Tags: Expander module

Notes: An expander module for Rossum's powerhouse Assimil8or sampler module, the Locutus provides MIDI in, out and thru connections over 5-pin DIN sockets, letting you take full control of the module alongside other MIDI gear.

Supplier's notes:
Locutus is designed to interface Assimil8or with MIDI instruments, controllers, and sequencers to provide multichannel modulation and new polyphonic possibilities.

Locutus includes a special cable to connect to the Assimil8or CPU behind the panel.

Locutus is 6 HP wide and 25mm deep.

More pricing and availability information is coming soon.

Locutus is on display in the MIDI Association booth #9901 at NAMM 2023 where Locutus and Assimil8or will be performing with a Rossum SP-1200 Reissue, an Oberheim OB-X8, and other new and vintage MIDI-equipped instruments.

MIDI Association booth #9901 is dedicated to the MIDI@40 Lifetime Achievement Award winners, including Rossum Electro-Music co-founder Dave Rossum.

From the MIDI Association: "At Saturday's anniversary celebration, lifetime achievement awards will be presented to (or posthumously honour) legendary music industry innovators who created the modern music production environment of synths, drum machines, and sequencers, including Bob Moog, Don Buchla, Ikutaro Kakehashi, Tsutomu Katoh, Roger Linn, Tom Oberheim, Alan Pearlman, Dave Rossum, and Dave Smith."

Notes: Welcome to the DROID X7 expander. The X7 gives you USB and MIDI connectivity for your master and also four gate outputs with modular levels.

You can process incoming and generate outgoing MIDI streams, both via classical DIN cables and via USB. Both the in and the out direction support polyphony with eight or even more voices in parallel.

For size reasons the X7 uses 3.5 mm TRS jacks for MIDI instead of the classical DIN jacks. But it comes with two DIN to TRS adapters, so you are free to use either form factor.

As a bonus feature, the X7 provides super fast loading of DROID patches via USB - without any need for putting the SD card in and out anymore.

Here are some examples of what you can do with the X7:

Attach an external keyboard to your modular.
Use an external hardware sequencer for playing melodies and beats in your modular.
Use an external MIDI controller to influence your DROID patch.
Do the same with a MIDI controller app on your tablet or phone (via USB).
Use your modular for playing polyphonic music and beats on your hardware synths or software synth plugins in your DAW, tablet or phone.
Connect two DROIDs (both with X7) and exchange real time CVs and triggers.
Use the four additional gate outputs on the X7 for sending clocks, gates and triggers and free your valuable CV outputs for other things.
Access the SD card in your master just like a USB stick for direct access to it via your PC, Mac, phone or tablet.
Alternatively load new patches to your master via MIDI sysex from your PC - and get your new patch ideas up and running in less than a second.

Dimensions
4 HP
23 mm deep

Current Draw
94 mA +12V
0 mA -12V
0 mA 5V

Notes: Silver version of Cosmotronic's Messor module, offering stereo compression and transient shaping in just 8 hp. Ideal for mix buss compression, whether full stereo mix or drum/synth submixes.

Supplier's Notes:
Messor is an analogue stereo compressor with lots of tricks up its sleeve, in only 8HP.

From squashing drums, sidechaining kicks and sculpting transients, to glueing a mix together, it's a very versatile dynamics manager.

At its core it's a VCA based feed-forward compressor with a low noise signal path. The magic is in the internal sidechain that shapes the gain reduction envelope. This starts with a a switchable high-pass / low-pass filter, before going into a precision envelope follower, controlled by familiar parameters: the attack, release, threshold, ratio and makeup gain.

The ratio can go past limiting and into over-compression, which can completely reshape transients, a great tool for sound design.

Being modular, of course there are CV inputs for Attack, Release and the side-chain Filter cutoff. The Gain CV controls the makeup gain, but also doubles as a Stereo VCA with the Gain knob turned fully CCW.

The gain reduction envelope is also available as an output, for turning filters or other VCA's into compressors for example, or as a standalone envelope follower.

There's a bypass switch, and a Warm mode, that can bring in a bit of additional saturation and compression in the form of analog tube simulation circuitry.

Lastly there's the possibility to insert an external sidechain, for that classic kick sidechain compression.

Dimensions
8 HP
25 mm deep

Current Draw
45 mA +12V
26 mA -12V

Notes: Part of Xaoc's range of modular mixing tools, the Bohumin 1966 is a commander module for Ostrawa stereo mixer modules, adding a second stereo aux bus, voltage control and manual attenuators with clickless mutes

Supplier's notes:
Bohumin [bo'xumin] is an expander for Xoac Deives' Ostrawa full stereo mixer module. By connecting to Bohumin, Ostrawa gains a second full stereo AUX bus with voltage control over the amount of the effect on each channel. Bohumin features manual attenuators for stereo returns of both AUX A and AUX B, as well as four gate inputs for automated clickless muting of each stereo input channel. Please note that Bohumin is not compatible with Ostrawa's sister module Praga. Similarly, Praga's expander Hrad cannot be connected to Ostrawa. However it is possible to chain any combination of Ostrawas and Pragas, and each of them may have its corresponding expander attached.

Technical details

10hp, skiff friendly
Power drawn from Ostrawa: +50mA/-40mA

Notes: LOCUTUS is designed to interface Assimil8or with MIDI instruments, controllers, and sequencers to provide multichannel modulation and new polyphonic possibilities.

LOCUTUS includes a special attached cable to connect to the Assimil8or CPU behind the panel.

LOCUTUS is 6 HP wide and 25mm deep.

MIDI sources connected to LOCUTUS’ MIDI IN port can be used to modulate Assimil8or parameters using velocity, channel pressure, and MIDI CC (Continuous Controller) messages, select presets using MIDI Program Change (PC) messages, and/or optionally trigger Assimil8or channels with MIDI notes using user-selectable assignment modes. MIDI Setups can be configured with assignment modes including Dynamic, which intelligently cycles through Assimil8or’s channels to easily create polyphonic patches, Multi assignment modes ideal for playing multitimbral Assimil8or patches with MIDI sequencers, SP-1200 modes designed especially for triggering Assimil8or with SP-1200’s MIDI output, and more.

Locutus’ MIDI OUT port can be used to optionally transmit program messages when presets are changed and/or to send MIDI CC data based on the analog control voltages patched to Assimil8or’s 24 CV inputs. Using the new CV-to-MIDI options, Assimil8or and Locutus can be configured to control and modulate MIDI equipment using a eurorack modular system.

Notes: PM DB25 MKII is an expander output for the MKII versions of the Performance Mixer and Channels.

Pre-fade and Post-fade connections are available for all channels. The DB25 has 16 outputs. All mixer channels are stereo, so one DB25 handles the main PM MKII (either pre or post), and the DB25 can handle 2x Channels (either pre or post).

Simply connect the cable to the Pre or Post headers on the back of the PM MKII or Channels MKII modules to choose pre/post.

The PM MKII has an additional header with both Aux Sends, Master Bus, and Submix Bus.

Connect a DB25 cable of your choice to the front connector and then straight to your DAW or recording interface.

For use with original WMD Performance Mixer, an adapter board can be added on. Please note that width behind panel is increased by 8mm when adapter board is added on. This may require some clever position in your case. The original Performance Mixer still only offers Pre Fader Outputs.