Korg updates its Legacy Collection with a new Arp Odyssey emulation

[EnGee]

Is there some way of selecting which UI you want to use? I couldn't see anything in the on-line help or on the VSTi itself.

The only way I see is to choose a preset from the banks (Rev 1, Rev 2 or Factory) and save it as favourite then use it as your initial preset.

[Stefken]

Secondly, things like a single ADSR envelope are in no small part what makes an instrument like this what it is. Limitations like that force you to be creative in finding ways around them, which contribute in no small part to what people perceive as the character of the instrument.

This holds some truth and they did in fact add unison etc.

As I said above, I really like the preset system. I'd have to say it's the best I've ever used.

I find this statement pretty funny.
And the limitations are also true for your own presets. I have my basses, pads all mangled. They are in the 'temporal order' that i made them. Also no way to add tags and such.

Take a look at Arturia, U-he and so many others. You'll see how it's done.

[Stefken]

if you are taking something as easy to work with as Odyssey, with every parameter on the front panel, and using presets for anything but basic inspiration, you are missing the point of it, I think..

I can see where you 're heading with this but the synth allows some minute tweaking. FM can add some nice spectrum changes but you typically just need small amounts. Same for the S&H. You need to tweak it in detail.

The filters respond very differently. When changing filters you have to tweak all the parameters again.

These controls all allow to introduce nice flavors. Flavors I'd like to save. In several cases I have saved presets with different variations in flavor along side each other.

[Weasel-Boy]

The filters respond very differently. When changing filters you have to tweak all the parameters again.

If you look at the output on a frequency analyzer, you’ll see that the slope of the I, II and III filters change the higher harmonic content and how resonance dramatically interacts with the slope per filter type. Essentially, the fundamental level remains unchanged. It’s the amount of upper harmonics that make a huge difference in the perceived level…which can be as much as a 12dB difference. That’s a lot.

If you flatten out the LPF to 16kHz with a 0 Res and switch filters, you’ll hear very little gain difference. It’s only as you lower the Fc and raise the Res that the rather large gain differences become apparent per filter. I don’t think there is much KORG could do to keep a constant perceived level toggling through the filter types.

A quick fix is to change the Master Gain or the Drive Gain to match perceived levels. Not optimal, but it can help get the level matched without screwing around with the rest of the patch all that much.

What I find annoying is that they provided no way to select model types (skins, filters and any other circuitry changes that may or may not be there per model) other than picking a model type from the presets. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to hold the patch I made and simply switch between model types for comparison.

[BONES]

Is there some way of selecting which UI you want to use? I couldn't see anything in the on-line help or on the VSTi itself.

The only way I see is to choose a preset from the banks (Rev 1, Rev 2 or Factory) and save it as favourite then use it as your initial preset.

Right, so the UI is preset-dependent, then? I hadn't caught onto that, it seemed random to me.

[BONES]

As I said above, I really like the preset system. I'd have to say it's the best I've ever used.

I find this statement pretty funny.

As I explained, you are used to a system that places a priority on presets. And KORG certainly know how to do that, just look at the M1 and Wavestation VSTi to see. But the Odyssey isn't (or definitely shouldn't be) that kind of synth. With it's preset system, the sounds I want to use, i.e. the ones I made myself, are always at my finger-tips. I don't have to go looking for them, which is a huge bonus.

And the limitations are also true for your own presets. I have my basses, pads all mangled. They are in the 'temporal order' that i made them. Also no way to add tags and such.

I don't have so many of my own presets that this would be a problem. If I did, I'd just get in the habit of using naming conventions. e.g. BAS_xxxxxx for bass presets, ARP_xxxxxxx for arpeggios, LEA_xxxxxxxx for leads, etc. That's how I organise them in my SynthEdit synths and it works a treat.

Take a look at Arturia, U-he and so many others. You'll see how it's done.

I've got instruments from u-he and Arturia and I don't like their preset system at all, mostly because there are too many damned presets and I have much, much better things to do with my time than go through them.

Seriously, how long would it take you just to listen to all 6000 presets that Analog Lab ships with? Even if you only spent 10 seconds with each one, that's still the best part of 17 hours! That's why I like the way Odyssey does it - after just a couple of days I no longer have to even look at the presets it shipped with, I can almost forget they exist and concentrate instead on learning how the synth actually works, saving a sound here and there as I go. That's why Monologue/Minilogue leave half of their preset memories empty - because it's at least as important to be able to store your own sounds as those of other people.

What do you think is better use of your time - learning how an instrument works or trying to remember which of the thousands of presets it comes with might possibly be of use to you at some point in the future? It's the old "give a man a fish - teach a man to fish" thing isn't it?

I can see where you 're heading with this but the synth allows some minute tweaking. FM can add some nice spectrum changes but you typically just need small amounts. Same for the S&H. You need to tweak it in detail.
The filters respond very differently. When changing filters you have to tweak all the parameters again.
These controls all allow to introduce nice flavors. Flavors I'd like to save. In several cases I have saved presets with different variations in flavor along side each other.

Why save them when you'll always have to tweak them to fit into a mix anyway? All you want in a working preset is the rough-hewn sound, all the tweaking and refinement will come when you try to sit it in with the rest of a composition and make it all work together.

This is exactly why it makes more sense to spend your time learning the instrument than previewing the presets. e.g. One of the things I like most about the PolySix VSTi is that it only has a handful of presets so I can get to my rough starting point very quickly and spend the bulk of my time refining it for the job I need it to do. Compare that to the M1, where you can spend half-an-hour just going through String presets, only to discover that half of them are exactly the bloody same anyway. Life's too short for that kind of krap.

[EnGee]

Is there some way of selecting which UI you want to use? I couldn't see anything in the on-line help or on the VSTi itself.

The only way I see is to choose a preset from the banks (Rev 1, Rev 2 or Factory) and save it as favourite then use it as your initial preset.

Right, so the UI is preset-dependent, then? I hadn't caught onto that, it seemed random to me.

Yes. I think it saves the 'which skin is' info with the preset. You might use that as an advantage I think, but the default skins are for the kind of filter used (Rev 1, 2, or 3).

[braj]

I really wish they would allow you to lock the skins to the filter. That would even make it more an emulation.

[EnGee]

It would be nice if there is such an option. Anyway, with the current state, I can find a use for it and a system to choose the skin. It might be not according to the filter type though.

I tested ARP Odyssey in FL Studio and I was surprised that it really works well. Anyway, some presets are very cpu demanding and make my CPU crackle (even in Reaper). But, if I increase the buffer size a little, I can (I think) play all presets. For now it is 256 with 44.1 Khz sample rate (which gives me 10ms in / 10ms out) with a bearable latency. I mean I'm not a fast player, and I won't play fast with ARP Odyssey, so 10ms is OK for me really.

Well, I have i5-4570 and it is time to change! Well, it is still a great processor, but I already ordered Ryzen 1600X and I hope in one week my new system will be ready. I don't think there will be a huge difference, but I hope I can use buffer 128 buffer size which will give me ideally 5ms latency with ARP Odyssey and other demanding plugins

[Stefken]

Is there some way of selecting which UI you want to use? I couldn't see anything in the on-line help or on the VSTi itself.

The only way I see is to choose a preset from the banks (Rev 1, Rev 2 or Factory) and save it as favourite then use it as your initial preset.

Right, so the UI is preset-dependent, then? I hadn't caught onto that, it seemed random to me.

Yes. I think it saves the 'which skin is' info with the preset. You might use that as an advantage I think, but the default skins are for the kind of filter used (Rev 1, 2, or 3).

The implementation is pretty stupid.

[T11]

(Haven't read the whole thread)
BUMP

Korg ARP Odyssey in standalone mode on Win10 seems to have problems switching to ASIO for some users.
It causes the app to crash.

How many here have experienced this?

UAD Apollo FireWire and RME Fireface are among the affected.

Do we dare to hope that Korg are working on this?:/

Also the enormous CPU spiking on some presets.

U-he have at least implemented the option to choose Multicore.
Urge Korg to do the same.

And when (if ever?) they release an update, will they email all users?

Or do they have a download area for updates?

[aMUSEd]

Is there some way of selecting which UI you want to use? I couldn't see anything in the on-line help or on the VSTi itself.

The only way I see is to choose a preset from the banks (Rev 1, Rev 2 or Factory) and save it as favourite then use it as your initial preset.

Right, so the UI is preset-dependent, then? I hadn't caught onto that, it seemed random to me.

Yes. I think it saves the 'which skin is' info with the preset. You might use that as an advantage I think, but the default skins are for the kind of filter used (Rev 1, 2, or 3).

The implementation is pretty stupid.

So if you want to make a patch with a particular skin you have to start with a preset already made with that skin? What if you start a patch made with one skin then decide one of the other filters sounds better? Are you going to end up with a patch with a different filter but the wrong skin?

[EvilDragon]

No, when you change the filter type, the GUI doesn't change.

[Jace-BeOS]

Why save them when you'll always have to tweak them to fit into a mix anyway?

i was with you up until this point. i see the value in getting hands-on with a simple architecture and controls up front. But "why save settings"? Wow, that's just the opposite of the whole point of plugins and instant recall, isn't it? i don't have time for that crap (recreating everything from scratch)...

[aMUSEd]

No, when you change the filter type, the GUI doesn't change.

That's what I meant - it's daft