April 14, 2019
I must have stirred controversy in my previous post. Take the comments from this thread for example: The future of DSP?. I almost wanted to
Nu Series v2
The Nu Series Modular Active Pickups are hacker friendly, general purpose pickups that can be used in a variety of applications.
Nexus v2
The Nexus is a small, flexible, and hacker friendly breakout box that connects your multichannel guitar to the outside world.
GPU DSP — When You Can’t Have Enough Cores
April 10, 2019
The writing is on the wall. I said it before, I’ll say it again: The dedicated DSP processor will become obsolete. I’m being modest, actually.
April 6, 2019
Look, we have a few of these All-Black Nu V2 Multi. What do you think? It’s the same Nu Multi like before, but with a black
February 23, 2019
Update: Oh, and in addition to the Academic Discount just announced, we are also now offering the Nu Multi Basic set (less $40) for hackers
February 23, 2019
Research is a crucial part of Cycfi. There’s this incessant desire to learn and keep abreast with the latest technologies, and we are all aware
February 10, 2019
Announcing the release of the Q Audio DSP Library v0.9 beta: https://github.com/cycfi/Q Q is a cross-platform C++ library for Audio Digital Signal Processing. Aptly named
February 2, 2019
One of the most frequently asked questions is how to connect the Nu Multi to Roland gear. There are many ways to do it, from
Meredith – Basic Nu Multichannel Setup
January 6, 2019
There’s this discussion in the Cycfi Facebook group about creating a set of videos and demonstrations on “benefits of independent string processing”. I intend to do
January 2, 2019
Here’s something nice to start the New Year from Fabio Mittino. The guitar is a Cristian Mirabella archtop equipped with a swappable pickguard loaded with a special
Visualizing the Fourier Transform
December 20, 2018
I’ve always been fascinated with the Fourier Transform, even at a very young age. I’m also a very visual person and I always think graphically. I
December 16, 2018
My holy grail… It’s been on the back burner for far too long since after its inception in 2014, giving priority to other projects such as the
November 25, 2018
A picture paints a thousand words… After more than a year in development, starting from my post about this new breed of pickups, here now
November 12, 2018
We’ve already worked on a few projects before, using Nu on the acoustic guitar. For such purposes, it makes sense to mount the Nu near
October 27, 2018
Øivind’s 9 string Strandberg is undergoing continuous evolution. Thankfully, he’s adventurous enough to be on the “Bleeding Edge”, so to speak, and patient enough to
October 12, 2018
So, it’s been a common question: Will there be a Nu v2 combo like the Nu-XR combo we had before? Well, I’m sorry but it won’t
October 6, 2018
This is probably the easiest way to wire up a Nu system! How much simpler can it be? This one is for a custom 4-string
September 29, 2018
We’re always ready to take your Nu Multi Custom orders. Check out the pictures below for some examples. How to proceed: See our standard configurations table below.
September 24, 2018
Here are more pictures of Meredith. Two words come to mind: elegant simplicity. But hey, that’s a multichannel guitar and she rocks!
September 23, 2018
Meet Meredith, our first reference design. She’s a heavily customized Fender Stratocaster (with Grover locking tuners, passive pickups: Di-Marzio Chopper neck, EMG passive bridge and
Nu Multi for Bowed Instruments
September 12, 2018
Busy, busy, busy… Yesterday, I presented a scheme for the skewed Multiscale Nu Multi. Today, I’d like to present a scheme for Bowed instruments. I’m getting
September 11, 2018
It seems we’ll be making more custom Nu Multis. There are a few in the pipeline. Here’s a 3D rendering of a custom Nu Multi
September 6, 2018
halldorophones Here’s a very interesting musical instrument. A project of Halldór Úlfarsson, the halldorophone utilizes feedback to generate harmonically rich drones from six strings, with
September 2, 2018
I take pride in giving attention to the finest details, to the point of obsession. All our projects are accompanied by well presented documentation. Hey,
September 1, 2018
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this was a 3D rendering. Look at that clean, sleek lines! I’m very proud to say we’ve
August 21, 2018
Previously, I introduced the Tone Block, a passive second-order (two-pole) resonant RLC filter with variable frequency and Q (resonance). It’s a simple and economical alternative to our Resonant Filter —
August 18, 2018
Good day Y’all. I’m so proud to finally release the complete family of the Nu v2 along with the Nexus v2! We worked so hard on
July 23, 2018
Overview The Tone Block is a passive second-order (two-pole) resonant RLC filter with variable frequency and Q (resonance). It’s a simple and economical alternative to our Resonant Filter,
July 15, 2018
I’ve been wrestling with noise since the early days of the 6 pack project from whence the Nu project began. It’s enemy number one for me.
Fast and Efficient Pitch Detection: Synth Tracking
June 18, 2018
Update: check out the Q Audio DSP Library where this is being actively developed. A couple of posts back, I wrote about Bitstream Autocorrelation (Here and Here). It
June 15, 2018
You’ve been waiting for this. I know! Well, here now is the final production prototype. The Nu v2 Multi is based on the Nu v2
Modula Pre-Production Prototype
May 12, 2018
Cycfi’s new baby is coming very soon: A full-range, semi-modular pickup: Modula. If you haven’t heard about this yet, go check out the New Breed of
May 5, 2018
The Nu version-2 capsule is ready to go! Thicker permalloy ring for improved electromagnetic isolation, better string focus and crosstalk reduction. Bobbin-less coil to make
Fast and Efficient Pitch Detection: Bliss!
April 10, 2018
Updates: check out Synth Tracking and the Q Audio DSP Library where this is being actively developed. In my previous post, I introduced my invention, Bitstream Autocorrelation: an
Fast and Efficient Pitch Detection: Bitstream Autocorrelation
March 13, 2018
Updates: check out Bliss!, Synth Tracking and the Q Audio DSP Library. So, since last year, I’ve been mulling over a unique, and extremely fast(!) Autocorrelation scheme for
March 2, 2018
Almost immediately after I announced our Roadmap for 2018, the XRs and the current Nu modules went out of stock as people hurriedly grabbed what’s remaining
January 24, 2018
It’s amazing to see what luthiers are building using our pickups! THIS is a work of art! Exquisite build by Keith Felker of Mother Plucker Guitars
January 16, 2018
Simplify! I think that will be my mantra for 2018. Looking back, the current product line that we have including the XR Pickups and all
Modula 8 and 9 String Prototypes
December 6, 2017
So many things to do. So little time! I think Karl Steinberg was right in remarking that I have too many projects happening all at
Fast and Efficient Pitch Detection: Double Trouble
November 26, 2017
This D string was driving my pitch detector nuts. It’s jumping from fundamental to octave and back all over the place. Can’t make up its
November 14, 2017
I find it amusing when people talk about the “sound” of the magnet in pickups :-). The magnet has no sound! If you don’t believe
Infinity Update: The FM Synth Driver
November 2, 2017
A two-operator FM synth offers nice, easy to use, harmonic control over the driven waveform.
Modula Update: Preamp Performance Tweaks
November 1, 2017
I can’t recall how many times we went back to the drawing board. Design, test, rinse repeat. I only wish turnaround time is shorter than
Modula Update: Nice Little Coils
October 28, 2017
Nice and clean! I just got a set of sample coils straight from the manufacturer and so we got excited and assembled these guys into the Modula’s dual coil
October 15, 2017
Look what we have here! It’s the Modula Preamp. It’s a balanced design using the ADA4084 Low Noise, Rail-to-Rail Input/Output, Low Power Operational Amplifiers, with a 625μA supply
Fast and Efficient Pitch Detection
October 2, 2017
I needed to implement real-time, multichannel pitch detection in software using a small ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller (MCU). My all-time favorite is the STM32F4 family from
September 22, 2017
Today, Cycfi Research is honored as the “Engineering Site of the Day” by the wonderful folks at EEWeb! Many thanks, EEWeb!
Modula update: Concentric Pots
September 20, 2017
Look what we have here! Concentric pots, anyone? We’re developing the next generation Resonant Filter and this might just be the key. Before, we had to
ADA4084: Can it get better than this?
September 17, 2017
Can it get better than this? Oh, I’m sure it will! I’m pretty sure we’ll see continuous improvements in Op Amp performance over the years.
8-String Flex Upgrade: LTD SC-208
September 5, 2017
This LTD SC-208 began life as an entry level 8-string for those interested in dipping their toe in the “deep end”. The stock setup included passive