Fyrd Instruments is a new manufacturer of boutique software and hardware for computer-based music production. The French company’s mission is to develop innovative, evolving and fully-integrated solutions for music enthusiasts. Fyrd Instruments focus on producing musical instruments with high quality at an affordable price.
The MTRX-8
This controller is a versatile & innovative button-matrix with high-resolution jogs. The controller is available for pre-order and will be officially released on september 10. The price is set at 249 Euro included shipping. There is also a time limited offer where you can save 50 Euro.
Hardware
– 14 buttons
– 1 high-resolution optical encoder
– LCD display
– MIDI IN & OUT ports
– USB port
– Power jack (7-12V DC, 750mA)
– Black acrylic & wood enclosure
Interface
STEP SEQUENCER
– 8-step sequencer
– Pitch, velocity, duration, octave
– Speed and Loop control
DRUM SEQUENCER
– more than 60K patterns
– 5 drum parts: kick, snare, hihats (open/close) and percussions
– drum roll rotary for each drum part
– randomization
– swing control for each drum part
– hard & soft drum hits
– velocity control for each drum part and each type of hits (hard /soft)
KNOBS
– up to 16 knobs (2 banks x 8 knobs)
– jog-wheel style optical encoder with high accuracy/resolution
– 128 super bright LEDs (8 x 16 LEDs rings)
– different ring modes (walk, EQ, fill, selector, …)
– fully configurable (Control Number for each knob and MIDI channel)
– Already mapped for the MeeBlip, the Shruthi, the Volca’s (Beat/Bass/Keys) and the DSI Mopho
PRESETS
– save and recall presets from previous sessions (EEPROM storage)
– separate preset slots for the step-sequencer, the drum sequencer and the knobs values
– up to 12 slots (4 x step-sequencer, 4 x drum sequencer, 4 x knobs values)
– combine presets (up to 64 different combinations)
– launch preset like clips in Ableton Live and use presets as an instrument
GENERAL, I/O, SYNC, …
– 3 different modes of syncing (MASTER/SLAVE/FILS)
– Fyrd Instruments Lock System (FILS) for tight timing (<2ms) with very low jitter and drift even in a DAW like Ableton Live where MIDI sync could be a problem
– Master mode with BPM control and MIDI sync message On/Off button (sometimes MIDI sync messages can overflow certain hardware)
– MIDI channel selection for the step sequencer, the drum sequencer and the knobs
– Individual pitch selection for the drum sequencer
CREATE YOUR OWN INTERFACE
– Special firmware gives you access to every parts of the MTRX-8 hardware (individual LEDs, LCD display, buttons, encoder)
– Easily programmable with MIDI messages
– Compatible with Max4Live, Max/MSP, PureData, …
– Fyrd Instruments MIDI wheels Max patch inspired by Stretta Electric Dharma Wheels and Meng Qi Autoharp