Would some of you be kind to test the Mellotron emulation I have made in 2016 and which I'm currently finishing?
I'm open to any suggestion, knowing that:
- the tool is made to remain extremely simple;
- the effects are designed to provide a real 60's taste (the reason why the reverb sounds a bit metallic for example, to emulate the old real spring reverbs);
- the GUI is quite large because I have made it with the visually impaired persons in mind;
- I have got the authorization from Taijiguy to use his sample set and embed it in the plugin.
http://hsjp.eu/For_Taijiguy/BW-Tron.zip
Here is the GUI that you'll have on your screen:
Just a precision to end this post: please don't share it around you for the moment and don't talk too much about it for the moment outside this thread as long as I have not totally finished it. I would like to create a page in the KVR Database for it when it is finished. And I would like it to be done within January.
If you're OK, I let you test it and give me your impressions and suggestions for small improvements if any.
Some enhancements have already been suggested:
By cruba:
My answer:Cruba wrote:Uhuh... I will test it, but it will be hard to rate it in a fair way, because I think you can't do better than Artifrake_Lab.
It would be nice to know:
1) Did you clean the samples?
2) Is a clickswitch planned?
3) Is a loopmode planned?
As I said, I'll test it today and give you feedback. Over 30 years I'm a big genesisfan now, you will get a precise feedback.
And a loop mode can be planned for the future, yes.BlackWinny wrote:Hello !
Well, BW-Tron is not aimed at replacing RedTron.
During the last years I have encountered (and it is my case too) more and more people having visual issues with the readability of RedTron GUI.
Being in that case I decided to make mine (but with a commercial sample set, very comprehensive). It work so well that I then decided to make another one for freeware distribution using Taijiguy's sample set. I sent the product to Taijiguy who answered me that he was ok. So... here it is.
I didn't clean the samples, feeling that as they are they give a good impression of a real old instrument.
A click switch could be added, yes. It's a good idea.
By ras.s:
My answer:I can report it works perfectly fine on a 64bit Windows 7 with Bitwig's internal bit bridge.
Few things that I'd like to see;
- continuous fade between the A and B sounds. This isn't a big issue since the same result can be achieved setting it to play A+B and then adjusting the volume controls, but I think it would make it slightly easier to achieve the desired sound (effectively two knobs less).
- own attack and release controls for both sounds -- plus a pan knob for both.
- a optional key split point, so that the musician could play, say, string chords with the left hand and a flute melody with the right hand. In particular if paired with the previous request, there could be strings with slow attack and long decays and a flute sound with quick attack and decay.
You've laid it out nicely, I like that and the chorus sounds pleasant, especially with two string sounds playing. Good stuff, great direction to go with making your own instruments.
ras.s' reply:Good ideas, ras.s !
I put them on the to-do list.
I think that there will be a version 2. Probably that I'll do the fade and the Attack/Realease/Pan idea for the current version 1.
And I think that I'll postpone the keyboard split to the version 2... simply because it is precisely a point that I have yet never broached in my experiments and I have absolutely no idea of what it needs regard to time.
But your two first paragraphs, for the version 1, already I can say : yes!
By Turello:
I'm no Synthedit expert, but I guess you could approach it so that when the split option is activated, all notes below note number X (chosen from a dropdown list) go to sound A and every note above X go to sound B. But like I said, I'm not really familiar with Synthedit (damn I should have gotten it ten years ago..) so I have no idea how to implement it.
By sfd:Hope You'll add an envelope section and some starting preset for the future!
PS: about the presets, I would suggest a few presets based on popular songs..
My answer:Just a small comment - for now.
Somebody suggested a pan knob. I'm against it. I like the GUI to be as clean as possible. With nothing more then the basic functions.
Second, I see no real point. You can pipe every single sound into whatev er speaker in a room full of speakers. If you like.
That would be some kind of "stereo". But honestly - the world is not stereo. The real world is - mono.
...and the real world sounds beautiful
Other suggestions from sfd:You're right. I would add that the Mellotron was mono.
A cross fade between A and B will be easy to make without any overload of the GUI. Simply by... an horizontal slider, very discrete, in the style of the 60's (the same style as the current knobs but smaller, knowing that everything is MIDI Learn anyway in this GUI). This cross fade is a good idea and I keep it. Remember, my friend, the little horizontal slider I made on the GUI of my phase distortion double synth (I think you have kept it). It is the same principle. But of course here in the current visual style of BW-Tron.
The Attack/Release on each sound is a good point too, and can be done also without overload : just below each list of sounds there is currently a big empty room at these two places under the lists. And of course the central attack/Release disappears... therefore there is no overload added to the current GUI.
It would give something like this (the slider is just an example to refine with better colors to fit for the current style of the GUI and I have not yet added its label):
That way the GUI is not overloaded and there are all the features which have been suggested (except the split) knowing that we stay for the moment on a mono design.
My answer:regarding MIDI Learn - As in all SynthEdit VST/VSTi the , MIDI Learn,settings can be saved in a preset or a bank. So you don't have to assign the MIDI CC every time you run the software. Just load the bank or preset with the saved settings.
A little divider line between the A/B features and the general features at teh bottom would be nice.
Experimental - I wonder how an A/B vu meter would appear like.
sfd's reply:Yes, the way Synthedit stores the MIDI Learn is a bit boring (in each preset !), so I'm trying to find a solution to create a special preset only for the MIDI Learn. But I'm not sure if I shall manage to...sfd wrote:regarding MIDI Learn - As in all SynthEdit VST/VSTi the , MIDI Learn,settings can be saved in a preset or a bank. So you don't have to assign the MIDI CC every time you run the software. Just load the bank or preset with the saved settings.
Yes.sfd wrote:A little divider line between the A/B features and the general features at teh bottom would be nice.
Hmm... but where to put it in that GUI without overloading it?sfd wrote:Experimental - I wonder how an A/B vu meter would appear like.
And my last reply:Regarding teh vu meter. I don't know. I guess it depends on how teh vu meter looks like. What different types of vu meters are there?
To stay in a 60's traditional visual it should be a 60's traditional Vu-meter.
But now... would it bring a real interest to cost some room on the GUI? In addition, since there are two instruments in the GUI each one with its gain knob, there should be two vu-meters.
So, here we are.
If more people would be kind to test it and bring some suggestions... feel free!
And cruba, ras.s, Turello, and sfd, I'm happy to find you again here!
Thank you everybody!
Jacques
