Next New Sequential Instrument

[dslsynth]

Besides the VS/PEK/Wavestation and sampler ideas above I would say that a duophonic synthesizer is better than a mono if layers and stereo stack mode are present complete with external inputs. But there are many ideas out there and what to expect next is a well described problem.

The only thing I am curious about is the design direction the new instrument takes. Are we going to see a new entry to the line of more or less reissued instruments? Or will something new happen? I am very happy DSI did P6/OB-6 and it was great to see P08 receiving an upgrade. But how about something new next time?

In any case I can wait until NAMM to see what it ends up being.

[LoboLives]

I think DSI nailed the perfect analog poly synth design in the P6 and OB6. I love having no menu and just having everything on the front panel. I really hope we see a continuation of that myself.

[Razmo]

I think DSI nailed the perfect analog poly synth design in the P6 and OB6. I love having no menu and just having everything on the front panel. I really hope we see a continuation of that myself.

I agree on that one... it's actually one of the reasons I'm choosing DSI again now... because I do not need an editor on a computer to edit the sounds easily... That is also why a Sampler synth in my piont of view, should not be as complicated as for example the old (but darn good!) E-MU Ultra samplers... if you need to have multisampled stuff and the depth of these, you will surely have menu diving and worse.... that is why I'd like the sampling part to be simple... just add them as oscillators as in the Blofeld, just with a whole lot easier loading/saving of samples, and if possible; realtime timestretching... and if really really good; add formant control like on the V-Synth as well... then we're talking some darn cool sampler synth!

[LoboLives]

I think DSI nailed the perfect analog poly synth design in the P6 and OB6. I love having no menu and just having everything on the front panel. I really hope we see a continuation of that myself.

I agree on that one... it's actually one of the reasons I'm choosing DSI again now...

Honestly for a bi-timbral analog synth I would have like to have seen something like two Prophet 6 or OB6 style modules side by side with a Split/Stack button in the middle. That would have been perfect.

if DSI were to ever do another Evolver I really hope we see those patch selection buttons of the P6/OB6 on it as well. Maybe just colored blue.

[Gerry Havinga]

Perhaps guessing what Dave and his team are up to next is a near impossible task. I just looked at the DSI's site about page and Dave did produce a sampler once:

1985 – PROPHET-2000
The Prophet 2000 was a 12-bit sampling keyboard. It featured 512k of sample memory, and selectable sampling rates of 16, 32, and 42kHz. External storage was provided via floppy disk. The Prophet 2000 featured MIDI, 8 voice polyphony, and an arpeggiator. Its analog filters and VCAs gave the Prophet 2000 a warmth that differentiated from other samplers of the period.

Given that DSI is looking at what they find interesting to build (and I do really love that approach). Doing repeat exercises of old products is probably not much fun. Obviously there has to be some commercial element and as writing (good quality) software is a very time consuming process, DSI will probably build further "on top" of their existing software library.

Investigating the new cheap CPU architectures, FPGAs and all that, I can imagine DSI is looking at something completely different that can be build with powerful but very low cost hardware. I just read a very interesting article about Dolby Atmos which describes the incredible quality of REM's  "Automatic for the people", completely re-mixed and mastered for a three dimensional sound field. I can imagine there is something fascinating about building a synthesizer that is capable of generating sound that can be positioned in a three dimensional space......

Aaahh we can dream ...

[dslsynth]

Perhaps guessing what Dave and his team are up to next is a near impossible task.

I have seen DSI staff saying that with their current team things are a lot more dynamic than in the early DSI days. So expect the unexpected. I am happy with that. Makes NAMM expectations much more fun!

[Sacred Synthesis]

We have all but convinced ourselves that a new Poly Evolver of sorts is coming.  Someone here should inform DSI, in case they haven't heard! 

I only hope we're right.

[dslsynth]

I only hope we're right.

I have come to a point where I simply wait to see what they will announce at NAMM. I think there is good consensus on what the community want most. But what actually happens is a good question that we will know at NAMM. So I will simply wait and see how the new machine(s) look. Its much easier that way!

[Razmo]

But there is a good point in debating what MIGHT come, or what we would LIKE to come... because if we did not, DSI would never know... would they?

[dslsynth]

Agree, lets not forget to dream about what would be great to see. Good point indeed.

[chysn]

I just read a very interesting article about Dolby Atmos which describes the incredible quality of REM's  "Automatic for the people", completely re-mixed and mastered for a three dimensional sound field. I can imagine there is something fascinating about building a synthesizer that is capable of generating sound that can be positioned in a three dimensional space......

Thanks for that info! Automatic for the People just might be my favorite album ever. Atmos seems like it's designed for the cinema, so I'm not sure how I'd hear it at home. But, you know, I'd totally pay twelve bucks to sit in a dark movie theater and listen to Automatic for the People.

[LoboLives]

But there is a good point in debating what MIGHT come, or what we would LIKE to come... because if we did not, DSI would never know... would they?

Ahhh Emulator II style sampler with VCFs and VCAs.
New digital synthesizer with Vector Synthesis.
Paraphonic analog string machine that also doubles as a vocoder and guitar synth with dedicated inputs.
A dual manual double Prophet 6.
Four part multitimbral analog synth.
Stand alone analog sequencer with the ability to ratchet steps, chain sequences into songs and save sequences.

[Gerry Havinga]

I just read a very interesting article about Dolby Atmos which describes the incredible quality of REM's  "Automatic for the people", completely re-mixed and mastered for a three dimensional sound field. I can imagine there is something fascinating about building a synthesizer that is capable of generating sound that can be positioned in a three dimensional space......

Thanks for that info! Automatic for the People just might be my favorite album ever. Atmos seems like it's designed for the cinema, so I'm not sure how I'd hear it at home. But, you know, I'd totally pay twelve bucks to sit in a dark movie theater and listen to Automatic for the People.

No, it is not designed just for cinema. Atmos is designed to give sound mixers/masterers and creators more control over placing of instruments / events in a 3D sound field (spatial audio). I understand it introduces the concept of "object oriented"  sound tracks. Where embedded with the audio information there is meta data that describes how the sound should be processed and placed in a 3D space. This ensures that audio processors in effect units and amplifiers have exact information where each track/instrument should be placed. Then it solely depends on the sophistication of the speaker setup how well this is translated to real life.

Apparently the modern versions of the XBox console can process Dolby Atmos and do some trickery so you can experience it over (normal) stereo headphones. I looked up the original Ars Technica article: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/11/spatial-audio-is-the-most-exciting-thing-to-happen-to-pop-music-since-stereo/

Recently I got hold of a second hand Evolver desktop . It is very interesting how the pairs of oscillators are assigned to each stereo channel and how you can switch from mono to small and wide field stereo imaging. I don't think it should be very difficult, more like a natural progression, for DSI to design an Evolver / P12 kind of synthesizer that uses Atmos technology and together with a compatible processor / amplifier create soundscapes where each oscillator can be positioned in exact locations in a (virtual) 3D room.

Apparently because of the 3D space Dolby Atmos provides, in stead of the "2D" stereo spacing, the mixing of instruments can become easier as you can position them spatially in three dimensions so they are not in each other's way.

Just writing this down gets me excited and very interested about an instrument like this. How about it DSI: next synthesizer with Dolby Atmos capabilities (as well as stereo of course)?

[Razmo]

But there is a good point in debating what MIGHT come, or what we would LIKE to come... because if we did not, DSI would never know... would they?

Ahhh Emulator II style sampler with VCFs and VCAs.
New digital synthesizer with Vector Synthesis.
Paraphonic analog string machine that also doubles as a vocoder and guitar synth with dedicated inputs.
A dual manual double Prophet 6.
Four part multitimbral analog synth.
Stand alone analog sequencer with the ability to ratchet steps, chain sequences into songs and save sequences.

Lets hope that Santadave believe you have been a good boy this year

[Paul Dither]

This would be my proposal for something VS-like.

[Shaw]

This would be my proposal for something VS-like.

Cool mock-up there Paul.  I hope DSI licensed it from you. 
The only thing I would "change" is, instead of a "stereo filter", I would have 2 x SVFs that could be run in series, parallel or stereo... After all, a stereo filter is really two mono filters panned left and right anyway, right?

[Paul Dither]

Cool mock-up there Paul.  I hope DSI licensed it from you. 

Haha, thanks!

The only thing I would "change" is, instead of a "stereo filter", I would have 2 x SVFs that could be run in series, parallel or stereo... After all, a stereo filter is really two mono filters panned left and right anyway, right?

I was trying to think in realistic terms of how features have been incorporated and varied in the past, hence no repetition of the Pro 2 filter section for example, but a modulatable filter slope control that could work in steps (1-4 pole modes) or continuously. The thought was to have the signal path organized like in the Evolver, where the Pan Spread (called Output Pan there) controls how far the left and right channels are spread, from a hard-panned signal to a centered signal.

Instead of providing individual stereo outputs per layer, though, I thought that for a vector synth there should be a quad output. That's how the WS was set up. In that case, the stereo operation of the filter would of course have to be overridden.

2 x SVFs in series, parallel or stereo sounds tasty as well, though.

[LoboLives]

This would be my proposal for something VS-like.

Brings a tear to my eye. Would like to have a joy stick on that baby too as well as random patch selection like the OB6/Prophet 6 selection buttons...but in blue!

[Shaw]

This would be my proposal for something VS-like.

Brings a tear to my eye. Would like to have a joy stick on that baby too as well as random patch selection like the OB6/Prophet 6 selection buttons...but in blue!

I kinda prefer the 2-dimensional touch pad (instead of a joystick)... especially if it is touch sensitive -- I suppose that would make it 3 dimensional.

[dslsynth]

This would be my proposal for something VS-like.

It looks pretty cool. Love the somewhat evolved blues!