FXpansion releases Cypher2
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- KVRian
- 897 posts since 26 Jul, 2018 from Germany
I can also load the plugins....
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- KVRist
- 274 posts since 6 Sep, 2004
Loading fine here, very interesting synth.dave dove wrote: Thu Nov 01, 2018 5:14 pm FXPansion website is down
can't load any of their plugins
assume they talk to FXP server on loading??
Dave
Capable of a broad range of sounds.
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- KVRian
- 1353 posts since 31 Aug, 2007 from wales
mine are loading now
no idea what happened there
dave
no idea what happened there
dave
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- KVRian
- 821 posts since 11 Aug, 2018 from UE
No problems here, I have played with Cypher2 all the day and I can go on their site too.
Best
YY
YY
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- KVRian
- 701 posts since 2 Apr, 2004 from London
Nice tutorial. No way of programming your own scales here? That would be a really useful addition, offering much greater flexibility.
Also applying the concept of quantising to a scale would be useful as a transmod source. So for example, you could have modulation sources like lfos control pitch, set by the quantisation of whatever the sequence was set to. So if I sent a sine wave lfo to pitch I would get a rising and falling scale, of whatever scale I'd quantised to in the sequencer. As you know, the possibilities are kind of endless with that one. You could create sequences without even using the sequencer. Or expand the variations within a (step sequenced) sequence even further.
Last edited by yemski on Thu Nov 08, 2018 5:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Musicmaker: "I'm playing all the right notes, but not neccesarily in the right order" Eric Morecame : Comedy Bhoddisatva
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- KVRian
- 701 posts since 2 Apr, 2004 from London
Midi out would be cool to. On it's own, this sequencer section could be put to good use sequencing other synths
Musicmaker: "I'm playing all the right notes, but not neccesarily in the right order" Eric Morecame : Comedy Bhoddisatva
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- KVRian
- 821 posts since 11 Aug, 2018 from UE
Very great and educational tutorial,
Thanks.
Cypher2 is so deep, I have never try the sequencer, now, it's time to use it !
Thanks.
Cypher2 is so deep, I have never try the sequencer, now, it's time to use it !
Best
YY
YY
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- KVRian
- 1121 posts since 4 Jun, 2003 from Skanky Manc
Agreed.yemski wrote: Thu Nov 08, 2018 3:27 pmNo way of programming your own scales here? That would be a really useful addition...
This is already possible. Just leave the note sequencer on a single note and automate the Pitch parameter in the Sequencer Matrix. Select whatever key/scale you want.yemski wrote: Thu Nov 08, 2018 3:27 pm...you could have modulation sources like lfos control pitch, set by the quantisation of whatever the sequence was set to. So if I sent a sine wave lfo to pitch I would get a rising and falling scale, of whatever scale I'd quantised to in the sequencer...
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- KVRian
- 1121 posts since 4 Jun, 2003 from Skanky Manc
By the way, if anyone is experimenting. Sequencer + microtuning is incredible fun 
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- KVRian
- 821 posts since 11 Aug, 2018 from UE
Thanks Rozzer !
Great tips.
Great tips.
Best
YY
YY
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 4735 posts since 18 Jul, 2002 from London, UK
While we're talking Sequencers - we just released the first expander for Cypher2: Vivid Sequences
Info and audio examples here:
https://www.fxpansion.com/products/synt ... sequences/
Info and audio examples here:
https://www.fxpansion.com/products/synt ... sequences/
This account is dormant, I am no longer employed by FXpansion / ROLI.
Find me on LinkedIn or elsewhere if you need to get in touch.
Find me on LinkedIn or elsewhere if you need to get in touch.
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- KVRAF
- 4584 posts since 21 Sep, 2005
Cypher2 is all grace and danger.
I've only scratched the surface of it recently but it's been good to make some music again. Harmor, impOSCar2 and Cypher2. Giving me everything I need and more.
Harmor can get nasty, impOSCar2 too, and so can Cypher2. It has that element of a real analog synth where you know it can get quite scary quickly if you flick the wrong switch!
Yet the sounds coming out of it are beautifully ethereal and floaty in parts. It's not just all grunt and chainsaw! You can even mix the two. Or three! Drum 'n' Bass Basslines and evolving Techstep pads. With bells on.
The interface is a work of art. Simply beautiful. Functional with everything in its place. I'm still learning it. The last time I took time out to learn a synth like this was with Harmor and impOSCar2 in fact (among others). I'm drowning in synths. I've still forgotten most of what Harmor can do. Deep as the sea.
Harmor isn't for everything, just like impOSCar2 isn't. Funnily enough, Cypher2 reminds me a bit of Oddity2 with its ability to really buzz but at the same time lay down a sweet unobtrusive bed for pads. Incredibly versatile.
I'm at that point where I'm thinning the herd in VST land. I don't think I've ever sold a plugin so far! Everything I've bought I've kept. But they just aren't getting used. I only want versatile, incredible sounding plugins in my folder from now on. And those that are fun and not too difficult to use. The learning curve with Cypher2 isn't too bad. I watch the odd video here or there (like the one above) and it all comes together.
I'm sticking the thing through Tantra half the time so as long as I can get it to make a bit of a noise I'm fine. A travesty I know. But fun.
There's something very alluring about the GUI for Cypher2. Harmor is a nightmare, and impOSCar2 is a bit small unless you have it large, but it's still highly workable. Cypher2 is very clear and the most rewarding of the three to work with.
I just picked those synths randomly and so far haven't felt the need to call upon anything else. I'm working more with samples and loops at the moment getting some of my old stuff together, seeing where I'm going musically. I picked impOSCar2 over Oddity2 in fact, just because you can make the GUI larger to read. I have a silly amount of synths now and this is just a temporary setup anyway.
I always thought I would eventually end up getting the u-he synths, Zebra especially. But I don't think that is going to happen now. I'm bored with music (but not making music) and there's only so much you need to experiment with. I feel that even with just Cypher2, I could use that and nothing else to complete an interesting album. And have fun.
No disrespect to Urs. Or any of the rest of the team. They are top notch plugins, but for whatever reason, they haven't fully clicked with me. It's not the sound, it's not the interface. It's just me. Maybe it's a case of 'first come, first served' and I was a bit late to the party with u-he stuff. Maybe some other time.
I have too many synths. Some of them are going to have to be utilised a hell of a lot more if I haven't wasted my money and (more importantly) my time, even just 'collecting' them.
Something really clicked with the new version of Cypher2. The presets are out of this world good. I'm even going to buy the small Roli keyboard to take full advantage of them, thanks to the 'demos' in this thread. Sold. I don't need more than a basic board for now - I'll be happy with that. I have controllers as well that I haven't even hooked up for more than five minutes, done a load of templates, and then put them back in the box. Another good reason to get in to Cypher2.
I found the thing just about impossible to program, so I'm glad for the presets. I'm a hack anyway I know, when it comes to making presets, but I can find my way about eventually. Sometimes it's nice to have a synth and just be happy with the sounds it comes with, tweaking here and there. Tweaking hasn't been a problem at all, however. And it's been fun.
I remember doing tracks with the old Cypher and thinking 'even though this is supposed to be more of an FM synth, it sounds pretty gritty and analog to me'. Something very dirty and raw about it.
Reminds me of when I first started programming analog synths like the Roland SH-2 and all that kind of stuff, through a guitar amp. When you are a total novice you learn pretty quickly which buttons put an ice-pick through your ear-drums. No limiters in the chain there.
Apart from the beautiful ethereal floaty soundscapes, it's that element of 'be careful with that button' that I love. The controls actually change things on this synth. It's just about the most analog VST I've ever heard soundwise as well. You know what I mean. Hopefully.
All grace and danger.
Think I might even end up having to buy some presets for this one as well at some point. Something I don't usually do, but I'm treating this as I would a hardware synth.
Keep the videos (and sound patches) coming for this beauty.
It's been nice to come back to making music with such a masterpiece as this to play with. Did I mention it was fun?
Now if I could only thin my VST synth herd down to 'My Top Ten Synth VSTs'...
Harmor, impOSCar2 and Cypher2 would be in that list somewhere though, definitely. And I don't even like Green. Yet somehow, even that colour is taking on a new lease of inspirational life. I even did a Green skin for EnergyXT (never done that before). Ironic really. A 32-bit only DAW and a 64-bit only VST synth...
Cypher2 (so it seems to me in my limited time with it) isn't a be-all and end-all 'synth' like Omnisphere and the rest of them. It's basically a bread and butter synth, but bread and butter in several areas, and what it does it does as well as anything to my ears. It's already a classic up there with Albino and Blue (and the like) to my mind.
I think if people actually start listening to this thing with their ears, it might catch on like wildfire. In the meantime, we get to be the cool kiddies playing with our new cool toy (yet few really know just how 'cool' it really is). Er, Green is the new Black and all that.
Just put a bleeding limiter on it if you really need to ride it 'bareback'.
All grace and danger.
You have been warned!
EDIT:
Doh! Cypher2... Cypher2... not "Cypher"...
I've only scratched the surface of it recently but it's been good to make some music again. Harmor, impOSCar2 and Cypher2. Giving me everything I need and more.
Harmor can get nasty, impOSCar2 too, and so can Cypher2. It has that element of a real analog synth where you know it can get quite scary quickly if you flick the wrong switch!
Yet the sounds coming out of it are beautifully ethereal and floaty in parts. It's not just all grunt and chainsaw! You can even mix the two. Or three! Drum 'n' Bass Basslines and evolving Techstep pads. With bells on.
The interface is a work of art. Simply beautiful. Functional with everything in its place. I'm still learning it. The last time I took time out to learn a synth like this was with Harmor and impOSCar2 in fact (among others). I'm drowning in synths. I've still forgotten most of what Harmor can do. Deep as the sea.
Harmor isn't for everything, just like impOSCar2 isn't. Funnily enough, Cypher2 reminds me a bit of Oddity2 with its ability to really buzz but at the same time lay down a sweet unobtrusive bed for pads. Incredibly versatile.
I'm at that point where I'm thinning the herd in VST land. I don't think I've ever sold a plugin so far! Everything I've bought I've kept. But they just aren't getting used. I only want versatile, incredible sounding plugins in my folder from now on. And those that are fun and not too difficult to use. The learning curve with Cypher2 isn't too bad. I watch the odd video here or there (like the one above) and it all comes together.
I'm sticking the thing through Tantra half the time so as long as I can get it to make a bit of a noise I'm fine. A travesty I know. But fun.
There's something very alluring about the GUI for Cypher2. Harmor is a nightmare, and impOSCar2 is a bit small unless you have it large, but it's still highly workable. Cypher2 is very clear and the most rewarding of the three to work with.
I just picked those synths randomly and so far haven't felt the need to call upon anything else. I'm working more with samples and loops at the moment getting some of my old stuff together, seeing where I'm going musically. I picked impOSCar2 over Oddity2 in fact, just because you can make the GUI larger to read. I have a silly amount of synths now and this is just a temporary setup anyway.
I always thought I would eventually end up getting the u-he synths, Zebra especially. But I don't think that is going to happen now. I'm bored with music (but not making music) and there's only so much you need to experiment with. I feel that even with just Cypher2, I could use that and nothing else to complete an interesting album. And have fun.
No disrespect to Urs. Or any of the rest of the team. They are top notch plugins, but for whatever reason, they haven't fully clicked with me. It's not the sound, it's not the interface. It's just me. Maybe it's a case of 'first come, first served' and I was a bit late to the party with u-he stuff. Maybe some other time.
I have too many synths. Some of them are going to have to be utilised a hell of a lot more if I haven't wasted my money and (more importantly) my time, even just 'collecting' them.
Something really clicked with the new version of Cypher2. The presets are out of this world good. I'm even going to buy the small Roli keyboard to take full advantage of them, thanks to the 'demos' in this thread. Sold. I don't need more than a basic board for now - I'll be happy with that. I have controllers as well that I haven't even hooked up for more than five minutes, done a load of templates, and then put them back in the box. Another good reason to get in to Cypher2.
I found the thing just about impossible to program, so I'm glad for the presets. I'm a hack anyway I know, when it comes to making presets, but I can find my way about eventually. Sometimes it's nice to have a synth and just be happy with the sounds it comes with, tweaking here and there. Tweaking hasn't been a problem at all, however. And it's been fun.
I remember doing tracks with the old Cypher and thinking 'even though this is supposed to be more of an FM synth, it sounds pretty gritty and analog to me'. Something very dirty and raw about it.
Reminds me of when I first started programming analog synths like the Roland SH-2 and all that kind of stuff, through a guitar amp. When you are a total novice you learn pretty quickly which buttons put an ice-pick through your ear-drums. No limiters in the chain there.
Apart from the beautiful ethereal floaty soundscapes, it's that element of 'be careful with that button' that I love. The controls actually change things on this synth. It's just about the most analog VST I've ever heard soundwise as well. You know what I mean. Hopefully.
All grace and danger.
Think I might even end up having to buy some presets for this one as well at some point. Something I don't usually do, but I'm treating this as I would a hardware synth.
Keep the videos (and sound patches) coming for this beauty.
It's been nice to come back to making music with such a masterpiece as this to play with. Did I mention it was fun?
Now if I could only thin my VST synth herd down to 'My Top Ten Synth VSTs'...
Harmor, impOSCar2 and Cypher2 would be in that list somewhere though, definitely. And I don't even like Green. Yet somehow, even that colour is taking on a new lease of inspirational life. I even did a Green skin for EnergyXT (never done that before). Ironic really. A 32-bit only DAW and a 64-bit only VST synth...
Cypher2 (so it seems to me in my limited time with it) isn't a be-all and end-all 'synth' like Omnisphere and the rest of them. It's basically a bread and butter synth, but bread and butter in several areas, and what it does it does as well as anything to my ears. It's already a classic up there with Albino and Blue (and the like) to my mind.
I think if people actually start listening to this thing with their ears, it might catch on like wildfire. In the meantime, we get to be the cool kiddies playing with our new cool toy (yet few really know just how 'cool' it really is). Er, Green is the new Black and all that.
Just put a bleeding limiter on it if you really need to ride it 'bareback'.
All grace and danger.
You have been warned!
EDIT:
Doh! Cypher2... Cypher2... not "Cypher"...
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- KVRAF
- 2418 posts since 9 Nov, 2016
How was the caviar with all that champagne? 
BTW: It not only comes in green but also in blue, ...
BTW: It not only comes in green but also in blue, ...
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- KVRist
- 334 posts since 2 May, 2002 from Amarillo, TX USA
FYI I'm a guitar player. That said I have owned and played keyboards for a while now too if nothing else for backing tracks. I can say that after playing Cypher 2 for about an hour this morning before work, I'm pretty blown away by the tones I'm getting AND that the factory presets to me were NOT just thrown together like in most synths. Lessen some of the verbs/delays a bit and they sound "very good" to me. Very usable sounds and TONS of them. Yes, I know that I have not even scratched the surface yet (just played with the "synths" section so far and not even halfway thru that), so if you are on the fence like I was for a while, don't worry as this to me is not a waste of funds by any stretch of the imagination. Very Powerful software synth!