FXpansion releases Cypher2

[zvenx]

That said, I need to take responsibility for my part in not spotting the growing memory issue.
I have been beta testing for over 20 years for different software (I believe starting with Opcode's Studio Vision Pro), in that time I have never without cause monitored the memory usage of a plugin as someone clearly did here, or put a scope to test aliasing etc as I have seen some do automatically with new plugins......
If I notice behaviour that seems to suggest either of the two I would investigate further.
Newsflash: Every software has bugs. And I have been in scenarios where even after intensive bug testing, software is released and an 'obvious' bug (which happens because it didn't reflect the workflow of the beta team and developers) appears and you go, damn. I really should have tested that.
I have also been on beta teams when the team finds bugs and the software is still released with plans to either fixed those bugs in the future or the assessment is made that the bug will not affect enough people and be worth fixing, or it will potential mess up other stuff in the code to fix it.

In this particular case my mac has 16GB and my PC 32GB and the memory usage never became an issue whilst I was working and testing Cypher2 so I honestly never tested it or did it even occur to me to test it.

With so many different workflows not everything is tested and why as broad a beta team as possible has its advantages (and disadvantages too).

I have learned from this and will in future pay more explicit attention to memory usage of software I test in the future.

rsp

[zvenx]

I didn't see his post regarding the Zebra oscillators...

That claim is a little absurd...

A little?
And to your claim that the protection is slowing down the software?
rsp

[W23]

I went ahead and just bought Cypher2 (upgrade from Strobe2). I didn't monitor RAM usage (I have 16GB) but, I also didn't notice any particularly high CPU usage either. I don't think I saw any more than 25% CPU with the more complex patches, and most of them floated around 8-13%, really. I just traded up to a new MacBook Pro about 2 weeks ago, though. This is a fine sounding synth. If you have a Roli-something, or a SynthSquad/Strobe2 to upgrade from, it's a total no-brainer. Also, shop around because I got my copy for $67, basically.

[Keith99]

CPU wise it is fine but I ran out over 15GB of Ram testing the patches

[dr_loop]

...interesting synth for sure, a lot of good ideas!

But come hell or high water, I connot make it function properly with the LinnStrument in MPE-mode.
As soon as I use the 5D Slide on *two or more* voices there's horrible distortion .
It sounds like the CC74 messages get mixed up between all the voices.
And yeah, with polyphony properly set. If I check the MIDI-output of the LinnStrument it looks ok.

What am I missing? Or is it Roli only??

[Tj Shredder]

It plays nicely with my Linnstrument, no problem so far with the demo... (only tried the standalone...)

[dr_loop]

@tj shredder ... thanks, so there's at least hope!

To be more explicit:
- I'm on W8.1 (but can not really imagine this makes a difference)
- its not on all presets
- the presets with distortion have all connected Y-Slide to Osc1-Wave (at least at first sight)

Could you eventually try out say Preset: Organ: Praeludium Chapel 5D and play 2-Notes with the LinnStrument in ChannelPerNote mode with Timbre/Y enabled and on CC74.
Then of course slide both notes up and down.
Does it sound ok then?

Any feedback would be much appreciated

[cthonophonic]

The signal flow diagrams that come up in the visualizer are helpful reminders of what's being routed where, but I've noticed one bug: when adjusting the Filter Post values, the entire line segment going through the filter section fades out, but it should only be the very last segment (heading out to the Effects section) that fades.

Also, there are a few legacy presets that sound way different than the original Cypher versions, and this mostly seems to be related to the Filter Post gain (which was handled automatically in the original, based on the routing) and some changes in the way FM is handled (low values are much more subtle in Cypher2). For instance, in KB Velocity FM Keys, you need to turn the Filter 2 Post down to zero and raise the Osc2FM3 knob to around 30% to get a close approximation of the original. I'm sure that fixing legacy presets is probably low on the list of priorities right now, but I figure it's probably worth mentioning, in case anyone is loading up their favorite old presets and wondering why they sound all screwy.

Anyway, this is a great synth! The new filters and waveshapers are a lot of fun, and the presets are just fantastic. I'll definitely be upgrading.

[Tj Shredder]

@tj shredder ... thanks, so there's at least hope!

To be more explicit:
- I'm on W8.1 (but can not really imagine this makes a difference)
- its not on all presets
- the presets with distortion have all connected Y-Slide to Osc1-Wave (at least at first sight)

Could you eventually try out say Preset: Organ: Praeludium Chapel 5D and play 2-Notes with the LinnStrument in ChannelPerNote mode with Timbre/Y enabled and on CC74.
Then of course slide both notes up and down.
Does it sound ok then?

Any feedback would be much appreciated

Yes its fine here, I am on OS X Sierra btw... It could be a Win 8 issue, as its not meeting the official requirements..., but then it should also be a problem with a Seaboard...

[plexuss]

Here, I will explain the way I supplement my GAS with rationalizations: The cost of Strobe2 and Cypher2 is around $220US total from retailers. There are a total of 2200 presets. Based on the demos the presets cover a wide range. Usually when a soundset is on sale, the average is around $0.20/preset. For the 2200 presets that works out to $440. And that doesn't include the two free soundsets you get with Strobe2, adding another 100 presets. So 2300 presets, and lets say you argue that you can get good preset libraries for $0.10/preset - that's still $230, and you get the synths included!

I always like to consider the implications of a license transfer too, when making a purchase decision. I believe their fee is $50 per transfer transaction which can include multiple products. Likely if I were to sell, I'd sell them both. They have a somewhat high cost at $110US each if purchase now on sale. That means there wouldn't be a huge loss with the fee when selling - this is another benefit.

So it seems like close to a no-brainer. If you are in the market and want some new sounds and synths of course.

[kriskrause]

Really enjoying this synth. I spent the first few days demoing it and finally bought it last.

[fisherKing]

Here, I will explain the way I supplement my GAS with rationalizations: The cost of Strobe2 and Cypher2 is around $220US total from retailers. There are a total of 2200 presets. Based on the demos the presets cover a wide range. Usually when a soundset is on sale, the average is around $0.20/preset. For the 2200 presets that works out to $440. And that doesn't include the two free soundsets you get with Strobe2, adding another 100 presets. So 2300 presets, and lets say you argue that you can get good preset libraries for $0.10/preset - that's still $230, and you get the synths included!

I always like to consider the implications of a license transfer too, when making a purchase decision. I believe their fee is $50 per transfer transaction which can include multiple products. Likely if I were to sell, I'd sell them both. They have a somewhat high cost at $110US each if purchase now on sale. That means there wouldn't be a huge loss with the fee when selling - this is another benefit.

So it seems like close to a no-brainer. If you are in the market and want some new sounds and synths of course.

fwiw, cypher2 is $199 US (i just bought it). and totally worth it (& i've barely scratched the surface)...

[tapiodmitriyevich]

Is Strobe2 a smaller subset of Cypher2, i.e. Cypher2 has all features of Strobe2 + more?

[JerGoertz]

Is Strobe2 a smaller subset of Cypher2, i.e. Cypher2 has all features of Strobe2 + more?

I don't think so. IIRC their basic sound is quite different.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Is Strobe2 a smaller subset of Cypher2, i.e. Cypher2 has all features of Strobe2 + more?

Way different.