Next New Sequential Instrument

LoboLives

Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #720 on: December 21, 2018, 10:13:43 PM »
I'm kinda hoping for a big brother to the OB-6.  Otherwise I may piece together my own "OB-12" from a keyboard and module. But I would rather have it in one self contained unit -- I know that is a long shot, but hey, this thread is usually more pipe dream than prediction.
 :)

I think with the UBXa from Behringer coming out and with the uncertainty of Tom Oberhiem doing any more musical instruments it would be interesting to see if Dave creates a separate department in Sequential and does Tom Oberhiem gear. It’s unlikely but I could see a big brother to the P6 down the road. I don’t think Sequential is going to be doing any VCO based synths for a while with the Moog One coming out, I think they are interested in doing different forms of synthesis right now, especially ones that seem scarce in the current synth market.....hmm... Prophet FM?

Razmo

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Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #721 on: December 22, 2018, 02:29:08 AM »
16 voice mono/8 voice stereo dual timbral upgrade of the P12 is what I'm hoping for at the moment. With an FPGA front-end to eliminate aliasing like on the PEAK. SSM filters plus analog HiPass filter per voice. Put an enhanced FX engine at the end of the chain as well.

I could speculate all the time about what it should include in synthesis, but as long as it has VA, FM, Wavetable and Formant synthesis I'd be happy...

I'd just like to see the P12 upped to the current hardware and design specs that DSI has put in their newer creations before I decide on getting a Prophet 12.

.....

With that said, there is something I'd like to see made one day, though it'll probably never happen... a kind of "mellotron like" sampler that behave in a very special way. I do not think I've seen anything do this, but here goes:

Every key on the keyboard should be it's own 48KHz, 16bit playback device... it should be able to play back a single looped sample at this exact rate and bit depth... no need to even pitch shift anything... just a lot of simple 44.1Khz 16bit sampleloop playback devices (see them a bit like a lot of looped tapes like in the Mellotron).

Now, an instrument is then build up of a looped sample for each of these keys... whenever you hit a key, the VCA for that sample will open and close as per a VCA envelope as usual, gating the sample.

The samples should be able to either retrigger on a gate, or simply be free running, the latter being VERY IMPORTANT since this will eliminate any static transients normally associated with samplers... the looped samples just simply needs to be carefully created to not have more movement going on in them, than they will sound good when gated in free running mode.

This in essence means that you would have a polyphony of 128 voices, but each key can only be triggered in mono... this has it's own charm all by itself.

It also means though, that VCAs would have to be digital, and not analog ones.... if any filter is to be added to each key as well, these should also be digital ones.. .the reason is obvious; you'd need 128 analog VCFs and VCAs if not... anything that should be per key, must be done digitally, or the cost and size would blow out of proportion. But this is not at all that bad since the samples can have all the analog character you could put into them anyway, and the quality would be pristine on ALL KEYS because they do no pitch transposition... so no aliasing.

Of course there should be the usual depth of the synth engine with modulation matrix for the digital VCA/VCF stuff.

I'd also like to see a CHARACTER section for each key giving you sampl emanipulation tools like bit crush, sample rate reduction and other "per sample based" tricks.

But we all know that we want something analog, at least something hybrid... and this is where I'd like for DSI to try something different... put in an ANALOG effects engine after the digital sample playback engine instead to warm up the digital part:

A real stereo analog BBD delay with feedback that will allow you to choose from different modulation FX like Chorus/Flanger/Phaser/Stringer Ensemble/Delay

A real stereo analog distortion/Waveshaper

A real stereo analog ring modulator

A real stereo analog filter (LP, HP and BP)

and in the end, the usual digital FX engine focusing on Delays and Reverbs

... if such a thing was available, it would make it on my top priority list for sure...

Samples could be imported by a simple SD card slot having folders that include all 128 looped samples for an instrument. There would not even be any need to create software for any mapping, as each sample name could just follow a simple naming structure, and editing the samples you can find lots of third party software for.

The trick is in the preparation of the samples... but the sheer amount of possibilities are staggering when you think about it... you could have a choir sample looped on all keys (if too many keys because of the human pitch range, keys can simply be left out) making it very realistic... you could sample any vintage synth or other on every key and have it play back perfectly without any chipmunk effects... you could put acoustic instrument's sustained notes in giving you a natural formant feel all over the keys... and even synthetically generated complex waveforms that retain formants or the like for every key.

Such a synth would be one hell of a PAD machine... it would be a dream synth for ambient genres for sure.


actually some of this could also be simulated on the Prophet X, if they just made a single feature update that would allow you to start playback of a sample at a random spot in the sample at each keypress... a rather simple feature addition really... it is not exactly like a free running sample of course, but it would still eliminate tha static feel of a retriggered sample...
« Last Edit: December 22, 2018, 02:55:54 AM by Razmo »
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Sleep of Reason

Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #722 on: December 22, 2018, 06:23:15 AM »
16 voice mono/8 voice stereo dual timbral upgrade of the P12 is what I'm hoping for at the moment. With an FPGA front-end to eliminate aliasing like on the PEAK. SSM filters plus analog HiPass filter per voice. Put an enhanced FX engine at the end of the chain as well.

It's pretty silly going around making bold claims about what Sequential is likely or unlikely to do, but if I had to put my money on it, that's what I'd bet on. I guess I'm a bit biased though as that's what I'd be most interested in.   
« Last Edit: December 22, 2018, 07:51:58 AM by Sleep of Reason »

LoboLives

Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #723 on: December 22, 2018, 09:21:50 AM »
16 voice mono/8 voice stereo dual timbral upgrade of the P12 is what I'm hoping for at the moment. With an FPGA front-end to eliminate aliasing like on the PEAK. SSM filters plus analog HiPass filter per voice. Put an enhanced FX engine at the end of the chain as well.

It's pretty silly going around making bold claims about what Sequential is likely or unlikely to do, but if I had to put my money on it, that's what I'd bet on. I guess I'm a bit biased though as that's what I'd be most interested in.

Maybe a 10 voice stereo/20 Voice Mono.

Razmo

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Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #724 on: December 22, 2018, 09:35:09 AM »
The main reason I want FPGA is because even though P12 does sound nice when you just use simple VA style programing, then when you start to introduce FM or other audio rate modulation you will start to hear it's digital and harsh 11Khz bandlimit... it simply cannot do it with enough quality when you do rough audio rate modulations... PEAK gets around this because they run the modulation engine inside the FPGA at insanely high speed compared to normal 48KHz DSP chips.

With PEAK and also the coming Waldorf Phoenix synth, more and more high-end digital synths will begin to emerge using FPGA synthesis, so Sequential can just as well start to get it, or get left behind...
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Shaw

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Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #725 on: December 22, 2018, 10:12:05 AM »
With PEAK and also the coming Waldorf Phoenix synth, more and more high-end digital synths will begin to emerge using FPGA synthesis, so Sequential can just as well start to get it, or get left behind...
What is this “new Waldorf Phoenix synth” of which you speak?  Is this different from the Kyra?
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Razmo

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Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #726 on: December 22, 2018, 10:23:08 AM »
With PEAK and also the coming Waldorf Phoenix synth, more and more high-end digital synths will begin to emerge using FPGA synthesis, so Sequential can just as well start to get it, or get left behind...
What is this “new Waldorf Phoenix synth” of which you speak?  Is this different from the Kyra?

Erm... I believe it was renamed to KYRA by Waldorf, but it is the same synth as far as I recall? ... or was it called "Valkyrie"?
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Shaw

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Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #727 on: December 22, 2018, 10:38:49 AM »
With PEAK and also the coming Waldorf Phoenix synth, more and more high-end digital synths will begin to emerge using FPGA synthesis, so Sequential can just as well start to get it, or get left behind...
What is this “new Waldorf Phoenix synth” of which you speak?  Is this different from the Kyra?

Erm... I believe it was renamed to KYRA by Waldorf, but it is the same synth as far as I recall? ... or was it called "Valkyrie"?
Yes, the original British developer called it the Valkyrie.   
I keep wanting to think of it as the Virus 3, but somehow I think the Virus TI2 might still be preferable to this thing.  I haven’t been overly impressed by what’s been described so far — I probably missed something.  I should go back and re-watch those videos.
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Razmo

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Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #728 on: December 22, 2018, 11:03:48 AM »
With PEAK and also the coming Waldorf Phoenix synth, more and more high-end digital synths will begin to emerge using FPGA synthesis, so Sequential can just as well start to get it, or get left behind...
What is this “new Waldorf Phoenix synth” of which you speak?  Is this different from the Kyra?

Erm... I believe it was renamed to KYRA by Waldorf, but it is the same synth as far as I recall? ... or was it called "Valkyrie"?
Yes, the original British developer called it the Valkyrie.   
I keep wanting to think of it as the Virus 3, but somehow I think the Virus TI2 might still be preferable to this thing.  I haven’t been overly impressed by what’s been described so far — I probably missed something.  I should go back and re-watch those videos.

As far as I remember, it was pretty well spec'ed... not that it had anything new, it just had a hell of a lot of what already is, and at FPGA speed meaning a lot better sound quality... especially with heavy audio rate modulations... but I still have to see further specs etc. before that one will catch my interest... especially some sound examples... in fact i prefer at least analog or hybrid devices, so I'm not sure I'll ever get this, no matter how good it is...
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blewis

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Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #729 on: December 22, 2018, 03:07:52 PM »
But why not go head to head with Moog with a 2 VCO/2 digital OSC, Pro2 filter and sequencer, 4 LFO synth for $4000-4500 8 voice and $6000-6500 16 voice?

Sequential Two.  :o Electric Boogaloo  :o  :o

They have all that technology.

Shaw

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Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #730 on: December 22, 2018, 03:17:30 PM »
Sequential Two.  :o Electric Boogaloo  :o :o

They have all that technology.
They’d also have my money.
Especially if they did it with stereo filters.


Anyone know if Dave & Crew will be at NAMM?
« Last Edit: December 22, 2018, 03:19:56 PM by Shaw »
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Sacred Synthesis

Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #731 on: December 22, 2018, 05:34:53 PM »
But why not go head to head with Moog with a 2 VCO/2 digital OSC, Pro2 filter and sequencer, 4 LFO synth for $4000-4500 8 voice and $6000-6500 16 voice?

That would be a reversal of the DSI/Sequential modus operandi.  It would then be obvious that Dave was merely responding to Moog.  Dave seems, rather, to do his own thing and often lead the way.  If there's a discernible direction he is following and has been for years, I think he should continue in it.  It's original and produces outstanding instruments, such as the Prophet 12.  Yes, competition is an inescapable factor, but I think the best competition here is for Sequential to master it's corner of the synthesizer industry.
« Last Edit: December 22, 2018, 05:36:41 PM by Sacred Synthesis »

blewis

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Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #732 on: December 22, 2018, 05:41:42 PM »
But why not go head to head with Moog with a 2 VCO/2 digital OSC, Pro2 filter and sequencer, 4 LFO synth for $4000-4500 8 voice and $6000-6500 16 voice?

It would then be obvious that Dave was merely responding to Moog. 

It would look like it now, yes. But this was a request from DSI owners from the moment the Pro2 was made.

Shaw

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Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #733 on: December 25, 2018, 07:13:02 PM »
Anyone know if Dave & Crew will be at NAMM this year?
"Classical musicians go to the conservatories, rock´n roll musicians go to the garages." --- Frank Zappa
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LoboLives

Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #734 on: December 25, 2018, 08:48:26 PM »
Anyone know if Dave & Crew will be at NAMM this year?

I somehow doubt it. I know NAMM is usually based around musical instrument distributors but it does offer a big platform for coverage on social media. I was talking to a few people when the Prophet X was announced and a lot of them had no idea about it....and in some cases still don't.

Sacred Synthesis

Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #735 on: December 26, 2018, 12:34:36 PM »
Anyone know if Dave & Crew will be at NAMM this year?

Didn't they skip it last year?  Perhaps they've moved on.

Shaw

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Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #736 on: December 26, 2018, 12:55:38 PM »
Anyone know if Dave & Crew will be at NAMM this year?

Didn't they skip it last year?  Perhaps they've moved on.
I'm pretty sure that you're right (about them skipping NAMM last year); however, they have released new products at NAMM in the past, so....
"Classical musicians go to the conservatories, rock´n roll musicians go to the garages." --- Frank Zappa
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Sacred Synthesis

Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #737 on: December 26, 2018, 01:19:11 PM »
It hasn't been long since the PX and PXL were released, so it would be remarkable if Sequential already had another instrument ready to go. 

I wonder if the Prophet 12 will be replaced next.

Shaw

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Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #738 on: December 26, 2018, 01:43:58 PM »
I wonder if the Prophet 12 will be replaced next.
That would seem logical. In the past, hasn’t there been very little time between the announcement of a discontinued model and announcement of a newer one?
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Razmo

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Re: Next New DSI Instrument
« Reply #739 on: December 26, 2018, 01:56:13 PM »
I wonder if the Prophet 12 will be replaced next.
That would seem logical. In the past, hasn’t there been very little time between the announcement of a discontinued model and announcement of a newer one?

It will... i can feel it somehow... but you can be certain, that the P12 will have something, that some would want, that the new one will not have... just like many still miss some of the Evolver features in the P12.
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