ACE love!

Official support for: u-he.com
Post Reply New Topic
RELATED
PRODUCTS

Post

M,kay...

After I made such a FUSS over Bazzille, that I turned back to ACE to see if I could make a start in the "modular" realm.

I realized Ace is "pre-wired" so it's safe for numb-skulls like me (hard to render mute) and has billions of patches available... Howard Patches! Hipster Patches! Dr Who Patches... (Tom Baker Dr who mind you).

So I got it. FAST!

Share-it was merciful, and offered INSTANT code upon payment!!

----

So guys, is ACE blessed with the same (filter?) code that (as in Diva) scans ahead the waveform to make that thick sound... when stacked, this thing is HUGE! :shock:

I'm kinda wondering if I can delay Diva until later. (hey man, 3 oscillators is dangerous! my poor processor only has so much life to give for the cause) :lol:

---

U-HE ROCKS!!!!!

:lol:
Retired, Bored and ready to WRECK the JOINT... gonna drop some OLD-STEP, ya'll!!
Top

Post

ACE doesn't have the same filters that Diva has, it's older. Still, sounds great.
Top

Post

Also keep in mind that ACE's LFOs can run at audio rate. You can set them to semitone scaling just like the VCOs.

It's lots of fun to use the Phase Modulation capability of LFO1 at audio rates, try feeding LFO1's output back to it's own phase mod input for serious mayhem. Put a filter set to track the keys to tame the madness. :)
Last edited by justin3am on Fri Feb 08, 2013 6:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Top

Post

And did I mention that the filters can be used as audio or modulation sources when they are self-oscillating (just like Bazille's filters). :D
Top

Post

Yeah, I think it's flexible and deep... yet still a nice "round" counter to Zebra (albeit less full than Diva to be sure, it is no slouch).

Zebra has been a great sound maker, but it's missing a certain smoothness... a certain "chub"... and feels brittle in a mix at times.

Layering these two is so great... huge and complex sounds are possible.


And yes, I think the only way emulate to get some of these rythmic patches on board (without a built-in seq) will be some insane LFO routing... and of course the aforementioned ersatz oscillators hewn from signal path bystanders.

What did it for me was bringing an init up and seeing how far I could get... Bazzille (being only semi-wired) was exasperating in just a few attempts... but ACE was more forgiving and I had no trouble with building in such a familiar context. Even the patch cords worked with me (just stuff it in and see what happens) and in no time I had a fairly complex sound going.

Granted, the LFO gave me pause (the knobs are multi function and I kept looking for "rate") and I'm still sketchy on feedback loops and unusual routing concepts ... gotta read the guide (or Howard will beat me with a stick) :(


It's still weird to not only grab ersatz knobs but ALSO ersatz cables... inside a computer. :roll:


Ehh... it's the sounds baby... the SOUNDS!

I kinda like having not one, but TWO... CLEARLY... AMAZING synths right on my Mac.

While I'm out at a COFFEE SHOP no less! **sips and leans back**

Ahhhhhhhhh :D
Retired, Bored and ready to WRECK the JOINT... gonna drop some OLD-STEP, ya'll!!
Top

Post

It may not be immediately obvious, but you can right click on CV destinations (light grey "jacks") to select modulation/signal sources from a pull down menu. With the cables set to 'slim and see thru', you can almost ignore the whole virtual modular approach to patching. :)
Top

Post

TomTwohy wrote: And yes, I think the only way emulate to get some of these rythmic patches on board (without a built-in seq) will be some insane LFO routing... and of course the aforementioned ersatz oscillators hewn from signal path bystanders.
ACE has a built-in sequencer... the mapping generator
Top

Post

This thing is PERVERSELY appointed, pdxindy. And so cheap! So early eighties in sonic pallet!


The "Mapper" always confused me... but I gave it a serious poke and again--U-he has placed amazing stuff right under our very noses, all along. Now that I know how it works better (Just right clicked and boom--total control), I'm going to use it a lot. Zebra is going to get even freakier with it!

The patch cables do indeed have settings that reduce SOME of the mess :lol: ... but I like finally having something to "go modular" on. It's great Urs used the Roland R-100 as inspiration and yet it's SO much better than the Roland... lightyears. Pimped is a very accurate term for what has happened to that old synth from collage I had to use... well, plead for. :cry:

I'm using it for a quite few track replacements that used the Diva demo (bass sounds mostly) and ACE is doing a bang up job... the juicy basses and warm "analog" textures blends so well with Zebra's zap-zap details... it's a thrill to just noodle around. ACE is so lovely for layering too... again, Zebra and ACE are extremely good partners in sonic complexity!

I'm using "Audio Spillage: Elecktroid" for the percussion (BEATs!) and the "Kirnu" sequencer/arpeggiator as it just pukes the rhythmic phrases and, licks out so effortlessly. With Ableton, I can enjoy "Playing" with the looped sequences and develop variations and related tracks... in hours I have parts galore!

Whats more, I can write the final tracks down to the real notes by just playing the one-finger stuff into a second track in Ableton... bang, all the notes, ready for whatever. Amazing stuff!

All on a frigging lowly Mac Air! I'm sure you all have similar tales... I'm just feeling the full weight of these fine products and i'm loving being so EFFECTIVE.

Add Diva to the pile? Aww YEAH... you gotta have the BIG FAT RED one... she's next! (maybe next month?)

Wow... I like being alive these days!! 8)
Retired, Bored and ready to WRECK the JOINT... gonna drop some OLD-STEP, ya'll!!
Top

Post

TomTwohy wrote: The "Mapper" always confused me... but I gave it a serious poke and again--U-he has placed amazing stuff right under our very noses, all along. Now that I know how it works better (Just right clicked and boom--total control), I'm going to use it a lot. Zebra is going to get even freakier with it!
I absolutely love the modmappers in Zebra! I keep finding new uses for them. They are so versatile and expressive.

(I do wish both Zebra and ACE had a couple lag generators.)
Top

Post

pdxindy wrote:I do wish both Zebra and ACE had a couple lag generators.
At a pinch you can (mis)use one of ACE's filters as a lag generator.
Top

Post

Howard wrote:
pdxindy wrote:I do wish both Zebra and ACE had a couple lag generators.
At a pinch you can (mis)use one of ACE's filters as a lag generator.
sweet!
Top

Post

pdxindy wrote:
Howard wrote:
pdxindy wrote:I do wish both Zebra and ACE had a couple lag generators.
At a pinch you can (mis)use one of ACE's filters as a lag generator.
sweet!
Actually, on that topic, you can misuse the Lag generators in Bazille as additional filters (and vice versa) should the need arise (they have a very different character than the filter modules). Probably not the best way to go about filtering, but there you go... (in the Lag Generator area, the dials on the left are low-pass filters, and the right high-pass)
Top

Post

KBSoundSmith wrote:
pdxindy wrote:
Howard wrote:
pdxindy wrote:I do wish both Zebra and ACE had a couple lag generators.
At a pinch you can (mis)use one of ACE's filters as a lag generator.
sweet!
Actually, on that topic, you can misuse the Lag generators in Bazille as additional filters (and vice versa) should the need arise (they have a very different character than the filter modules). Probably not the best way to go about filtering, but there you go... (in the Lag Generator area, the dials on the left are low-pass filters, and the right high-pass)
Similarly with LFO1 in ACE - it can smooth out CV signals, but also filter audio a bit if one really needs it. (Well ... not that CV and audio are different in ACE or Bazille :oops:)

Actually for CV-ish processing, I've gotten a few really nice sounds with the extra parameters on a filters versus lag ... Drive and resonance and cutoff modulation can do really organic things to an LFO or envelope.
Top

Post

I bought ACE without even demoing it because that's how much I like u-he products and I've heard such great things about it. I haven't exactly figured it out yet. My high score is 14 cables patched without changing the sound at all :hihi:
Top

Post

"Organic"? What is all this talk of "Organic" synth sounds? Why it's a an oxymoron. :roll:

My computer is a product if massive industrialization. ACE dwells in a cobweb of electrons in the processor. Much less organic than even metal, plastic and solder... which ACE descends directly from. :hihi:

If I wanted "organic", I'd go get some nice wood, then carve out (and play) a doggone flute... I'd have to play it in the same room you're in as well.

Been there, done that!

:lol:

---

Now, how does this "misuse" of the LFO (or Filters) manifest itself? Does one use feedback loops? split patching? unusual settings? VOODOO?

Are there examples or patches I can pull apart? :help:
Retired, Bored and ready to WRECK the JOINT... gonna drop some OLD-STEP, ya'll!!
Top
Post Reply

Return to “u-he”