Tracktion Presents: Wavesequencer Hyperion

[Teksonik]

First impressions....very nice core sound. I am able to set up multi step wavesequencing but unless I'm missing something the content you can load into each step is limited. Although Hyperion can load samples and even soundfonts there is no way I can find to use that content in the wavesequencer steps so it's more like wavetables than wavesequences.

Wavesequencing is where you can for example have a full flute sample morph into a full choir sample then into a string sample etc. The morph can be smooth or stepped for more rhythmic transitions.

Anyone who owns Wusikstation or Wavestation will know what I'm saying.

Odd that someone who calls themselves wavesequencer would have missed the target on that but again maybe I'm missing something (I hope). Perhaps as others work with the demo they'll prove me wrong.

But having said that even if the WS is limited it's still a very deep and complex synth capable of some wonderful sounds. So at $99 it will be tempting.

I'll keep working with the demo. Oh and it's VST3 only if that matters to anyone.

[zzz00m]

I'll keep working with the demo. Oh and it's VST3 only if that matters to anyone.

And I found it odd that the Windows installer asked me where to put the VST3. 'C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3' usually works best for that.

[FigBug]

I'll keep working with the demo. Oh and it's VST3 only if that matters to anyone.

AU (Intel/ARM) as well for the Mac users. Steinberg is no longer granting new developers VST2 licenses, so for new developers, VST3 only is their only option.

[Teksonik]

And I found it odd that the Windows installer asked me where to put the VST3. 'C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3' usually works best for that.

I put mine on the D:\ drive and it's working fine.

AU (Intel/ARM) as well for the Mac users.

Don't own a Mac so didn't know what version of Hyperion is available. Does that mean M1 support as well since I'm sure people will ask ?

Steinberg is no longer granting new developers VST2 licenses, so for new developers, VST3 only is their only option.

Yes I'm aware of that. I simply mentioned VST3 only in case someone can't or doesn't want to use VST3.

[FigBug]

AU (Intel/ARM) as well for the Mac users.

Don't own a Mac so didn't know what version of Hyperion is available. Does that mean M1 support as well since I'm sure people will ask ?

Yup, M1 is supported.

[fmr]

First impressions....very nice core sound. I am able to set up multi step wavesequencing but unless I'm missing something the content you can load into each step is limited. Although Hyperion can load samples and even soundfonts there is no way I can find to use that content in the wavesequencer steps so it's more like wavetables than wavesequences.

Just tried it briefly, and it also seems to me that what they call "Wavesequencing" is in fact an audio wavetable (eg single cycle waves), and not a true wavesequencing like Korg Wavestation and Wusik Station do.

Need to test further, and maybe read the manual (I hope there is one).

[zzz00m]

Need to test further, and maybe read the manual (I hope there is one).

I found the manual here, in the form of a PDF User Guide > "<this PC>\Documents\Hyperion"

[zzz00m]

And I found it odd that the Windows installer asked me where to put the VST3. 'C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3' usually works best for that.

I put mine on the D:\ drive and it's working fine.

You are correct. You can put a VST3 anywhere you want to, as long as your DAWs have that location in their scan path (if you want the plugin to be found). It just seems that the "Common Files" location is a generally accepted "standard" for VST3 on Windows, and this is the first time any installer has ever asked me where to put it.

No big deal really, just thought it worth mentioning...

[Teksonik]

From the manual:
"Wavesequence/FM Wavesequence nodes are a special kind of oscillator that allows you to define a
wave-table of up to 32 steps".

If you load a file from within the Wavesequence node it's in .wt wavetable format.

So yea he and I have a very different definition of wavesequencer.

That's not necessarily a bad thing but I have several WT synths already.

Shame as the Sondfont node can load fonts and .sfz files. It would be great to have the ability to also load those files into the WS steps.

That would turn Hyperion into a true wavesequencer synth as I define the term. You can set the pitch of each step so maybe that's what he's calling wavesequencing.....

[Teksonik]

It just seems that the "Common Files" location is a generally accepted "standard" for VST3 on Windows, and this is the first time any installer has ever asked me where to put it.

It also drops a standalone .exe in C:\ >Program Files>Wavesequencer. I don't remember seeing an option to place that file anywhere else but as you say no big deal.

[Gribs]

I looked at the web site and a couple of videos and it did not appear to me that this thing offers something new. I think if like me you have a Bitwig license then you are already set. Otherwise there are the other usual suspects like Reaktor, Mux, Audulus, etc. I would be very happy to be told otherwise. New stuff with a 90 day trial is always good, but I am not going to mess with the trial unless it really provides new capabilities.

[zzz00m]

[Atlatnesiti]

AU (Intel/ARM) as well for the Mac users.

Don't own a Mac so didn't know what version of Hyperion is available. Does that mean M1 support as well since I'm sure people will ask ?

Yup, M1 is supported.

Is it M1 supported or M1 native? There is a big difference between the two...
Couldn’t find any info on their website

[Super Piano Hater 64]

Is it M1 supported or M1 native? There is a big difference between the two...
Couldn’t find any info on their website

I installed the demo on my Mac and inspected the AU. It's built for both Intel and ARM.

[Super Piano Hater 64]

All right, I've been playing with 1.0 for a while now, and I have mixed feelings. The layering capabilities are really cool, and I appreciate the sheer dedication to modularity, as well as the level of introspection available with all the different scopes and inspectors. Also, I like the "bifocal" character of the interface, where you get a bird's eye view of your patch in the patch graph, and detailed control in the node edit panels. I suspect Zebra 2 was an influence there, though I'm sure anyone in these forums can name a dozen other products putting the same approach to good use.

There's a tooltip-like "hint bar" at the top of the patch graph. It can describe many widgets, but not all. I noticed that it will only describe the icon buttons if you hover over the icon inside the button. Then I realized that the icon part is the only part you can click regardless. I'm curious how it turned out that way.

Besides the hint bar, there's a second online help system in the "Node Info" tab below the patch graph. It's only tall enough to display a few lines at a time, so you have to scroll a lot to use it at all. If it was instead the full height of the window, and the width was fixed at about 70 characters, the documentation would be much more comfortable to read. Better yet: The user should be able to hover over (or click on) a node parameter to see help text specific to that parameter. For example, if you're working with the 4 op FM oscillator, you should be able to hover over the algorithm picker widget to see the explanation of all the punctuation in the labels.

Ideally, this could all be taken a step further by replacing symbols and abbreviations with richer visual feedback. For example, those textual labels for the FM algorithms could be disposed of altogether and replaced with graphical routing diagrams, something like what Dexed has. (But not the part where Dexed makes you turn a knob to select an algorithm. That part is kind of horrible.)

I'll keep fooling around with it and write up some more thoughts once I've explored some more.