E-Phonic Invader 2 v1.0.11 (WIN / OSX)

[dellboy]

Why would you need that when you can just load two instances and do a keyboard split in your host?

My only request would be more oomph in the filter's drive or maybe some post-filter saturation as well. But I can fatten it up with effects so it's no biggie.

The reason I want to split the keyboard is because I was messing around with the arp and wanted a bass sequence on the the left and an independent lead on the right. Also, this synth reminds me a bit of a Sequential prophet Rev2 and that has this feature and I can't afford one.

What you suggested about using the host to accomplish this seemed a bit of a faff. But I googled "Cubase-split keyboard", and it suggested I use the transformer. Well after messing with that for a short while I lost the will to live and gave up. I then googled "Studio One - split keyboard", and someone in a post suggested to use the "multi-instrument". I had no idea what that was, but ended up experimenting by dragging two instances of invader onto the same track. Success ! A brilliant bit of clever design by Presonus ! Now I can see both synths and quickly set up keyboard splits - and without using two separate tracks.

OK, so that problem is solved, but a new feature request would be a "hold" button on the arp.

[BONES]

Do you mean "Latch", so it keeps playing when you release the keys? Dunno, I never use arps in synths.

[dellboy]

Do you mean "Latch", so it keeps playing when you release the keys? Dunno, I never use arps in synths.

On my old Juno 6 its called "hold". I am not sure whether latch would be the same.

Any-ways, on your UNO Synth Pro its called "hold". About time you learnt how to play the thing !

Page 30.......

"UNO Synth Pro5 – Global Controls 30
5.4 – Arpeggiator
UNO Synth Pro is equipped with a multimode arpeggiator with 10 modes, a 4-octave range and hold functionality."

[e-phonic]

I had no idea what that was, but ended up experimenting by dragging two instances of invader onto the same track. Success ! A brilliant bit of clever design by Presonus ! Now I can see both synths and quickly set up keyboard splits - and without using two separate tracks.

That's pretty cool. Didn't know that either!

I'm back from holiday btw, started working on Invader 2 again. Hope to finish 1.0.8 in a couple of weeks.

[BONES]

Any-ways, on your UNO Synth Pro its called "hold". About time you learnt how to play the thing !

I know how to play my Uno Pro, I don't need the arpeggiator to play it for me. Seriously, why would you need an arpeggiator when the plugin lives inside an amazingly powerful sequencer that can do anything? Studio One, for example, has NoteFX for all your arpeggiating needs.

[steb_osc]

I just play arps manually I love this synth by the way. Everything about it is solid and pure!

[Aloysius]

I just play with myself manually

[Teksonik]

I'm back from holiday btw, started working on Invader 2 again. Hope to finish 1.0.8 in a couple of weeks.

Cool, looking forward to what the future brings.

I might have found a bug using 1.0.8 Next....When selecting "Pitch to Osc 1/Sub" in the Arp/Seq, Osc 2 is still being affected. It doesn't fully Arp but still is affected.

Check this patch:

ARP Bug Tek.zip

Then turn the volume for Osc 1 down and you'll hear what I'm talking about. It's actually a pretty cool effect but I'm not sure that's the way it supposed to work.

[e-phonic]

I might have found a bug using 1.0.8 Next....When selecting "Pitch to Osc 1/Sub" in the Arp/Seq, Osc 2 is still being affected. It doesn't fully Arp but still is affected.

Check this patch:

ARP Bug Tek.zip

Then turn the volume for Osc 1 down and you'll hear what I'm talking about. It's actually a pretty cool effect but I'm not sure that's the way it supposed to work.

Thanks! However, it's not a bug. All oscillators are affected by the envelopes when triggered by the arp. But, the pitch will be sent only to the selected oscillators. You can think of it as paraphonic behaviour (within one voice). When the synth is in polyphonic mode, the arp will assign the voices like a poly synth. In monophonic mode it assigns the voices like a mono synth, enabling glide for the oscillators that are selected.

It's pretty unconventional but it allows for some unique options.
(Of course, if you want 'normal' behaviour just select 'Pitch to all oscs')

[Teksonik]

Ahh I see thanks. The idea was to have an Arp playing on Osc1 on top of a pad on Osc 2, a patch I frequently do in other synths but I see what you're saying.

Anyway here are 20 patches if anyone is interested.

[dellboy]

Seriously, why would you need an arpeggiator when the plugin lives inside an amazingly powerful sequencer that can do anything? Studio One, for example, has NoteFX for all your arpeggiating needs.

Good question, and I am not sure I know the answer to that at the moment. I will think on it for a while. But the simple instinctive answer is its just seems easier to do it within the VST itself especially in a live situation.

If someone never plays keyboard its not a big deal. But people who play keyboards appreciate these simple things. It does not appear that either the "Legend" or "Repro 5" has this feature either which is surprising as its seems such a simple thing. Maybe its because they would become bogged down playing what is in effect two synths at the same time ? But like I said, I am not a programmer and it might on the surface seem simple but actually be a very hard thing to do.

[e-crooner]

Having the arp right there on the plugin allows you to save arp settings with patches. It's the same advantage as with onboard effects. Useful if you want to share patches...
And it's simply more fun to use than the DAW

[Teksonik]

Exactly! Plus some synths allow the onboard Arp to interact with other parts of the synth like the Filter Cutoff etc. Having everything contained in a single patch is efficient and of course you can always bypass the onboard Arp and FX if you wish to use external options.

Not having an onboard Arp leaves you with one option and that is to use the DAWs Arp or a third party option. Having an Arp onboard gives you two options and allows the Arp to become an integral part of the patch and of course you still have the ability to use external options.

I've loved playing Arpeggiators since I got my first one on a Juno 60 several decades ago.....

[BONES]

If someone never plays keyboard its not a big deal. But people who play keyboards appreciate these simple things.

The arpeggiator plays it for you, it saves you from having to play it yourself. That's kind of the point of it.

Having the arp right there on the plugin allows you to save arp settings with patches.

So what? The patch still ends up being saves with the project so I don't see the difference.

It's the same advantage as with onboard effects. Useful if you want to share patches...

OK, so it's there for "sound designers", not for people who actually produce music. It's a marketing tool. Great.

And it's simply more fun to use than the DAW

Why is it? It seems shit to me because you can't experiment with other sounds or instruments, you're stuck using it with whatever patch it's stored with. I see no fun at all in that. I think the most useful/fun place for an arpeggiator is either in your sequencer - maybe a scratch pad in Studio One, for example - and/or built into your controller, where it can be independent of any particular instrument or patch. That's where you can really get stuck in and have some "fun".

Having everything contained in a single patch is efficient

No, it isn't. As I said, it restricts it to the patch you save it with. OTOH, saving it in the project makes it available everywhere, easily. I can see an arp being far more useful if it was global, not per patch. (A good use for control locks, perhaps?)

Not having an onboard Arp leaves you with one option and that is to use the DAWs Arp or a third party option. Having an Arp onboard gives you two options and allows the Arp to become an integral part of the patch and of course you still have the ability to use external options.

That's a (poor) description, it's not a reason. An on-board arp might expand your options by a few percent, at best, but 3rd party options will invariably offer you a lot more.

I've loved playing Arpeggiators since I got my first one on a Juno 60 several decades ago.....

I think the last time I used one on a synth was my SH-101, before I got the memory expanded on my TB303s and started using one of them to sequence the 101 instead, so 1984 or '85. But I used to use the arpeggiator in Orion's piano roll fairly regularly. It's a great creative tool, it seems stupid to me to restrict it to a single patch from the get-go. One of the songs on our first album, Deliverance, is pretty much all arps, except for the bassline, which was a CTRL+R set of random notes that I liked.

[dellboy]

The arpeggiator plays it for you, it saves you from having to play it yourself. That's kind of the point of it.

That's the problem, I do not want the arp to play the right hand stuff, just the bass line.

I can set up splits very quickly and easily in Studio One using the multi-instrument, but I just want to send the arp bass line to the first instrument, and do not want the second to be effected by the arp. Its probably easy to do, but it eludes me at the moment how to do it. And just because its very easy to do in Studio One does not mean its easy in every DAW.

So yesterday I hunted out my old version of Energy XT 1.4 and set up what I wanted very easily. Trouble is that Invader is VST3 only and it cannot be bridged to 32 bit.