The Official Sequential/Oberheim Forum
SEQUENTIAL/DSI => Evolver => Evolver Desktop => Topic started by: Gerry Havinga on October 14, 2017, 04:37:02 AM
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Dear Evolver community.
Since a few weeks I have been following an advertisement for a second hand Evolver Desktop here in the Netherlands (someone is selling about 40km from where I live).
A few months ago I purchased a beautiful, brand new, amazing, Rev2 and am now very interested in everything Dave Smith has produced and is producing :).
The advertisement clearly states "rubber buttons are missing", I am not sure what that means. Price owner is asking, is around 350 Euros.
My question is shall I make an offer and attempt to purchase this instrument, in other words will it complement the Rev2 nicely? The alternative would be to wait a year (or two) till I have the cash and purchase a new/second hand Prophet 12 (also a hybrid).
Thanks in advance.
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If your choice is really between a Desktop Evolver and a Prophet 12, I'd definitely go with the Prophet 12. The Evolver sounds great, and you'll be able to get sounds that you can't get with the REV2, but the interface isn't really enjoyable.
The Desktop Evolver doesn't have any "rubber buttons," so that's kind of a mystery. Best guess is that it's missing the knobs. But the price is what I'd expect to see for an Evolver in great condition.
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I agree with chysn on this. Regarding the so called "rubber buttons": Those are probably the rubber caps for the encoders. You could order a set of Prophet knobs (they don't look the same of course) as a replacement from DSI, but you'd have to add shipping costs to that. If you decided for that option, I wouldn't buy the Desktop Evolver for more than 300 Euros, because as chysn said, you'd usually pay around 350 for one in mint condition.
Instead of doing that or saving up for a used or new Prophet 12, you could also wait for what will be announced by DSI at NAMM and postpone any purchase to the time after that. If, however, the Prophet 12 is already something you'd be interested in anyway, no matter what will be announced later on, then there's also the option of getting it as a desktop module, which is far more comfortable to use than the Desktop Evolver.
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To state the obvious, only you know what your musical needs are, so we can only comment on each instrument.
It's hard to conceive of an Evolver Desktop and a Prophet 12 in one thought, since the two are so utterly different. Even putting the monophonic/polyphonic issue aside (and I would expect that would be a main deciding factor), the tonal range of each instrument is very different. The Evolver has much more of a digital character, with its 92+ wave shapes, whereas the P12 offers a much more limited range and struck me as being basically an analog instrument with a small number of digital wave shapes included. Granted, the P12 has other means of producing digital timbres, and I'm simplifying its versatility, but I didn't find a lot of timbral crossover between the two instruments.
The Evolver Desktop, if you can adapt to the matrix panel, is a remarkably complex and unique-sounding mono synth with a broad stereo sound. It's impossible to adequately compare it to a monstrous poly synth like the P12. But, in terms of timbres, I would say the Rev2 and P12 have much more in common than the Rev2 and the Evolver.
On the mystery of the Evolver's missing rubber buttons, I wonder if that might be a reference to the small square rubber feet on the bottom of the instrument. They're only glued on, and these definitely fall off in time, as have the feet on my Prophet '08.
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Bumpons, buttons, etc.
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On the mystery of the Evolver's missing rubber buttons, I wonder if that might be a reference to the small square rubber feet on the bottom of the instrument. They're only glued on, and these definitely fall off in time, as have the feet on my Prophet '08.
Oh, yeah, good call. If that's all it is, you can get those at any home improvement store for practically nothing. They're not even glued on, it's more like double-sided tape.
The Desktop Mopho used two different sizes of these things, to make it tilt forward a little.
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Thank you all for your answers. Very enlightening and I've come to the conclusion that it is probably not worth pursuing. I do own already a very interesting wave-table based instrument, the Waldorf Blofeld. I should pursue and investigate it more in depth and not give in to my GAS urges. ;)
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Yes, I think that's a wise decision. There certainly would be overlap between a Blofeld and an Evolver. Take the time to work deeply with what you already have, rather than accumulate many things that you'll probably use only superficially.
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You always get the Evolver while you save up for the P12? You're not going to loose on it at €350 (you might even gain) and you could easily find a friend for life.
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And then be annoyed they don't make them any more...
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You always get the Evolver while you save up for the P12? You're not going to loose on it at €350 (you might even gain) and you could easily find a friend for life.
Very true, but it was just a case of stuck GAS for me. I have quite enough variation sound making equipment at the moment. I really want to focus on getting DAW-less. Either building my own (polyphonic) MIDI step sequencer or purchasing one next year.
In general I buy second hand kit in person, so I can try it out. If the missing rubber buttons would be an issue I would just say no thanks and walk away. Perhaps for the Evolver my GAS desires aren't so intense. A Novation Peak of Subsequent 37 ...... hmmmmmm, in that case I am hearing burble noises indeed. I haven't seen many of those second hand "happily" :)
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There's never too much variation.
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There's never too much variation.
:) yeah well said ..... This is not helping ;)
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In the spirit of "not helping," I've just returned to Berlin after being two months away from my Evolver. Sooooo pleased to have it front of me again! I adore that thing. The main inspiration for getting one was this very forum, I have to say.
The thing just sounds GOOD. Objectively, subjectively etc!
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Choices, choices, choices. Funnily enough the Evolver desktop disappeared from the second hand trade site, to later re-appear for the same asking price but with slightly different text (same seller). The story about the buttons is more clear now. Apparently the seller lost the rubber top of the buttons. That is why he has reduced the price from 375 to 350 Euros. I don't believe that is enough, just the shipping costs for those buttons would probably be already that much.
Does anybody have any idea how much those rubber buttons cost and how many I would need? I am thinking of putting an offer in for 100 Euros less and see what happens :D
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And the Evolver features in the Push Turn Move interface design book, which of course re-kindled my interest :)
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Do you mean these?
https://www.davesmithinstruments.com/product/evolver-knob-kit/
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Do you mean these?
https://www.davesmithinstruments.com/product/evolver-knob-kit/
Yeah, this is the official replacement kit in the Prophet style. The original knob caps looked different, though. Maybe DSI still have some lying around in their office. So I'd suggest getting in touch with the support.
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Do you mean these?
https://www.davesmithinstruments.com/product/evolver-knob-kit/
Thanks Sacred, I am not sure if these are the buttons he refers to. I asked him to sent me a detail picture of the "missing" rubber tops. The picture he has posted with the advertisement looks OK. On the same spares part page you posted, there is also a ROM (3.x firmware upgrade) advertised. Does that mean the Evolver desktop is not sys-ex/USB firmware upgrade-able? In that case I need to know of course what the firmware version is of the 2nd hand unit.
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Do you mean these?
https://www.davesmithinstruments.com/product/evolver-knob-kit/
Yeah, this is the official replacement kit in the Prophet style. The original knob caps looked different, though. Maybe DSI still have some lying around in their office. So I'd suggest getting in touch with the support.
Thanks Paul, let's see what the seller is willing to show me. I am not sure he is referring to these buttons. If the pins on the encoders / pots are standard I might even have some spare (universal) knobs lying around to get me started.
I added a copy of the jpeg the seller has added to the ad. It might be a stock image, not sure.
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I thought the old knobs were plastic, not rubber. Such a simple matter. This seller certainly has a knack for mystery!
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I understand it has a rather good 4 channel / track step sequencer on board that can address external instruments over MIDI. I want to move away from the computer (DAW-less) in the long term, so this might also be an interesting aspect of the Evolver. I do understand it is rather tricky to program, but I believe there is a good Windows based editor which can help with storing sequences for each patch. Is there someone that is willing to share their experience with the on-board sequencer?
Note: Gerry, I meant to reply to your question in this post, but apparently I clicked Modify (in my capacity as moderator) instead of Reply. I did not intend to alter your post, but to respond to it. If you'd like this post's content updated in any way, please PM me. Regards, chysn. Sincerest apologies for my mistake.
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I added a copy of the jpeg the seller has added to the ad. It might be a stock image, not sure.
Yeah, this is a stock image of one of the very first Desktop Evolvers. Noticeable due to the white stripe on top of the caps. Except for some early units, the caps were all black.
(https://www.davesmithinstruments.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Top-Knockout1.png?x72411)
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I added a copy of the jpeg the seller has added to the ad. It might be a stock image, not sure.
Yeah, this is a stock image of one of the very first Desktop Evolvers. Noticeable due to the white stripe on top of the caps. Except for some early units, the caps were all black.
(https://www.davesmithinstruments.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Top-Knockout1.png?x72411)
Thanks Paul, the mystery deepens. I'll wait for the response and let you all know what has happened.
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I understand it has a rather good 4 channel / track step sequencer on board that can address external instruments over MIDI. I want to move away from the computer (DAW-less) in the long term, so this might also be an interesting aspect of the Evolver. I do understand it is rather tricky to program, but I believe there is a good Windows based editor which can help with storing sequences for each patch. Is there someone that is willing to share their experience with the on-board sequencer?
Yeah, happy to. My experience is that it's exquisitely awkward. If you're absolutely determined to use it to drive external instruments just to prove something, you can, to a limited extent. But once you experience the limited capabilities in this area combined with the challenges of using them, you're likely to give up after trying it once.
This isn't a "don't buy the Evolver" post by any means. The sequencer is actually not bad for what it's designed for. But don't plan on its use as a MIDI sequencer being a remotely enjoyable or musically-inspiring experience.
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I agree with chysn. The Evolver sequencer basically works like the gated sequencer in your Rev2. It's meant to be a 4-track modulation source, not a MIDI sequencer in the typical sense. That won't take you one iota away from a DAW environment, nor can it serve as a substitute for that.
Your best bet would rather be devices that come in the beat box form factor like the Elektrons or - even more so - something like an MPC, especially the new ones.
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I agree with chysn. The Evolver sequencer basically works like the gated sequencer in your Rev2. It's meant to be a 4-track modulation source, not a MIDI sequencer in the typical sense. That won't take you one iota away from a DAW environment, nor can it serve as a substitute for that.
Your best bet would rather be devices that come in the beat box form factor like the Elektrons or - even more so - something like an MPC, especially the new ones.
Thanks Paul and chysn great feedback.
My thinking at the moment is that, in the long term, I would like to keep functionalities separate as much as is possible: sampler = sampler, synth = synth, sequencer = sequencer. Preferably no device that combines functions, except were the sequencer is a modulation source (as on the Rev2). As my musical direction is towards Berlin School, I believe I would probably be best served with a Manikin Schrittmacher and/or a Sequentix Cirklon. Despite that I would like to gently (financially and emotionally) introduce myself to step sequencing a (live) performance. The Evolver might be a possible way into that direction, but perhaps not.
No news yet from the seller with regards to a picture of the missing rubber buttons .
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I am now in communication with the current owner :) he will sent a picture as requested.
My next question to him was, if he had installed the latest firmware ROM https://www.davesmithinstruments.com/product/evolver-desktop-3-x-firmware-upgrade/ (https://www.davesmithinstruments.com/product/evolver-desktop-3-x-firmware-upgrade/). He could not answer this question as he himself had not installed a new version and he does not know if the owner before him did so.
is there a way of figuring out what ROM version is installed?
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Infos on the latest Evolver OS can be found here: http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/updating-evolver-os/
The current owner can determine what versions are installed by doing the following:
- Hold the Row 1 button and press Row 2 to display the Main version.
- Hold the Row 1 button and press Row 3 to display the DSP version.
In addition to that, the DSP version can also be determined by the serial number. Version 3, the latest version, was installed in all Evolvers from serial number 1859 onwards.
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Infos on the latest Evolver OS can be found here: http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/updating-evolver-os/
The current owner can determine what versions are installed by doing the following:
- Hold the Row 1 button and press Row 2 to display the Main version.
- Hold the Row 1 button and press Row 3 to display the DSP version.
In addition to that, the DSP version can also be determined by the serial number. Version 3, the latest version, was installed in all Evolvers from serial number 1859 onwards.
Thanks Paul, I am sorry I should have found this info myself if I'd thought about it. You are very patient by providing the answer regardless.
The seller has come back to me and indeed the picture he sent does have the encoders at the top row missing. No problem as they can be replace / bought from DSI.
Unfortunately the serial number is below 1859 so we don't know yet if the ROM is updated. He will try tonight using the procedure above to figure out what they are. It is becoming more likely i will buy it ...... of course (especially being Dutch myself :) ) I want to get the best price.
The serial number is in the mid 1500 so it must be from 2002/2003 I presume. I wonder how long it will keep working, being approximately 15 years old.
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Thanks Paul, I am sorry I should have found this info myself if I'd thought about it. You are very patient by providing the answer regardless.
No problem, that's what I'm here for as a moderator.
Unfortunately the serial number is below 1859 so we don't know yet if the ROM is updated. He will try tonight using the procedure above to figure out what they are. It is becoming more likely i will buy it ...... of course (especially being Dutch myself :) ) I want to get the best price.
The serial number is in the mid 1500 so it must be from 2002/2003 I presume. I wonder how long it will keep working, being approximately 15 years old.
Upgrading it is still no problem, as the Main PIC processor can still be purchased for $25:
https://www.davesmithinstruments.com/product/evolver-desktop-3-x-firmware-upgrade/
You might wanna substract that from the price, though.
I would not worry too much about the Evolver being 15 years old already.
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Funny... when I look at the PIC MCU in the picture, its a PIC18F452... one of the MCU's I've been programing for extensively in the past... I really wished there was some sort of "hardware reference guide" for the Evolver (how the pins are used etc.)... I've got both a programmer and assembly code compiler for this ;)
...aside from that, I've just bought a desktop Evolver again, and will start using it soon... there has always been a lot of talk about the sonic differences between the P12 and the Evolver... I've had them both, and sonically I actually prefer the Evolver... it's more dirty and raw in it's character, where the P12 is more clean and rounded... but that's up to taste I guess... no doubt the P12 is much more flexible, and a much more modern machine (and what I would call Dave's knowledge from Prophet 08 and Evolver put together in one... and then not really)...
One thing is certain though... it has it's own thing, and it sounds good.
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I recently got around to updating my Evolver after 15yrs, heheh. I was so used to the way it was, I didn't know what I was missing until I did it.
You can work out if it has had the rom updated from the firmware revision number; if it's above 3.x, it's the newer rom. Not hard to do the upgrade, just be really careful if you don't have an IC extractor. Oh yeah, try to grab as much in one order as you can, get your replacement knobs, the prom and an extra psu (it'll go bad decades before the Evolver does) so you don't get too stung by postage. My vers. 3.x chip cost less than the cost of sending it here!
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Latest news .... The current owner came back to me with the ROM versions:
| Main version | | 2 | | 1 | |
| DSP | | 2 | | 0 | |
I would want to upgrade the ROM to version 3. Happily the owner managed to find 6 of the 8 rotary encoder tops. I could try to ask DSI if they have two spare / originals matching.
In light of that I did go ahead and made an offer. We agreed to settle at 320 Euro (30 Euro off the asking price). I will pickup the unit tomorrow evening and spent some time testing it together with the owner.
GASS has won once again, but I do believe this is a great opportunity to learn more about Dave's designs. I haven't played with FM synthesis since I sold my DX-21 many years ago. I am also very much looking forward to fiddling with the combined analog and digital nature of the Evolver. This will be my first mono synth ever (actually dual mono :) ). I believe combining / layering the Evolver with the Rev2 and the Blofeld will be awesome.
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Happily the owner managed to find 6 of the 8 rotary encoder tops. I could try to ask DSI if they have two spare / originals matching.
As you'll need to order the update ROM, you may as well order a fresh set of modern knobs, which just feel so much better to use than the Evolver or Mopho/Tempest plastic equivalents.
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Latest news .... The current owner came back to me with the ROM versions:
| Main version | | 2 | | 1 | |
| DSP | | 2 | | 0 | |
I would want to upgrade the ROM to version 3. Happily the owner managed to find 6 of the 8 rotary encoder tops. I could try to ask DSI if they have two spare / originals matching.
In light of that I did go ahead and made an offer. We agreed to settle at 320 Euro (30 Euro off the asking price). I will pickup the unit tomorrow evening and spent some time testing it together with the owner.
GASS has won once again, but I do believe this is a great opportunity to learn more about Dave's designs. I haven't played with FM synthesis since I sold my DX-21 many years ago. I am also very much looking forward to fiddling with the combined analog and digital nature of the Evolver. This will be my first mono synth ever (actually dual mono :) ). I believe combining / layering the Evolver with the Rev2 and the Blofeld will be awesome.
Yay! You will be very happy with your purchase I'm sure. I really wish I bought two when I got mine, I now need to pay more for a 2nd hand unit than I did for the first brand new!
The FM on the Evolver is very simple. Nothing like a DX synth of any type, but still a great function for adding texture to a patch. It is the first synth on which I actually understood what FM does. Other synths with osc FM left me wondering what it did to a patch and generally ignoring it. A lot of that was due to Anu Kirk's guide mind you, but also the ease with which the results of different FM combination were demonstrated using an Evolve is a great way to understand how it works.
If you don't mind using computer to program, the Sound Tower editor for the Evolver is pretty good, with a wonderful sequencer programming gui which takes a good amount of the pain involved in using it away.
Some new user tips: When checking out the presets, go into the Trigger Select parameters to change what triggers the instrument. By default it seems nearly all the presets are set to be triggered by both incoming notes and internal sequencer 1 gate which can make for unexpected behaviour when sending it notes from an external sequencer.
Also when previewing, some presets have their external input turned off in the Key Off/Xpose parameter setting. This dictates if the Evolver responds to note values via MIDI. Starting with off, Key Off/Xpose will transpose the MIDI notes it receives from -36 semitones to +36, as pointed out in the manual (or was it the guide) allowing for individual patches to have different tunings. This is another setting that can make a first time user go "what the hell is going on?"
I've mentioned "the guide" a bit, bloody amazing piece of work which you can find a link to in the stick thread on this board.
Well done on your new acquisition and have fun creating some truly unique sounds and synthetic instruments!
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Happily the owner managed to find 6 of the 8 rotary encoder tops. I could try to ask DSI if they have two spare / originals matching.
As you'll need to order the update ROM, you may as well order a fresh set of modern knobs, which just feel so much better to use than the Evolver or Mopho/Tempest plastic equivalents.
Thanks David, I have ordered a complete set of everything (spare power supply, knobs and 3.0 ROM) today. Shipping is 58 1/2 dollars - I should have also gotten a Rev2 T-shirt but didn't think about that at the moment of ordering :) :)
Edit: Yeah my hundreds post! Do I get a goody now?
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Yay! You will be very happy with your purchase I'm sure. I really wish I bought two when I got mine, I now need to pay more for a 2nd hand unit than I did for the first brand new!
Thanks megamarkd. I got it yesterday and am starting to include it in my workflow. The sound is amazingly good compared to the size of the little box. Great design, once again.
The FM on the Evolver is very simple. Nothing like a DX synth of any type, but still a great function for adding texture to a patch. It is the first synth on which I actually understood what FM does. Other synths with osc FM left me wondering what it did to a patch and generally ignoring it. A lot of that was due to Anu Kirk's guide mind you, but also the ease with which the results of different FM combination were demonstrated using an Evolve is a great way to understand how it works.
The DX21 was only a 4 operator FM synth and in those days I didn't manage to figure it out properly. This time will be different :). I have downloaded Anu Kirk's guide and will start going through it as soon as I have got to grips with the Evolver's interface.
If you don't mind using computer to program, the Sound Tower editor for the Evolver is pretty good, with a wonderful sequencer programming gui which takes a good amount of the pain involved in using it away.
Yeah thanks for the tip. I bought the bundle and got the VST plugin to work within Bitwig. Was a bit fiddly but so far so good. I also want the standalone version so I can do patch management outside of the DAW environment. Setting up the MIDI is a tat buggy, I have had several VST crashes with the plugin this afternoon. Happily Bitwig catches it and keeps itself running.
Some new user tips: When checking out the presets, go into the Trigger Select parameters to change what triggers the instrument. By default it seems nearly all the presets are set to be triggered by both incoming notes and internal sequencer 1 gate which can make for unexpected behaviour when sending it notes from an external sequencer.
Also when previewing, some presets have their external input turned off in the Key Off/Xpose parameter setting. This dictates if the Evolver responds to note values via MIDI. Starting with off, Key Off/Xpose will transpose the MIDI notes it receives from -36 semitones to +36, as pointed out in the manual (or was it the guide) allowing for individual patches to have different tunings. This is another setting that can make a first time user go "what the hell is going on?"
I've mentioned "the guide" a bit, bloody amazing piece of work which you can find a link to in the stick thread on this board.
Well done on your new acquisition and have fun creating some truly unique sounds and synthetic instruments!
Thanks again. I have noticed that some patches seem to be out of tune with my Rev2. I am not used to mono-phonic synthesizers, it does sound a bit weird (tuning) when playing chords on the Rev2 and sending the notes also to the Evolver. There is probably someplace a note priority setting. Will be fun figuring that one out.
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To state the obvious, a four-oscillator synthesizer has more potential to be simultaneously in-tune with itself but out of tune with other instruments. The key is to tune the oscillators of the Evolver at the same time above and below that of the other instruments, so that no oscillator is that far from them. It you were to create a string patch on the Evolver with oscillator tunings of 0, 4, 8, and 12, then that 12 would be quite a distance from your Rev2's oscillators. Instead, use tunings of 0, 4, 8, and -4, or thereabouts. This keeps the whole ensemble sounding in-tune.
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To state the obvious, a four-oscillator synthesizer has more potential to be simultaneously in-tune with itself but out of tune with other instruments. The key is to tune the oscillators of the Evolver at the same time above and below that of the other instruments, so that no oscillator is that far from them. It you were to create a string patch on the Evolver with oscillator tunings of 0, 4, 8, and 12, then that 12 would be quite a distance from your Rev2's oscillators. Instead, use tunings of 0, 4, 8, and -4, or thereabouts. This keeps the whole ensemble sounding in-tune.
Sorry Sacred, I didn't intend to sound critical. At the contrary I love the sound quality and possibilities of the Evolver. All I have at the moment are the patches that the previous owner left me with. I have made backups of the soundbanks and probably will wipe one of the banks this weekend so I can start learning and experimenting. I am looking forward making some interesting drones and sequences that can harmonize with the Rev2. I think you are absolutely right, what I have observed so far is that in some of the patches the oscillators are all over the place. Sounding great together, but not with another instrument. Should be very straightforward to get right :).
I do recognize some of the design principles, which also show up in the Rev2. Dave is quite an electronics and user interface design wizard.
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My mistake, I should have said "each patch can have it's own transposition*"....
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The Evolver is more than capable of the things you mention... it's really good at drones and bell like synth sounds, but you should be prepared to NOT judge it by the factory presets... most factory presets these days are not geared towards Ambient at all, they are focused at the Dance market... EDM to be more precise... this is why I also opted for both P12 and REV2 to be able to overwrite their presets in the factory banks.
I'm afraid that if you want Ambient type of sounds, you are going to find yourself a good editor for it, and start going in deep yourself, because that is the only way you'll get the sounds you want... you may be able to suck up all free presets out there on the net, and start sorting in them, and end up with some good ones that are useable, but you will definitely have to do your own too.
The Desktop Evolver has a lot of presets tailored to the sequencer, with weird and very distorted (unusable for me) presets in it... also a lot of aggressive playable presets... but hardly that many with calm, soothing Ambient playability.
Start creating your own, and you'll see what a great synth architecture it really has... when I get more presets done, I'll eventually post them in here... but right now I'm occupied with the REV2 which should arrive within a few days.
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The Evolver is more than capable of the things you mention... it's really good at drones and bell like synth sounds, but you should be prepared to NOT judge it by the factory presets... most factory presets these days are not geared towards Ambient at all, they are focused at the Dance market... EDM to be more precise... this is why I also opted for both P12 and REV2 to be able to overwrite their presets in the factory banks.
I'm afraid that if you want Ambient type of sounds, you are going to find yourself a good editor for it, and start going in deep yourself, because that is the only way you'll get the sounds you want... you may be able to suck up all free presets out there on the net, and start sorting in them, and end up with some good ones that are useable, but you will definitely have to do your own too.
The Desktop Evolver has a lot of presets tailored to the sequencer, with weird and very distorted (unusable for me) presets in it... also a lot of aggressive playable presets... but hardly that many with calm, soothing Ambient playability.
Start creating your own, and you'll see what a great synth architecture it really has... when I get more presets done, I'll eventually post them in here... but right now I'm occupied with the REV2 which should arrive within a few days.
Thanks Razmo. The one I bought a few days ago didn't even have the factory presets as far as I can tell. Practically all the tracks I have written so far I use my own patches, which is part of the fun. But it is great to learn from the masters that have gone before :)
The Soundtower editor and VST plugin do work reasonably well. This will help me to dive in deeper. Because of the quality of the Rev2 (build, architecture and sound) I have become a lot more interested in what Dave has created.
I made backup copies of all the sounds in the Evolver already and will load some more patch banks I have downloaded and bought. Hopefully in a week or so the other knobs and ROM version 3 will arrive. Then I will start to properly introduce it in my workflow.
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I made backup copies of all the sounds in the Evolver already and will load some more patch banks I have downloaded and bought.
I can recommend taking a look at the MEK presets as some of them are very good:
http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Evolver_Keybd_Programs+ReadMe.zip
When I got MIDI connection working the first thing I did was to load these presets.
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My mistake, I should have said "each patch can have it's own transposition*"....
No worries, although the Evolver is my first mono-synth I totally understand. Anyway, the patches I got from the previous owner are not the factory patches. I already made a backup using the Soundtower editor.
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I made backup copies of all the sounds in the Evolver already and will load some more patch banks I have downloaded and bought.
I can recommend taking a look at the MEK presets as some of them are very good:
http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Evolver_Keybd_Programs+ReadMe.zip
When I got MIDI connection working the first thing I did was to load these presets.
Nice, thank you dslsynth. I have downloaded the file and will import them this weekend.
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I've had my Evolver for maybe a year now - I wasn't even aware of the Evolver at all until I joined this forum, and reading so many folks raving about it obviously did the trick. Anyway, the funny thing for me is that after having it a while, I explore it less than ever, yet I use it all the time. I've settled into a basic mode of spinning the dial when I need a sound. I find something I like and tweak and twiddle it into new shape, or I find a program I don't much care for and, well, tweak and twiddle it into new shape. I guess my point is that even with the most caveman mindset I can muster, the Evolver is always a go-to synth. It helps that it's directly in front of me all the time, but really- I've got three other wonderful mono synths at hand, yet the Evolver gets first dibs. When I DO spend time digging deeper, I always have a blast. I'm no menu-diver, but I have zero issue with not-exactly-immediately-immediate front panel. I know my way around it enough to get the sounds I wish for. I think others here have spoken to a few of the mysteries, the "Why isn't it doing this/that/anything?" moments that will pop up in these early days, but I know you've already been made aware that it's a quite figure-outable creature, the Evolver. I love mine and I'm sure others on this forum are excited for you, hoping you get the same enjoyment that we do. Welcome to the cult!
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Awesome! I went through the first part of Anu Kirk's guide, got to the FM part, which brought back memories :). One of the issues causing the "out-of-tune symptom" came from a small bug in the Soundtower Evolver VST plugin edition. For some reason it always resets the global fine tuning to -50 as soon as I close the menu. I see if I can address this with some automation from Bitwig.
External MIDI note triggering and tuning are the only issues I came across, but I figured out how this works now.
Playing a mono synth, together with the Rev2 and using some interesting glide settings on the Evolver oscillators creates a whole new evolving soundscape. I can really "grok" now how Sacred is building layers of sound patches spread over the stereo field. Very nice indeed, no regrets at all ;)
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Totally convinced I made the right decision buying the second hand Evolver desktop. Last night I wrote my first track with only DSI synths: Rev2 + Evolver, except for the sampled percussion (on the S5000). The Evolver dropped straight into my workflow, using the Soundtower editor and I managed to create a great sounding patch, that really works with two layers of the Rev2, in only a few minutes.