Tone2 Rayblaster: OUT NOW! (demo version available)

[Ingonator]

16-bit is "ancient technology". Sorry but i have to laugh a bit...

Heh well, laugh all you want, but it IS ancient. I was looking forward to try Rayblaster with the Architecture Waveforms (32bit FP) but seems I can't because of Rb's old synthesis method..

DNR Wave Designer currently outputs 24-bit WAVs but i used the batch conversion in Wavelab Elements 7 (which i use for all the other editing too...).

UPDATE:
The latest version of Rayblaster could also import 24-bit waveforms!!


Ingo

[sonicpowa]

OK, so if I want to use my cutting edge waveforms I must do:
AW 32bit FP -> Wavelab or Soundforge batch conversion -> 16bit for Rayblaster.

It seems Rb is going to be expensive. Tone2 are you including a Patch Converter or Soundforge with Rb?

[Examigan]

Here is the demo song I submitted, one part of it was used in the official demo song.

http://soundcloud.com/examigan/rm-rayblaster-demo

I decided to not have drums in there this time, and the mp3 can be downloaded from Soundcloud.

No comments on Examigans demo?


Ingo

Nice song and sound design! A welcome alternative to the 2Tone frantic ear blaster.

/Joachim

Thanks, I appreciate it

-Rob

[Ingonator]

OK, so if I want to use my cutting edge waveforms I must do:
AW 32bit FP -> Wavelab or Soundforge batch conversion -> 16bit for Rayblaster.

It seems Rb is going to be expensive. Tone2 are you including a Patch Converter or Soundforge with Rb?

I am sure that several free WAV editors could do that conversion but as i got Wavelab Elements 7 anyway i used that one.

One free editor is Audacity (have not used it myself):
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/windows

The Wavelab Elements version is much cheaper than the full version:
http://www.steinberg.net/en/shop/buy_pr ... nts-7.html

http://www.steinberg.net/en/shop/buy_pr ... lab-7.html

For creating MP3 files i normally use the Nero Wave Editor of the Nero Multimedia Suite 10. This could also save WAv files with different bit depths:
http://www.nero.com/eng/index.php?NeroS ... 4002547f6c

This is the link for version 12.


UPDATE:
The latest version of Rayblaster could also import 24-bit waveforms!!


Ingo

[HcDoom]

Don't have time to read the whole thread. Does this mean I can't load 24/32bit wavs in this synth and I have to convert them prior to import?

[Ingonator]

Don't have time to read the whole thread. Does this mean I can't load 24/32bit wavs in this synth and I have to convert them prior to import?

I am sorry for the confusion but it looks like the latest version of Rayblaster could also import 24-bit waveforms!!
I was not able to do this with early versions of Rayblaster so i always used 16-bit after that and never checked with 24-bit again.

Here is a quote from Markus at the beta forum:

"RayBlaster can import these wav formats (PCM) als osc waveforms:

8 bit
16 bit
24 bit
mono
stereo

The size can be 16 samples to 65536. If the size should be larger it resamples in high quality."


If you want to create a waveform based on your favorite synth to create it's filter response you'll need a single cycle wave with zero-crossing at the beginning and the end.



Ingo

[Ingonator]

An updated version of the promo video is up:

http://www.tone2.org/forum/index.php?topic=1316.0

This is different to the feature overview video:

http://www.tone2.org/forum/index.php?topic=1311.0


Ingo

[sonicpowa]

New video is nice, the wireframe "Tron" sequences was entertaining.

[Igro]

4.) The full version of my own audio demo which in parts is included in the official demo:

Ingo Weidner - Empire Of Rays - Rayblaster Demo 1

For those who are interested i just rendered only the two pad sounds (one analog and one digital) of my demo:

Ingo Weidner - Empire Of Rays - Pads Only Demo 1

For both the volume is slowly evolving (done with automation), first the analog pad and then the digital one. In the middle of the track both have the full volume.

Here is a demo that only includes the digital ("wavetable") pad:

Ingo Weidner - Empire Of Rays - WT Pad Only

Here the same track with a different wavetable pad (both pads included in the factory sounds):

Ingo Weidner - Rayblaster WT Pad Demo 2


I'll maybe do a "Remix" of my audio demo where the digital pad shines more through.


Ingo

So where are the sounds that cannot be done in any other synthesizer? May you put some of these sounds as well, please?

[Shabdahbriah]

An updated version of the promo video is up:

http://www.tone2.org/forum/index.php?topic=1316.0

Thanks for that. Much better representation of sounds that are desirable (to me).

And thanks for the details here, Ingo:

Hmmm... "300"? ... kinda slackin'.

Sooo, are there any waveform (bit depth/etc) "rules" for this? It appears from what Ingo's posted, that it is pretty flexible/forgiving.

I have found that you need 16-bit and maximum length should be around 65535 samples. AFAIK you could import bigger samples with the Resynthesis feature.
For import of filter responses of e.g. analog synths/emulations you need a single cycle with a zero-crossing at the beginning and the end.

Besides new waveforms (with e.g. Wave Designer) I have created single cycles based on following synths (and mostly with different filer modes, no Resonance and Resonance):
Moog Slim Phatty (with 1 up to 4 filter poles), Tone2 Saurus, Waldorf Largo (including Comb filters), Xils Lab Synthix, FXpansion Strobe, U-He Diva, TAL U-NO-LX, TAL BassLine, FXpansion Cypher, D16 LuSH-101 (sample processed with EQ), D16 Phoscyon, Korg Polysix plugin, Arturia Jupiter 8V, Arturia Oberheim SEM V, WayOutWare KikAxxe.

A Synthix BPF single cycle was used for the analog pad in my audio demo.
One oscillator of that preset is doing PWM using the "Square<PW>Peek" PW sequence and PW modulation with a LFO. In the other oscillator the waveform stays at a Saw.

Ingo

This is good news, indeed:

Don't have time to read the whole thread. Does this mean I can't load 24/32bit wavs in this synth and I have to convert them prior to import?

I am sorry for the confusion but it looks like the latest version of Rayblaster could also import 24-bit waveforms!!
I was not able to do this with early versions of Rayblaster so i always used 16-bit after that and never checked with 24-bit again.

Here is a quote from Markus at the beta forum:

"RayBlaster can import these wav formats (PCM) als osc waveforms:

8 bit
16 bit
24 bit
mono
stereo

The size can be 16 samples to 65536. If the size should be larger it resamples in high quality."

If you want to create a waveform based on your favorite synth to create it's filter response you'll need a single cycle wave with zero-crossing at the beginning and the end.

Ingo

The above addresses the following issues/concerns:

OK, so if I want to use my cutting edge waveforms I must do:
AW 32bit FP -> Wavelab or Soundforge batch conversion -> 16bit for Rayblaster.

It seems Rb is going to be expensive. Tone2 are you including a Patch Converter or Soundforge with Rb?

however, someone may still require an editor:

http://www.wavosaur.com/screenshot.php

I use SoundForge and WaveLab, but checked Wavosaur out a while back for several people wanting to make wavetables for Vaz synths, as it will create 'loop-points', which Vaz needs in the first SC of a wavetable. Audacity (at the time) would not. Don't know if that has changed.

Plus (IMHO), "Wavosaur" actually LOOKS like an editor, unlike Audacity which is SO too 'crayola' looking for my aesthetic tastes, and which I admittedly can't get past - to even bother with it. Just my preferences, nothing bad meant towards its abilities, functions, or appeal to others.

[2c]

p.s. I am assuming (hopefully) that Tone2 is going to allow the import of wavetables/SC's into the demo version of RayBlaster??? Would be REALLY handy to be able to select a "folder" (with waveforms/wavetables) and have left (previous) and right (next) arrows, preferably 'mapped/assignable' to controller keys, or even Qwerty keyboard arrow keys, to be able to rapidly audition them. Consider that a feature request

[highkoo]

Everyone re-read this:

Even if the result sounds not really totally new just the fact that based on a single cycle wave of a certain synth you could mimic it's filter response is real fun. As mentioned at the Tone2 website Rayblaster does not really include a filter at all but it tries to build a filter response based on ANY waveform you enter. For this it doesn't matter if this is a "real" filter of an existing synth or a "fantasy filter" based on a complex waveform.

Filters, imaginary un-real ones even, reverse engineered, kinda.
Id say if you dont 'get' that, or find it interesting, this synth might not be for you?

[Ingonator]

p.s. I am assuming (hopefully) that Tone2 is going to allow the import of wavetables/SC's into the demo version of RayBlaster??? Would be REALLY handy to be able to select a "folder" (with waveforms/wavetables) and have left (previous) and right (next) arrows, preferably 'mapped/assignable' to controller keys, or even Qwerty keyboard arrow keys, to be able to rapidly audition them. Consider that a feature request

AFAIK the demo version will include waveform loading and also the Resynthesis feature.

You could either add waveforms to the default folder which will create a huge drop-down menu (depending on the amount) or you create a new folder from where you have load single waves from a usual file dialog box.


Ingo

[zvenx]

the new promo video imho is leaps and bound better than the previous one.

kudos tone2.
rsp

[Ingonator]

So where are the sounds that cannot be done in any other synthesizer? May you put some of these sounds as well, please?

Of course i could start doing lots of demos of a bunch of factory sounds nowbut i think it makes more sense to wait a little time (should not be too long now) and test the product demo yourself.
Anyway i'll try to post more demos for sure but not very soon i guess.

Anyway a few thoughts, also based on my demo:

1.) That "wavetable" pad uses an envelope modulation of the start phase (= wave scanning") for one oscillator and the Arp pattern for the second oscillator.

This is something not possible with many synths. I know that e.g. Largo and Synthmaster 2.5 could do it.

As this is a complex waveform also the filter model created by Rayblaster is complex which means turning the Formant knob results in several different timbres.
I did not try to modulate the "wavetable" and the Formant value at the same time but i plan this for the very near future.
This would get even more complex if in add a second waveform to each oscillator and also emulate the wave mix. Try to do that with an other synth...

Then you could try tom emulate the harmonic value which changes the current size of the part of the waveform (zoom in and out) waveform.
Then you could add different "osc windows" (= a kind of waveshaper), try to do PWM (works with any waveform), add the "Sync" and/or BPM feature and so on...

Tons of possibilities but so less time.

I have created much more than 100 presets so far but if i rethink it i just touched the surface of what is really possible.

I did not even use the Resynthesis feature in my presets yet...


2.) Which other synth do you know which could emulate filter responses of different synths just by loading a single cycle wave of that synth?
I have created waveforms of several synths (and different filters) and they all sound and behave at least slightly (or a bot more) different, even with identical filter types.


3.) Listen to the lead sound in the last third of my demo. Does it remember you of any analog synth? I guess not as it uses a more or less inharmonic waveform created with Wave Designer (same for the Bell sound).


Ingo

[Shabdahbriah]

p.s. I am assuming (hopefully) that Tone2 is going to allow the import of wavetables/SC's into the demo version of RayBlaster??? Would be REALLY handy to be able to select a "folder" (with waveforms/wavetables) and have left (previous) and right (next) arrows, preferably 'mapped/assignable' to controller keys, or even Qwerty keyboard arrow keys, to be able to rapidly audition them. Consider that a feature request

AFAIK the demo version will include waveform loading and also the Resynthesis feature.

You could either add waveforms to the default folder which will create a huge drop-down menu (depending on the amount) or you create a new folder from where you have load single waves from a usual file dialog box.


Ingo

Thanks man... looking forward to it, particularly the 're-synthesis' aspect.