One DSP revision across both character processors: a rebuilt filter, corrected gain staging through drive and saturation, and a limiter that stays out of the way. Out of public beta and into production. Free for every owner.
Modbap is an independent music technology company building instruments and sound-shaping tools from a beatmaker's perspective. Since 2020, the company has developed a distinct approach to electronic music instruments centered on purposeful controls, playable design, and character-forward sound.
CLRS 1.0.1 and Hue 1.0.3 are now the standard releases for both modules. Both have completed a public beta period and are available free to every owner from updater.modbap.com.
The two modules are one family. Hue came first, a compact mono color and tone processor built around paired controls. CLRS answered years of requests for a stereo version with independent controls, preset storage and a dedicated compressor, and became the expanded platform rather than a wider Hue. This firmware revision treats them that way: the same corrections, applied to both.
The firmware shipping today is bit-for-bit identical to the release candidates beta testers have been running. Nothing was changed on the way out of beta.
Both modules are character processors. They are supposed to add saturation, artifacts, bandwidth reduction and compression when asked. The problem this revision addresses is what they did when they were not asked.
Drive applied a little distortion at zero. Turning up saturation cost output level, so pushing color meant chasing gain. The end-of-chain limiter engaged on material that did not need limiting, and pumped. None of it was dramatic on its own, and together it meant the modules were never quite neutral, so a player could not use them as a clean path and reach for color when they wanted it.
Drive is now fully bypassed at the bottom of its range on both modules, with CLRS adding a soft blend across the first five percent so the transition into distortion is not a step. Post-gain compensation was added through the drive and saturation stages so output level holds steady as color goes up. The limiter's release was shortened, and its intensity reduced, so the signal is left alone when the effects are off.
The DJ-style filter on both modules was rebuilt on a more stable state-variable design, with a wider sweep at both ends and a center deadzone so returning to neutral by hand is reliable in performance rather than a hunt for the exact middle.
Resonance behavior was corrected on both. On Hue, proper resonance response was restored when resonance is active, and resonance is now adjustable with Shift plus the Filter knob. On CLRS, the response curve was reshaped to stay low near center and rise quickly toward the extremes, which prevents the frequency blowout that made high resonance hard to use musically.
A low-end roll-off present in both modules was also fixed.
Both releases install from updater.modbap.com, the browser-based tool that updates every Modbap module. It is free, there is nothing to install and no account is required. The updater talks to the module over USB directly from the browser using WebUSB, so it runs in Chrome, Edge, Brave and similar on macOS, Windows and Linux. An update takes about two minutes.
The updater itself has been rebuilt alongside this release. Three things are worth knowing for anyone writing about the update process:
An optional step that reads the installed firmware back off the module and identifies it, so an owner can confirm what is on the module before writing over it. Currently in beta, and not offered for Trinity 2.0, whose bootloader does not return firmware when asked to read it.
Previous releases stay available in their own section rather than disappearing when a new version ships. CLRS 1.0 and Hue 1.0.2 are both there, so an owner who wants to go back can, deliberately.
A full manual at updater.modbap.com/manual covering requirements, the four steps, what a successful update looks like, and a troubleshooting chapter documenting every message the tool can display and what to do about it.
Successful updates used to end on a red error line, because the module reboots into its new firmware and drops off USB before the browser's last status check returns. That is now recognized for what it is and reported as the module restarting.
Both releases and the updater are free and public. There is no review copy to request and no key to send. A CLRS or Hue is needed to hear the difference; review units can be discussed.
Corry Banks, founder, is available to talk about revising the character of a shipped instrument years after release, and what a small independent manufacturer owes the people who already bought one. Screenshots, module photography and logos on request.
Review units, interviews, press assets and embargo access all come through the Modbap Hub. Short note is fine.
Modbap is an independent music technology company founded by Corry Banks. Since 2020, the company has built electronic musical instruments around purposeful controls, playable design, and a beatmaker's perspective. Beginning in Eurorack and now expanding into software, Modbap develops character-forward tools for musicians, producers, and sound designers worldwide.
Launched in 2020, Modbap products are sold in electronic musical instrument stores across North America, Europe and Asia. Corry Banks is a 2024 recipient of the Famous Amos Ingredients for Success Entrepreneurs Initiative award.