Opinions wanted on Iris 2

[ilmai]

Since Iris 2 is sample driven, pretty much what you put into it is what you're going to get out of it.

Actually not really, although the sample you put in constrains what you can get to some extent the whole point of Iris is that whatever you put into it you can explore on a micro level and find interesting sounds within the sample that may actually be completely different to what the sample sounds like as a whole. So it is not meant for use as a traditional sampler where the sound you put into it determines what you get. It is meant for the deep exploration/transformation of sound, and for surprising yourself.

From this description, Iris 2 sounds a bit like what NI Form is doing. Is that comparison even close?

[zerocrossing]

I wanted to like Iris but ended up selling it. It is great as a texture, fx and pad machine, and sounds good, but I wanted more sound and time manipulation features than it has, ymmv.

There is always the option of upgrading to a future Iris 3 with better options, as long as the upgrade price is not ridiculous. But yeah, I get exactly what you mean, my thoughts too.

Except that Izotope has essentially abandoned Iris, so I wouldn't hold my breath for version 3.

Yeah, that is an issue. Really dumb of iZotope, IMO. I think they released a lackluster v2, and then said, "oh, I guess people aren't that into this synth," instead of learning from their mistakes and coming out with a kick-ass 2.5 version that addressed complaints people had.

That said, for $49? Hell yes. It's a really fun synth to work with. Very unique and different approach than most of the stuff out there. You might be able to get similar results from other instruments, but the way Iris puts its features in a nice little package makes it well worth it. Glorified sampler? No way. Fun sample based mangling instrument? Boy howdy!

[egbert101]

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[aMUSEd]

Since Iris 2 is sample driven, pretty much what you put into it is what you're going to get out of it.

Actually not really, although the sample you put in constrains what you can get to some extent the whole point of Iris is that whatever you put into it you can explore on a micro level and find interesting sounds within the sample that may actually be completely different to what the sample sounds like as a whole. So it is not meant for use as a traditional sampler where the sound you put into it determines what you get. It is meant for the deep exploration/transformation of sound, and for surprising yourself.

From this description, Iris 2 sounds a bit like what NI Form is doing. Is that comparison even close?

I've not tried Form but from the videos I've seen you have much greater control over how you sample within a sample in Iris.

[aMUSEd]

A quick question to anyone who owns it, does it handle higher sample rates correctly? Such as 96kHz? And anyone tried using 32-bit sample files?

Why would you need to?

[aMUSEd]

I wanted to like Iris but ended up selling it. It is great as a texture, fx and pad machine, and sounds good, but I wanted more sound and time manipulation features than it has, ymmv.

There is always the option of upgrading to a future Iris 3 with better options, as long as the upgrade price is not ridiculous. But yeah, I get exactly what you mean, my thoughts too.

Except that Izotope has essentially abandoned Iris, so I wouldn't hold my breath for version 3.

Yeah, that is an issue. Really dumb of iZotope, IMO. I think they released a lackluster v2, and then said, "oh, I guess people aren't that into this synth," instead of learning from their mistakes and coming out with a kick-ass 2.5 version that addressed complaints people had.

They released a lackluster v2 that screwed over everyone who had invested in soundsets for version one - how stupid is that? Not surprising they can't learn from these sort of mistakes.

[SJ_Digriz]

I have an alternate view. I don't really use presets .. keep that in mind. I may click through them to find a starting point, or just to figure out an approach/learn a synth kind of thing. Presets are awesome tutorials.

But, taking Iris 1 and presets out of the equation then IMO Iris 2 is actually a good/different synth. It has issues for sure, but if you stick to it's central capabilities, it sounds great and has its own thing. If you like that "thing" you will like Iris 2. Just be aware that there is a reason it is $49. Like buying anything "as is".

[FLWrd]

I bought it (at $49), and it's fun, but that's it. You can get some weird effects from samples. It has four layers, so it can always sound good (layer 2 detuned pads under experimental stuff, add reverb and delay, and presto), but that makes it sound a bit like a poor man's modular: quirky rhythms in a background wash. Isolating harmonics isn't great fun, and the editor is limited, and unpredictable: cutting harmonics out of a sample often sounds like a draw-bar organ, or like high chirping; finding a good sound takes some work.

So, if you like to experiment, or want a source of background blurby wooshy things, it's a good buy. If you want to play chords and hear an ARP or a violin section, look elsewhere.

[zzz00m]

I'd say try the demo. Play with a few presets to get an ideal of what it can do. Drag a few samples in and play with it.

If it inspires you, then there is no reason to pass this up for $49. The additional sample collection provided far exceeds the number of factory presets supplied, so there is the expectation that you will need to create your own presets with them.

I found a great soundbank for Iris called Luftrum 10 for $23 that is very well done with basses, keys, pads, soundscapes, sequences, SFX, and synths. http://www.luftrum.com/luftrum10/

Soundbank for the amazing spectral synth iZotope Iris v1 and v2. Textured pads, classic pads and organic soundscapes defines the essence of this soundbank. Inspired by the sounds of Mother Earth and pioneers from the early electronic music scene, make sound worlds collide in harmony in this collection. The soundbank makes extensive use of samples from the Luftrum collection. Samples of a didgeridoo, the forest, rain, voices, airport, sound toys, clockworks, record dust, VA synths + a handpicked selection of binaural recordings.

Luftrum 10 is re-written to the synth engine of iZotope Iris 2 with 10 new presets, updated macro controls and overall fine tuning of all presets. Watch the YouTube demo below by maestro Nicky Bendix taking us on a journey through many of the pads and soundscapes. Note: If you run Iris 2 you must update from v2.0 to v2.02 to load and play the sounds. You can see what version you are running, by clicking the little question mark in top left corner of Iris and choose ‘About’.

74 carefully crafted presets (of them, 34 ambient pads)

Soundbank for iZotope Iris by Luftrum - demo by Nicky Bendix

[Michael L]

patchpool has many Iris videos that show how Simon uses the filters, layers and modulation. There's also a fun youtube video of a guy using Iris 1 (when it was first released) to make music using sounds he recorded in his bathroom. Like any instrument, you need to like it enough to want to learn it well. Lots of tutorials out there. It's crazy to buy an instrument only because it's cheap. I bought Iris 1 for a lot more money when it came out, and am happy I did.

[egbert101]

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[egbert101]

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[zzz00m]

Another cool feature of Iris 2 that is not obvious until you read the manual, is the keyboard map.

It pops out when you click on the 'map' button on the keyboard, and lets you set hi/low MIDI key ranges for each sample slot. That way you can arrange splits and layers with the four samples. Gets interesting when you map bass sounds on the lower notes, and other layers on the top end!

[egbert101]

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[Michael L]

So this is all about how useful they are to me in the long term.

No one else can answer that question for you. Did you demo it? It has a unique workflow you may not like