Tone2 Rayblaster: OUT NOW! (demo version available)

[ariston]

The fact that several people at KVR are posting the same does not mean it's the ultimate truth.

My last post in this thread, promise.

Ingo, be so kind as to quote the exact passage where I made my claim to the "ultimate truth". I've gone to great pains to underline the subjectivity of these perceptions. Speaking as a psychologist, this is something so ingrained in everything I do and in the way I see the world, it's become second nature. And yet here it comes again, that dumb argument about who's right and who isn't. It isn't about who's right - at least for me.

I believe subjective opinions are useful, because they can make you look at things from a different perspective. That's the only reason I'm posting my opinion (and why I read other people's opinions), not to tell you you're dumb because you like a dumb synth. We're not in Kindergarten anymore, right?

I gave Rayblaster a fair shot (2 hours tweaking my own presets, which is a precious amount of time cause I've got a full-time job and a bouncing baby boy). I sold Saurus and Gladiator (fine synths, no doubt), and I never got Warmverb because of what I hear as "that" sound. My opinion isn't based on flicking through presets, because I almost NEVER use presets.

[Howard]

My point is, every time I load up a Tone2 synth and play it, I dislike what I hear. No matter whether it's a faux-Moog bass line or a bright bell sound - they all have this "sheen" (for lack of a better word) to them..

I get a similar feeling from Waldorf synths (especially Blofeld), VirSyn and (to a lesser extent), Native Instruments VA. Unable to describe properly, let alone explain why!

[zvenx]

My point is, every time I load up a Tone2 synth and play it, I dislike what I hear. No matter whether it's a faux-Moog bass line or a bright bell sound - they all have this "sheen" (for lack of a better word) to them..

I get a similar feeling from Waldorf synths (especially Blofeld), VirSyn and (to a lesser extent), Native Instruments VA. Unable to describe properly, let alone explain why!

Maybe its cause you don't know much about synthesizers like some of the rest of us ......

let's hear the experts's explanation......

Whilst I don't necessarily agree with Howard's list ( I do with Waldorf synths, haven't played Virsyn stuff enough, but disagree with NI stuff although isn't the P53 and the Massive the only two VA's they have done?), here is arguably indeed one of the top world sound designers saying what some of us have been saying, that some developers do indeed have a 'sound'

edit: forgot about the reaktor stuff...or was VA a misnomer and you were also including FM8 and Absynth etc?

rsp

[Nielzie]

I agree that most Tone2 synths (I never tried Saurus though) have some kind of hifi-ish "sheen" in their sound, which I personally quite like. A sort of Tone2 sound "signature". Don't know what it is, but it must be some internal component(s) they share. At least I think so.. might be completely wrong of course.

Not useful for all projects/sounds of course but hey, who can live with just one synth these days? They are fun to program too imho (also very important of course), especially Gladiator 2, which is still my personal favourite among them.

[osiris]

I highly suggest you demo Saurus. It's hard to choose between Massive and Saurus for basses. I've really never seen a synth that can produce such a non distorted tone on such a low note. Of course this is not every bass, but sometimes I put Saurus up and just go wow.....

[Sendy]

I found most Rob Papen synths have a similar kinda sound, it sounds kinda flakey and crumbly at the more extreme parameter settings to me. Very hard to explain. I think a lot of these phenomena are boredering on subliminal and are to do with the actual process of sound production, rather than *what* sound you choose to make with a synth.

In Albino it coincided with other aspects of the sound (it's softness) to be quite pleasing, but in the other synths like Predator and Blade it's not something I'd choose to have. The only RP synth I have is Blue and that's because it combines so many different types of synthesis including waveshaping and phase distortion, which give it a really different sound.

The only really negative thing I find with Rayblaster is that sometimes there's a low midrange muddiness with complex sounds. It's almost like a bad supersaw kinda sound. Twice now I've arrived at a sound that had a fascinating timbre but had this lumpy quality in the lows. I tried the low cut control but it didn't help and just took away the warmth. I'm sure as I get more experience with it I'll learn to avoid it. In all this "sheen" that tone2 stuff is reported to have is quite good for me, and even though I'm not really into trance anymore I quite like trancey sounds as they go well with the lo-fi breaks/chiptune element of my music well.

[MaxSynths]

I wonder if the Tone2 synths really have this "particular sound" and if the golden ears can really recognize which synths have been used here

You're not getting the point, I'm afraid. I might have lead ears for all I know - and for all I care. My point is, every time I load up a Tone2 synth and play it, I dislike what I hear. No matter whether it's a faux-Moog bass line or a bright bell sound - they all have this "sheen"

You quoted my post in the wrong way and missed the point as well.
This is the demo, again:

Radio Gaga

Does these sounds have that "sheen"? That particular unpleasant sound?
Yes, I understand that is too risky for everyone to reply... (maybe it's not a Tone2 synth )




Concerning Saurus having the same sound as Vanguard: this is the most incredible statement Personally I like the sound of Vanguard and I still believe that is one of the most interesting synths out there in terms of sound. But Saurus sounds totally different, it has a radically different sound.

[robindrieghe]

rayblaster is indeed something new and interesting...

[Frantz]

This is the demo, again:

Radio Gaga

Does these sounds have that "sheen"? That particular unpleasant sound?
Yes, I understand that is too risky for everyone to reply... (maybe it's not a Tone2 synth )

Watch out!

[GeorgeZ]

[zvenx]

.....

Radio Gaga

Does these sounds have that "sheen"? That particular unpleasant sound?
Yes, I understand that is too risky for everyone to reply... (maybe it's not a Tone2 synth )

.....

Is this mixed dry?

the mix, especially the drums sounds like it has lots of high end added and almost like an exciter type of sound on the mix..

that is it could be tone2 stuff or anything with added high end and excited type effects added..

rsp

[Ingonator]

I have just finished creating waveforms with filter responses of all filter responses (or almost all...) of Diva, also with using the corresponding oscillator modules. Includes non-resonant and resonant waveforms.

Those waveforms are optimized for use in Rayblaster and are all based on a Sawtooth waveshape. In Rayblaster you could get different waveshapes like Square, Pulse, Triangle and Sine with the "PW sequences". With a "usual" sampler or synth with wave import those waveforms will be quite useless as those synths could not reproduce a filter response from the waveform and you'll need help from the built in filters of those other synths in that case.

Anyone here interested in those? As a free download of course.


Ingo

[Dunc]

I'd like to them a go to compare how the sound is between the two.

(I could likely do this myself, but I'm still investigating the possibilities with the included waveforms etc in Rayblaster and besides, it would take me a while to do this. If one of the masters has already done this why reinvent).

Thanks for your continued info and efforts Ingonator.

[Ingonator]

I'd like to them a go to compare how the sound is between the two.

(I could likely do this myself, but I'm still investigating the possibilities with the included waveforms etc in Rayblaster and besides, it would take me a while to do this. If one of the masters has already done this why reinvent).

Thanks for your continued info and efforts Ingonator.

Sent a PM with the link. Will maybe publish it officially here when there is more interest in it.


Ingo

[Itron]

Hi Ingo,

Yup would love to give them a try!!

Already enjoying some of your previous efforts - so thank you.

Mark