PLASMONIC - A new synth from Brian Clevinger

[mountainmaster]

This is the best acoustic modeling synth I have tried so far. And that introductory discount is a steal.
It was also a nice surprise that at checkout US dollars were converted to actual euros. If you didn't know, most companies simply charge the same amount which makes things more expensive in EU countries.

One thing I noticed is that the factory preset list is incomplete. When I select individual preset folders I see presets which are not in the factory list.

Edit: I found another presets issue in the Windows version: Save As... does not automatically take me to the User presets folder but to the last used folder. Which is a bad thing because presets that are not saved in the User folder will not show up in the library.

[Hez]

Couldn't resist picking it up, dear lord it sounds gorgeous. Huge respect to Brian, on the surface when it was announced the tech didn't sound like anything particularly new, but all the elements work perfectly together. It really does sound alive, much more so than some of the more 'complex'/academic physical modelling stuff I've tried.

The Spaces in particular are great - I can't stop messing with the Sympathetic mode, I've been listening to a fair bit of Indian classical/raga stuff recently and it's perfect for experimenting with that sort of timbral/harmonic feeling.

I would actually love to see a breakout FX plugin just with the Spaces. They fill that gap between resonator bank & reverb perfectly.

[pdxindy]

The other minor complaint that I'm surprised people don't bring up more is preset browsing. It would be absolutely fantastic if the preset browser allowed you to select the next or previous preset with the arrow keys, right now it just highlights it, and when you select it, the browser closes..... You can select presets and they actually change by using the mouse pointer without closing the browser, but not with the arrow keys.

Yes! The arrow keys should scroll through the presets...

[bharris22]

Very grateful for the month-long intro price. I can hold fire for a couple of weeks and give my credit (hollow laugh) card a chance to recover from the seasonal burden I cripple it with.

When does the intro price expire?

[zvenx]

It;s in this thread maybe one or two pages ago, and on their website.
17th January.
rsp

[bharris22]

Excellent - thanks!

[jbraner]

I just discovered the little green circles that show you what a modulator or macro is modulating. (they just appear when you hover the mouse over a modulator). I wish there was one for the triggers too - so you could find out what is actually using, say, pulse A.

[ReleaseCandidate]

I wish there was one for the triggers too - so you could find out what is actually using, say, pulse A.

That's true. When using only one it's easy to look at each 'T', but with two or more used pulses that doesn't work.

[psynical]

i wonder if it's possible to create a preference setting for the coarse/fine issue? Something that would allow for any variation you prefer for the horizontal and vertical. That way, the discussion would be over and everyone could create a pref that works for their needs. Since those sliders are an essential part of the Plasmonic workflow, it's really important to get it right.

[p1afff]

I just discovered the little green circles that show you what a modulator or macro is modulating. (they just appear when you hover the mouse over a modulator). I wish there was one for the triggers too - so you could find out what is actually using, say, pulse A.

yes sure, it has already been submitted

[aMUSEd]

Would be nice to be able to favourite presets - I have so many

[Gribs]

I am on the "this GUI is sort of weird" side. A better choice for slider adjustment IMO would be to hold down Ctrl to get fine adjustment and maybe double-click to enter an exact number. I am not color blind but I would pick a pair of colors that has a more noticeable difference, mostly in saturation. I work on display and indicator optics as a profession and this is a "thing" for me. I think the most difficult hurdle for me is the modulation database. Maybe it will make more sense after several hours practicing making my own sounds from scratch.

If Brian is reading this thread, I would suggest placing the manual on the Rhizomatic web site so that prospective customers can have a look at it.

I agree that this is not a synthesizer for making "bread and butter" sounds. I certainly did not buy it for that purpose.

[zvenx]

Would be nice to be able to favourite presets - I have so many

Indeed.
rsp

[p1afff]

Would be nice to be able to favourite presets - I have so many

Sure. You can make your own sub folders though

[aMUSEd]

I am on the "this GUI is sort of weird" side. A better choice for slider adjustment IMO would be to hold down Ctrl to get fine adjustment and maybe double-click to enter an exact number.

I hate that in synths - it’s a programmer’s approach not a musician’s. You already have to take a hand off the keys to use the mouse or controller, having to press a keyboard modifier as well means you have no hands to play while adjusting params, which makes it really hard to hear how the the changes affect the sound as you play, especially if doing this live.