Improvements!

[JackD]

What I'm doing is sweeping a filter with a slow LFO. What I want to do is to be able to press a footswitch at any time and freeze the LFO output at it's current point.

In particular I want to freeze the LFO at zero before the note starts, play a note(s), start the LFO/sweep, via a MIDI cc (cc 69 - Hold 2), and at some future arbitrary time freeze the LFO (probably at the positive peek) and hold it for an arbitrary time, and then release the hold.

I can get something very close to this by tieing MIDI cc 69 to the LFO rate, but then the rate swings to the extreemes when the footswitch is pressed/released and setting the normal rate is problematic.

I'm not sure I even want this in Zebra (cpu cost), but I'd like to see it in Uhe's 'modular synths'. Serge Modulars do this and I used to use it often.

[bmrzycki]

Ah, I understand now. You want to "pause" the lfo at a certain state in time and then resume it later. You're right, my method will not do that. It's possible a Mmap module could help if you modulate the rate knob with it and only draw in a line at the minimum (or maximum, I'm not sure). It's certainly something to think about.

[pdxindy]

Zebra -

I keep finding cool new uses for Mod Mappers... 2 IS NOT ENOUGH!! hehehe

[pdxindy]

ACE -

ACE needs more polyphony... With ACE on standard quality, I run out of polyphony way before CPU... With a setting of 3 voices, ACE only has a max of 5 notes polyphony!!!

With unison of 3 the current options are 1,2,5 notes of polyphony

If someone decided to make a preset with unison of 5, the current options would be 0,1,3...

I use unison of 3 often for soft strings/pads set on standard and those are exactly the patches where I want more polyphony, where I may set the release bit higher etc.

[vinz89]

To continue with ACE...

needs indeed more polyphony with stacked voices but what it needs before all is: LESS CPU USAGE!!!

I don't understand why ACE does require so much CPU usage when using polyphony with long release sounds...

I mean, zebra sounds almost exactly the same for basic polyphonic sounds (basic pads/strings) and uses so few CPU...

So don't tell me urs could not reduce CPU usage of ACE with keeping great sounding because he already done that with Zebra...

So come on Urs, make a new version of ACE (1.1?) with less CPU usage...

Vinz

[Urs]

So don't tell me urs could not reduce CPU usage of ACE with keeping great sounding because he already done that with Zebra...

It can't be done. I've squeezed every little bit of cpu out of it.

Zebra sounds great too but it can't patch everything into everything. That's why it uses less cpu.

[AndreasD]

ACE:

For parameter automation, ACE reports it's parameter list to the DAW.
This list is a bit too cryptic for my taste. Could you consider to tune the names to make it more 'speaking'? At least add a "1" for all Filter1/VCO1.. parameters and a "2" for Filter2...

Very much appreciated.

Andreas

[pdxindy]

To continue with ACE...

needs indeed more polyphony with stacked voices but what it needs before all is: LESS CPU USAGE!!!

I don't understand why ACE does require so much CPU usage when using polyphony with long release sounds...

I mean, zebra sounds almost exactly the same for basic polyphonic sounds (basic pads/strings) and uses so few CPU...

So don't tell me urs could not reduce CPU usage of ACE with keeping great sounding because he already done that with Zebra...

So come on Urs, make a new version of ACE (1.1?) with less CPU usage...

Vinz

Use ACE on Standard quality and the CPU is much less... or use Draft mode and it less still... the options are already there.

Likewise you can record midi with Standard, then render to audio with Accurate if needed... and plenty of pads/strings are fine with Standard (like you point out)

[Mighty Pea]

I'm finding myself limited by the parameters Zebra reports. First off they're not very clear (several identically named parameters, eg. Atk instead of the far clearer Env1-Atk), but there are also several parameters that I would love to be able to control with automap, such as toggling Sync and Phase on the Osc.
In addition to that I would love to have a way to access presets with my controller. Right now I use the Speed Dial on the Next-arrow, but a way to go up and down presets would be lovely.

[Urs]

You can make Zebra's automatable parameters more descriptive by remaing

com.u-he.Zebra2.publicparams.xt.txt

into

com.u-he.Zebra2.publicparams.txt

(thereby replacing the existing one)

I am considering an option to make more parameters automatable. Don't know how that'll look yet though.

Also, in regards to preset browsing, I'm still thinking of adding that to an event-based scripting thing. However, the current scripting engine needs an overhaul though. Or maybe replaced by something else.

We'll see...

Urs

[Mighty Pea]

Cheers for the quick response. I'll try renaming that file. Any reason that isn't the default?

[Urs]

Any reason that isn't the default?

It might break compatibility with existing projects in some hosts... some hosts might store automation data not by the index of a parameter, but by the parameter's name. And if the name changes then... boom

[hakey]

Some assorted ideas/user-feedback regarding ACE.

Not really feature requests as such - it would probably be difficult to implement most of these in ACE (backward patch compatibility and the like) - but perhaps some of it might be useful with respect to ACE's big brother (LUSH?). Some of these suggestions are admittedly frivolous.

In other words, feel free to ignore any/all of the following Urs.

I can't fault the 'guts' of ace, however, the one area that does seem a little underpowered is the effects section (I guess that keeping this very simple was a deliberate design decision), anyhow -

Effects Section:

Higher Chorus/Phaser Rate - up to around 10 Hz would be nice (eg for that 'warbling' vintage string machine sound).

Wet/Dry mixing of the phased and original signal - setting the mix knob for minimum phase intensity still colours the signal considerably. It would be useful to be able to mix the wet and dry signals from 0 to 100% for more subtle colouration.

MW/AT/PB modulation of Phaser Center - would add the ability to control the phase colouration of a sound whilst playing, particularly useful for lead and other mono patches.

Adding Flange as an effect (I realise that this would add an extra knob for feedback).

More Delay options - including up to 100% Wet signal, Stereo/Cross/PingPong, (many) more delay times.

A sweepable EQ band with Q - ACE's EQ section is pretty subtle (I guess that's deliberate), however, I'm so used to using EQ for various problem solving duties, to not have the option to use EQ in a surgical fashion is sorely missed.



And the rest:

Snap To option in the Mapping Gen (as in Zebra) - would make entering fixed note values for sequencing a lot easier.

Cable Input for Oscilloscope - useful for inspecting the various signals being produced within ACE, ie not just the final output signal.

Spectrograph view in oscilloscope - useful for analytic sound design eg identifying problematic frequencies, or matching the spectrum of another sound.

Oscilloscope Lissajous view - this would have no practical use whatsoever, it just looks pretty (would surely be a welcome distraction for those using Scott Kane's skin).

The ability to save cable colours with patch.

[rlahalla]

needs indeed more polyphony with stacked voices but what it needs before all is: LESS CPU USAGE!!!

I don't understand why ACE does require so much CPU usage when using polyphony with long release sounds..

draft mode is your friend and can still produce some pretty dope sounds, and I've been doing tons of patches lately with REALLY long release times and still run out of voices well before CPU is gone.

[vinz89]

Yeah i know...
But you can't do proper audio rate modulations and even FM on draft mode... also try to increase the resonance of the filters in that mode and listen to this horrible alisaing at high freq... hmmm...

Having said that it's clear that you can also make good sounds in draft mode...

Vinz