Definitely not as good of a sound as you would get with a dedicated audio device, but not having to sync 100+ clips when cutting a video makes it 1,000,000x worth it! The difference for RU-vid audio is probably negligible anyways.
@@Bloom_Music it’s a funny reverb/delay/looper. But not worth the price. I expected something more pro and more “alien” but didn’t surprised me at all. Black hole sounds more professional, less dirty and is a little bit cheaper. Microcosms sounds dirty and not really good quality hd sound. As I said, not recommended. I guess most of the people on RU-vid gets money from the company to talk positive about the product. As I said, try black hole instead, sounds really good and much more funny
@@blackmetaltrajano3715 Everyone likes different things. That's why it's great we have so many options. So it's fine to not like the Microcosm. It's an eccentric sound and it won't fit everyone's sonic personality. But going to random chat threads and badmouthing it without context isn't the way. Based on your explanation, you should have researched the Microcosm more before purchasing. If the Blackhole gave you the sound you were looking for, you never should have got the Microcosm in the first place. You're comparing a reverb to a granular processor. Different effects types with completely different sound design goals.
@@Bloom_Music I guess you didn't pay for that pedal and that's why you are saying this. The pedal is ok, im just saying is overprized etc. But I understand that this video is an ad
I LOLed at the Zarathustra MIDI plug. That alone earned you a subscription. I totally agree about MIDI being a crucial part of an effect like this. Love the demo.
Keep an eye on the mix knob, especially during the Sound Examples section. I make sure to start 100% dry, and then typically fade to dry at some point during each example so you can hear the difference. Maybe not as obvious visually as actually pressing the bypass switch, but same result.
Aaah your channel is going places! You definitely accomplished your goal of showcasing parts of this effect that few have talked about already. I've been so curious about using a hardware effect as a DAW send effect, and you managed to help me wrap my head around that even while showing what Microcosm is capable of in the process. I also appreciate your timing with this one. I just ordered my Microcosm a few days ago, so I'm just about ready to start exploring this labyrinth myself.
Nice review! I wish there were more videos showing the Midi-capabilities of various effect pedals. One small tip thought, is to show the instrument you’re playing, rather than a shady waveform on a brown tv-monitor the first 10 minutes :) And nice cold milk is underrated.
I see so many of these on Facebook marketplace, it's like everyone watches these RU-vid videos, buys one, can't figure out how to use it and then sells it. I will still end up buying one lol
One of the best things I did was to get cozy with the manual. I've owned the Microcosm for about a year and I think I spent the first 2 months exploring the different sound banks bit by bit with the manual on my lap. Sure, I watched a lot of videos beforehand to familiarize myself with what I was buying, but once I got my hands on it I didn't watch anything for a while. I think slowing down and taking the manual seriously was the best thing I could have to carve out my own voice. It wasn't always a very musical process, but over the months cool ideas would emerge. In my opinion it's worth every penny.
I’ve wanted one for a long time, but the price is just too damn high. It’s an amazing pedal, and can be used to liven up an otherwise boring track, and as a complete package it is very attractive, but not at 650. An MPC One costs less and has a decent granulator, synth engines, looper, sequencer, sampler, effects plugins that can be layered per sample or per track or on top of master, can even run some vst’s, and does a lot more for less than this one effects pedal, to put those 650 into perspective. But I do still want one.
This same argument could be made for pretty much any high end or boutique hardware effect. You are always going to be able to emulate it in a DAW or MPC-like device for cheaper. But there's a reason pedals continue to sell like hotcakes despite this! A lot of people prefer the immediate, personal interface of a dedicated device over a shoehorned GUI or fiddling with a mouse. I feel much more creative when I'm using a hardware effect or synth. Just personal preference!
@@Bloom_Music as someone who is about 98% DAWless, I agree. I do much prefer knobs and physical keys to a screen and a mouse. In this one video You’ve used more Ableton and iOS than I have in a year. Love Your videos - the miniFreak review is the biggest reason I now own one 😁 this one is so close to pushing me over the edge on Microcosm as well! I do have a few worries about it, that make the 650 price a factor: 1) without MIDI sync it seems like it’s difficult to get it to repeatedly do exactly what You want. Great for inspiration or jamming, and happy accidents, but unreliable for production or live sets and 2) for the first week or a month, it would probably be amazing, but it does have a somewhat distinctive sound, enough so that by now I’ve heard quite a bit of microcosm to tell when it’s there and it does start to sound the same on a lot of tracks. It’s possible that once You get used to what it sounds like, it feels like it’s no longer that varied and makes everything sound microcosmey.
Ok, see?! All the videos I've seen on the microcosm the last few years did not go into this kind of detail. All you did was connect it via midi back to the DAW or interface and actually gave us time (more than 1 measure) to hear the full attack and release of the effect then the same source sound without the effect (more than 1 measure). Sadly too many RU-vidrs don't do that. Thanks for keeping it simple!! 👏👏👏 Followed. Awesome demo video!
Technically, yes, but it will depend on your workflow. The Microcosm will sync to the MiniFreak over MIDI no problem, but the MiniFreak only sends sync info when the sequencer is running. If you adjust the MiniFreak's tempo while the sequencer isn't running, that adjustment isn't sent. If your use case allows you to always have the sequencer running (even an empty sequence will still send sync), then I would say it would work. Note that switching presets on the MiniFreak stops the sequencer, so that would be something to manage if you're considering using it in a live environment. But if we're just talking about studio/bedroom use, syncing via the sequencer should work just fine!
I really want to thumbs up 👍 this video again & again as I keep coming back for more inspiration as my journey with the Microcosm goes deeper. Thanks for this & keep making amazing video. 🎉 thanks 🙏
Yes, this was a great gear demo that made me really want a piece of gear that I had heard about as nauseum, but am now giving a second thought to. Also : you just made incredible music that inspires me to want to go make music right now. So double thanks!
this was fantastic in every way!! super useful info, really interesting grooves & soundscapes, excellent video production... great stuff!! bravo!! & thank you. ;-)
What you’re really buying here is how the excellent brains at Hologram patched three basic modules: grains, delay and pitch shift. You can make your own versions of these sounds with those 3 building blocks (plus reverb and a looper). But what you’re really buying here is a set of clever patchings/presets. I have both a Microcosm and a modular, and i enjoy the Microcosm. But in modular I’d probably just patch my own. Ymmv of course.
I’ve sold off my rack. I had the Microcosm do some great stuff on the module level. Had a Strymon AA.1 because it was very quiet with adequate gain. The Pamela’s with the expansion module with midi which would go into the Hologram.Was able get rock solid sync. Very happy with this set up. But yeah Modular would be ideal.
Beautiful! Cool how you combined it with the 404 mk ll sampler. Can you guys out there imagine how this thing would sound in combination with the Tenori-On or the Nopia? Wicked! Imagine if Brian Eno had these goodies to his disposal back in the day....😘
Apart from a great review you have very interesting music ideas. Do you produce songs too? Could you add links to your Spotify etc, to your video descriptions?
Would have been good to show people how you set it up, I have one and it can get a little complicated. The demo was great but people need to look under the hood.
Nice video! I found the same things you have. If your not using midi with this pedal your wasting time trying to find the sweet spot. The unpredictably of this pedal is it’s blessing yet it’s curse lol. I love happy accidents but you really need good insurance with the microcosm.
Seems a fair price for what it does. Even over YT audio, sounds pretty detailed and undistorted. No piece of gear I have will sync effects to MIDI clock. They add import duty for the customer at checkout, which is very helpful.
Man! Your work is amazing and excellent as always! Your voice is so clear, calm, and concise. I keep wanting more! Really wish you talk about synth like Poly/Matrix Brute or Matriarch or gear like Sp-404 mk II. Anything, friend! Cheers and peace 👍
Great demo. Made me want to know your sound sources too. Esp at 6:55 and 7:27. Those sounded great through the Microcosm. Most importantly, your video made me plug in my Microcosm and get inspired by Midi sync.
All of the synth sounds in the video were made using Arturia's MiniFreak V. And many of them are from the free patch bank I shared in the description of my MiniFreak video! Link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VUzMbIkc_6Q.html
I need a clarification: all the sounds that can be heard in the video clip are entirely produced by this device or does the melodic line come from outside and the device only processes it??
Fine revelation of Hologram - Microcosm strengths ..... particularly favoring personal application with Prophet 5 and Deepmind 12. DAW guy recently diverting to analog polysynths __ still quite naive. Committed to add Microcosm to recent UAFX Del-Verb & Astra. Truly unsure of complementary vs conflicting role(s) Microcosm can play. 🤷🏻♂
I just bought one of these based on all of the videos that loved it. My own goofing around over a couple of days has left me needing some guidance on how to make it useful. SUBSCRIBED and LIKED :)
the sky is the limit...but the xontrolling of option should be followed more like a regular Dj fx mixer with some buttons.. for live Sets with analog mixer or audio only its far limited for controlling the features..
Good point! I end up on the triangle wave a lot because I like to smooth the grains into each other, but the saw wave is great for punchier sounds, almost like a quick envelope. And the reverse saw is really cool for quasi-sidechained sounds when synced.
@@Bloom_Music For sure, and it’s also my overall favorite, but some things, like the glitchy ones with drums I really like the square wave sometimes. 😁 Worth playing with for sure! Cheers!
Respect, Donald. There's so much useful information in your amazingly well researched vid - and it's throughout entertaining, too. Love the musical approach to the demo, and the use of all those diverse sounds and contexts. Thanks for the MIDI revelation, you did spare us all going down a long and winding road - and for doing it all in full stereo. It's so great that you so often let us hear the dry signal in between to be really able to grasp what the microcosm is actually doing. Just got mine a couple of days ago and your demo helped immensely to start and get that thing going. Awesome piece of work, Donald. Keep on groovin'! P.S.: Would dig a Red Panda Particle 2 demo from you.
Thanks for showcasing this. Love the information. Would you mind assisting me with how to set this up on Ableton? I currently have the following: Roland MIDI USB UM-One TRS cables Scarlett 4i4 Audio Interface Ableton DAW MacBook M1 Ableton Push 2
Hmmm… That’s a very broad question, as there are dozens of ways you could set this up, depending on your needs and goals. I would recommend watching some RU-vid tutorials on 1) how to route audio/midi within Live, 2) how to route audio/midi through an audio interface using Live, and 3) how to use the “External Audio Effect” effect in Live. If you get familiar with those three topics, you should have everything you need to configure your setup.
23 minutes and 47 seconds, where can I listen to these types of instrumentals all the time? I don't mean LoFi Girl (although its cool). I'm looking for 1980s inspired synth instrumentals.
I know you said no LoFi Girl, but if you're not aware, they recently added a Synthwave channel. That's the closest thing I can think of! ru-vid.comMVPTGNGiI-4?feature=share
All I did was an audio cable from the output of my interface to the input of the pedal, and then an audio cable from the output of the pedal back to an input on my interface. I used the "External Audio Effect" device to handle the routing within Ableton Live, and most DAWs will have an equivalent option. After that, if you want MIDI sync and control, you'll need to run a MIDI cable from the MIDI out of your interface to the MIDI in of the pedal. If you need more detail than that to get up and running, I would suggest checking out the manual that came with the pedal!
Damn it kudos to you! Best demo video I've seen thus far of ANY product. This is how it should be done. Far from cookie cutter and very honest. Showing practical and creative uses of the features, not just listing what it can do. Earned a follower and a thumbs up from me. Bravo!
BTW I was playing with my microcosm in live and thought what if I put it on the send channel so I can blend multiple elements. it was cool, but ironically I came across this video and saw the trick you did with the phrase looper. ABSOLUTE GAME CHANGER!! All the thanks to you!
I don't think so. Based on the manual, it only transmits MIDI clock. The page of the manual with the control change map specifically calls out that it "receives" those MIDI messages, but does not mention transmitting them.
Yes, so the LPP is just acting as a controller for Ableton Live. In my Live set I have an FX track with the External Audio Effect on it, which is set up to run through the Microcosm. From there, I'm just using the LPP to adjust the send levels of each track. So the more I turn up the send, the more signal for that track that is passed through the Microcosm. Hopefully that is clear!
@@Bloom_Music thanks for that, I’m more curious of the analog patching , how you are sending those changes to the microcosm, is it just via midi out of an interface?
@@tomfoolery4077 Gotcha. Yes, just a straight up MIDI cable from an interface, and all of the MIDI data is coming from clips in the Live session. During the poptart bit, it's the "Microcosm Looper Control" and "Microcosm Effect Control" tracks that I'm using to control it, and the clip names give a description of what they are each doing. I've set up follow behaviors to launch the clips and scenes at the appropriate times, so it's a completely automated performance of the Microcosm. I focus in on the Live session a couple of times, so you should be able to pause it and see what's going on there.
@@Bloom_Music Another great idea amongst so many, thanks - it's so great to follow the "how-to-understand" part with the "just-listen-to-get-the-feel"…
They are definitely in the same family. However, the Panda has fewer options. It would kind of be like getting just one of the Microcosm's four sections, is the best way I know how to describe it. The Microcosm will produce a wider variety of sounds, plus it has the looper. And the included reverb will get you much further into ambience land, if that's your thing. However, the Panda can do a lot of tricks with pitch that the Microcosm cannot. The Microcosm's pitch changes are mostly predetermined based on the effect variation selected, and are typically octaves. The Panda gives you direct control over pitch, in semitones, independent of speed. Very cool!
OP are the effects inside the Harmonizer or is a track looping (Traktor) off camera also? I’m assuming the initial track is external. Sweet piece of equipment.
@@Bloom_Music I see. And If I wanted to use The Harmonizer with my analogue mixer (Model 1), audio interface and Laptop/Traktor, I would connect the fx to the mixer or the audio interface? Tx.
@@alan17717 Is this pedal made out of gold or smth? …how much is it? $700, 800, 900? That is ridiculous…maybe for someone who is earning 3-5k a month and who lives in California or in London that price is ok, but most probably 85-95% of global population can only dream about it. Me personally, I can afford it but I think that I rather buy 2-6 other fx pedals and actually Microcosm does not bring any new technology to the table…it only yields technologies that are already out there…and I think that I rather have more flexibility by having those different features separated vs all in one box... Besides that…we have XXIst century and a piece of metal, few knobs, circuit board and a few chips produced and assembled in a third world country, designed by “western” engineers who take advantage of ENGINEERS from a third world country…should not cost 1000%, 2000% or even 5000% more then a production cost. It is a good pedal but that price is a ripoff…especially in times if there is global distribution so easy accessible. I personally would pay for it max 300-400€ and would love to see there “MADE IN USA”! Btw. Cardboard box 📦 production must be also very expensive so it drives the price to the moon 🚀🚀🚀🚀🤭 Just tired with this “worth the price”…gosh… I can buy a used car for that money!!!🙄 Car made in Germany! 😂
Compared to what? I have one and I think it is worth every penny that I spent on it. Can't say the same thing about other gear or software VSTs that I have bought over the years. I guess it depends on what you want to do with your music
@@DeepSpaceus ..any of that feature is not a new revolutionary technology…in fact you don’t even need a vst in order to achieve most of these effects (if not all)…vst also use musicians ideas who did not have those tools when they were creatively using their software. Yeah …700 here, 700 there, 700 everywhere! 🤑🤑🤑 So you have it and you will never buy any other gear again!?!💩
