Tone2 will release Icarus - 3D WaveTable Synthesizer

[EnGee]

Well, I heard the audio demos. I can't say I liked them really. Anyway, they show IMO the 'clean' side of Icarus, but till the demo is available I can't say if the audio demos reflect all Icarus can do or not.

I compared the audio demos with those of Dune 2 (and also with Dune 2 itself). They are IMO little bit similar or belong to the same group. I prefer the Largo/Massive/Codex group which has some 'nice dirtiness' in the sound.

Anyway, my first impression from the audio demos of Icarus is that, IMO it's the best Tone2 synth. The vocoder sounds great also. So, for music that require that deep clean bass/sound/vocoder, I believe it is a great synth. If I didn't have Dune 2, and I'm into EDM genres, Icarus would be 99% in my top list to buy, but for now there is low possibility that I need another Wavetable (Virus like) synth.

[Ridan]

If i bought a synthesizer based on just the demos then i would probably be passing on a set of incredible tools.

On the same boat with Cap'n V0RT3X here. I've learned (over time) to never judge a synth based entirely on their music demos. You know how long i was put off from buying or even trying Spire based on the tracks that were supposedly representative of the synth? Me neither. I didn't count the long months, but eventually tried it out for myself and found it useful for the sounds i like to make. The same went for other synths from other companies that won't be named here.

All in all music demos and even factory/third party presets are other artists interpretations of the canvas. Icarus does indeed have a ton of great patches, but it's also a more than stellar tool for designing your own sounds. The navigation process is quite painless, really.

[V0RT3X]

If i bought a synthesizer based on just the demos then i would probably be passing on a set of incredible tools.

On the same boat with Cap'n V0RT3X here.

I kind of like that name Cap'n V0RT3X. might be a good artist name.

Anyhow back OT i think icarus will be a fine addition to anyone who likes WT synthesis.

[wagtunes]

If i bought a synthesizer based on just the demos then i would probably be passing on a set of incredible tools.

On the same boat with Cap'n V0RT3X here.

I kind of like that name Cap'n V0RT3X. might be a good artist name.

Anyhow back OT i think icarus will be a fine addition to anyone who likes WT synthesis.

Just my opinion, but I think we have two issues that are making buying synths in general either too easy or too hard depending on which issue you gravitate more towards.

Issue 1 - We're spoiled. Technology has advanced to heights we could have only dreamed about 30 years ago. If we had an Icarus, or just about any synth that has come out in the last 10 years back in the 80s, we'd be salivating all over the place. But today, it takes a lot to impress us. If we lean more towards this issue, we're less likely to buy any synth.

Issue 2 - Turning this around, everything sounds great comparatively speaking unless you're comparing VA synths and then of course there is that age old argument that hardware is better than software that I don't want to get into here. But, the stuff that didn't exist 30 years ago, or existed to the price tag of thousands of dollars, we're very likely to jump on it if we haven't been so terribly jaded by all the synths being made.

Personally, I have no idea where I fall. I'm not quite yet to the point where I don't buy anything anymore because I'm that jaded but I also don't jump on everything that comes out. And I think maybe most people fall in this middle ground as well but I honestly have no way of knowing. I know there are some people who post here who haven't bought a new synth in years.

Ultimately, Icarus is going to appeal to people who either don't already have a WT synth and like the way it sounds or have a WT synth and still feel Icarus can add something different to their existing sound palette.

What I've heard from Icarus so far hasn't blown me away on the one hand, but on the other it hasn't made me go "That sounds like crap" either. And the truth is, there have been very few non freeware synths that have come out in the last few years that I can honestly say sound like crap. We've just come too far. But again, this will depend on how jaded and/or discriminating you are.

As my motives these days for buying synths are mostly mercenary (unless the synth really does excite me) I will probably end up getting Icarus. But I can totally understand if this synth simply doesn't do it for somebody.

[recursive one]

Listened the trance demo again with the fresh ears.

Well, it still sounds good. But not THAT good. To my ears, this synth

https://soundcloud.com/cfa-sound/cfa-so ... gy-virusti

or this synth

https://soundcloud.com/cfa-sound/cfa-so ... 1-soundset

sound better (I understand that the sounds I've posted are the utter abomination for a typical KVRer, but trust me, there is a world outside of KVR).

Still, sounds better than other Tone2 synths, and (for the record) much better than anything I've ever heard from Serum. Will definitely give the demo a run.

[exmatproton]

Listened the trance demo again with the fresh ears.

Well, it still sounds good. But not THAT good. To my ears, this synth

https://soundcloud.com/cfa-sound/cfa-so ... gy-virusti

or this synth

https://soundcloud.com/cfa-sound/cfa-so ... 1-soundset

sound better (I understand that the sounds I've posted are the utter abomination for a typical KVRer, but trust me, there is a world outside of KVR).

Still, sounds better than other Tone2 synths, and (for the record) much better than anything I've ever heard from Serum. Will definitely give the demo a run.

Sound better?? Or different?

I use tone2 for particular stuff. The same goes for Serum. Or any synth, for that matter. If you look for a synth for 1 or 2 particular goals, then one synth could achieve this better compared to the other. But these days, most synths are soundwise on par with a particular standard (yes, there are exceptions ofcourse).

Nemesis for instance is just amazing, when it comes to fm stuff. But in a different way compared to let's say Sytrus. To me, there is no real "better".

[Mystic]

I actually agree. I heard the demos and was very "meh". Not so much at the demo itself but at the overall sound of it. It doesn't sound any better or any worse than most of the softsynths out there in existence already. The one thing that really seems to lack across the board is depth and warmth. Some are better than others at this but it seems like they all miss the mark compared to hardware. I'd like to see companies start focusing on that.

[exmatproton]

I actually agree. I heard the demos and was very "meh". Not so much at the demo itself but at the overall sound of it. It doesn't sound any better or any worse than most of the softsynths out there in existence already. The one thing that really seems to lack across the board is depth and warmth. Some are better than others at this but it seems like they all miss the mark compared to hardware. I'd like to see companies start focusing on that.

Well, GForce is pretty darn good at doing this. Oddity2, Minimonsta and impOSCar2 are just amazing, especially in the bottom end, but also their filters. Lovely stuff.

But then again, this is a particular sound. Tone2 is just different. So use it for different stuff

[db3]

Yeah, the audio demos didn't blow me away. That said, there are hints of goodness in there...and I'm still hugely looking forward to checking out a demo....if I don't get bored of waiting

[vastman]

can anyone comment on the vocal resynthesis abilities of Icarus? Harmor was a great first attempt but nothing much has arrived since then. iZotope's VocalSynth is pretty fun to use and it's side chaining allows for interesting vocal warping...been mucking around a bit with it

[exmatproton]

can anyone comment on the vocal resynthesis abilities of Icarus? Harmor was a great first attempt but nothing much has arrived since then. iZotope's VocalSynth is pretty fun to use and it's side chaining allows for interesting vocal warping...been mucking around a bit with it

It is a wavetable synth. So you'll need to use waves. In contrast to Harmor, which uses additive to generate a time-based synthesis. They both should work good at different levels.

But you could use Serum or any wavetable synth for this. As long as you can import your own waves.
By the looks of it, there aren't really different ways of altering the waves compared to Serum or for instance Zebra2. There is ofcourse only so much one can do with a wave.

Also, Nave has "3d-altering", where you can zoom in the wave and alter the 3 dimensions (time, gain and frequency). So i don't know what Icarus will bring what can be considered ground braking or new.

[chk071]

Why even expect something ground breaking, or "better than any soft synth in existance"? I mean, i know that the marketing bogus suggests stuff like that... but i neither expect something ground breaking, nor a synth which exceeds every soft synth there is in terms of sound. I simply expect a good wavetable synth. And i'd be totally happy if Icarus lives up to that. Someone even got a bit defensive when i mentioned that i like Icarus for its more "standard" approach opposing to other Tone2 synths. Why? For me, it's something positive if the synth doesn't freak me out with 3 new, esoteric synthesis forms (which have never been there of course... even though they don't differ too much from stuff which has been there for decades), and a gazillions of "unique" features. I don't need unique features, nor do i need devs to reinvent the wheel. I just want to have fun tweaking synthesizers.

[Ridan]

Issue 1 - We're spoiled.

So true.

I just want to have fun tweaking synthesizers.

I like this guy.

[exmatproton]

Why even expect something ground breaking, or "better than any soft synth in existance"? I mean, i know that the marketing bogus suggests stuff like that... but i neither expect something ground breaking, nor a synth which exceeds every soft synth there is in terms of sound. I simply expect a good wavetable synth. And i'd be totally happy if Icarus lives up to that. Someone even got a bit defensive when i mentioned that i like Icarus for its more "standard" approach opposing to other Tone2 synths. Why? For me, it's something positive if the synth doesn't freak me out with 3 new, esoteric synthesis forms (which have never been there of course... even though they don't differ too much from stuff which has been there for decades), and a gazillions of "unique" features. I don't need unique features, nor do i need devs to reinvent the wheel. I just want to have fun tweaking synthesizers.

Ow, but i was replying with the question of vastman in mind. The question about stuff doing to and/or with voices, is answered by the fact that there are so many tools available. And indeed, when Tone2 is marketing this as they do, we may expect stuff.

However, i do agree, just play and have fun. But we don't need Icarus to do so, now do we? And yet, here we are

Happy MOOG day btw!

[lnikj]

Every time a Tone 2 synth comes out I test it. My initial impression is always that it sounds great, but the more I play with it I realise that it has a 'sound' that I have come to recognise as the 'Tone 2' sound. After a while my ears become tired of that 'sound', and in the end I never bite. Rayblaster was probably the closest I have ever come to a purchase.

I recognise though that others like that sound, but it is a sound possibly more suited to genres of music that I am not interested in making. I will, of course, demo Icarus and hope to be surprised by it, but the sound demos don't give me too much hope at the moment. I have Serum, and the PPG synths on my iPad, and I am not sure what new can be brought to the wavetable table, so to speak. If it is the filters and FX, then they will probably have the 'Tone 2' sound.