Announcing Juniper Firmware 0.6.0

Thanks to feedback from modular community we're proud to announce Juniper 0.6.0 - it packs some exciting features. Lets dive in!

Chaos Theory

The first major feature for this update is the introduction of the Lorenz Attractor waveform. The Lorenz equations were originally used to attempt to model weather patterns and formed the basis of Chaos Theory today.

The Lorenz Attractor is a formulation of 3 differential equations and represented by x, y and z. Generally these are plotted against each-other, and as a result, Juniper will plot these in an X-Y graph opposed to the typical time-domain oscilloscope view other wave-forms use.

The Morph parameter will morph between the x, y and z components. Users can utilize all 3 components on three separate channels by using the new Copy-Paste functionality which will duplicate the Lorenz waveform's variable state to any other desired channel.

The Lorenz Attractor waveform by itself unlocks exciting organic modulation possibilities but with Junipers freely assignable modulation matrix, feedback loops can be used to add even more organic complexity to your patch!

Operands

The new Operand advanced parameter has been added (which is accessible under the assignable A/B parameters). Operands are logical operations that involve the current channel and a selected source channel.

The following operands have been added:

  • AVG: Calculates the mean average between the two signals
  • MIN: Calculates the minimum of the two signals
  • MAX: Calculates the maximum of two signals
  • SUB: Subtracts two signals
  • ADD: Adds two signals
  • NOT: Will set the current channel to 0.0V if the source signal is beyond a defined threshold
  • OR: Allows the current channel to propagate if the current channel or the source channel are beyond a defined threshold
  • AND: Allows the current channel to propagate only if the current channel and the source channel are beyond a defined threshold

Quantizer rework

The Quantizer has been rebuilt to now support 8 user customizable scales. The modulation system for the quantizer has also been rebuilt, allowing the user to toggle between the scales in either a forward, reverse direction, or randomly. This provides a more predictable musical modulation than the previous implementation.

Random waveform improvements

The Random waveform has been improved and now has two Morph components, Slew and Blend. Slew changes the time duration for moving between one random value and the next, and Blend mixes between small incremental steps and completely random steps. This provides greater control for more organic modulation possibilities. 

Copy-Paste

Juniper now supports copy and pasting channels, allowing for quick duplication. This functionality is viewable from the channel menu. The channel is duplicated at the moment of the Paste event.

LFO Phase Retriggering

LFO phase can now be re-triggered (AKA hard sync). This is useful for restarting the LFO on a trigger edge.

Amplitude/Offset Units

Amplitude and Offset basic parameter units have moved away from the previous percentage based scale and are now in terms of peak-to-peak voltage. The smallest resolution in fine grain mode is 1mV. The idea here is to give more precision to the user and to get more out of the 16-bit precision DAC.

And more

Additionally the following smaller changes;

  • Improved support for Multi-Component Waveforms such as Envelope and the new Random implementation, providing better UI and UX.
  • A Select Tap timing window setting has been added in the System Settings for users to customize the timing between tapping Select and a channel/setting button.
  • Settings have been reorganised for more logical division of operation.
  • Improvements in the encoder responsiveness under heavy GUI load.

Concluding

We hope you enjoy these new features and continual effort to make Juniper a truly formidable modulation module. You can find the latest firmware downloads here. We would like to thank those who participated in providing feedback in the GitHub issue repository, most of these features have been because of user feature requests and beta testing. In particular a special thanks to @cdromain.

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