Altitude — Advanced Hybrid Synthesis Workstation

[nakst]

I actually prefer not having an installer. So if you choose to make an installer, please keep the non-installer options as well. Thanks! :

On Linux I don't plan to change how the installation process work, so there's no need to worry

[audiojunkie]

I actually prefer not having an installer. So if you choose to make an installer, please keep the non-installer options as well. Thanks! :

On Linux I don't plan to change how the installation process work, so there's no need to worry

Perfect!

[simmo75]

I love this synth, but boy is it a ball ache to install/update!

Is there any chance you can make an installer please?

I assume you are on macOS? I am currently working on a proper installer for macOS. It should be ready for the next update!

That’s great news!
I’m using this all the time.
Good update, thanks.

[nakst]

Feature Pack 3 has been released today! (free update, v1.3)

Free demo: https://nakst.itch.io/altitude

New features:

• Pitch Shifter effect unit. Perfect for making shimmer reverbs; see the patches PN Shimmer Pluck and SQ Divine Apparition.
• Disperser effect unit. This is the same disperser used in the reverb unit, and is useful for blurring transients or creating metallic effects.
• The Sub Oscillator effect unit has been upgraded to support ring modulation. Instead of adding a waveform to its input signal, this will multiply the signal with the generated waveform. See the patch BA Golden Ring.
• 5 new effect routing modes. You can now split the low and high frequency bands separately and process them on the different effect chains. Or, you can send filter F1 and filter F2 to different chains for processing.
• New unison chord modes: inversions of the major and minor chords.
• 7 new patches in the factory ROM.

Improvements:

• When importing SFZ files, the importer will attempt to search for any missing samples automatically in nearby folders.
• New installer for macOS (requires 10.15 or later) to make installation much easier.
• The version number is shown in the patch display on startup.
• Sliders now show their modulated value as well as their base value.

Bugfixes:

• Fixed a few issues relating to automation in the AU version.

Have fun!

[Nug Wrangler]

Thank you

[Teksonik]

Cool, I just saw this. Thanks for the update! I'll give it a good workout tomorrow.

If anyone is looking for some commercial .sfz content there's a bunch at the following link. Over 100 banks including Oberheim, Prophet 12, Pro 8, Voice, etc. Priced between €6.99 and €39.90

I haven't purchased any yet so can't vouch for the quality but they should be enough content to feed Altitude for quite some time.

https://zamplersounds.sellfy.store/zampler/?page=1

[Teksonik]

Good news, Altitude has loaded every .sfz file I've thrown at it so far. No more errors on load. Great work!

[nakst]

Quality of Life Update 1 has been released today!

And for the next 2 weeks, Altitude is on sale for 30% off.

• 40 new presets from Discord user @Warkauze
• Right click the "Bypass FX" button to bypass the reverb and delay only (and lock it when changing patches)
• AU/CLAP: Right click the patch display to MIDI learn the prior and next patch actions.
• The curve editors now support importing WAV files and entering formulae. The options are available from the "State" menu.
• In the type text-to-value dialog for parameters, maths expressions can be now entered (e.g. "5/3+1")
• Double click/middle click a dial to toggle between the default and most recent value.
• Right click on an empty space and select "Panic" to clear delay and reverb feedback buffers.
• GUI can be resized by dragging the handle in the bottom-right corner of the window.

https://nakst.itch.io/altitude

[anli]

Hi, will somebody be so kind to point main Altitude differences from synth I"m familiar with - Surge XT and Vital? What are those unique features to get Altitude?

[robindrieghe]

Altitude: advanced hybrid synthesis workstation

Altitude is a modern musical instrument that combines subtractive, sampling and FM synthesis, enabling you to produce a wide variety of complex sounds. Booming basses, provocative pads, effervescent effects, sonorous sequences: whatever your mix needs, it’ll only be a few clicks away.

The clear user interface serves as your guide through your auditory adventures. With its straightforward layout, exploring the deepest depths of the audio engine’s facilities is just as effortless as making your first patch. The design is alive with visual aids and reactive displays that make it a cinch to work on intricate patches.

[nakst]

Hi, will somebody be so kind to point main Altitude differences from synth I"m familiar with - Surge XT and Vital? What are those unique features to get Altitude?

Here's a brief overview of some of the important feature differences, off the top of my head...

• Compared to Vital and Surge, Altitude focuses on samples rather than wavetables. You can import your own samples from the WAV or SFZ (multisamples) formats, and then layer up to 4 in a patch. You can then apply unison and FM to each layer. You can also use round-robin selection to pick which layers to play for each note.
• There are also 4 virtual analog oscillators, which although are less versatile than the sample layers, are great for quickly creating classic sounds, like supersaws, hypersaws, square PWMs, saw PWMs, etc. And you can even do FM between the sample layers and oscillators.
• There are many unison modes for the oscillators and sample layers. This includes octaves, chords, the harmonic series, and even microtonal tunings.
• 2 XY pads for macro controls. This lets you adjust two macros at the same time by moving your mouse horizontally and vertically.
• Highly configurable effects chain. There are 19 effect units and 8 slots in the chain. Each effect units can be placed anywhere in the chain, and can be used up to 3 times each! And of course you can save and load your own presets for each effect. You can also pick between 8 routing modes for the effects chain, allowing you to run effects in parallel or create frequency splits.
• 2 combined sequencers + arpeggiators. A lot of synths seems to stop at one (or none, in the case of Vital), but I put in the extra work to get 2 in! Each sequencer has 5 lanes across 24 steps, allowing you to configure all number of parameter and create polyrhythms. It's a lot of fun.
• Incredibly powerful modulation. The 4 "math modulators" are the most unique part: think of the combinators from Pigments, but taken to the next level. Each of the math modulators consists of 4 sub-units: source blend, sample and hold, smoothing, and remapping. This lets you warp and mix the output from any modulation source in any manner of ways. Unsurprisingly, it was inspired by the world of modular synths. There's a lot you can do here!
• Low CPU. Just before launch, one of my beta testers compared Altitude's performance to a wide range of other synths. But the only synths in the same feature class as Altitude with similar or better performance were DUNE 3 and AS Viper. Other synths such as Hive, Pigments, etc were noticeably slower.
• (coming soon in v1.5!) Global unison, where the whole main synth engine is duplicated multiple times for each note. The "Unison Index" is available as a mod source in the matrix for changing the sound of each voice in the stack.

Hope this helps

[anli]

Hi, will somebody be so kind to point main Altitude differences from synth I"m familiar with - Surge XT and Vital? What are those unique features to get Altitude?

Here's a brief overview of some of the important feature differences, off the top of my head...

Thanks for your elaborated answer, have bought it.

[Teksonik]

Quality of Life Update 1 has been released today!

Awesome, thanks for the update!

I don't know if this is intended behavior but it's not possible to drag/resize past the 125% scale size here (1920x1080, FL version).

[nakst]

Thanks for your elaborated answer, have bought it.

Have fun! =)

[nakst]

Quality of Life Update 1 has been released today!

Awesome, thanks for the update!

I don't know if this is intended behavior but it's not possible to drag/resize past the 125% scale size here (1920x1080, FL version).

Yeah, it tries to prevent scaling above sizes that would be too big for your monitor.