Brief notes on Bazille

[slowriot]

According to KVR, my last visit was in 2012, the absence has been due to spending time with analogue modules.

Bazille is amazing! Love the sound and interface. The depth of clean modulation is really not possible with analogue technology, where voltage control elements always have some degree of offset, and extensive trimming to remove this is not possible in commercial designs.

Coming from an analogue modular background, my biggest complaint, is the limitations placed upon the software by adhering to midi control of pitch. I may have missed a trick, but the way I use oscillator pairs in which Bazille contains 2, is to independently control the pitch of each oscillator. Having midi control all 4 oscillators at once is a huge limitation (I would never buy a MiniMoog for precisely these reasons). I know that automation of VST parameters is one way around this, but this is quite counter-intuitive.

Anyways, it's just a little thought, and it's the VST design and it's relationship with it's host that is responsible, but nonetheless I think it is a very dated limitation. Mostly I am extremely impressed. I find Bazille sonically more interesting than the many clones of the Buchla 259 that are currently flooding the eurorack market. Good job U-he!

[pdxindy]

How would you like it to work?

[Howard]

I may have missed a trick, but the way I use oscillator pairs in which Bazille contains 2, is to independently control the pitch of each oscillator. Having midi control all 4 oscillators at once is a huge limitation

Use "Herz" mode. For more info, see page 15 in the user guide.

[slowriot]

How would you like it to work?

In a physical modular VCO, for example the Buchla 259, each VCO (of which Bazille has 4, assuming monophonic operation) can be controlled independently. To me this is the secret to interesting sonic variation in a multiple oscillator modulation synthesis, just changing the frequency/pitch of a single VCO can make an interesting key change. Independent control of all 4 through an intuitive method such as a sequencer gives huge control of timbre. Having the "minimoog" style control where the keyboard automatically changes all the VCOs together is problematic.

[whyterabbyt]

Having the "minimoog" style control where the keyboard automatically changes all the VCOs together is problematic.

So basically you're asking for each voice of Bazille to be polyphonic, even though Bazille itself is already polyphonic.
I doubt that there's any digital polysynths can do that intrinsically; its just at odds with how MIDI and voice handling generally works.

[lnikj]

Use separate instances of the VST?

[Howard]

"Herz" oscillator tuning mode does what you want (already posted above!)
Manual, page 15.

[slowriot]

So basically you're asking for each voice of Bazille to be polyphonic, even though Bazille itself is already polyphonic.
I doubt that there's any digital polysynths can do that intrinsically; its just at odds with how MIDI and voice handling generally works.

The limitation is imposed by the MIDI governed relationship between the VST specification and the DAW, I understand this.

The way I work I would be happy with monophonic usage, but with the ability to use 4 sequencer tracks to control each of the oscillators.

It's just my suggestion coming from a modular background. My primary reason for starting the thread was to congratulate Urs on the instrument.

[slowriot]

The sequencer functionality can do what I need. Hooray!

[Howard]

The sequencer functionality can do what I need. Hooray!

[pdxindy]

How would you like it to work?

In a physical modular VCO, for example the Buchla 259, each VCO (of which Bazille has 4, assuming monophonic operation) can be controlled independently. To me this is the secret to interesting sonic variation in a multiple oscillator modulation synthesis, just changing the frequency/pitch of a single VCO can make an interesting key change. Independent control of all 4 through an intuitive method such as a sequencer gives huge control of timbre. Having the "minimoog" style control where the keyboard automatically changes all the VCOs together is problematic.

As Howard mentioned, you can set each Osc to Hertz mode and then it is independent of the midi keyboard note value.

[pdxindy]

The sequencer functionality can do what I need. Hooray!

sweet! Also, the Modmappers can function as sequencers too...

[Urs]

My primary reason for starting the thread was to congratulate Urs on the instrument.

Thank you

I've recently developed a serious addiction to hardware modular stuff as well. Ideas are coming about en masse, also for potential Bazille improvements. Can't say what and when, but I'm definitely seeing the benefits of the modular paradigm.

[bmrzycki]

I've recently developed a serious addiction to hardware modular stuff as well. Ideas are coming about en masse, also for potential Bazille improvements. Can't say what and when, but I'm definitely seeing the benefits of the modular paradigm.

Bazille really is a unique soft synth and I look forward to see where u-he goes with it



Is there a way we could steer some of those ideas and passion towards Z3? Maybe a kickstarter? Or a u-he bake sale? If you have an Amazon Z3 wishlist just post it here. I'm still praying to Nyarlathotep and Azathoth we will be granted with Z3 of some kind by the end of 2016.

[slowriot]

I've recently developed a serious addiction to hardware modular stuff as well.

Unlike other fields of engineering, I would say that rushing to market is not likely to give the best results (not that you would consider such a thing, but some products seem to have been built in this way). Under the surface of eurorack are several quite major issues that you will not find in high end electronic instruments (analogue or digital).

If you haven't already, ask Howard to put you in contact with Graham Hinton at Hinton Instruments (I believe they are friendly). Graham is one of the most knowledgeable, experienced and approachable people in the business.