I pre-ordered the Caladan ages ago, mainly attracted by the promise of various custom analog voice cards like the SEM/OB-X and other recreations. However, looking at the recent Isla Electronics updates, these cards are nowhere to be found. Everything seems focused on the DCO3, OPL3 and wavetable engines.
Does anyone have official word from @bradholland on the analog expansion roadmap?
Who here would you expect to have an official word that wasn’t in a video or post from Brad? Unofficially, maybe Brad is working tomget thw base machine out before concentrating on expansions for the as yet unreleased device. But no, i don’t know of any official word on the expansion boards.
It was mentioned on the “old” Caladan pre-order page ( Caladan – ISLA Instruments , screenshot attached), also take a look at the old topic created in 2023 by @bradholland with the votes. Actually, I also love the idea of the TX-based voice, which @LoboLives proposed, would be cool!
Is the TX not basically the DX in desktop format? Something like the SY22 would be way cooler, but I think the OPL3 card will be flexible enough to satisfy my quirky FM needs. Anyway, I’d assume those other cards are still a ways off as I think Brad is focussed mainly on getting the main machine and the cards that are in production ready for release, not to mention Kordbot and S2400 firmware. Think about how much time and effort it takes to just make 1 song. I think planning, building, programming, testing, manufacturing and whatever else is involved in making these cards may as well be abstractions to us layfolk.
Unfortunately, the OPL card is too different from dx/tx sounds for my taste - for example, I have tx802 and clearly hear the difference
Anyway, the original question was about the analog “replicas” cards, so hope we’ll see them in the near future, or at least, some info about them.
Your question was [not verbatim, but essentially] “where are the cards we were promised?” Brad, as he usually does, nicely copy and pasted the original post for you where it specially notes the intention of creating the cards. Some of us remember where he was trying to get a feel for what people would like to see first, which it appears he is still trying to do.
The fact remains that nobody promised you the cards. You are most certainly irked by the fact that you don’t have your Caladan yet (I also felt eager and irritable waiting on the second S2400 run and subsequent and eventual DSP) but it will come. I trust this one man army, he hasn’t let us down yet. He continues to provide big fixes and surprises (KordBot updates, the browser kit maker… btw Brad - I’ve been testing the Kit Maker 3.0 Beta [née Native Instruments Kit Maker, which turns Maschine expansion kits into perfect .xpm files for MPC and .xml for Deluge - and others] and have been in contact with the creator/programmer and asked about a version for S2400 .kit files… he said it’s coming soon, I could give you his info and provide introductions if you wish] and living his jet setter life as the only real full time employee of his very own company… which has provided several of us, I know myself, especially, with the most rubust, user friendly, audiophile sampler/workstation that has inspired me to work, think, listen, and create music differently and with mucho más gusto…
So calm down and give homie a break fam.
The rest of us - please email the Kit Maker guy and tell him you guys want conversion for our S2400 please - the program is $30 and it’s a one time fee and it makes Native Instruments stuff I didn’t use anymore far more useful. I just can’t justify using the MK3 anymore when I’ve got the MPC Live 3, Deluge, and Isla S2400… along with the Tempest, DRM1, Hexdrums, Scrooge, and three MFB Tanz modules to play with.
Didn’t know that asking about a status/plans is not ok - thought that’s one of the purposes of any hardware forums, in which the developers take part. No doubt both you and I will get the devices, but that’s not a question of this topic.
Everyone believes in what they want to.
Everyone believes in what they want to.
You don’t have much experience with people who believe what they’re told to?
It would be better to have some answers instead of useless talk 
Brad has been pretty up front with info when there is solid info to be had.
I hear ya..
But the machine has to walk (literally out the door) before it can run with more cards.
The first run of cards are actually going to be all analog cards, I’ve come to realise along the way that there is less need for any cards that are digitally based (unless they have analog filters) as the machine is already about as powerful as any digital engine can be.
SSI (what used to be SSM) have very kindly sent me a bunch of samples, one of which is this TINY 4mmx4mm Oscillator IC, so you can only imagine how many of them I am going to try and cram onto a card!! https://www.soundsemiconductor.com/downloads/ssi2130datasheet.pdf
But yeah, just bear with me on the cards.. they will come, and I will open source the card board files and from that, I hope to see other indies create cards for it too!
It’ll come. I just can’t give it much of my time right now.
Thanks a lot for the update!
