Instruo has published firmware 2.0 of its Lubadh dual looper Eurorack module, promising it’s a different animal with a rewritten core.
Loopers are popular tools in music production. They are also used in performances and are especially handy for improvisations. Loopers are often found in the form of a guitar pedal. For some time, there have also been Eurorack modules that bring this idea into the modular world.
One of the most advanced and creative looper modules is the Lubadh from the Scottish developer company Instruō. Its user interface is very eye-candy, but its functionality is also super deep, allowing you to loop audio differently. Instruō recently released firmware 2.0, giving the module a completely new internal engine.
Instruō Lubadh 2.0
Jason Lim says that the Lubadh engine is completely rewritten from the ground up. It gives you a completely new module experience with new features. Lubadth 2.0 remains a dual looper with recording and overdubbing capabilities.
Each loop can now have up to 10 minutes of recording time, twice as much as before. It comes again with one-shot play and one-shot record modes. The new firmware brings true tape vari-speed recording, introducing the power of many iconic tape composition and manipulation techniques.
10 Powerful Loop Configurations
Exciting are the 10 new factory presets, which are user-configurable and user-shareable preset capabilities. Two presets are accessible on the fly means each deck can have its own characteristic and behavior.
Starting with the tape looper setting, the default configuration of the new firmware 2.0. It gives the same functionality as the original Lubadth but incorporates vari-speed recording and full control over the tape emulation. This includes wow and flutter, and more.
Then, Clean is almost the same as the tape looper preset but without the analog-modeled goodies. It has vari-speed recording and front panel control over the crossfade duration. Classic recreates the original functionality of firmware 1.0 without vari-speed recording.
The Clockable preset allows you to use an external clock signal to synchronize loops. Great for chopping up loops or beat-repeating patches. Multi-Tape uses four playheads for creating rich multi-tap delay lines with flexible triggering for complex distributions.
1V/Oct Tracking
One of the big highlights of Instruo Lubadh 2.0 firmware are the new sequencing presets. They introduce the all-new 1V/oct tracking functionality of Lubadth. SequencingMono is optimized for sequencing and brings 1V/octave pitch changes with 2 octaves +/-. It also has a built-in retrigger delay to ensure any pitch change is set in time for a new note to be triggered.
SequencingPoly is the polyphonic version of the SequencingMono presets, where the playback speed is set to hold. Thus, you can have multiple taps simultaneously active, each playing at a different speed or pitch. This allows you to sequence polyphonic playback of a loop. The configuration is very reminiscent of a wavetable that morphs through different waves. A great mode for creating rich drones and textures.
Further, Melontron turns Lubadh into a Mellotron clone with 4-note polyphony. The latter uses a combination of multi-taps and sequenced 1V/oct signal to re-pitch the looped samples.
Octave Delay presets transforms the module into a pitch-shifting octave delay with cascading feedback capabilities. Lastly, you get the Broken Tape setting that emulates a broken tape machine for extreme pitch-warbled distortions.
Anyone who thought Lubadh 1.0 was a deep module hasn’t tried firmware 2.0 yet. This looks like a brilliant update for Instruo’s eye-catching looper module. I particularly like the different presets with which you can rediscover the module every time.
The new Instruo Lubadh 2.0 firmware is available now as a free download for existing users. There is also a new update package for $109+/- that includes the new USB expander, a card with the new firmware and a USB-stick packed with newly sampled content.
More information here: Instruō
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