New features:
- New and improved GUI
Improved filter
12/24db LPF option
3-stage LPF switch
Filter separation of 3rd stage
HPF resonance switch
Improved resonance response
Gain can now be pre/post filter
Gain clipping improvements
Filter can now follow amp envelope
New copy/paste functions on Oscillator and FIlter sections
New Logic control for And/Or/Xor modes for fine-tuning logic switching point
Modwheel can now follow Aftertouch controls
New Pitchbend Range selector
New randomization switch for internal Melt settings
Volume set lower on default patchbank
New INIT patchbank to call up 128 initialized patches
New and improved GUI
Obviously the GUI is much larger, and I hope that it works well on most of your displays. I didn't want multiple versions, so I had to go with a perfect all around size. I hope I accomplished that.
Improved filter
I always felt the filter was lacking and even with the initial release of v2, not much had changed in this department. So I did a bit of an overhaul. The Filter Separation control can really do interesting things to the overall sound of the filter, especially at higher resonance. Here's how it works. When 3x is activated, a 3rd stage is added. The separation control separates the 12/24db filter from the 3rd stage. In other words, the amount of filter cutoff sent to the 3rd stage is less with more separation, resulting in a splitting of the two. If that makes sense.
The resonance switch allows the HPF to follow the main resonance control if needed.
Improved resonance response
I'm sure many have noticed the extreme level that high resonance could produce in LPC mode. It could be obnoxious at times and I thought it was something that needed correcting. Especially when rapidly switching the randomizer. You don't want insane peaks jumping out at you. So we tamed that a little. We also made some adjustments to the way the levels work in relation to the gain. All of this makes for a much smoother sound. Also the gain can be turned off if for some reason it introduces unwanted limiter noise.
The Gain control can also be set to pre/post filter which can both have very different results.
Filter can now follow amp envelope
I thought this would be a useful feature for creating simple, oldschool sounds. I like mono synths that have this limitation, it just sounds cool. So now we can have this optional limitation when we want it.
New copy/paste functions on Oscillator and Filter sections
Chris gave me this idea, and I thought it would be very useful for quick patch creation, or even for taking elements from one patch and mixing with another.
New Logic control for And/Or/Xor modes for fine-tuning logic switching point
The idea for this came up in a long conversation with Bryan from Bedroom Producers Blog, while explaining to him how the three modes work. Basically when in any of these modes, the resulting output is based on the peaks of the waveforms, so you get what sounds kind of like a pulse wave. This is using 'precise logic' where the switching point is directly above 2.5v = High and below 2.5v = Low. What this new 'Logic' control does is fine tune this switching point so that an undecided area of the waveform is allowed to creep in. This is very unconventional and can result in some weird gritty sounds.
Modwheel can now follow Aftertouch controls
Originally I wanted to add a simple dropdown for choosing Modwheel assignments, but there would be conflict with the MIDI learn system. So Chris mentioned combining the Modwheel with the Aftertouch panel as a way around this, and I really like the way it turned out. I haven't noticed many synths that assign multiple parameters to modwheel or aftertouch. I think these features combined can make Phonec a very expressive instrument.
New randomization switch for internal Melt settings
I'm not sure if everyone knows about the internal Melt settings, but I thought this would be a good way to get more use of it. The Melt effect can have very different characteristics depending on these hidden controls. The randomization switch makes experimenting with them much easier.
Volume set lower on default patch bank
A few people have mentioned that Phonec was a little louder than it should be, and this is true, especially with polyphonic sounds. So a quick fix was to just lower the volume on all the default patches. This will at least eliminate having to turn it down overtime Phonec is loaded up.
New INIT patchbank to call up 128 initialized patches
This was by request, and I don't see why I didn't include one sooner. 128 blank patches right at your fingertips. Just click the hexagon and select INIT.
But hey it's worth it.
