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New HAWK-800 beta software release

2010-02-07 by Michael Hawkins

Hi HAWK-800 owners,

I have made a new version of software available for download from the technical support area of the hawk800.com website.

You can download the software by clicking on the link below.

http://www.hawk800.com/Version-2.4.5.zip

This version of the software includes much improved FM-800 (AtomaHawk) mathematics.

Also, it includes new software that improves the sequencer.

There are now seven (7) sequencer memories and they can be selected at any time during playback.

I have not updated the documentation yet so I provide a brief description of how it works below.

To enable advanced sequencer mode, go into global mode and set global parameter 43 to any value above 1. When set to 1, the HAWK-800 behaves similar to the original Poly-800 sequencer. Selecting a value of 2 or higher, enables the advanced sequencer operation.

Global parameter 44 is the selected sequence number. Setting this value from 1 to 7 allows selecting the desired sequence number for editing.

After selecting the desired sequence, enter sequencer edit mode and the display will indicate the sequence that is being edited by displaying the selected sequence in digit 3 on the display.

Edit the sequencer as you normally would (painful as that process is). Then exit sequence edit mode. The selected sequence will be shown on the display and pressing sequence start will play that sequence.

Edit additional sequences as you desire by first selecting the sequence using global parameter 44 and then editing that sequence.

Now that you have recorded more than one sequence, you can now use the advanced sequence playback.

Start the sequencer, while the sequence is playing, press the numeric keypad values 1 to 7 to select one of your alternative sequences.

The display will change to show the new selected sequence but the display will flash while the existing playing sequence completes.

When the playing sequence ends, the new selected sequence will begin playing and the display will stop flashing.

You can change patches while the sequencer is operating by pressing the up or down buttons.

If you discover any bugs in this software please let me know.

I will update the documentation soon!

Enjoy!

Mike

Re: New HAWK-800 beta software release

2010-02-09 by zoinky420

I'm finally about to buy the atomahawk kit, but I have a question for users of the kit... The one thing I find problematic with the Poly 800 is the user interface, what with the numeric keypad that is labelled cryptically and the less-than-informative LED readout. I find the synth difficult to edit without the new features the Hawk and aTomahawk kits add, so I'm wondering, with all those new features crowding things, do the new user-interface features make it a lot easier to edit than the Poly 800 is standardly? I suspect the new joystick features will help a lot, but it's really the keypad that continually pisses me off (why isn't there a 9 anyway??), and having to flip between parameter and program on the same keypad. So anyway I'd really appreciate any observations on usability. For that matter, has anyone reviewed the Hawk & aTomahawk yet??

Also, thanks to the search function not working well in this group, I have a question for Mike or anyone else who knows: Do the CCs implimented in the Hawk & aTomahawk correspond to any of the presets in the Keyfax Phatboy controller?

Re: [korgpolyex] Re: New HAWK-800 beta software release

2010-02-09 by Michael Hawkins

Hi zoinky!

I'll let other customers do the "review" of the HAWK-800 and AtomaHawk kits. I am far too biased. ;-)

A brief word about the joystick editing. As of now, using the joystick works well within each of the parameter banks but left and right joystick movement doesn't scroll the parameters out of one bank into the other - yet. I've discovered that to be a bit of a pain because you still have to press the prog/para button to get from one parameter bank to the other. So look out for an software update soon that will allow access to both parameter banks using left/right joystick motion. I tend to use the joystick parameter editing alot when I am playing in real time and want to sweep a parameter (often VCF cutoff or resonance or FM-800).

As far as the phat.boy goes. I had a look at their MIDI controller spec page and a couple of the CC's will work (VCF, resonance, volume) but most don't map to the HAWK-800. But, if you were to put together the parameters that you want controlled by the phat.boy, then we could work together to see if we can map them into the phat.boy modes (there are six) and perhaps I could add some more controllers to HAWK software.

Mike

Show quoted textHide quoted text

From: zoinky420 <zoinky420@...>
To: korgpolyex@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tue, February 9, 2010 2:56:52 AM
Subject: [korgpolyex] Re: New HAWK-800 beta software release

I'm finally about to buy the atomahawk kit, but I have a question for users of the kit... The one thing I find problematic with the Poly 800 is the user interface, what with the numeric keypad that is labelled cryptically and the less-than-informati ve LED readout. I find the synth difficult to edit without the new features the Hawk and aTomahawk kits add, so I'm wondering, with all those new features crowding things, do the new user-interface features make it a lot easier to edit than the Poly 800 is standardly? I suspect the new joystick features will help a lot, but it's really the keypad that continually pisses me off (why isn't there a 9 anyway??), and having to flip between parameter and program on the same keypad. So anyway I'd really appreciate any observations on usability. For that matter, has anyone reviewed the Hawk & aTomahawk yet??

Also, thanks to the search function not working well in this group, I have a question for Mike or anyone else who knows: Do the CCs implimented in the Hawk & aTomahawk correspond to any of the presets in the Keyfax Phatboy controller?

Re: New HAWK-800 beta software release

2010-02-13 by zoinky420

--- In korgpolyex@yahoogroups.com, Michael Hawkins <korgpolyex800@...> wrote:

Show quoted textHide quoted text

>
>
> As far as the phat.boy goes. I had a look at their MIDI controller spec page and a couple of the CC's will work (VCF, resonance, volume) but most don't map to the HAWK-800.But, if you were to put together the parameters that you want controlled by the phat.boy, then we could work together to see if we can map them into the phat.boy modes (there are six) and perhaps I could add some more controllers to HAWK software.
>

ahh it's not a big deal to me, I was just wondering. I have two other programmable controllers so it won't be a problem, I just like to be able to use the Phatboy with as many synths as possible, since it is non-programmable. I figured you might have set up the Hawk to correspond with the Phatboy presets from the start just to maximize the potential userbase, but apparently not!

Re: [korgpolyex] Re: New HAWK-800 beta software release

2010-02-13 by Michael Hawkins

I had not heard or seen the phat.boy until you mentioned it. There are many controllers out there.

If my customers think the controllers I've set up are not adequate then I am more than willing to look at adding more.

I just added a new one yesterday that allows selecting any one of the seven sequences.

Adding controllers is not very difficult.

Mike

Show quoted textHide quoted text

From: zoinky420 <zoinky420@...>
To: korgpolyex@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sat, February 13, 2010 12:51:19 AM
Subject: [korgpolyex] Re: New HAWK-800 beta software release

--- In korgpolyex@yahoogro ups.com, Michael Hawkins <korgpolyex800@ ...> wrote:
>
>
> As far as the phat.boy goes. I had a look at their MIDI controller spec page and a couple of the CC's will work (VCF, resonance, volume) but most don't map to the HAWK-800.But, if you were to put together the parameters that you want controlled by the phat.boy, then we could work together to see if we can map them into the phat.boy modes (there are six) and perhaps I could add some more controllers to HAWK software.
>

ahh it's not a big deal to me, I was just wondering. I have two other programmable controllers so it won't be a problem, I just like to be able to use the Phatboy with as many synths as possible, since it is non-programmable. I figured you might have set up the Hawk to correspond with the Phatboy presets from the start just to maximize the potential userbase, but apparently not!

Re: New HAWK-800 beta software release

2010-02-19 by zoinky420

--- In korgpolyex@yahoogroups.com, Michael Hawkins <korgpolyex800@...> wrote:

>
> I had not heard or seen the phat.boy until you mentioned it.

Well that's too bad, I am pretty sure more phatboys were made than any other controller.

>There are many controllers out there.

yeah but most of them are programmable. Phatboy is the only one I know of that is made of presets. That's what made it cheap and also simple for the average techno user. It was the first of the controllers made for controlling software synths, in this case Rebirth. The only other controllers on the market at that time were the Peavey pc1600, JL Cooper Fadermaster, Kawai MM-16, Kenton Control Freak and Doepfer Pocket-dial.

Show quoted textHide quoted text

>
> If my customers think the controllers I've set up are not adequate then I am more than willing to look at adding more.
>
> Adding controllers is not very difficult.
>
>

And those are the reasons I find it odd that the Hawk doesn't already support the Phatboy. It must just be a fluke that none of your customers own the controller with the largest userbase.