Cafe Quantum Looping Delay + Synthesizer

Ciat-Lonbarde Cafe Quantum

Sit down and dig into Cafe Quantum from Ciat-Lonbarde, a dual looping delay and synthesizer instrument that carries on core elements of the phenomenal Cocoquantus into a new era of musical mayhem. Cafe Quantum is part of a new series of designs from Peter Blasser that integrates a reprogrammable ESP32 microcontroller with a new, Norton amplifier-based quintuple oscillator network called the "Quantum Experiment". Whereas the Cafeteria_Mono pairs this looping delay line made with the ESP32 alongside a theremin-like wobbler oscillator and the aforementioned Quantum Experiment, Cafe Quantum instead straddles the oscillator network with a generous duo of independent delay modules. This dual approach makes for the most apt spiritual successor to the Cocoquantus 2 of the Cafeteria series, while providing plentiful divergences to enable novel sonic experiments. For optimal flexibility in slinging multimodal signal types into this decadent duo of digital decay and analog emergence, Cafe Quantum also features a dedicated preamplifier section complete with XLR input.

In either esp_cafe module, signal is passed through a digital delay line that feeds back into itself via a Norton amplifier stage, with an input to enable injecting external signals into the fray. Central to the developments in the Cafe series, the characterful class AB Norton op amp arrangement provides analog essence par excellence all across the Cafe Quantum, implementing many of its unique capabilities that have made it a go-to element for legendary synthesizer designers like Serge Tcherepnin. Similar to the clock in Cocoquantus, the clock controlling the esp_cafe delay is analog, allowing for speculative instrumentalization (read: abuses) of the digital memory system to derive crunchy and lo-fi delays, loops, and more. On either end of the modules, theremin-like geldings of the wooden panels enable the user to join themselves in the circuitry. Like the deerhorn, these "Tier Horns" provide expressive physical control of CV signals, while also wrangling an audio sinewave for direct sound control. The middle sections offer control over the ESP32 microcontrollers themselves, including audio inputs and outputs, clocking, and even a USB connection for reprogramming the device. Filtering, sampling, and delay are all possible here, growing only more complex when entangled within the Quantum Experiment or with further feedback patching via its banana jack patch points.

At the center of Cafe Quantum, space and time fold within the Quantum Experiment, a chaotic network of five oscillators entangled together in constant exchange. At the bottom corners of this block, master pitch and chaos controls provide both linear and nonlinear possibilities for direct interaction, as well as CV inputs for these functions. Naturally, patch points offer further opportunities for interaction via signal connection and voltage control. The green patch points allow for reprogramming the chaotic connectivity between networked nodes, while square buttons enable toggle each oscillator between identities of audio signal and haptic control sources. Orange outputs deliver each oscillator's signal, while ash banana jacks provide a core quantized signal from each. Useful as both a sound source for filling the esp_cafe modules with audio content or as powerfully complex and organic modulation sources, the Quantum Experiment is both dancer and choreographer within the Cafe Quantum, directing and performing movements across the esp_cafe's stellar stage of time domain processing.

The preamp section in Cafe Quantum operates in similar fashion to the one found in Cocoquantus, enabling input of microphones and high-impedance sources into the system. Both audio output and envelope following are found here, blurring the boundary between sound and control source further yet. Like Cocoquantus, the Cafe Quantum's friendly relationship with external signals makes it one of the most rewarding and knowable instruments in Ciat-Lonbarde's catalog, resuscitating recent pasts in passing digital memories. However, the Cafe Quantums design poses a risk to those who favor the always-known and strictly-represented forms of musical meaning making, instead offering an experience much more akin to a conversation with the outer beings, made babbling and incomprehensible between iterative rungles of feedback control, yet retaining the intentionality of organized behavior. Commune with Ciat-Lonbarde's Cafe Quantum in your own studio, and you're sure to discover new worlds of audio alchemy across each exposed circuit point, gesture, and utterance carefully heard.

Cafe Quantum Features

• Dual digital delay and sampler + chaotic oscillator network instrument
• 2x ESP32-based digital delay modules with analog feedback amplifier enables experimental delays, sampling, reverb, and filtering
• Analog clock control for digital delay line
• ESP32-based esp_cafe modules are reprogrammable with panel-mounted USB connection
• Tier horn antenna controller on each esp_cafe module creates CV and audio signals with theremin-like interaction
• Quantum Experiment: 5-oscillator chaotic signal network for modulation and audio sources
• Global pitch and chaos control with CV inputs for Quantum Experiment
• Triangle and quantized (stepped) oscillator outputs
• Preamp section with XLR input featuring envelope follower and audio outputs