IK MUltimedia UNO Synth

[chk071]

Still a bit on the fence about this thing. On one hand, it'd be nice to have something to play, on the other hand, I'm not sure if I shouldn't save up, and buy something I really want. E.g., the UNO's envelopes seem a bit slow (I love snappy, fast envleopes), and, it'd also be nice to have a self-oscillating filter. LFO is a bit slow as well. I like the sound, oscillators sound fat, and there's some nice harmonics on the filter when you crank up the resonance, as far as I can tell from the sound demos. Definitely a great price too, but...

Might sleep a few days over it, and see then.

[SLiC]

Do you only buy synths in a particular price bracket? e.g. Do you say to yourself "what can I get for this $250 I've got burning a hole in my pocket?"
i do sometimes
that's how i got my collection of little/tiny desktop synths. (incl. Uno)

Ditto- At some level its just retail therapy...I have so much stuff I can't really justify buying anything new (I don't 'need' anything), but a certain price level for me is pretty much guilt free....especially when Covid has prevented holidays and meals out etc...UNO, Skulpt and LIVEN XFM were all around £150 and I have no regrets on any of them 'at that price' but I have had regrets about software I have bought at that price level...

[chaocrator]

also, there's another cool thing – gear rotation.
it keeps the brain entertained.

[SLiC]

also, there's another cool thing – gear rotation.
it keeps the brain entertained.

I have no problem keeping my brain entertained...my little 'standing up' hardware area has grown in to a bit of a beast! The UNO still gets a play thought, very much a contender even in a larger set up...

[chaocrator]

not bad.
i use different approach for my setups — 2–4 boxes at once (mixer not counted), either 2 grooveboxes, or a groovebox + 2–3 of those little synths.

[SLiC]

I also do the same, coffee table set up in my main studio room is either Circuit Tracks or MPC Live + 2 synths, great to sit on a sofa and work with a small set up, but also good to have a 'standing' set up as I am sat in front of a computer most of the day for my 'day job'!

[vurt]

Still a bit on the fence about this thing. On one hand, it'd be nice to have something to play, on the other hand, I'm not sure if I shouldn't save up, and buy something I really want. E.g., the UNO's envelopes seem a bit slow (I love snappy, fast envleopes), and, it'd also be nice to have a self-oscillating filter. LFO is a bit slow as well. I like the sound, oscillators sound fat, and there's some nice harmonics on the filter when you crank up the resonance, as far as I can tell from the sound demos. Definitely a great price too, but...

Might sleep a few days over it, and see then.

the snappy envelopes, ok...
but "the lfo is too slow"?
can you explain the issue? genuine curiosity, never seen it as an issue mentioned anywhere, is there something specific about the uno (i don't have it, not really curious in regards that, just general).

tbh, im actually seeking ever longer in the modular
22 mins so far is my max lfo depth

[SLiC]

Some people like their LFO's to go to audio rate....To me if its over about 40Hz its an oscillator! On filter cut-off a fast LFO can thicken a sound and as you head up you get towards FM and all sorts of oddness...never sure how useful all that is, I prefer the stability of an oscillator.

I guess from as low as possible to as high as possible is idea for everyone unless you just want a little vibrato!

My MI Tides can get me some nice slow LFO (but I think its only a couple of minutes...haven't needed 22 minutes yet, too subtle for me! ) and some very high LFO...but you are taking 200+ just for a module!

[chk071]

Some people like their LFO's to go to audio rate....

Yeah, that's what I meant. I definitely like it go that fast.

Found another thing I don't think I like too much about the UNO (no, I'm not specifically looking for these things, it's just that I'm trying to figure out if something is for me before I buy, especially when I can't test it beforehand): It seems like there are artefacts/noise when the volume knob in the upper right isn't turned to 100%. It's criticized here: https://www.amazona.de/test-ik-multimed ... nthesizer/ (scroll to "Sound des UNO Synth", you can also hear it in the "TB-Sound" sound example).

Again, I'm really not trying to criticize the synth, I think it sounds great otherwise. Just saying that those are some points which I have to consider for myself for the decision whether or not I should buy. The price is a no-brainer for the offered sound quality, it's just that there are a couple of things which I don't find so great about it (of course, those add up the deeper you inform yourself before you buy).

[SLiC]

Some people like their LFO's to go to audio rate....

Yeah, that's what I meant. I definitely like it go that fast.

Found another thing I don't think I like too much about the UNO (no, I'm not specifically looking for these things, it's just that I'm trying to figure out if something is for me before I buy, especially when I can't test it beforehand): It seems like there are artefacts/noise when the volume knob in the upper right isn't turned to 100%. It's criticized here: https://www.amazona.de/test-ik-multimed ... nthesizer/ (scroll to "Sound des UNO Synth", you can also hear it in the "TB-Sound" sound example).

Again, I'm really not trying to criticize the synth, I think it sounds great otherwise. Just saying that those are some points which I have to consider for myself for the decision whether or not I should buy. The price is a no-brainer for the offered sound quality, it's just that there are a couple of things which I don't find so great about it (of course, those add up the deeper you inform yourself before you buy).

This is of course the (now very cheap) original UNO...the UNO Pro is a different thing. As an original owner, all I can say is I never noticed artefacts (there have also been a lot of firmware updates since it was released)

[vurt]

Some people like their LFO's to go to audio rate....To me if its over about 40Hz its an oscillator! On filter cut-off a fast LFO can thicken a sound and as you head up you get towards FM and all sorts of oddness...never sure how useful all that is, I prefer the stability of an oscillator.

I guess from as low as possible to as high as possible is idea for everyone unless you just want a little vibrato!

My MI Tides can get me some nice slow LFO (but I think its only a couple of minutes...haven't needed 22 minutes yet, too subtle for me! ) and some very high LFO...but you are taking 200+ just for a module!

oh yeah for sure!
not going fast enough, i see.

i just thought he meant "it goes too slow"
i was thinking "what is wrong with that? just dont use it at full 0"

[vurt]

Some people like their LFO's to go to audio rate....

Yeah, that's what I meant. I definitely like it go that fast.

that makes more sense!

"they dont go fast enough"
me not realising you meant that

[chk071]

Some people like their LFO's to go to audio rate....

Yeah, that's what I meant. I definitely like it go that fast.

Found another thing I don't think I like too much about the UNO (no, I'm not specifically looking for these things, it's just that I'm trying to figure out if something is for me before I buy, especially when I can't test it beforehand): It seems like there are artefacts/noise when the volume knob in the upper right isn't turned to 100%. It's criticized here: https://www.amazona.de/test-ik-multimed ... nthesizer/ (scroll to "Sound des UNO Synth", you can also hear it in the "TB-Sound" sound example).

Again, I'm really not trying to criticize the synth, I think it sounds great otherwise. Just saying that those are some points which I have to consider for myself for the decision whether or not I should buy. The price is a no-brainer for the offered sound quality, it's just that there are a couple of things which I don't find so great about it (of course, those add up the deeper you inform yourself before you buy).

This is of course the (now very cheap) original UNO...the UNO Pro is a different thing. As an original owner, all I can say is I never noticed artefacts (there have also been a lot of firmware updates since it was released)

Alright, thanks. Frankly, I'm not even sure if it's really an issue, reading the article again. You often can't rely on what they write at Amazona.de. Depends pretty much on the author of the article.

OR, it might be due to a faulty pot on that particular unit (which I suspect).

[AdvancedFollower]

Do you only buy synths in a particular price bracket? e.g. Do you say to yourself "what can I get for this $250 I've got burning a hole in my pocket?" or do you decide what synth you want and save up for it?

Yes, I tend to buy synthesizers that I can afford, rather than those I can't afford.
Obviously the budget isn't set in stone, but I make my purchasing decisions based on what I can afford or save up for in a reasonable amount of time, which does mean compromises have to be made some times (e.g. I'd have liked a Subsequent 37 instead of my SE-02, but since the SE-02 also sounds really good and has a similar feature set, I was willing to compromise on the user interface to save some money).

Different people can, depending on their life situation, afford to spend different amounts on luxury items like synthesizers. For some, it makes no real difference to their personal finances whether they get a $150 UNO or a $8,500 Moog One, so they can focus purely on what they want/need without considering the price. For others, even a difference of $250 can mean spending many additional months saving up, postponing other purchases (such as other additional synths) etc.

It's the reason most consumer goods markets are divided into segments based on price brackets. There are luxury cars and cheap cars, expensive computers and cheap computers, headphones that cost anywhere from $20 to thousands, even expensive and cheap houses. It's how the consumer goods market works.

[SLiC]

This looks like a fairly series competitor for the UNO PRO if you want a 4th Oscillator (and its cheaper!) I think B may have a hit with this one...

https://youtu.be/s8EVd_a49Fs