Unstable drone syndrome.

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bridgeshome
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Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 10:06 pm

Unstable drone syndrome.

Post by bridgeshome »

Loving getting to know the WARBL more all the time!
I have a question about something that seems to happen when I first plug in and start up the WARBL app and the Celtic Sounds app.
Initially, everything defaults to the settings I have saved - I’m talking about the Uilleann pipes in this case - and I can start the drone with a bit of pressure on the bag and then kick the chanter in with a little more pressure, as ‘learned’ earlier by the app.
So far, so good.
About two-thirds of the time, however, one of two things happen:
1. Either the drone cuts out completely during play, or;
2. The drone just stays on, no matter if there is pressure or not on the bag.
When I close both apps and reopen, things usually straighten out and stay that way, but it can take two or three closings/reopenings to stabilize settings.
What am I missing?
Thanks!
Dave G.
Sandpoint, ID
PS-Andrew: Hope you’re getting some of the rain we’re just now having.
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admin
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Re: Unstable drone syndrome.

Post by admin »

Hi Dave, we did get a few minutes of rain the other night-- the first I've seen in months! Hopefully more is on the way soon.

I'm glad you're enjoying WARBL so far. I'll find some time later today to see if I can reproduce this problem with the drones. Celtic Sounds is a little tricky in this regard because it uses the same command to turn the drones off and on, so WARBL has to "remember" when the drones are on. Then, if there's a glitch in the app that turns the drones off, WARBL thinks they're still on and the commands get reversed, confusing everything. Anyway, I'll report back with my findings.
Andrew Mowry
info@warbl.xyz
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Re: Unstable drone syndrome.

Post by admin »

I played around with this a bit, and I don't think I'm able to reproduce what's happening to you. However, here are some things you could try (and report back with your results ;):

-This may go without saying, but I would make sure you're not squeezing the bag when you open the Celtic Sounds app and/or plug WARBL in, as that might cause the drones on/off commands to get reversed.

-You mentioned that the drones sometimes cut out suddenly while you're playing. If you try using another method of controlling the drones, e.g. a button, do the drones still cut out sometimes? That would tell us whether it's the app that is stopping the drones or whether WARBL is actually sending a command to stop them.

-If you have the "drones on" pressure set very low, you could try increasing it a bit, in case the sensitivity is causing WARBL to misinterpret your intentions.

-You could try using a free MIDI console app like MIDI Wrench to see when WARBL is sending the "note on" command that turns the drones off and on. This could be very helpful for diagnosing whether it's WARBL or Celtic Sounds that is causing the problem.

-By the way, you may know this, but tapping the logo at the top of the Celtic Sounds app will stop the drones, which is useful if the commands get reversed, i.e. WARBL thinks they are off when in fact they are on. Stopping the drones manually corrects that problem.
Andrew Mowry
info@warbl.xyz
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