Anacreon Synthesizer | Anacreon 2.5 Released

[Erich.Pfister]

I would love to release the project files but those are made with old versions of Anacreon - one big flaw with the synth is that the plugin presets are broken with each new version. I am still trying to figure out how far I can take this synth before it needs to stop being added to. UI is the biggest issue at this point IMO.

[xalama qo]

Hey Erich, no problem re project files.
I finally managed to test Anacreon demo in Studio One 2.6.5 on Win7 x64. Made some very happy noises. I didn't put it thru it's paces, but just looped a bar and tweaked the filter with some noise input and key tracking. All worked as expected with no weird stuff. I still haven't got back to the Win10 laptop, but if it's fine in S1v2 on Win7 it's probably fine on Win10 too. Will check that at soonest opportunity.

Bandlab Cakewalk still wouldn't pass it, but I'm sure you'll figure that out. Hope you're keeping well!

[Autobot]

Anacreon is a personal patch-cable-driven obsession turned commercial VST. It doesn't do anything never-before-seen, but it does have bandlimited, hard-syncable, supersaw-capable oscillators and a great sounding filter section. It also comes with the head (and beard) of an ancient Greek poet, who will stare stoically at your work whenever the plugin window is open.

This synthesizer was programmed using the C++ and VST3 SDK - no use of Juce, Synthedit, Flowstone, etc.

KVR Product Page

Edit (7/30/2020):
Demo has been added to product page.
I have become more open to less yellow / a version with an alternate GUI.
I have also become more open to more yellow.

Edit (8/01/2020):
The current silly made up music genre is Bluegae (bluegrass reggae), demo track in the works.

Edit(8/11/2020):
The buttons for saving and loading presets aren't exactly in the perfect place right now, but I plan to have an updated GUI that will make that point moot.

Changelog

• 2.5.1
  • Fixed l1 output on filters.
• 2.5.2 Aug 11 2020
  • Added GUI buttons for preset save/load.
  • Host does not need to implement preset management for above feature to function.
  • Fixed general problem with preset normalization between controller and processor.
• 2.5.2.1 Aug 13 2020
  • Hopefully fixed reaper / cubase / generally everything crash.
• 2.5.2.2 Aug 14 2020
  • Fixed sneaky envelope bug - no more clicking at gain settings less than 100%
• 2.5.2.3 Aug 19 2020
  • Fixed crash associated with polyphony control
  • Fixed stack corruption due to buffer overrun on string operation for pitch parameters
  • Fixed visually bugged pitch control knob that was broken in 2.5.2.2
• 2.5.3 Sept 21 2020
  • Pitch Bend
  • Mod Wheel, Velocity, Ptichbend, Aftertouch/Poly Pressure, and Keytrack modules added
  • Aftertouch / Poly Pressure may or may not work on your machine. Working on it.
  • Support added for holding SHIFT for fine tuning on all parameters.
  • Mousewheel support on knobs. (Shift works for mousewheel fine tuning, too!)
  • LFO so it can be used as audio rate oscillator (non-antialiased) and can also go to 64 bars.
  • True 1v/octave response for all frequency inputs (lfo, osc, filter) and keytrack source.
  • True 1v/6dB response for all gain inputs.
  • Improved polyphony performance via engine overhaul
• 2.5.3.1 Sept 21 2020
  • Added version number in about page ( (?) button page )
  • Fixed Initial Sample Rate Bug / Out of tune bug
  • Fixed legato glide sustain pedal bug
  • Fixed hanging voices after reducing voice count while holding note
  • Does this version still crash in FL Studio? No. Name clash with previous version. Will address in next release.
  • Does this version still have random clicking with polyphonic patches w/ certain connections?
• 2.5.3.2 Sept 24 2020
  • Channel Pressure / Mono Aftertouch support fixed, pending testing via midi controller.
  • Poly Pressure still doesn't work to the best of my knowledge (hard to test)
  • Still has name clashing issues in FL Studio, didn't get to fixing this today.
• 2.5.3.3 Jan 19 2021
  • Channel Pressure / Mono Aftertouch support fixed, pending testing via midi controller.
  • Poly Pressure still doesn't work to the best of my knowledge (hard to test)
  • Still has name clashing issues in FL Studio, didn't get to fixing this today.
  • Fixed non-working routing parameters in StudioOne (and other delinquents)
• 2.5.3.9 In Development
  • Linux Support
  • Try to get poly aftertouch working
  • Steinberg hates midi in the same way that some retail workers hate customers
• Features in 2.5.4 (next major release):
  ( is next to things that I've got working so far on the unreleased dev version)
  • Completely customizable layout and colors for GUI via config file <- this one is a huge undertaking, but worth it.
  • Save Location for Presets defaults to last used location - persists between sessions.
  • A "curve" module
  • Oscillator pan modulation
  • Detune and Spread modulation - maybe. I will need to look into the inner workings of that algorithm and see if it can be made to run efficiently at audio rate. I'm pretty sure division is involved in calculating the detune / spread, which is a big no-no for realtime audio.
  • LFO shape should be feasible to modulate since the LFOs aren't antialiased, it makes things a little more forgiving to program.
  • Envelopes that can trigger "one shot" style, looping ability, and the ability to be triggered by event port and send triggers via event port so they can be used for timing.
  • Extra envelopes and LFOs (option to disable extras in config file)
  • Pan / Gain modulation on main output for intuitive patching options. (you can already do gain in the mults, but I think the goal is to make the mults the last resort for complex ideas, not for basic gain staging)
  • Mid/Side output on oscillators for spatial processing
  • Because Anacreon uses Linux for his main computer, he will be smiling from this version onward.

Hi. How is this project going?

[strovoknights]

Working fine Anacreon2.5.3.3 in Bitwig4.0.2

Edit:
The restrictions on the demo version are so strict that it's hard to make Presets.
Can you please loosen the restrictions on the demo version?

[bmanic]

Is there any hope of seeing this awesome synth as a Mac M1 native plugin at some point?

[Erich.Pfister]

Hello everybody. I might be finished being an emotional wreck soon, no promises at this time though. 2021 kind of broke my brain and I'm putting the pieces back together as a newly formed misanthrope of the disappointed idealist variety.

To be honest, I feel a great deal of guilt about presenting a paid product and not being able to follow up on its development in a professional manner. I just didn't expect the level of buggyness and general insanity associated with the horribly documented and implemented VST3 format. It worked so well on my machine!! I'm also not a particularly great programmer. My code is spaghetti. I don't know how to write unit tests. I'm very much an artist who somehow managed to learn programming and chose to use one of the most difficult libraries out there, so bug hunting is kind of messy and difficult compared to how it could be. This all kind of adds up to a seriously discouraging experience that I'm having a hard time working up the nerve to approach again. I feel like I need to get pumped up and crash into the problem at high speed. Maybe pull up some of it by the roots and rewrite the boilerplate to be more maintainable. The algorithms for producing the audio are separate enough from the boilerplate that I should be able to do this.

I am currently running Linux on my main machine / put my tinfoil hat back on with the release of windows 11 and I'm familiarizing myself with Reaper. I still have to figure out how to make this thing build on Linux.

I have no idea what a Mac M1 native plugin is. I don't have any apple equipment, so my ability to work on it would depend on having a windows or Linux DAW that could host an M1 plugin and the ability to compile that plugin on windows or Linux. Maybe their format is nice and easy to use and it will be a breeze!

If I can get back into creativity mode, I'll be focusing on a Linux build. What Linux plugin format is the most common in your experience?

[ahanysz]

If I can get back into creativity mode, I'll be focusing on a Linux build. What Linux plugin format is the most common in your experience?

VST. U-he and Pianoteq and a few others put out native Linux VSTs and they seem to work just fine.

The purists may ask for LV2. I'm not sure if all DAWs support LV2 yet (although Reaper came on board earlier this year), but I've heard of bridging software that lets a VST-only DAW load an LV2. So that's another option if turns out to be easier to work with than VST.

[Erich.Pfister]

I spent the last 20 minutes or so looking into this on reddit and I concur with you that those two formats are the two best options.

I think I'd like to do both since VST is built modularly enough that I shouldn't have to do too much to build for Linux as is. I am quickly becoming disgusted with proprietary formats, though, so I think that Anacreon would be truly happy as an LV2 format if I could only choose one.

In other news, I was browsing on Reaper's forum to figure out the best way to install Reaper on Linux, and what do you know, someone posted about Anacreon a day or so ago. I feel famous.

[strovoknights]

Anacreon 2.5.3 Controller Mapping for Bitwig.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/72hws4vmizo6z ... 5.rar?dl=0

Anacreon.JPG

[Erich.Pfister]

Thanks for that! What does a controller mapping do in Bitwig?

[Erich.Pfister]

Okay, so. I'm working on it again. I'm at the point where g++ on Linux is actually giving me compiler errors that I am fixing. I'm playing around with the idea of changing up the preset format to use the newer VST3 system that involves a hierarchical module-by-module structure. So instead of OscillatorA Pitch being Control#257 or whatever, it would be more like OscillatorA->Pitch. I think this would make it more resistant to breakage between versions. I have to actually get this plugin usable again to begin with, though - I was in the middle of overhauling an important bit of boilerplate that probably discouraged me to quit last time, so I have to digest that first.

[strovoknights]

It possible operated from an 8-knob type hardware controller!
Push,Maschine,X-Touch,Komplete Kontrol,APC,etc....

Thanks for that! What does a controller mapping do in Bitwig?

[Erich.Pfister]

Oh derp - I knew that, it's just been like a year since I wrote any music. Thanks for making a controller mapping - I'll see if I can get a Bitwig demo to try it out / maybe make a 4 knob version based off of yours for people who have 4 knob keyboards!

Edit: I am going to be overhauling the preset / parameter handling, so this may have to be recreated.

[Erich.Pfister]

I'm halfway done with boilerplate uprooting, then it's on to trying to build for Linux.

[Autobot]

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