Locutus

Locutus requires Assimil8or firmware v3.0 or later. The update is free and loads from an SD card. Locutus has no firmware of its own. You configure everything through Assimil8or's menu system.

Yes. Rossum offers powder-coated black front panels alongside the standard silver for Assimil8or, Locutus, Morpheus, Panharmonium and Linnaeus. You can also buy a replacement black panel separately to swap onto an existing silver-panel module.

Locutus has three standard 5-pin DIN jacks: MIDI In, MIDI Out and MIDI Thru. There is no USB MIDI.

Locutus offers several assignment modes that set how incoming MIDI notes map to Assimil8or's eight channels:

• Dynamic: cycles through available channels for polyphonic patches, allocating voices on the fly like a poly synth.
• Multi: notes on eight separate MIDI channels map directly to Assimil8or channels 1-8, starting from the Basic Channel number. This suits multitimbral sequencing.
• SP-1200: triggers Assimil8or from an SP-1200's MIDI output. It works with both the Rossum SP-1200 Reissue and original E-mu SP-1200/SP-12 instruments.
• Indexed KZ: eight successive keys select a channel's zone without triggering it, which suits preset zone selection.

Not freely. You set a Basic Channel from 1 to 16. Assimil8or channels 1-8 map sequentially from that starting channel. For example, Basic Channel 9 maps MIDI channels 9-16 to Assimil8or channels 1-8. You cannot arbitrarily assign MIDI channel 3 to Assimil8or channel 7. Many users expect that. The system does not accommodate it.

Indexed KZ is a MIDI Multi assignment mode, added in Assimil8or software 3.02, in which eight successive keys act as index keys that select a channel's zone without triggering the channel. It uses a MIDI Setup parameter called Index Base Key, which sets the lowest note number of those index keys. For example, with Index Base Key set to 1, MIDI notes 1 through 8 select Assimil8or zones 1 through 8. This lets a controller or sequencer choose the active zone independently of the notes that trigger playback. It is useful for switching samples or articulations on the fly. Indexed KZ requires Assimil8or software v3.02 or later.

Yes. You can trigger some channels over MIDI and others with analog gates. For example, in Multi mode with channels 1-4 receiving MIDI, you can patch analog triggers to channels 5-8 and they work normally. All analog trigger inputs and buttons keep working regardless of the MIDI settings.

CC assignments are set per CV column (A, B or C), not per individual channel. When you assign a CC number to a CV column, that CC replaces the physical CV input for that column across all eight channels. This is the single most common source of confusion with Locutus. The alternative is block CC assignment. A range of eight consecutive CC numbers (for example CC#16-23) maps to CV column A for channels 1-8 in turn. That gives per-channel control but requires your controller to send a different CC per channel.

Bit depth is a known trouble spot. Users report difficulty getting it to respond to MIDI CC even when aliasing and pitch work with the same controller. First confirm which parameters are CC-mappable and their exact CC numbers in the Locutus MIDI Reference (PDF). Also check that bit depth is assigned to one of Locutus's CC-enabled CV columns, since CC control applies per CV column across all channels. If bit depth still will not respond, contact support.

Yes. Velocity and channel pressure (aftertouch) can modulate Assimil8or parameters. You configure them in the MIDI Setup pages.

Yes. A MIDI source on Locutus's MIDI In can select Assimil8or presets with MIDI Program Change messages. Locutus's MIDI Out can also transmit a Program Change whenever the preset changes. Other gear can then follow Assimil8or's preset changes.

Yes. Locutus can convert the analog control voltages patched to Assimil8or's 24 CV inputs into MIDI CC data on the MIDI Out port. This lets your modular system control external MIDI gear. Program Change messages are also optionally transmitted when Assimil8or presets change.

No. Locutus does not output control voltage. It converts MIDI to internal Assimil8or parameters only. It can also convert Assimil8or's CV inputs to MIDI CC output. For MIDI-to-CV conversion you need a separate module. A common workaround is to connect your MIDI source to Locutus's MIDI In and chain the MIDI Thru to a dedicated MIDI-to-CV converter for gate and CV outputs. Modules like the Hexinverter Mutant Brain or Endorphin.es Shuttle Control work well.

No. Locutus does not support MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression).

No. Locutus has no alternate tuning offsets or MTS support at this time.

No. You must start sampling from Assimil8or's front panel. MIDI note on/off cannot trigger the record function.

Locutus and Assimil8or's internal MIDI processing add very little latency. A single trigger takes about 4 ms in total, including MIDI transmission time. Because MIDI is serial, triggering all eight channels at once spaces them roughly 1 ms apart. That is tight by any standard and well below what most vintage samplers achieve.