Oops wrong thread! Should have been on post about the iOS version of VCV Rack. 
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Iāve been reading through the manual and thereās a lot under the hood with this unit. Theresā an app available which allows you to configure the ES-9 (Windows, macOS and Web-based). In addition to the the hardware, the unit also has switchable DC filters for outputs 1-14 and a rather complex routing system with an 8 channel mixer and 16 mono busses. It essentially allows you to send any signal or combination of signals in or out of the 16 I/O ports presented to the host computer from or to any of the front panel I/O connections. There is a breakout panel available from ES with a single DIN MIDI in and out which connects to the MIDI header on the ES-9 and gives you a USB to DIN MIDI interface. Unfortunately thereās no MIDI to CV at this point. If ES could incorporate a MIDI/CV interface tied to some of the outputs similar to MIās Yarns, this thing would be a totally complete digital to analog solution. Since itās possible to do the MIDI to CV conversion on the host using software such as Audulus, PD, or Abletonās CVTools, thatās not a show-stopper but it would be nice add.
All things considered, this would definitely be my first choice for an audio interface.
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@stschoen Not trying to derail, but as a quick aside to what you just mentioned about converting CV and sending to analog hardware - I read another forumās post from (I think?) Sweetwater regarding DC-coupled interfaces, and it goes on to make a list of interfaces that are capable of outputting CV, including all the ES gear, some new interfaces that are USB C connection updated models of PreSonus hardware, and lastly, it alleges that any headphone jack coming out of an iOS device (that still has the built in jack) is DC-coupled from Apple and therefore capable of sending CV. I attempted to do this from Audulus and seemed to only be able to get gates out of it, but I donāt know that I had the workflow correct. I was using this patch, and I wondered if this is the right approach for testing the idea? (The gated level nodes are there to protect your speakers from the audible popping that resulted from simply connecting the naked MIDI module to the DAC nodes)
Eurorack DC Output?.audulus (5.8 KB)
I can confirm that an iPad headphone jack will output DC. Your patch is basically correct but you probably need to offset the VPO output somewhat depending on what youāre feeding it to. The Audulus pitch standard sets 0 to the A above middle C (440Hz or A4). ) 0 volts on my Neutron at power-up is C0 (16.35 Hz) with everything at defaults. Youāll need to add the appropriate amount to offset the voltage depending on what frequency your oscillator is at a 0 volts.
While itās true that the iPad headphone jack will output DC signals, one major limitation is that the maximum output voltage is only about +/- 1.5 volts so for VPO you will be limited to less than three octaves. Other DC coupled audio interfaces intended for general use like the PreSonus gear have similar limitations on their maximum voltage swing. AFAIK the Expert Sleepers gear is the only readily available interface that will cover the full +/10 volts used in Eurorack.
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Thanks for the reply and confirmation! This makes it a modulation source, at best, I am assuming. This is certainly better than nothing, I suppose.
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whuuuuuuuuuuut!? Thatās actually so annoyingly complete, although what is implied by break out kind of makes a difference.
"The ES-5 is an expansion module for the Expert Sleepers ES-3 Lightpipe/CV Interface or ES-8 USB Audio Interface.
It piggybacks on one of the ES-3ās (or ES-8ās) stereo channels to provide eight gate/clock/sync/MIDI outputs on the ES-5 itself, plus further expansion headers to connect up to six expansion modules e.g. the ES-4 Gate Expander."
I think then you add the ESX-8MD to the ES-5. I bet he will offer a slimmer solution soon, or what @stschoen wrote below.
The ES MIDI breakout is a 4 HP panel with 2 DIN connectors on it. I guess they didnāt want to add the extra HP if it wasnāt needed. It does seem to be out of stock at the moment and $49 seems a bit pricey for 2 MIDI connectors. Thereās a DIY kit if you can find one.
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Oh it works with that unit?? Hot dang! I actually already have that built and connected to a disting. I was worried it was going to be some hydra cable.
Well I still donāt need this unit any time soon, but wow ES is doing a good job.
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Kinda makes the $5 for the Octatrack MIDI cable look insanely cheap by comparison.
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My guess is the midi modules are built by hand. So Itās probably $15 parts (most of which is the face plate) and the rest in labor. I got mine from thonk as a way to warm up before building the turing machine. It took maybe 30 minutes to build since it was the first time I soldered in 15 or so years.
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The ES-9 would be a perfect fit for my setup. The addition of the balanced outputs and headphone jack makes it more practical with my setup and orf course the extra I/O is always welcome. Hard to imagine needing an ES-5 as well. Itās been working pretty well to set the Macās system audio interface to the ES-8 so I can use all the channels in Audulus and setting Live to my Focusrite. I connect outputs 1 & 2 from the ES-8 to inputs 1 & 2 on the FocusRite so I can feed audio from Audulus to the DAW and I still have 4 more input channels for the hardware synths.
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Totally. I have grown accustomed to using the Rosie module to handle balanced/stereo outputs but readily agree that the integrated nature of the ES-9 with the presence of additional i/o makes it a great nucleus for a eurorack-based home studio.
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I use the pulp logic output tile. Love how cheap my gear is 
Really surprised 1U never took off more. I think it will pick back up.
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Iāve got a 1U rack installed into my suitcase setup now and am gonna fill it up with mostly DIY tiles once I get my power situation figured out. Getting my case up and running again is going to be my main priority this weekend 
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I didnāt realize that Chase Bliss is going to start an entire line of analog pedals with faders. To me, this is a good example of a product that addresses enough basic needs that one could justify buying it instead of a bunch of other bits of gear. The tone shaping here is really nice.
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Is it still a pedal when there a bunch of sliders? Seems like it would be much easier to mess up your settings using your foot to tap the buttons at the top.
People who think that way need to be ushered over to the Boss pedals, so they can do cover tunes of overplayed 70ās rock icons. It isnāt a slight, I just feel like that pedal market was overly thematized for a while. It would make a fantastic synth pedal.
Its hard not to think about cv controlling the faders. Which got me picturing not a preset that snaps, but full dynamic live automation.
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Hello everyone,
Something I initially overlooked when comparing ES-9 and ES-8ā¦ The opticals IN/OUT are actually S/PDIF (only 2 channels IN/OUT), while the ES-8 has ADAT capacities.
Not a big deal for many, but I thought I should point that out.
Iāll be definitely looking at switching my ES-8/ES-6 setup to en ES-9. It was already a great setup, but these main out/ headphone look perfect for my 1U portable rack.
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