Mushy Mushy wrote:If sir had one less absinthe he'd realise he meant alchemy
Think of buying Imposcar 2 but with one concern
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- KVRAF
- 18337 posts since 26 Jun, 2006 from San Francisco Bay Area
Zerocrossing Media
4th Law of Robotics: When turning evil, display a red indicator light. ~[ ●_● ]~
4th Law of Robotics: When turning evil, display a red indicator light. ~[ ●_● ]~
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- KVRAF
- 18337 posts since 26 Jun, 2006 from San Francisco Bay Area
I think perhaps the UI is so small I can't see anything that would open up a CC menu.Mr Arkadin wrote:You do know there are three sizes of GUI available from within impOSCar2? Just open the CC menu, pick large and relaunch.zerocrossing wrote:That said, I bought it but I wish they'd do a UI touch up on it. I find it tiny and hard on the eyes.
...could I have an old version? Nope, showing 2.0.3. Where is this CC menu?
Zerocrossing Media
4th Law of Robotics: When turning evil, display a red indicator light. ~[ ●_● ]~
4th Law of Robotics: When turning evil, display a red indicator light. ~[ ●_● ]~
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- KVRAF
- 14429 posts since 16 Feb, 2005 from Planet Earth, Somewhere
I certainly meant more along the lines of enhancements.....is it eol/feature complete in that regard?JonHodgson wrote:I've fixed every bug that's been reported to me, and will continue to do so. The reason there haven't been many bug fix updates is that either there aren't bugs, or they're not getting reported.cowby wrote:Guys, V2 was released in 2010 and when was the last (minor) release ?
I am afraid that it will not has any bug fixes / enhancement until v3. Your thought ?
rsp
sound sculptist
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- KVRian
- 652 posts since 17 Mar, 2002 from Paris
Zvenx posted a link to a GForce tutorial.. http://www.gforcesoftware.com/extras/vi ... -gui-sizeszerocrossing wrote:Where is this CC menu?
I did get a life,once...but it was faulty, so I sent it back.
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- KVRAF
- 18337 posts since 26 Jun, 2006 from San Francisco Bay Area
Ah, got it! (had to go to the Youtube site to see it though. Not sure why.)vic_france wrote:Zvenx posted a link to a GForce tutorial.. http://www.gforcesoftware.com/extras/vi ... -gui-sizeszerocrossing wrote:Where is this CC menu?
...but still. To be honest, the UIs on impOSCar 2 and Oddity 2 are horrible. Both totally suffer from the mistake of believing that strict adherence to the look and layout of the original instrument is going to make for a good virtual interface. It doesn't unless you're dealing with a very simple instrument like a Minimoog, and even that can be improved upon. Shame, because they nail the sound quality. How accurate they are, I can't really say, but they sound very good to me.
There is a way of capturing the aesthetic of the original hardware while at the same time not being constrained to it... especially considering that the original design had very much to do with physical properties that don't exist for a software instrument. I'm not saying to drop the skeuomorphism completely, I actually like that. Just have a UI designer sit down and really consider the layout from a usability standpoint.
Zerocrossing Media
4th Law of Robotics: When turning evil, display a red indicator light. ~[ ●_● ]~
4th Law of Robotics: When turning evil, display a red indicator light. ~[ ●_● ]~
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- KVRAF
- 37375 posts since 14 Sep, 2002 from In teh net
Do you have anything to do with Oddity 2? I reported a bug ages ago that is still to be fixed.JonHodgson wrote:I've fixed every bug that's been reported to me, and will continue to do so. The reason there haven't been many bug fix updates is that either there aren't bugs, or they're not getting reported.cowby wrote:Guys, V2 was released in 2010 and when was the last (minor) release ?
I am afraid that it will not has any bug fixes / enhancement until v3. Your thought ?
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- KVRAF
- 9835 posts since 15 Sep, 2005 from East Coast of the USA
You mean Alchemy, right?basslinemaster wrote:LOL.zerocrossing wrote:Funny how people sold off Absynth when it got bought by Apple as if somehow it was now dead.
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- KVRAF
- 2169 posts since 7 Dec, 2005
'Although often lumped-in with rest of the analog contingent, in truth, the only thing analog about the OSCar (and the Wasp) was the sublime filter. Almost every other aspect of it was digital. In terms of features it was positively jam-packed, and included two oscillators containing sine, saw, square, and variable pulse width waveforms. portamento and glissando, a comprehensive arpeggiator, on-board sequencing and a cornucopia of filtering options. The OSCar even boasted a unique additive synthesis feature which allowed users to construct and save their own waveforms using 24 fundamental harmonics. It even had patch storage too! All these features, plus the unique filter separation control and amazing filter overdrive had converged to create a truly magnificent sounding instrument.
So why did the OSCar not become one of the greatest selling synths of all-time and why are they so rare today?
Firstly, in 1983 the OSCar cost £699, only marginally cheaper than Roland’s polyphonic Juno 60, and at a time when affordable polyphonic synthesis had succeeded affordable monophonic synthesis as the holy grail, it’s easy to see why it could be passed over in favor of a chord playing rival.
Secondly, 1983 was the year of MIDI, which was notably absent on the first production run of OSCars, although it was quickly added after the first few hundred had been shipped.
And thirdly, the reason for its rarity is simple - there were only around 2000 OSCars produced. However, those fortunate enough to have owned one have always remained convinced that this was one of the world’s great synths and their passion has helped elevate this instrument into the realms of synth folklore.
In terms of sound potential, it’s difficult to categorize the OSCar. On one hand, by utilizing the additive synthesis functions, it was possible for it to sound very digital and harsh. On the other hand, by using the PWM in conjunction with the overdriven filter, screaming leads and corpulent bass sounds were without doubt the order of the day for many.
With regards to its overdriven power, sound designer and programmer Paul Wiffen, who had been a key part of the EDP and OSCar team, recalls that many synth players like Billy Currie and Jan Hammer were putting their synths through distortion pedals to create their own unique sounds, and during development he suggested to Chris Huggett that a similar effect could be achieved by applying an internal overdrive to the filter. Using this feature he came up with an emulation of the classic Ultravox lead which eventually became the OSCar default sound. This turned out to be a clever marketing move too, because when he demonstrated the OSCar to Ultravox some months later, the band each bought one to take over tour duties from their now aging ARP Odysseys.
During its life, the OSCar has appeared on countless tracks, acting as the main instrument on Ultravox’s Love’s Great Adventure, as well as performing bass duties on Stevie Wonder’s track, Skeletons, (taken from the ‘Characters’ album). In fact, the entire world became unwittingly aware of the OSCar sound via its bass on Band Aid’s ‘Do they Know it’s Christmas’ in 1985. Returning to slightly more hip territory though, Mark Moore of S-Express used it for the bassline on ‘The Theme From S-Express’, and it’s also appeared on a host of Underworld tracks from ‘Rez’ to ‘Rowla’.
GMEDIA Music has had a long term love affair with the OSCar too. Some time ago Dave Spiers was asked by Underworld to find a back-up for their instrument. This he did but was so taken by its character that he was unwilling to give it up – having to find another for the band!
“After hearing it, my wife insisted that I should keep it, despite the fact that she’s usually totally disinterested in synths. After that, the OSCar quickly became part of any programming project I worked on, and in early 2002 after I’d voiced my concern as to how rare and expensive they are becoming to Jon Hodgson, he offered to begin the detailed task of turning it into a virtual instrument.”
“Of all the monosynths the OSCar has always been very interesting to me, for two main reasons,” says Jon.
“The first is that it’s different - the double filter with separation, the different waveforms, the additive synthesis. It does things in its own slightly unique way and I like that in an instrument.
The second is that it’s the only one of what you might call the ‘old school’ of monosynths that I can actually remember seeing adverts in magazines for. I guess it must have been in it’s last days when I first started getting interested in synths and music, and it certainly was eye catching!”
Over the ensuing two years the impOSCar was developed by Jon regardless of cost or effort. Capturing the sonic essence and tonal characteristics of the original instrument was absolutely paramount. Of course, in this day and age it would have been foolhardy not to have incorporated certain new features, such as the ability to sync the tempo of both the arpeggiator and LFO to the sequencer host, as well as adding polyphonic capability, velocity sensitivity and an additional effects section.
Regarding many of the enhancements, Jon comments: “Many of these, in particular the new filter modes, were achievable on the original OSCar with a scalpel, some wire and a soldering iron, so I don’t think it goes against the spirit of the original. In fact I hope people will find that, if anything, many of the enhancements will add to the fundamental character of the original instrument. The OSCar could transmit polyphonically from the keyboard and as a result many musicians wondered what a polyphonic OSCar would sound like - now’s their chance to find out.”
So that’s the story behind the impOSCar. But given that the sounds and features of this eminent beast are still so highly sought after today, what happened to the team behind the original instrument who provided the inspiration for this plug-in? Well, we’re glad to say that they have enjoyed (or perhaps endured) long careers within the Musical Instrument Industry. Paul Wiffen is now an Apple consultant in the UK, as well as being a highly respected industry journalist, while Chris Huggett went on to develop operating systems for Akai Samplers and, more recently, heads the design team for Novation.'
So why did the OSCar not become one of the greatest selling synths of all-time and why are they so rare today?
Firstly, in 1983 the OSCar cost £699, only marginally cheaper than Roland’s polyphonic Juno 60, and at a time when affordable polyphonic synthesis had succeeded affordable monophonic synthesis as the holy grail, it’s easy to see why it could be passed over in favor of a chord playing rival.
Secondly, 1983 was the year of MIDI, which was notably absent on the first production run of OSCars, although it was quickly added after the first few hundred had been shipped.
And thirdly, the reason for its rarity is simple - there were only around 2000 OSCars produced. However, those fortunate enough to have owned one have always remained convinced that this was one of the world’s great synths and their passion has helped elevate this instrument into the realms of synth folklore.
In terms of sound potential, it’s difficult to categorize the OSCar. On one hand, by utilizing the additive synthesis functions, it was possible for it to sound very digital and harsh. On the other hand, by using the PWM in conjunction with the overdriven filter, screaming leads and corpulent bass sounds were without doubt the order of the day for many.
With regards to its overdriven power, sound designer and programmer Paul Wiffen, who had been a key part of the EDP and OSCar team, recalls that many synth players like Billy Currie and Jan Hammer were putting their synths through distortion pedals to create their own unique sounds, and during development he suggested to Chris Huggett that a similar effect could be achieved by applying an internal overdrive to the filter. Using this feature he came up with an emulation of the classic Ultravox lead which eventually became the OSCar default sound. This turned out to be a clever marketing move too, because when he demonstrated the OSCar to Ultravox some months later, the band each bought one to take over tour duties from their now aging ARP Odysseys.
During its life, the OSCar has appeared on countless tracks, acting as the main instrument on Ultravox’s Love’s Great Adventure, as well as performing bass duties on Stevie Wonder’s track, Skeletons, (taken from the ‘Characters’ album). In fact, the entire world became unwittingly aware of the OSCar sound via its bass on Band Aid’s ‘Do they Know it’s Christmas’ in 1985. Returning to slightly more hip territory though, Mark Moore of S-Express used it for the bassline on ‘The Theme From S-Express’, and it’s also appeared on a host of Underworld tracks from ‘Rez’ to ‘Rowla’.
GMEDIA Music has had a long term love affair with the OSCar too. Some time ago Dave Spiers was asked by Underworld to find a back-up for their instrument. This he did but was so taken by its character that he was unwilling to give it up – having to find another for the band!
“After hearing it, my wife insisted that I should keep it, despite the fact that she’s usually totally disinterested in synths. After that, the OSCar quickly became part of any programming project I worked on, and in early 2002 after I’d voiced my concern as to how rare and expensive they are becoming to Jon Hodgson, he offered to begin the detailed task of turning it into a virtual instrument.”
“Of all the monosynths the OSCar has always been very interesting to me, for two main reasons,” says Jon.
“The first is that it’s different - the double filter with separation, the different waveforms, the additive synthesis. It does things in its own slightly unique way and I like that in an instrument.
The second is that it’s the only one of what you might call the ‘old school’ of monosynths that I can actually remember seeing adverts in magazines for. I guess it must have been in it’s last days when I first started getting interested in synths and music, and it certainly was eye catching!”
Over the ensuing two years the impOSCar was developed by Jon regardless of cost or effort. Capturing the sonic essence and tonal characteristics of the original instrument was absolutely paramount. Of course, in this day and age it would have been foolhardy not to have incorporated certain new features, such as the ability to sync the tempo of both the arpeggiator and LFO to the sequencer host, as well as adding polyphonic capability, velocity sensitivity and an additional effects section.
Regarding many of the enhancements, Jon comments: “Many of these, in particular the new filter modes, were achievable on the original OSCar with a scalpel, some wire and a soldering iron, so I don’t think it goes against the spirit of the original. In fact I hope people will find that, if anything, many of the enhancements will add to the fundamental character of the original instrument. The OSCar could transmit polyphonically from the keyboard and as a result many musicians wondered what a polyphonic OSCar would sound like - now’s their chance to find out.”
So that’s the story behind the impOSCar. But given that the sounds and features of this eminent beast are still so highly sought after today, what happened to the team behind the original instrument who provided the inspiration for this plug-in? Well, we’re glad to say that they have enjoyed (or perhaps endured) long careers within the Musical Instrument Industry. Paul Wiffen is now an Apple consultant in the UK, as well as being a highly respected industry journalist, while Chris Huggett went on to develop operating systems for Akai Samplers and, more recently, heads the design team for Novation.'
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- KVRian
- 770 posts since 2 Apr, 2003
Although I did contribute one bit of code, I'm not involved in the overall development or support of Oddity 2.aMUSEd wrote:Do you have anything to do with Oddity 2? I reported a bug ages ago that is still to be fixed.JonHodgson wrote:I've fixed every bug that's been reported to me, and will continue to do so. The reason there haven't been many bug fix updates is that either there aren't bugs, or they're not getting reported.cowby wrote:Guys, V2 was released in 2010 and when was the last (minor) release ?
I am afraid that it will not has any bug fixes / enhancement until v3. Your thought ?
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- KVRian
- 770 posts since 2 Apr, 2003
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- KVRian
- 770 posts since 2 Apr, 2003
Treble post!
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- KVRAF
- 2169 posts since 7 Dec, 2005
Jon,
If you could do a complete reinvention of ImpOSCar, no holds barred, I'm curious what that would look like -
My guess is that you would take an already brilliant 'EMU with benefits' to whole new heights -
If you could do a complete reinvention of ImpOSCar, no holds barred, I'm curious what that would look like -
My guess is that you would take an already brilliant 'EMU with benefits' to whole new heights -
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- KVRian
- 770 posts since 2 Apr, 2003
I'm not going to make any promises on that either way (because plans change and there's always somebody disappointed as a result). but I suggest you decide to buy it or not based on what it is, not what you imagine it may become. I would hope that in its current form it will being you enough pleasure/profit over the next few years to be well worth the asking price (especially right now, you could spend more than that on a meal and drinks for two at pizza express without even having a hangover the next day), and if I release a new version, there will be an upgrade path for current owners.zvenx wrote:I certainly meant more along the lines of enhancements.....is it eol/feature complete in that regard?JonHodgson wrote:I've fixed every bug that's been reported to me, and will continue to do so. The reason there haven't been many bug fix updates is that either there aren't bugs, or they're not getting reported.cowby wrote:Guys, V2 was released in 2010 and when was the last (minor) release ?
I am afraid that it will not has any bug fixes / enhancement until v3. Your thought ?
rsp
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- KVRAF
- 2169 posts since 7 Dec, 2005
Sometimes: It's about concern that a product that has been basically untouched for a few years might be abandon-ware; other times: it's about an ever-widening gap between the newer, more endowed vsti's and the established ones -
I wonder if NI had just stuck to aggressive dev of FM8, Absynth, Massive if we wouldn't be better off -
Do we really need to buy their ultimate package that's headed towards being a Terabyte to be happy campers?
I wonder if NI had just stuck to aggressive dev of FM8, Absynth, Massive if we wouldn't be better off -
Do we really need to buy their ultimate package that's headed towards being a Terabyte to be happy campers?
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- KVRian
- 1374 posts since 30 Mar, 2011
Personally I would be just fine if GUI designers dropped the whole skeuomorphism paradigm and would only use Valhalla/Ableton (or nice design lately: Audiodamage Basic) style design, no stupid lighting, metal knobs, shadows and stuff - I just need plain vectors, colour coding and user coloring. Finally I go for sound, not for optical beauty (and the Imposcar 2 GUI isn't even attractive...)zerocrossing wrote: There is a way of capturing the aesthetic of the original hardware while at the same time not being constrained to it... especially considering that the original design had very much to do with physical properties that don't exist for a software instrument. I'm not saying to drop the skeuomorphism completely, I actually like that. Just have a UI designer sit down and really consider the layout from a usability standpoint.
Even if basically all synths looked the same it wouldn't bother me, finally all synths are based on the same principles more or less, and like in a car would prefer to have the main components arranged in a usable and recognisable style. But I know, looks play an important role, at least for marketing. If it looks good, then it sounds good.
But's just me dreaming a bit...
