Modelonia 2.0 public Beta PC&Mac: download and contest

[liqih]

I think that (1049 x 833) would do it. Dmitry Sches recently released Tantra which has a gorgeous interface at 880px high, but that has got a lot of complaints from laptop users with small screens.

Tantra interface is indeed very nice, but I think the space taken by some of the sections is not optimized.

WDYT Wagtunes?

It's not just the size. Dune 2, which is maybe 20% bigger, is an amazing GUI. So easy to read and use. The size helps but the real beauty is how little is on one screen. The multiple tabs are a huge help.

This synth simply has too much stuff crammed into one screen. I don't even think a 33% increase is going to help that much. Look at the size of the knobs.
.....
Point is, I think the GUI layout itself needs an overhaul. I don't think increasing the size alone is going to fix the "problem" though I could be wrong depending upon just how large it's made.

1028 might do it but I won't swear to it.

You have some points here wagtunes, having all controls in one view is a choice I made because
Modelonia is not a standard synth and I think it's easy to forget what to tweak if it's hidden in tabs.
Obviously if you see the GUI too small in your monitor, the many controls on the homogeneously
coloured background can give a feeling of "squeezed stuff". So I decided to make the Modelonia GUI
larger but not too much, but also to have different backgrounds and knobs colours for the different
modules, that should help the eyes to focus more easily on what is there.

[liqih]

I've got the beta on OS X 10.10.4 and it's running in Live 9.2. I think I've been running the AU but will check later on the machine. I haven't had any crashes that I can recall - I'm at about four instances so far in a prospective demo track.

I think I've had a situation where the preset recalled wasn't what I thought I saved, though I haven't ruled out user error.

Thanks for the positive report.
The limitation of the beta is that you can save only the proprietary format using the save/load buttons.
also mind that the numbering of presets is made during synth load counting alphabetically the presets.
Hence if you add a preset to the bank you should use one of category prefix in the name and then find your preset on reload using the Modelonia presets menu by category prefix, not searching for the same slot number at which you saved.

[liqih]

OK, I cleared the deck for action and reinstalled Modelonia from scratch.

This time, everything seems to have worked fine
.....

I belatedly recalled that I did fiddle around quite a bit with the 'Sound Wizard' function that first time with the VST in Live, and was surprised that the resulting sound was written to the current preset. I think that I did a fair bit of back'n'forth and that may well have been responsible for some sort of corruption of the preset folder or at least that paticular preset. I haven't made any further torture test, but Modelonia now works as expected in Live 9.2.1 (64 bit) and Logic 10.1.1.

I think that it might be a good idea if the result of the Sound Wizard were stored in a buffer and had to be actively saved instead of just overwriting a preset in RAM. In Live, in order to get the original preset back, I have to delete Modelonia from the track and reinstantiate it. Not quite ideal, I think.

Thanks that you tried further and make it work. About the Sound Wizard, using that is the same
as tweaking a large number of controls at once, so yes loading a template from the Sound Wizard
will modify about 80% the current preset *but not the name*, if you want to get back to the original
preset simply use the "load" button and reload the same preset from the bank of XML files.

Another beta issue that I feel should be addressed, is the massive low bass artifacts present, especially in the attack phase, in many sounds. Even in mid or treble range patches, you sometimes have these gross bass peaks socking your ear from some 40 Hz and down to virtually DC (the spectrum analyser I use only goes down to 10 Hz) and at a level competeing with the fundamental.

I assume this is a probably unavoidable side effect of the algorithms. A built in, optionally selectable, steep cutoff highpass filter, adjustable from, say 100 down to 30 Hz as part of preset parameters might help a lot, though. The EQ at the bottom of the GUI isn't suitable for taming these almost-infra sound peaks.

Yes I was aware of this issue, the AP EQ already turns on by default a hidden High Pass filter at 43 hz,
but it got a gentle slope so it only affects slightly those low peaks, (depending on the presets and the notes you play of course). So now I implemented what I already had in mind, that's a steeper
High Pass filter inside the voice generator, so it can follow the note 3 octaves lower than the fundamental
of the note played, that really helps to have a cleaner should free from those disturbing low peaks.
FYI tweaking the algorithms for version 2.0 I increased the resonance in some case, to have a fatter sound than the previous 1.7, but that increased also those disturbing low peaks. Now with the new filter
is should be all much better, you will tell me with the next beta release.

Thanks for the feedback!

[liqih]

I remember Modelonia being one of the first physical modeling synths I have ever heard. Nusofting is a respected old school developer and it's great to see something new, especially Modelonia.

How does this synth compare/contrast with the other big boys, Tassman, Kaivo and Yamaha VL1?

Thanks for the praise, yes Modelonia was one of the first of its kind ,
maybe absolutely the first to combine interactively two different models in one single interface,
and it's still quite different from the other PM synths as type of sounds it can produce, but I'm biased,
better listen to the other users.

[liqih]

well I won't be trying the beta but I expect to buy this - I think it's been in the works for a while (like years on and off) and I'm looking forward getting it. Still love harptime pro - hope all goes well for you!

Thanks ChamomileShark!

[liqih]

well I won't be trying the beta but I expect to buy this - I think it's been in the works for a while (like years on and off) and I'm looking forward getting it. Still love harptime pro - hope all goes well for you!

It might be a good idea to try the beta anyway, because Modelonia is… different, in the best sense. It can have an acoustic, quirky character that is really difficult to find in any other synth. It's perfect for adding 'spice' or provide an ear-turning, 'alive' solo sound that leaves you guessing what kind of instrument it might be.

What Modelonia isn't, is a meat'n'taters synth. Many of the presets, while interesting, may have a useful range of only an octave and a half, and others may be fairly unpredictable – sometimes a note will sound and sometimes not, or sound like another instrument altogether…

This is all part of the discreet charm of Modelonia, as long as you don't expect it to be your go to EDM instrument. Modelonia is quirky, unpredictable, surprising – and a lot of fun!

It's one of those instruments that you'd to well to demo before purchase, to confirm that it's up your alley.

/Joachim

Thanks Joachim for the mini review, let me just add that with this 2.0 update I also tried to make it less
unpredictable (when you don't' want it to be), and more flexible = more fat and extended sounds that the older 1.7 can't do.

[aMUSEd]

Will this load my old presets?

[liqih]

Will this load my old presets?

Yes, but depending on the settings used they may sound different. The changes to the sound engine are many but most of the presets from the old banks of 1.7 loaded and played almost the same after some adjustments to the parameters, some of them sound even better and fuller, just a few were worst, meaning not reproducible: a little price to pay for a new more powerful engine.