One Synth Challenge #85: Xhip (J.Ruegg wins!)

[aciddose]

There may be some issues with preset changes although I haven't been able to reproduce a crash.

How are you triggering the change exactly?

In Reaper I've noticed that due to the fact the preset "Hoover" appears in the bank twice by mistake (same name), if you scroll past this preset in the Reaper menu it'll jump back to the first instance of the preset. That's 101 -> 43. A really weird host bug, I guess Reaper assumes each preset name is unique.

[MirkoVanHauten]

I just played back my midi events in a loop and switched presets to compare some sounds I created. This occurs randomly either with preset switching inside Xhip with the +/- control or from Bitwigs side (this daw can list the presets in a window). I thought it would only happen when playing back but now it happend in stop mode also.

[aciddose]

It's likely triggered due to something about Bitwig itself, as doing the same thing doesn't lead to any crashes in Reaper.

https://soundcloud.com/xhip/random-presets (not intended as an entry! )
1 instance + xhip effects mdelay (no modulation)

[MirkoVanHauten]

Ok I'll contact them. But no problems with other plugins at all.

[caonoize]

Here's an odd little interaction:

If you are in one of the mono modes, use the pedal to hold a drone, and then release, the note doesn't cancel. That doesn't seem like the right thing to do. CC,64,0 should cancel the playing note if it's no longer held on the keyboard.

[aciddose]

Seems broken indeed.

I'll need to step through it and fix it in the alpha when I have time.

After looking again for five minutes:

The problem with implementing sustain for monophonic notes is that if you think about what happens if you actually continue to hold the note, it means once a note is played it can't be re-played again until the sustain pedal is released.

So rather than that some compromise needs to be found where for example while holding sustain the last note played always takes focus, or in my opinion my preference would be that the last note released is the only one sustained.

Ultimately there is no "correct" way to handle sustain for monophonic notes so I've had to choose something based upon my own preference.

I've now implemented that in the alpha, the only remaining question is whether playing the sustained note after it is released should result in a trigger or not. Again, I prefer that it not result in a trigger although it may be desirable if retrigger mode is enabled.

Now we get to remember why I said "&%@( this!" and didn't even bother to worry about this with the last version. Sustain in monophonic mode simply does not make any sense.

[urlwolf]

In FLstudio, using the browser to send a fxp preset to xhip doesn't work. I mean selecting the preset and pressing enter, or dragging it to the VST GUI.
- The knobs change positions, the name changes in the preset bar, but the sound stays the same
- loading that preset 'the old fashioned way', with options > load does work.

EDIT: tried cantabile. Also doesn't work loading the fxp files. Same issue, knobs change, preset title changes, but sound doesn't. It's always preset 1. Both 7 and alpha.

[krzysk124i]

Will my entry accepted if i used some other version of Xhip? My copy doesn't have effects. It doesn't matter for me, but i just wanna know that i have to start new /reproduce entire project or just let it go and continue project. Thanks

[bjporter]

Will my entry accepted if i used some other version of Xhip? My copy doesn't have effects. It doesn't matter for me, but i just wanna know that i have to start new /reproduce entire project or just let it go and continue project. Thanks

Nah ur fine

[aciddose]

In FLstudio, using the browser to send a fxp preset to xhip doesn't work. I mean selecting the preset and pressing enter, or dragging it to the VST GUI.
- The knobs change positions, the name changes in the preset bar, but the sound stays the same
- loading that preset 'the old fashioned way', with options > load does work.

EDIT: tried cantabile. Also doesn't work loading the fxp files. Same issue, knobs change, preset title changes, but sound doesn't. It's always preset 1. Both 7 and alpha.

That works fine for me here in Reaper, under both version 7 and the alpha.

I'm not sure what could cause it to not work... actually that should be impossible. The way the host loads .fxp is usually by calling setChunk(data, is_a_preset).

I'm not sure how else the host might be doing it to cause it to fail. If the host attempted to do anything other than setChunk() it would definitely fail and so this is a host bug and not something I can (or ever would consider to) fix.

Some hosts will refuse to load chunks if the chunk size doesn't match. That's a very, very unimaginably stupid thing for them to do. Again, that would be a host bug or rather a far greater design fault.

Sort of like the carpenter who tests the hammer on his thumb first before each nail. If his thumb is still intact he'll first replace the hammer. ... this guy didn't get a lot of work done. Of course he expects the hammer manufacturer to replace all the "dud hammers" and pay for the damage to his thumb.

I think what you're referring to is the fact that in version 7 loading a chunk will not trigger a preset refresh. You can do so manually by switching the preset. This is because every voice needs the code associated with the preset to be cleared, otherwise as far as it's concerned it already has that preset set for the voice.

This is "fixed" in the alpha though so I'm not sure which version of the alpha you might have.

[singplumb]

If I don't make the top ten on this one, I'm gonna Wag out

[urlwolf]

In FLstudio, using the browser to send a fxp preset to xhip doesn't work. I mean selecting the preset and pressing enter, or dragging it to the VST GUI.
- The knobs change positions, the name changes in the preset bar, but the sound stays the same
- loading that preset 'the old fashioned way', with options > load does work.

EDIT: tried cantabile. Also doesn't work loading the fxp files. Same issue, knobs change, preset title changes, but sound doesn't. It's always preset 1. Both 7 and alpha.

That works fine for me here in Reaper, under both version 7 and the alpha.

I'm not sure what could cause it to not work... actually that should be impossible. The way the host loads .fxp is usually by calling setChunk(data, is_a_preset).

I'm not sure how else the host might be doing it to cause it to fail. If the host attempted to do anything other than setChunk() it would definitely fail and so this is a host bug and not something I can (or ever would consider to) fix.

Some hosts will refuse to load chunks if the chunk size doesn't match. That's a very, very unimaginably stupid thing for them to do. Again, that would be a host bug or rather a far greater design fault.

Sort of like the carpenter who tests the hammer on his thumb first before each nail. If his thumb is still intact he'll first replace the hammer. ... this guy didn't get a lot of work done. Of course he expects the hammer manufacturer to replace all the "dud hammers" and pay for the damage to his thumb.

I think what you're referring to is the fact that in version 7 loading a chunk will not trigger a preset refresh. You can do so manually by switching the preset. This is because every voice needs the code associated with the preset to be cleared, otherwise as far as it's concerned it already has that preset set for the voice.

This is "fixed" in the alpha though so I'm not sure which version of the alpha you might have.

The alpha indeed works.
If I could use the alpha I would be happier, as the resize and the preset change problem are better on the alpha. But if the preset format is different I don't want to invest a lot of time with presets for the alpha that I cannot use in the future. Is this true if I save fxp instead of the native format?

What's the workaround to force preset refresh after readChunk on the stable? Just press the next button?

Tanks aciddose for the clarification.

[loris16148]

58 instances of Xhip

I really liked the clap. I've tried to make this possible using the modulators although the issue is of course that ideally a clap has uneven spacing, while the modulators as they are (with no frequency mod) can only do even spacing.

Did you achieve this with multiple instances (or drum mode?) + modulator delay for the envelopes? I figure a multi-tap delay would be possible using a single instance for the initial part of the clap, then multiply that at various delays in the multi-tap followed by another instance for the release portion. Alternatively it could be done by layering as many different presets with variable delay times as needed.

A lot of cool cymbals are made this way too, one sound for the initial part and another for the release.

I suppose most of those instances went to various unisons though

Hey Acid, well like you said there are multiple ways....i make my claps by using noise with filter cutoff and about 50% resonance. then i make the envelopes really short, both attack and decay times.....Then I use midi for the rest.......I space the midi so close that it seems like multiple instances are being triggered. then i add verb. Find your favorite clap and zoom in untill you see the individual clap transients, place that waveform right above your midi item then put the midi notes right where those transients are. the best claps to use is this generic clap 808, that is the one i use for reference. Also there is a great preset xhip has for a clap and if you use a very short midi note, it will sound identical to a clap.

[caonoize]

Sustain in monophonic mode simply does not make any sense.

Wrong! Where I'm sitting now, I have three midi controllers, and often I have them set up over several synths. I might want a legato patch which might hold a drone with the sustain pedal while I do chords and a lead or a lead + mod/pitch manipulation with one or two of the other controllers. I have precisely two hands, and as far as I know, I'm not getting any more. Sometimes I want to release an instrument by foot because my fingers are otherwise occupied.

[caonoize]

self quoted post. Grumble! How do I kill my posts?