I have the Dimension MKII. Now the same firmware is running as on the MK3 the module get’s even better. Thanks for the overview, gave me some patch ideas to try out.
I can't believe this thing isn't more popular. I guess there are more powerful wavetable oscillators out there but this just sounds so nice. It's in almost every patch I do now.
Good vid Tom, cheers. Very interesting, being as I have tons of Vital (killer synth alert) wavetables in a folder on my computer. Saving up for a Morphagene at the moment though so everything else can wait!
Ha - I wasn't consciously playing any particular track, just noodling around! :) I'm sure there are similar chords in lots of tracks but I didn't have a particular one in mind.
This was really helpful , I’ve been struggling with this module , as the U.K. is so simple I’ve hardly read the manual .. I’m finding scanning through the many wavetables affects the tuning .. making it pretty useless for chords and harmonic stuff as the base in a song .. so I’m guessing using simple wave forms this keeps thing tuned? How are you finding it tom after a few months ?
I must admit I haven't been using it much recently but I don't remember ever having issues with tuning! Are you on the latest firmware? There's a 5.0.90 as of October 2024...
@ on further investigation .. I think what I was experiencing as out of tune behaviour was due to the unison stacks / de tune amounts in the voice section and playing chords .. after following similar steps to you in your vid .. I found no trouble when selecting standardish waveshapes with unison set to 1 maybe 2 .. and the de tune turned down in the lower percentages .. very usefull vid , the visual feed back you get from those little dots is really such a great little feature .. it’s got maybe the best user interface on such a deep module I’ve ever used .. I just had an after noon with a free version of Vital . Using the vst to audition all the serum wavetables I downloaded from KRC wavetables … found some nice ones , dumped them on the SD card loading them in .. seemed to work well .. now to try and make some super 6 sounds with it …
If there are 2048 samples per waveform and the sample rate is 44.1kHz, does this mean that the maximum length of a sample (before it repeats or is looped) is 2048/44.1k = 0.0464 seconds?
I have to admit that I love wavetable oscillators-who doesn't adore timbral evolution?-but the integration of polyphony into eurorack still seems like an unsolved problem. MIDI is a philosophically very different beast in almost every way, though it does at least provide for polyphonic input with a reasonable amount of wiring. But needing to have the filters and envelopes internal to the device just so that it can mix down to stereo for patching is … well, it's not so modular, is what it's not. So by the end of this review I was feeling that, while this is a lovely module, I've learned more about why I still don't have a dedicated oscillator in this class in my rack than about which one I might get…. It's curious how eurorack is so much about balances of _technological_ (and not merely sonic) aesthetics, isn't it?
Yeah, you make some great points here. When I've looked at MIDI-compatible polyphonic Eurorack modules before (e.g. the Knobula Poly Cinematic), I've tended to think 'if I need a MIDI-controlled hardware polysynth then I'll just use a standalone one, rather than a relatively inflexible Eurorack option'. I guess where the Dimension differs for me from some of the others is that it's *also* a very capable standalone monophonic VCO, which fits much more smoothly into a 'traditional' modular workflow - you don't need to use poly mode, or the internal VCAs and filters. I've come to think of them as 'nice to have', but I think day to day I'll end up using it much more as a monophonic stereo digital oscillator, routed through my other filters and VCAs, rather than a full voice.
@@TomChurchill Mm, I was thinking about that later-whether this one of those cases where adding a feature (here, polyphony) distracts you into dissatisfaction with a really good core design. It certainly makes good use of 10hp!
I agree with your point, but I have one and don’t use midi or polyphony (but a sweet unison) and treat it like a cv controlled 10hp module and it has been in my main rack and hasn’t left it yet.
Synth tech E352 was my first module purchase, and I feel like it's hard to justify the MSRP or the hp compared to this. Each does stuff the other doesn't, but I can't help but look at this feature set and prefer it, leaving aside price and hp. The extra hp on the E352 means bigger knobs and screen, but I still jog the coarse pitch knob when turning the "A" knob, so... ergonomics?
So there is a pool of 25 wavetables in memory at all times. Each of the 128 patches can use one or more of those. When you load a wavetable from the SD card, it goes into one of those 25 slots, so it will change any patches that use that slot. The manual probably explains it a bit better 😀 ziqal.com/support/
It's hardware - from modulargrid: The MK3 is a redesign of the Dimension MK2 due to silicon shortage. Improvements are: ► Extended MIDI TRS conversion capability ► Display mechanical integration Mk3 definitely has a bigger screen that Mk2, by the look of the photos. I've never seen a Mk1, so not sure if that was ever formally released.
I’ve never used the E370 so can’t really comment on the sound or interface. On paper it does have four fully independent CV-controllable VCOs (rather than 4-note poly only accessible via MIDI) so in that sense it’s a lot more powerful - but then it also costs three times as much and is more than five times the size!
[I answer my own questions in a reply…] I keep thinking about this. I realise there are two specific questions I should have asked, since you actually have one of these beasts: 1. I think you said there are internally generated chords. Are they (and the scales they belong to) programmable, or is it a question of the usual 12EDO suspects? 2. Can you assign an input to interpolate smoothly between loaded wavetables, so you can make timbral orbits and not just scans (if you see what I mean)? Thanks again for the demo!
Ah, never mind-I finally found the manual online. It seems the answers are (1) that the internal chords, at least, are quite restricted, but (2) 2D (but not 3D) wavetable navigation is nicely supported, with the ability to load any sequence of tables you want into a range navigated by the B input.
@@stephenspackman5573 You seems to really know what you are talking about. I'm still learning and I wonder... What is the difference betwen control the module in Polymode by CV and control the module by Midi in poly mode also ? for the same chord , is there any sound difference ? Thnak you very much!
Yeah, you can configure it to use the second/aux output as an LFO. There's a section on this in the manual (see p28): drive.google.com/file/d/1omWq2izjUiLlBM5_nI3zgVQcQUG_SlWs/view
Nice job with the video. It’s a great module. I’m glad to see more people realizing how neat it is.
I’m glad I watched this, I had been on the fence about this one for a while. I’m Picking one up as soon as I see it in stock. Thank you.
I have the Dimension MKII. Now the same firmware is running as on the MK3 the module get’s even better. Thanks for the overview, gave me some patch ideas to try out.
I can't believe this thing isn't more popular. I guess there are more powerful wavetable oscillators out there but this just sounds so nice. It's in almost every patch I do now.
How do I select a patch using MIDI or CV? Say I want to switch to patch #15. Is there no way of selecting patches without using the encoder?
Ziqal doesn’t appear to be manufacturing them anymore, which won’t help with making it more popular…
Excellent walkthrough , Tom !
Thanks for the great demo! 😊
Good vid Tom, cheers. Very interesting, being as I have tons of Vital (killer synth alert) wavetables in a folder on my computer. Saving up for a Morphagene at the moment though so everything else can wait!
Thanks for the video 😁
I love this module !
Incredible vid Ty
Amazing Video amazing Module! I have the mk2 very cool stuff 🙌
Awesome video man, just bought one after watching this, what module are you using for that reverb, sounds great
Thanks! The reverb is just the stereo reverb algorithm from the Disting next to it in the pod 👍
What's the track you're playig at 19:45? It's super familiar
Ha - I wasn't consciously playing any particular track, just noodling around! :)
I'm sure there are similar chords in lots of tracks but I didn't have a particular one in mind.
Sound assessment. Yeah, I like it.
This was really helpful , I’ve been struggling with this module , as the U.K. is so simple I’ve hardly read the manual .. I’m finding scanning through the many wavetables affects the tuning .. making it pretty useless for chords and harmonic stuff as the base in a song .. so I’m guessing using simple wave forms this keeps thing tuned? How are you finding it tom after a few months ?
I must admit I haven't been using it much recently but I don't remember ever having issues with tuning! Are you on the latest firmware? There's a 5.0.90 as of October 2024...
@ on further investigation .. I think what I was experiencing as out of tune behaviour was due to the unison stacks / de tune amounts in the voice section and playing chords .. after following similar steps to you in your vid .. I found no trouble when selecting standardish waveshapes with unison set to 1 maybe 2 .. and the de tune turned down in the lower percentages .. very usefull vid , the visual feed back you get from those little dots is really such a great little feature .. it’s got maybe the best user interface on such a deep module I’ve ever used .. I just had an after noon with a free version of Vital . Using the vst to audition all the serum wavetables I downloaded from KRC wavetables … found some nice ones , dumped them on the SD card loading them in .. seemed to work well .. now to try and make some super 6 sounds with it …
great vid.
If there are 2048 samples per waveform and the sample rate is 44.1kHz, does this mean that the maximum length of a sample (before it repeats or is looped) is 2048/44.1k = 0.0464 seconds?
I guess so? A wavetable oscillator doesn't really work in the same way as a sampler though...
The synth tech modules use 256 samples per cycle and they sound very smooth.
How can I switch patches using CV/Midi? I can't seem to find anything on this in the manual.
I don’t think you can, at least not with the current firmware. You could try contacting Ziqal directly - maybe it’s something he could add…
@@TomChurchill oh dang that's such horrid news for me. It never dawned on me throughout all the videos I watched. 😞
I have to admit that I love wavetable oscillators-who doesn't adore timbral evolution?-but the integration of polyphony into eurorack still seems like an unsolved problem. MIDI is a philosophically very different beast in almost every way, though it does at least provide for polyphonic input with a reasonable amount of wiring. But needing to have the filters and envelopes internal to the device just so that it can mix down to stereo for patching is … well, it's not so modular, is what it's not. So by the end of this review I was feeling that, while this is a lovely module, I've learned more about why I still don't have a dedicated oscillator in this class in my rack than about which one I might get….
It's curious how eurorack is so much about balances of _technological_ (and not merely sonic) aesthetics, isn't it?
Yeah, you make some great points here. When I've looked at MIDI-compatible polyphonic Eurorack modules before (e.g. the Knobula Poly Cinematic), I've tended to think 'if I need a MIDI-controlled hardware polysynth then I'll just use a standalone one, rather than a relatively inflexible Eurorack option'.
I guess where the Dimension differs for me from some of the others is that it's *also* a very capable standalone monophonic VCO, which fits much more smoothly into a 'traditional' modular workflow - you don't need to use poly mode, or the internal VCAs and filters. I've come to think of them as 'nice to have', but I think day to day I'll end up using it much more as a monophonic stereo digital oscillator, routed through my other filters and VCAs, rather than a full voice.
@@TomChurchill Mm, I was thinking about that later-whether this one of those cases where adding a feature (here, polyphony) distracts you into dissatisfaction with a really good core design. It certainly makes good use of 10hp!
I agree with your point, but I have one and don’t use midi or polyphony (but a sweet unison) and treat it like a cv controlled 10hp module and it has been in my main rack and hasn’t left it yet.
@@jeffb01 Me, too! :)
Synth tech E352 was my first module purchase, and I feel like it's hard to justify the MSRP or the hp compared to this. Each does stuff the other doesn't, but I can't help but look at this feature set and prefer it, leaving aside price and hp. The extra hp on the E352 means bigger knobs and screen, but I still jog the coarse pitch knob when turning the "A" knob, so... ergonomics?
did you tried both since your first comment ?
@@DeepPAUSE the only other wavetable module I've used is plaits. (In hardware, anyway.)
When you load a new wavetable from the sd card. Where is i stored in the patch? does it overwrite the actual wavetable ?
So there is a pool of 25 wavetables in memory at all times. Each of the 128 patches can use one or more of those. When you load a wavetable from the SD card, it goes into one of those 25 slots, so it will change any patches that use that slot. The manual probably explains it a bit better 😀 ziqal.com/support/
Hi Tom, what's the actual difference between the MK 1-2-3? is it firmware or hardware?
It's hardware - from modulargrid:
The MK3 is a redesign of the Dimension MK2 due to silicon shortage. Improvements are:
► Extended MIDI TRS conversion capability
► Display mechanical integration
Mk3 definitely has a bigger screen that Mk2, by the look of the photos. I've never seen a Mk1, so not sure if that was ever formally released.
What do you think about this vs an E370? :)
I’ve never used the E370 so can’t really comment on the sound or interface. On paper it does have four fully independent CV-controllable VCOs (rather than 4-note poly only accessible via MIDI) so in that sense it’s a lot more powerful - but then it also costs three times as much and is more than five times the size!
[I answer my own questions in a reply…]
I keep thinking about this. I realise there are two specific questions I should have asked, since you actually have one of these beasts:
1. I think you said there are internally generated chords. Are they (and the scales they belong to) programmable, or is it a question of the usual 12EDO suspects?
2. Can you assign an input to interpolate smoothly between loaded wavetables, so you can make timbral orbits and not just scans (if you see what I mean)?
Thanks again for the demo!
Ah, never mind-I finally found the manual online. It seems the answers are (1) that the internal chords, at least, are quite restricted, but (2) 2D (but not 3D) wavetable navigation is nicely supported, with the ability to load any sequence of tables you want into a range navigated by the B input.
…And I got one, and it's awesome ;).
@@stephenspackman5573 You seems to really know what you are talking about. I'm still learning and I wonder... What is the difference betwen control the module in Polymode by CV and control the module by Midi in poly mode also ? for the same chord , is there any sound difference ? Thnak you very much!
can this work as an lfo?
Yeah, you can configure it to use the second/aux output as an LFO. There's a section on this in the manual (see p28): drive.google.com/file/d/1omWq2izjUiLlBM5_nI3zgVQcQUG_SlWs/view
You talk so fast 😅 Thanks for this vid
Fuck. Contemplating.