Soft Off

[Biodag]

In my faithful old Proteus machine, you could end a session in two ways: abruptly (by pressing the top button on the Proteus twice) or gradually (by pressing the top button on the Proteus once). This second option gave you a 12 second "soft off." Is there something like is on the Kasina? I haven't found it. Would it be a good idea for a future modification?

[neuroasis]

In KBS files you can choose to fade the lights and sound to 0 brightness/volume. In SpectraStrobe/AudioStrobe files you can fade in and fade out the audio file.

[Biodag]

Thanks for the reply. As you say, using the brightness and volume controls gives a kind of soft off. It still may be a good idea to add to a list of future changes a soft off option controlled from the navigation wheel. Just a suggestion.

[neuroasis]

Hi Biodag,
So we understand the suggestion correctly. Do you wish to have a soft off when the unit powers down, or in the middle of a session if you choose to pause or stop? I do like this feature on the Proteus. I just would like to understand how it would enhance your experience using the Kasina, besides the fades programmed in the sessions themselves. All suggestions to improve the Kasina experience are very much considered and appreciated.

Regards,
Scott

[Biodag]

Thanks for your interest Scott. The feature I'm thinking of is not connected with powering off the unit, but with stopping a particular session before its natural conclusion. An abrupt stop breaks the mood, and a soft off avoids this. Peace

[TomC]

Thanks for your interest Scott. The feature I'm thinking of is not connected with powering off the unit, but with stopping a particular session before its natural conclusion. An abrupt stop breaks the mood, and a soft off avoids this. Peace

If this abrupt mid-session stop bothers you (does not bother me, but I really do not stop many sessions part way through them) maybe just try lowering both volume and light levels before to stop the session.

[CraigT]

I would go so far as to venture that most sessions are not intended to be cut short or interrupted. Ideally, pick a session of the length of time you have made available for the purpose. I, for one, give a lot of thought to the length of my sessions - some things cannot be hurried, and some things cannot be drawn out.

Cheers,
Craig

[Robert Austin]

Thanks for your suggestion, Biodag, which we'll discuss further internally. There is a certain aesthetic to maintaining certain functionalities across models, and if you simply don't have enough time to complete a session, or need to use the restroom, such a fade-out would be more pleasant than an abrupt termination.

We consider the Kasina, like the earlier Proteus and Procyon systems, to be a work in progress, and we've just launched this latest project. We'll continue to refine it based on feedback from users, like you, as well as features based on our own quarter century in this field... :-)

Stay tuned!

-Robert

[synaesthesia]

In the interests of picking an appropriate session with time available I think it would be a help to have the session length contained in the file name so it is visible from the front panel of the Kasina .

[neuroasis]

There is such limited space. The file name does scroll but this is probably best used judiciously. You can click through the sound file and the total play time is indicated. But this might be too much trouble in some cases? Maybe we could add sorting options by length for instance. Or maybe the bottom of the window could display a bit of file information.

I can see the need. It is just how to best implement it.

Scott