John Bowen Synth Design

IS someone working on an OS update ?

Neil wrote:A software editor/librarian would be fantastic! (See the Moog Voyager SE plugin as an excellent example of how to integrate hardware with a DAW)

I would also like to devote some development effort to the Solaris if possible. But as far I know there's no sysex implementation so anything like an editor/librarian would only work by reading the CF card data. Anyway, an editor wouldn't make as much sense to me since a strength of the Solaris is its hands-on interface.

Well, I have a Solaris ordered in the next batch, so I'm doing more digging here than hands on.
My actual use for this will be home studio only for now. I'm assuming I can control it thru USB instead of MIDI. Not sure about doing audio transfer that way though. I will also be using it with Cubase 8, so I don't know what the issues are with that, which someone had mentioned. I really don't need any additional headaches right now as I'm just getting back into playing/writing and I have a decade's worth of stuff I've accumulated that I have to learn how to use properly.
I'm guessing the sound of the Solaris is going to make it well worth owning. I would be ok with purchasing major updates in the future. If there are coders willing to work on these issues and increasing usability, I say get them onboard, get these issues fixed in a timely manner.

Neil wrote:Sure I think all Solaris owners would pay for an update that makes this glorious machine studio compatible.

Count me in!

Go Galaxiesmerge!! Is all I can say
Mine Solaris is hiding under a dust sheet until it works with Cubase…

What would I like to see? Well everyone has discussed many upgrades, I suppose mine would be to have a reverb
but all I really want is working Midi, Midi,Midi with the ability to control parameters via cc - I don't even need hundreds of possibilities
just 4 quickly pain free assignables would do for now…
A software editor/librarian would be fantastic! (See the Moog Voyager SE plugin as an excellent example of how to integrate hardware with a DAW)

Sure I think all Solaris owners would pay for an update that makes this glorious machine studio compatible.

Also getting issues when driven by hardware (DSI Tempest...Octatrack...). Sync is too slow and falls out of time...

Bit wary to buy a new box that needs ethernet and software to configure (always wary of softwares endurance!).

Glad to see the DAW vrs. Hardware MIDI stuff got fixed.
Hardware w/ software mapping is really what has always worked for me.
The software programming tool by MIDI Solutions can filter out what ever you want including SYs Ex, but the routing of the AL-88 series gadgets looks awesome, I think I might get the 1U just for general purposes.
One of the best MIDI Controllers I ever owned is the BCF 2000.
I can hit a hardware MIDI Panic button anytime I want and between that and the Pedals, MIDI is my servant. It does exactly what I want and when I want.
When it disobeys it is punished by the hardware panic button.

I thought I could get round this by turning sequencer to key step mode, and using logic's arp to trigger it. But, hey held notes everywhere as soon as the clock starts to run. Fine when it isn't. Just goes wrong when you want to actually record! Amazing heh. EDIT: actually not fine when the clock isn't running either now...

I'll keep trawling the forum to see if anyone has detailed how they got this to work...but if anyone can point me to a post that doesn't require another gear purchase i'd appreciate it!

Just to pile on, I'm having plenty of sync issues too. Over MIDI DIN, the solaris registers the right tempo most of the time, but is often too slow, so riffs etc programmed on the Solaris sequencer are not in time.

I am starting to look into the SOLARIS from a software coding point of view.

I notice a few things;

1) No other manufacturers, expect Symbolic Sound (Kyma/Pacarana) provides hardware with a software that is accessible. I am a registered owner of two Kyma systems but these are deep and not really user friendly in the same way as SOLARIS. However, it seems that it should be feasible to write an external SHARC BLACKFIN editor for the MAC or PC so that folks could completely re-configure their hardware.

I will be reaching out to learn more about what makes the SOLARIS tick and will update on this forum as I discover various possibilities.

2) SOLARIS is a dedicated hardware and I would say that the software is at a Revision-01. What we can ask for is a bug fix update and some basic updates: what updates is it that people would most like to see?

3) I thinks we should ask John and let him know what we are willing to pay for an actual real upgrade. What features, bug fixes, if we want an editor or a developer kit made accessible.

I look forward to anyone's comments so I can get a good idea of what you would like!

Thanks

Very good news for those who have midi issues : Drop and/or stuck with their Solaris and DAW.
I have bought a little box wich seems to perfectly fix the problem :
Alyseum : AL 88c.
http://www.alyseum.com/al-88c.html
A sequence is turning on Ableton since one hour and i experience no problem.
The good thing is that solution is not overprice and in the same time it has 8 midi in and 8 midi out you can assign as you want.

Thank you very much DAWMAN your solution has made my week.

Personally, I have not had any MIDI issues. But, most of the time, I am playing SOLARIS through a KURZWEIL MIDI BOARD routed with MIDI conversion through ABLETON (so I can have channel based on mono per channel polyphonic aftertouch). Works for me. I am feel bad to have not yet posted a video but time seems to keep slipping ... I will get to it. My only desire is to get access to the sources so I can make some contributions: I don't know if John can put an SDK or get something out but I would add a few features that I personally think are important - like keyboard intelligence to modulation control (when you play violin-like sounds versus sax like sounds you want a certain kind of modulation in key transition - that can be done but I cannot do it unless someone gives me code access - or I take the code of the card and use IDA-PRO to reverse it ... not the best way). Well, I am open to ideas.

I'm thinking about buying a tool wich could avoid those drop and stuck but i'm not sure of is efficiancy.
An AL-88 from Alyseum, i have an MS 812 of the same constuctor in my modular and it's a sort of miracle.
In fact the Solaris stuck and drop only with my daw, never with my master keyboard. And my Daw have problem only with the Solaris.
So, perhaps if i put the AL 88 between the DAW and the Solaris then problems could disappear.

Yes there are a few bugs and i can confirm that currently working with a daw is sometimes cumbersome. I experience the sync issues, occasional stuck and dropped notes and occasional midi lag and lost USB connection issues. Most of these issues are usb related I guess but haven't tested it thoroughly (I am a new owner also). These next to a freeze at boot now and then (restart fixes that) and (rare) scrambled displays on the top left or right and a small dead spot in the first 10 degrees of the volume pot. These last few don't bother me that much but they are there nonetheless. I have found ways to workaround these issues and am willing to accept them for now since the solaris is such a great instrument. But I too am eager to see dev continue.
Os dev stood still for quit some time but it seems a break through is imminent. There were some setbacks john had to deal with but I trust dev will continue eventually because he is motivated and dedicated.

We know there is a verified MIDI sync problem, as already noted, so I don't think any external gear will help. Don't know about the stuck notes, however. I don't experience those.

john b.