KVR Audio

mchannemann · Post by **mchannemann** » Fri Apr 17, 2015 11:38 am

Any ETA on it?

Numanoid · Post by **Numanoid** » Fri Apr 17, 2015 11:54 am

If you had to choose between Rapture Pro and Xpand2, what would you pick?

http://www.airmusictech.com/product/xpand2#.VTD0FGORi7E

EvilDragon · Post by **EvilDragon** » Fri Apr 17, 2015 11:58 am

Rapture, because you can actually make your own presets with it (Xpand2 offers just superficial basic editing of layers, but not making a patch from scratch).

KCeee · Post by **KCeee** » Fri Apr 17, 2015 3:32 pm

As much as I want this I'm going to have to pass.
I purchased the original Rapture for the full price a couple of months before they gave it away for free.

It crashes pretty much everytime I try and use it (Ableton Live 9 Windows 64bit), and Cakewalk support couldn't solve the problem. I'd love to use it but I don't even risk starting a project with it anymore because I think I've managed 2 sessions in total ever where it didn't crash.

bhy · Post by **bhy** » Fri Apr 17, 2015 4:15 pm

[bearing in mind I've not watched the videos yet (no youtube in my location) so I may be wrong about some of the features]

Am I the only one who prefers the original GUI?

I'm limited to working on a tiny laptop screen and I value the original Rapture GUI for its compactness. Although it takes a while to get used to, I find the original GUI to be a very well thought-out design, with lots of functionality packed into a small, streamlined interface. Coupled with the key-commands (e.g. "n" to randomise the step sequencer; alt-click to have a step retrigger the EG), it's powerful, quick and convenient and absolutely suits my workflow.

The new GUI looks slow and cumbersome by comparison. For example, before the 3 modulators for each element were all visible at the same time. Now I have to click in separate tabs to see them. The new GUI elements are bigger but don't seem to offer any more functionality than before (e.g. the new EQ takes up plenty of space but it's still a simple 3-band affair as before).

I expect the new GUI will be slightly too big for my screen, just like the z3ta+ 2 GUI doesn't quite fit onscreen when I open it in my DAW (I have to scroll up to get the menu and preset buttons, and scroll down to get to the arpeggiator controls.)

So, the GUI is a big step backwards as far as I'm concerned.

Aside from the GUI, the rest of the synth doesn't seem to have any improvements for me either.
- I'm not interested in the Dimension Pro content
- I would be interested in a granular sampler (separate control over sample pitch, speed and playback position would be amazing)
- the modulation system is still limited (3 hard-wired modulators for each element; no cross modulation, e.g. can't modulate LFO speed with another LFO; can't use the built-in modulators to modulate effects or DSP/distortion/waveshaping elements; many modern synths have modulators operating well into the audio range)
- the effects are still limited (only one insert effect per element, I expect the same low quality reverb and no new effects)
- new zero-delay feedback filters would be nice (although, to be fair, I'm very happy with the current Rapture filters)
- FM, hard-sync and other cross-oscillator modulation would be nice
- multliple outputs (e.g. each element to a separate audio channel) would be nice
- oversampling would be nice

Overall, Rapture Pro seems like a lazy reskin of a 10 year old synth being marketed as a new, modern synth, with a price-tag to match, despite adding no new/modern functionality, while still retaining the original synth's limitations. I suppose it's a more powerful rompler now, but if I wanted a rompler I would have picked up Dimension Pro for $20.

c_voltage · Post by **c_voltage** » Fri Apr 17, 2015 4:38 pm

bhy wrote: - I would be interested in a granular sampler (separate control over sample pitch, speed and playback position would be amazing)

Of course, it would be the other talking

jackmazzotti · Post by **jackmazzotti** » Fri Apr 17, 2015 4:41 pm

super psyched!!!!!
i LOVE rapture
it is an extremely deep and powerful synth

jackmazzotti · Post by **jackmazzotti** » Fri Apr 17, 2015 4:44 pm

yes there should have been granular synthesis included
disappointed by that omission

Touch The Universe · Post by **Touch The Universe** » Fri Apr 17, 2015 4:48 pm

good synth but not presets, has good distortion and filters though. Interested

mholloway · Post by **mholloway** » Fri Apr 17, 2015 5:22 pm

Well... I'm psyched.

Mostly because this means I'll ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO USE RAPTURE AND DIMENSION PRO AGAIN... I'm a MAC guy, and I used to use both of those extensively, but as many people here know, Mac support got dropped along the way. Not only are the Mac versions not 64 bit compatible, but the installers won't even run since two or three OS's ago (Snow Leopard I think?) I was able to get them both running on my current system using a very indirect installation method (basically copying all the already installed files from a different computer, thereby bypassing the installer itself) and then J-Bridge for the 64>32, etc.

but man, all that really sucks. at least now I have access to the content of both in a format that SHOULD work flawlessly on my mac...but we'll see, won't we?

the new presets sounds really terrible. kind of amazing they created that whole showcase page just to show off such thin, bogus sounds... ugh. But Rapture's power was always in the programming, the crazy step designers on every element, etc... I was able to program really involved, syncopated rhythmic sequences on there so damn fast, back when it worked.... that said, the deeper controls on the UI really sucked, like having to press 'S' on the keyboard to enter a sustain point in the envelope, or how sometimes a context menu was a right click, other times a left click (seriously, it made no sense whatsoever). Hopefully all of that has been sorted out. I'd gladly update just to 1. be able to use it again and 2. not deal with the bogus workflow issues of the old version.

I also happen to like the Dimension Pro content quite a bit, so I'm really happy to see that included. A lot of it is fluff, but when you find the good ones, they are quite fantastic & usable...

why can't those bastards post a release date???

-M

jackmazzotti · Post by **jackmazzotti** » Fri Apr 17, 2015 5:37 pm

it is very easy to make your own interesting presets however
load in some galbanum waveforms or some content produced in metasynth and you are well on your way

syntheticillusion · Post by **syntheticillusion** » Sat Apr 18, 2015 12:14 am

It's HERE, It cost $90 if you live in Canada. and if you purchased any
of the following Zeta+ 2, Rapture, Dimension Pro, I signed in this
morning and it was available for purchase, I think this is weird cause
Rapture v1.22 and Dimension Pro and LE are gone, that means that
they combined both to make Rapture Pro, so they're discontinued
when I have all their instruments, I bought Zeta+ 2 a few weeks
ago and I released that Dimension LE was removed from my account
lucky it has no serial activation and I have both Mac and Windows
versions on disc, so I am bummed out that they discontinued both
Rapture and Dimension Pro, oh well, I have them already but that
means no updates and also most of the soundware for both
Rapture and Dimension-Pro/LE are reduced now.

dnekm · Post by **dnekm** » Sat Apr 18, 2015 12:43 am

After reading the above I ventured to the Cakewalk site. Had to jump through some hoops to register with the new system but once I did it picked up on my old account.

In short - Dimension Pro, Rapture and Sonar are still there for me to download with the serials and reg codes needed to activate them....

Well, DimPro and Rapture can still be downloaded. Sonar cannot. But all three were originally purchased as boxed products....

Took a brief look at "Command Center" and it scares the hell out of me.

I know what works with what I have, I do not need this.....

Jace-BeOS · Post by **Jace-BeOS** » Sat Apr 18, 2015 1:20 am

mholloway wrote:Well... I'm psyched.

Mostly because this means I'll ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO USE RAPTURE AND DIMENSION PRO AGAIN... I'm a MAC guy, and I used to use both of those extensively, but as many people here know, Mac support got dropped along the way. Not only are the Mac versions not 64 bit compatible, but the installers won't even run since two or three OS's ago (Snow Leopard I think?) I was able to get them both running on my current system using a very indirect installation method (basically copying all the already installed files from a different computer, thereby bypassing the installer itself) and then J-Bridge for the 64>32, etc.

but man, all that really sucks. at least now I have access to the content of both in a format that SHOULD work flawlessly on my mac...but we'll see, won't we?

When was there ever real Mac support? They dumped the software on Mac users and left it as is.

Why would you reward them for this business behavior by buying this new product??

lfm · Post by **lfm** » Sat Apr 18, 2015 11:29 am

dnekm wrote:After reading the above I ventured to the Cakewalk site. Had to jump through some hoops to register with the new system but once I did it picked up on my old account.

In short - Dimension Pro, Rapture and Sonar are still there for me to download with the serials and reg codes needed to activate them....

Well, DimPro and Rapture can still be downloaded. Sonar cannot. But all three were originally purchased as boxed products....

Took a brief look at "Command Center" and it scares the hell out of me.

I know what works with what I have, I do not need this.....

I have the same - Sonar 4 Studio or Professional 3 not available for download, but Sonar 8 .x is.
Also bought Dimension Pro if it was 2006 and it's there for download.

You upgrade to Sonar Artist for $49 - or if you find your Sonar is something you want I think installing from disk and asking for patches from support might help you with that.

But Sonar you've got, probably isn't 64-bit is it?
For $49 you to get Artist, or if had Producer you'd go to Professional for $99.
And one year updates from now - to keep.

But plugin products are not centered around membership as I understand it. It's old style with patches for a while.

Command Center is new, and Cake explained a lot with be improved on that part.

Cakewalk Rapture Pro Announced :)