KORG Collection 5 with ARP 2600 Emulation coming Summer 2024

[Sound Author]

I think they should figure out some CPU optimizations for poly patches. I've been using the 2600 in standalone so I never noticed how CPU intensive poly patches were until I used the plugin version within my DAW and saw the CPU meter punching the ceiling-- and I'm on an M1 Mac! Holy smokes, I understand that a high standard of audio quality comes at a cost, but if even high performance systems are brought to their knees, I'm afraid that's gonna turn a lot of people away.

[BBFG#]

I almost pulled the trigger on buying this upgrade last night. The EP-1 being the favorite of the three latest, Vox being second, and the 2600 being a nice rounding out. I had passed on the previous offer, because the plugins in that offer felt useless for me (and still do).

I'm not sure what this is referring to, but Korg Software Pass does not delete its downloaded files; they are absolutely available for installing on an offline computer. Please let me know what you're seeing that led to this concern.

They did not save on the version I was referring to, but the next version was in the folder. The previous downloaded into the same folder as the manager itself and promptly deleted itself after installing. Although the Manager itself remains.

Something else I would like to ask is about the decision to include a visual working keyboard and NOT make it an Eighty-Eight? I get the psychological marketing aspect of making it a Seventy-Three as that was the most common, but to have a responding graphic that limits what notes are actually being played by my 88 note controller seems short-sighted. You do know they made an Eighty-Eight - right?

One other thing is I'm not getting a heavy CPU hit with any of these three plugins, however, I am getting a heavy CPU hit from Windows Defender when using them and I can't get it to just turn off completely or even figure out why it seems to be attacking them. Any clue why this happens specifically with just these three?

[zvenx]

ARP 2600
Avatar KORG app
Thursday at 02:02
1.0.5

Resolved graphics issues with the patch panel on specific Windows GPUs.
Improved patch panel rendering on non-HiDPI displays when the UI size is set greater than 100%.
Improved CPU usage.
The initial state of the Sync to Host button is now shown correctly. Additionally, the Tempo field is now grayed out when Sync to Host is enabled.
Volume and Tempo now support automation.
For Volume, VCO and VCF Frequencies, and various effects parameters, DAW automation values now appear as a percentage of the control position. Previously recorded automation will still play back correctly.
Some inapplicable items were incorrectly included in the published automation parameters. This has now been fixed. Previously recorded automation will still play back correctly.
Improved synchronization between LFOs and the Motion Sequencer when the Motion Sequencer is switched from off to on while voices are sounding.
In the Sound Browser and the Librarian window, Categories and Collections are now kept sorted even when initial selection is missing, and when showing "All Data" in the Librarian.
The Performance, Effect, Scale, and Set List selectors include a "filtered list" icon between the inc and dec arrows. This icon shows that the list is affected by settings in the Sound Browser window (such as selected Categories, Collections, and text search). Clicking the icon clears the filters without needing to open the Sound Browser. There is now more space between the icon and the inc/dec buttons, which makes it easier to click.
When an updated version is detected, the download link now uses https instead of http. The previous use of http caused a security warning to appear in Chrome browsers.

[wintoid]

Thanks zvenx, I have to say I've been quite impressed with Korg.

[Sound Author]

Improved patch panel rendering on non-HiDPI displays when the UI size is set greater than 100%.

The UI looks SO much nicer now at sizes above 100%! Very happy camper.

[theoryzero]

Improved patch panel rendering on non-HiDPI displays when the UI size is set greater than 100%.

The UI looks SO much nicer now at sizes above 100%! Very happy camper.

Also wanted to chime in (so that Dan saw this) to say this update also fixed the soft UI appearance when zooming above 100% for me as well. Looks great!

[morphex]

I haven’t installed the update yet that includes the ARP, but my friends are really impressed with this emulation so far. It’s sounds like they were able to incorporate some of the slight nuances that are audible in the hardware.

I’m not familiar enough with the original to know exactly what that means, but I know that it was well-received by longtime sound designer for KORG, John “Skippy” Lehmkuhl aka PluginGuru. He has a great ear and a ton of experience for discerning the quality of a VST.

In fact, I just watched most of his video showcasing the plug-in and a new patch library for the ARP, and I think it has a lot of character. I highly recommend that you check out his YouTube channel for an honest take on this new synth.

[Teksonik]

I was really excited to see "Improved CPU" in this update but here it's only a point difference. So "improved" yes but not significantly so.

However the GUI at over 100% is much clearer and looks much better now so that's a win. I'm grateful for the update but disappointed that the CPU usage has not gone down enough to make it worth calling up in a project.

So the 2600 will remain in my Museum folder to be called up once in a while for a patch and play session but too hungry to justify using in a project considering that I can get three or more instances of other synths for the same CPU "cost" that sound just as good or better.

[sheeepsss]

I do like the character and it sounds like an actual ARp 2600 (unlike cherry audio's attempt ) but I honoustly expected a bit more .
It still struggles with extreme filter fm even at 4 times oversampling .at 60%
Pass for me , still a great sounding synth but imho just not there yet

Hi, which vst synth do you think has the best sounding (with less artifacts) filter FM/audio rate modulation?

[Korg Supporter]

I do like the character and it sounds like an actual ARp 2600 (unlike cherry audio's attempt ) but I honoustly expected a bit more .
It still struggles with extreme filter fm even at 4 times oversampling .at 60%
Pass for me , still a great sounding synth but imho just not there yet

Hi, which vst synth do you think has the best sounding (with less artifacts) filter FM/audio rate modulation?

zerocrossing is the go-to guy for this kind of stuff. IIRC, he really likes the filter FM in MSoundFactory and Massive X. The filter FM in u-He Repro sounds great and consistent, perfect for bell tones, alien leads, pseudo vocals, and strange pads!

[zvenx]

ARP 2600
Avatar KORG app
Thursday at 20:28
1.0.6

For the VCF LP 1 and LP 2 types, improved audio fidelity with high resonance at extremely high cutoff frequencies (over 20 kHz, typically via modulation).
Previously, the Performance Volume parameter did not display the correct value when opening a previously-saved plug-in instance. This has now been fixed.
Removed more inapplicable items from the published automation parameters. Previously recorded automation will still play back correctly.
In 1.0.5, the Arpeggiator mode knob sometimes didn't point to the correct position. This has now been fixed.
Previously, when opening a pre-existing plug-in instance, some buttons showed the "Off" graphic even if they were On. This has now been fixed.
Improved graphics behavior when clicking on the VCA Lin/Exp buttons.
Windows only: Previously, the text in Effect Type selectors was sometimes slightly blurred. This has now been fixed.

[Philo999]

I haven’t played with this too extensively, but the update sounds really nice.

Does the change to the filter reduce aliasing?

[Sound Author]

Seems the stereo output of the Polysix Ensemble chorus effect is mono.

[Sound Author]

Oh wait. I guess that's an input mode.

Sorry, I have no experience with the Polysix, so when the manual described it as a "mono-in, stereo-out ensemble effect" I was expecting stereo out.

[Buka]

Anyone experiencing DAW crashes when saving custom patches in 2600?

EDIT: Downloading the fresh Library database resolved the issue

Thanx