John Bowen Synth Design

If you could put the chorus and phaser inside the feedback loop of the delay you would have a very nice effect. With the right set of filters this would be able to sound like an old analogue.

If you put a simple limiter on the end of the feedback path you can generate long lasting feedback loops that degrade like tape.

If you can add filters to the delay please make them resonant!

Especially with the Feedback paths and the AP Filters.
I have sort of a single voice version of Solaris in Modular, as I cannot make the patch any bigger, it takes up the entire project window as it is, in Scope Modular IV.
But I have been trying all sorts of tricks in Solaris and in Modular IV to try and come up with new and fresh ideas.
Since I don't have an editor, re buidling the basic design in Modular is the next best thing.

Love to see a basic verb as the Scope 5.1 Room Reverb, but a stereo version w/o the Early reflections since a short delay could easily do that already.

Yes, reverb would be great. You can allays put an external reverb on it but to have reverb in an fx channel as part of a preset gives more sound possibilities.

Weston Underwood wrote:The other effect I'd like is the ability to add delays per VCA, so that each mixer/insertfx can be delayed before or after the filter and fed back round into the mixer again for feedback. With very fine control over the timing etc. A bit like a more controllable comb filter I suppose.

+1, this will be a big + for the sound designing.

The other effect I'd like is the ability to add delays per VCA, so that each mixer/insertfx can be delayed before or after the filter and fed back round into the mixer again for feedback. With very fine control over the timing etc. A bit like a more controllable comb filter I suppose.

John Bowen wrote: 1) So you mean to have a selection of filters for the Delay feedback path, similar to the set of filters in the Solaris filter section? A small subset actually - you need LP, HP, BP and Notch basically? These would replace the LP filter that is the Damping circuit (basically, the damping parameter controls the cutoff of this filter).

i think the difference in the sound of the various filter emulations is considerable, especially the LP ones, it might give quite different qualities to the delay rather than just a generic "LP"

Compressor!

John Bowen wrote:During one of these 3 trips I just made to Germany (!), I did have a chance to discuss adding more effects, since we do have one SHARC handling only the final effects section, and it's far from being completely busy. We could also increase the FX pool with duplicate effects, so, we could have additional delays, or phasers, etc., but of course, you'd have separate pages for these, since you need a complete set of parameters for each duplicate. A reverb was discussed again as well, and what we will have to do is pick a design, create the UI pages for it, and get it done.
There's still so much we'd like to add - especially more InsertFX to 'dirty' things up....it's all a matter of having the time for the coding (keep in mind that I don't have anyone able to work full-time on the Solaris code, unlike most other synth companies).

one day, I was thinking it might be cool to have a selection of the filters from the filter section available in the delay feedback loops, and maybe a compressor and/or distortion.

Neutron wrote:if you have more space on the effects DSP can you make a delay with all (or a subset of) the same filters the solaris has available in the feedback?

and, i know that effects can't be modulated by anything from the synth but could they get the midi/main arp clock rate and use it for LFOs? (since they are running on silicon, they wouldn't go out of sync even if just the value was sent to keep them the same)

1) So you mean to have a selection of filters for the Delay feedback path, similar to the set of filters in the Solaris filter section? A small subset actually - you need LP, HP, BP and Notch basically? These would replace the LP filter that is the Damping circuit (basically, the damping parameter controls the cutoff of this filter).

2) Since the Delay can use MIDI clock to control the timing, it seems possible that the Phaser & Chorus/Flanger lfos could also be modified for this...and it turns out, there's just one more space on the display for each of these! I'll bring it up with Julian.

if you have more space on the effects DSP can you make a delay with all (or a subset of) the same filters the solaris has available in the feedback?

and, i know that effects cant be modulated by anything from the synth but could they get the midi/main arp clock rate and use it for LFOs? (since they are running on silicon, they wouldn't go out of sync even if just the value was sent to keep them the same)

The Sonic Timeworks STW Plate is really nice but way too many features that are unneccesary IMHO.
They are equally good Reverbs in Scope DSP that could be used me thinks.
For example the 5.1 Room is easily expandable vis Decay Time to a Hall, Arena or other Canyons that excite people. It's especially good at emulation of a wooden stage as that's sound I try for since I always get stuck on these dry carpeted sections to keep from scratching the stage.
Another advantage is the 5.1 Room, is it can be used just for 2 Channels and the ER Section isn't needed, just a little Pre-Delay, but it's a great sounding verb, and processed @ 96k will definately wrap around the audio better than these VST tail tailmakers.
Whenever I listen to VST Reverb the initial sound never changes as it would in a real Room/Hall, or hardware effect. Then it just creates a tail which IMHO only adds Mud to a mix.
But Klaus' 5.1 Room is the already made for ADSP 21369 chips, as it wasn't even introduced until the XITE-1 was released.
Right now I use an ancient PCM70 for my Sine-Noise Pings, my sampled Sonars Pings, Steel Drums and other percussive stuff.
But in all reality Solaris needs no masking, it's prefectly proud to sit there naked, unashamed of it chubby thighs.

I also do want a reverb (say delay/reverb alg. to keep the 4 FX structure).

To me the FX section is one of the (rare) places to upgrade in the Solaris.
Quality is here for sure but we don't have as much flexibility as the other modules.
What I need in such a high performance synth is :
- most FX parameters modulatable in real time with the huge source modulation list.
- Any FX in any pool (4 x 4 FXs pools) to fully use the 4 output pairs with the expected 4 part-multimode.

During one of these 3 trips I just made to Germany (!), I did have a chance to discuss adding more effects, since we do have one SHARC handling only the final effects section, and it's far from being completely busy. We could also increase the FX pool with duplicate effects, so, we could have additional delays, or phasers, etc., but of course, you'd have separate pages for these, since you need a complete set of parameters for each duplicate. A reverb was discussed again as well, and what we will have to do is pick a design, create the UI pages for it, and get it done.
There's still so much we'd like to add - especially more InsertFX to 'dirty' things up....it's all a matter of having the time for the coding (keep in mind that I don't have anyone able to work full-time on the Solaris code, unlike most other synth companies).

+1 on some kind of reverb; one of the unique and wonderful things about the Solaris is that it sounds excellent even when dry, I have been stripping effects off of many of the presets, but it would be nice to be able to add just a touch of reverb.