It's been a few months since we announced COSMOS and we know many of you are looking forward to it.
We worked hard to release COSMOS as soon as possible and we did not had time to kept you updated. We are sorry and we are now taking the time to give you infos about the state of development of COSMOS and the date of its availability.
PCB DESIGN
We first presented COSMOS at the Superbooth last May. The module was functional but it was still a prototype. Under the shinny faceplate was cables and other quick fixes to make it works for Superbooth.
We thought that back from the Superbooth we would just have to implement those mods on the PCB to have othe module ready, but COSMOS isn’t at its 8th revision for nothing…
Long story short we had to design to more revisions of the PCB to have a module ready for production.
After several weeks of testing the 8th revision we can finally say that COSMOS is ready for production!
Some of the COSMOS prototypes.
COSMOS PRODUCTION
In parallel with the of the PCB, we’ve been working for weeks to secure the stock of components to produce the 1st batch.
Long story short it took us a lot of time and effort but we have enough components for the 1st batch! We even managed to find more, which allowed us to expand this 1st batch and we are actively working on stocks for the next batch.
THE MANUAL
While waiting for the availability of COSMOS, many of you have asked us for the manual to understand a little better this strange module that is COSMOS.
As with COSMOS and as with everything we do, we never compromise and the manual is no exception. We didn't want a simple manual of a few pages consisting only of text and technical terms.
COSMOS is a disruptive and extremely flexible module that can seem complex and intimidating. We therefore wanted a manual that simply explained all the possibilities of COSMOS and that was understandable not only by the most experienced users but also by beginners.
We wanted a manual that was as simple and transparent as possible and with several levels of reading, allowing the beginner to easily understand the module and the expert to have all the technical information necessary to push COSMOS within these limits.
Triggers section of the COSMOS manual.
Beyond this manual we also wanted patch ideas, to allow beginners to get the most out of COSMOS with a minimum of knowledge and for experts to open up new perspectives to give them ways to push COSMOS beyond its limits...
Patch ideas to use COSMOS as a VCO using a Slew.
To achieve this goal we have been working for several weeks with Pyer who is responsible for the GUI of VCV Rack 2, the collection of Geodesics modules and the NYSTHI modules, among other things.
Together we worked to define and develop a language that allows to quickly and easily understand the module as the patch ideas.
Patch ideas for using COSMOS to control a VCO with your voice or a guitar.
We are happy to announce that the first part of the manual is finished and that we are currently working on the ideas patches. We want to include several dozen idea patches, it's a long process but we can already guarantee that the manual will be ready when the first COSMOS will be shipped.
We're also sure you'll find applications for COSMOS that we even thought about and we want to include them to the patch ideas. We therefore intend to update the manual regularly, which means that the manual will only be available in a digital version.
THE PACKAGING
No compromise on the module, no compromise on the manual and no compromise on the packaging! We’ve been working on what we think is the best packaging possible for a few months now:
A bullet-proof packaging
We wanted to design the perfect packaging, the packaging that protects our modules from any damage. To create this packaging we had to identify “tangible threats” like shocks and “intangible threats” like ESD. To protect our modules from all those threats, we had to find a partner capable of manufacturing such packaging then test it.
We worked for months with our partner to develop the perfect packaging that protects our modules from any types of damage.
A Reusable packaging
A modular system is like a piece of art, it is never completely finished. We remove modules, add others,sell some and buy others. Therefore a module can have several lives and we wanted a packaging that follows it in all those lives. We didn't want a packaging that was disposable, recyclable or not, after all, The best waste is the one that we do not produce!
A nice packaging
We believe that the packaging is part of the module and should be designed with as much care as the module itself. Therefore we wanted packaging that reflects our modules, a high-end packaging with a smart design, a attention to every details and of course a black and gold finish!
After several prototypes and dozens of tortured boxes, we finally reached our goal! the boxes are already in production and we should receive them in a few weeks.
The new "Black Packaging"
THE DIY KIT
Many of you asked us if and when the DIY kit for COSMOS would be available.
COSMOS will be available only in Full Kit, this includes the PCB (with the SMD components already soldered), the faceplate as well as all the components necessary for the assembly of the module. The components to solder will be jacks, LEDs and connectors, so the kit will be accessible to beginners.
An oscilloscope with at least 2 inputs will be required for calibrating the module. For those who have a Mordax DATA, you’ll be able to use it to calibrate your COSMOS.
for the moment we do not know yet when the DIY Kit will be available.
We first want to focus on the 1st batch of modules that have been pre-ordered.
We have opened a waiting list for DIY Kits : JOIN THE WAITLIST
WHEN COSMOS WILL BE AVAILABLE?!
We have just launched the production of the 1st batch of COSMOS. Due to the large number of pre-orders we estimate that we will need 3 or 4 weeks to produce all the modules and test them.
By then we should receive the packaging which is already being manufactured by our partner.
The manual will be ready within 4 weeks at the latest, but we hope it will be ready a little before.
We should therefore be able to start shipping the first modules by the end of September.
ANYTHING ELSE?
For those of you’ve come across this article and didn’t know COSMOS yet, you can find demos
from our Youtube or from our Instagram.
For those of you who haven't pre-ordered your COSMOS yet, we still have a couple available, you can pre-order your from the product page.
We have also opened our own official forum on Modwiggler. This will help track Black Noise related topics and answer to them more quickly.
If you have any questions about COSMOS please use our Modwiggler topic COSMOS Q/A we would love to hear them and be able to answer them.
