Yes, I agree. It's been my FR with FXpansion for some time.



Agree again. It's something I was going to mention too. Alchemy is a good example of a multi-page synth with an alternative mod system non reliant on mod matrix. It's very fast to use too, considering the multi-page synth design. It's almost like the reverse system of the one employed by DCAM (in that, in DCAM I go to the chosen knob, and increase/decrease the mod amount, and in Alchemy I start from a chosen knob and then go to the newly opened mod page to tweak the mod amount).

Speaking of viewing all mod data at a glance, Alchemy has that Target page which allows just that. It's a page I have used perhaps four times in all of my time with Alchemy, and only as i forgot what some LFOs were doing, lol.

So basically Synth Squad has a Nx8 mod matrix (mapping 8 scaled sources to N targets) with an interface that apparently divides opinions?

I can certainly see how that's easier to setup (even if it was presented in a spreadsheet) than a flat list of source-target pairs. It seems to me that if you could bring up a list of targets (with modulation amounts for the 8 sources listed) then it'd be at least as easy to decipher patches as a flat list.

That actually makes me wonder: is there any synth that had a tree-like view where you could view either the targets or the sources and browse/modify the modulations? Like if you looked at a source, you'd see all the targets below it, and if you looked at target, you'd see all the sources?

I haven't see a tree view per se, but I have seen multilevel menus which allow you to select a component (filter, LFO, delay) and then a secondary menu allows you to pick the specific parameter.

That's now what I mean though. What I had in mind was a list of currently active modulations organized as two-level structure of targets+sources (in which ever order).

Quite similar to my conclusion. Alsot a flat list can be active (ie you can modify data) or not (just gives feedback. Wich can be seen as sufficient, or mandatory, etc etc according to one's taste) Also eventually important is the question of the polarity of modulations : Either you'll use a centered knob/ammount, either you'll have fancy sources like this_source +, this source_-, this source_+- ( Lfos) etc etc.( you can also have just positive mods ) It might have consequences on how such a system is intuitive for users, or less intuitive, restrictive or not soundwise, and easy to operate or to transform/alter (like the actions to take to go from positive to negative mod for example )

For a tree like view, just take a look at MachV 3, its very complete once you're used to it. But it comes at a price : Its complex and -imho- not so intuitive to use.

Here is a sneak peak of a really cool modulation based plugin from Audio Poison which is currently in BETA


http://www.audiopoison.com/stagger_preview.png

It is primarily designed around LFOs and can be attached to pretty much anything.
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