TAL-Pha Released! Alpha Juno II Emulation from TAL-Software

[audiouser720]

All this moaning is gonna piss off the developer and he will remove that 1 envelope for you as well and there you go, you can then listen to a f**king drone all day long

[noiseboyuk]

Both sides here make perfectly reasonable points. On the one hand - this isn't a pure reproduction, the developer has added some features so why not add a few more to get round the some basic restrictions? Versus - no matter what a developer adds or doesn't add, everyone pitches in with all their own personal requests until you've removed everything that makes this synth unique and just made another synth the same as eveything else.

What really stands out is the inability of those who are from one position to even remotely comprehend that the other position has a point worth acknowledging. Which, in microcosm, is kinda why the world in 2024 is the shitshow that it is.

Anyway, carry on everyone.

[JamminFool]

Welcome back, my friends
to the show that never ends.
We're so glad you could attend!
Come inside! Come inside!

[Septic Underground]

I suggest getting a system-8 plugin if you want 2 envs, you can do kinda alpha sounds with it.
You only have to skip the dedicated alpha waveforms on the DCO with the system-8

The unique stuff for the alpha are the 7segment ENV and the unique waveforms.

[Niowiad]

Anyway I'm seriously loving this.

I had zero plans on buying new vintage subtractive emus this early in the year (especially something as simple as a Juno architecture), but the extra waveforms and the dual-attack envelope really felt like cool additions to the usual vintage subtractive options.

The Juno6 emu is one of those vintage synths I open more often for its workflow immediacy; this one sure has a different sounding filter, but overall it really feels like a familiar yet roided-up Juno.
I love the fine control on waveform mixing, same for the chorus.
Love the bass boost option on the HPF.

[himalaya]

Synth envelopes....so controversial in 2024.

I have three single-envelope analog synths in my studio.There is a charm and a workflow to these synths. I mean, my Korg mini700 doesn't even have a proper single envelope. In its place it has two sliders called Attack/Slow and Percussion/Singing. Do I spend my time moaning and getting angry that Korg gave this synth the most simplistic of envelopes? No. I use it for its quirks. It leads to different results. It's a different interaction. It simply gives variety. If I want an analog synth with two envelopes I simply turn to something else.

"But one envelope is so limiting, I can't do kicks, basses, hats blah, blah,blah".
No, you most certainly can. After all, the TalPha preset library shows each of those sound categories. Oh, but it's not the style of kick you want? Then use a different synth. That's why we have several synths in our plugin-folder, to provide us with different options, different sonic flavours.

As to the single envelope being limiting. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. The specific and limited feature set of a given synth should be treated as a challenge to see how creative you can be with it. You can't be creative with it? Choose a different synth and move on.

There is also context. For example, if a complex synth like Alchemy (remember it?) was released with a single envelope, we would be totally justified to kick up an almighty stink about it having one envelope. 4 oscillators, numerous synthesis engines, modulation that spans the whole of this galaxy, etc, etc. And one envelope? That would be crazy stupid. But here we have a simple analog synth, correction, a recreation of a simple analog synth.

Which leads to the last point.
"But TAL included extra features like detune, hard-sync, even reverb and delay, nah! Even unison! What were they thinking about by not including another envelope! Grrr!.
My very simple take: this is a recreation of a real vintage synth which offered a single envelope, which leads to a specific workflow. And so you see a single envelope in TalPha. TAL decided to add a few extra features to make this very simple synth more interesting sonically. So we see detune, oscillator hard-sync, effects, unison. I consider these to be very well thought out additions that do not detract from the main objective: recreation of a hardware vintage synth. These features live in the GUI out of your way - if your way is to travel the authentic Juno-2 road. However, a second envelope would create a completely different GUI design, a different workflow and all of a sudden you'd get people crying that this isn't a Juno-2 emulation!

TalPha joins a rather iconic series of Roland Synths with one envelopes: TB-303, SH-101, SH-2, Juno6/60...

One envelope and yet there is a real charm to this synth. An incredibly fast workflow. And most importantly, a very sweet sound that in certain places is simply brilliant.

[gauderbock]

If I want an analog synth with two envelopes I simply turn to something else.

Wish I could give this more than one uptick.

[jamcat]

JX-8P!

[egbert101]

People have lost their minds. An emulation of a synth is an emulation of a synth. Adding stuff not in the original makes it no longer an emulation. Some view this as okay, and indeed, when it comes to selling people stuff they want, compromises are made, and the original intention remains as long as those features are easily disabled.

[himalaya]

JX-8P!

C-3PO!

[jamcat]

Unlike the JX-8P, the Yamaha CP30 is nothing like a sweeter, more brilliant Alpha Juno with 2 envelopes.

[himalaya]

R2-D2 ?

[revvy]

RJD2

[discogsaddict]

So my take on this.
By adding some extra features such as unison (you can sort of do this abusing chord memory on the alpha), second oscillator, reverb and some different lfo shapes.
Tal developer has let the flood gates open for complaints and requests for even more.
I bet they wish they'd done a softube now and gave nothing more nothing less.

Perhaps doing a traditional and then later an XL pimped out version would please everyone? Yet the more time I spend here I realise it wouldn't lol

[audiouser720]

So my take on this.
By adding some extra features such as unison (you can sort of do this abusing chord memory on the alpha), second oscillator, reverb and some different lfo shapes.
Tal developer has let the flood gates open for complaints and requests for even more.
I bet they wish they'd done a softube now and gave nothing more nothing less.

Perhaps doing a traditional and then later an XL pimped out version would please everyone? Yet the more time I spend here I realise it wouldn't lol

I sincerely hope they won’t. They should now move on and utilise their talent for other things. Give us a System 100, a Jupy 4, Jupy 6 yay. TAL still haven’t done Roland drum machines. The World desperately needs another 808 and 909 emu hehe.

What about something else other than Roland. PPG, ARP, Rhodes Chroma, some lower-end CS?

Give us TAL-MOD2