Folktek Mescaline

[MrNovember]

I hate to say it, but I think I might end up listing mine as well. I feel like I'm trying to force myself to like it, but it just isn't clicking with me.

I really don't enjoy the experimental, random patching of the Mental. I mean, I like chaos and I like experimentation, but I also like knowing what I am doing, how things are going to react, and how to repeat them (or something similar) in the future. Motion is an interesting take on a sequencer and I do enjoy pairing it with Mental, but I just can't seem to make it fit with Channel. Channel is basically the only part that I do enjoy, but it still has shortcomings that bother me. At the very least, I wish it had front panel attack and release controls rather than the back panel touch sensitivity control. Or hell, even just the touch sensitivity on the front panel. I would have also really liked the tuning controls to be on the front panel as well (yes, I realise this wouldn't be possible in the available space). /rant

[oscillateur]

Mental is not that random, at least at first. Each point triggers a specific sound. Their interactions then can become unpredictable, but for me so far the sequencer seems to be the more uncontrollable part .

But yeah, after playing a bit with this my eurorack seems like a very straightforward and controlled experience. I bought it as a separate instrument that can interface with the external world so for me it works... Btw, triggering Channel trough an external sequencer can be quite fun. It looks like the pads act as a transpose then, which can be pretty cool...

[MrNovember]

You're right, Mental itself isn't random, but my workflow with it is completely random. I'm basically just plugging random thing into random places hoping for good sounds. Which sometimes I find great sounds, and sometimes I plug in a cable and everything turns into static or a high pitch whine that bugs my dog.

I find the trigger sequencer is controllable and easy to understand. It just sends a gate or couples an optocoupler every time the specific step is selected. The CV sequencer I haven't been able to control/understand as well, but I've also spent a lot less time with it. I'm starting to explore it more with Mental now. Before I was trying to use it with Channel and I really wasn't getting any results I was liking.

I haven't tried it with that much external gear yet as I bought it with the intention to be a standalone instrument as well, but patching an external sequencer sounds interesting if the pads do in fact transpose the sequence. When I tried that with Motion's CV sequencer, I don't remember it transposing. I remember the notes from the pads playing much louder on top of the sequence. I'll have to try that again though as this was one of the first patches I tried and I may have been missing something.

I was sending audio out from Channel into Mental last night with some pretty cool results. It made me kind of feel a little more cohesion to everything. I tried sending audio into Mental from the radio on my Field Kit, but it seemed to be sending voltage back into my Field Kit and I was worried I'd damage something.

Overall, I'm going to give it a little more time to click with me before I list it. I really don't want to regret selling it as I was really excited to get my hands on one.

[Jwar]

Mental is the one I just cannot seem to figure out. Everything seems random but you're right it's not, I just don't get it. I've followed the instructions to a T and I cannot figure the shit out. I can't get any of the fucking pots to do shit other than the volume, and they previously did, soooooooo maybe I broke the shit somehow? I can't get the convert to do anything either and it did weird shit before. I think it's my lack of understanding though. I'm trying for sure. It's just super complex. This thing blows my brain away but I'm messing with it every single day and still digging the shit out of it.

[MrNovember]

For the pots, try patching the "main 1-4" or "main 5-8" from the trigger sequencer to the middle pin of the pot. Then connect the side pins from the pot to whatever points on Mental. Essentially, you now have the main optocoupler pin connected to two locations that you can select by sweeping the pot. So connect a step from the trigger sequencer optocoupler section to Mental and you should be able to select from two different sounds.

I need to read up on the convert inputs still, like I said, I seemed to be getting voltage back into my Field Kit so I must have been doing something wrong.

Also, in general, I've found that the left side of the Mental board is more or less all notes, the middle is more or less drums, and the left is more or less all enhancements (i.e. they don't really work on their own, but alter the other parts of the board). Again, this all really depends on where the main is plugged in and what cross-patching you have going on.

[Jwar]

So what's everything thinking here? Still digging them? I'm debating selling mine.

[UglyCasanova]

So far so good. I haven't had it as long as you have though. My only "problem" with it is that I lose track of time whenever I sit down in front of it, which is why I will try my best not to fall into the modular rabbit hole.

[lumena]

I really like mine. Thanks to PeteeBee for passing his to me. There were lots of problems with the channel board but Katie at Folktek sorted me out and it all ended nicely. I actually am thinking of a small resonant garden to add to the Mescaline.
Silly clip here, I am trying to force myself to actually record as I work since remembering how I did something is pretty useless - so instead I am going for a learning gestalt - I will just learn all of it.


so I can't do this again.

[lumena]

fixed.

[$harkToootth]

....which is why I will try my best not to fall into the modular rabbit hole.

Erbe Verb has your name all over it brother.

[UglyCasanova]

....which is why I will try my best not to fall into the modular rabbit hole.

Erbe Verb has your name all over it brother.

It was on all of my mockup racks.

[ProCarsteNation]

Oh Boy...
even when I got the shipping confirmation it still seemed far away
now I checked the tracking

Your item departed a transfer airport in FRANKFURT, GERMANY on November 23, 2017 at 10:02 am.
The item is currently in transit to the destination.

that's so close

I get a similar mix of excitement & suspense as if I'd really just ingested some mescaline:
this is gonna hit me soon, who knows where it'll take me

sorry to see some folks are apparantly coming down already... I'm a bit late to the party


@UC
what are you playing yours thru?
Did you have a JC40 or was that your hubby?

[UglyCasanova]

@UC
what are you playing yours thru?
Did you have a JC40 or was that your hubby?

I have a JC-160, but it's in the rehersal space. The Mescaline is my "zoning out at home" toy, and I play it through a BOSS Katana 50W.

I guesss this goes here too. My first patch and session:

[lumena]

Nice UC, sounds like you set up each of the trigger sequences as separate sounds.

[UglyCasanova]

Nice UC, sounds like you set up each of the trigger sequences as separate sounds.

Thanks!

Yeah, if I remember correctly, I had some of the channel synth sounds triggered by the CV seq and some by the trigger seq. Same goes for the clicky and bassy sounds from Mental. I also had the trig seq alternate the FX from reverb to reverse delay. So much fun.