Synthstrom Audible has announced that the Deluge firmware is now available as open source.
The Deluge is a grid-based instrument that’s a portable sequencer, synthesizer and sampler. It features 128 RGB pads, arranged in a 16 x 8 grid; a built-in synthesizer; up to 12 minutes of sample playback from SD card; and sequencing of up to thousands of notes.
Here’s what they have to say about it:
“The Synthstrom Audible Deluge Firmware runs on the Deluge portable sequencer, synthesizer and sampler, produced by Synthstrom Audible Limited.
The Deluge Firmware’s codebase is written mostly in C++, with some low-level functions in C, and even the occasional line of assembly. The program is “bare-metal” – it runs without any higher level operating system.
The firmware runs on the Synthstrom Audible Deluge’s Renesas RZ/A1L processor, an Arm® Cortex®-A9 core running at 400MHz with 3MB of on-chip SRAM. The Deluge also includes a 64MB SDRAM chip.
The firmware is built using a GNU ARM Embedded GCC toolchain.”
Two online events are also planned to introduced the open source project:
- Wednesday, June 7, 7pm EDT – Open Group video Q&A session with Rohan. Will be recorded and made available on GitHub following.
- Saturday, June 10, 11am, CEST – Open Group Zoom session with Rohan. Will be recorded and made available on the GitHub following.
So now we need a Teensy port.
I would love to know the experiences of someone who has used this as well as Novations Circuit Tracks, and Rhythm.
I have both and Enjoy using them together. Sometimes curious hot this would compare.
Make no mistake, the Deluge is a small powerhouse that can do sample playback, wavetables, two-oscillator subtractive synthesis and FM, as well as midi tracks, streaming audio tracks and looping. And adding to this, it has very direct UI which (with some training of your muscle memory) becomes very fast to use. It also has a built-in rechargeable battery which is good for 5-6 hours, cv/trig outputs and it can act as a USB host.
For me personally, it has meant that I’m not bound to my DAW anymore. I can just flip the power switches in my small studio and start playing, instead of getting the whole “I’m back at work” buzzkill from booting the PC and start loading software.
i would dig some 3mb ARM’s in my Prologue.
The Deluge has multitrack sample streaming from SD card, limited by CPU/SD speed & SD size, not “up to 12 minutes of sample playback from SD card” as you state here. It can be used as a live looper and can also record live stereo of the master track so a whole performance can be recorded, again with limit set by size of SD card.
It also has an ‘unlimited’ number of audio/synth/MIDI tracks and track lengths. I believe the Roland MC-707 has up to 12 minutes mono sample length per project, 6 if stereo.
Hope the open source helps develop the Deluge into a more powerful box, already USB multitrack audio is being discussed, and CC automation indicated on the button grid for easy editing. And hopefully other companies might learn from Synthstrom about how to do SD card multitrack streaming properly instead of hobbling their grooveboxes with RAM-only samples.
Something gave way and something clicked. I would say Deluge, a great device, is now on its last legs. Hope to seek a new and improved MK2 now that the developer will no longer be taking it upon himself to code new firmware for the official release(s) of future firmware. Should see some innovation and new functionality but otherwise, it was a good run SA.
SA has states unequivocally that they will continue to develop an official branch of the firmware and that they have no plans to stop production or introduce a new model….