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Elektroplankton

Rev

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anewman

anewman

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My first (crap) Electroplankton tune

Well, I picked my copy up on Saturday morning, and have been fiddling with it a bit all weekend. The above is the first tune I've recorded. I did it really just as an experiment to see how easy it was. (I've never hosted anything before, and I've never recorded any electronic music onto my computer before...) Please be aware, it's a load of rubbish! But I'll keep working at it and hopefully be able to come up with something. I'm using an iMic to record stuff into GarageBand. Each plankton can make up one track. This song consists of three tracks, using Lumiloop, Rec-Rec (for beats) and Hanenbow. In terms of actually building up a tune, I think it's best to think of Electroplankton as a sample generator.

Anyway, the game/thing itself is really lovely. The whole package, in fact, is gorgeous. Packaging and presentation and so forth. As others have said, the manual itself is beautifully done (although of course I don't understand a word of it).

I took it to my parents this weekend, and let my mum (who bought a DS recently, and currently has better high scores on most of the Wario mini games than me) and brothers give it a try. Lots of fun was had with Volvoice.

My personal favourites at the moment are Hanenbow, which is just endlessly fiddleablewith, if you see what I mean; and Lumiloop, which seems to have a really nice harmony, whichever of the loops you're spinning. I also find Beatnes fun, and I only realised you could record stuff with Rec-Rec this very afternoon.

Here's to some more tunes.

B)

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Rev

Rev

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My first (crap) Electroplankton tune

Well, I picked my copy up on Saturday morning, and have been fiddling with it a bit all weekend. The above is the first tune I've recorded. I did it really just as an experiment to see how easy it was. (I've never hosted anything before, and I've never recorded any electronic music onto my computer before...) Please be aware, it's a load of rubbish! But I'll keep working at it and hopefully be able to come up with something. I'm using an iMic to record stuff into GarageBand. Each plankton can make up one track. This song consists of three tracks, using Lumiloop, Rec-Rec (for beats) and Hanenbow. In terms of actually building up a tune, I think it's best to think of Electroplankton as a sample generator.

Anyway, the game/thing itself is really lovely. The whole package, in fact, is gorgeous. Packaging and presentation and so forth. As others have said, the manual itself is beautifully done (although of course I don't understand a word of it).

I took it to my parents this weekend, and let my mum (who bought a DS recently, and currently has better high scores on most of the Wario mini games than me) and brothers give it a try. Lots of fun was had with Volvoice.

My personal favourites at the moment are Hanenbow, which is just endlessly fiddleablewith, if you see what I mean; and Lumiloop, which seems to have a really nice harmony, whichever of the loops you're spinning. I also find Beatnes fun, and I only realised you could record stuff with Rec-Rec this very afternoon.

Here's to some more tunes.

B)

Nice tune - shame the hanenbow slipped out of time. That's why it hasn't been in any of mine yet, too much like hard work. Fun to play with although a bit limited compared to BallDroppings (the noise toy posted at the start of the other thread) which is a shame.

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anewman

anewman

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I have an idea for a song made up of a backgroud of perhaps two Lumiloop tracks, sort of segueing in and out of eachother. Lumiloop always seems to harmonise well. Then on top of that there would be maybe some Hanebow or Sun-Animalcule.

I still haven't worked out what I'm supposed to do with Marine-Snow, by the way. All I can get out of it is random plinky-plonky piano like noises. It would be okay if they didn't move around whenever you touched them.

Anyway, I will hopefully post something a bit better than my last one soonish.

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Backdrifter

Backdrifter

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I've just got a hold of Electroplankton, and I'm writing up an article for it at AltGaming www.altgaming.net since it's not really something that I can confine to a bog standard review. My plan is, to collect as many opinions and thoughts from as many people as humanly possible in order to give me a hand.

So, if anyone feels like giving me a hand, PM me or give me an email at publicrelations[at]altgaming[dot]net

Thank you!

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  • 2 weeks later...
Rev

Rev

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Just the standard microphone socket is all I use - just a 3.5mm jack to 3.5mm jack lead between it and my DS.

I believe Rowan Morrison mentioned something about macs...IMic or something being needed? Somewhere in the 16 page thread in discussion. Back-end of it somewhere. I don't know if that applies to you though.

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evil p

evil p

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I got Electroplankton through the post the other day and have a bunch of ideas for tunes and the like. I have a problem though:

When the DS is plugged into my computer using a mini-jack to mini-jack cable (plugged into the blue line-in socket), the sound then comes through my hi-fi fine. However, when I attempt to record in Audacity, the sound recorded is that coming through the DS microphone. The recording I get is therefore what the mic is picking up of the sound coming out of my speakers as well as any movement/tapping on the DS itself.

Anyone else get this problem? Is there a setting I can change in Audacity or something? It doesn't quite seem to make sense seeing as it's plugged into the headphone socket...

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Rev

Rev

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I got Electroplankton through the post the other day and have a bunch of ideas for tunes and the like.  I have a problem though:

When the DS is plugged into my computer using a mini-jack to mini-jack cable (plugged into the blue line-in socket), the sound then comes through my hi-fi fine.  However, when I attempt to record in Audacity, the sound recorded is that coming through the DS microphone.  The recording I get is therefore what the mic is picking up of the sound coming out of my speakers as well as any movement/tapping on the DS itself.

Anyone else get this problem?  Is there a setting I can change in Audacity or something?  It doesn't quite seem to make sense seeing as it's plugged into the headphone socket...

:blink:

No. I've never had that problem at all.

Does it do the same when you play on your DS through headphones? Have you got the record level of audacity just too low to be able to hear properly or is it definitely the microphone - What happens when you try it with other games that don't have voice input?

I have no idea at all what could be the problem. As far as I knew your problem wasn't even technically possible.

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evil p

evil p

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No, it's fine when it's playing through headphones. Also, the really strange thing is that is sounds fine out of the speakers. And it has to be going through the computer to get there, so the actual output is fine. I'm certain it's the DS mic that the recording picks up though (I can talk and my voice is a lot louder than anything else).

I'd try another game, but i've now managed to make Audacity think there's no input signal at all. It just records silence. Oh dear. I'll continue to fiddle.

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Rev

Rev

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No, it means that Evil P probably was using a laptop with a built in mic, and was recording that input instead of the line in. Is that right P?

Ah.

So the problem would have been solved very quickly if he had a 15m 3.5mm lead so he could test it far enough away.

:D

An understandable problem.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Mitchell

Mitchell

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Can someone tell me the best, preferably small & simple, program to use to record from the DS? I've finally got my lead so I can make some tunes, but don't know how to progress.

I'd like to layer more than one plankton at the same time, maybe 3 or 4. Is there any program that will let me play one recording through the PC while recording another along with it? If that made sense?!

Thanks.

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  • 3 weeks later...
paddyo

paddyo

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Anybody know how i can listen to what i am playing AS i am recording it?

i am using audacity, but once i plug my DS into the comp i cant actually hear what i am doing whilst it is recording, this makes it hard to make the music that i want to make :P

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