StiX : MultiSynthesis Drum Machine (v1.6 Released + Flash sales)

[Ingonator]

In the Multi plugin the additional buttons below the mixer are for on/off of the instruments at the master output. They have no function at the additional single instrument outputs.
If you want to switch off the master out and just keep the single instrument outputs just mute the master track in your host project. Which DAW/host are you using?

Like I said, the buttons don't change anything. Or, to put it another way: they DON'T mute the master output, which is what I assume they should be doing. I know how to work around this, but there should be no need for a workaround, right?

Not a biggie, I'm sure it'll be fixed. Just wanted to call attention to it. Win 7 64, Ableton 9.5.

Maybe you did not read my post properly. Those switches are to mute certain instruments in the master output. If you want to mute the master output itself you have to do that in the corresponding track in your host project (in Ableton Live this would be the track where the plugin is in and muting the audio doesnot mena switching off the plugin). The single instrument outputs routed to additional audio tracks should still work that way.

Here is a screenshot of using the StiX Multi plugin in Ableton Live 9.5 using 10 additional audio outputs for the 10 single instruments:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/532 ... ts%202.png



As you could see i muted the audio output of the first track that contains the plugin. This mutes the master output of StiX and you only hear the output from the 10 single instrument outputs (in this example at the screenshot i used a pattern that plays all 10 at once).

If you want to combine teh master outputs with additional audio outputs the with those additional buttons below the mixer you could switch off the outputs of teh master for that you want to use individual outputs and keep the others on that should play at the master output. In some case you only need 1 or 2 additional audio teracks for adding external FXs while others could stay at the master output (maybe with one or multiple effects for all instruments at the master output).

There is also an additional Output that plays the internal effects. The Master output in teh Multi plugin and also the individual ijstrument outputs do not play the built-in effetcs of StiX. For those you have to add the additional audio output (stereo output #12).

[ariston]

Ingo, one more time: these switches are NOT muting certain instruments on the master output. And I think I know how to route in the host I've been using for nigh on 6 years now, but thanks for the screenshot anyways.

Another another thing: the manual reads like a sales pitch, which is really annoying, not to mention unhelpful and unprofessional. Please rewrite it.

[JPQ]

Sounds nice... what i quickly listened.

[Ingonator]

Ingo, one more time: these switches are NOT muting certain instruments on the master output. And I think I know how to route in the host I've been using for nigh on 6 years now, but thanks for the screenshot anyways.

For me this works here. If i add the Multi plugin to a MIDI track without using additional audio tracks (or switching additional audio tracks off for the test) i could switch instruments in the master track on/off until only one or none of them is playing.

Here is an screenshot where i switched off all instruments except the first two (where the buttons are still red) and i only hear those two at the master output of StiX:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/532 ... ches_1.png


Anyway the point of my post above was that if you do need the master output at all and only want to use single instrument outputs you could mute the output of the track with the master (which is the Midi track with the Multi plugin). Another way to mute the master is switching off all those buttons mentioned above.

If it does not work for you that way i described which OS and host are you using?

[ariston]

Ingo, one more time: these switches are NOT muting certain instruments on the master output. And I think I know how to route in the host I've been using for nigh on 6 years now, but thanks for the screenshot anyways.

For me this works here. If i add the Multi plugin to a MIDI track without using additional audio tracks (or switching additional audio tracks off for the test) i could switch instruments in the master track on/off until only one or none of them is playing.
Anyway the point of my post above was that if you do need the master output at all and only want to use single instrument outputs you could mute the output of the track with the master (which is the Midi thrack with the Multi plugin).

If it does not work for you that way i described which OS and host are you using?

I already said it's no biggie. What I usually do with Geist f.e. is to leave the bass dum on the master. I could reroute that as well, but that would take a few more unnecessary clicks. The way it is now, all the supposedly muted tracks are merrily ticking away on the master.

[Ingonator]

edited. Also see my next post below.

[Ingonator]

@ariston:
Maybe i found the reason for your problem now and also why i did not notice it with my tests i just did.

As long as The FX Sends in the StiX plugin are set to off (the corresponding knobs at minimum) switching On(Off seems to work properly. As soon as you add a FX Send also an instrument that is set to off is plaing in the master output again (while this issue is not noticed when using only the single outputs).
In my tests i just did (e.g. those in the screenshots) i had switched all FX Sends off so idid not notice it until now.

With the FX Sends set to off i could not notice a problem with the switches for teh master output here.

[ariston]

Ah, yeah, that's it. Fug or beature?

[Ingonator]

Ah, yeah, that's it. Fug or beature?

First i thought a bug but then it is maybe related to the additional FX audio output (available besides the 10 instrumentoutputs) where the FX Sends could be necessary even if an instrument is switched off in the master. Will ask Xavier if it must stay this way or not.

At the moment the solution is to switch the FX Sends off for instruments that should muted at the master output.

[Lotuzia]

Until when is the intro price?

And how many computers can be activated?

Until V1.0 is released (Wich will be announced a few days before in a Xils newsletter)
There's no precise date.

Thx for the info. I'm away until 16th Jan... don't want to buy stuff from my handy or a public computer

If I remember right Xils give you two activations per license, right?

With Elicencer or Ilok you can insall it on as many computers as you want, provided that you have the hw dongle with you. With Soft Ilok, I think you can transfer the licence from one computer to another one iirc. Xils-Lab follows the genaral rules/guidelines of Ilok and eLicencer for all this afaik.

Yes, but when you forget the dongle you're screwed

EG Soundtoys give two activations per license. Means you can have two conputers running it simultaneously. No matter if both use soft ot hard ilok or mixed.

Yes, it's confirmed you can have two licences with Ilok. Its actually the common Ilok licence scheme. So two computers will do.

[Lotuzia]

Oops lot of litterature to read since yesterday. I'll try to answer to everybody.

[Lotuzia]

Okay, an initial impression:

The GUI could really use some work. It's not particularly attractive, unless you like the military look. The faux 3D is at odds with flat elements, there's a lot of wasted space in some areas, and it gets pretty crowded in others. Some elements have strange labels, while others have none. To be fair, there's a lot going on here, but that's exactly why good GUI designers are worth their weight in gold - making complexity seem simple is the key. I found it to be counter-intuitive and not very inviting.

Once I got past the initial yuck factor, the fun gradually began. First off, it's nice to have the chunky Xils filters in a dedicated drum synth. Seems like they're almost made for percussive sounds. The oscillator section is deep, and the overall sound is satisfyingly upfront and punchy. I actually like it more than Tremor, which is brighter but also a tad brittle.
The ability to set different lengths in the sequencer section is brilliant; it fair begs you to create weird and original beats. Adding subtle or wild variations to the sounds with the mod section is also pretty nifty.

One thing about the FX: the distortion is really weak. It only mutes the sound a little, it almost sounds like compression instead of distortion. And the bitcrusher and sample rate knobs don't do much either. The effect only becomes noticeable at very low bit/sample rates, and I'm pretty sure 8-bit/11 KHz should be a bit crunchier than it is now. Maybe a bug?

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied. It definitely brings some new stuff to the drum machine table, and it's well worth the intro price. One addition that would be awesome: a per-bar intelligent automatic randomizer (see Audio Damage Tatoo). It shouldn't be a biggie to implement it, because the randomisation that's included already works well.

About the disto/crush : That's also my perception.

Disto : Is subtle to classy on Xils synths, but might be somewhat too subtle most of times for drum sounds. That's why I did not use it that much until now for factory presets. Now that we have entered the legacy time, with downward preset compatibility concerns, I think it can only be solved by moding it, ie in this case adding modes to it. I'd like in the future to have a disto algorythm like the ones found in Waldorf Largo for example, if possible. Won't be made for 1.0 though, developing such algorythms takes time. But would be very nice *sometimes in the future*.

Crusher : I wonder if it's not more related to the calibration of the knob ( ie more values in the lower scale, less in the upper part). Two weeks ago I made some tries in SF 10 and other dedicated audio editors. Indeed, exept in the high register, on most samples there's not a big difference between 16 and 12 bits for example. But I think we'll have to do something for it. While preserving preset dependancies.

GUI : Yes, lots of work needs to be done.

[Lotuzia]

....
Talk about a let down.
The hype - The sound, the GUI…

100 bones,
AND it's iLok ...

Hype, well, StiX just does things it was announced to do.
Sound ... <ell, ... is there, and was present from the beginning in the audio demos. Some will like it, other less. For me, the important thing is that it has it's own sound. And I like it. Ymmv.
Gui, on more time, will be improved. Then we'll see
And Ilok ( soft or dongled ) and eLicencer have been announced from the beginning.

[Lotuzia]

Regular MRSP at €179

That is a lot to ask in the market nowadays

Yes, well, StiX development took ages, and ... will continue to do so. I must here give a friendly hug to all the devs who created drum machines WITH A SEQUENCER until now. Now I know a bit more about what they've been thru. When you decide to go beyond the 16 steps per beat minimal thing, it's really a lot of work. And this work is somewhat reflected in the price of a lot of drum machines I think.

Then, StiX, with its own sound, that one might like, or less, offers things that no other drum machine can do. I think some people are already aware of that, as per what I can read here, and hopefully, when the post GUI drama thing will cool down a bit , more people might gradually become aware of that.

[Lotuzia]

Ok - as promised I've tried the demo. And I can say it sounds good (I'm in the country, so - laptop with the headphones, but it sounds interesting even on that setup) and it can make some great polyrhytmic, weird rhythms... I lack some of the BreakTweaker-kind of rhythms (divide 4 bars into 13 steps with microedit and use the slope and tension to make them go slower and faster in the musical way), but maybe you can do such things - I had a little time to check it. .....
.

Thanks. I'll adress the GUI points in the next post. I dont know if doing the things you describe with Breaktweaker are doable. But I'll note that somewhere in *the list*