I'm considering a Sonic Core XITE-1. Well, I was considering the 1D as it was cheaper, but they seem to be far away from doing another production run and people who have them seem to hold on to them. It's a DSP based device that runs proprietary software instruments and effects. I won't go in depth because I'm kind of looking for people who had had first hand experience with one.
My question is pretty simple. In 2015 is there a sonic benefit to owning one? The demos sound very good to me, but it's often hard to compare things via mp3 files. The demos are also a bit scarce for some reason. For instance, on their Profit 5 synth that ships with the box, there is a single audio file posted... oh and they use a Flash player to access it.
There's stuff up on their Soundcloud page too, but they're full production pieces and they don't talk about what is actually what. Now, I'll also say that my CPU is decent and I do have a complement of analogs already that I won't be getting rid of. So, although things like great sounding audio rate modulation is important to me, I have a Neptune 2 that sounds lovely. I'm also keeping my ATC-X and Analog Four. So, while the extra horsepower to run more voices is good, it's not super crucial. What I'm more hoping for is a bit of a step up in audio quality.
What I'm really hoping to do is use its extensive software to make a sort of Prophet 12, but with a wider range of wavetable types and filters. I sold my Prophet 12 and KingKORG because I got pushed into a smaller space and they were just awkward. I know I could go for a Prophet 12 module, but in all honesty, for the distressed sounds it was great for, I'd rather just use an analog and for the heavily modulated, warm, digital pad types of sounds, I found Serum and Omnisphere 2 to be better. Something about those digital oscs coupled with that Curtis filter often bugged me. I'm not cutting down the 12. It's an awesome synth, just didn't feel like it was worth tying up that much money and space in that sound. Not for me.
I've also been considering a Modal Modulus .002r. The benefit to that would be it's a stand alone instrument that needs no computer, but does integrate well with one. It's also small, which is perfect for me. It's somewhat limited, but with a lot of character... one that seems really good to me. It has some odd design issues and bugs. Modulation amount is set at the modifier, not the source. Voices are hard panned. There's some VCA leakage when short release times are used. None of those things are show stoppers, as the oscs and filter sounds amazing to me. They do seem odd considering the cost of that instrument. The truth is I always planned on putting the Prophet 12 and .002 side by side and picking the one that suited me best. I also looked at the Accelerator, but it doesn't solve the space issue. Same with the Solaris. However, if the sound was really stellar I could be persuaded. I could always go to a Novation Nocturn type device for software control.
Then I sort of came across the Scope platform while I was doing a search on possible replacements for the 12. In theory, it's perfect, but it's really expensive, especially considering I'd probably want to buy additional software for it. It checks all my boxes, but I just want confirmation that it's not just going to be a box that runs software similar to what I already have. Have any of you put it side by side with the latest greatest?
The sampler thing is true though. I knew this. I don't really care... but it does bring up a troubling thing. WHY NOT? Like I said, it's not like they just got surprised by 64 bit operating systems. I know Scope 6 is stalled... development there seems slooooow. 