New MPE synths...

[Whywhy]

Equator 2 is out too !

[sjmarano]

Would love to get someone's opinion on whether the enhancements to Equator 2 are worth upgrading to.

[Dirk Diggler]

I have decided for me the Equator 2 upgrade is a no brainer, just being able to add your own wave files is enough of an update for me. I'm just about to buy the upgrade today.

And while we're on the subject, I have to exclaim with great joy I think I have found a great hardware synth that works very, very well with Linnstrument.
I spent the day yesterday playing around it seems like a great powerful combination. Modal Electronics Argon8M is what I picked up.

I wanted an MPE capable poly synth for solos and melodies, and occasional ambient chordal stuff, all boxes ticked. The MPE support is good and latency is minimal, it really feels like playing on a hardware all in 1 synth.

For the cash I'm totally impressed, it might not be what everyone is looking for, but for me it's ultimate companion to my Linnstrument in my crazy setup.
Dirk

[Dirk Diggler]

After purchase and during installation something became quite clear.
Keep this in your consideration, Equator 2 now requires about 12 gig to install fully.
And still no ability to install the libraries on anything other than the OS drive.
Not a deal breaker for me, but for some it might be.

Dirk

[sjmarano]

Well, Dirk, I went ahead and purchased the upgrade as well, and discovered another surprise: it appears that Equator2 won't run on any version of Windows 10 earlier than Release 1909. And I can confirm that: the installation failed on my PC within seconds of being invoked.

I have been holding off on updating my copy of W10 due to some reported performance issues that it might introduce. In retrospect, I should have double-checked the s/w specs before ordering, but this is the first time I have ever encountered a Windows application that required upgrading to a given 'mid-release' version of the latest O/S. I thought those kinds of annoyances were reserved for Mac users.

[John the Savage]

I have to exclaim with great joy I think I have found a great hardware synth that works very, very well with Linnstrument.
I spent the day yesterday playing around it seems like a great powerful combination. Modal Electronics Argon8M is what I picked up.

I wanted an MPE capable poly synth for solos and melodies, and occasional ambient chordal stuff, all boxes ticked. The MPE support is good and latency is minimal, it really feels like playing on a hardware all in 1 synth.

For the cash I'm totally impressed, it might not be what everyone is looking for, but for me it's ultimate companion to my Linnstrument in my crazy setup.
Dirk

I really like the sound of the Argon8, and the 8M in particular would fit perfectly behind the LinnStrument in my setup; but I haven't really seen any comprehensive demos of it being used with an MPE controller.

In addition to that, as with so many other MPE synths, because MPE mode is a Global parameter on the Argon, I'm concerned about the note handling for mono/legato patches when the synth is in MPE mode: i.e. what happens when you play two instances of the same note on the LinnStrument; does it handle note priority and pitchbends properly under these conditions? That seems to be a stumbling block for the majority hardware MPE synths, including the Hydrasynth. It's like the designers are only thinking in terms of keyboards, and aren't considering the unique possibilities of the "fretboard" layout.

Anyway, I'm still leaning toward a Hydrasynth (if they fix the above-mentioned bugs), as it's simply a more capable and better-built synth overall; but the size and form factor of the Argon8M would be a better fit for my live rig.

All that to say, if anyone wants to stress-test the Argon thusly, I'd be interested to hear any pertinent feedback.

Cheers!

[Dirk Diggler]

Hey sjmarano I'm running win10 1909 here, this machine is old enough it has never been able to upgrade past this point. I have tried many things and it just always fails.

John,
yes the sound is very unique and at times it really reminds me of an old Oberheim with it's handling of voices and many things. No legato or mono patch issues so far as the Argon handles that very well. 2 instances of the same note hasn't been an issue yet, maybe it's my playing style but I don't tend to play the same note in different places. I am currently working through a bug that one of midi channels/notes doesn't handle pitch bend properly, all other channels are fine.

I need to investigate it further, but it seems like it only bends slightly while the others bend full range from the Linnstrument. So hey 7 out of 8 isn't bad right?

For me Hydrasynth was another consideration, but price and features pushed me towards the Argon.

I'm working on stressing it and looking for issues, so far the bend issue is it. That should be a relatively easy fix, and I'm betting it lies with the Argon implementation not the Linnstrument since I don't have the same bend issue with other software. I get a feeling that MPE was considered when they built the synth, a lot of software seems to do it as an afterthought.

So 2 days in I'm still impressed, so that's a good sign.
Dirk

[John the Savage]

Thanks for the feedback, D.D. Appreciated. Do keep us in the loop, eh!

Cheers!

[Dirk Diggler]

By the way I apologize, I just realized I've hijacked the thread.
Feel free to resume normal activities. This Topic had been a very useful resource for my decision on the hardware.
Dirk

[Tj Shredder]

Shapiro 2 does support MPE. It works, but you need to assign the pitch bend to the oscillators first. I guess the developer does not own a MPE controller...
Product page: https://channelrobot.com/product/shapiro-2/
I got it with this deal: https://audioplugin.deals/shapiro-2-by-channel-robot/

[JefVerbeeck]

Vital Nov 24 I think.

Good month for MPE!

I am looking forward to give Vital a try. It is clearly based on Serum, but with some added features and an even more intuitive workflow.

[t-IB]

The new micromonsta is now released - there's no direct mention of MPE on this web page but I'm pretty sure it's included... the manual will be along later... https://www.audiothingies.com/product/micromonsta2/

Edit: mpe to come in a future update but not integrated yet.

[SLiC]

Vital Nov 24 I think.

Good month for MPE!

I am looking forward to give Vital a try. It is clearly based on Serum, but with some added features and an even more intuitive workflow.

Vital may be the best new synth I have tried all year, especially for MPE, I have been playing with it all day.

You can get it now....pre-release deal....

$20 with an extra pre-set pack, instant download- you will be playing it in 5 minutes
Update to the pro version on the 24th...

https://account.vital.audio/inthemix

[John the Savage]

The new micromonsta is now released - there's no direct mention of MPE on this web page but I'm pretty sure it's included... the manual will be along later... https://www.audiothingies.com/product/micromonsta2/

Edit: mpe to come in a future update but not integrated yet.

Unfortunately, MPE is not currently supported in the MM2.

From the FAQ page:

What MicroMonsta 2 doesn’t have from MicroMonsta:

• The p6 rz1, rz2 and rz3 oscillators

• Envelope shape parameter

• 8-step lfo, scaler, arp sequencer and chorder

• MIDI Out / Thru port

• MPE (although this is planned in a very future firmware update)

Personally, I won't be investing in the "very future" promise of MPE. The lack of MIDI Thru and the DIN dongle also makes this a no-go for me.

Cheers!

[t-IB]

The new micromonsta is now released - there's no direct mention of MPE on this web page but I'm pretty sure it's included... the manual will be along later... https://www.audiothingies.com/product/micromonsta2/

Edit: mpe to come in a future update but not integrated yet.

Unfortunately, MPE is not currently supported in the MM2.

From the FAQ page:

What MicroMonsta 2 doesn’t have from MicroMonsta:

• The p6 rz1, rz2 and rz3 oscillators

• Envelope shape parameter

• 8-step lfo, scaler, arp sequencer and chorder

• MIDI Out / Thru port

• MPE (although this is planned in a very future firmware update)

Personally, I won't be investing in the "very future" promise of MPE. The lack of MIDI Thru and the DIN dongle also makes this a no-go for me.

Cheers!

Yeah, disappointed it's not in from the off though I'll grab one when it's updated/MPE is included - I kind of feel duty bound to because he implemented every suggestion I made* on his 'what should I include on the v2' survey... Hopefully the bitimbrality is mpe controllable for each voice.

(*No doubt others did too)