Essential guide to the DB-01 Bassline (2024 edition)

[@Onenessisblack]

Legend! Most obliged Sir Richard

[@PhilSheardy]

A big thank you Richard. I am so grateful for your tutorials and this update couldn't of come at a better time for me. Just got around to practicing the DB-01 as its been sitting on my desk for far too long.

[@RichardDeHove]

The more you know it the more it will give you, it's truly a beautifully balanced machine.

[@ProfessorSaibertin]

Thank you Richard for the awesome tutorial.

[@PaulSimmonds-v5r]

Thanks for your videos. Very helpful and helped me part with my cash. Second hand bargain for £320. I’ve got 14 synths and at the moment this is my favourite. Reminds me of playing an ems synthi a when modulating the filter when oscillating. Brill.

[@RichardDeHove]

In camera-land the classic saying is: "The best camera is the one you have with you". Maybe in synth-land the saying should be: "The best synth is the one you most enjoy playing".

[@phurniture]

Thanks for the continued knowledge sharing on this great beast. One thing I wish Erica could implement is a setting where the internal sequencer could record the gate length of notes playing into it via MIDI while in Keyboard mode. I often record patterns in via MIDI which sound great, but then when the internal sequencer plays them back they are all short, staccato notes. Not a problem if an external sequencer is used, but requires tweaking of the individual gate lengths when using the internal sequencer. Otherwise I continue to love this deceptively simple (but deep) looking synth.

[@RichardDeHove]

It's an even bigger surprise when you play with a little sustain on the controller and end up with short gates :D No solution but you could try setting a different default gate length in the secondary config menu. Settings of 10 or 100 are interesting. From there you could then use the randomizer to vary all the gate lengths. Not going to get you your original but might throw up some good variations?

[@phurniture]

@@RichardDeHoveI didn't even realize there was a secondary config menu! I just installed v1.10 and the documentation mentions a new feature in this menu (MIDI pattern switching behaviour). I can't find documentation on all of the other options in this menu. There are 8 of them. Any ideas? Edit: I just realized that text will scroll when you select the different buttons: Default CV, Default Gate, Pitch Bend, MIDI Note Offset, MIDI Instant Prog Change, Calibrate CV Out, Calibrate CV In and Serial Number. I see a video coming up Richard!

[@RichardDeHove]

@@phurniture :D You're right it really needs a short video! I didn't cover it in this video because it seemed to be getting a bit deep for an intro video. And it's funny how Erica has kept this secondary menu so quiet. The only thing to note is the pattern change option doesn't stick between power cycles.

[@Marty-Joe]

Thank you !

[@RCZ-rg1jp]

Woohoo, an updated DB-01 intro video!!! I love it (and now apparently need it): Today I made the decision to NOT get one of the Sequential desktop versions of various Prophets (or OB-6) in favor of a Novation Peak, specifically because the difference in price is enough to pay for this little guy (DB-01), and I've been wanting a Peak longer than the Sequentials anyway. Maybe later. I suppose I'll be watching a bunch of 'look at this other cool thing the DB-01 does' videos of yours now, Richard ;-) Looking forward to that, and to noodling around with this thing I've been wanting for a very long time now.

[@RichardDeHove]

Congratulations, fun times ahead! Careful though or you may find the DB-01 taking all your time. Or if you start exploring the randomizer on the DB-01 it might be fun to drive the Peak with that - a mono sequencer into complex poly can do great things. (Oh, here's a video on that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHvGh4WBqN2HrJY ). Just as a sequencer it's a helpful little machine.

[@gracecore]

You are the best!

[@LORANBELTRAM]

Fantastic !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@noiseentropy]

I dreamt about it, you did it 😀

[@RichardDeHove]

Please now have a dream where I'm captaining a colony ship on the way to Proxima Centauri :)

[@BeatmastersBr]

Thank you!!!

[@fergusfurlong]

Howdy Richard, really great tutorial, BUT I cannot get through the first 5 mins. I want to go through the entire tutorial and minic exactly what you are doing on my dB-0. I get maybe 5 mins and I'm off lost in my own jam!!! Impossible not to have fun on this box. Awesome!

[@RichardDeHove]

lol, you had me worried there for a moment :D Glad you're having fun with it already - the fun factor is it's greatest strength.

[@fergusfurlong]

Such a wonderful machine and I’m determined to get through the tutorial as I have so much to learn. Almost have to not have the db-01 with me why I watch the video. Master video as always. Bout to order a NightVerb!! Thanks again

[@Fixme_12]

Great video Richard! Possible😮 to do one for the lxr-02, same style? Well explained 👍

[@RichardDeHove]

Thanks :) I did do a series on the LXR-02 but the one big firmware update did change the basic operation a bit. Probably a good idea though....

[@drTinta]

Hi Richard, thanks for your videos! Can you please make one that explains the Envelope controls in more detail?

[@RichardDeHove]

Just checked and to date I've made 74 videos about the DB-01 - OMG! But none specifically about the envelopes :/ Until then maybe this might help a little: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKXafp-ahap1eaMfeature=shared&t=160

[@drTinta]

@@RichardDeHove Wow that's a lot of tutorials. We all really appreciate it. And thanks for the recommendation it's explaining some but I still don't understand fully the connection between the envelope controllers and how they affect each other. If you ever make another one, please focus on that area a little bit. Cheers :)

[@Chucklehead617]

Hey Richard, i got a DB01 2 weeks ago and your videos have been such a massive help, I can’t thank you enough. I’ve since subscribed to your Patreon. I’m hopeful you could tell me what filter tracking is? I obviously can hear the difference when I plug my patch cable in, but I have no idea why it happens! Thanks

[@RichardDeHove]

Hi Chucklehead, thanks for the kind support. Connecting the pitch out to the filter in means that higher the pitch of the step, the more it will open filter. It helps give patterns more movement. The LFO and filter modulation options affect the filter as well but each in their own way. All three together can give a very complex moving result.

[@gracecore]

Thanks!

[@RichardDeHove]

Very generous indeed, thankyou :) Always a pleasure to meet you in the comments.

[@gracecore]

@@RichardDeHove thought I would buy you a pint for that video!!

[@RichardDeHove]

🍺🍺🍺

[@gracecore]

​@@RichardDeHoveno going back now.. just ordered the zen delay...my wallet thanks you !

[@totontotonius7291]

Love my DB01 and your tutorials are the BEST 👌 Was wondering one thing, is there a way to keep the note even after turning in off..so let's say note F plays then you turn it off and back to F again when you turn it back on?

[@RichardDeHove]

No, once it's gone that's it. But there's a few other things you could try. If the filter amount isn't too high you could give it a -64 Mod value so it's muted (but that will also act as a "filter stop" to any long notes immediately before it). You could give it a 10% chance of playing in the probability. You could also copy the pattern to the next bar then use first&last step so you now play 17 - 32 and save that - then you have the original on 1 - 16. None of these are very good compared to a simple "mute" command though :/

[@totontotonius7291]

@@RichardDeHoveThank you for the detailed explanation. That is how I am currently doing it, by saving patterns on the go 1-16 then 16-32. Hope Erica will re-think the mutes and make a new update.

[@BB-mt5sb]

@@totontotonius7291 Really hope so. Sent them this suggestion by mail and the cs said they'll forward it to engineers, so at least they know at least one person wants it ; )

[@totontotonius7291]

@@BB-mt5sb Brilliant 🙏

[@totontotonius7291]

@@BB-mt5sb Aside from this I am hoping they also rewrite the firmware for LXR as well, to many issues for me and a few users I met online.

[@phurniture]

Another great DB-01 video. Question about the LFO parameter save. Are you only able to save the LFO settings per bank, or can you save different settings per pattern in the same bank?

[@RichardDeHove]

Only per bank :(

[@mountpalomar5953]

Hey, great video. Can I just check if you have found any way to save the MIDI Instant Program Change as part of the global settings? Do you find that you have to turn it on each time you switch on the synth, should you wish to have it set up that way? Just trying to avoid forgetting to do so when playing live and ideally I would have thought that there would have been a save option, much like the LFO settings for each bank. Maybe I am missing some way of saving the3 global settings? Thanks

[@RichardDeHove]

Yes, it's weird isn't it? All the other options stick between power cycles but not Program Change. Hard to think there's any logical reason for it so I'm supposing it's a bug. I've submitted this to Erica Synths and will report back what they say. Edited to update: This is confirmed as a bug by Erica. On the list now for the next firmware update.

[@noahromeo6451]

Thanks for your videos man, for some reason my scale feature doesn’t seem to work. I wonder why.

[@RichardDeHove]

It won't work from an external keyboard even if you're "locked" on the DB-01. What are you seeing?

[@noahromeo6451]

@@RichardDeHove I see the different kinds of scales and root note , but no matter the one I select, the order of notes stay the same. (Chromatic I believe)

[@RichardDeHove]

@@noahromeo6451 That's very odd. I'd try creating a two-note user scale and see if that works. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ep-rpGuwfMqSis0feature=shared&t=693

[@noahromeo6451]

@@RichardDeHove Awesome thanks Richard! I will try this out tonight and let you know.

[@BB-mt5sb]

Is it possible to use an external cv/gate sequencer without having to be in the keyboard mode on the db-01? Hate that I can't modify lfo shape/phase and other menu settings when I'm sequencing it through midi.

[@RichardDeHove]

With MIDI you definitely need to be in keyboard mode. But the gate and CV are always just waiting for input.

[@goodnoyz]

Hi Richard IU've been trying to use the DB-01 to send a sequence to another mono cv unit. I use CV and Gate outs from the Erica into the unit, however, the bass sequence on the new unit has fluctuating pitch issues. The same thing happens when I try to use Erica DB-01 sequencer to send a sequence to different units, so I know its something I'm not doing right with the Erica Bassline. What info do you have about sending a sequence via cv please? Is there a setting on the

[@RichardDeHove]

Most of my experience has been with the DB-01 receiving CV. But when I tried sending pitch CV from one DB-01 to another it didn't go well, it disrupted the pitch tracking and I ended up having to factory reset the receiving unit. I'll give it another try with a different receiver over the coming days and report back.

[@goodnoyz]

@@RichardDeHove thank you Richard. It would be great to use sequences that I've created on the DB-01 and send them elsewhere too... especially into modular

[@RichardDeHove]

@@goodnoyz I've been fiddling with the DB-01 sending pitch CV and gates to the Edge and it works well. Perhaps it would help if you did a CV calibration? It's in the secondary config menu (hold Shift+OctUP then press OctDOWN).

[@goodnoyz]

@@RichardDeHove Thanks Richard... I'll try that today. Can you confirm which outputs to inputs you used to make the connection please... just incase I'm being stupid!

[@RichardDeHove]

@@goodnoyz Just the usual CV out and the adjacent gate out. Into Edge Osc2 and Adv/Clk

[@dietervoser4425]

Eine Schulungspräsentation wie sie eben sein sollte. Seht gut ! Aber sowas.

[@RichardDeHove]

Danke. Meine Originalvideos sahen etwas Low-Fi aus

[@meedily]

I'd much rather have this than a shitty Behringer.

[@RichardDeHove]

Agreed, but to be fair the Behringer TD-3 is just an ultra cheap 303 clone, so a very different beast.

[@PhilSheardy]

Thanks!

[@RichardDeHove]

Thanks Phil, very generous and much appreciated ! :D