by John Bowen » Tue Nov 27, 2007 1:29 pm
Hi Solaris owners!
One of the great things about the Scope Development system is that it allows me to test and try out things in real time, not waiting for dsp code updates (as I have to do with the hardware prototype :-P ). While the coming changes in v5 were originally meant as 'explorations' for the hardware, I decided there was no reason not to offer them in a software update, so I've been taking some time to prepare for that.
Here are some of the changes for forthcoming Solaris v5.0:
1) Mixer Effects
You have a selection of effects (Bit Chop, Decimator, Soft & Hard Distortion, simple (1 pole) Lowpass and Highpass filters, short Delay (416.7 ms maximum), and Rectifier. These have a choice of pre- or post-filter position, on a per mixer basis. The Decimator, LP and HP filters, and Delay have a Modulation Source as well. Finally, there is a dry/wet panning to mix in just the right amount of FX.
2) MIDI Time control of EGs (Envelope Generators) - All envelopes, including the Looping Env (and excepting the Amp ADSR) can be switched to MIDI-related clock values. No Segment Modulation is allowed when under MIDI Clocks.
3) There is a selectable Mod Source for the Amp now, instead of being permanently tied to the Amp ADSR. Sources can be any of the EGs, Envelope Follower, Shaper, SMO, lfo-a through -c, and 1-4 of a new multiplier module, called xPower.
4) xPower- taken from the module I released for Creamware Modular use, this allows you to multiply an input signal by itself a number of times (like 2 to the power of 4 would be equal to 16). The design was originally created to process envelopes, giving an ability to have some 'hyper' sloped shapes, but it can also produce some interesting results on audio signals (a sine wave, for example, will produce additional octaves). You have a Source, a Multiply power of 0-5, and a Pan between "dry and wet", to give you more control over the envelope shapes or final blended output.
5) Noise now separate - Instead of having to 'sacrifice' a MM Oscillator to produce noise, now there are 3 separate noise sources available in mixer and mod list menus. White, Pink, and Bandpass noise. The BP Noise Frequency has a standard Modulation path as well.
6) SSM and Minimax Filters included - Giving even more filter variety, each of the four Filter sections add these 2 types. One thing to know, however - the inputs are quite a bit 'hotter' for these filters, so it's very easy to overdrive them, sometimes in undesirable ways. The MM Oscs are particularly 'loud', so it's wise to lower them in the Mixer to a value of 16-20. An upside to this - the CEM oscillators, which normally produce a lower signal output, are perfect for full level into these 2 filters.
7) Vibrato LFO ModWheel Scaling - I added a sub-page tab to control the taper or scaling of the Mod Wheel signal to this LFO. It's the same type of control as the VelTab (Velocity Table) in the Global section.
8) Individual Oscillator Glide - Long ago, when I started at Moog, one of the things I liked most on their Sonic 6 synth was that you could have glide on just one of the oscillators, giving this wonderful sound of one osc 'following' after the other. Recently, Dave Smith's new (hardware) Prophet '08 also featured separate glide per oscillator, and so I decided to see if I come get around the standard Scope SDK system of Portamento (which is set to work on an All-Voices method). What I came up with gives me the result I wanted, but the panel for it is a bit crowded (unlike the Prophet '08, there are 14 sound sources to affect, instead of 8). There's a switch to turn the overall affect On or Off, and then another choice to have two knobs control all of the Osc 1's and all Osc 2's, or each by individual settings. And it sounds great!
9) Filter Keytrack Amounts all visible - I moved the Filter Keytrack Amounts to the Global pack, and separated them for independent control. They are all visible at the same time.
10) Stereo Formant Filters (replaces Free Filter Bank)
11) 2 more External Inputs - by request, Ext 3 and Ext 4 inputs added, so that you can use the Rotors or VS Mixers with all external sound sources.
That's it, at least so far! I may add just a few controller scalers, but other than that, the update should be available before Christmas. The update fee will probably be around 65 Euros.
regards,
john b.
Hi Solaris owners!
One of the great things about the Scope Development system is that it allows me to test and try out things in real time, not waiting for dsp code updates (as I have to do with the hardware prototype :-P ). While the coming changes in v5 were originally meant as 'explorations' for the hardware, I decided there was no reason not to offer them in a software update, so I've been taking some time to prepare for that.
Here are some of the changes for forthcoming Solaris v5.0:
1) Mixer Effects
You have a selection of effects (Bit Chop, Decimator, Soft & Hard Distortion, simple (1 pole) Lowpass and Highpass filters, short Delay (416.7 ms maximum), and Rectifier. These have a choice of pre- or post-filter position, on a per mixer basis. The Decimator, LP and HP filters, and Delay have a Modulation Source as well. Finally, there is a dry/wet panning to mix in just the right amount of FX.
2) MIDI Time control of EGs (Envelope Generators) - All envelopes, including the Looping Env (and excepting the Amp ADSR) can be switched to MIDI-related clock values. No Segment Modulation is allowed when under MIDI Clocks.
3) There is a selectable Mod Source for the Amp now, instead of being permanently tied to the Amp ADSR. Sources can be any of the EGs, Envelope Follower, Shaper, SMO, lfo-a through -c, and 1-4 of a new multiplier module, called xPower.
4) xPower- taken from the module I released for Creamware Modular use, this allows you to multiply an input signal by itself a number of times (like 2 to the power of 4 would be equal to 16). The design was originally created to process envelopes, giving an ability to have some 'hyper' sloped shapes, but it can also produce some interesting results on audio signals (a sine wave, for example, will produce additional octaves). You have a Source, a Multiply power of 0-5, and a Pan between "dry and wet", to give you more control over the envelope shapes or final blended output.
5) Noise now separate - Instead of having to 'sacrifice' a MM Oscillator to produce noise, now there are 3 separate noise sources available in mixer and mod list menus. White, Pink, and Bandpass noise. The BP Noise Frequency has a standard Modulation path as well.
6) SSM and Minimax Filters included - Giving even more filter variety, each of the four Filter sections add these 2 types. One thing to know, however - the inputs are quite a bit 'hotter' for these filters, so it's very easy to overdrive them, sometimes in undesirable ways. The MM Oscs are particularly 'loud', so it's wise to lower them in the Mixer to a value of 16-20. An upside to this - the CEM oscillators, which normally produce a lower signal output, are perfect for full level into these 2 filters.
7) Vibrato LFO ModWheel Scaling - I added a sub-page tab to control the taper or scaling of the Mod Wheel signal to this LFO. It's the same type of control as the VelTab (Velocity Table) in the Global section.
8) Individual Oscillator Glide - Long ago, when I started at Moog, one of the things I liked most on their Sonic 6 synth was that you could have glide on just one of the oscillators, giving this wonderful sound of one osc 'following' after the other. Recently, Dave Smith's new (hardware) Prophet '08 also featured separate glide per oscillator, and so I decided to see if I come get around the standard Scope SDK system of Portamento (which is set to work on an All-Voices method). What I came up with gives me the result I wanted, but the panel for it is a bit crowded (unlike the Prophet '08, there are 14 sound sources to affect, instead of 8). There's a switch to turn the overall affect On or Off, and then another choice to have two knobs control all of the Osc 1's and all Osc 2's, or each by individual settings. And it sounds great!
9) Filter Keytrack Amounts all visible - I moved the Filter Keytrack Amounts to the Global pack, and separated them for independent control. They are all visible at the same time.
10) Stereo Formant Filters (replaces Free Filter Bank)
11) 2 more External Inputs - by request, Ext 3 and Ext 4 inputs added, so that you can use the Rotors or VS Mixers with all external sound sources.
That's it, at least so far! I may add just a few controller scalers, but other than that, the update should be available before Christmas. The update fee will probably be around 65 Euros.
regards,
john b.