Xils 4 The Pin Matrix Modular Analog Synthesizer [V1.5 released + Intro Price offer]

[audientronic]

Might be useful to have a product link in the OP.

[audientronic]

Dongle-free demo crashed Studio One on startup as well.
And Garageband.

On Mac OS X 10.8.5

[Lotuzia]

Hello Lotuzia

I have installed the demo in Ableton 32 Bit Beta and Ableton 64 Bit Suite Version: My DAW crash :S on MAC OS

"Live's last program run was abnormally terminated because of the VST-Plug-in "XILS 4.vst". This plugin will be deactivated for use in Live. Other applications will not be affected.

Hi MillerSam,

Thanks for the report/alert.

We found the bug and fixed it. New Demo installers should be available in approx one hour. Please ReDl the demo version at that time.

Thanks.

[jowen]

Downloaded a few minutes ago, but got a crash every time i want to put in the V4 Au in,
Is it still the old AU version? dmg says xils4_demo_osx_setup_V000
????

[Lotuzia]

Hi Jowen and Audientronic + Millersam

Please redownload the new version in approx one hour ... probably less now-

It should be tagged xils4_demo_osx_setup_V001

Sorry for the delay

+ Note for kelvyn : We think we have found this one too. More on this very soon.

Sofar the situation is :

Full version : Elicencer ok in all hosts, Ilok (only AU, VST should work Ok) : Licence appearance problems we're currently investigating. ( Migh be fixed fixed soon, see above )

Demo Version : Hopefully it should be fixed and ready to DL as soon as we have UL it.

[jowen]

Installed the V3.2 demo and V4 demo, now my Le version seems been overwritten?
Its no more in the AU or VST folder.
Can I upgrade the Le version if I did not buy it at Xils?

[BlackWinny]

Good news!

After a quarter of an hour of tests in each of the followings all seem to work well in:

• Topten Cantabile Lite 2.0 32-bit (in 64 bit Windows 8.1)
• Topten Cantabile Lite 2.0 64-bit (in 64 bit Windows 8.1)
• Mutools Mulab 5.5.2 32-bit (in 64 bit Windows 8.1)
• Mutools Mulab 5.5.2 64-bit (in 64 bit Windows 8.1)

Hmmm... To prevent misunderstandings in the iterative tests, it would nice to have somewhere the exact identification of the release number. I have found it anywhere, nor in the GUI itself (even with the menu "?") nor in the properties of the dll files. And the informations given by the menu "About"... I doubt, as they say simply "V1.0.0 May 10 2014 DEMO" whilst I've just download my test copy an hour and half ago, I doubt of them because we are May 13 and there are apparently bugs which cause new uploads today...

So... "V1.0.0 May 10 2014 DEMO" really?

[zerocrossing]

So... this is basically two XILS 3.2's combined? Pretty awesome... XILS 3 is one of my go-to instruments when I want a vintage sound in software.

Here's my wish though... it would have been so awesome if they had used this update as an opportunity to ditch the skeuomorphic UI a bit (though I still like buttons to look pressable and knobs to look tweakable) and move to a UI that's more like Madrona Lab's Aalto. Call me dumb, but the one thing I have an issue with on XILS 3 is being able to glance at a patch and "grok" it it right away. I understand why Synthi used push pins, but they are really a meaningless concept in our software world.

Hi ZC,

Thanks for your kind words.

Regarding the UI and GUI, I like Aalto design ( and sound too ). But .. imho

It can only work if you have few modules to connect and a rather small ammount of simultaneous connexions. To illustrate this : Aalto has only one Complex ( and interesting ) Oscillator. The Xils 4 has ..... 12 Oscillators + 2 Noise oscillators with tone control. In the Xils 4 you have more than 1100 possible connexions per patch. Could you imagine this in the middle bar of Aalto ?

Yeah, I hear you, but... maybe the answer is to have an alternative editing mode that looks like Tassman's or Reaktor's.





It's just that I think when you get into the levels of complexity Xils 4 attains, you are transcending people's ability to intuitively use it with the type of skeuomorphic UI you're using. Don't get me wrong, I still dig it when a button looks pressable and a knob looks tweakable, but there comes a point where a schematic is preferable for clarity.

[Lotuzia]

So... this is basically two XILS 3.2's combined? Pretty awesome... XILS 3 is one of my go-to instruments when I want a vintage sound in software.

Here's my wish though... it would have been so awesome if they had used this update as an opportunity to ditch the skeuomorphic UI a bit (though I still like buttons to look pressable and knobs to look tweakable) and move to a UI that's more like Madrona Lab's Aalto. Call me dumb, but the one thing I have an issue with on XILS 3 is being able to glance at a patch and "grok" it it right away. I understand why Synthi used push pins, but they are really a meaningless concept in our software world.

Hi ZC,

Thanks for your kind words.

Regarding the UI and GUI, I like Aalto design ( and sound too ). But .. imho

It can only work if you have few modules to connect and a rather small ammount of simultaneous connexions. To illustrate this : Aalto has only one Complex ( and interesting ) Oscillator. The Xils 4 has ..... 12 Oscillators + 2 Noise oscillators with tone control. In the Xils 4 you have more than 1100 possible connexions per patch. Could you imagine this in the middle bar of Aalto ?

Yeah, I hear you, but... maybe the answer is to have an alternative editing mode that looks like Tassman's or Reaktor's.





It's just that I think when you get into the levels of complexity Xils 4 attains, you are transcending people's ability to intuitively use it with the type of skeuomorphic UI you're using. Don't get me wrong, I still dig it when a button looks pressable and a knob looks tweakable, but there comes a point where a schematic is preferable for clarity.

Well I think its a matter of getting used to read/build a patch with a particular system.

I find the Pin Matrix system very intuitive. You put a pin, and the connexion is established. Remove it, its broken. It *seems* natural to me.In the picture below, if I had the double matrix view on the Left Synthi, as it is on the right, I can decipher my patch, or to be precise the essential parts of it, in a glance. Despite what I see is actually a subset of more than a thousand *connexions* if I use the two Synth engines. Its because the oscillators, filter, EV, LFO place on the matrixes is fixed. So I can tell at once how much oscillators are used in *this patch*, the filters, etc etc. But, admitedly, its because my eye, and brain, have been *trained* for the Xils 4.

I would spend more time on the Tassman, wich I used, and on Reaktor, with wich I made a lame substractive synth years ago , wich took me ages to build, and still I wasnt satisfied with the results, to decipher a *similar* patch, as they are exposed in your diags. Probably just because my eye and brain are not trained with these particular tools.



All in all, what I can testify is however that, with a rather short learning curve, users can make some crazy patches on the Xils 3, and *see* and decipher patches just like I do. Maybe its the same than doing your own ensembles in Reaktor. Anyway soundwise both are very different. As is Tassman.

Anyway, hope you"ll appreciate the Xils 4.

[Lotuzia]

Installed the V3.2 demo and V4 demo, now my Le version seems been overwritten?
Its no more in the AU or VST folder.
Can I upgrade the Le version if I did not buy it at Xils?

Hi Jowen,

Hmm there is a problem with that. Thanks for the report. You can reinstall the Xils 3 LE and it will appear again. We're going to investigate this one.

The Upgrades ( Xils LE to Xils 3 full version, and Xils 3 to Xils 4 ) are only available thru Xils site. You must also create an account and register the LE version. Then, an upgrade path is automatically created in your account.

You can however buy the Xils 3 directly in various sites.

Hope it answers your question(s)

LtZ

[Lotuzia]

Might be useful to have a product link in the OP.

Certainly, I'll add it . Thansks for warning me.

[Lotuzia]

I did some tests with the full version of the Windows eLicenser 64-bit plugin of XILS4 on Windows 7 64-bit.
So far it seems to work nicely in Ableton Live 9.1.2 Suite 64-bit and the demo of Bitwig Studio 1.0.8.

In the mod matrix It is also possible to use e.g. mod sources and destinations from the right side in the left and vice versa so indeed this seems to be more than just a layer of two sounds.
In fact you have morethan 2 pages for a patch where the additional ones could be switched with the big white arrows at the right and/or left borders of the GUI.

Starte playing with the new factory sounds and with the Lead sounds i like one called "LD Inharm Hat LtZ" which is a layer of a more or less typical (but nice) analog lead and a bell like sound (done with the Ringmod).
The patch "LD Right Treads Left LtZ" uses the Osc Sync in the left part which sounds really nice.

If i checked it right Osc Sync is not included with XILS 3.2 so this is really a great addition.


Ingo

Thanks for the tests Ingo

Seems to work rock solid in a looooot of hosts now !

Yes the Inharmonic hat uses the Polyphonic Ring Modulator ( wich was created for the Xils 3 v2.0) and also iirc some *special* oscillators tunings for one of the two engines. ( a good opportunity to make people aware that the Xils 3/4 have microtuning abilities, and play 1/4 tone scales for example )

And the Right Treats Left use one of the features offered by the 2 VCS engine topology : The output of the first VCS is processed by the second one ( see how input 1/2 are connected in the 2nd synth engine matrix )

So that you're perfectly right the Xils 4 is much more than 2 Xils 3 instances layered in your Daw. Engines interact in many ways, especially with the 2 huge extended matrixes. Also with the Polyphonic Sequencer etc etc.

And yes again, the gorgeous Oscillators Hard Sync is another of the major differences between Xils 3 and Xils 4

[Lotuzia]

Good news!

After a quarter of an hour of tests in each of the followings all seem to work well in:

• Topten Cantabile Lite 2.0 32-bit (in 64 bit Windows 8.1)
• Topten Cantabile Lite 2.0 64-bit (in 64 bit Windows 8.1)
• Mutools Mulab 5.5.2 32-bit (in 64 bit Windows 8.1)
• Mutools Mulab 5.5.2 64-bit (in 64 bit Windows 8.1)

Hmmm... To prevent misunderstandings in the iterative tests, it would nice to have somewhere the exact identification of the release number. I have found it anywhere, nor in the GUI itself (even with the menu "?") nor in the properties of the dll files. And the informations given by the menu "About"... I doubt, as they say simply "V1.0.0 May 10 2014 DEMO" whilst I've just download my test copy an hour and half ago, I doubt of them because we are May 13 and there are apparently bugs which cause new uploads today...

So... "V1.0.0 May 10 2014 DEMO" really?

Thanks for the test and report BlackWinny I'll update the list of compatible hosts accordingly. The precise version is given by the name of the installer file.

[BlackWinny]

Good news!

After a quarter of an hour of tests in each of the followings all seem to work well in:

• Topten Cantabile Lite 2.0 32-bit (in 64 bit Windows 8.1)
• Topten Cantabile Lite 2.0 64-bit (in 64 bit Windows 8.1)
• Mutools Mulab 5.5.2 32-bit (in 64 bit Windows 8.1)
• Mutools Mulab 5.5.2 64-bit (in 64 bit Windows 8.1)

Hmmm... To prevent misunderstandings in the iterative tests, it would nice to have somewhere the exact identification of the release number. I have found it anywhere, nor in the GUI itself (even with the menu "?") nor in the properties of the dll files. And the informations given by the menu "About"... I doubt, as they say simply "V1.0.0 May 10 2014 DEMO" whilst I've just download my test copy an hour and half ago, I doubt of them because we are May 13 and there are apparently bugs which cause new uploads today...

So... "V1.0.0 May 10 2014 DEMO" really?

Thanks for the test and report BlackWinny I'll update the list of compatible hosts accordingly. The precise version is given by the name of the installer file.

By the bye it will be an occasion to rectify a line:

Reaper (VST/AU x32 and x54) : Validated and worked with no problems.

[Lotuzia]

Good news!

After a quarter of an hour of tests in each of the followings all seem to work well in:

• Topten Cantabile Lite 2.0 32-bit (in 64 bit Windows 8.1)
• Topten Cantabile Lite 2.0 64-bit (in 64 bit Windows 8.1)
• Mutools Mulab 5.5.2 32-bit (in 64 bit Windows 8.1)
• Mutools Mulab 5.5.2 64-bit (in 64 bit Windows 8.1)

Hmmm... To prevent misunderstandings in the iterative tests, it would nice to have somewhere the exact identification of the release number. I have found it anywhere, nor in the GUI itself (even with the menu "?") nor in the properties of the dll files. And the informations given by the menu "About"... I doubt, as they say simply "V1.0.0 May 10 2014 DEMO" whilst I've just download my test copy an hour and half ago, I doubt of them because we are May 13 and there are apparently bugs which cause new uploads today...

So... "V1.0.0 May 10 2014 DEMO" really?

Thanks for the test and report BlackWinny I'll update the list of compatible hosts accordingly. The precise version is given by the name of the installer file.

By the bye it will be an occasion to rectify a line:

Reaper (VST/AU x32 and x54) : Validated and worked with no problems.

Thanks for the typo

Btw, here are the specs of the Xils 4, so that everyone can compare with other modular synths :

 12 Aliasing Free Oscillators, grouped in 6 pairs, with WaveShaping, Hard Sync (3*2 routings), and 2 additional Noise oscillators.
 Unison2/4/6 with analog spray
 2 Analog Multimode Filters, Non Linear and zero delay Behaviours, with 3 Modes (6/12/24 dB)
 4 Trapezoidal, looping, Envelope Generators. ( Switchable to standard ADSR )
 5 Polyphonic LFOs ( including 4 Oscillators acting as LFO at audiorate )
 Polyphonic Ring Modulator and VCA engine
 Cascade Mode : Syntheziser 1 can feed Synth 2 engine inputs
 4 independant outputs feeding the Stereo Bus, each with one analog Lp/Hp filter
 2 Programmable Joystick Vector Controllers ( up to 32+32 modulation targets )
 Polyphonic Sequencer with 3 independant lines, Slew rates, 3 recording modes.
 Sequencer can behave as modulation source. Up to 256 steps.
 Microtuning.Oriental scales. Any scales.
 Pitch Tracker, Enveloppe Follower, Transcient, Gate, Sample & Hold Modules
Chorus, Delay, Spring Reverb ( Can act as additional EVs )
 6 Play modes (including Unison 2/4/6 ), Polyphonic and mono Portamento/Glissando/Legato, 2 different Keyboard Scaling, Polyphonic Aftertouch and VCA handling.
 The XILS 4 can alsoo be used as a powerfull VST effect processor, processing incoming audio signals, with dedicated input modules, that can aslo be used in the cascade mode, and/or behave as signal driven envelopes : Gate, Transcient, Envellope Follower and Pitch Tracker
 700 presets created by worldwide famous Sound Designers
 Preset Database Engine ( Find the right patch in a flash, create your own tags )
 Comprehensive manual with getting started and tutorial sections
 More than 100 parameters mappable to midi controlers
 More than 1100 possible connexions per patch ! !