KVR Audio

Jorock · Post by **Jorock** » Mon Mar 15, 2021 9:07 pm

Posted this on another forum, but curious to see thoughts from some folks around here. I realize Stylus RMX is a 15 year old product, but it still finds its way into tons of my productions when I need something quick to sit behind the main drum elements, or take individual elements out of a larger loop to act as a 16th note type of shaker element underneath...

Given how incredible a company Spectrasonics is and the fact that Omnisphere is insanely powerful and deep; I am wondering if they will release a massive overhaul of Stylus RMX that is as vast for beat making as Omnisphere is for synth/sound design? Would be killer if it pulled in components of NI Battery combined with it's current functionality with drag and drop to load samples in and automatically make rex loops based off of dragging in different beat elements!

Anyone out there have any underground info on such a thing?

CrystalWizard · Post by **CrystalWizard** » Mon Mar 15, 2021 9:25 pm

i wish i did and that it was Yes!, Stylus RMX 2 is on the way, but no, i haven't heard anything. You can get a lot of extra mileage by converting rex files although a lot depends on the quality of the rex files.

zvenx · Post by **zvenx** » Mon Mar 15, 2021 9:38 pm

Anyone who truly knows won't be able to say anything (unless Eric himself does).
That it is still being sold to me indicates that there will be a version 2.0..
That hints over the years have been made, we haven't forgotten rhythm, or stuff like that further suggests to me one day there will be an RMX 2.0 or a replacement for RMX.

When?... I have No idea.
rsp

Jorock · Post by **Jorock** » Tue Mar 16, 2021 1:02 am

Yea, I feel like what my limited non-genius brain can fathom for a Stylus RMX 2 is a pretty incredible piece of rhythm software. So whatever Eric and the crew could cook up would likely be mind blowing and an instant buy. I just know its been a long time and Stylus RMX is now on v1.9.9 soooo.... hopin it will happen soon!

noiseboyuk · Post by **noiseboyuk** » Tue Mar 16, 2021 7:09 am

If you do a forum search, you'll find at least a decade's worth of threads with variations on this thread title. The stock answer someone has already quoted - the official Eric P / Spectrasonics line is "we haven't forgotten about rhythm". And that's it.

Spectrasonics are a very unusual company in the marketplace, in that they have so few products. In an interview years ago, Eric said they have one product that has been in development for 17 years. It's still not out today, whatever that is. They work on glacially slow timescales compared to almost everyone else. There are other facets to their uniqueness - they never do sales, they have a reputation for product updates that are significant and roll out for years and no extra cost (Omni 2 an obvious exception, but there were many huge updates before and after).

All this is context. I think it's near certain that they've been working on a Stylus replacement for over 10 years. But this gives little clue as to whether it is right round the corner or another 20 years away.

Jorock wrote: ↑Tue Mar 16, 2021 1:02 am Yea, I feel like what my limited non-genius brain can fathom for a Stylus RMX 2 is a pretty incredible piece of rhythm software. So whatever Eric and the crew could cook up would likely be mind blowing and an instant buy.

This is my feeling too. It's pure speculation of course, but because I can imagine so much good stuff that would be unique, I suspect they can too and its taken them far longer to develop than they originally thought.

Iftekhar · Post by **Iftekhar** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:37 am

One good news is that it got the VST3 version update. I am looking forward to the next major version as well, at least for a search function in the browser.

Echoes in the Attic · Post by **Echoes in the Attic** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 3:07 am

noiseboyuk wrote: ↑Tue Mar 16, 2021 7:09 am If you do a forum search, you'll find at least a decade's worth of threads with variations on this thread title. The stock answer someone has already quoted - the official Eric P / Spectrasonics line is "we haven't forgotten about rhythm". And that's it.

Spectrasonics are a very unusual company in the marketplace, in that they have so few products. In an interview years ago, Eric said they have one product that has been in development for 17 years. It's still not out today, whatever that is.

I believe this was keyscape.

LoveEnigma18 · Post by **LoveEnigma18** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 5:00 am

Iftekhar wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:37 am One good news is that it got the VST3 version update. I am looking forward to the next major version as well, at least for a search function in the browser.

Yes, and stepper buttons for changing "Elements" would be great too (like for Multis/Kits). There are a couple more things that I am not able to recall.

I have requested the support for resizable GUI and they said it is a big effort. So, I guess it is not in the works, but after the VST3 update, there is a hope and I will try to request again. Unlikely, but it is also possible they will add it as a free update. So, Stylus RMX 2 could then just be about new features/functions and new sounds. There's definitely a ton of potential for a successor as I figured out in just 2-3 days of owning it.

noiseboyuk · Post by **noiseboyuk** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 8:23 am

Echoes in the Attic wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 3:07 am
noiseboyuk wrote: ↑Tue Mar 16, 2021 7:09 am If you do a forum search, you'll find at least a decade's worth of threads with variations on this thread title. The stock answer someone has already quoted - the official Eric P / Spectrasonics line is "we haven't forgotten about rhythm". And that's it.

Spectrasonics are a very unusual company in the marketplace, in that they have so few products. In an interview years ago, Eric said they have one product that has been in development for 17 years. It's still not out today, whatever that is.
I believe this was keyscape.

I may have mis-remembered, but I thiiiink Eric mentioned it in an interview conducted after the release of Keyscape. Regardless, he said they have multiple very long term products in development.

beely · Post by **beely** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 2:36 pm

noiseboyuk wrote: ↑Tue Mar 16, 2021 7:09 amEric said they have one product that has been in development for 17 years.

I'd guess that it doesn't mean that Keyscape itself was in development for 17 years, but that some of the first ideas he had about a piano/keyboard instrument, and maybe some sample sessions from some of the instruments were done back then. They may even have knocked up some piano-instrument ideas back when they were getting the instruments externally developed. I know that back when they originally had the three UVI-developed instruments out (Atmosphere, Trilogy and Stylus), they had deals in place with third-party suppliers for technology for *five* instruments, not three.

And as piano/keyboard instruments came along that broadly fit in with the vision, they would be I'm sure sampled as resources allow, so the library is gradually building over time, even if the instrument/plugin as such isn't being that actively deevloped. Then when Omnisphere was complete enough in terms of an engine, they probably revisited it and started to flesh out what would become Keyscape, schedule additional sample sessions and begin work on it properly and more intensively.

One things for sure, I'd love to know more details about what went on with Stylus internally, after they finally release a new version, which I still think will happen one day. I mean they released a bunch of content expansions for RMX, much of which was repackaging earlier libraries for RMX, and, bar that one (excellent!) charity library, they produced no more content for RMX at all.

No more commercial (or free) expansion packs, no more up-to-date genre expansions, no expansions from known producers - there were lots of things they could have done to bring more content, and more contemporary content to RMX owners, and generated more revenue, and kept the interest in RMX up and have people thinking it was more than just a product that "continued to be in their lineup" but largely ignored apart from a few bug fixes and compatibility updates.

But nothing. I know they are a small team and their products do tend to have pretty vast and high-quality content, which is not quick to build, but either they were focused elsewhere, or they have continued to generate percussion content, but are saving it all for a new instrument (which again, is a bit weird, because you often end up working on genre-specific content which is hot at the time, but out of date a decade later - like coming up with a huge dubstep library now or something.)

We'll know one day, I guess. Probably by then we'll know what dark matter is, too...

jclosed · Post by **jclosed** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 3:38 pm

I really would like to see an Stylus RMX 2 too. I still use Stylus a lot, but it's really aging. The fact that the interface is still not scalable after the latest updates was a surprise for me. I also own Omnisphere and Trilian, and both do have a scalable interface, so why Stylus RMX still has not cached up is a mystery to me.

I am honestly disappointed that Spectrasonics has given Stylus RMX and their users the cold shoulder. I get it - It's difficult to design a new version of this old plugin, and they are not a big team in that respect, but after all these years you would expect at least something. Yeah - They made the plugin into a VST3 version, but I really expect more after all these years. I really hope this is not the last update before they drop Stylus RMX completely. The signs are not encouraging.

Anyway - For now the only thing we can do is wait and hope. That's about it...

Armadillo · Post by **Armadillo** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 3:42 pm

Jorock wrote: ↑Tue Mar 16, 2021 1:02 am Yea, I feel like what my limited non-genius brain can fathom for a Stylus RMX 2 is a pretty incredible piece of rhythm software. So whatever Eric and the crew could cook up would likely be mind blowing and an instant buy. I just know its been a long time and Stylus RMX is now on v1.9.9 soooo.... hopin it will happen soon!

That was my thought as well. We can't possibly have any more releases between 1.9.9 and 2.0, but lo and behold. 1.10.0 just got released, so who knows now.

At this point I think it's more likely that Half Life 3 will be out before RMX 2

vurt · Post by **vurt** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 4:39 pm

no there will be "rmx-2025"
but it will be a death lazer eyed robot that hates musicians.

LoveEnigma18 · Post by **LoveEnigma18** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 5:29 pm

Armadillo wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 3:42 pm
Jorock wrote: ↑Tue Mar 16, 2021 1:02 am Yea, I feel like what my limited non-genius brain can fathom for a Stylus RMX 2 is a pretty incredible piece of rhythm software. So whatever Eric and the crew could cook up would likely be mind blowing and an instant buy. I just know its been a long time and Stylus RMX is now on v1.9.9 soooo.... hopin it will happen soon!
That was my thought as well. We can't possibly have any more releases between 1.9.9 and 2.0, but lo and behold. 1.10.0 just got released, so who knows now.

At this point I think it's more likely that Half Life 3 will be out before RMX 2

This version naming is good and bad. Good for possible free updates in future including GUI resizing and bad for the possibility of a true successor with improvements and new content being remote.

jacqueslacouth · Post by **jacqueslacouth** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 5:47 pm

There might be, but I seriously doubt that I will still be around to see it...life is short, Spectarasonics' development times are not!

Will there be Spectrasonics Stylus RMX v2.0 ???