Concept in a nutshell

  • Mono sample player and sequencer with 8 MB of sample time per project. (Lo-fi)
  • The sequencers cannot be stopped, things just happen on the fly.
  • Two projects can be loaded and played at the same time, one on deck A the other on deck B.
  • A project has 12 monophonic tracks, so 24 in total.
  • The mix of the decks can be crossfaded and projects can be loaded whilst playback like in common DJ apps.
  • Samples are loaded randomly from a directory that is assigned to a category which is assigned to an instrument.
  • Unused samples can be removed to make room for more new random samples.
  • The master mix can be recorded to the SD card as a long wav file while performing.
  • There is a generative sequencing mode with four chained euclidean generators.
  • Each instrument is routed to one of four mix-buses (mono)
  • The master mix can be resampled to generate loops.
  • When in slice mode, the sample can be started from 16 different locations.
  • While everything is Mono (not even panning per track), a wideness effect exists to improve the headhone experience and reduces ear fatique.
  • The current master effects are: Reverb, Filter, Distortion and Mono-to-Stereo width.
  • The projects are similar to tracker-modules (Renoise, Fast-Tracker 2) in that the samples and sequencer data are contained in a single file.

Installation

Scan this QR Code

  1. Hack your 3DS by following the instructions on https://3ds.hacks.guide
  2. Join the Noise Commander Patreon gang and pay one euro or more.
  3. Ensure to enable the Wifi mode on your console and that you have internet access.
  4. Open the FBI app on your console
  5. Select "Remote Install"
  6. Scan the given QR-Code to get the Noise Commander Installer to the home screen of your console
  7. Launch the installer from your home screen
  8. Enter the email-address that is associated to your Patreon account.
  9. Press A to confirm the install
  10. You are done - Unwrap and launch Noise Commander from your home screen.

You can update to a new version of Noise Commander by re-running the installer after a new version of Noise Commander is released.

In some cases the installer itself might need to be updated, if that is the case then it will be mentioned in the release notes on Patreon.

The installer will only function as long as your Patreon membership with Noise Comannder 3DS is active.

Note

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Directories

The installer will create these directories on your SD-Card:
/noisecmdr For internal config files
/samples Put your Mono(!) wav-samples here. Tip
/tracks Your projects are saved here.

Status Display
Smpl the amount of currently loaded samples
Mem How much of the 8MB sample memory is currently used, in percent
Deck The currently selected Deck
All When all mode is enabled, certain parameter changes are applied to all tracks together
DSP An approximation of the CPU usage. It is normalize so that 100% is where you will start hearing crackling on the original 3DS.
VU and RAM can be ignored, they are liers.

The lower part of the upper screen was supposed to show all available button shortcuts but they are often outdated.

General Navigation and Operation

  • Press Select to show the available menu screens and use the touch screen to open one.
  • If you instead press Select again, then you will return to the screen you had previously selected.
    This way you can go back and forth between to screens.
  • The DPAD will move the selection cursor in most screens.
  • Pressing Left or Right on the DPAD while holding A will change the current value in single steps.
  • Doing the same with Up or Down changes values in increments of 10.
  • If the selection is a button then pressing A will press it. If a button is toggled or enabled then the color changes to red.
  • To exit the app immediately, press Select and Start at the same time - if you have not saved your file it is lost, there is no confirmation dialog.
  • The right shoulder button changes whether deck A or deck B is displayed.

Instruments View

  • Show the instruments screen
  • Go to category and load the samples - Pressing Start will delete unused samples
  • Back to instruments and show how to select random samples
  • Or by number
BusNr Sends the audio to one of four mono buses. The bus volume can be changed in the Crossfacer view
Cycling Cycles through the samples which match the instrument's category
Randomize Selects a random sample from the instrument's category

The A and B buttons allow cycling through the track selection

Step Grid View

Go to step grid and show how to enter notes:

  • With the cursor
  • Hold LShld btn and predd B to insert notes during playback
  • Solo a lane with X
  • Mute a lane with Y (toggle)
  • Clear with the left shoulder button
  • Press upp/down to wipe multiple tracks quickly
  • Hold Lshld btn and left/right on the dpad to rotate the notes. Also works with all mode
  • Change the length of a lane in the pattern by holding the right shoulder button and press up or down on the dpad
  • Choose which bar number is displayed by holding the right shoulder button and press right or left on the dpad
  • Copy a pattern by holdinh the R shld btn and touching one of the 15 slots at the bottom
  • Touching the slots will jump to that pattern immediately
  • It can be fun to select random other samples after copying a pattern and then switch forth and back.
  • The pattern length can be doubled so that the first bar is copied to a second bar and so forth in the pattern menu. Select "Extend" with the DPad and press A.
  • Pressing Start will activate the Euclidean mode which inserts random events. More on that later.

Perform View

This is an MPC style drum pad mode for triggering the samples from the touch screen.

  • When pressing A, the title background color turns red, meaning that pads are recorded to the pattern when played.
  • Pressing B toggles Slice mode - each pad pays one of 16 slices of the sample which works well with drumloops.
  • The Roll mode will repeat notes on all tracks momentarily while a pad is pressed.
  • Mute is empty and not implemented.
  • Keys allows playing chromatic notes in a rudimentary way. The left and right dpad keys change the octave.

Effects in Pattern View

  • Reverb
  • Filter
  • Folding distortion (wrap)
  • Mono to stereo effect (bottom row parameters)

Project
Reload Loads the entire project again
Reload Seq Only reloads the pattern/sequencer data but not the samples
Record Records the stereo mix to stereo wav file on the sd card.
Resample Starts resampling the master audio at the start of the next bar. The length is determined by RecBarCnt in units of bars.
The instrument or sample of the currently selected track is replaced with the new recording.
SyncLen The pitch of the current sample is changed to play for to bars. It is intended to be used with looped audio samples.
InQuantize The note is triggered at the next amount of sixteenth notes. 0 means no delay.

Euclidean

Four euclidean generators chained serially. There are pairs of Amount and Length parameters for each. The pitch is modulated by a list of 8 random values.
Randomize will randomize the amount and length parameters
Pitch Higher values will create more variation in notes
Rand Pitch will randomize the 8 pitch values
Rise Modulates the pitch with a sawtooth shape over four bars.
Negative values can be set.
Also works then euclidean mode is disabled.

No notion of stopping the sequence, unlike some hardware sequencers.