A Quick Review of the e2h (electribe 2 hack)

Ted3000 · Post by **Ted3000** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 1:24 pm

I want to share my experience running the hack.

This is not a guide (those are available elsewhere). This is more of a review of the sampler for those familiar with the grey synth e2.

On the subject of the hack itself, it's not glitchy when done right. The only technical issue is with sample loading. If you download the java-based e2s editor (available elsewhere) and start loading samples into the safe slots, you'll experience no ghost files, duplicates, etc. This does not reduce your total sample time, but it shaves a few slots off your available sample number.

Important is loading a blank all samples file. This file needs to sit in a certain directory. You can populate the blank file with samples, either by importing wavs from your card on the unit itself, which is daunting. Or you can run the e2s editor, which is faster and lets you quickly set category, loop, etc.

Some people have loaded up the sample file with a ton of wavs and run into errors on startup. That's not due to the hack, that's due to your wavs.

Clean uncorrupted mono or stereo 16/44 wavs with no complex metadata tags will load fine. A bunch of random stuff you've downloaded over the years you toss in directly? Count on a few errors.

The e2h loads samples from the allsamples file in order on startup. The first bad wav will stop the load on a percent - you won't have any samples after the bad one. It's important to audition each wav, and if necessary to open them in a audio program and export a nice fresh clean file.

I recommend also importing a blank all patterns file - start fresh.

DIFFERENCES:

You'll find much less synthesis on the sampler OS.

While I mainly stuck to the basic wavs prior to the hack, I find myself missing the Boost Saw, which was great for making bass sounds that punched through the low/mid frequency mud. A few other neat variations of my go-to wavs are gone, but most of the needed raw building material is here.

Gone are the drum PCMs and the various stabs and instrument sounds. Although the e2 had a ton of great stuff, a sampler does this stuff best - customizable and refreshable. I've already loaded plenty of sounds, hits breaks, stabs, FX - even Mellotron samples.

On the sample side, picking a sample is as easy as picking an oscillator type. When in this mode, the Edit knob (once a PCM-specific variable effect) is now a course start point control - and also provides for reverse playback. This is a great use of the knob. I don't recall a direction knob on any sampler I've used - it's usually buried in a menu or a button - this knob invites performance technique.

Samples can be typical drum trigger mode, or gate when held with custom loop points.

The filters are pared down to the electribe multimode. Low, high, band. The electribe filter is a clean basic digital filter that's not trying to emulate any specific design. It's here I start to want to pull up the Oberheim, MS-20, or Moog models - but I've pointed out their shortcomings in the past. Most samplers only offer a single flavor, so this is not deficient.

The sampler vs synth does not feel like a equal neutral trade-off. The grey synth's oscillator, PCM and filter world is fine, but does not offer anything as radical as sequencing your own crazy samples.

As an early e2 adopter, I feel a little silly saying this: I think I'm a sampler convert.

apapdop · Post by **apapdop** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 2:49 pm

The synth version makes great sampler food. Render your synth patterns as .wav files exported onto the SD card, convert to mono and rename (if you want to) in an audio editor, stick them back onto the SD card and load into the sampler. Add some other samples from wherever and yum-yum...

Ted3000 · Post by **Ted3000** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 3:04 pm

apapdop wrote:The synth version makes great sampler food. Render your synth patterns as .wav files exported onto the SD card, convert to mono and rename (if you want to) in an audio editor, stick them back onto the SD card and load into the sampler. Add some other samples from wherever and yum-yum...

Very true! A 16-step full track sequence sampled from the e2 can now be a single part on the sampler. It's a blast!

SMK · Post by **SMK** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 3:17 pm

apapdop wrote:The synth version makes great sampler food. Render your synth patterns as .wav files exported onto the SD card, convert to mono and rename (if you want to) in an audio editor, stick them back onto the SD card and load into the sampler. Add some other samples from wherever and yum-yum...

See this is why I am happy with the set up I have; having both the E2 and ES2. One feeds the other with out having to go through the headache of using the computer.

roblabs · Post by **roblabs** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 3:26 pm

Have you tried converting back? If so how quickly can you do so?

Pygmy · Post by **Pygmy** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 4:24 pm

apapdop wrote:Render your synth patterns as .wav files exported onto the SD card, convert to mono and rename (if you want to) in an audio editor

To be honest any sampler should be able to do this itself.

HappyTed · Post by **HappyTed** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 5:58 pm

Hey, I never thought of that! Export E2 loops to the memory card, switch to ES2 firmware, then load the loops from card. I'm guessing these will be in Stereo though right, hence the need for a computer.

bingkingbo · Post by **bingkingbo** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 6:45 pm

You can put 2 OS in the same sd card, they can store their pattern/sample sets individually. switching OS in a sec without the need of computer. powerful and handy as hell.