New Hartmann Neuron VS ??

[cron]

This thing looks quite Neuron-ish. It appears to be closed in that you can't create your own models, but looks like it's got a similar model-morphing principle behind it. http://www.eisenberg-audio.de/einklang

Wow, this is brand right, just released?

Not even fully released. Only the basic version is available at the moment with the extended version (more models) coming "early 2013". I believe the early bird prices have been extended as I'm almost sure they were for the end of December when I checked 2 days ago.

The guy seriously needs to get somebody who knows how to sell things on board. Most of the sound examples on the Soundcloud (you can't even access them from the main site) haven't even hit 50 listens. Looks like he hasn't updated the promotional materials since the fundraiser was completed, which means those of us who wants to actually want to hear what the synth can do are out of luck. The sound examples are very interesting if you take the time to dig them out (and weed through the duplicates), to be fair.

[Numanoid]

The guy seriously needs to get somebody who knows how to sell things on board.

That is another thing shared with Hartmann

At least this guy is "only" asking €125, not €700+

[robotmonkey]

Listened to the einklang demos and frankly not impressed. That's another thing shared with Neuron VS. The hardware version sounded excellent, but for some reason the VST was unimpressive. It certainly did not sound like it was worth its insane price. And it was buggy and looked like it came from the dystopian future where people use butt-ugly GUIs.

[Numanoid]

Sound on Sound gave the hardware version a lukewarm review back in 2003:

At present, the Neuron is something of a mixed bag. The original concept of an 'intelligent' modelling instrument capable of deriving all a sound's parameters and model information from the source samples has been downgraded, and what's more, it currently exhibits deficiencies in its sound generators, very limited polyphony, and poor programming. On the other hand, it shows promise for the future. I suspect that you're either going to view it as an expensive work-in-progress, or love it unreservedly and defend it against all and any criticism.

[robotmonkey]

Sound on Sound gave the hardware version a lukewarm review back in 2003:

At present, the Neuron is something of a mixed bag. The original concept of an 'intelligent' modelling instrument capable of deriving all a sound's parameters and model information from the source samples has been downgraded, and what's more, it currently exhibits deficiencies in its sound generators, very limited polyphony, and poor programming. On the other hand, it shows promise for the future. I suspect that you're either going to view it as an expensive work-in-progress, or love it unreservedly and defend it against all and any criticism.

I think the problem with Neuron was more related to the nature of its sound not the quality of the sound as such. Basically all it did was those dark long evolving wooshy, noisy, glitchy drones and inhramonic sounding bell/organ like tones. This was not a synth you could use to quickly sketch out your next pop hit. It was ideal for dark ambient, krautrock or glitch. In that regard it was even more esoteric than the much underrated and misunderstood Fizmo from the same period.

Add to that that it was prohibitively expensive despite using cheap off-the-shelf computer parts as its insides, and one can suspect why it failed.

[Numanoid]

Those looking for alternatives to Neuron, maybe IL Morphine can be of interest.

There are similarities aplenty, resynthesis, morphing of resynthesized waveforms, and recording of realtime morphing into patches.

[aMUSEd]

No they don't really compare that well (I have both), the Neuron uses sound models (created with a separate app), it's not simple additive resynthesis and morphing.

[Numanoid]

No they don't really compare that well (I have both), the Neuron uses sound models (created with a separate app), it's not simple additive resynthesis and morphing.

But morphing and patch morphing recordability they both share I think.

[aMUSEd]

No they don't really compare that well (I have both), the Neuron uses sound models (created with a separate app), it's not simple additive resynthesis and morphing.

But morphing and patch morphing recordability they both share I think.

With the Neuron you are able to move within different aspects of the same model in a virtual 3 dimensional soundspace as well as between models (and there is not just one way to morph - there are several different blending modes, a bit like in Photoshop). Each model enables adjustment of things like the excitation source, timbral qualities of the sound, resonating "body" etc. So it's like creating a physical model but using resynthesised (digitalised) information about a sampled sound.

[Numanoid]

With the Neuron you are able to move within different aspects of the same model in a virtual 3 dimensional soundspace as well as between models (and there is not just one way to morph - there are several different blending modes, a bit like in Photoshop). Each model enables adjustment of things like the excitation source, timbral qualities of the sound, resonating "body" etc. So it's like creating a physical model but using resynthesised (digitalised) information about a sampled sound.

Mindblowing But does it sound good?

[Krakatau]

With the Neuron you are able to move within different aspects of the same model in a virtual 3 dimensional soundspace as well as between models (and there is not just one way to morph - there are several different blending modes, a bit like in Photoshop). Each model enables adjustment of things like the excitation source, timbral qualities of the sound, resonating "body" etc. So it's like creating a physical model but using resynthesised (digitalised) information about a sampled sound.

Mindblowing But does it sound good?

Mindblowing, indeed...



...i'm afraid i'm getting old, sometimes !

[aMUSEd]

With the Neuron you are able to move within different aspects of the same model in a virtual 3 dimensional soundspace as well as between models (and there is not just one way to morph - there are several different blending modes, a bit like in Photoshop). Each model enables adjustment of things like the excitation source, timbral qualities of the sound, resonating "body" etc. So it's like creating a physical model but using resynthesised (digitalised) information about a sampled sound.

Mindblowing But does it sound good?

I think so - it works better with some models than others.

Here's as good review of the VST version:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr05/a ... uronvs.htm

[flakes2]

Some years ago i tried the Neuron at the musikmesse. It has an interesting concept, but it seems to do not really many usefull sounds. Mainly scifi-fx.

[Krakatau]

I think so - it works better with some models than others.

I just downloaded the demo and tried it quickly,

To my ears it strongly reminds me similar artifacts that sounds out of additive resynthesis process and the instruments presets have often IMO a similar limited realism as many resnthesized instruments

But to be fair, the concept is highly interesting and obviously very promising, nonetheless...

Some percussion models (a kind of gong, i don't have it name in mind, yet) sounded surprisingly good with some interesting inharmonicity, but i'm less impressed of instrument's model of tuned ones

Soundwise, perhaps someone can grab a typical strong aspect of this specific kind of synthesis that might differ to any others ?

[aMUSEd]

Didn't know there was a demo. I would have thought it would be hard to really demo the VS and get a real impression of how it sounds without the Nuke because you need really to use the joystick to move in 3D space and between different levels within that space. It doesn't allow you to do that with a mouse.