IK announces UNO Synth Pro

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

But I also bought some synths that I really like - Analog Keys,

Oh...I have had this one too....and two and a half days of hysterical seizures trying to get my head around it. Used it for a year before I passed it on. It is special, including its sound.

[BONES]

I printed out the manual at work, then I locked myself in a hotel room in the middle of nowhere for four days, just to try and get my head around it. I still have no idea how the sequencer krap works but at least I got a handle on the way the four synths work within that framework.

After three years, though, I have not saved a single patch for it, whereas I already have more than a dozen Uno Pro patches saved. To be fair, that's all about timing - I got the Uno Pro just as we were starting rehearsal, so the obvious thing to do with it was patch it to play live. OTOH, when I got the AK we were just starting to think about our next album, so hardware was more of a distraction than anything else. By the time the album was out the door, I'd had the synth for a couple of years, so it was a bit old hat. I need to get off my arse and get serious with it now that I will definitely be using it on stage because it does some amazing things and is great to play.

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

when I got the AK we were just starting to think about our next album, so hardware was more of a distraction than anything else.

Yup. I love both hardware and software, but they have each their seasons in our flow. We spend two years jamming on hardware only, but as soon as we got into production phase, pragmatics take over, and there are not many ways I can be arsed to set up and record hardware unless it is a must. And it seldom is; small differences in sound that you may notice under production but do not make a difference in the final mix. Kill your darlings. Less is more and enjoy the noise free environment ffs. It took three decades to get there and when we finally did, people wanted to go back.

[SLiC]

[Less is more and enjoy the noise free environment ffs. It took three decades to get there and when we finally did, people wanted to go back.

I don’t think it’s unusual for people to go against the mail line, especially in the creative arts! You can make a million arguments for why HD music streaming or CDs are better than analog...people still buy records! You can have super stable oscillators, people add drift and slop, want that nice LoFi sound?...we have plugins to add noise, hum and even cracklings! People still want to see people play music live, play instruments...there will always be a big place for hardware.

[BONES]

So what you are both saying is something I have known for a long time - people are f**ked in the head.

[SLiC]

So what you are both saying is something I have known for a long time - people are f**ked in the head.

Especially those of us that patch Eurorack for hours and then when we have done just unplug everything! Sand Mandala...zero productivity...

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

Ouch. That kind art would kill me. Where did my product go?

[SLiC]

Trust me, no body want to listed to the ambient electronica noodling's of a 55 year old man who is predominantly a guitarist! I am doing the world a favour just doing it for my own entertainment

I can still get a crowd jumping when I play rhythm guitar in my (occasionally reunited) R+B band however...more the effect of a guaranteed set lest than any great talent though! Guitars are the ultimate 'just plug in one cable and play' (or no cables on my acoustic!)

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

we have plugins to add noise, hum and even cracklings!

No sht. The Velvet effect from Repro-5 is driving me nuts. It does nothing apart from infusing very annoying noise to the signal. Beats me who'd think that is cool. Generally I have to turn off all the effects on the patches I like and just add a little chorus, reverb or delay in Reason. These modeling effects mean nada to me.

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

I still have no idea how the sequencer krap works

The conditioners are pretty great for generative or autovaried music, I must say. However, it is not something you'd need in particular though you could spice up your beats with e.g. some probablity based effects coming and going. I could make auto-fugues with it. Great fun. Screw Bach, machine fugues are more wild in nature. However, I can do all that in Reason too and with even more options. Tons of them, actually, which is intimidating though.

[BONES]

I can do probability stuff in Studio One. I haven't actually got around to trying it out yet but I reckon it will be great for drums when we start writing for our next album. I invented a modulator that I used in a few of my later Synth Edit synths, called the RARP - Random ARPeggiator. It generated random values that quantised to semitones for pitch but were otherwise fed in whole to other mod destinations. It allowed me to sustain a note and have it generate random patterns for hours. At one stage we were going to put on a 15 minute thing at the end of one of our albums but never got around to it.

[BONES]

I was amazed last night at how quiet Uno and Uno Pro are when my computer is switched off. I've gotten so used to the USB data noise that it was quite eerie when I turned them on and there was nothing.

One thing I really wish it had was a master level per patch. It's a PITA to have to set levels for each of the three oscillators separately and I always worry that it will affect other parts of the signal chain. I suppose I could set the level from my sequencer but, given the data noise issue, I'd prefer not to have to connect it to the PC. I could probably use MIDI but I don't want to have to f**k around with that, either.

[rob_lee]

Iv'e been watching some videos on YouTube of the Uno Synth Pro Desktop/KB and WOW @IK send me one for a few weeks and I'll fill it up with some sounds I love the sound of this
I'd love hooking this up with my other hardware synths... Very Very BIG sound here. I will have to invest in both models soon.
Congrats I'm constantly watching videos on this

[BONES]

I can't believe how big this sounds without unison. Even in paraphonic mode it's full and rich so all three oscillators is almost like unison anyway. Mind you, the little Uno holds its own against it so it shouldn't be a surprise, I suppose. OTOH, even with 8 voice unison, Rocket can't keep up. They do different things, though, so there is room in my heart for both, or all three if you count the original Uno. The others will have to go now. Not either of the "big" keyboard synths but I know I will never bother with Skulpt, Craft 2.0 or MicroMonsta again so there is no point in having them around.

[BONES]

Nick Batt's review is in, and it's a really long one because he loves it so much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_TssVQbpxw&t=1s