Synthstrom Deluge Open Source Firmware 1.0 RELEASED!

[RonCavagnaro]

Hey guys just wanted to make a post about this, it is pretty important if you are interested in Deluge or already own!

https://synthstromaudible.github.io/DelugeFirmware/

Currently I made a few videos about it, more on their way!

reading the changelist


Grid Mode Deep Dive (Important!)


A brief look at a few features


There will be many more videos so that we can go through the nuances of each feature!

Thanks to synthstrom and all of the coders/contributors for doing this!

[ElVincente]

It is really awesome to see how the benefit of well done open source is productive in such a great way.

[pc999]

Impressive! It is quite an amazing feat, specially looking at 6 months of community work and comparing at happened in the same timeframe with (for example) Akai and the Force (barely an update).

The power of open source is great, the same thing happened with the Surge synth, from almost dead to an amazing sounding synth on top of the tech.

[bmanic]

This is absolutely magnificent from Synthstrom.

The features of that box are very impressive. Now I hope they release a proper MK2 version at some point with better analogue components of everything (like a better AD/DA conversion chain) or fix whatever is causing the box to have so bland sound output. I'm almost certain it's something to do with the DA conversion but of course I can't be sure.

[RonCavagnaro]

Bland output? We've got a master compressor on it now, I actually run everything external through the line in, in case I want to sample it. It sounds great, massive. Are you maybe referring to the synth engine?

[bmanic]

Bland output? We've got a master compressor on it now, I actually run everything external through the line in, in case I want to sample it. It sounds great, massive. Are you maybe referring to the synth engine?

No. I've put samples through it and pretty much everything comes out sounding a bit ".. meh". Hard to put my finger on what it is about it but it's just bland. Reminds me of a basic 100$ Focusrite soundcard from 10 years ago (that first generation of the scarlet or whatever it was back then).

Like I said, I'm pretty sure it's down to the DA conversion (perhaps also an issue with the AD when sampling stuff).

But hey, if you like the sound of it, more power to you.

[RonCavagnaro]

Hmmm interesting, I really want to hear the difference. Would it be possible for you to post a sound comparison from daw/gear that sounds "not meh" and then the same sample through deluge?

Thanks!

[bmanic]

I don't have access to a deluge any more. I had it as a loaner several years ago, when I was researching it for possible purchase.

Mind you, obviously we are talking about rather small subtle differences for most people (.. but I'm me and I'm obsessed with small details). I'm not saying the Deluge is useless at all but for my own personal preference, I always go with boxes that don't "annoy me" when it comes to their sound output and the Deluge is one of the few that I've skipped simply because of how it sounds.

I could say the same for my Akai MPC Live but at least it has enough ways to spice up the sound within the box itself and I can easily import the projects to my computer later for absolutely transparent output.

If I find the time and have the energy I could perhaps post examples of how my various hardware samplers that I have available sound (Octatrack, MPC Live and Kurzweil K2500). They all have their own subtle distinct tonality from their DA conversion and the way they internally operate. The MPC is basically just a Linux computer with a built in cheap soundcard. The Octatrack has quite a distinct sound due to it's limited hardware specs and the Kurzweil K2500 is "top of the line" from the year 1996. Heck I even have my Sintefex FX8000 at home right now so it could be interesting to hear it's converters as well and see how they stack up.. they should be top of the line from 1999 as well because that box used to cost some serious silly money back then.

[ThunderingMantis]

This is so commendable, I wish more companies would do this and especially after they've discontinued a product (I'm aware that Synthstrom are still manufacturing Deluge, I'm just saying)

I want a Deluge now more than ever, maybe one day...

[RonCavagnaro]

Thank you for your reply Bmanic! It is good to hear a fleshed out explanation! I hope you have the time to check this reply out however.

Meanwhile I really think everyone should check this out, some newer videos - automation view!

Can do crazy glitch and by the way this video is 1 synth init track and a single basic drum kit. I made what you hear below within seconds.

So yeah I have to say listen to the synth on here and tell me it sounds thin. 1 synth track!



Here is teaser 2 - watch your volume levels!



Here is a demonstration/tutorial on how you can use FX glitch automation on a realtime stereo audio line in - the results will vary, sounds different every time I try! Please note I am trying to make it sound as crazy as possible and different as possible from the audio line in. So it will sound chaotic.

[bmanic]

So yeah I have to say listen to the synth on here and tell me it sounds thin. 1 synth track!

You are listening to it very differently than I am. Even in those demos it still has a clear signature sound, kind of "distant" and boxed in..

You can sample a huge set of saw waves, all detuned and panned, so on paper this kind of sound would be "phat", yet depending on the playback device, it can still either sound a bit weak and distant or really harsh and upfront, even without measuring any huge differences in frequency response. There's always a sonic finger print to everything and this sonic finger print in the Deluge just doesn't fit my personal aesthetic, unfortunately. On paper it's an absolute dream machine!

A few examples of a sound "finger print" that I really like, that just sounds "good" to my ears (mostly digital only stuff just to be on par with the Deluge's capabilities). Don't listen to "the sound preset" itself, try listening beyond that.. listen for the common fingerprint of all the sounds, no matter if thin or phat:










For instance, the M8 tracker to my ears has a really nice sonic fingerprint, the exact opposite of all the Polyend units that sound rather distant and weak to my ear. Kind of similar issues as the Deluge.

A few more anecdotal examples: Waldorf Q was a digital synth that tons of people liked a lot. I didn't and still to this day I'm sort of allergic to it's sound.. not sure why that is but it's just how it is. Whereas I really enjoyed the sound of the original A/B/C versions of the Virus. However I felt a bit "meh.." about the later TI and Snow models. No idea what causes that sonic fingerprint of a digital unit but my guess is it's a combination of the DA converter and some other things like how sounds are being interpolated/oversampled. Speaking of which, I'm also allergic to some plugins oversampling solutions. Some of them have a very similar type of "meh.." sound output. A good example is Fabfilter's oversampling that I still to this day find a bit "meh.." sounding, which is especially annoying in plugins like Saturn 2 or Pro-L2 where you really do want to use it.

Anyhow, like I said already in an earlier post, I'm talking about tiny subtle details, completely subjective details at that! I'm way too old to even care if most of this is placebo (it may very well be!!). The most important thing with any piece of gear, in my opinion, is that you like it's core sound output. If you don't, it'll start bugging you later down the road. I've learned this the hard way in the past.

[RonCavagnaro]

Thanks for your reply I will look over the videos to see what you mean!

Thank you for the details so I can understand what you're getting at!