Ribbons Development Blog

Pedals
10

Firmware Releases:

Click Here for Older Versions
  • 4/19/2023, v1.3: New touch modes (Crushed Cassette and Disintegration Loop), Tape Saturation, UI Improvements, Sine Wave Synth Improvements, Repeater Improvements
    • Change list:
      • New Touch Mode: Disintegration Loop - A looper with controls for decay and speed/direction. This may be one of the few loopers out there that is capable of through-zero speed control without artifacts while recording to a loop. This mode can be used as a tape delay or a >20 second looper.
      • New Touch Mode: Crushed Cassette - Sample rate reducer and bit crusher with mu-law companding.
      • Tape Saturation can now be enabled by sending Ribbons a MIDI CC52 >0. This is global and persistent between power cycles.
      • Sine wave synth now has controls for attack, release, and volume via MIDI CC.
      • Stepped parameters now have stepped LEDs for improved visual feedback.
      • Improved UI feedback when loading presets: once loaded, each preset has a unique glow pattern.
      • Slight improvement to the way the Repeater touch mode triggers the playback of samples.
        • v1.3.1 file adds a small amount of gain compensation when saturation is enabled so there is no noticeable boost or cut when engaging/disengaging the pedal. It also resolved a slight issue with the dropouts when in mono in / mono out mode.
    • Download files:
      • Download this version if your unit was manufactured in 2022 and glows green/blue when you enter bootloader mode:
      • Download this version if your unit was manufactured in 2023 and glows purple/blue when you enter bootloader mode:
    • If you don’t have access to a MIDI controller and would like enable saturation on your Ribbons by default, we’ve created an extra firmware update file for you. You will need to run a factory reset after completing the update to enable saturation.
      • Download this version if your unit was manufactured in 2022 and glows green/blue when you enter bootloader mode AND you want saturation enabled by default instead of compression:
      • Download this version if your unit was manufactured in 2023 and glows purple/blue when you enter bootloader mode AND you want saturation enabled by default instead of compression:

January 2025 — The change list below reflects firmware version 2.0. If you would like to upgrade but are unsure when your unit is from, please review this post first.

  • Units manufactured in 2024 ship with firmware 2.0 already installed — no need to update.
  • Units manufactured in 2022 require a free hardware upgrade to run 2.0. Please email support@kinotoneaudio.com to coordinate.
  • Units manufactured in 2023 can update to firmware 2.0 by installing these files. Instructions for updating are documented in our online manual here.
    IMPORTANT! PLEASE NOTE: To update your 2023 unit to firmware 2.0, you must complete two (2) updates in a row. Your current presets will be erased and replaced with new ones.

    • STEP 1, BOOTLOADER UPDATE — Install the bootloader file first using Ribbons2023Bootloader2.0.wav. When the file is finished playing back, wait for all 6 LEDs to light up green. If you see 6 green LEDs (not two, not four - all 6!) then you are good to proceed.

    • STEP 2, RE-ENTER BOOTLOADER MODE — Remove power from Ribbons. Then, re-enter bootloader mode.

    • STEP 3, FIRMWARE UPDATE — Now you can install firmware 2.0 using Ribbons2023Application2.0.wav. After updating, your Ribbons will boot up normally.

Firmware 2.0 Change List:

Touch Mode enhancements, audio enhancements, new utilities

  • New UnrealPlayer Touch Mode — Emulates the imperfections of lossy digital codecs and early streaming services. Provides controls for spectral degradation (T1) and spectral blur (T2).

  • 4-Track Looper + Touch Modes — You can now use the 4-track looper and any of the Touch Modes simultaneously.

  • Magnetic Dance enhancements

    • 20 second loops — Magnetic Dance has been upgraded from a 1 second micro-looper to a macro looper that allows up to 20 second loops.
    • Double buffering — You can record a new loop while the current loop plays back. The old loop fades out while the new one fades in.

  • New utilities — 3 handy utilities can be configured on the pedal and saved into a preset:

    • filter resonance
    • +/- 6 dB boost or cut
    • Compression or Saturation (easily switch between them)

  • New presets — New factory presets showcase a wider variety of “lo-fi mediums.”

  • Expanded presets — There are now 32 preset slots available. Presets 1-8 can be accessed directly on the pedal, while the full range can be accessed via program change messages.

  • Reverb revamp — The reverb effect has been enhanced for a smoother sound at short decay times and better dry/wet mix. Same lush sound at long decay times.

  • Mix control revamp — Added all-pass compensation and equal power curve to the mix control for overall improvement.

UI and other improvements

  • Fine-tuned UI — Redesigned all user interface code for smoother and faster operation.

  • Page navigation — One tap of the push button will show your current page, and multiple taps advance the page. This uses an 8 second timer. The idea is to show the current page as a reminder if you haven’t touched the pedal in awhile, but to not interrupt flow if you are actively editing settings.

  • Clipping meter — Added a clipping meter for input level monitoring. The Bypass LED changes color if your input audio is too hot.

  • Persistent bypass state — The bypass state is now persistent between power cycles and state saving occurs more frequently.

  • Quieter bypassing — Crossfading has been improved for quieter bypassing when using the buffered bypass option.

  • Hands-free looping — You can toggle through the 4 tracks and clear loops hands-free using the footswitches.

  • Enhanced looper visual feedback — The Bypass LED flashes when switching between normal operation and looper mode, regardless of the pedal’s bypass state. 4-track looper color is more distinct when recording to avoid confusion between recording and playback colors.

  • Preset LED feedback — After loading a preset, the LEDs briefly glow to indicate the preset color and then return back to normal UI.

  • INIT preset protection — The INIT preset can no longer be erased, and the pedal provides a warning if you attempt to do so.

  • MIDI CC improvement — MIDI CCs have been reallocated to improve compatibility with all MIDI controllers. The MIDI clock ignore setting is also now persistent between power cycles.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed issue with Disintegration Loop length calculation when max loop length is exceeded.
  • Resolved a subtle whistle sound that occurred when using Tape Stop or Broken Machine with the Noise parameter turned all the way up.
  • Addressed issue where MIDI CCs and presets loaded to 99.6% instead of 100%.
  • Fixed LED bug after mapping parameters to CV/EXP.
  • Fixed LED bug when loading presets and the Repeater Touch Mode is selected.
  • When a program change is sent, the preset UI hovers over the last preset loaded via PC message.
  • Corrected the factory reset process to prevent accidental entry into bootloader mode.
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