UVI Falcon - hybrid instrument - version 3.01 released - rumors, ads, praise, mud wrestling and off-topic inside!

VST, AU, AAX, CLAP, etc. Plugin Virtual Instruments Discussion
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hlecram wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 7:53 pm Thx! And kinda pita that there is no demo. want to try stuff beforehand to see how it performs on my system and if it fits my workflow... maybe on day?! :scared:
Look at all Falcon videos on UVI’s youtube channel, Dan Worrall made a series of tutorials. Some features are missing from the videos as they are made with an earlier version of Falcon. Meanwhile modules evolved, fx were added but the workflow is essentially the same. I purchased Falcon after viewing them. They sum up few good hours of watching, take your time, don’t skip.

Copy/paste this link to see all the videos in a playlist format:

Code: Select all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pw5mMFD4LE&list=PLj53xz6jWjGgUiE-hfDgeFArPHHnBt8fw&index=4
If you don’t like the workflow you see in the videos, then it’s unlikely a hands-on demo will change your mind.

Regarding the machine, small presets require small cpu and memory and as they grow, the cpu usage gets bigger. Nothing to kill the cpu though and many voicing limitatations available so you can run big presets in big projects. If you run any generation i7 and 8+ GB of ram then you’re OK.

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Does anyone feel like UVI refuses to add to falcon because they want to sell add ons? There's no FX version of Falcon because they want us to buy their standalone effects, but they also didn't add Plate or Relayer. And IMO Drum Designer is basically what the Drum module should look like and function as. If only Falcon had that sequencer.

There hasn't been a Falcon update since the Avid purchase. Makes me wonder if we're in for a dry period in terms of updates. I still feel Falcon has a lot of areas where it's behind some soft synths.

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Falcon got several updates during 2018. UVI's new products are just (layered) sample players, nothing you could not make already inside Falcon. The built-in sequencer is just a gimmick for kids (same as Avenger's arp & drum pattern module), production-level is so high nowdays, we always need to use the DAW for complete customisation.

Plate is an absolutely savage CPU eater would be really hard for any daw to process a big Falcon preset AND Plate on a single core so I feel like they did us a favor by not serving us immense frustration.

At this point, I am only using the strong areas of any synth/fx that I own. There is one bug that's still out there and crashes daw and standalone falcon but I learned how to avoid triggering it so all-in-all imho Falcon is a very strong product.

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spoontechnique wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2019 2:39 pm There hasn't been a Falcon update since the Avid purchase.
What do you mean with Avid purchase ?

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DrumAddict wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2019 5:19 pm
spoontechnique wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2019 2:39 pm There hasn't been a Falcon update since the Avid purchase.
What do you mean with Avid purchase ?
Avid licensed Falcon to give away to Pro Tools subscribers. It wasn't a "purchase" - they simply bought Falcon licenses, AFAIK.
Fernando (FMR)

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That's what I meant, but worded poorly. And yeah, the updates during 2018 were nice. But there haven't been any during since December. The points you raised are fair. But Falcon still lags behind compared to a lot of synths in other areas. I use synths based on their strong suits as well, but I keep finding myself reaching for non Falcon synths. Which is a bit odd cause I still love Falcon.

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Falcon is first and foremost a sampler. Sure, it is now presented as a hybrid Instrument and was presented before as a Sampling Workstation (or something like that.

It has almost all the synthesis techniques available built-in, but it can't exceed in all of them. IMO, it exceeds in sampling (naturally), in granular, and in wavetable synthesis. As an FM synth it is OK, but not more than that. As a Physical Modeling, it does a couple of interesting things, but it is nothing to write home about.

As a VA it is better than average, but still doesn't excel either. As additive, Idem. The built-in FX are top nothc, second to none.

Anyway, having so much packaged in a single instrument is nothing less than amazing. I never regret buying it. It is definitely one of my top instruments.
Fernando (FMR)

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The pluck oscillator is fantastic as well.

Does anyone know what the 1 and 2 algorithm switch in the expandr filter is for?

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sircuit wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2019 5:06 pm Falcon got several updates during 2018. UVI's new products are just (layered) sample players, nothing you could not make already inside Falcon. The built-in sequencer is just a gimmick for kids (same as Avenger's arp & drum pattern module), production-level is so high nowdays, we always need to use the DAW for complete customisation.

Plate is an absolutely savage CPU eater would be really hard for any daw to process a big Falcon preset AND Plate on a single core so I feel like they did us a favor by not serving us immense frustration.

At this point, I am only using the strong areas of any synth/fx that I own. There is one bug that's still out there and crashes daw and standalone falcon but I learned how to avoid triggering it so all-in-all imho Falcon is a very strong product.
Not to derail, but I find Avenger's arp amazing and extremely useful.

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Dillinger wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2019 12:23 am The pluck oscillator is fantastic as well.

Does anyone know what the 1 and 2 algorithm switch in the expandr filter is for?
Pretty sure it's because there were different revision numbers for Xpanders, and people said they sounded different, Japanese VS USA made. Probably some algorithm they believe gives some emulation of the difference.

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Dillinger wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2019 12:23 am The pluck oscillator is fantastic as well.
I included the pluck oscillator in the Physical Modeling. Considering the state of the art today in that chapter, it is somehow primitive. As I said, interesting but nothing to write home about, in what concerns Physical Modeling. But yes, it makes some interesting things, especially combined with samples.

The same can be said about the FM section. If they would allow to use samples in the FM chain, we would a kind of simplified SY77/99. But using a simple 4-Op configuration with just sine waves doesn't allow that much. It is good to have it anyway. In the past, a lot was done with just 4-Op FM synth (but we had the chance to choose more waveforms).

The Granular Synthesis, OTOH, is way more interesting.
Fernando (FMR)

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Oh yes, please allow us to use any kind of OSC as FM modulator and carrier!

I would agree that the FM and analog OSCs in Falcon are somehow a bit too basic in capabilities. And I would like to suggest to improve this by separating the actual OSC from any kind of cross-OSC modulation, so that you "simply" add a cross-osc-sync, cross-osc-fm and cross-ringmod module, which are each single, osc-style modules to be put next to the base oscs as additional oscs and in which you can select two sources of any other parallel osc.

Please have a look into VPS Avenger. Those guys started to build one of the most awesome yet simple FM ever. Simply modulate anything with anything. Avenger even supports a freedraw OSC mode. So you can draw then your waveshaper curve and even dynamically transform it using the provided OSC modulation algorithms.

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fmr wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2019 9:33 am
Dillinger wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2019 12:23 am The pluck oscillator is fantastic as well.
I included the pluck oscillator in the Physical Modeling. Considering the state of the art today in that chapter, it is somehow primitive. As I said, interesting but nothing to write home about, in what concerns Physical Modeling. But yes, it makes some interesting things, especially combined with samples.
...
Ok, I see what your saying, I guess I just considered it simply samples with noise and oscillator, plus best results I’ve got from it are using samples that don’t actually “pluck”.

Your right, the FM needs sauce.
machinesworking wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2019 6:05 am
Dillinger wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2019 12:23 am The pluck oscillator is fantastic as well.

Does anyone know what the 1 and 2 algorithm switch in the expandr filter is for?
Pretty sure it's because there were different revision numbers for Xpanders, and people said they sounded different, Japanese VS USA made. Probably some algorithm they believe gives some emulation of the difference.
I’ve asked that question repeatedly. I finally got the answer I sought but I liked what I imagined better. How do I go back? :) seriously, thanks

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Dillinger wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2019 12:23 amDoes anyone know what the 1 and 2 algorithm switch in the expandr filter is for?
From the manual:
Mode 1 emulates a classic constant-Q filter.
Mode 2 is a modern zero-delay filter.

1 and 2 can sound very different. This becomes apparent especially when using the drive. I've used Xpander filters extensively in the Falcon soundset Et Tantara Pul Hypnosis and in some cases the difference in sound between mode 1 and 2 is very drastic.
I highly recommend exploring the various Xpander filters, tuned with key follow and high resonance, then modulate the drive knob set to Sat or Linear type. Especially Linear type can create some interesting colors and tones.
Sounds and presets for UVI Falcon "Iterata X".
Bazille soundset - Bioethical Genome Modification.

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I hadn’t looked at the manual since launch, it hadn’t been implemented yet.

Thank you

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