Which additive synth (on sale) to buy? Air Loom or Harmor?

[Dr.Gunjah]

Hey cron, thanks for helping.
After reading your post I tried to modulate filter 1 freq on the init sound and it works.
Though there is a preset called "shorty 2" in the "synthesizer" section - I can't get the lfo modulation to work with this preset and I don't get why. Could you maybe check, if you can modulate stuff with an LFO in this preset?

[cron]

Hey cron, thanks for helping.
After reading your post I tried to modulate filter 1 freq on the init sound and it works.
Though there is a preset called "shorty 2" in the "synthesizer" section - I can't get the lfo modulation to work with this preset and I don't get why. Could you maybe check, if you can modulate stuff with an LFO in this preset?

Took me a while, but I got there in the end! Slightly wonky preset design as far as I can tell. The designer has assigned Global LFO Amount to both the X and Z modulators. As such, unless they're both fairly high you get no LFO movement at all as the combined effects of the two result in a 'below zero' value a lot of the time. I'm wondering if the sound designer originally placed it on the Z dial then forgot to remove it when he or she assigned it to X instead. You wouldn't notice if the Z knob was at maximum while you were making the patch. I think that's what's going on there at least. Clearing the Global LFO Amount modulators or setting both X and Z to full should sort it

[Dr.Gunjah]

Okay that's indeed an odd mapping. Thanks for checking this out!

[discoDSP]

I am looking for a synth with a synthesis method different from subtractive synthesis and look and behold currently there there are two additive synths for sale.

Vertigo is having a sale too http://www.discodsp.com/deals/

[Synchanter]

Harmor ain't your everyday synth. That thing is deep, like Absynth-level deep.
I don't know how good Loom is, but Harmor is a no-brainer especially with discount!

Pair up Harmor + Absynth if you want to really cause people to flip out over what the heck they are listening to..

[Dr.Gunjah]

Imho the presets that come with Loom are not that good... harmor has fewer but more useful ones... at least for edm. I'm sure that the presets are the main reason why my first impression of Loom is "cold and boring".
And in contrast to harmor, the modulation in Loom is limited. It would be so much cooler if you could modulate any parameter in the modules and not only the main knob.

[WrecklessRC]

Just in case someone comes to this party in 2017: I have never used Harmor, but I got Loom on a Christmas sale and it sounds incredible! Seriously underrated. If anyone knows of any presets for it, give me a shout!

[aMUSEd]

http://fingermarks.co.uk/music2.htm#Tapestry

[DJ Warmonger]

I own both. They are very different and both are difficult to use. Loom is a great idea, but could definitelly get streamlined and just bigger interface to be easier to operate - especially envelopes are hard to dial. CPU usage is high, too.

Harmor... it's difficult to figure out what it actually does, and when you're done with it... it's still difficult for me to come up with any sensible patch just because workflow and interface is terrible. You need to know exactly what you're going to do before you start switching through dozens of modulation tabs. And this beast is weird, it's unlikely to figure out how a particular partial bending will affect final sound. Usually just use it for image resynthesis or duplicate presets from elsewhere.

[Vortifex]

..

[exmatproton]

Own both Loom and Harmor. Love both for what they do. UI of Loom is too small for my taste and it took a bit of time to know exactly how Harmor does what it does.

Subjectively; i prefer Harmor big time. That thing is amazing; sounds awesome, huge amount of versatile possibilities and the way they make additive feel substractive (lay-out of the synth) is spot on.
Sure, it isn't the easiest UI, but after much usage, it is a breeze.

Especially the resynthesis possibilities are amazing. Love it!

[BlitBit]

Harmor's GUI can indeed be intimidating and Image-Line's documentation for it is rather sparse. Fortunately someone else wrote an extensive manual for Harmor in his free time which can be found here:
https://www.malmgren.nl/Harmor.pdf

The original announcement on KVR is here:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=327967&start=435#p6714031

[highkoo]

I own both. They are very different and both are difficult to use. Loom is a great idea, but could definitelly get streamlined and just bigger interface to be easier to operate - especially envelopes are hard to dial. CPU usage is high, too.

Harmor... it's difficult to figure out what it actually does, and when you're done with it... it's still difficult for me to come up with any sensible patch just because workflow and interface is terrible. You need to know exactly what you're going to do before you start switching through dozens of modulation tabs. And this beast is weird, it's unlikely to figure out how a particular partial bending will affect final sound. Usually just use it for image resynthesis or duplicate presets from elsewhere.

Exactly this.

The UI on Harmor is absolutely horrific, it's a total mess. I've tried using it but that UI drains any creativity I might have had and replaces it with a mix of bafflement and depression.

1000% this.


Both are capable of generating really amazing, and unique, sounds, but you gotta work for em.

[shonky]

Both are capable of generating really amazing, and unique, sounds, but you gotta work for em.

Own both and I agree, although I think that Harmor does allow you to control pretty much any parameter which makes it a hell of a lot more versatile than Loom, which I also find annoying in that AFAIK, you can't just move the order of modules around once they're set.

To be honest, I haven't really used Harmor much for resynthesis, have had more fun importing wav files as filter or amplitude envelopes for synced rhythmic pads (import the beat as envelope, invert and loop for instant gating if you so wish), creating custom comb filters to mimic physical modelling (set node to wav or pulse rather than curves and modify bandwidth to taste), and just coming up with some very strange and wonderful sounds (and then often forgetting to save, tweak some more and then find that I can't find my way back).

[Apratim]

have you tried sytrus the cost might be high but you get the best of all world (FM,RM,additive) just my preference and plus its cpu efficient unlike massive which i regret buying