IK announces UNO Synth Pro

[Goony]

The Uno Synth Pro is very underated, nice fat sounding too. I have the keyboard version which is so much better than that desktop version I had before, hated those mod/pitch strips on it.

[BONES]

Weirdly, the keys on the Pro Desktop are exactly the same width as on the original, yet I find it much harder to play from its keyboard. But you get used to it. I find touch strips are a very poor substitute for mod and pitch wheels at the best of times but after a firmware upgrade, the Pro Desktop's aren't any worse than others I have - Keystep and MiniLab. I can play mine via one of my other controllers, though, so it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

[acid alex]

I’ve had the UNO Synth Pro desktop for a few months now. Here’s a link to my full review…

https://synthgroups.com/a-surprisingly- ... tle-synth/

[BONES]

I can't believe how cheap this has become. I can pick one up for around US$300 from Thomann.

[SLiC]

Yup- £240 from Amazon inc 20% tax! 269 Euro at IK but you can use Jam Points- I could get one for under 200 Euro!
That said, I have had zero mono synths gear lust since getting the Pro 3...but these are a great option if you want something very portable!

[Lbdunequest]

Ive got it for 200 eu new using jam points. I picked red one, now i regret for taking black one, it looks so beautiful.

[BONES]

I might grab a black one, just for shits and giggles. Or I might pick up another little Uno, it's going on Amazon for under US$200.

[Big Mouth Strikes Again]

I'm really impressed that IK Multimedia has developed a free editor/librarian for an inexpensive synth like the Uno Synth Pro. Of course, it's not as if the hardware is impossible to program from the front panel. But with the software editor, I can set a Uno Synth Pro desktop on top of one of my equipment racks, for instance, and control the synth via the editor.

I wish other hardware synth manufacturers would follow suit. For instance, as current products, the Waldorf Blofeld and Pulse 2 are in dire need of software editors/librarians. And then there are the modern Sequential synths. Sequential are apparently too cheap to include an editor/librarian with their flagship synths such as the Prophet 6, Trigon 6, and Pro 3. Sequential instead expect you to shell out an additional $70+ for half-baked SoundTower editors.

I think if we all voted with our wallets and refused to buy hardware synths that do not include a free editor/librarian, the situation might improve.

[kritikon]

Some hw synths I agree, but one of the big reasons I have many of the synths I do is the ease of use, 1 knob per function. I don't need or want editors for those proper analogues. They'll charge more for providing an editor and can f**k off with that nonsense. For those that are too stupid to use a hw synth without sw (which begs the question why they buy hw in the first place) you can pay for the optional extra. For example why would I want an editor for a Monopoly, or a 2600, or a Wasp? Patch memory, yeah potentially useful but no way essential. I happily bought them without memory...I don't suddenly need it. Certainly don't want to pay more for it.
Makes sense only for menu-diving hw synths - which I mostly avoid anyway. One of the joys of decent analogues is the lack of menu diving.

[BONES]

I'll take the joys of patch memory over the abject misery of knob per function every time. I'd use my Rocket a lot more if I could save patches on it or a librarian app but the 3rd party librarian/editors are all useless.

I think if we all voted with our wallets and refused to buy hardware synths that do not include a free editor/librarian, the situation might improve.

It depends where you shop. Modal have a single app that works with all their synths. You can even use a single instance of the app and switch between instruments. It's brilliant.

The lack of a useful app was definitely a big black mark for my Pulse 2 and the 3rd party efforts were all as good as useless. Even my Korg microX had a VST editor, way back in 2007. My Ultranova also has one, as does my Analog Keys (via Overbridge). Rocket and Micromonsta are the only hardware synths I own without a VST editor.

With my Unos, I tend to use the standalone editors more than the VST. I dunno why, it's just the way it works out. Same with my Modal stuff.

[Big Mouth Strikes Again]

I'll take the joys of patch memory over the abject misery of knob per function every time.

Dare I ask? What’s the issue with a knob per function hardware interface?

It depends where you shop. Modal have a single app that works with all their synths. You can even use a single instance of the app and switch between instruments. It's brilliant.

Yeah, the universal Modal app looks pretty sweet.

[BONES]

The thing with knob-per-function is that it means that if your synth has patch memory, like a Korg Minilogue, that none of the knobs are representative of the actual values of those parameters at any given time, which makes it more than a little bit tricky to do things like manually sweep the cutoff on stage, or just to learn what settings produce which kinds of sounds. You can get around it but it was the main reason I got rid of my Monologue. I thought it would be great but in reality it annoyed the shit out of me. I'd happily have paid an extra $100 or so to get one with endless encoders. Uno Pro at least has one.

[Scotty]

Endless encoders for the win. Encoders that latch when you sweep to the stored position instead of jumping instantly are also acceptable for me.

[BONES]

Korg and IK let you choose that behaviour. Pick-up is definitely the most usable.