FYI!! Melda SoundFactory ON SALE til JUNE 30

[Whywhy]

A device i'm working on :
Physical modeling piano WIP.
https://soundcloud.com/whywhy-why/quick-rec-melda-piano

[bmanic]

…
Still, my feature request for each modulator having their own output level/depth still stands. It would be a real workload saver.

They already do. Per-voice mods all have depth at the top of the panel (see my Try this post).

The regular Mods (below the meters) have a depth knob that can be targeted by a MP:



Probably other solutions as well…endless, y'know?:)

That is using the multiparameters. I would not prefer using those, though it is indeed a workaround.

The reason I'd like to not use those is because they are not sort of "internal" to the synthesis. If it was within the modulators themselves and could be modulated by another env/lfo they'd have to be polyphonic. What you show, as far as I know, is a global (aka monophonic) depth control and not per voice, even if the modulator itself was per voice. But I may be mistaken.

Anyhow, I think from a professional patch building point it would be best if the Synth parameters themselves are separate from the multiparameters which are there to create the "user interface" for the customer for quick tweaking of the sound. In my opinion that is a much more organized way of making presets. Then again, they can be hidden so yeah.. hmm. Will have to investigate.

Thanks for the heads up on this!

As for assigning modwheel inverted to the filter.. the 'MIN' and 'MAX' function is a bit weird and ill suited to this. I just want to be able to affect the amount of modulation that is done by the envelope by the modwheel so that when modwheel is 100% the envelope doesn't modulate the filter at all.

[DPhil]

Just demoed it half an hour and I'm already lost XD The mouse range on knobs is like 10px - whenever I move the mouse it's either on or off (Win7, FL20, FullHD monitor). It's very hard to close pop ups because they are not distiguishable from the plugin editor when overlaying. On a full hd monitor there are a lot of list views and scrolling.

The supersaw preset takes 13% here... And I couldn't find something simple like an arpeggiator. I knew from MPowerSynth that they're good in hiding it somewhere in a row, but I couldn't manage discover it this time. How many pop ups do I have to open to see it?

Further more the installer gave av warnings and I wasn't able to deselect 32bit vst. It just installed it.

So far the first impressions. It wasn't self explaining to me (like I spent a couple minutes before even noticing I can edit presets and make own ones that way). Other complex software does manage it better to guide the user from the beginning of the sound to its end I think.

[bmanic]

Anyhow, here is a little demonstration on what I was able to do in just about an hour of experimenting. This is a sound with a single oscillator, a single filter and a few peak filters that track the keyboard just to keep some resonances in check. There are no effects, either external or within Sound Factory. Pretty impressive for a single oscillator and some trickery?

Sorry for the sloppy playing.. was recording real time output of the synth.

MSoundFactory Pad example, Google Drive link (mp3).

[exponent1]

Just demoed it half an hour and I'm already lost XD The mouse range on knobs is like 10px - whenever I move the mouse it's either on or off (Win7, FL20, FullHD monitor). It's very hard to close pop ups because they are not distiguishable from the plugin editor when overlaying. On a full hd monitor there are a lot of list views and scrolling.

The supersaw preset takes 13% here... And I couldn't find something simple like an arpeggiator. I knew from MPowerSynth that they're good in hiding it somewhere in a row, but I couldn't manage discover it this time. How many pop ups do I have to open to see it?

Further more the installer gave av warnings and I wasn't able to deselect 32bit vst. It just installed it.

So far the first impressions. It wasn't self explaining to me (like I spent a couple minutes before even noticing I can edit presets and make own ones that way). Other complex software does manage it better to guide the user from the beginning of the sound to its end I think.

What other complex synths do you use/own that guide you from the beginning of the sound to its end? Just curious.

[Whywhy]

Great pad example @bmanic !

[bmanic]

What other complex synths do you use/own that guide you from the beginning of the sound to its end? Just curious.

To be fair, I think MSoundFactory is meant to be used just like MXXX. The sound creators are supposed to create convenient front panel buttons and knobs for people to tweak basic settings.

If one wants to tweak further then quite a bit of menu diving is required. This is the curse of Melda Productions complex things like MXXX and Sound Factory (and apparently MPower Synth as well). The good thing is that there is ridiculous amounts of power and flexibility under the hood (with some strange omissions as I already pointed out).

.. but yeah, the overall feel of these Melda things is that usually obvious functions are not obvious at all and everything is a pop up menu at some point (sometimes multiple.. up to 4 deep!!).

[exponent1]

Anyhow, here is a little demonstration on what I was able to do in just about an hour of experimenting. This is a sound with a single oscillator, a single filter and a few peak filters that track the keyboard just to keep some resonances in check. There are no effects, either external or within Sound Factory. Pretty impressive for a single oscillator and some trickery?

Sorry for the sloppy playing.. was recording real time output of the synth.

[url=<span class="skimlinks-unlinked">https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NuHEe ... b9hJ</span>]MSoundFactory Pad example[/url], Google Drive link (mp3).

Great pad example @bmanic !

+1

[bmanic]

Great pad example @bmanic !

Cheers! Your physical modeling piano is sounding awesome as well!!

[DocSnyder]

Great design of the FM section

https://imgur.com/a/vWpvnJ6

[Vortifex]

The interface is an absolute clusterfuck.

[Aloysius]

Great pad example @bmanic !

+1

[plexuss]

Yeah... Melda.... I just don't gel with the UI and workflow. Some people love it. That's great. I don't really like fiddling around with lots of parameters. I tend to want to put my attention to the over-all music and sound than delving into a deep UI. Knowing a bit about Vjotech I can understand why his UX is as it is. I work in UX and have worked with many different people with different design perspectives. I consider Melda to more on the "engineering" side of the equation than on the "usability" side. The problem is Vjotech thinks he's on the usability side. So, nothing will get better soon. It is what it is...

[gentleclockdivider]

Seems that mxxx and mpowersynth are available as building blocks in the effects section .
This getting a bit over the top

[dmbaer]

I don't really like fiddling around with lots of parameters. I tend to want to put my attention to the over-all music and sound than delving into a deep UI.
. . .
I consider Melda to more on the "engineering" side of the equation than on the "usability" side. The problem is Vjotech thinks he's on the usability side. So, nothing will get better soon. It is what it is...

You are not the target customer for MSF at this point. But in time you may certainly be as well. There will be a very inexpensive LE version which will run sophisticated devices created by individuals who are well-versed in Melda architecture, those devices having easy-to-use UIs tailored to their specific function, and you will be able to create and save presets. What you won't be able to do is dive into the deep end of MSF for the full-on geeky joy that some folks, the target customers of MSF at this point in time, will relish.

Make no mistake, to effectively work with MSF, you need to be skilled in the Melda way of doing things, using Multiparameters, Modulators, and all the other deep tools on offer. This takes more than a couple of hours of reading documentation (which is not a Melda strongpont) and futzing around. Clearly, this is not everyone's cup of tea. In time, I'm pretty certain there will be things that appeal to a broader audience who, like you, are more focused on making music and not getting bogged down in the technology behind it. Come back in maybe a year and see where this has all gone. MSF (LE) might have a whole lot more appeal to you at that time.