IK announces UNO Synth Pro

[SLiC]

An expensive analogue synth with just 4 multi function knobs (not even endless encoders?) isn't something I would be interested in at the price, its basilcay the same as the UNO that I paid £115 for as a fun little desktop synth...

Pig's arse! This will be 10 times the synth the original is - 3 x Oscillators with cross-mod plus dual filters and 12 on-board effects, including analogue distortion. And it's paraphonic, FFS! I will agree that endless rotary encoders would be a better fit but it's hard to complain when it is such a bargain and I'm sure I'll end up patching it from the VSTi anyway.

Its not just about the sound/spec (although it just sounds quite a lot like my UNO through fx to me from the demos) I am personally not paying over £700 for a synth with just 4 multi function potentiometers. The main reason I buy hardware over using VSTs (other than to get away from the monitor!) is largely for the direct access to knobs and controls for performance, so this one is not for me....put I am sure they will sell a ton of them and that the price will in realty be a lot lower with all the discounting/sales/jam points etc...just not a 'no brainer' price range anymore.

[BONES]

First of all, you don't have to pay 700 quid, the desktop version is around half that price and has exactly the same feature set. If that's not a no-brainer price, I don't know what is. Secondly, there are 8 potentiometers, not four, and the fact they are not all dedicated to the edit matrix is a good thing, not a problem. Finally, to suggest it's "basilcay (sic) the same as the UNO" is patently ridiculous. It may have a similar sound, because it has the same oscillators and filter, but the extra features take it so far beyond those origins that it may as well be a whole new synth.

[excuse me please]

Korg just has announced a 61 key Wavestate. Gee, I wonder why.

[BONES]

Basically the same reason IK announced these synths - because they sold all the current ones they thought they could. If you don't think they do extensive market research before they decide on these kinds of things, you don't understand how modern business works.

[thevegasnerve5]

First of all, you don't have to pay 700 quid, the desktop version is around half that price and has exactly the same feature set. If that's not a no-brainer price, I don't know what is. Secondly, there are 8 potentiometers, not four, and the fact they are not all dedicated to the edit matrix is a good thing, not a problem. Finally, to suggest it's "basilcay (sic) the same as the UNO" is patently ridiculous. It may have a similar sound, because it has the same oscillators and filter, but the extra features take it so far beyond those origins that it may as well be a whole new synth.

agreed. UNO Synth Pro has a ton of upgrades over the original. I had the original so paid close attention to all the improvements.

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

For those interested, since one of UNO Synth Pro's filters is based on a new chip from Sound Semiconductor Inc (SSI), we have posted this interview with Dave Rossum and Dan Parks, two members of the team that created the famous SSM chip:

https://youtu.be/BQnJ65jvgBU

[AdvancedFollower]

First of all, you don't have to pay 700 quid, the desktop version is around half that price and has exactly the same feature set. If that's not a no-brainer price, I don't know what is. Secondly, there are 8 potentiometers, not four, and the fact they are not all dedicated to the edit matrix is a good thing, not a problem. Finally, to suggest it's "basilcay (sic) the same as the UNO" is patently ridiculous. It may have a similar sound, because it has the same oscillators and filter, but the extra features take it so far beyond those origins that it may as well be a whole new synth.

agreed. UNO Synth Pro has a ton of upgrades over the original. I had the original so paid close attention to all the improvements.

It's definitely a huge improvement in terms of synthesis power, but also a big price increase. The beauty of the original UNO is that you get a "complete" monosynth (2 VCO's, 1 multimode filter, 2 ADSRs, 1 LFO) for something like €150 new. As long as you can live with accessing some parameters via the editor or MIDI CC's, nothing else really comes close at that price. In the €400 range of the desktop UNO Pro however, there's plenty of competition, such as the BS2, SE-02, Behringer clones etc.

[idfpower]

In the €400 range of the desktop UNO Pro however, there's plenty of competition

459 €, actually...

[BONES]

No, it's 399.99 on IK's site.

It's definitely a huge improvement in terms of synthesis power, but also a big price increase. The beauty of the original UNO is that you get a "complete" monosynth (2 VCO's, 1 multimode filter, 2 ADSRs, 1 LFO) for something like €150 new. As long as you can live with accessing some parameters via the editor or MIDI CC's, nothing else really comes close at that price. In the €400 range of the desktop UNO Pro however, there's plenty of competition, such as the BS2, SE-02, Behringer clones etc.

The thing was, though, that with all that came some pretty big limitations, like a lack of cross-mod. Now we will have a choice - a basic synth at an unbeatable price or a more expensive synth with an unbeatable feature set for the price. Because the thing is that none of the synths you've mentioned in the same price bracket can compete with Uno Pro on features and probably not on sound, either. e.g. The Behringers don't have patch memory and the SE-02 only has a low-pass filter.

[lfm]

The thing was, though, that with all that came some pretty big limitations, like a lack of cross-mod. Now we will have a choice - a basic synth at an unbeatable price or a more expensive synth with an unbeatable feature set for the price. Because the thing is that none of the synths you've mentioned in the same price bracket can compete with Uno Pro on features and probably not on sound, either. e.g. The Behringers don't have patch memory and the SE-02 only has a low-pass filter.

How seriously did you look at DeepMind and sounds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULojN_j7LzA

Measure up pretty well with 6 times more expensive DM6->Prophet 6
Demo is rather EDM but maybe closer to what you want doing mono synths mostly as I understand.

You even thought DM6 had mini keys - full size with AT is what you get.
DeepMind 6 is cheaper than any UNO Pro with real keys - €500.
And you have 1024 patch memories and 6 voices.
Run silly unison or pads as you please.
Footprint is small 65x25 cm.

Loads of good tuts on DeepMind too - one that show some intriguing effects with feedback stuff for shimmering reverbs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBv6CXBS7Cg

And cross modulation with like 40 sources and 130 destination, pick 8 for the matrix.

The control sequencer allow for entering many steps with own values to use as source for modulation. Self generative patch here we come
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_p5JBAWUTs

Have the LFO's run by divisions of tempo or own rates.

Envelopes has own curves, so set attack longer but fiddle with curve up to exponential how you like it. Seriously extend what you can bring up with the filter - which is both 24 and 12 dB slope. And a HP shelving to just nudge off some bass if you want.

DeepMind is an overtake of many synths out there.

[BONES]

I'm not sure about prices where you are but a Deepmind 6 is Au$235 more than I've paid for my Uno Pro Desktop pre-order (which includes postage form Italy) - Au$859 v Au $626 - and the desktop's keys will be fine. I actually quite enjoy playing the keys on my Uno and I can envisage using the Pro desktop's keys even more, as in to play some of my VSTi instead of using KeyStep or my Seaboard Blocks.

It's long time since I demo'd a Deepmind 12 in a shop and it didn't really grab me, so I'm pretty confident I'm going to be much happier with a new Super-Uno. As you point out, Deepmind's only have a low-pass filter, which is a bit restrictive in my experience. It's probably also a ladder filter, so screw that. To me, things like envelope curves are just fiddly shit I don't want to have to deal with. I've never found that sort of thing useful when it comes to making a sound work in a mix. Deepmind suffers form the same problem as a lot of VSTi - they've tried to cram too much into it, instead of having confidence that it would sell on the back of sounding good. Sure, unison would be nice but I've got that covered with Ultranova and most of my VSTi, so I can live without it here. A bit of analogue distortion and chorus will probably suffice.

The other omission from Deepmind is a VSTi librarian/editor, which is how I mostly patch all my hardware synths. It's pretty much a deal-breaker on it's own. I can't imagine f**king about with a mod matrix on that little screen, it would be a major PITA, like it is on my Analog Keys or Ultranova without the VSTi.

[bharris22]

Dunno - with the UNO Pro at $400, I think I would choose the Dreadbox Typhon instead (which could be had for under $350).

Maybe if you are willing to give up the third oscillator, paraphonic operation, cross-modulation, the second filter and the extra modes, and a keyboard so you can actually play it, but to me that seems like a lot of extra features for just another $50.

Horses for courses, I think. Personally, for me, the 12 Sinevibes built-in FX on the Typhon, along with the ability to use three of those effects at once and modulate any of those FX parameters, is something I am more interested in - it makes the Typhon a very capable and portable ambient sound generator with tons of flexibility. The additional features you mention for the new UNO Synth Pro don't replace those for me . . . .

[BONES]

But Uno Pro features basically the same thing - 12 FX in three busses - but it also has an analogue distortion. I'm not sure about modulation but there's always automation if it's not there. Obviously it's going to be hard to know how they compare until we get our hands on the new Uno but on paper it seems comparable.

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

For those who are interested in hearing more of what UNO Synth Pro sounds like, check out this second Luca Zabbini performance showcasing many types of sounds - all made with UNO Synth Pro:

https://youtu.be/ERooz-M11uA

[BONES]

Cool! Any idea when shipments will start? I've got two weeks off in the middle of March, it would be nice to have a new toy to play with.