Organelle v3 - what is it, what's new, and how instruments are built using open source

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The new OS v3.0 even further expands on the Organelle's capabilities, including WIFI (and Ableton Link), opening up OLED graphics and support for non-Pure Data patches, like those written with SuperCollider.
Slightly over 2 years after its release Organelle now comes with over 60 factory instruments ("patches") and dozens of additional ones created by the Organelle user community, including ports of the popular Mutable Instruments Eurorack modules.
In this clip I explain what the Organelle is, what’s new and why it’s important as an open source instrument. I’ll show what Pure Data is and how one patch made it’s way through four different developers that over time all contributed (without knowing each other, or that it will end up on Organelle) by "standing on each others’ shoulders" via open source to bring Mutable Instruments Grids ("Take the user interface of an euclidean sequencer, a healthy dose of machine learning and graph algorithms, megabytes of drum loops, hours of intensive computations and you’ve got a drum pattern generator like no other”) to the Organelle, wirelessly synchronized to an iOS device via Ableton Link.

[@johnnydeformed7123]

My organelle is my favorite piece of gear. So useful. So intuitive. So fun. I make new music every time I use it. Simply couldn't recommend it more.

[@zjenji]

Just ordered today’s newly announced Organelle M. Can’t wait for loopop review!

[@MathHammer]

It would be really sweet to see and hear a demo of the Organelle being sequenced by the Deluge.

[@starcloud4959]

Thank you for actually explaining what it is and how it works.everyone else leaves us hanging on the edge.

[@audiblevideo]

NO joke. You and Knobs are killing me with GAS. Love.

[@winstonsmith8236]

oh man, i just subscribed...like i need a NEW drug dealer in my life...

[@discerninglight1998]

Totally agree about the 2 channels!

[@videosuperhighway7655]

Its a great instrument and funny most people have no clue about how to use it or what it does but when they hear it in a finished mix you get questions on what made those cool sounds.

[@tehnik333]

Now that the prices of Nord Modular G2 on the aftermarket have raised trough the roof, this is very welcome development. Thanks for intro!

[@dantelerae]

You should do a Norns video, I'd love to know the big differences.

[@JoeLaRocca]

This seems better than the OP-Z, damn!

[@davidrobot7818]

Out of my budget but thanks for shinning a light loopop.

[@RickySweum]

Well done tutorial. Thanks for the information about the Organelle.

[@christoroppolo8742]

I have been thinking about about this. We will see . Peace Christo 🛸🎶👽✌🏻👍🏻

[@amstract3065]

Thanks, I'll come back to this one if I get an Organelle for sure, cheers!

[@FilipFerferiev]

another awesome turorial! Thank you! ;)

[@rodrigoramos2167]

Nice thorough introduction~

[@dan_dorjay]

There's also Rebel Technology's Magus on KickStarter for playing with PD patches. They have met their funding goal, so anyone that buy's one now will get one later in the summer: www.kickstarter.com/projects/marser/magus-synthesizer/description

[@JulianBunn]

Excellent overview, with a nice touch of humour :-)

[@kostantinosmag2986]

This is amazing Great

[@lockeempty4333]

new owner and this video (and the one about orca) is really helping! whats the second patch you used?

[@Unifono2012]

great video thanks!

[@elshuffles]

this is moving up the shopping list fast!!!!

[@MathHammer]

Hi, great intro/review. I honestly did not realize this thing is basically a small computer/controller for playing PD patches. I am aware of but don’t know how to program in PD but I can program simple Reaktor patches. I jettisoned the idea of getting deep into Reaktor programming after finishing many tutorials because it felt too much like my daytime job (hardware engineer). Similar for Max (for Live in my case). Do you work as an engineer during the “day”?

[@loopop]

Thanks! No, I don't work as an engineer - used to but that was many years ago... I think most users won't program anything on this and that's not a bad thing necessarily - you don't need to in order to enjoy it...

[@machinate]

fwiw PD is *a lot* easier to program in than Reaktor, in my experience.

[@MathHammer]

Since PD is free it can’t hurt to download it and play a bit. I am sorely tempted by the Organelle but I just got a Deluge so I think I will wait a bit for the Organelle - maybe for Father’s day or something :)

[@Roscothedon1]

Hi Thomas, Do you think one could use deluge to send midi notes to this and so use deluge as master sequencer and utilize patches from the organelle?

[@dillipphunbar7924]

I think you can. Organelle offers many midi connection options, via a midi to usb cable and/or hub critterandguitari.github.io/Organelle_Manual/ @@Roscothedon1

[@aidanvinum]

Good review. Thanks for this. Organelle vs Op-1? Is a worth endeavor to play them together?

[@loopop]

AdrianVino thanks! Yeah they are very different hence yes, complementary

[@jaKthemighty]

I've watched many a video on the Organelle, but this video in particular has brought so much clarity to the topic. I'm (eventually) gonna purchase one as I want to move away from the DAW environment. Browsing and loading plugins/effects within a DAW can really slow down the creative process and although Organelle also offers a sense of bottomless options, it's more immediate, concise and maybe most importantly fun. It's also seems to be very experimental by nature which I love. Great vid!

[@loopop]

Thanks! Yes indeed Organelle (and it's open source patch makers) represent a different way of doing things

[@LFC303606ACID]

I like your videos, my only complaint is you never seem to mention cost, a pretty important detail when deciding if something is for me or not.

[@loopop]

Thanks for the feedback. It's actually a conscious decision not to include price because I sometimes watch old videos and the price is way. I think that's a quick search away at your favorite online store and sometimes tends to fluctuate up or down (for example the Organelle can sometimes be bought for $399, sometimes $499, not to mention EU, UK, etc). I wish there was a way to include realtime price...

[@bluename4]

since i very much appreciate your explanations, how woul you differentiate the "organelle" from the "zoia empress effects"?

[@JeffCfreeradiorevolution]

Organelle vs OP-1? Which would you choose and why?

[@WarrenPostma]

y not both. :-P

[@WarrenPostma]

what does that even mean though?

[@WarrenPostma]

ReneeNme I hear you. But arrogance is not a virtue. Nor elitism. De gustibus non disputandem.

[@roman13rooms]

I have an op-1, but it's really a little LO-FI interment, you will never get super-high quality sound from it, it downgrades everything, 'cause it's digital, I didn't try ORGANELLE, but because of this is "little computer", I think the same thing with bitrate and quality of general sound.

[@Simon-iy7mt]

@@WarrenPostma Warren Postma I guess I agree with what you wrote. Incidentally, it's spelled disputandum. As in: "De gustibus et coloribus, non est disputandum."

[@gk7637]

hey guys I'm totally new to synths and hardwares in general, but I wanna get into it. would you suggest it as first purchase or it might be difficult?

[@noahhultgren193]

Hey, I know this is like 4 months old, but I figured I would reply anyway. I think the organelle is an awesome instrument and you would like it, but I would recommend something more basic like a behringer neutron or poly D, or a korg or something instead. The reason being, the organelle is a very strange and abnormal synthesizer, so while it is an awesome instrument, it isn't really the best learning environment, and the things you learn on it might not directly translate over to other synths. Whereas something more "basic" (but still really fancy) like a neutron will be much better at teaching the fundamentals of synthesis. Sorry for any typos I am typing on my phone.

[@aidanvinum]

Show us more Organelle!

[@loopop]

AdrianVino 2-3 weeks!

[@aidanvinum]

loopop :( we all might die by then.

[@loopop]

AdrianVino I didn’t know it’s a matter of life and death! I’m on it

[@HazeAnderson]

The Way Of The Future. :D

[@satyanpatel6403]

Excellent review. Very soothing like Gaz, Nick, BoBeats, and Cookoo. SuperCollider and PureData and very rewarding languages. Not in the budget at the moment, but when it is I love programming, and will create countless patches in the latter.

[@loopop]

Satyan Patel thanks Satyan - that’s a huge compliment. I’m planning a follow up video in a few months to look at how patches for the Organelle have evolved so if you do create something send it over!

[@Luxex7]

I just got this awesome instrument, but how do you delete unwanted loops/sounds???

[@loopop]

Mount the USB on to your computer and look for the wav files in the patch folders

[@Luxex7]

Thank you loopop but i think i didn't ask the right question. Is there a simple way to erase mistakes while you're recording..? I'm trying to erase loops I added in overloop.

[@loopop]

It depends on the patch - usually “it is what it is” and you need to record again. Haven’t dug deep into overloop so you know more than me

[@revnuf1536]

Very cool vid! two questions! where did you log in to view your patches and delete and move n your comp? and second where did you get the mellotron patch? thank you!

[@loopop]

Paul Nufio thanks - 1. Once you’re connected to the network (via WiFi let’s say) you get an IP address for your organelle. Type that in your browser and you’ll see the patch management ui. 2. Check out patchstorage.com for the mellotron

[@AlekseiDroganov]

Sorry, I couldn't find the difference between white and blue one, besides the colors,of course 😊

[@gabrielemariotti5780]

HI, can you suggest other products that (like the Organelle) can sample using a Mic input? perhaps the MC-707? what else is there ? Thanks, love the channel.

[@jaffasplaffa1]

You can just get a microphone, without phantom power and connect it to Organelles input. I am using a Zoom H1N microphone to sample into Organelle, it works fine :)

[@MeerkatMuzic]

Top video, have you got a link to the manufacturer?

[@loopop]

Meerkat Music thanks and sure: www.critterandguitari.com/

[@bluename4]

From your experience, can a fm-synthesizer with 6 operators and 16 voices be patched for live-performance with organelle; or would it hit its computational capacity?

[@winstonsmith8236]

Do you think the Organelle is a bad choice for someone new to synths? I want something portable, intuitive, somewhat simple. Mostly to use in the context of a post punk/experimental band. I'd like to be able to create loops to trigger with footswitches. No midi, no laptop. Thanx!!

[@Fedor_Tkachev_Music]

Cool, are you going to review axoloti core in the future?

[@loopop]

Fedor T thanks! I would like to get to that but am on a bit of a busy stretch with a few other things in January (stay tuned! Cool stuff coming...) perhaps later

[@prntss]

Which WiFi adapter are you using

[@loopop]

Wi-Pi Raspberry Pi Wireless Adapter

[@WillemZenhorst]

This thing looks/sounds great, but one big question: I use mainly audio signals (banjo, voice, piezo machines, weird stuff), nothing MIDI based.. So the Organelle seems to be a very mixed bag of (a LOT of) MIDI-focused patches and (a few) audio-processing patches.. Would you say it's still viable enough to use? I mean, for some MIDI-based pacthes, you do of course have the keys right there, but I'd mainly be using it as a sound/sample processor..

[@jmagemusic]

its excellent for processing audio.

[@soundboy605]

i'm thinking how Nintendo used this instruments to make the Wii start up screen sound

[@pongtrometer]

Can I preview patches in pure data, with out An organelle, could I Open orac and create new patches...try before you buy kind of thing...

[@loopop]

Sort of, yes, Mark just launched Orac for a bunch of platforms including raspberry pi

[@Researchmisinfomation]

Hi i was wondering is there a easy way to send midi from my DAW to the organelle or should you have a separate midi interface for the organelle. So basically I mean sending from Mac/Pc midi to the organelle and maybe also resieving the other way around, wandering how easy it is to intergrate in a setup

[@loopop]

yeah you need a USB MIDI host for your DAW (unless I missed something....) so - DAW -> USB MIDI host -> MIDI USB cable. That's the easiest way I know. Unfortunately there's no regular MIDI out on the organelle nor can you hook it up to your computer with a USB cable (to my knowledge...)

[@dennie-leigh8338]

Can you use a guitar with this or other instrunents

[@loopop]

Yes

[@WarrenPostma]

puredata reminds me of labview

[@lifeonastring]

Can I edit a patch only using pure data? I mean, i'd like edit a patch without pure data, it scares me a lot. Many thanks!

[@loopop]

Yes all patches are pure data unfortunately. But check out my video on ORAC - it’s simplified patching on the device itself and a new even better 2.0 version is coming out now

[@lifeonastring]

@@loopop Yes! I saw it, all your videos are great. I just bought the digitakt, tell me I did well!! :)🤔

[@loopop]

Can’t go wrong with Digitakt ;)

[@JonathanPerez-xv2zf]

What are the patches used on the video?

[@loopop]

Jonathan Perez the factory patches, and some use patches - pd grids and mellotron

[@Phoniq]

Teenage OP-Z or the Organelle?

[@SlashnKashmir]

I really wonder it too

[@roman13rooms]

I have both. And i have to say - OP-1... :)

[@Phoniq]

roman13rooms I’ve got the op-1 and love it. Just wondering about the op-z

[@caydilemma3309]

Phoniq depends on how much other gear you have. You already have an OP-1, so unless you really love the Teenage Engineering workflow then I doubt the OP-Z is gonna add much that you don’t have already. The Organelle goes really well as a supplemental piece of gear rather than a centerpiece. Using it to process audio from your OP-1 or add more sounds or etc. I’d personally go for the Organelle.

[@Phoniq]

Corey Pierson yeh I’m thinking the same. With Orac now, it seems to be the Organelle.

[@raufiz]

Can you plug a midi keyboard to organelle and can you use organelle as a midi controller (I know it sounds awful)?

[@loopop]

Rauf Dunjamalijev yes you can and it’s not awful at all - the maple keys are nice but if you want to play seriously a midi keyboard is a must

[@raufiz]

loopop can you use seaboard to control it? Does it support mpe?

[@loopop]

Rauf Dunjamalijev I didn’t try it yet but no reason why not. It doesn’t support MPE yet but Mark Harris (one of the open source developers helping out with the OS) said he’s working on it, so should be interesting...

[@bloodniece]

Rauf Dunjamalijev yes, I plug my qunexus in and it works great

[@TheSmashir]

can it run crysis

[@krowland7584]

Love that game

[@bhamadicharef]

US$595.00 ! Really :D

[@WarrenPostma]

no midi and no cv?

[@loopop]

Yes midi via usb, no cv

[@WarrenPostma]

loopop it is the awesome even so. want want want.

[@caseyrycenga2864]

I have a C&G Pocket Piano and this feels way too complicated.

[@phantazzor]

Stupid question, but why is it so expensive considering that it is a rasberry pi costing 30 dollars with an interface, few knobs and midi. what would make people buy it instead of uploading paches of it on a set up like this one : kzbin.info/www/bejne/p33bl3mhm7ypd9U

[@loopop]

It's a legitimate question - you're forgetting a few components though... but if you look at hardware BOM's typically the actual hardware costs about a third of the retail price. The smaller the manufacturer, probably the higher the margin needs to be. You're forgetting the OLED screen, audio interface, aluminum case, power supply etc. For example check out the Teenage Engineering Pocket operators, and how much adding a case costs... I think the processor is better than an rPI too - anyway - I'm sure that stuff adds up. Perhaps C&G may want to chime in if they see this. I wish it was cheaper because the bigger the community the higher the incentive for people to contribute and more people that can. The thing is, someone had to choose four knobs, the UI, aux key and the overall set up. Configuring linux aint a walk in the park either. That initiative is what allows a community to aim for standard hardware and "dumbed-down" interface (a good thing) compared to an rPI or Axoloti connected to who knows what screen and controller. Without someone making that choice it would be much harder to create something a lot of people could use because no one would know what your rPI would be connected to. Kudos to C&G for taking that risk on. Might imitators now come out an copy the hardware and sell for cheaper? Maybe... that's the beauty and risks of open source ...

[@phantazzor]

I own an op1, I don't see it the same way tough. I have the knowlegde to understand code and languages but never got into pure data or organelle. I did a tiny bit with mxp in the past, but from what we see, the code seems hands on, so I am still not 100% sure of difficulty of the UI and the overall set up with linux etc...blame my ignorance :) What I would like is a Organelle with the chip of a Peak for instance, but here is my question: On a 500MB RAM computer that is only dealing with sound processing, what are its limitations? in terms of patch complexity? or anything? how could we measure it ?

[@loopop]

FRU OLLi I have the OP1 too and love it - But it will still be an OP1 next week. The Organelle will likely also be something completely new next week or two as more patches come out Regarding making patches - I think the vast majority of organelle owners won’t be making any new patches with it, and that’s not a bad thing ... Organelle with MIDI out and a Peak is what you’re looking for ;) I have no idea regarding your 500mb question sorry

[@MathHammer]

The case, keys, jacks, knobs, potentiometers (or encoders), etc. all add to the BOM. I get it, though. I am more familiar with mass-produced consumer electronics devices built in big fabs in Asia and not small batch boutique things produced by small companies.

[@Claidheambmor]

So I had one of these and couldn't justify keeping it as I had a limited budget and couldn't help think of what else I could have had. The oscillators and filters are all very basic. It's capable of making some beautifully rhythmic and dreamlike patterns. I would record samples into my SP-404 and merge them into productions. The buttons feel lovely but the wood is very clacky, not a problem but something to consider. The knobs feel a bit cheap and rubbery but they are solid. It's a workmanlike and varied tool for making sounds, if you have the cash to splash then go for it, you won't forget your time spent with it. But before you buy it, consider carefully what else you could have for the same price or less. I'm really into sampling and making beats so for me the most important piece of kit is the sampler itself. The Organelle is a good partner for a piece of kit like an SP-404. But what people say about it 'only' being a pure data interface is perfectly valid.

[@kennethdow7799]

praises open source - carelessly uses ableton link

[@loopop]

makes a comment - yet makes no sense :/

[@Zimfab01]

looks interesting, but not in the top rows of my wishlist.

[@WillemZenhorst]

Curious what is top row then? Only thing higher up my list is the ZOIA.

[@siriusfun]

No one cares.

[@fengchen303]

Oh,looks like the OP-Z

[@Luxex7]

Hi everyone, what’s the simplest way to erase mistakes or unwanted sounds we create in the different patches. I added different loops in overloop but now I tried everything to erase them and nothing is working so far. It should be a way to simply erase like any other looper. I appreciate your help.

[@dannymontreal6316]

My main question to anyone out the that would answer it is: Is it like those annoying pay to play nts-1 plug ins? Once you buy, you have to re-buy, to have a new drum machine, for example.

[@jrileyhill]

all the patches are free and open source. Critter and Guitari and the community make new ones often and you you can edit them and make your own if you have the inclination.

[@tatnallkennedy]

What was the last patch used with samples in non traditional time format

[@loopop]

Tat Kennedy I forget which specific one I used but actually there are a few patches that let you do that with different twists in features

[@Titantitan001]

Its only works with ableton?

[@loopop]

No it’s a standalone instrument

[@krastevitsa]

can it be used as a sampler and a synth at the same time? Like can you record a drum loop and then switch over to synth mode and record something else?

[@loopop]

Noir Lapin theoretically if a patch is created that does both, then yes. Otherwise when you switch patched your samples can be saved but it won’t play back at the same time. Patches are one at a time

[@krastevitsa]

Alright that solves my problem! Thanks a lot! Keep it up dude!

[@TROGULAR10000]

It looks and sounds awesome, a nice interface. It sends but does not receive MIDI (yet)? It would be nice to use as a module

[@loopop]

TROGULAR 10,000 yes it both sends and receives midi

[@TROGULAR10000]

Thanks! I'm still having nightmares about your hybrid modular by the way, a modular modular, in other words. Where the patch cables are the tentacles of the plant that eats you.

[@loopop]

TROGULAR 10,000 in that case you do NOT want to watch my RackBrute review

[@TROGULAR10000]

loopop. hahaha. That was a friendly plant! and another very useful video ;-)