: Offset graphs can affect frequency and/or bandwidth of each mode.
- For users with EaganMatrix Expanders, new matrix row options DSP 1 and 2 (L/R) allow post-processing on DSP 3.
Pitch Table Editor (PTE)
- The PTE is a new graphical interface for creating custom Pitch Tables for the Continuum. The PTE was created by Continuum player Pablo de la Loza.
- The PTE allows you to define your own alternate tunings for pitch rounding, and/or stretch, compress, repeat, and reverse pitch ranges on the playing surface.
Equal Pedal
- The Equal pedal allows switching between a Pitch Table and equal tuning as you play.
New User-requested Features:
- New Mute and Dim buttons are now available in addition to Gain Control for controlling final audio output levels.
- A single computer can run multiple Continuum Editors, for multi-Continuum setups. Each Editor can talk to a different Continuum.
- For users with an xCEE (external EaganMatrix Expander) and a CVC (Continuum Voltage Converter), a second CVC may be connected for a total of 32 analog control voltage outputs.
- For users with an xCEE (external EaganMatrix Expander), one or two Tri-Value pedals may be plugged into the xCEE, in addition to two other pedals directly plugged into the Continuum. These Tri-Value pedals implement the Octave Shift and Advance functions.
Support for Lowpower Bluetooth Midi:
- Lowpower Bluetooth Midi is convenient for wireless connection to the Continuum Remote iOS app. Lowpower Bluetooth Midi is very slow, and is adequate for Continuum control and setup, however it should not be used for wireless playing.
- The Continuum can limit to 5% Midi Rate, which is the maximum sustainable rate for Lowpower Bluetooth Midi.
Videos:
- A video going over the new Firmware changes since the last release can be found here.
- A video demoing many of the new System Presets can be found here.
Availability:
- Continuum firmware 8.00 is available now at the Haken Audio site.
Increased processing power is now available with a 2x DSP Board in new Continuums, along with DSP expansion possibilities.
- A 2x DSP will double the polyphony of EaganMatrix sounds, up to a max of polyphony 8.
- Existing 1x Continuums can be upgraded to 2x.
- 2x Continuums may be used with 2x EaganMatrix Expanders, for a total of 6x DSP.
- Mix and match: 2x Continuums may be used with 1x EaganMatrix Expanders, and vice versa.
- The EaganMatrix Expander may be an external unit (xCEE) or internal to Continuum (iCEE).
New Capabilities
- The most common use for the xCEE/iCEE is increasing polyphony of a single preset. However, other options are possible.
- The xCEE/iCEE allows three different presets to be loaded as a “Combination,” allowing a different preset for each DSP, layering three different EaganMatrix Presets.
- The 3 presets can be played sequentially, using the Advance pedal to go from one to the other. Notes held from one preset will continue to seamlessly sound after advancing to the next preset.
- The 3 presets can be layered, all playing at once, or the third preset post-process the first two. Many possibilities exist in this layering mode.
- A split point may be selected to play a different preset below/above the split point.
- This Combination Preset capability is currently in an alpha state in firmware 8.00 and will likely change functionality in the future.
- Clifton Cameron will be showing a Continuum Fingerboard in booth 4911 at the 2017 NAMM Show, January 19th to 22nd, 2017. If you are at the show, please stop by!
- SUPERBOOTH17 is a 3 day electronic musical instrument fair taking place at the FEZ Berlin from April 20th to 22nd, 2017. Haken Audio enjoyed the cultural experience of the first Superbooth in 2016 and look forward to showing the Continuum Fingerboard again as part of Superbooth17. More information about Superbooth can be found at the official website here. This is a chance for the European Continuum community to converge and get to know each other. Edmund Eagan, Lippold Haken, Christophe Duquesne, Thomas Lotz, and we hope many others will be there.
- The Los Angeles area now has a store that has a Continuum Fingerboard to try out! Check out Perfect Circuit Audio in Burbank.
- Last June, Continuum players from around the world descended on the city of Asheville, North Carolina, to participate in the first annual Haken Continuum Fingerboard Conference. Now ContinuuCon 2017 has been announced, to be held in Asheville beginning on June 8 and ending with a public concert on June 10. ContinuuCon 2017 is sponsored by the UNCA Music Department. Last year’s event was a fantastic experience, and we encourage you to start planning your trip to Asheville. Read more about ContinuuCon 2017 here. Early discount tickets are available NOW! This offer will expire at the end of 2016.
Long-time Continuum Owners Open Their Doors in LA and NYC
- Long-time Continuum owners on both coasts are available to show you the Continuum Fingerboard in their studios. In the New York City area, please contact Rob Schwimmer rschwim295@aol.com. In Los Angeles please contact Clifton Cameron cliftoncameron@gmail.com.
- A constantly informative and lively Continuum-related discussion is thriving at the Haken Continuum Users group on Facebook. Compared to the average Facebook experience it's a nicely focused and secluded discussion; the signal-to-noise ratio is as superb as the audio quality of the Continuum! If you are so inclined, please ask to join here.