Is it worth to buy Continua by Audio Damage？

[Sinisterbr]

I really like the mod system - simple, elegant, easy to use and with great visual feedback.

Oh right, my bad. I'm confusing Continua's mod matrix with Quanta's one. THAT is a horrible mod matrix. Continua is ok, I guess.

[BONES]

Yeah, the Quanta one is a bit clunky, especially having to scroll to see everything.

[Russell Grand]

they didn't use to.
not sure when it changed though?

Yeah, that's why I thought there were no demos.

Sorry, though, I should've checked up on it before posting incorrect info. My apologies, everyone.

[Russell Grand]

Probably because AD doesn't offer demos […]

huh???? since when?
here:
https://audiodamage.com/collections/plu ... 1-continua

i can clearly see a floppy/download icon called "DEMO"
clicking on it, lets you download a demo version of continua which works for 20 minutes
until reloaded

afaik AD offers demos for all of their software products...
(except for the freeware )

My mistake. Until very recently, AD didn't offer demos.

[Introspective]

This is at least partially hyperbole, but if you know me, you know I am prone to it:

Continua has made me change the way I think about electronic music. ...or maybe it has reminded me of how I once thought about it.

Yes: Diva and RePro and--hell--Dune sound "better". Sure, Pigments has a better interface. Sure, it's not the most flexible, with no wavetables or samples or modularity. The filters are certainly ... basic. A lot of the charm of this synth comes from the reverb. (...which is pretty spectacular: I have yet to feel the need to replace it with Valhalla... and that's almost always the *first* thing I do with a synth!)

But there is something about it. It's just flexible *enough*. The filters are just good *enough*. The UI is just good enough to use (I will remove some points for the way modulation is routed--I don't like to have to right-click to edit filter envelope depth, for example, but ... it's ... OK.) There's a kind of magic to it, though... something elegant and understated and gentle. It's on that cusp between digitally cold and analog warm, and it sits there in the best way. It sits right on that knife's edge between simple and complex. It sits politely in whatever part of the spectrum you ask it to, without overextending itself in the name of "bigness."

I have a TON of synths that I would consider "light" in sound, in that way that allows you to build up lots of layers without overwhelming a song. ...But I think the others--take Rob Papen's stuff, for example--do this by being thin and underwhelming and lacking in crispness or clarity. They're "just synths," just tools that do what they're told and nothing else. No magic. It's not ... *satisfying*. It's just... there.

Continua somehow--for me, at least--gets in that same space of being "light" while at the same time being deeply satisfying. Fluid. Enjoyable even on its own, despite that lightness.

I don't know where it gets that quality. I wish I did. Because it's brilliant and I want more of it!

I tried the demo and I liked it and Continua sat on my Wishlist for months. ...behind other synths, actually. Then I bought Pigments. It's part of my "process" when buying a new synth to go through ALL of the presets: it helps me learn what the synth is capable of, what the "vibe" of it is, and as I go, I tweak some patches and maybe deconstruct a patch here to figure out how they pulled off this or that, blah blah. Anyway: going through Pigments's presets was a SLOG. Tedious. I was happy to finally have the synth (I still am), but, damn, I was *uninspired* as I worked my way through the damn presets.

I was about 2/3rds of the way through when I got so frustrated with it that I stopped, bought Continua, and went through that one instead. I was *deeply* inspired. Similar quality to Pigments (that "light" feeling that I was talking about), but ... there's something smoother and more magical about Continua. It just fits. It's probably just me. Almost certainly! This is very much a subjective opinion here, so proceed with caution, but... It just makes me want to write music. Simpler music. Uncomplicated music. I actually find myself thinning out my mixes, now, just to let the purity of the sounds come through. It's a revelation for me.

Continua is now on my shortest of short lists for synths that I reach for. One of my true "Go-to"s.

[Introspective]

It's part of my "process" when buying a new synth to go through ALL of the presets: it helps me learn what the synth is capable of, what the "vibe" of it is, and as I go, I tweak some patches and maybe deconstruct a patch here to figure out how they pulled off this or that, blah blah.

And, before anyone asks, YES, I own Omnisphere, and YES, I have gone through ALL of the presets. (I even have Trilian and the Moog patch library, so: add those!)

No, I am not joking.

Yes, it took an exceedingly long time. More than a week. Maybe more than two; I forget at this point.

Yes, I think it was worth it.

...Hey, we all have our ways of avoiding actually writing music, right? Leave me to my vices! ...I get around to writing more than enough actual music as it is.

[BONES]

But there is something about it. It's just flexible *enough*. The filters are just good *enough*.

For me, this is where it tends to fall down. I don't think the filters are quite good enough. Interesting, for sure, but just a bit bland.

The UI is just good enough to use (I will remove some points for the way modulation is routed--I don't like to have to right-click to edit filter envelope depth, for example, but ... it's ... OK.)

Right-clicking for me is as natural as breathing so I don't even notice it. I certainly prefer it to an over-cluttered UI, because you get visual feedback on modulation without having to see the knob position.

It sits politely in whatever part of the spectrum you ask it to, without overextending itself in the name of "bigness."

I have a patch that would make a liar of you on this point - it is the biggest, fattest, nastiest lead/pad sound you will ever hear and Continua did it easily. I just had to learn a little trick about the unison to make it work. The manual was very helpful on the subject.

Continua somehow--for me, at least--gets in that same space of being "light" while at the same time being deeply satisfying. Fluid. Enjoyable even on its own, despite that lightness.

I definitely get that and I also mostly enjoy using it on its own, but that's because it doesn't often cut it in a mix. For me it is a real specialty synth and I mostly know when to reach for it, which is a good thing. e.g. I've been working on a cover of Ultravox's All Stood Still and I noticed the original has a really quiet string pad running pretty much all the way through it. As soon as my ears heard it, I knew Continua would be perfect for the part and so it was. That "lightness" was just what was needed and the ability to set up really subtle modulation in the dual filters makes the part a lot more interesting than it would be if I used something else. It swells at just the right time and fades into the background when it's not needed. It definitely encourages that light touch. Sadly, those kinds of situations are quite rare in our music so it doesn't get all that much use from me.

Another synth that is a bit the same for me is HY-Poly and if you compare them, HY-Poly ultimately offers a lot more versatility for around the same money. If I had to recommend one, I'd recommend it over Continua. Of course, I'm lucky because I have both and I don't regret either purchase.

[Igro]

Seems like a cool synth. I was going to demo it, but the link is broken.

[muki]

the original poster hasn't made a comment ever since ?

[Igro]

Those who own it, how CPU hungry it is?
How good it is for basses (before processing). (Sure I can make a bass sound even with a single OSC, but still...)

I wonder why AD didn't add more effects, such as distortion, phaser and so on. They have a good background at this.
Also, an ARP would be cool too.

I have Pigments, but Continua looks lighter, but still versatile. I like the fact that it doesn't use wavetables, but waveshapers instead.

Why the demo link not working?

[BONES]

There is a drive effect in line, between the oscillators and the filter. It's quite effective, too. As for other effects, I don't really understand why anyone includes any, beyond giving the synth the ability to sound better than it really is when people demo it for the first time. i.e. I think on-board effects are all about marketing and these guys don't seem to be much into marketing.

I've not noticed the CPU use. I'll have a look tonight and let you know.

[Igro]

I agree, that many people any won't use onboard effects, but then you won't be able to present finished presets without them. But AD has a good reputation in making effects. Some synths have top quality effects, for instance, Thorn has a good distortion.

Btw, can be Continua effects rearrange in different order?

[BONES]

You know what? I think I've changed my mind. Thanks to this thread I've been playing with Continua a bit over the last couple of nights and I have a new-found respect for it and what it can do. If you are looking for something that sounds a little bit different, Continua is actually pretty good.

[thecontrolcentre]

You know what? I think I've changed my mind. Thanks to this thread I've been playing with Continua a bit over the last couple of nights and I have a new-found respect for it and what it can do. If you are looking for something that sounds a little bit different, Continua is actually pretty good.

Good to hear. I've been meaning to demo it for ages. I have Basic, so the crossgrade price to Continua is available. I've used a lot of Audio Damage stuff in my tracks recently. I really like Phospher3 as well. That was a free upgrade from v1

[Gribs]

Continua is now on my shortest of short lists for synths that I reach for. One of my true "Go-to"s.

I would guess that the clean, non-skeuomorphic, scalable interface based on vector graphics objects helps significantly. I like to support AD simply for that. I don’t have licenses for all of their plugins, but I have four or five.