I know that the 6 voices are freely assignable, but could you for example assign 4 voices to output 1, 1 voice to output 2, 1 voice to output 3? or is it only stereo out vs 6 mono out?
No, thatās not possible. Every output is connected to the corresponding voicecard. Theyāre all mixed into the one mono mix out, except when for the voices that are connected with the separate out. So you could use the mix out for the 4 voicesā¦
Itās really the one thing I really miss: flexible mixing and panning voices. But a small separate mixer could do the job.
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one more question if you dont mind ā¦ can you send 6 separate midi tracks to the ambika for separate sequences?
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Yep
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Iāve had an Ambika for a few weeks and Iām enjoying it. Itās very well laid-out and designed, although it has different pages and menus everything is very quick to access. With the SMR4 voice cards it occupies a very distinct sonic space. I would say itās best at making leads and basses, and it can do keys/ep sounds but I havenāt made a killer smooth pad with it yet. It can get pretty twisted with modulation and I think itās best when you want to have unusual non-linear modulations. Definitely scratches the hybrid synth itch. The multitimbrality of it is just unspeakably poweful.
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Hello fellow Ambika users!
I have a favor to ask of anybody whoās running the YAM or Ambika Live (small functional changes on top of YAM) firmwares.
I have a strange thing happening with the keyboard tracking that seems like a bug but Iām wanting someone else to confirm before I burden Bjarne with a firmware bug he probably doesnāt want to deal with (however easy).
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Keyboard tracking on the filter page was added in YAM a while back. Itās value is -64 to +64.
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-64 should be maximum Negative Keyboard tracking for the Filter
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0 should be āno keyboard trackingā
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+64 should be maximum Positive Keyboard tracking
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What Iām experiencing is that -64 is actually āno keyboard trackingā and everything above that is just more positive keyboard tracking.
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I have verified this by making sure there is no other keyboard tracking in the Matrix.
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If you set the filter page to -64 you get āno keyboard trackingā
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Then add a matrix ānote to filterā and set it to the most negative setting you actually get ānegative filter trackingā.
Can anybody confirm that the filter page keyboard tracking doesnāt actually go negative? Thanks! Hopefully Iām wrong and itās just me or something. Iād be really surprised if nobody else noticed this yet.
I just grabbed an Ambika off reverb. The seller had it built earlier this year. The volume mix out knob is super loose relative to the other pots and the mix output plays everything very low (individual outs seem fine) + there is some audio crackling from the main out. He shot me a note from the builder from when he bought it saying the volume pot wobble is normal. Any of you long time Ambika folks agree that the volume pot is significantly wobbly relative to the rest of the pots by design?
It is indeed more wobbly than the other pots. However, I donāt have any issues with volume or crackles. Maybe there is something wrongā¦ ;(
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my unit has stiff volume button, and thereās no volume drop in the mix out as well.
but the guy who built mine is definitely experienced builder, and really knows the stuff.
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Thanks! itās got an issue with that pot. Itās loose but there is also a connection/solder problem it seems as the volume spikes up and down when adjusting it and is super low volume with hands off. Now on to the internal debate of ādo I return it?ā or find a friend or local each to replace the pot. Iāve wanted one of these bad boys for years. Anyone have a recommended option for replacing that pot? Emilie recommended a panasonic one from a mutable post years ago but that appears to be discontinued and the Bourns PTV09A-4025F-B103 was listed as replacement on one site I found.
Is it the volume knob on the front panel by the main output jack socket? If it is itās a just a A100K, Iāve built mine using a tall trimmer because I didnāt want another knob on the front panel, the type you need is a 9mm Alpha.
These are the bad boys Iāve been buildingā¦Iām not a fan of the Plexiglass cases, they chip and crack too easily so I just designed a front and rear panel.
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Pretty! Is that anodised aluminium? Great synth, itās a shame that in most builds the cheap Plexi case and buttons/knobs donāt do it justice
No theyāre FR4 PCB, Gaia is designed within the copper layer. The top has 2 4P, 2 SMR-4 and 2 Polivoks (LP.BP.HP) voice cards and the bottom has 3 dual SVF voice cards. Iām not a fan of the square buttons hence them having round ones and I donāt see the pint of having another knob on the volume so itās a tall trimmer.
Iāve got a few more to build as well as PCB and panel sets.
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My patches are on sale for 8 days 
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Thanks for the sale BoBSwanS! Purchased! Looking forward to some new sounds for this ace little box.
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Looking for a nice poly synth. I like the sound but the lack of control keeps me from pulling my wallet. Anything on the market similar to the Ambika in size but with more controls?
The minifreak is as close as you can get (although it lacks multimbrality). I have both and with the mutable ports on the MF, itās very close.
SMR-4 is essentially a Juno, so any Juno clones should tickle your fancy. Maybe the Roland System 1M could cover it?
But I donāt think thereās anything exactly like the Ambika in terms of form factor, especially thatās analog - I think itās kind of unique.
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