PLASMONIC - A new synth from Brian Clevinger

[psynical]

Who says that I NEED it?

Maybe learn to read a little better. Saying "your needs" doesn't mean that you need the synth. No one here really knows what your needs are, but clearly you have some special ones...

[experimental.crow]

So, the marketing videos just make this look like a physical modeling synth like you might find in reaktor, plus some filters.

I am a huge huge fan of absynth but I'm honestly failing to understand the hype about this. Absynth seems a lot more powerful. What am I missing?

And yes the GUI is terrible and yes that makes a huge difference in its ability to sell. It's ok. Breathe.

It seems like over the last few months there have been features added that aren't in the marketing videos...

Can someone summarize what makes this so special? How is this different than using a physical modeling synth in reaktor and hooking up a filter to it?

brian clevinger ...

[Echoes in the Attic]

I like the GUI in that the controls are large and look like they would work well on a touch screen, almost like a lemur type layout. It's so much nicer using a GUI like this than one with tiny little sliders and buttons on a touch screen. I don't know why more people aren't using touch screens. They only cost a few hundred bucks. Lemurs used to cost thousands and now we have that power with Windows 10 and any cheap touch screen.

[machinesworking]

I like the GUI in that the controls are large and look like they would work well on a touch screen, almost like a lemur type layout. It's so much nicer using a GUI like this than one with tiny little sliders and buttons on a touch screen. I don't know why more people aren't using touch screens. They only cost a few hundred bucks. Lemurs used to cost thousands and now we have that power with Windows 10 and any cheap touch screen.

Seconded. I'm even on OS X, but I use a Slate Raven, and it's fantastic.
I'm super happy the GUI seems really suited to touch screens.

Oh, and soon enough OS X and iOS are merging more or less, you'll be able to hook up an iPad to a Mac and use it as a touch screen. This means all three platforms are going to be capable of using touch screens with not much effort at all if the software is compatible.

[ehdyn]

Looks interesting but hard to get excited about any synth with just an ADSR envelope and no curves.. seems especially jarring after Absynth.. hope they flesh that out somewhat before release.

[Echoes in the Attic]

Looks interesting but hard to get excited about any synth with just an ADSR envelope and no curves.. seems especially jarring after Absynth.. hope they flesh that out somewhat before release.

I don't really understand the allure of complex envelopes with curves when that kind of thing is better drawn in DAW automation. Absynth didn't have directly automatable controls, so it kind of made sense for that scenario, and it was also originally a standalone synth primarily. I don't know why you'd want the same automation every time you hit a note. I don't want a whole song to play when I hit a note, I'd rather draw complex automation that can change for different parts, or copy it if and where needed.

[machinesworking]

Looks interesting but hard to get excited about any synth with just an ADSR envelope and no curves.. seems especially jarring after Absynth.. hope they flesh that out somewhat before release.

I don't really understand the allure of complex envelopes with curves when that kind of thing is better drawn in DAW automation. Absynth didn't have directly automatable controls, so it kind of made sense for that scenario, and it was also originally a standalone synth primarily. I don't know why you'd want the same automation every time you hit a note. I don't want a whole song to play when I hit a note, I'd rather draw complex automation that can change for different parts, or copy it if and where needed.

I get it. I don't think of an envelope opening up a filter or reverb as automation, but in the strictest sense ADSRs are a kind of automation, and not all sounds are supposed to be played like keyboards, some are FX, and personally being able to have a patch that isn't attached to a DAWs track automation or modulation is preferable.

I also think Brian knows what he's doing and writing off anything someone who wrote something like absynth 20 years ago, (who is now writing his "second" synth), is probably not the wisest move.

[claudedefaren]

So, the marketing videos just make this look like a physical modeling synth like you might find in reaktor, plus some filters.

I am a huge huge fan of absynth but I'm honestly failing to understand the hype about this. Absynth seems a lot more powerful. What am I missing?

And yes the GUI is terrible and yes that makes a huge difference in its ability to sell. It's ok. Breathe.

It seems like over the last few months there have been features added that aren't in the marketing videos...

Can someone summarize what makes this so special? How is this different than using a physical modeling synth in reaktor and hooking up a filter to it?

brian clevinger ...

Haha. Any insight that isn't just rallying around a person? His name is why I'm here, but it's not enough to make me pull out my credit card.

[Niowiad]

I like the GUI in that the controls are large and look like they would work well on a touch screen, almost like a lemur type layout. It's so much nicer using a GUI like this than one with tiny little sliders and buttons on a touch screen. I don't know why more people aren't using touch screens. They only cost a few hundred bucks. Lemurs used to cost thousands and now we have that power with Windows 10 and any cheap touch cscreen.

The idea of a dedicated touch screen for synths, on top of my 88 keys controller has been growing on me quite strongly.
But I don't know what to expect when it comes to "very fine" parameter adjustments, which I currently get with either the usual shift/ctrl modifiers or even a dedicated mouse button which lets me temporarily shift to super-low DPI.

[Calenberger]

Who says that I NEED it?

No one here really knows what your needs are, but clearly you have some special ones...

Don't tell my missus...

[machinesworking]

The idea of a dedicated touch screen for synths, on top of my 88 keys controller has been growing on me quite strongly.
But I don't know what to expect when it comes to "very fine" parameter adjustments, which I currently get with either the usual shift/ctrl modifiers or even a dedicated mouse button which lets me temporarily shift to super-low DPI.

I don't know specifically about windows, but touch screens don't eliminate modifier keys. I often use shift etc. to do fine fader movement in plug ins.

[machinesworking]

brian clevinger ...

Haha. Any insight that isn't just rallying around a person? His name is why I'm here, but it's not enough to make me pull out my credit card.

Well so far if anyone here is a beta tester they're keeping their mouths shut, so these questions really can't be answered. A couple sound examples are all we have. I'm willing to place my bets on it being great if there's another round of early adopter discounts, but I couldn't imagine it won't have a demo?
It's a pretty easy bet that it will be useful at least to me, but until it's actually out it's up to you to come to uninformed conclusions and argue with people about it, it's the custom here on these here forums.

[claudedefaren]

...

[Niowiad]

The idea of a dedicated touch screen for synths, on top of my 88 keys controller has been growing on me quite strongly.
But I don't know what to expect when it comes to "very fine" parameter adjustments, which I currently get with either the usual shift/ctrl modifiers or even a dedicated mouse button which lets me temporarily shift to super-low DPI.

I don't know specifically about windows, but touch screens don't eliminate modifier keys. I often use shift etc. to do fine fader movement in plug ins.

My bad I didn't explain it fully.
My idea is always to have my left hand on the keyboard and the right hand on the GUI, and play notes/chords at the same time as I program the patch, somehow similar to how it's done on hardware synths.
I'm currently able to do this because I have CTRL/SHIFT/ALT mapped to my mouse (a cheap but very functional Logitech G300), but I don't know how that's going to work out with a touchscreen.

Unless I map the mouse modifiers to foot switches

[machinesworking]

My bad I didn't explain it fully.
My idea is always to have my left hand on the keyboard and the right hand on the GUI, and play notes/chords at the same time as I program the patch, somehow similar to how it's done on hardware synths.
I'm currently able to do this because I have CTRL/SHIFT/ALT mapped to my mouse (a cheap but very functional Logitech G300), but I don't know how that's going to work out with a touchscreen.

Unless I map the mouse modifiers to foot switches

The Slate Raven has on screen modifier keys so it would be possible with one of them if your DAW is supported. I would bet you could get some sort of app for Windows surfaces that would do a similar task. Worst case scenario you could modify a keyboard to hold that key down or make it a toggle switch.