Available now: Tone2 Icarus2.5 - Wavetable Workstation

[pdxindy]

In case this is a serious question: Icarus has one of the best and most flexible resynthesis engines I have had the pleasure of using so far. It has more resynthesis options and also more wavetable editing options than most other synths and all of it is extremely user-friendly, allowing for a fast workflow I can't get close to with other synths. Combined with all the wavetable morph, filter and modulation options, I can do just about anything with any sample I throw at it. So, for me, the question would be: what would I NOT want to do with Icarus

The upcoming v2 addresses my main ‘complaints’ with Icarus regarding the GUI...

And it adds MPE which is big for me.

From V2 I cannot think of much else I would want added. I do like the proposed idea of a flat GUI. Sound wise, I suppose a HQ mode with more oversampling for the times when I want a more high resolution sound doing audio rate modulations.

Otherwise V2 is looking pretty spiffy!

[Echoes in the Attic]

Yeah not much on my wish list either. Although following on the earlier comments, a multi-touch compatible GUI would be pretty cool.

[TheNeverScene]

For me, Icarus' workflow is top notch. In just a day, I feel like I can get 90% of what I want to do done with Icarus before moving to Serum, Dune, a drum rompler, etc, to add some different flavors.

[chk071]

nvmd

[tasty tatsyn]

Something you wanted to do wiht other instruments but can not. Only with icarus? What would that be ? What is it you want to do with icarus 2 ?

In case this is a serious question: Icarus has one of the best and most flexible resynthesis engines I have had the pleasure of using so far. It has more resynthesis options and also more wavetable editing options than most other synths and all of it is extremely user-friendly, allowing for a fast workflow I can't get close to with other synths. Combined with all the wavetable morph, filter and modulation options, I can do just about anything with any sample I throw at it. So, for me, the question would be: what would I NOT want to do with Icarus

Yeah the resynthesis, especially with MPE is pretty rare. But also an enormous amount of different filters that actual sound different.

I'm also wondering what age the average user of Tone2 is? I think maybe it is mostly young guys?

Do you mind telling us how old you are? Just asking to know what age range you might think of when you are talking about "mostly young guys" - not alluding to anything, of course. ^^

Sounds like a 20 year old who for some reason believes that maybe a lot of 19 year olds are using it. The rest of don't care and just use it.

***********************
..... to space this time ...
https://soundcloud.com/tatsyn/spiritual-gravitation
not finished but on a good path..

[tasty tatsyn]

- if that track is EDM or not i guess we should ask someone like Steve Roach

[Vertion]

Almost all people who buy and use Icarus are adults. This is because Icarus costs money, which younger people typically do not have.

I think any presumption that all synths are EDM is due to the fact that mainstream music currently heavily relies upon synthesizers, and mainstream largely applies to younger crowds. The same concept could be applied to guitars, or even pianos as used in mainstream in the past and present.

Hans Zimmer uses Zebra to compose soundtracks for major motion pictures, and the Cars heavily relied on synths in the 80s.

Every age group that can afford instruments uses synths, guitars, drums, and pianos. Mistaking instrument choice with mainstream music alone is a large lapse in reasoning.

Icarus 2 is a professional world class instrument intended for the best musicians in the world and for countless genres of music. Preference to which instrument and brandname to choose are subjective.

[Spitfire31]

Almost all people who buy and use Icarus are adults. This is because Icarus costs money, which younger people typically do not have.

I think any presumption that all synths are EDM is due to the fact that mainstream music currently heavily relies upon synthesizers, and mainstream largely applies to younger crowds. The same concept could be applied to guitars, or even pianos as used in mainstream in the past and present.

Hans Zimmer uses Zebra to compose soundtracks for major motion pictures, and the Cars heavily relied on synths in the 80s.

Every age group uses synths, guitars, drums, and pianos. Mistaking mainstream culture for instrument choice is a large lapse in reasoning.

Icarus 2 is a professional world class instrument intended for the best musicians in the world and for countless genres of music. Preference to which synth instrument to choose and what brands are subjective.

And that should be the end of this pointless age cul-de-sac.

[sfd]

I do agree in that it's more likely that those who buy Icarus are adults (due to the price). But that doesn't, necessarily, mean all or most users are adults. Nor do I believe the level of complexity of a synth necessarily mirrors the level and professionalism of the musician or producer. IMHO the features of this and similar synths reflects requirements needed to create certain textures common in certain musical styles. The fact that you can do other things with it doesn't make it the first choice - IMO.

I make, somewhat, electronic oriented music. What do I use? Leads, pads, basses. things like that. I can do a lot of that with all the gear I already have. If I'd consider Icarus it would most likely be for it's ability to create those quite genre specific textures.

Just my opinion....

[FapFilter]

Yeah and a Virus has also always only ever been used for Trance, MPCs are Hip Hop only, anything else is simply technically not possible and Autotune only for Cher and all those honks today that want to sound like utter fags.
There might be very inflexible instruments/effects like a Space Echo or a TB-303 that might make it more difficult to escape their ‘one and only signature sound‘, but even a tiny bit more flexible stuff like an SH-101 can be used for more or less any synth related music style.
Of course it could be more difficult if you were using this 101 solely for orchestral works, unless you specifically want to spice it up with some more modern sounding elements

People who put instruments into strict genres imho don't go past the provided presets, especially with very capable/flexible ones that basically can sound like anything you want / you set them to do.
And what about Pianos, Guitars, or trumpets etc... what single genre can be covered by those?
Tone2 just happens to provide tons of plastic fart presets with all their instruments which make them not so good for people who mostly rely on presets but don't want to sound like Scooter.
But even such presets can be used for other genres aswell as long as you are a bit more creative than just to play kids song lines with them

[enCiphered]

Tone2 just happens to provide tons of plastic fart presets with all their instruments which make them not so good for people who mostly rely on presets but don't want to sound like Scooter.

Wow, hello. Can you please name a few of them? I really need some fart presets for my sound design project. Very strict deadline, thank you!

[Markus Krause]

Almost all people who buy and use Icarus are adults. This is because Icarus costs money, which younger people typically do not have.

I think any presumption that all synths are EDM is due to the fact that mainstream music currently heavily relies upon synthesizers, and mainstream largely applies to younger crowds. The same concept could be applied to guitars, or even pianos as used in mainstream in the past and present.

Hans Zimmer uses Zebra to compose soundtracks for major motion pictures, and the Cars heavily relied on synths in the 80s.

Every age group that can afford instruments uses synths, guitars, drums, and pianos. Mistaking instrument choice with mainstream music alone is a large lapse in reasoning.

Icarus 2 is a professional world class instrument intended for the best musicians in the world and for countless genres of music. Preference to which instrument and brandname to choose are subjective.

To end the speculation about the age of our customers:

We do not have many customers below the age of 20. They can't afford our products and use stuff that they can get for free in the web.

Most of our customers are between 25 and 65. The average age is around 40.

[sfd]

@FapFilter Who said anything about an "one and only" instrument ?

IMHO the features of this and similar synths reflects requirements needed to create certain textures common in certain musical styles.

Icarus is probably a better choice for certain textures then a flute

In that sense I think nena2's question is legit.

The fact that you can do other things with it doesn't make it the first choice - IMO.

Less color doesn't necessarily mean less creativity.

More colors doesn't necessarily mean a better painting.

[FapFilter]

Wow, hello. Can you please name a few of them? I really need some fart presets for my sound design project. Very strict deadline, thank you!

hehe, you got me there
Has been quite a while when i skimmed through some of Icarus's presets and didn't feel that inspired, which of course likely was an user error.
The (mis)conception of ‘cheap EDM‘ presets though formed later when listening to youtube footage (or what was provided on their homepage).
Never tried any of their other synths, that bias solely came from what i gathered from youtube

[FapFilter]

Icarus is probably a better choice for certain textures then a flute

Of course, but Icarus (and other complex synths) can sound like almost anything you want them to. Just because someone made quite specific presets for them doesn't mean it is only good for exactly these kinds of sounds.

In that sense I think nena2's question is legit.

according to my senses, he was just knowing- (or unknowingly) trolling

Less color doesn't necessarily mean less creativity.

More colors doesn't necessarily mean a better painting

Also true of course, noone should be questioning that.
In the end, it's about the skills and understanding to create something beautiful (and if the audience is ready for what they are confronted with )
A Piano sounds like a Piano, yet it can be used for anything from Classic, to Pop, Techno, DnB, Ambience, Folklore, or experimental music.
Awesome music can be made with even the most ‘basic‘ instruments.

A Juno 60 or a TR drummie sound absolutely awesome, but i don't get the idea that instruments that basically can sound like anything are just for one specific genre that might be more prominent in the list of presets that some people did for it.

You also don't need 88 keys on a Piano, especially not all at once, to make beautiful music. It's like saying: all you need is a Piano with only certain few keys, which of course is perfectly valid, but i don't concur with the notion that a fully fledged 88 keys Piano is mostly just usable for a certain genre.
It's all about what you make out of it. You can only use one single note if your song vision ‘requires‘ this, or you have the flexibility to use the full range at will.

Again, you don't need complexity for awesome music and complexity can of course also be a hindrance, but if all synthetically originated sounds ever created were done solely on a Juno 60 and a TR-808, it would become old fast too.