Tone2 Rayblaster: OUT NOW! (demo version available)

[Examigan]

Here is the demo song I submitted, one part of it was used in the official demo song.

http://soundcloud.com/examigan/rm-rayblaster-demo

I decided to not have drums in there this time, and the mp3 can be downloaded from Soundcloud.

[rcat]

Ah, just what I've been waiting for...a synth that can simultaneously give me the aural experience of a MRI brain scan, root canal procedure, and a large 120 mil. piece of sheet metal being ripped length-wise by a skill saw with a wood cutting blade. Thanks, but no thanks, not my cup of meat.

[Frantz]

Ah, just what I've been waiting for...a synth that can simultaneously give me the aural experience of a MRI brain scan, root canal procedure, and a large 120 mil. piece of sheet metal being ripped length-wise by a skill saw with a wood cutting blade.

I had the same reaction to the official demo track but give Ingo's demo a play before you dismiss it. He managed to get some warm analogish sounds. Official Tone 2 stuff is never subtle.

[pdxindy]

Just scratching my head about the 'Buy Sounds' button in the UI.
Is it common now that devs put ads in the synths

Yep, I really really hate this - right slap bang in the middle of the GUI. I know it's only a small thing but it would bug me every time I look at it - puts me off even contemplating this synth and lowers my opinion of Tone2. I wouldn't have a problem with it being a menu option somewhere or a 'feature' you could hide (hopefully it is) but staring you in the face every time you open up the GUI? No thanks.

+1 ... put it in a menu, not right there on the front of the GUI... there are plenty of useful controls in menus that I would want on the front, not an ad

[Ingonator]

Ah, just what I've been waiting for...a synth that can simultaneously give me the aural experience of a MRI brain scan, root canal procedure, and a large 120 mil. piece of sheet metal being ripped length-wise by a skill saw with a wood cutting blade.

I had the same reaction to the official demo track but give Ingo's demo a play before you dismiss it. He managed to get some warm analogish sounds. Official Tone 2 stuff is never subtle.

Not only analog:

[

BTW my demo posted above includes a pad sound that emulates wavetable scanning. This is done with a long waveform that was built from several smaller waveforms and some crossfading. With a low harmonic setting you could then "zoom" into that long waveform and "scan" trough it with modulation of the "start Phase" parameter. in the pad sound used for the demo both an envelope and the Arp pattern were used to modulate the start phase of Osc1 and Osc2.

Some of those "wavetables" and also some single cycle waveforms which i created will be included in the waveform content.
An expansion with more presets and maybe also additional waveforms should not take too long after the official release of Rayblaster.

Besides that also a Bell like sound and a "digital" lead sound (or better "hybrid" as it uses an analog and a digital waveform) are included.

Personally i like the official demo song. lots of different styles included if you don't stop listening after a few minutes...

The presets seem to be a nice mixture of bread & butter and experimental sounds. Of course also my "typical" stuff like Synth Strings (used in the demo) and Synth Brass are included. The overall number of submitted presets was so high that the first expansions/soundsets will not take very long. One should be focused on Atmo/Pads which is why i am also working on more waveforms and "wavetables" (currently i got 400+ of my own waveforms in my own collection where some maybe sound quite similar).

People should keep in mind that this is not another typical VA synth so some "unusual" sounds are what should be expected from this.
More of the "usual" stuff (e.g. analog emulations) which are also part of the presets i submitted should be part of the upcoming soundsets. a selection of those are also included with the factory sounds.

The Bass sound in my demo is based on a single cycle wave (and the corresponding filter response...) based on a sample from LuSH-101 but the sample was processed with an external EQ for bigger low end.


Ingo

[pdxindy]

Ah, just what I've been waiting for...a synth that can simultaneously give me the aural experience of a MRI brain scan, root canal procedure, and a large 120 mil. piece of sheet metal being ripped length-wise by a skill saw with a wood cutting blade.

I had the same reaction to the official demo track but give Ingo's demo a play before you dismiss it. He managed to get some warm analogish sounds. Official Tone 2 stuff is never subtle.

Tone2's aesthetic is certainly not mine. Ingo's demo is more interesting... I did like the Tone2 feature demo video. Wouldn't have minded if it were even a couple minutes longer to give a bit more description. Rayblaster looks interesting and fun to play with.

[Frantz]

Besides that also a Bell like sound and a "digital" lead sound (or better "hybrid" as it uses an analog and a digital waveform) are included.

Yes, your demo includes some interesting digital sounds as well. They reminded me a bit of additive synthesis. Those sounds were a bit thin and sharp for my tastes but could be lovely going through a chorus or phaser to smooth them out a little. I am looking forward to trying this out.


Regarding the expansion ads built into the GUI, I think it is unfortunate but par for the course for Tone2. Their approach (including marketing claims, the demo song, and VST demo timeouts) tends to be pushy and aggressive. I think they would have more customers if they took a more relaxed and subtle approach to all of this.

[Ingonator]

Yes, your demo includes some interesting digital sounds as well. They reminded me a bit of additive synthesis. Those sounds were a bit thin and sharp for my tastes but could be lovely going through a chorus or phaser to smooth them out a little. I am looking forward to trying this out.

Indeed created several waveforms based on differnt combination of partials created with Camel Audio Cameleon 5000. Some of those and also a few "wavetables (= long waveforms with several single cycles and crossfading) are included with the factory content.

Anyway none of those were used in my demo.
hThe "digital" waveforms and the "wavetable" (start phase is modulated/scanned with both an envelope and an Arp pattern) are based on the formulka editor of DNR Wave Designer (and Steinberg Wavelab Elements 7 for editing and creating the "wavetables").


Ingo

[EvilDragon]

If I do buy an analog synth it would probably be a novation mini nova now for £300 because this has put an end to the debacle once and for all for me.

Except Mininova is not an analog synth.

[Frantz]

Anyway none of those were used in my demo.
hThe "digital" waveforms and the "wavetable" (start phase is modulated/scanned with both an envelope and an Arp pattern) are based on the formulka editor of DNR Wave Designer (and Steinberg Wavelab Elements 7 for editing and creating the "wavetables").

Cool. I have an old Waldorf Q (with broken encoders) sitting next to me. I love wavetable stuff. I'm looking forward to this even more.

[dexterbella]

I have added a comment about the "Buy sounds" feature at the Beta tester forum but i also added a notice that this is not a big problem for myself.

It would be also good that as a Tone2 customer you would add a comment yourself. You could use the new Rayblaster forum

Ingo

I've posted a comment as you've suggested. Hope they reconsider.

[Ingonator]

Anyway none of those were used in my demo.
hThe "digital" waveforms and the "wavetable" (start phase is modulated/scanned with both an envelope and an Arp pattern) are based on the formulka editor of DNR Wave Designer (and Steinberg Wavelab Elements 7 for editing and creating the "wavetables").

Cool. I have an old Waldorf Q (with broken encoders) sitting next to me. I love wavetable stuff. I'm looking forward to this even more.

Have a look at my signature and you'll see i love Wavetable synthesis too.
I was part of the Beta testing and presets team for the Waldorf PPG Wave 3.V.

Even if the "wavetable scanning" in Rayblaster does not really work like in a PPg you could get comparable results.
With the "harmonic" value in the osc section you could "zoom" into a large waveform (my "wavetables are up to 60000+ samples) until you only see a very small part of it or even almost a flat line.
By modulation of the start phase parameter you could the "scan" trough the waveform. If you zoom in enough this should even work with a simple single cycle wave.
Additionally with it's IMS Rayblaster creates a "fantasy filter" based on a complex waveform (or an analog filter emulation based on a "simple" waveform of an analog synth) which usually results in a combination a kind of Formant filter and a Comb filter. Based on this you could get several different timbres even from a short complex single cycle waveform while turning the Formant knob. With higher harmonics you could also get multiples of the waveform.

And finally you could add different "osc windows" (works like a kind of waveshaper) and "PW sequences".


Ingo

[Spitfire31]

4.) The full version of my own audio demo which in parts is included in the official demo:

Ingo Weidner - Empire Of Rays - Rayblaster Demo 1


Have fun,
Ingo

Thanks, Ingo! I had! Fun, that is, listening to your demo.

In contrast to the first six minutes or so (I couldn't bear it any longer) of the official hysterical mayhem with those insane four octave bends repeated ad nauseam, your demo made me realise that perhaps, after all, Rayblaster could be something more than another toy for preteeners on some undefined substance.

Your demo had that something that… er… what's it called now… ah! Musicality!

Congratulations!

But I won't buy Rayblaster until you make a soundbank or two (I've got your sounds for the PPG).

Best,

Joachim

[bmanic]

The official Tone2 mp3 demo is just awful. Very squashed and obviously an attempt to "master" it. Very typical Tone2 demo mp3.

Ingonator's demo is much better.

Having said that, I'm not sure I hear anything that I can't do with my other tools.. no matter if it's a new synthesis type or not. Lots of sounds sound very much like what I get out of Gladiator 2 and to a degree what can be done in ElectraX.

Lots of very sharp and metallic textures.. not really my cup of tea.

Will demo it for sure though.

Cheers!
bManic

[zvenx]

I still prefer the leaked Himalaya demos.... neither the official one (or the little I heard of it) or the Ingonator one, which without disrespect reminded me of D-50 style demos from the 80's, appeal to me.

but I certainly will download the demo when it does come out and play around with it.
rsp