Synapse Audio Minimoog emulation "The Legend" for VST/AU and RE released!

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

I have a Rise and a System-8, the latter of which is my primary controller, with the former being something I play around with. I appreciate MPE enabled synths, but CC74 should be something that can get turned on and off. On my S8 that's not the filter cutoff knob, that's reverb time. And I can't change it in the hardware as it's a synth, not a controller. A simple MPE on/off button that can free up CC74 would be nice, allowing me to use both the way I want without a workaround.

I'd also like an MPE lock to maintain assignment as presets get changed. The Rise isn't within an arm's length of the computer, so there's a lot of going back and forth and changing screens, updating settings, that could be avoided with an MPE lock.

[Echoes in the Attic]

speaking of mpe, are there plans for the legend to get the +/-48 note pitch bend as in the spec? I haven't seen a comment about that.

[DuX]

I appreciate MPE enabled synths, but CC74 should be something that can get turned on and off. On my S8 that's not the filter cutoff knob, that's reverb time. And I can't change it in the hardware as it's a synth, not a controller. A simple MPE on/off button that can free up CC74 would be nice, allowing me to use both the way I want without a workaround.

This +10 at least. Just a simple on/off button would be absolutely appreciated. Many of us still use ancient MIDI controllers and the CC74 has always been associated with the filter cutoff which we all like and use quite often. Changing that behaviour is a real no-no. But to keep the Legend compatible with the more contemporary users, have the MPE option available for them. I don't think that's so complicated, eh?

[BONES]

So, MPE (which came 20 years after Midi) invalidates some Midi-Specs?

It doesn't invalidate it as such, as cc assignments were never part of the spec. They are more of a convention that devs and manufacturers try to follow, for the sake of consistency. Those conventions have changed a bit over the years. I remember in my old hardware days that Cutoff and Resonnce were #14 and #15, or maybe #13 and #14 (it's been a while), on pretty much all of my Korg workstations and my Ensoniq samplers but the modern convention uses those cc's for other things.

the CC74 has always been associated with the filter cutoff which we all like and use quite often. Changing that behaviour is a real no-no.

Not always. As I mentioned above, my 1980s/1990s hardware used cc #13 or #14 for cutoff, so it's definitely changed over the years. It was probably General MIDI that trampled all over those conventions so I'm happy enough for MPE to trample all over the current one. At least MPE is moving things forward, General MIDI did not.

I'd also like an MPE lock to maintain assignment as presets get changed. The Rise isn't within an arm's length of the computer, so there's a lot of going back and forth and changing screens, updating settings, that could be avoided with an MPE lock.

You are supposed to set the Rise's mode from the Roli Dashboard application and you shouldn't need to touch it once it's set. I say "shouldn't" because sometimes I do have to set it again when I'm using it but I assume that's a bug Roli need to fix, not a deliberate behaviour.

[Teksonik]

https://www.midi.org/specifications/ite ... ta-bytes-2

[BONES]

Nothing beats a vintage model. The reissue will always pale in the shadow of the original.

Really? Then how come every original MiniMoog owner didn't hesitate to ditch it when something more modern came along, like Prophet V? I started going to see bands in 1979 and I have never, ever seen a MiniMoog on stage. I used to see them second hand in shops but never in anyone's set-up. OTOH, people held onto their ARP Odysseys right through the 1980s. I have never in my life seen one for sale second-hand anywhere so I get why people might revere the Odyssey and Prophet V but not the MiniMoog. If it hadn't been first I really don't think anyone would have noticed it.

It is also quite obvious from their early synths that both Roland and Korg took ARP far more seriously than Moog. Just see how much a MiniKORG 700 looks like an ARP Soloist or how much Roland's SH-1000 looks like a Pro Soloist and I don't think they were doing it for street cred.

People liked the MiniMoog because it was portable, not because of the way it sounded or because of what they could do with it. Personally, I liked it's oscillators but I thought the filter let it down and it's lack of features made it hard to do a whole lot with. A couple of times I almost bought a beat-up one but something better always seemed to stop me, first an ARP Axxe (way beefier filter) and later a Korg Delta (highly underrated synth).

[Examigan]

Nothing beats a vintage model. The reissue will always pale in the shadow of the original.

Really? Then how come every original MiniMoog owner didn't hesitate to ditch it when something more modern came along, like Prophet V? I started going to see bands in 1979 and I have never, ever seen a MiniMoog on stage. I used to see them second hand in shops but never in anyone's set-up. OTOH, people held onto their ARP Odysseys right through the 1980s. I have never in my life seen one for sale second-hand anywhere so I get why people might revere the Odyssey and Prophet V but not the MiniMoog. If it hadn't been first I really don't think anyone would have noticed it.

It is also quite obvious from their early synths that both Roland and Korg took ARP far more seriously than Moog. Just see how much a MiniKORG 700 looks like an ARP Soloist or how much Roland's SH-1000 looks like a Pro Soloist and I don't think they were doing it for street cred.

People liked the MiniMoog because it was portable, not because of the way it sounded or because of what they could do with it. Personally, I liked it's oscillators but I thought the filter let it down and it's lack of features made it hard to do a whole lot with. A couple of times I almost bought a beat-up one but something better always seemed to stop me, first an ARP Axxe (way beefier filter) and later a Korg Delta (highly underrated synth).

I would think many people will probably argue some of your points here.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

I'd also like an MPE lock to maintain assignment as presets get changed. The Rise isn't within an arm's length of the computer, so there's a lot of going back and forth and changing screens, updating settings, that could be avoided with an MPE lock.

You are supposed to set the Rise's mode from the Roli Dashboard application and you shouldn't need to touch it once it's set. I say "shouldn't" because sometimes I do have to set it again when I'm using it but I assume that's a bug Roli need to fix, not a deliberate behaviour.

I meant in The Legend. If I assign Timbre to open the Filter in The Legend then change a preset, Timbre will be unassigned. So I need to go back and reassign it every time I change presets, which is annoying. Same for the pitch bend. I want the ability to lock the MPE mapping and pitchbend ranges so they remain static after changing presets like having a mix lock on a reverb. The U-he synths already have a per-parameter lock function.

[electro]

I meant in The Legend. If I assign Timbre to open the Filter in The Legend then change a preset, Timbre will be unassigned. So I need to go back and reassign it every time I change presets, which is annoying. Same for the pitch bend. I want the ability to lock the MPE mapping and pitchbend ranges so they remain static after changing presets like having a mix lock on a reverb. The U-he synths already have a per-parameter lock function.

U-he Lock is good
Especially needed for Global Note Priority, Pitch Bend Range Etc. Also saturation and symmetry levels on page 2

[v1o]

Nothing beats a vintage model. The reissue will always pale in the shadow of the original.

Really? Then how come every original MiniMoog owner didn't hesitate to ditch it when something more modern came along, like Prophet V? I started going to see bands in 1979 and I have never, ever seen a MiniMoog on stage. I used to see them second hand in shops but never in anyone's set-up. OTOH, people held onto their ARP Odysseys right through the 1980s. I have never in my life seen one for sale second-hand anywhere so I get why people might revere the Odyssey and Prophet V but not the MiniMoog. If it hadn't been first I really don't think anyone would have noticed it.

It is also quite obvious from their early synths that both Roland and Korg took ARP far more seriously than Moog. Just see how much a MiniKORG 700 looks like an ARP Soloist or how much Roland's SH-1000 looks like a Pro Soloist and I don't think they were doing it for street cred.

People liked the MiniMoog because it was portable, not because of the way it sounded or because of what they could do with it. Personally, I liked it's oscillators but I thought the filter let it down and it's lack of features made it hard to do a whole lot with. A couple of times I almost bought a beat-up one but something better always seemed to stop me, first an ARP Axxe (way beefier filter) and later a Korg Delta (highly underrated synth).

So howcome Moog are still in business and Arp are out of business? And I don’t think Korg’s Arp Oddysey reissue sold as much as they had expected, it certainly didn’t sell like the MS20 mini. I think Arp are seen as an oddity in synth history, not quite as well loved as Moogs and Oberheims.

As for the lack of Mini Moogs in ‘79. I think they went out of fashion for newer stuff. In those days, I honestly don’t think people were as well informed as we are today - a lot of it had to do with ignorance. But nowadays Mini Moogs are appreciated much more than ever. A vintage Moog can set you back nearly $5 grand.

Just for comparison there was also a time in the late 60’s when people were selling off old tube mics for cheap, when newer solid state mics like the U87 first came onto the market. Solid state was seen as the future. You could pick up an old U47 for dirt cheap.

[BONES]

Let's not be disingenuous here. Moog are back in business. The original Moog Music went belly up in 1986, after several changes of ownership and the departure of Boob Moog. It didn't start up again until 2002, the same year the Prophet V's creator started Dave Smith Instruments.

As for ARP's popularity, you're completely right, nobody has ever had a kind word to say about the ARP 2600, have they? And I suppose my having never seen an Odyssey for sale used must be some big coincidence, not an indication that everyone who had one held onto it. But, of course, I was there at the time, you weren't, so obviously you know far more about it than me.

On the subject of users being well informed, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. There were music shops everywhere and people just hung out in them, trying stuff out. My local shop was more than happy for me to take a synth home for a week and try it out with the rest of my set-up before I decided if I wanted to buy it or not, just like downloading the trial version of a plugin today. There were also music magazines brimming with reviews and articles. And these things were eye-wateringly expensive - I paid more for my Mono/Poly than I did for the car I had at the time - so nobody bought them on a whim, they spent hours trying them out to make sure they weren't wasting their money.

Your information about Korg's sales is also illuminating. Where did you get your figures from? I'd suggest the fact they went to the effort to make a full-size version probably indicates Korg are happy with their Odyssey's sales performance. Otherwise, why spend the money? But what would I know, I'm just looking at it objectively.

In any event, you are equating popularity with quality and you can't do that. Quite the opposite, the most popular things are often nowhere near the best. Take the world's best selling hamburger as an example - is the Big Mac really the best hamburger in the world? Or look at the Toyota Corolla - it's not even the best car in it's class or price range, yet it is the world's best seller. To me, the most popular product is the one that people who don't want to put too much effort into their decisions buy. The people who do put in the effort end up finding a dozen better things.

I would think many people will probably argue some of your points here.

Today they would, for sure, but not at the time. It's just nostalgia, it's not based in any objective reality.

[EnGee]

Leave Toyota Corolla alone!

It's my future car that I'll upgrade to soon

[AnX]

Bones loves his toyota analogy

[EnGee]

Bones loves his toyota analogy

I met persons like him here in NZ I guess! They either buy Holden or Ford. Mostly fanatic hates Japanese cars

[v1o]

Bones if people were so informed back in the day. No one would have thrown out their old analogue synths for newer digital synths. So many of them were sold cheap or went into landfill. As we all know now vintage synths are very valuable items, whose value appreciates over time.

Magazines are nothing more than big adverts. You just can’t overlook the influence of the internet user forums and bulletin boards on improving knowledge of synths.