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Read more at www.ikmultimedia.com- KVRAF
- 6740 posts since 24 Mar, 2002, from sheffield, england
You can get some monster kicks out of it if you know what you're doing!
However, it's one of those plugs with a feature set that is just right: everything you need for most situations, with nothing to get in the way. I can program a groove into the step sequencer and set up suitable sounds in seconds: every voice has the same architecture, so it's easy to learn and you always know what knob to tweak to get the desired result. You can use the midi outs if you later want to trigger samples or other synths, or drag the midi onto a track for editing etc.
However, it's one of those plugs with a feature set that is just right: everything you need for most situations, with nothing to get in the way. I can program a groove into the step sequencer and set up suitable sounds in seconds: every voice has the same architecture, so it's easy to learn and you always know what knob to tweak to get the desired result. You can use the midi outs if you later want to trigger samples or other synths, or drag the midi onto a track for editing etc.
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- KVRAF
- 2087 posts since 7 Feb, 2007
xoxos wrote:i'm sorry.. i'm really not posting this as a competitor.
They (the drum machines from Xoxos and Sonic Charge) are different beasts, different tastes.
xoxos wrote:people have been posting about utonic as the godsend of percussion synthesis since it was released (11 years ago..)
And not without a reason. sound-wise it has progressed by leaps and bounds (AFAICR)
xoxos wrote:i shouldn't post when i'm not understanding other people, they are less silly.
I once heard a wise (but a little violent) man say :
"When you gotta shoot.... shoot, don't talk"

So, without further "I do !" (

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b2c71xgmci6cfxw/BongTonic.wav
uToniq is the driver here, midi wise, Bong is the audio engine. uTonic also supplies backing "vocals", or, rather, "deep thumps".
most of Bong's patches were generated by me (as my request for random generator was not replied. so I have found one).
That is one of uTonic biggest properties : its ability to "drive" almost every drum machine conceivable. and not only that, you can simply drag and drop its midi onto the sequencer's arrange for further editing.
Plus, the freely downloadable scripts out there extend its abilities to no end.
The list of its highlights is endless, really... it is a VINTAGE. plain and simple.
What is best ? How do you define 'best'? If you're talking about what you can think, what you can feel, what you can listen and hear, then 'best' is simply marketing signals (ie. hype) interpreted by your brain.
- Mr Entertainment
- 12016 posts since 29 Apr, 2002, from i might peeramid
aah.. that's the patch select, and the osc is sine/tri/saw.. 
f**k this is traumatic.
have a nice day folks


f**k this is traumatic.
have a nice day folks


you come and go, you come and go. amitabha xoxos.net free vst. neither a follower nor a leader be
tagore "where roads are made i lose my way"
where there is certainty, consideration is absent.
tagore "where roads are made i lose my way"
where there is certainty, consideration is absent.
- Mr Entertainment
- 12016 posts since 29 Apr, 2002, from i might peeramid
IIRs wrote:it's one of those plugs with a feature set that is just right:
i do get this, ty for explicity. i didn't want to revive the same fruitless, subjective discussions in every perc synth thread, or advocating other developers, or really even a comparison of features (at least beyond the perception of paucity). it's more about my reaction to the product a long time ago and seeing nothing new.
you come and go, you come and go. amitabha xoxos.net free vst. neither a follower nor a leader be
tagore "where roads are made i lose my way"
where there is certainty, consideration is absent.
tagore "where roads are made i lose my way"
where there is certainty, consideration is absent.
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- KVRAF
- 7880 posts since 2 Aug, 2005, from Guitar Land, USA
It is VERY nice it bought me flowers
The only site for experimental amp sim freeware & MIDI FX: http://runbeerrun.blogspot.com
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCprNcvVH6aPTehLv8J5xokA -Youtube jams
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCprNcvVH6aPTehLv8J5xokA -Youtube jams
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- KVRAF
- 2162 posts since 28 Oct, 2007, from michigan
respect
for me: quick & simple to arrive at a FUN starter beat. It's dead easy to develop as one layer of percussion from that point
for me: quick & simple to arrive at a FUN starter beat. It's dead easy to develop as one layer of percussion from that point
"the digital photo of that guitar just doesn't have the same warmth as an analog photo for me"
https://soundcloud.com/mrnatural-1/tracks
https://soundcloud.com/mrnatural-1/tracks
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- KVRAF
- 3426 posts since 20 Sep, 2005
Microtonic is almost too powerful soundwise. It kind of takes over a mix. It sounds great by itself and you can meld a track around that, but I could never get it to really sit in a mix without severe tweaking, which kind of killed the point of what it was all about.
But I'm sure if you bought it and got used to it these problems would go away. It's just a perception.
What I'm finding to be a killer combination drum synth wise is Drumatic 4 and Drumaxx. The fit really well together. Everybody talks about the kicks with Drumatic but I find the hats are just pure Gold and so tweakable. Also the hats in Drumaxx are very special for sitting in a mix. If I ever think 'this needs a hi-hat' it is rare that one or the other doesn't fit the bill.
Yes the kicks are great in Drumatic, but it's surprising how beefy and cutting the kicks from Drumaxx can be as well. Just put a little Satson on there. I only have the CM version but it is incredibly good. It just goes straight to the core of the sound and gives it weight, but not in a distorted or obvious way.
If I used Microtonic I think I would be constantly EQing the thing.
I think you could probably buy Drumaxx and Drumatic for around the same price as well. Not sure.
This is all Drumaxx, but the higher pitched hat is Drumatic:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8602770/Vision-01.wav
It's hard to load these two Drum Synths into a DAW and not come up with something complimentary.
But I'm sure if you bought it and got used to it these problems would go away. It's just a perception.
What I'm finding to be a killer combination drum synth wise is Drumatic 4 and Drumaxx. The fit really well together. Everybody talks about the kicks with Drumatic but I find the hats are just pure Gold and so tweakable. Also the hats in Drumaxx are very special for sitting in a mix. If I ever think 'this needs a hi-hat' it is rare that one or the other doesn't fit the bill.
Yes the kicks are great in Drumatic, but it's surprising how beefy and cutting the kicks from Drumaxx can be as well. Just put a little Satson on there. I only have the CM version but it is incredibly good. It just goes straight to the core of the sound and gives it weight, but not in a distorted or obvious way.
If I used Microtonic I think I would be constantly EQing the thing.
I think you could probably buy Drumaxx and Drumatic for around the same price as well. Not sure.
This is all Drumaxx, but the higher pitched hat is Drumatic:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8602770/Vision-01.wav
It's hard to load these two Drum Synths into a DAW and not come up with something complimentary.
“Information is not knowledge. Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is not truth. Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love. Love is not music. Music is THE BEST.”
- KVRAF
- 6647 posts since 6 Aug, 2003, from San Francisco Bay Area
I'm with xoxos. I've been saying the same thing for years. UTonic is the best drum synth if all you want is a basic modulated waveform, a noise generator, a filter, and an x0x step sequencer. Its the best drum synth for people who can't be bothered to learn to use anything more sophisticated or think too hard about what it actually does compared to the competition.
I'm being too harsh. I did eventually buy a copy myself. Because sometimes you just want something quick and simple. All those sine wave drums sound great when fed through distortion, waveshapers, and bitcrushers.
But seriously, check out Sonic Sidekick's Extreme Drumsynth. Only about a billion times more powerful by any measure.
I'm being too harsh. I did eventually buy a copy myself. Because sometimes you just want something quick and simple. All those sine wave drums sound great when fed through distortion, waveshapers, and bitcrushers.
But seriously, check out Sonic Sidekick's Extreme Drumsynth. Only about a billion times more powerful by any measure.
Incomplete list of my gear: 110V AC to 12V DC 1.5A power supply (+ tip)
- KVRist
- 207 posts since 1 Oct, 2009
Imo Extreme drumsynth sounds like utter crap! Microtonic might not have a lot of fancy features, nor should it. The reason its still King is because of its simplicity and spectacular sound. A quick stroll through the Pattenarium is a good reminder just how versatile these simple modulated waveforms are:D
- KVRAF
- 6647 posts since 6 Aug, 2003, from San Francisco Bay Area
218 wrote:Imo Extreme drumsynth sounds like utter crap! Microtonic might not have a lot of fancy features, nor should it. The reason its still King is because of its simplicity and spectacular sound. A quick stroll through the Pattenarium is a good reminder just how versatile these simple modulated waveforms are:D
Care to support that statement with any specifics? Extreme Drumsynth is capable of making synthesized sounds which sound like real drums! And if all you want is a sine wave with a modulation envelope, or some filtered noise, I fail to see how Extreme Drumsynth could possibly sound any worse than Microtonic. I mean, its pretty difficult to screw up a sine wave sweep if you know the most rudimentary concepts of audio dsp. Are you sure it isn't just the GUI which sounds worse?

Incomplete list of my gear: 110V AC to 12V DC 1.5A power supply (+ tip)
- KVRist
- 207 posts since 1 Oct, 2009
Well its a matter of personal taste I guess. I personally dont have any need for a drum synth that can synthesize "real" drums, I'd rather use samples for that. Plugs and the way they are coded sounds different from eachother, sine sweep or whatever. Theres alot of cool drum synths around, but imo Microtonic is just one of those plugs where everything is done right.
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- KVRAF
- 2737 posts since 26 Oct, 2007, from Kent, UK
codec_spurt wrote:...I could never get it to really sit in a mix without severe tweaking...
Exactly my experience. I know I'm gonna get murdered for this but it sounds profoundly 'software' to me - the experience of trying to get it to sit in a mix was exactly like trying to get an average softsynth to sound like a punchy analog synth. You tweak and tweak... it lacks bass so you start boosting the low end and now it just lacks definition so you address that and then a new problem manifests etc. etc. tweak, tweak, tweak.
- KVRAF
- 1989 posts since 9 Mar, 2006
deastman wrote:But seriously, check out Sonic Sidekick's Extreme Drumsynth. Only about a billion times more powerful by any measure.
+ 1

"The educated person is one who knows how to find out what he does not know" - George Simmel
“It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.” - John Wooden
“It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.” - John Wooden
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- KVRAF
- 2563 posts since 3 Aug, 2003, from Narnia
For EDM it's great. But not being an EDM artist, I prefer Drumaxx when I want a drum machine. It's way more versatile than Microtonic in the sound department.