One Synth Challenge #108: Diodow by HrastProgrammer (Schiing Wins!)

[TheNeverScene]

Regarding the envelopes, by default (if you start from Init patch) they are already set up as ADSR, so all you need to touch is: Time0 (Attack), Time1 (Decay), Level1 (Sustain) and Time4 (Release).

You make it sound so easy! Everything I ever do is from an init patch and these definitely seem out of the ordinary to me. I think it may be the timing column vs the level column that have had me perplexed. I've since adopted a "slide everything until it works for me" approach which has made my life easier, along with an "I'm just gonna let this beast take me where it wants to go" mentality. FWIW I'm loving it.

[Guenon]

One very important point about patch handling that might be the main thing causing those "oops!" overwrite surprises some of you have mentioned. Just confirmed this:

When you have a patch loaded into Diodow and do any changes to it (like, move any number of controls), if you remove that Diodow plugin instance from your project, the patch is overwritten without any notification. This is in contrast with closing the whole project, which leads to Diodow instances asking about whether you wish to save a changed patch or not; individually removing an instance always overwrites without asking.

For example, if you load a Diodow instance in Live and load a good patch, muck about with the sound and ruin it , then go "oh well, that didn't work out" and press delete to remove the Diodow instance -- you will now have the ruined patch silently saved over the good patch you had loaded, and it will be waiting for you the next time you reach for that sound

So, as mentioned previously, every time you start making changes to a sound, already save it under a unique name then. If there's an update coming up at some point, it would be great to have that "do you wish to save" dialog when removing an instance, too

[wagtunes]

Regarding the envelopes, by default (if you start from Init patch) they are already set up as ADSR, so all you need to touch is: Time0 (Attack), Time1 (Decay), Level1 (Sustain) and Time4 (Release).

You make it sound so easy! Everything I ever do is from an init patch and these definitely seem out of the ordinary to me. I think it may be the timing column vs the level column that have had me perplexed. I've since adopted a "slide everything until it works for me" approach which has made my life easier, along with an "I'm just gonna let this beast take me where it wants to go" mentality. FWIW I'm loving it.

That's pretty much how I felt when I first started with these synths. What I'm finding now is that as I am getting more comfortable with them, I have to push myself to continue to be "cutting edge" with my sounds so that I don't fall into the mundane trap, not that there's anything wrong with making bread and butter sounds. It's just not where I want to go with these. I want to establish my signature sound as being out there.

I hope I've succeeded.

[mostlyjustj]

Regarding the envelopes, by default (if you start from Init patch) they are already set up as ADSR, so all you need to touch is: Time0 (Attack), Time1 (Decay), Level1 (Sustain) and Time4 (Release).

You make it sound so easy! Everything I ever do is from an init patch and these definitely seem out of the ordinary to me. I think it may be the timing column vs the level column that have had me perplexed. I've since adopted a "slide everything until it works for me" approach which has made my life easier, along with an "I'm just gonna let this beast take me where it wants to go" mentality. FWIW I'm loving it.

This! I'm not sure if it's how I'm hooking things up in the mod matrix or if it's the two Envelope columns, but sometimes I can get envelopes to work and sometimes I can't and I haven't been able to pick up the pattern.

I'm having a VERY hard time from init, but having better luck starting with an existing patch that has some element that I want, isolating it, and playing around with envelopes/filter settings from there - but THAT method has left me with some sample-linking problems when I try back up the patch. (still working on percs!)

Anyway, thanks ED for the help, and I will keep trying

[TheNeverScene]

Hey Wagtunes, that's exactly where I'm ending up with this. It's some sort of epiphany synth. I can see me using this thing for a looooong time to come as it's showing itself as a true inspiration machine. Starting to even get some bread and buttery sounds under control, too.

Guenon, that was my first oopsie! I've actually retrained my patch saving brain habits since then. See? Much smarterest indeed!

[EvilDragon]

One very important point about patch handling that might be the main thing causing those "oops!" overwrite surprises some of you have mentioned. Just confirmed this:

When you have a patch loaded into Diodow and do any changes to it (like, move any number of controls), if you remove that Diodow plugin instance from your project, the patch is overwritten without any notification. This is in contrast with closing the whole project, which leads to Diodow instances asking about whether you wish to save a changed patch or not; individually removing an instance always overwrites without asking.

For example, if you load a Diodow instance in Live and load a good patch, muck about with the sound and ruin it , then go "oh well, that didn't work out" and press delete to remove the Diodow instance -- you will now have the ruined patch silently saved over the good patch you had loaded, and it will be waiting for you the next time you reach for that sound

So, as mentioned previously, every time you start making changes to a sound, already save it under a unique name then. If there's an update coming up at some point, it would be great to have that "do you wish to save" dialog when removing an instance, too

This doesn't seem to happen over here in Reaper. When I want to remove a Diodow instance from a track, I do promptly get queried if I want to save the modified patch...

[TheNeverScene]

@mostlyjustj, if you get a pluck or something you like, save it as something lame like "pluck starter" or whatever and use that to build on for any similar sounds in the meantime. Saves some envelope tweaking on future patches, but just remember to right click on save when saving the actual finished patch:)

[Guenon]

This doesn't seem to happen over here in Reaper. When I want to remove a Diodow instance from a track, I do promptly get queried if I want to save the modified patch...

Good to hear it's intended to do that. Or, I don't know, I think having a DAW specific fix is much less likely than adding the dialog at some point if it had been missing completely . Anyway, good to know.

Guenon, that was my first oopsie! I've actually retrained my patch saving brain habits since then. See? Much smarterest indeed!

Hah!

But yeah, that's the main issue that is unfortunately still going to bite someone in the behind , I fear. Not noticing these warnings that in some hosts "delete Diodow instance" = "overwrite current patch in its current state without notification." I hope nobody has a bunch of cool sounds crafted, then decides to go all crazy with them and delete a lot of instances one by one, without having backups

That being said, the synth has been very solid and stable over here, and sounds really cool. Using it in Live, I've been experimenting quite heavily now, and haven't had any crashes or stability related weirdness. Just that missing confirmation dialog for overwrites when deleting an instance. Loads of instances, so light on CPU as well. We'll see if it evolves into an actual OSC track.

[TheNeverScene]

One very important point about patch handling that might be the main thing causing those "oops!" overwrite surprises some of you have mentioned. Just confirmed this:

When you have a patch loaded into Diodow and do any changes to it (like, move any number of controls), if you remove that Diodow plugin instance from your project, the patch is overwritten without any notification. This is in contrast with closing the whole project, which leads to Diodow instances asking about whether you wish to save a changed patch or not; individually removing an instance always overwrites without asking.

For example, if you load a Diodow instance in Live and load a good patch, muck about with the sound and ruin it , then go "oh well, that didn't work out" and press delete to remove the Diodow instance -- you will now have the ruined patch silently saved over the good patch you had loaded, and it will be waiting for you the next time you reach for that sound

So, as mentioned previously, every time you start making changes to a sound, already save it under a unique name then. If there's an update coming up at some point, it would be great to have that "do you wish to save" dialog when removing an instance, too

This doesn't seem to happen over here in Reaper. When I want to remove a Diodow instance from a track, I do promptly get queried if I want to save the modified patch...

I got that prompt too, but clicking no didn't seem to matter...overwritten anyway. Again, I'll probably edit this post when it happens again and what I thought happened actually did not. Reaper here, too.

[Guenon]

This doesn't seem to happen over here in Reaper. When I want to remove a Diodow instance from a track, I do promptly get queried if I want to save the modified patch...

Ah, interestingly: just tried it in the latest stable (64 bit) Reaper version, that is, loaded a patch and changed it slightly, then removed the plugin. It does the same as in Live, ninja saves the patch without notification. Running Windows 7 over here.

Doesn't cause any concern if manually always using unique names before editing, of course.

[TheNeverScene]

Doesn't cause any concern if manually always using unique names before editing, of course.

Yep, like tippy toeing on thin ice. Do this and you'll be okay...until you're not.

[schiing]

That's pretty much how I felt when I first started with these synths.

Ha, I feel pretty ridiculous bragging earlier, about the "sweet sounds I'm getting" after a day with this synth, when people in a far higher division than I am are so modest. I'm trying to work 100% from scratch this time, but I'm firmly in the bread and butter department - simply focused on making that as delicious a meal as I can.

I've found lots of beautiful stuff with the reso/cut filter - tine pianos, bells, percussion. I've been struggling most with getting satisfactory pads and brass so far - that's unusual in my world.

[TheNeverScene]

I'm trying to work 100% from scratch this time

That's how it should be. A whole new ball game, eh?

[EvilDragon]

This doesn't seem to happen over here in Reaper. When I want to remove a Diodow instance from a track, I do promptly get queried if I want to save the modified patch...

Ah, interestingly: just tried it in the latest stable (64 bit) Reaper version, that is, loaded a patch and changed it slightly, then removed the plugin. It does the same as in Live, ninja saves the patch without notification. Running Windows 7 over here.

Doesn't cause any concern if manually always using unique names before editing, of course.

Not over here (latest version of Reaper and Diodow or Tranzistow). Did you enable Save minimal undo states for the plugin? Otherwise, every parameter change you do will auto-save the preset file...

[kokotte]

This doesn't seem to happen over here in Reaper. When I want to remove a Diodow instance from a track, I do promptly get queried if I want to save the modified patch...

Ah, interestingly: just tried it in the latest stable (64 bit) Reaper version, that is, loaded a patch and changed it slightly, then removed the plugin. It does the same as in Live, ninja saves the patch without notification. Running Windows 7 over here.

Doesn't cause any concern if manually always using unique names before editing, of course.

have you try to Disable saving of full plug-in state" in the reaper vst pref?