Tone2 Electra3 - Synthesizer Workstation

[Tone2 Synthesizers]

For example loading a layer from the browser to the choosen layer.

You will be able to copy and paste layers between instances. So you can use one instance to browse your layers and then copy&paste it to the other.

For example loading a layer from the browser to the choosen layer.

Please explain the idea more detailed.

[Tone2 Synthesizers]

This probably is more of a major feature to add down the road, but Multi/Poly has a thing called Layer Rotate that’s pretty cool.

Please explain this more detailed.

[tumface]

This probably is more of a major feature to add down the road, but Multi/Poly has a thing called Layer Rotate that’s pretty cool.

Please explain this more detailed.

I'm not this person, but I can explain for them. By the way, multi/poly has 4 layers, similar to Electra. (But multi/poly focuses solely on vintage analog synthesis, unlike Electra.)

Layer Rotate in multi/poly is basically an automatic hocketing feature. Each time you play a note, a different layer will be chosen to play the note.

Screen Shot 2026-06-27 at 15.56.44.png

You can choose how the layers are rotated through.

Screen Shot 2026-06-27 at 15.56.47.png

And you can choose a control or condition that causes the rotation state to be reset back to 0. Useful for having consistent playback of phrases in the song, instead of pseudo-randomized. "Reset Source" determines the signal source used for the state reset, such as an Env, LFO, macro knob, or MIDI CC, and "Res Thresh" is the threshold for detecting the rising edge to trigger the reset.

You can also choose how many layers are played simultaneously while rotating. The default is 1, but you could rotate and play through 2 at a time, or 3.

Actually, I don't use this Layer Rotate feature very often, but maybe I should try it.

[Examigan]

Here’s a video I found that talks about it:

[Essent]

Without a doubt a great synth but I can barely spot the differences with Icarus:
https://www.tone2.com/comparison.html
In fact I wonder what was the reason for releasing 2 different synths.

[tumface]

Without a doubt a great synth but I can barely spot the differences with Icarus:
https://www.tone2.com/comparison.html
In fact I wonder what was the reason for releasing 2 different synths.

I'm a frequent user of Icarus, and not a frequent user of Electra, but I will try to answer your question.

Icarus has a lot of parameters for each oscillator. You have a bit more control and options for each of Icarus' 3 oscillators compared to Electra's. Icarus' oscillators in the unison modes use a bit more CPU, per intra-unison-voice, than Electra's oscillators. (But it's still very cheap, CPU-wise.) Electra has fewer parameters per oscillator, and the unison/voicing options are determined by how the oscillator itself works, usually using the PW knob.

Another way to think of it: Icarus is always in wavetable mode, and the unison and warp/modifiers are all based on working with wavetables or being compatible with wavetables in some way, including unison and warping/FX. Electra, on the other hand, has multiple bespoke oscillator modes, one of which is wavetable, but also several others, and the oscillator mode is in charge of how it will handle unison.

Here are the front level controls for an Electra oscillator:

Screen Shot 2026-06-28 at 06.49.22.png

And here is an oscillator in Icarus:

Screen Shot 2026-06-28 at 06.35.09.png

And Icarus has a full wavetable editor, which opens up and replaces the main plugin UI while you're using it. Also, Icarus has the best wavetable importing engine, period. It obliterates Serum 2, Vital, Phase Plant, etc. It's not even close, it's like on a different planet.

And now the main difference between Icarus and Electra: Icarus spends is complication budget on more control of its single layer of 3 oscillators + 2 filters. Electra has fewer parameters for its 3 oscillators, but it has 4 independent layers of the synth engine (3 osc + 2 filter + envs/lfos + FX insert.)

The filter section is pretty similar between Icarus and Electra. Icarus has received an update more recently than Electra, giving a few more filter types that Electra doesn't have. Electra lets you route each oscillator as a mix between filter 1 and filter 2, but Icarus sends all 3 oscillators down the same path. Both Icarus and Electra can run the dual filters in serial or parallel. Icarus' unison modes can send oscillator signals to the filters in stereo, and the filters are processed in stereo, while Electra runs the filters in mono, but allows the filter output to be panned. So, if you want a single layer to be stereo in Electra, you need to pan filter 1 and filter 2 to the left and right separately. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

Icarus: 3 osc + 2 filter, with a lot of control over the 3 oscillators, each with a bunch of choices for unison, oscillator FX, and wavetable editing. Choose this if you want to build sounds where all of the oscillators pass through the same set of filters, using the same envelopes and LFOs, while giving a lot of power and control over each oscillator.

Electra: 3 osc + 2 filter, with fewer controls per oscillator, and no wavetable editor, but you have 4 entire self-contained copies of the engine (plus master FX.) Choose this if you want to build sounds out of independently operating sections of oscillators+filters+modulators.

[exmatproton]

Anyway........... Round Robin layer switching would be nice, yes

[tumface]

I installed the Electra 3 demo to make that comparison post above, since I'm a frequent Icarus user, but I didn't own Electra. Despite the overlap it has with… many other synths I own, I still had so much fun with it that I bought it.

(And it's a better time than ever to reward humans actually creating and maintaining plugins for real, not spewing AI extruded garbage and vanishing a week later.)

[MorpherX]

For example loading a layer from the browser to the choosen layer.

You will be able to copy and paste layers between instances. So you can use one instance to browse your layers and then copy&paste it to the other.

For example loading a layer from the browser to the choosen layer.

Please explain the idea more detailed.

Thanks for the answer:

1. Copy / Paste layers between instances was one of my wishes.
To implement this is absolute great !!! Many thanks for this !


2. Examples for load /save layers within a browser:

2.1 Xphraze: here you can save single layers into an virtual folder and load layers into the choosen layer within the browser.
The browser has 2 virtual folders inside its browser. One for complete presets (called Combi) and one for layers (and one for samples). But it has one real folder for both (Combi and Preset). A Combi can be saved as .fxb and a layer as .fxp. Samples have an own real folder.

2.2.Rapture: It is the same as with Xphraze but a layer is called "Element". With Rapture you have 2 real folders. One for normal complete presets and for the Elements and you can also copy layers (Elements) between instances.
In the browser you can see the normal presets and a second folder called "Elements" with the element presets.

At the moment I am using an older version of Electra(X).
But if this all will be implemented I will upgrade and especially because of the 2. insert fx.

Best regards