Artemis: 6-voice Synth from Dreadbox + Sinevibes

[cryophonik]

Got my Artemis up and running this evening and it’s definitely met or exceeded my expectations. I don’t think it’s actually larger than I anticipated, but it’s not small, has a lot of surface area and doesn’t feel cramped, but has a very slim vertical profile. Knobs and sliders feel smooth and solid and the overall build quality feels like what I’d expect at this price range. Feature-wise, it fits somewhere between my Prophet 6 and Rev2, but it sounds like a Dreadbox and the Sinevibes effects are really nice, especially the shimmer verb. So, first impressions are all positive for me.

[KBSoundSmith]

Found one at Juno in the UK ...
https://www.juno.co.uk/products/dreadbo ... 054559-01/

Hmm, intersting. The specs are modest, but it seems like those chosen are done so thoughtfully (eg, polyaftertouch, MPE, HP filter in addition to LP, etc). Most importantly, very nice sound. Looks like a fast, productive instrument.

[cryophonik]

Looks like a fast, productive instrument.

It definitely is. I had actually spent about an hour or more with it creating some patches from scratch yesterday before I even realized that it doesn't come with a paper manual (although, I had downloaded and skimmed through the PDF over the weekend while I was waiting for mine to arrive). It wasn't I tried to lock the arpeggiator that I realized I hadn't even had a need to look at the manual - that was the first thing I encountered that wasn't immediately obvious or intuitive. Even the modwheel, AT, and velocity assignments were dead simple and needed no instructions - just select "Add" and move the desired destination controller to the desired amount and, boom, it's assigned (or select "Clear" and move the controller to clear it).

My only (very minor) complaint so far is that the manual doesn't include a CC list, but I suspect that is forthcoming. Also, this is currently at firmware v1.0.0, so hopefully Dreadbox will add some new features or capabilities (e.g., more arp patterns) in the future.

[Constructed Identity]

I heard some people were experiencing stuck notes. There will be an update pretty soon.

[thecontrolcentre]

I just got notified that delivery is delayed to my original estimated delivery date of Tuesday.

Mine finally arrived last Wednesday. Same day my PC arrived home after being repaired by SCAN ... it was still under warranty, thankfully. They had to replace the CPU.

I've been busy setting up the computer ever since. What a hassle.
Need to take a break to get to know Artmera.

[cryophonik]

I heard some people were experiencing stuck notes. There will be an update pretty soon.

Interesting. I haven't read anything about that but there is a discussion over on GS about some people's screens making a high-pitched noise. I haven't experienced any problems with mine, though.

[cryophonik]

Posted this morning by Artemiy on GS:

Update about the update: it's pretty much ready and we're just doing the very final testing and also updating the manual with all the changes and additions. There's quite a lot of small refinements as well as new features in there (including LFO and delay time tempo sync, expanded modulation options, preset naming etc.), I think many of you will be very happy

P.S. We are also adding a "vintage" parameter (with a different name) with several gradually randomized parameters per voice, like VCO1/2 pitch, VCF cutoff, and it's actually quite good

[cryophonik]

Firmware 1.1.0 is out. From the Release Notes:

Bug Fixes
● Enhanced VCA envelopes and refined sustain level mapping to reduce VCA clicks.
● Improved MIDI handling, reducing latency and fixing stuck note issues.
● Improved knobs and sliders resolution and enhanced filtering on the ADCs to address jumping values.
● Improved velocity response and curve mapping on VCA, especially for monophonic parameters.
● Fixed a bug where two controls on Huge Reverb were interchanged.
● Fixed LFO requiring a trigger when switching from ENV to LFO waves.
● Fixed LFO trigger behavior when fade-in was set to 0 to eliminate spurious click sounds.
● Fixed sequencer division change bug and added clock division reset on program change to avoid missed notes.

New Features
Preset Enhancements
● Increased preset level range to ±13dB.
● Added preset naming and a redesigned save workflow:
○ Header displays: SAVE PRESET "XY" (X = bank, Y = slot).
○ Main screen shows the preset name.
○ Footer shows:
■ Left: Selected save slot
■ Right: SAVE option
Saving Workflow
● Press SAVE once to open the page.
● Use the encoder to:
○ Choose a slot (bottom-left corner).
○ Cycle through banks (press + turn).
○ Confirm slot (press encoder).
● After confirming the slot, the highlight moves to the SAVE option.
○ Pressing the encoder here will save and exit the page.
○ Alternatively, turning the encoder at this point will allow you to freely move between editable elements: name characters, save slot, and the SAVE button.
Renaming Presets
● Use encoder to highlight character(s), save slot, or SAVE button.
● Press encoder to edit a character:
○ Rotate to switch between Uppercase, Lowercase, Numbers, Symbols, and Blank Space.
○ Quick-skip: Press + turn to jump between character types.
● Press again to confirm and move to the next character.
Quick Save Tip: To save without renaming or changing the slot:
● Press SAVE once
● Then press encoder twice to confirm and save
Sound & Tuning
● Improved and balanced Drive Mode curves and output levels across all 4 modes.
● Added Tuning Page for visual feedback while tuning.
MIDI & Control Enhancements
● CC IN & PC IN Support:
○ Full parameter and mod matrix CC input.
○ Program Change + Bank Select.
○ Both activated/deactivated via menu.
● Keytracking Mod Matrix now available.
● Instability Mode:
○ Introduces slight variation from voice to voice for oscillator pitch, filter cutoff, pulse width, and envelope times.
Knob/Slider Handling
● Catch Mode added (in addition to Jump and Scale modes):
○ Tweaking a knob/slider has no effect until the control value “passes through” the stored value.
Additional Features
● Quick Panel Load via MENU + SAVE:
○ The sound switches to the current position of the knobs and sliders. The current preset is ignored and the settings that appear on the panel are now the sound that you hear.
○ Any modulation routings, FX section settings and sequencer/arp settings will remain unaffected.
● Initialize Preset Option:
○ Fully resets all parameters and sequencers.
● Delay BPM Sync:
○ Syncs delay time to tempo divisions/multiplications.
● LFO Visual Feedback:
○ Wave buttons now reflect LFO shape and rate.
● LFO SYNC Button Visual States:
○ OFF = Free-running
○ BLINKING = Key-triggered
○ ON = BPM synced
○ BLINKING (75% on) = BPM + Key-triggered
● Header Parameter Display:
○ Parameter changes now shown in the header for easier visibility.
● Startup Logos added.
● Screensaver now activates after 10 minutes to prevent display ghosting.
● All Sounds Off support:
○ Mutes the unit immediately.
○ Applied on preset change to prevent long effect tails.

[Constructed Identity]

Got mine today and it’s glorious! Still, glad I waited for the 1.1 patch because I like to name my presets. It must have the most comprehensive set of effects of any synth I know of right out of the box Presets on bank A will probably stay and I like that they used after touch.

[zerocrossing]

Looks nice. I love the Dreadbox sound
If I didn't buy their Murmux already, I probably would have picked this up.
Before the Murmux, I had an Abyss which sounds great too.

I feel like that last Murmux iteration made me go, "wow," when I heard it. This makes me go, "yup, that's an analog synth, all right."

[Constructed Identity]

Looks nice. I love the Dreadbox sound
If I didn't buy their Murmux already, I probably would have picked this up.
Before the Murmux, I had an Abyss which sounds great too.

I feel like that last Murmux iteration made me go, "wow," when I heard it. This makes me go, "yup, that's an analog synth, all right."

Yes, it is very analog-y. I checked out a Murmux at Knobcon last year and all I could think was ‘that’s it?’

[zerocrossing]

Looks nice. I love the Dreadbox sound
If I didn't buy their Murmux already, I probably would have picked this up.
Before the Murmux, I had an Abyss which sounds great too.

I feel like that last Murmux iteration made me go, "wow," when I heard it. This makes me go, "yup, that's an analog synth, all right."

Yes, it is very analog-y. I checked out a Murmux at Knobcon last year and all I could think was ‘that’s it?’

Hm. Maybe it's my mood, but I seem to remember thinking the new version was really special, even though it was pretty simple. Maybe we just have too many great options.