IK MUltimedia UNO Synth

[Robmobius]

So what? I doubt anyone of that handful of internet heroes would walk into a store in real life, and shout out "f**k THESE LIARS!! DON'T BUY HERE!!" to the customers in the shop.

What mumbo jumbo is this? I never said don't by the product you fool.

[chk071]

Right. I figure you like having arguments with company reps then, because you have honest interest in the product, and you're just put off by their marketing. Amiright?

[Robmobius]

Right. I figure you like having arguments with company reps then, because you have honest interest in the product, and you're just put off by their marketing. Amiright?

Ugh... more mumbo jumbo. So no actual facts then?

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

Wow, I see we have an incredible game of pigeon chess being played above! We'll pick up the knocked-over pieces and clean the crap off the chess board soon I'm sure.

I really only meant to come post the Bedroom Producers Blog video, about the actual product that is the topic of this thread so I suppose I should go ahead and just do that:

[perpetual3]

So what about the paradigm shift marketing! How many people have actually read Thomas Kuhn’s “Structure of scientific revolutions” which coined (or at least popularized) the term? How many people have run a business and introduced a new product or service?

From Kuhn’s perspective, few events would qualify as a paradigm shift. Only major, life altering events, like the discovery of penicillin, soap, Galileo, or electricity, hence “scientific revolution.” From the second perspective, introducing a new category or concept of product to a business might very well be a paradigm shift for the company. Think Apple with the iPhone.

My point is, why get so bent out of shape over the marketing copy? Again, look at Apple with its language use. You would think using Apple products would be the end-all-be-all of existence. And from a marketing point of view, IK is right - they hyped up language, generated a whirlwind of speculation, and then all those with an axe to grind found an outlet to vent their first-world frustrations.

This storm of controversy in this forum surrounding the announcement of an Italian designed $200 monosynth. No one has even used it yet.

[fluffy_little_something]

No one has even used it yet.

That's one big disadvantage of hardware. There is no public beta test phase, and developers/engineers WILL make mistakes that will go unnoticed until it is too late because production has already started.

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

No one has even used it yet.

That's one big disadvantage of hardware. There is no public beta test phase, and developers/engineers WILL make mistakes that will go unnoticed until it is too late because production has already started.

We will have people using it (well I suppose we have since yesterday - actually before that, too, but I can't say a heck of a lot on that) outside of IK and one of the advantages of UNO Synth being made in Italy by IK at our own facilities is an advantage in this way. If we do find issues they can be resolved quickly and production won't be delayed that much if at all, really. We don't have to wait for weeks for new units to be shipped only to find there was some odd error etc even with the fixes (this does happen and it sucks, frankly). We can make the adjustments then make and test right in our office that is very near to our manufacturing facility.

[313ryans]

My nice, non troll-ish reaction...it looks like a great product. I wish it were a thing I could buy years ago. I may buy one in the future. From the internet, it sounds nice...it beats the Volcas on features. I may very well own one in the future.

My semi-trollish, but kinda have a point reaction...Made in Italy, kudos.

My troll-ish reaction...will it drive down prices on Volcas? Bonus! I can buy a used Monologue (et al), or better yet--a Timbrewolf for the same price.

Sorry to interrupt, carry on

[BONES]

It is our first true analog synth (a paradigm shift for us), sounds great, has a lot of features for the price, and has already been very well-received. I know not every product is for everybody, so hopefully we hit a home run for you in the future with another offering.

The obvious disappointment for me is the lack of cross-modulation. Hard Sync and FM would expand this instrument's possibilities considerably but, as it stands, a Korg Monologue will run rings around it for an extra $100. And let's not even think of comparing it to a Waldorf Rocket.

What are people basing "it sounds good" on?

Cognitive bias towards anything that says "real analogue" in the marketing spiel. There is certainly no way to know from a few demo videos on YouTube.

Do really anyone still use AAs (or AAAs) batteries????

Yes. I get about six months out of two AAAs in my mouse. The best thing is that when they go flat it takes 30 seconds to get a new pair of fully charged batteries into it, instead of having to plug it in for hours every second or third day. There are some places where rechargeable batteries are good but there are others where disposable batteries simply make more sense.

If you're using something like this live, having backup power in the form of some spare alkalines rather than having to hunt for a socket and wait for it to charge has solid advantages.

On stage you'd plug it in to USB for power. The powerboard we use on stage has three USB sockets for precisely this purpose - one for the Waldorf Rocket, one for the mixer and one I used to use for the Korg Monologue when I had it.

[BONES]

So please, fill me on all the other $199 synths that come close to 2 x variable shape VCOs + multimode filter with drive + 2 full envelopes (yes, yes - via editor/midi cc - but they're still there) +7 shape LFO (inc waveshape mod/pwm) + arp + sequencer + delay.

That's a stupid way to look at it. I could get any number of better synths second hand for $200 and I think that a Korg Monologue or Waldorf Rocket both offer way better value for money and I bet they sound better, too.

[... synths that aren't even analog - used synths? Seems we have very different definitions of "similar".

Who cares if it is analogue or not? What should matter is whether or not it sounds good. The Rocket, for example, sounds at least as good as any true analogue synth I have ever owned or used and I'll guarantee it sounds way better than this thing.

[sqigls]

pretty average distortion for a self confessed 'leader in analogue modelling'.
makes everything sound samey. It's not hideous, but the whole thing is a bit lackluster.
be better off just buying a small midi controller and a killer soft-synth ?

[Hink]

There was no backpedaling.

You are a back peddler simple as... In my opinion.

Sorry to burst that bubble of denial.

Good choice of words there. Deny it all you want! Everybody has seen your 360 the evidence is clear IMO...

I thought we were talking about the synth, no? Your logic is indeed surreal. I guess it matches your marketing.

Members should post in a way that is respectful of other users. Flaming or abusing users in any way will not be tolerated and will result in your post being edited / deleted, and you may be issued with a warning and / or a ban.

for everyone, this thread is in the hardware forum started not by IKM but another forum member to discuss this new synth. This poster did not bring up the whole paradigm shift nor the marketing. The marketing thread has been locked, therefore I can only see these type of posts as flaming not just from you but all the others. This is not a witch hunt ok people, there are some people interested in the synth itself. If you are only interested in slamming the company please do it elsewhere. In other words (broken record time), stay on topic and stop derailing the thread...this goes for everyone who feels the need to get in their dig at the company. (I also do not need your commentary on my post, stay on topic)

[Scotty]

At least part of the appeal of small format synths is to ditch the laptop and jam out live when/if you want. My studio looks like a command console of a submarine. There are times when I want a really basic setup and ditch the computer, keyboard controllers etc. I like to grab a few boxes with some real knobbage and just create.

A real plus with the Uno is having 100 patterns to save your sequences. That way you can capture some of those moments and when you are tethered to an interface capture the audio... possibly even the midi if that is supported given that it has a midi out - a stock feature which is absent on some of the competition at or near this price point. I like that the metronome is on board along with distortion and delay.

True analog or virtual analog? If it sounds good it doesn't really matter all that much to me... I am not a purist and with stable tuning circuits it is a bit difficult to tell if a mono synth is analog or digital. Tuning drift was a giveaway with my older analogs. I don't be-grudge IK for exploiting the analog signal path of the synth - you'd have to sleeping under a rock to not see that the analog world is exploding with tons of analog eurorack, Behringer, Korg and Arturia synths and drum machines many fully touting their analog lineage.

For years we had to pay a lot for boutique analog synths and even more for the old classics on the used market. I for one am happy to see more players in this arena and at a cost that is affordable. Life is good.

[Elektronisch]

Peter, can this synth act as midi controller?

[OneOfManyPauls]

So please, fill me on all the other $199 synths that come close to 2 x variable shape VCOs + multimode filter with drive + 2 full envelopes (yes, yes - via editor/midi cc - but they're still there) +7 shape LFO (inc waveshape mod/pwm) + arp + sequencer + delay.

That's a stupid way to look at it. I could get any number of better synths second hand for $200 and I think that a Korg Monologue or Waldorf Rocket both offer way better value for money and I bet they sound better, too.

[... synths that aren't even analog - used synths? Seems we have very different definitions of "similar".

Who cares if it is analogue or not? What should matter is whether or not it sounds good. The Rocket, for example, sounds at least as good as any true analogue synth I have ever owned or used and I'll guarantee it sounds way better than this thing.

I look at the spec for the range of sounds I can get out of the thing - and I look at price to determine the value of what it offers. The UNO offers an unusually wide range of sound design options at this price. You too are not comparing apples to apples on price and spec - just dismissing a reasonable request and throwing in your subjective opinion on what's "better".

I brought analog into it for the context of comparison as that is clearly a selling point and it was part of the request for comparison.

I care if it's analog in as much as I care what it sounds like - and I generally prefer the sound of real analog to VA. I don't expect someone who goes to the trouble of highlighting "anal" in "analogue" to share or even respect that opinion, but that reflects on you.