Waldorf Pulse 2: officially released (OS updated to v1.18)

[Ingonator]

I apologize if I came across excessively critical or more likely, sardonic--as is my wont. We certainly do not wish the Pulse 2 O.S. to become harder to prevent introducing new unwanted bugs, nor long process the Blofeld has gone through and while at it, the ARP on Blofeld **please** needs first note on sync tweaked or something along that line as well as something else with sampling options/wavetable creation/import.

Hi,

my comment was not really specificilly about your post but a more general one that is based on comments both here and another forum.

Some people seem to be very sensitive due to possible bugs and start talking like the whole synth is just crap.

I also don't know how comparisons to e.g. a Moog Sub Phatty or MS-20 mini are really hepful as those are quite different in terms of features and sound (and even compared to the Pulse 1 there are many differences).
It's also not like the Moog synths a totally bug free from beginning on or that there are no later updates. For example the OS for the Little Phatty (or Slim Phatty) are at OS 3.12 currently and the OS of the Voyager is already at OS 3.5 too. Even the quite new Sub Phatty has already reach OS 2.0 now.

Here is a thread about Sub Phatty bugs and OS fixes so the Pulse 2 is not the only one with some updates since release:
http://forum.moogmusic.com/viewtopic.ph ... 0&start=60

In the MS-20 mini the "digital" part seems to be too small (or just not very complex) to create really serious problems.
As mentioned in another thread here also the digital part of the Minibrute seemed to cause some serious crashes already.

Besides all that you could be sure that both the developers and the testers are interested in a bug free synth.



Ingo

[Kriminal]

Waldorf should sack its 'testers'

Looks like they were just after free stuff and never did any testing...a familar pattern in many beta teams.

[chk071]

Here is a thread about Sub Phatty bugs and OS fixes so the Pulse 2 is not the only one with some updates since release:
http://forum.moogmusic.com/viewtopic.ph ... 0&start=60

Well, the internet is full of issues people have with Windows 7, yet it's a stable and mostly bug free OS.

I must admit that i'm wondering a little too, i mean the firmware of a synth should be relatively easy to do compared with software which has to run on thousands of different machines. I just don't get why major issues like the ones described in this thread can't be nailed out, especially when the release of this synth was postponed for like a year (not sure about the reasons though, maybe Waldorf had issues producing enough units). Yet, it seems like every new Waldorf synth seems to have a lot of software issues. Maybe they don't have enough manpower to work on it? It looks a bit like it to me.

[Ingonator]

I must admit that i'm wondering a little too, i mean the firmware of a synth should be relatively easy to do compared with software which has to run on thousands of different machines. I just don't get why major issues like the ones described in this thread can't be nailed out, especially when the release of this synth was postponed for like a year (not sure about the reasons though, maybe Waldorf had issues producing enough units). Yet, it seems like every new Waldorf synth seems to have a lot of software issues. Maybe they don't have enough manpower to work on it? It looks a bit like it to me.

You seriously think that this is easy? Welcome to the real world...


@Kriminal: no comment...


Ingo

[chk071]

No no, i don't think it is easy. Just thinking that it should be another case, if you do it for dedicated hardware, than for different machines. If you take a look at games development for Windows PC's e.g., there's lots of testers who test it on the different machines, with different hardware, drivers etc.

Anyway, i don't know enough about programming to be able to judge that, just wondering a little... i mean if i would pay 500 € for this, and it bugs on me, i'd be a little pissed off to say the least.

[Goldenage2012]

I must admit that i'm wondering a little too, i mean the firmware of a synth should be relatively easy to do compared with software which has to run on thousands of different machines. I just don't get why major issues like the ones described in this thread can't be nailed out, especially when the release of this synth was postponed for like a year (not sure about the reasons though, maybe Waldorf had issues producing enough units). Yet, it seems like every new Waldorf synth seems to have a lot of software issues. Maybe they don't have enough manpower to work on it? It looks a bit like it to me.

You seriously think that this is easy? Welcome to the real world...


Ingo

There are no serious bugs in waldorf pulse 2 and honestly i haven't seen many people here said their were.

We are talking about an implementation of high resolution midi in which many people maybe thought it would be on it already.

I think what we are asking here is just a 21 century midi implementation to go with this 21 century powerful synth.


Best regards

[chk071]

I'd call this pretty major for example: http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 74#5540874

Anyway, pretty sure that they'll nail out the issues eventually. All i want to say is that i would've expected a bit less bugginess after such a long time of development. But what do i know.

[Ingonator]

I just started to follow the discussion from teh point wher the official OS 1.13 was published. Most of the discussion then was about "stepping" and/or 14-bit MIDI (currently a discussion about some details of a possible 14-bit implementation has started at the beta forum including how it works with a few other companies).

Besides that and other feature requests which do you think are remaining bugs with the current OS 1.13?

I'm doing some tests myself but would be nice to hear what others have to say.

For example in OS 1.12 some reported a problem with selectiong waveforms in the oscillators. In OS 1.13 this seems to be solved, at least with my unit.
Also sending sysex dumps from the unit (both single and full dump) seem to work here.

The MIDI thru feature seems to work too with OS 1.13, i have tested it with e.g. playing a softsynth in Ableton Live 9 using MIDI thru from the Pulse 2.


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BTW here is a chngelog for OS 1.13:

Fixes:
- Osc1 selection
- Osc2 weirdness
- Amp Envelope in unison-P not going to release sometimes
- Popup message
- Global/Pan controllers hidden (not accessible from global menu anymore)
- Class selection

New:
- VCF Env Amount in Mod Matrix
- Panic function in Utility (using <Utility-Shift> too)


An interesting new feature is that you could modulate the filter envelope amount now.

"Class selection" should be the selection of the categories ("classes") with the SHIFT button pressed and turning the main encoder. With that feature you could browse trough patches of a certain category. There seemed to be a problem with this in OS 1.12. Seems to work nicely in OS 1.13 here.


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The Pulse 2 editor from synnys works nicely in the Standalone version. I'll have to check how to use the plugin version properly. Have not used the editor much yet (especially the plugin version), also due to the fact that it took some time until i got the final version of the unit as an exchange for the test unit.

Here is a quote from the readme file:

There are both windows and macintosh standalone version available in the designated folders.
The max for live instrument is hybrid and can be used on both operating systems.

Due to the fact that ableton live filters out any sysex i had to build a workaround for the editor to receive it's sysex from the pulse 2.

There is a sysex dump router app for both windows and macintosh. Please start the router up AFTER you have launched ableton and the editor, and then select the pulse in the router.

If you dump a patch from the pulse 2 (shift+utility and then choose 'dump sound'), it will send out a sysex string which is converted from hexadecimal values to decimal values by the router, it is then sent via UDP to your localhost ip address 127.0.0.1 over port 7400.
The maxforlive patch receives these values and updates the editor and the patch name.

Patches are automatically saved when you save the ableton live set, you do however need to press 'send patch' after loading your ableton live set to update the pulse 2.

UPDATE:
Having a problem to use the plugin version with the USB connection, also when following those instructions. Dumping Sysex to the plugin works with using the MIDI OUT port. Have not tested with earlier Pulse 2 OS versions but the Standalone works and the normal MIDI OUT too so there should not be a general problem with the Pulse 2 (sending data to a Sysex software like Send SX works too). Sending data to the Pulse 2 via USB works too. Maybe some problem with that Dump router that is necessary to dump Sysex from the Pulse 2 to the Max4Live plugin.

UPDATE:
I had to deactivate the USB input for the Pulse 2 in Ableton Live to make it work with the Dump router. Now sending Sysex to the plugin also works with the USB.
Using the USb with 2 programs at the same time does not seem to work and Live 9 + the Dump router are in fact 2 programs.


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UPDATE:
The Pulse 2 Sysex and Midi CC parameter list seemed to be updated today:
http://www.waldorf-music.info/en/pulse2 ... -list.html



Ingo

[Goldenage2012]

I have not yet had the time to use this synth extensively but the bugs you just mention are gone.

Have not used usb so i cant comment on that.

The browse by genre is working as well.

One think i have notice is the lfo's, they don't seem to be quite there for lack of better words, they don't sound that good when going up the audio range into fm sounds or fast modulations and more on the sample and hold.
This could be related to the low resolution midi i would guess..

The panic function does not work on mine.

Today i tested the gate and cv out and was not able to get the minitaur in this case, tuned over one octave, would like to hear if anyone has tested the cvs? It works but the tuning is off and yes, i adjusted the settings.

The distortion and drive effects are not really my cup of tea but i can live without those if everything else is good


What does that update do ingonator? Is there a pdf file, or can you share if you updated it already?

Best regards

[EvilDragon]

One think i have notice is the lfo's, they don't seem to be quite there for lack of better words, they don't sound that good when going up the audio range into fm sounds or fast modulations and more on the sample and hold.
This could be related to the low resolution midi i would guess..

Wrong, LFO does not produce MIDI values. LFO parameters are controlled by MIDI, which is an entirely different thing.

LFOs are usually not as "good" as regular audio-range oscillators when they run at a very high frequency. It all depends on update frequency of control parameters (which is 1000 Hz in Pulse 2).

[faun2500]

i'm simply try to show that the present implemetation can't allow smooht sweeps.
i would define a time of 5 seconds a very long time.
there are a lot of examples of sweeps even longer in all electronic music styles.

5 seconds? I use 10-15 second sweeps daily.

[sqigls]

i need MIDI patch dump to work via USB, as it did in v1.11 !!!

[Goldenage2012]

One think i have notice is the lfo's, they don't seem to be quite there for lack of better words, they don't sound that good when going up the audio range into fm sounds or fast modulations and more on the sample and hold.
This could be related to the low resolution midi i would guess..

Wrong, LFO does not produce MIDI values. LFO parameters are controlled by MIDI, which is an entirely different thing.

LFOs are usually not as "good" as regular audio-range oscillators when they run at a very high frequency. It all depends on update frequency of control parameters (which is 1000 Hz in Pulse 2).

What i meant was,

If you say the lfo goes to 1000 hz speed in pulse in which i honestly doubt then 1000 : by 128 values= 7.81 hz, that means for every midi step increment the lfo speed will increase 7.81 hz, so if it was 14 bit midi you don't think that lfos increments wouldn't be smoother, rather then jumping from 8 to 8 hrz?

[EvilDragon]

No, the step increments from 0-127 are not linear at all, they are mapped differently (meaning that there is no fixed step difference between each increment of parameter value, things increase really fast in speed above value 64 or so). And this still has nothing to do with the resulting modulation of the LFO ("they don't sound as good in audio range" has absolutely nothing with the parameter range being 0-127, and increasing this range to 14-bit won't change that, you would only get finer increments - but the way LFO modulation is carried out wouldn't change at all).


Also I didn't say LFOs go to 1000 Hz, I said that parameter UPDATE RATE is 1000 Hz. That's different. If LFOs are done digitally, that would mean they go to up around 500 Hz. If they are pushed above that limit, then you get aliasing (Nyquist theorem). If LFOs are analog, though, there's no aliasing and they can go faster than that.

[Ingonator]

i need MIDI patch dump to work via USB, as it did in v1.11 !!!

Could you explain this further? Sending Sysex files seems to work nicely here with OS 1.13 (including sending a full dump with a Sysex Software like e.g. SendSX).

About a Problem with USB and the Editor from Synnys you could check my last post.


Ingo