Robotic Bean - Portatron Tape Synthesizer (VST3)

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Steedus
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09 May 2023

Yeah this was definitely one of the things I thought it was missing when I trialled it last time.

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challism
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10 May 2023

buddard wrote:
09 May 2023
Today we released Portatron 1.3:
  • SEMI and CENT settings per track
  • Repitch handles on audio clips to repitch them while resizing the clip (for easy beat matching)
  • Various graphical tweaks
The update can be downloaded here.


Portatron_13_small.png
Thanks for the update. Any chance onboard sample recording is coming in a future update?
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buddard
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10 May 2023

challism wrote:
10 May 2023
Thanks for the update. Any chance onboard sample recording is coming in a future update?
Yes, I'd say there's a pretty good chance of that happening as it is high on our wish list. :puf_smile:
We're not able to commit to any time frame, though.

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EnochLight
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26 Sep 2023

Just saw these SWEET soundbanks get released for Portatron recently. Cool to see Robotic Bean partnering with sound designers like Sonal System:

https://sonalsystem.com/collections/portatron





Win 10 | Ableton Live 11 Suite |  Reason 12 | i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz | 16 GB RAM | RME Babyface Pro | Akai MPC Live 2 & Akai Force | Roland System 8, MX1, TB3 | Dreadbox Typhon | Korg Minilogue XD

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EnochLight
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03 Oct 2023

buddard wrote:
10 May 2023
challism wrote:
10 May 2023
Thanks for the update. Any chance onboard sample recording is coming in a future update?
Yes, I'd say there's a pretty good chance of that happening as it is high on our wish list. :puf_smile:
We're not able to commit to any time frame, though.
Any chance you can add separate outs for the VST so we can route each of the 4 tracks to different mix channels in Reason, etc?
Win 10 | Ableton Live 11 Suite |  Reason 12 | i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz | 16 GB RAM | RME Babyface Pro | Akai MPC Live 2 & Akai Force | Roland System 8, MX1, TB3 | Dreadbox Typhon | Korg Minilogue XD

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huggermugger
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03 Oct 2023

EnochLight wrote:
03 Oct 2023

Any chance you can add separate outs for the VST so we can route each of the 4 tracks to different mix channels in Reason, etc?
+1

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challism
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04 Oct 2023

I was hoping this was an announcement of an update with onboard recording. I hope that is in the plans. +1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1

Separate outputs would be cool too.
Players are to MIDI what synthesizers are to waveforms.

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EnochLight
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04 Oct 2023

IMHO, seperate outputs is a complete no-brainer. Being able to easily stem it out would be super helpful! Though onboard sampling (recording) would be cool as well.
Win 10 | Ableton Live 11 Suite |  Reason 12 | i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz | 16 GB RAM | RME Babyface Pro | Akai MPC Live 2 & Akai Force | Roland System 8, MX1, TB3 | Dreadbox Typhon | Korg Minilogue XD

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huggermugger
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04 Oct 2023

Did anyone grab the Portatron banks that were on sale in September? I missed it!! :(

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EnochLight
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04 Oct 2023

huggermugger wrote:
04 Oct 2023
Did anyone grab the Portatron banks that were on sale in September? I missed it!! :(
The ones I posted about here?

viewtopic.php?p=649976#p649976
Win 10 | Ableton Live 11 Suite |  Reason 12 | i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz | 16 GB RAM | RME Babyface Pro | Akai MPC Live 2 & Akai Force | Roland System 8, MX1, TB3 | Dreadbox Typhon | Korg Minilogue XD

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buddard
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05 Nov 2023

There's now a free Portapack available called SonalSampler, which contains one patch from each of the paid porta packs by SonalSystem.

It can be downloaded here: https://roboticbean.com/products/sonalsampler/

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huggermugger
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05 Nov 2023

buddard wrote:
05 Nov 2023
There's now a free Portapack available called SonalSampler, which contains one patch from each of the paid porta packs by SonalSystem.

It can be downloaded here: https://roboticbean.com/products/sonalsampler/
Got it already. Especially liking the one called Absent Hope.

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dvdrtldg
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05 Nov 2023

I really hope there's a Black Friday sale on Portatron. Can't believe I missed it at $29 earlier this year. It's one of those instruments that you don't think you need, then you try the demo because fuck it why not, then you can't live without it. So good

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huggermugger
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06 Nov 2023

dvdrtldg wrote:
05 Nov 2023
I really hope there's a Black Friday sale on Portatron. Can't believe I missed it at $29 earlier this year. It's one of those instruments that you don't think you need, then you try the demo because fuck it why not, then you can't live without it. So good
Tascam Portastudio's were a staple of my early musical career. Using Portatron is a blast.

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EnochLight
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06 Nov 2023

buddard wrote:
05 Nov 2023
There's now a free Portapack available called SonalSampler, which contains one patch from each of the paid porta packs by SonalSystem.

It can be downloaded here: https://roboticbean.com/products/sonalsampler/
Saw that - downloaded! Gave it a play through and ended up buying the Textures Portapack (in addition to the previous 4 that I picked up). :thumbup: :clap:
Win 10 | Ableton Live 11 Suite |  Reason 12 | i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz | 16 GB RAM | RME Babyface Pro | Akai MPC Live 2 & Akai Force | Roland System 8, MX1, TB3 | Dreadbox Typhon | Korg Minilogue XD

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EnochLight
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06 Nov 2023

dvdrtldg wrote:
05 Nov 2023
I really hope there's a Black Friday sale on Portatron. Can't believe I missed it at $29 earlier this year. It's one of those instruments that you don't think you need, then you try the demo because fuck it why not, then you can't live without it. So good
I ended up grabbing it last Black Friday/Christmas when it was on sale for $67, and it is absolutely worth that (so if you see it on sale for $67 USD or less, jump on it - stat)!
Win 10 | Ableton Live 11 Suite |  Reason 12 | i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz | 16 GB RAM | RME Babyface Pro | Akai MPC Live 2 & Akai Force | Roland System 8, MX1, TB3 | Dreadbox Typhon | Korg Minilogue XD

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challism
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06 Nov 2023

EnochLight wrote:
06 Nov 2023
dvdrtldg wrote:
05 Nov 2023
I really hope there's a Black Friday sale on Portatron. Can't believe I missed it at $29 earlier this year. It's one of those instruments that you don't think you need, then you try the demo because fuck it why not, then you can't live without it. So good
I ended up grabbing it last Black Friday/Christmas when it was on sale for $67, and it is absolutely worth that (so if you see it on sale for $67 USD or less, jump on it - stat)!
Yeah, that $29 sale price was crazy. I wish I had gotten it for that price. I jumped on the $67 price as soon as I could. Then a few weeks later it was on sale for $29. D'oh! Oh well... it's still a great VST to have (I have very few VSTs). I would love to see on-board recording and more on-board audio editing capabilities.
Players are to MIDI what synthesizers are to waveforms.

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EnochLight
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06 Nov 2023

challism wrote:
06 Nov 2023
I would love to see on-board recording and more on-board audio editing capabilities.
Agreed! And I am tagging
buddard wrote:
05 Nov 2023
...
so hopefully he'll see this. Please also add seperate audio-out for each of the tracks on Portatron - would be of great help in Reason (and any DAW for that matter)! And please make each track line-out a stereo pair, so technically 8-outs in addition to the main L/R.
Win 10 | Ableton Live 11 Suite |  Reason 12 | i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz | 16 GB RAM | RME Babyface Pro | Akai MPC Live 2 & Akai Force | Roland System 8, MX1, TB3 | Dreadbox Typhon | Korg Minilogue XD

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challism
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06 Nov 2023

EnochLight wrote:
06 Nov 2023
challism wrote:
06 Nov 2023
I would love to see on-board recording and more on-board audio editing capabilities.
Agreed! And I am tagging
buddard wrote:
05 Nov 2023
...
so hopefully he'll see this. Please also add seperate audio-out for each of the tracks on Portatron - would be of great help in Reason (and any DAW for that matter)! And please make each track line-out a stereo pair, so technically 8-outs in addition to the main L/R.
I can absolutely get behind separate audio out for each track. That makes complete sense for this device.
Players are to MIDI what synthesizers are to waveforms.

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Arpeg
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07 Nov 2023

Fantastic device and really good PortaPacks and an obvious way around the lack of outs would be to create 4 Portatrons which then can become a cpu hog.
On a reset Portatron (no samples loaded) I get a 4% hit. So, if this cpu adds up I would then limit my device usage and end up fiddling around aka time wastage.
I really like this device a lot and also the sweet reverb and delay on board effects but for the love or hate of this realm please make separate stereo outs in your next update.
Big Up RB

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buddard
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24 Nov 2023

Today we released Portatron 1.4 which has been in the works for the last two months. No recording this time (still in early design stages), but we added two of the most requested features:
  • Custom Library locations: Now you can move the presets and add-on Portapacks to where you want them, including external disks (SSD drive recommended)
  • We’ve added 6 additional stereo outputs to Portatron:
    • One stereo bus for each of the four tape tracks (post Drive knob)
    • One stereo bus each for the Delay and Reverb (pre Level knob)
  • Improved compatibility with Logic Pro
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements

The update is of course free for all current owners of Portatron and can be downloaded here.

And by the way, there are some great Black Friday deals for Portatron right now. ;)

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huggermugger
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24 Nov 2023

AMAZING, THANKS! The separate outputs is a game changer for me :D

buddard wrote:
24 Nov 2023
Today we released Portatron 1.4 which has been in the works for the last two months. No recording this time (still in early design stages), but we added two of the most requested features:
  • Custom Library locations: Now you can move the presets and add-on Portapacks to where you want them, including external disks (SSD drive recommended)
  • We’ve added 6 additional stereo outputs to Portatron:
    • One stereo bus for each of the four tape tracks (post Drive knob)
    • One stereo bus each for the Delay and Reverb (pre Level knob)
  • Improved compatibility with Logic Pro
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements

The update is of course free for all current owners of Portatron and can be downloaded here.

And by the way, there are some great Black Friday deals for Portatron right now. ;)

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huggermugger
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24 Nov 2023

Downloaded the update and installed, all giddy. But there's no multi-output version showing in Logic, only the stereo version. I've double checked my Components folder, and there's only the one Portatron (though I think it's possible to combine both versions in a single Component).

I tried installing from both the 'with' and 'without' presets DMGs. I'm using Monterey and Logic 10.7.9.

Now I am sad :(
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buddard
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24 Nov 2023

huggermugger wrote:
24 Nov 2023
Downloaded the update and installed, all giddy. But there's no multi-output version showing in Logic, only the stereo version. I've double checked my Components folder, and there's only the one Portatron (though I think it's possible to combine both versions in a single Component).

I tried installing from both the 'with' and 'without' presets DMGs. I'm using Monterey and Logic 10.7.9.

Now I am sad :(
We definitely tested this in Logic, and it’s been working great for us. First, are you 100% sure that the Portatron version is 1.4.0? (You will see that in the settings menu).

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huggermugger
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24 Nov 2023

buddard wrote:
24 Nov 2023

We definitely tested this in Logic, and it’s been working great for us. First, are you 100% sure that the Portatron version is 1.4.0? (You will see that in the settings menu).
Yeah I checked. The new Library locator is there, and the version number on the actual Component file is correct. Are there two Components, or just one serving double duty?
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