John Bowen Synth Design

That makes perfect sense. I had figured that the move to 96k would require both significant retooling and reduction in capabilities (given equivalent hardware). I definitely think such a move is for the better though; some of the audio samples gave me the same goosebumps that a lot of analog rigs do, and which most VA synths thus far have not.

I gotta say, I really admire your work on this, with its focus on quality over quantity and providing a modular-like flexibility. From what I have gleaned, the engineering effort, too, has really focused on a solid, though flexible, framework for ease both in the near-term bug-fixing realm, as well as in that of longer-term feature set growth. Very smart, very admirable stuff, and exactly what I've been looking for in a synth smaller than a bookcase (which itself probably wouldn't be as capable).

Thanks again for your responsiveness.

David,
There are a lot of little details to fully answer this question in detail, but you have already noted that the hardware is not currently slated to include the 'FM' oscillator (though it is on the list for eventual inclusion). Another difference is that you can use several pairs of the oscillator types, so with the plug-in you can actually have 10-12 oscillators (12 if you count the Modular window blocks). There's other details, such as lack of Quantization for the LFOs, some other control processors, and so on....and all of these things I would like to add to the released version. However, the big difference is twofold:

1) I am not a software coding guy...I just used the standard Scope DSP library of modules, and was able to add as much functionality as I wanted to the plug-in because the Scope SDK makes it so easy to do that.

2) The hardware Solaris has all new code, improved and optimised by the same person who did the original library 12 years ago, but now has that many more years of experience and knowledge under his belt, and also the mandate to make everything run optimally at 96kHz and to sound as good as we can make it.

IF I could be coding all this time, I would definitely be adding even more functions, like I usually do, but as it is, I have to hire the guys that do it, and they do it really well...and this costs money. Quite a bit, and so I have to agonize over what things get put in, and what things have to be left out. What I hope to have is a complete enough product that will provide many hours of creative inspiration, also knowing that like everything code-based, updates in the future are always possible.

Cheers,
John B,.

Another quick (I hope) question for y'all. I've now read through the Solaris for Scope manual, so I think that I have a pretty good understanding of that product's capabilities. Which features, if any, will the hardware Solaris not have that the Scope version does? FM oscillators? Something else?

Thanks,

David

I have used the same type of 8 segment envelope to control filter cutoff's etc. on the soft Solaris synth and it's hard to use a typical AHD, ADSR, or AR envelope anymore.
You get spoiled and cannot return.
The looping makes great templates too that can be used to actually emulate an LFO which is way cool for those who aren't able to adjust manually during a gig.

That makes perfect sense. Thanks!

It's simply an 8 point envelope - no labels as to attack, decay, etc..
This one is same or similar as the Waldorf Wave multistage envelope, from many years ago.

You have 8 times and 8 levels, and can set any of them as loop points. The 2 loop points are called Start and Key Off, and the point that you set as the Key Off point is equivalent to the Sustain portion of a standard envelope.
If you set the loop Start as point 2, and the Key Off as point 5, the env plays through up to point 5 then jumps back to point 2 and will repeat that based on the number of times set for looping (1-10 or infinite). If you set the loop Start to a point that follows the Key Off point, the the loop will occur after you release the key (of course, you need an equivalent Release time on your final VCA to be able to hear this!). You also can turn the loop off, and then it just plays through to the Key Off point and stays there until you release the key, at which time it finishes playing out the settings for the remaining points.
-john b.

Could you maybe expound on that 8-segment envelope a bit (or point me to where it's already been discussed)? It sounds intriguing, but I'm having trouble visualizing it. I'd imagine it'd be something like: (1) delay - (2) attack - (3) decay - (4) sustain - loop back to 3 until key released - (5) release. I can't figure out where the extra three segments would fit.

All-in-all, I'm incredibly impressed, both with what I've seen and heard of the prototypes and with your responsiveness on these forums. Were it not for my impending wedding right around the time that they'll be going out the door (with all its attendant costs), I'd already have pre-ordered.

Thanks, and please keep up the incredible work,

David

Hi David,

The Solaris has 6 DADSR envelopes, and one 8-segment envelope that can loop between any 2 points. In addition, each segment of the DADSRs have a variable slope, from linear to exponential, but when you adjust the Sustain 'slope', it actually shows you + or - in time values, because it becomes more like a second decay. Negative values are the time it takes to go to zero, positive values the time it takes to go to the full sustain level.

I did see the Blofeld's special envelopes, and they are very nice! I don't have plans to add another EG type at this time...maybe this is something I can change for a future version if there's a demand for it.

cheers,
john bowen

Hey there, long time lurker, finally posting.

I was wondering whether the envelopes are going to be ADSRs or DADSRs. I think I've seen them as both in this thread. Also, I was wondering whether there was any chance, either at release or later-on, of there being envelopes available with more than one Decay/Sustain group, to allow for more complex curves. IIRC, the Waldorf Blofeld, e.g., has the A-D1-S1-D2-S2-R type available on at least a couple of its envelopes.

Just wondering,

David

I'm a bit curious of the brand, mostly so I can take a look at some specs. Will they be running at 24bit 96khz (I wasn't able to find this info on the specs page)?

Obviously, it's going to sound good, whether going through the analogue outs or via S/PDIF into a high-end DAC, like apogee, prism sound, etc., I'm just trying to get a rough (very rough) idea of the difference one can expect. Basically just as much info as one can glean from specs alone.

Not long ago I 'upgraded' my audio interface to something with more features, but converters I can tell are not as transparent as the ones in my previous box. Now that I'm convinced my ears can detect the difference, I've become more interested in this aspect of the design.

But don't strain yourself trying to read it off the actual component!

You want to know what the brand is for the DACs?
I'm looking at my motherboard, but I don't know which parts are the converters....and I probably couldn't read the tiny labels anyway!

I'll have to ask Juergen next time he's in the office.
-jb

John, I think the answer may be buried somewhere in this thread, but can you tell us what DACs will be used in the Solaris? Are they the same as those used in the Xite-1?

Thanks

We discussed this again this past week. As of yet, it is not coded yet, but I made a point that I expect Solaris to respond to it for the first OS release. They have it on the list!

-john b.

i understand from the specs page that Solaris' keyboard will generate monophonic aftertouch. i thought i had read somwhere that she will respond to polyphonic aftertouch over MIDI. i found this quote earlier in this thread...

John Bowen wrote:

CA3080 wrote:

• 4. Does Solaris receive polyphonic aftertouch (PAT) messages via MIDI and respond appropriately?

We discussed this while I was back there in October. They said we could - I'll just add PAT as another Source in the menus. (I'm told it can generate a lot of simultaneous midi data, though...)

has this been finalized? will Solaris respond to incoming polyAT? ...forgive me if this has been covered already!

I will be heading down to Anaheim on Monday, Jan. 12th. Setup for the show is on Wednesday, and Thursday we will be set to go!
If you are on the pre-order list and are able to come by, please make sure you let me know...(Jimmy I know).

See you there,
John b.