Hive preview (April 1 update)

[tedlogan]

=This is just based on watching the preview video:

I love how you assign modulation to destinations. However, there should be some visual indication that modulation has been assigned to a parameter - something like changing the color of a parameter or have a color ring or outline around the parameter that shows it is being modulated. Something like this:
https://flic.kr/p/px2QZe

Agreed, that looks great. Even better if we can have a choice to see the modulation movement at the destination.

Would be perfect.

[Touch The Universe]

I would also then add the ability to determine the amount of the modulation, but then we would be mimicking serum. If you did it this way you could remove the mod sources window at the bottom and simply line them up in the extra space window in the middle. In short, just clone serums modulation operations and behavior...

[Caine123]

here is a simple detuned -1 oct note played: which one you like more? somehow Sylenth1 sounds a bit more fluid and juicier for me (sliughtly?). i dont know how to record a waveform pic to compare those.

Sylenth1


Hive


soundfile, first sylenth1 then hive:
https://copy.com/ExSdHoVvRCXYGSjM

[Sim.Sky]

first of all, sorry if some of my points have already been mentioned - this thread just got a little long in such a short time

(known?) bugs:
- can confirm hanging notes on the virtual keyboard (au version)
- EDIT: the keyboard also responses rather slowly to mouse clicks

as for feature requests:
- would be nice if there was a solo-button for the left and right side (meaning osc1/2 + sub1/2) respectively.
- some more pitch range than +/- 2 octaves, please
- some more filter types or at least further options (lp/hp 48/96/...)
- more waveforms (can't point that one out often enough )

luxury request:
- different color schemes

however, i think hive fits definitely a gap in the u-he line - great addition imho! also i personally like the fact that its somewhat "targeted" - kinda wysiwyg, and in this regard it absolutely delivers the goods for me

[jimstrider]

Hi Urs:

Thanks for making a synth that is "all about fun". The control layout is so straight-forward, this product will make a fantastic tool for teaching the basics of synthesis.

Here is an argument in favor of including the scope even though it is not "necessary" for making sounds with Hive - projecting something that the performer is doing live is fairly common. The synth scope is a good choice for that as it complements the performer's actions and provides a visual representation of the real-time audio.

So, here is a vote in favor of using the available hive for a scope as a live performance enhancer.

[Touch The Universe]

a scope, seriously? just use a 3rd party vsti for that, ie wave candy, etc. Use the space for functionality or remove it entirely.

[mutantdog]

So here comes my main list of feedback:

I've mentioned this a few times in the previous thread but some sort of user-editable waveform would be so cool here. I'm thinking about the ones in Oatmeal (which gets it spot-on in my book) but i guess something along the lines of the tap-map in Bazille would work too. Combined with PWM this will be a source of many interesting sounds.

Also, further to my bug-report of the seq not always starting properly, i've found all sorts of weird behaviour from the arp, with it completely stopping occasionally when multiply is set to *4 or higher. Again though, this is intermittent.

The + sign on the LFO isn't really obvious that it means unipolar, it kinda looks like an on/off switch. Perhaps a U/B would work better.

Some knobs could do with being notched at certain obvious points (sub-osc semitone at 0 and +-12 for example) (actually this is something i'd suggest for all u-he synths) and perhaps the seq transpose could be a little less sensitive, so greater movement is needed to adjust parameter.

Some sort of easy "unsolo-all" button would be nice when several modules have been soloed.

I think the default patch could do with being changed a bit too, the global transpose is set to -12, i think the init patch seems better.

I'd also have to agree that a few more time-base drop-down options in the seq would be far more accessible and usable than the classic u-he multiply knob system that has been explained already (perhaps another knob in need of specific notches).

And if i'm gonna be pedantic, the fake GUI wires need to be connected between each mod matrix too.

There's been a few other feature requests which have been noted, and should probably be left for now (personally i don't think an oscilliscope is necessary here unless its post effects, even then its really just eye-candy and probably a a cpu-drain anyway).

Overall though, i love this synth. It fits nicely alongside Spire and Synth1 for me, the ease of use, simple but comprehensive mod matrix (even effects parameters which can be modulated aswell as re-arranged), lovely filters, 3 distinctly different sounding engines and the whole big-sound/low-cpu balance make this definitely a first choice for the sort of sounds its obviously designed for.

The knowledge that Urs has further plans and ideas simply adds to the value.

[mutantdog]

Double post

[ere2learn]

Hive Saw


Sylenth Saw

[Caine123]

Hive Saw


Sylenth Saw

how did you do this?

[chk071]

http://www.rs-met.com/freebies.html

Scroll down to their signal analyzer.

[pdxindy]

The envelopes are coded from ground up. In "Dirty" mode you get classical exponential ones, in "Clean" you get the same with linear attack and in "Normal" you get a trick I saw elsewhere to avoid clicks and get more punch.

What about making drawable envelopes, then people could decide themselves whether they want it to be linear, exponential, concave, convex, negative or whatever...

Envelopes can modulate themselves… that's how different slopes are done in the Virus. The "snappy" feature in ACE and Bazille is nothing but an envelope modulating its own rate.

I was going to experiment with this a bit, also get Howie involved. And then we'll decide how we handle it, either with a dedicated "env rate" parameter, or with slope parameter (which is the same, but different angle), or simple with a tutorial and a few presets.

Thing is, if you look at Sylenth, Virus and what not, they all have their limitations and people have happily worked around them. It was never a big deal that Sylenth had no PWM because everybody knows how to do it. So we think that only because it isn't immediately obvious, we might not need to add each and every feature.

Ha! I didn't realize you could modulate the Env by itself. Zebra doesn't do this in the Mod Matrix so I just assumed the same here... Forget my nagging about a slope control! This is just fine!!

[VitaminD]

Hive Saw


Sylenth Saw

Which Hive mode is that?

[tedlogan]

Either way, the graphs suggests that Hive is slightly more sweet sounding and Sylenth with a bit more bite. I can assure you of one certainty: in the mix, no one will notice, not even you in a double blind test. No one cares and you're seriously wasting your time. I don't think this can be stressed enough: Make music. you are wasting your valuable time comparing such fine details. That's u-hes/Lennard/NI/Camel etc job tweaking algorithms.

Once again: no one - NO ONE, will ever notice the difference in a mix whether you used Dune or Spire or Sylenth or Hive. You will not. If you sit down to listen for it specifically and you know what to listen for, sure, you might. But that's defeating the point of music. Preference and workflow I believe is the main thing here.

These graphs are a curiosity but also a total distraction for people who never make music because their gear/software is never ready. Never up to date. Always waiting for the next upgrade.

For me, the main reason I love Hive is its immediacy.

Bah, what the f**k do i know.

[Vectorman]

The envelopes are coded from ground up. In "Dirty" mode you get classical exponential ones, in "Clean" you get the same with linear attack and in "Normal" you get a trick I saw elsewhere to avoid clicks and get more punch.

What about making drawable envelopes, then people could decide themselves whether they want it to be linear, exponential, concave, convex, negative or whatever...

Envelopes can modulate themselves… that's how different slopes are done in the Virus. The "snappy" feature in ACE and Bazille is nothing but an envelope modulating its own rate.

I was going to experiment with this a bit, also get Howie involved. And then we'll decide how we handle it, either with a dedicated "env rate" parameter, or with slope parameter (which is the same, but different angle), or simple with a tutorial and a few presets.

Thing is, if you look at Sylenth, Virus and what not, they all have their limitations and people have happily worked around them. It was never a big deal that Sylenth had no PWM because everybody knows how to do it. So we think that only because it isn't immediately obvious, we might not need to add each and every feature.

Ha! I didn't realize you could modulate the Env by itself. Zebra doesn't do this in the Mod Matrix so I just assumed the same here... Forget my nagging about a slope control! This is just fine!!

That was one of the first things I checked for when I opened it up...whether it could do the recursive envelope mod trick (which I think I first heard of in Howard's Virus programming guide). And, unlike Sylenth, it does.