Geist - Free expansion pack and new skins

[codec_spurt]

This is a little sneak preview of a skin I've done for Strobe:



Click on thumbnail for full screenshot.



I'll get around to releasing my free 64 preset pack for it in the next week or two. It was going to be more, but a lot of the sounds were just variations and boring to anyone else. They will include all the Drum sounds - Kick - Snare - Hat - that I ended up using in the Strobe-Syndrum Expansion. A few nice bass sounds a la Blue Monday, and a few nice Wobble LFOs a la Dub Step. Nothing to really shit your pants over, but there you go.

When I release it I will also include another skin for it that I've been working on.

I will also start a new thread, just in case anyone misses it.

For now, I have that skin working perfectly, but the knobs are the wrong way 'round, so it's back to skin man for me young man. It's only a few hours work, but sorting out the other variations I have done and putting them all together into some coherent whole will take a bit of time. That and packaging the presets properly too.

Feel free to give feedback, constructive or not. Who knows, I might even listen to you.




This skin was quite a bit of work, even though I don't on the face of it, change things that radically, but a couple of things annoyed me about the original, even though it is a very classy GUI. Just little changes here and there, but no one else seems to have done a skin for this wonderful synth.

Those that did the original GUI will know the amount of work gone into this, just to make it look the same - lots of very fiddly hit and miss stuff. But it seems to be working fine now.

If there is anyone out there that can use this synth extensively (because I have only scratched the surface) and they wanna beta test, drop me a PM and I'll get something to you. I thought I had it all finished and went overboard with testing it, but I still didn't notice that I got the knobs the wrong way around, deep into it (and that was by accident).

[codec_spurt]

A little before and after:





Click on the thumbnails to open in a new window and then just cycle between them.

I have tried to get them both the same for comparison, but it should get you a rough idea.

The original skin, though not bright by any standards, hurts my eyes a bit. The new one is a bit easier for me. I'm aware that the change is very very subtle, but I did say I am very sensitive to light.

Anyway, I'll release them with the new preset pack in a while.

cheers.

[musikmachine]

Sexeh! I didn't think you could skin the SS plugins, will Cypher be getting a similar treatment?

[codec_spurt]

Sexeh! I didn't think you could skin the SS plugins, will Cypher be getting a similar treatment?

Well, it could certainly use a bit of treatment.

To be fair, the GUI design is excellent - they pack in a lot of information in a small space, but it is still hard to read. The enhancements that I have done are subtle, but somehow they exponentially add up to a slightly easier to use interface imho.

A lot of the gui components between the DCAM synths are interchangeable, so I don't suppose it would be very much work at all to do it. It would just be a matter of interchanging the files in the folders. I think.

Mmmm..

You know, that's a great idea. I'll get onto it. I've always hated the colour Green. Expect a bit more Blue as always from me.

But yeah, I might just do that when I get the time.

Consider it Game On!

[dave dove]

@codec_spurt
I have dyslexia and irlen's syndrome
Have you been screened for irlen's?
The light sensitivity can be corrected
with special lenses
my noise sensitivity is the same as yours.
real common for dyslexics
your geist skins are perfect for me

Dave

[jethrobull]

Very nice skins indeed.Cuts through the blandness.

[codec_spurt]

@codec_spurt
I have dyslexia and irlen's syndrome
Have you been screened for irlen's?
The light sensitivity can be corrected
with special lenses
my noise sensitivity is the same as yours.
real common for dyslexics
your geist skins are perfect for me

Dave

Thanks for that link. I will check it out.

Being sensitive to sound and light is part and parcel for the most part of being 'on the spectrum'. For instance, I am aware that the difference between those two skins is minimal at the best, but the original actually causes physical pain in the back of my eyes, where as my one doesn't. That is why I made it. And spent a lot of time rebuilding it and trying to make it look the same. I really had to reverse engineer this one and it was a lot of effort for no obvious gain. The original skin makers will know what I had to do to come up with this. No big deal, but laborious and fiddly Donkey work.

I'm not a pro skin designer. The work of White Tie and Limeflavour leaves me gasping for air. They are not just great artists, but great designers, and pretty good coders too. Not to mention being great altruists. I think it fair to say they are the real Renaissance men of this Century, so far. I bow my head.

Anyway, I need to get an eye test pretty soon. One of my eyes is blood red bloodshot and I can't read things that I am writing any more. It's all good. I'm just getting old that's all.

But I'm really proud of these skins, in as much as, when I use them, they are a joy. It was a lot of work to maintain the original look and feel and make the little changes I wanted. But for me at least, with Geist as well as Strobe, I personally succeeded in that. The fact that others find them useful is a great reward though, for the effort of sharing them.


cheers.

[dredd i knight]

I would certainly pick up the SS skins too; that one is coming along nicely....
Chop chop! (translation: be quick about it)
See you when you reach London!
You'll be about 20 mins up the road from where I am so that will be easy

[musikmachine]

Sexeh! I didn't think you could skin the SS plugins, will Cypher be getting a similar treatment?

Well, it could certainly use a bit of treatment.

To be fair, the GUI design is excellent - they pack in a lot of information in a small space, but it is still hard to read. The enhancements that I have done are subtle, but somehow they exponentially add up to a slightly easier to use interface imho.

A lot of the gui components between the DCAM synths are interchangeable, so I don't suppose it would be very much work at all to do it. It would just be a matter of interchanging the files in the folders. I think.

Mmmm..

You know, that's a great idea. I'll get onto it. I've always hated the colour Green. Expect a bit more Blue as always from me.

But yeah, I might just do that when I get the time.

Consider it Game On!

Wow, i thought you'd tell me to kindly go away.

Yeah i don't mind the Cypher gui but i have to scale them up to make everything visible. The tweaks you've done make everything stand out clearly, i'd probably be able to work with Strobe at 1.00 with your skin. A side question, would this affect cpu load? When i'm pushing mine opening the gui always causes crackle and pops. Anyway looks great, easy to see the values at a glance and looks quite sophisticated to boot.

[codec_spurt]

Sexeh! I didn't think you could skin the SS plugins, will Cypher be getting a similar treatment?

Well, it could certainly use a bit of treatment.

To be fair, the GUI design is excellent - they pack in a lot of information in a small space, but it is still hard to read. The enhancements that I have done are subtle, but somehow they exponentially add up to a slightly easier to use interface imho.

A lot of the gui components between the DCAM synths are interchangeable, so I don't suppose it would be very much work at all to do it. It would just be a matter of interchanging the files in the folders. I think.

Mmmm..

You know, that's a great idea. I'll get onto it. I've always hated the colour Green. Expect a bit more Blue as always from me.

But yeah, I might just do that when I get the time.

Consider it Game On!

Wow, i thought you'd tell me to kindly go away.

Yeah i don't mind the Cypher gui but i have to scale them up to make everything visible. The tweaks you've done make everything stand out clearly, i'd probably be able to work with Strobe at 1.00 with your skin. A side question, would this affect cpu load? When i'm pushing mine opening the gui always causes crackle and pops. Anyway looks great, easy to see the values at a glance and looks quite sophisticated to boot.

It won't affect CPU load in anyway measurable by a human brain. I could make the knob strips have 16 images instead of 128 and that might technically speed things up a bit for you, but the roughness in resolution would be unacceptable.

No, what we are messing about with here is standard stuff. I'm sure if I get anything very wrong, some user will tell me. None of this is endorsed by FXpansion, but credit to them, they also don't forbid it. So for now we can play about.

I'll get around to finishing the Strobe Skin in a week or so. I have the presets to do for it too which I have been talking about for over a year. The Cypher skin is an excellent idea though. I never would have thought of it, but it's perfect. The Green has to go and I will interchange the parts from Strobe. Maybe I will keep the second skin I was going to put up for Strobe, for the Cypher one. Whatever, it's all up in the air...



Anyway, I now have some other work to do on another skin for Geist, which I was asked to make some presets for, in that format. I mention no names at the moment, but when I was asked to do it, I said 'hell yeah'. This sample provider does free and paid stuff, and the idea I have so far is that the stuff I do with their free stuff will be free for everyone to have, but the stuff I do with their paid stuff will be for them to sell, because that is their living. We are just sorting things out at the moment, but I think it will work quite well. So expect some new free samples and a free skin from us soon(ish), and then another sample pack which will be paid for (but for which I will provide another free skin).

That's the plan.



In the mean time, you know this is a public forum and I can see there has been quite a bit of interest in this. Don't be afraid to say what you want. Maybe someone wants an expander full of guitar samples, or Trance Kick sounds. The Strobe preset pack I am doing will just be basic drum/bass sounds. But if you really want something, just say. You will probably be ignored, but hey, so do those of us that pay for products.

My motto is: If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing for nothing (free). Not everyone has that luxury, and in that sense I consider myself a rich man. It won't always be that way, but let's enjoy it while it lasts.

[sqigls]

Sorry for my moron, but why are the skins and expansion pack not available anymore? I just bought Geist and I'm looking for some cool addons/skin...

[codec_spurt]

Sorry for my moron, but why are the skins and expansion pack not available anymore? I just bought Geist and I'm looking for some cool addons/skin...

Which skins and expansion pack are you talking about?


The latest skin updates are linked to my dropbox which should be all fine.

Are the other links not working to the expansion packs?

(I haven't checked)


Can anyone confirm the links are still working/not working?


It's just a case of re-uploading if it's gone pear shaped. They are/will be still available.


cheers.

[musikmachine]

Sexeh! I didn't think you could skin the SS plugins, will Cypher be getting a similar treatment?

Well, it could certainly use a bit of treatment.

To be fair, the GUI design is excellent - they pack in a lot of information in a small space, but it is still hard to read. The enhancements that I have done are subtle, but somehow they exponentially add up to a slightly easier to use interface imho.

A lot of the gui components between the DCAM synths are interchangeable, so I don't suppose it would be very much work at all to do it. It would just be a matter of interchanging the files in the folders. I think.

Mmmm..

You know, that's a great idea. I'll get onto it. I've always hated the colour Green. Expect a bit more Blue as always from me.

But yeah, I might just do that when I get the time.

Consider it Game On!

Wow, i thought you'd tell me to kindly go away.

Yeah i don't mind the Cypher gui but i have to scale them up to make everything visible. The tweaks you've done make everything stand out clearly, i'd probably be able to work with Strobe at 1.00 with your skin. A side question, would this affect cpu load? When i'm pushing mine opening the gui always causes crackle and pops. Anyway looks great, easy to see the values at a glance and looks quite sophisticated to boot.

It won't affect CPU load in anyway measurable by a human brain. I could make the knob strips have 16 images instead of 128 and that might technically speed things up a bit for you, but the roughness in resolution would be unacceptable.

No, what we are messing about with here is standard stuff. I'm sure if I get anything very wrong, some user will tell me. None of this is endorsed by FXpansion, but credit to them, they also don't forbid it. So for now we can play about.

I'll get around to finishing the Strobe Skin in a week or so. I have the presets to do for it too which I have been talking about for over a year. The Cypher skin is an excellent idea though. I never would have thought of it, but it's perfect. The Green has to go and I will interchange the parts from Strobe. Maybe I will keep the second skin I was going to put up for Strobe, for the Cypher one. Whatever, it's all up in the air...



Anyway, I now have some other work to do on another skin for Geist, which I was asked to make some presets for, in that format. I mention no names at the moment, but when I was asked to do it, I said 'hell yeah'. This sample provider does free and paid stuff, and the idea I have so far is that the stuff I do with their free stuff will be free for everyone to have, but the stuff I do with their paid stuff will be for them to sell, because that is their living. We are just sorting things out at the moment, but I think it will work quite well. So expect some new free samples and a free skin from us soon(ish), and then another sample pack which will be paid for (but for which I will provide another free skin).

That's the plan.



In the mean time, you know this is a public forum and I can see there has been quite a bit of interest in this. Don't be afraid to say what you want. Maybe someone wants an expander full of guitar samples, or Trance Kick sounds. The Strobe preset pack I am doing will just be basic drum/bass sounds. But if you really want something, just say. You will probably be ignored, but hey, so do those of us that pay for products.

My motto is: If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing for nothing (free). Not everyone has that luxury, and in that sense I consider myself a rich man. It won't always be that way, but let's enjoy it while it lasts.

That's awesome dude, looking forward to it!

I can contribute some patches if you want just simply as a thanks. They'd be mainly basses for Strobe but i could upload them somewhere for you to check, just say, if it's viable.

The Geist stuff sounds very interesting anyway, i haven't really messed around with the skins; i just stick with the default but a good GUI should not be overlooked and it does factor into it when i buy plugins! So i'll have to give these a run!

But the aforementioned pluggies are three of my most used plugins so i'm stoked that you're doing this.

Cheers!

[codec_spurt]

That's awesome dude, looking forward to it!

I can contribute some patches if you want just simply as a thanks. They'd be mainly basses for Strobe but i could upload them somewhere for you to check, just say, if it's viable.

The Geist stuff sounds very interesting anyway, i haven't really messed around with the skins; i just stick with the default but a good GUI should not be overlooked and it does factor into it when i buy plugins! So i'll have to give these a run!

But the aforementioned pluggies are three of my most used plugins so i'm stoked that you're doing this.

Cheers!

Some patches for Strobe would be awesome! Seeing as mine will be mainly the drum sounds I used to make up the Geist Expander with a few added basses on top, they will fit right in.

As for the Geist skin, go on - try it!

It will take you less than a minute to fire up and nothing can go wrong, if you don't like it just replace your resources folder. To be fair, all I have done is mainly a bit of 'colour work'. I really love the original skin and couldn't improve on it If I tried. So I didn't venture too far off from what you are already used to.

As for Cypher, I've been making plans for that and figuring out some designs. Again, very simple stuff based on the hard work that FXpansion have already done. But I reckon things should translate ok.


PM me your presets for Strobe and I'll include them with mine.

Nice one!

[sqigls]

Sorry for my moron, but why are the skins and expansion pack not available anymore? I just bought Geist and I'm looking for some cool addons/skin...

Which skins and expansion pack are you talking about?


The latest skin updates are linked to my dropbox which should be all fine.

Are the other links not working to the expansion packs?

(I haven't checked)


Can anyone confirm the links are still working/not working?


It's just a case of re-uploading if it's gone pear shaped. They are/will be still available.


cheers.

Ah page 4
sorry my bad, and thank you for your hard work!