Sonic Academy ANA 2

[Spencer Maddox]

Bo, how dare they add new features for free >:(

[seangm]

Well I seem to be a bit update challenged. I have Ana 2 0xx. Go to my acct.. click on my downloads. Get a generic Ana2.5 promo page with option to try. Is this what I do?

Hmmmmmm the try link seems to download 2.096..8

Try logging in and then going to this link, that's how I found the v2.5 download:

https://www.sonicacademy.com/my_account ... ds/plugins

[BONES]

Well.... the most obvious use would be an ambient sample that kept the same playback rate regardless of note.....so that when mixed in with the regular oscillators it doesn't speed up as the note value increases.

Surely that kind of thing is more easily done as a separate track/channel? Which is what I was getting at - why does one synth have to do everything? It made sense when synths cost thousands of dollars and took up lots of physical space but it makes less than no sense when you are working ITB.

By the way how do you download 2.5?

I loaded up my current version and got an upgrade dialog. I pressed the "update" button and it took me to the appropriate web page.

If we look at the multi-sampler Oscs as having a nearly unlimited source of sounds and then consider blending them with traditional VA or FM we can see how they become a legitimate part of any synth.

Again, I could see the point when I was working with hardware but working ITB makes this kind of thinking redundant, surely?

[Scrubbing Monkeys]

Well I seem to be a bit update challenged. I have Ana 2 0xx. Go to my acct.. click on my downloads. Get a generic Ana2.5 promo page with option to try. Is this what I do?

Hmmmmmm the try link seems to download 2.096..8

Try logging in and then going to this link, that's how I found the v2.5 download:

https://www.sonicacademy.com/my_account ... ds/plugins

Yeah that results in the same situation above. The download starts but is delivering 2.09x

[Scrubbing Monkeys]

By the way how do you download 2.5?

You go to your user account and push the download button

Seems logical but delivers 2.09x....maybe I have to dl that first then update.

[Teksonik]

Again, I could see the point when I was working with hardware but working ITB makes this kind of thinking redundant, surely?

Absolutely not....if you consider the instrument in isolation. Sure you could layer up a few plugins and get the same sounds but how much more efficient is it to work in a single instrument with a single patch?

In the end each developer is just trying to make their instruments the best they can be and appeal to the widest range of users so those synths can compete with other offerings. Adding new features is one way to accomplish that mission.

As with every new feature in any plugin there are those who will be grateful and take advantage of that feature and then there are those who will complain because their favorite feature request wasn't granted instead.

But in this case since the multi-sample Oscs have already been added the choices now are take advantage of them or simply ignore them.

I plan on taking advantage of them in just a few minutes.

[seangm]

Well I seem to be a bit update challenged. I have Ana 2 0xx. Go to my acct.. click on my downloads. Get a generic Ana2.5 promo page with option to try. Is this what I do?

Hmmmmmm the try link seems to download 2.096..8

Try logging in and then going to this link, that's how I found the v2.5 download:

https://www.sonicacademy.com/my_account ... ds/plugins

Yeah that results in the same situation above. The download starts but is delivering 2.09x

Something's F-d up then, it gave me v2.5 when I downloaded. I would contact them, maybe they have an error on the site now or something.

[BONES]

Absolutely not....if you consider the instrument in isolation. Sure you could layer up a few plugins and get the same sounds but how much more efficient is it to work in a single instrument with a single patch?

In my experience it is less efficient than using the abilities of your host application to get the job done. e.g. If you want to change the level of one of your layered parts, you have to open the instrument's GUI, rather than simply move a slider that is already visible. So it becomes swings and roundabouts, robbing Peter to pay Paul. But, of course, it sells more software so developers keep doing it.

In the end each developer is just trying to make their instruments the best they can be and appeal to the widest range of users so those synths can compete with other offerings. Adding new features is one way to accomplish that mission.

It seems totally wrong-headed to me but is obviously the easiest way for them to go, given the geenral wrong-headedness of the market.

But in this case since the multi-sample Oscs have already been added the choices now are take advantage of them or simply ignore them.

Having already completely ignored the sample oscillators up to now, that will be easy. I should probably check out the updated filter but I haven't had time yet to do so yet. I like ANA's overdrive/distortion effects so I am hopeful the filter will benefit from those algorithms. I'd just prefer there wasn't so much useless shit cluttering up the interface.

[digitalboytn]

Any changes in the DPI department?
Lately I've been avoiding firing up ANA 2, as it's blurriness is a bit straining for my eyes when used in any Windows scale except for 100% (which I keep at 125% and not feeling like flipping it back and forth)

The changelog says that there are updates to the GUI and the graphics in v2.5 do look more focused....

The best news is that the sound is as good as ever

I don't think that I'll really use the new multi sample option in ANA 2,but my feeling is that it could have been developed as a precursor for a sampler that SA might produce in the future...

Does anyone know if the samples are streamed from disc or from RAM ?

I love ANA 2...

One of my two favourite soft synths of all time

[Muziksculp]

I got ANA2 via my Slate Digital Subscription.

I wonder if the new ver. 2.5 will be available at Slate Digital. ?

[Scrubbing Monkeys]

@bones
I did click on the update tab on Ana2 2.098 It gave a message saying It is up to date....weird.

[Teksonik]

In my experience it is less efficient than using the abilities of your host application to get the job done.

In your experience. My experience is far different. If you think clogging up a project with a bunch of unnecessary plugins that could be eliminated by simply using a single synth to its fullest potential is efficient then by all means keep working that way. To me, working that way is the antithesis of efficiency but we all have our own workflows.

I'd just prefer there wasn't so much useless shit cluttering up the interface.

One man's "useless shit" is another man's very useful shit.

But again since the Multi-Sample Oscs have already been added, complaining about them or arguing about their usefulness is pointless (and an utter waste of time). Just go on ignoring them if you wish or learn to take advantage of them.

I see Sonic Academy is already selling additional sample content so I imagine that was one of the main reasons the MS Oscs were added and I'm fine with that as having more Osc waveforms to work with is always a good thing to me.

Remember, sample based Oscs have an unlimited source of sounds (if you can hear it you can sample it) so they expand the range of sounds a synth can make and for that reason I welcome them with open arms. There is a whole world of sound out there beyond Saw,Square,Sine, Triangle, and Pulse waves.

It seems totally wrong-headed to me but is obviously the easiest way for them to go, given the geenral wrong-headedness of the market.

If you think developers trying to make their synths (their products) the best they can be is "wrong headed" then there is no reasoning with that level of myopia.

------

On the subject of the feature itself, I'm finding the multi-sample Oscs to be a bit finicky at first trial. They don't seem to be reading loop points in samples that were looped using Edison and reading loop points at all is a bit inconsistent. ANA 2 seems to struggle with samples that load, loop, and play just fine in other plugins.

Some samples import three semi-tones sharp while they import fine in other plugins. The built in looping capabilities are more miss than hit here at least on the samples I've worked with so far. At this point I would say it's better to work with samples outside of ANA 2 then import the final looped versions. I'm going to work more with ANA 2 later today and throw it some different samples to see how it fares.

Anyway, I'm willing to discuss the operation of ANA 2 but I won't argue any further about the usefulness of a feature that's already been added or get wrapped up in an endless debate about personal workflow.

[Scrubbing Monkeys]

Well I found Ana 2.5. It showed up in My downloads / plugins. On Mozilla with Linux os. Not on android or windows7 / Mozilla or through the plugin in update feature.

[MTorn]

On the subject of the feature itself, I'm finding the multi-sample Oscs to be a bit finicky at first trial. They don't seem to be reading loop points in samples that were looped using Edison and reading loop points at all is a bit inconsistent. ANA 2 seems to struggle with samples that load, loop, and play just fine in other plugins.

Some samples import three semi-tones sharp while they import fine in other plugins. The built in looping capabilities are more miss than hit here at least on the samples I've worked with so far. At this point I would say it's better to work with samples outside of ANA 2 then import the final looped versions. I'm going to work more with ANA 2 later today and throw it some different samples to see how it fares.

Thanks for reporting on that. I've considered giving it a go as a solution to my never-ending quest for a multi-sampler that I actually enjoy using. I've done a lot of this lately - going through the process of registering with a company, downloading and installing the demo, only to get annoyed and disappointed in a half-assed multisample implementation.

I'm guessing that if Ana 2 won't use standard loop points predictably, chances are low that it'll do a good job reading root notes from WAV headers and/or file names? And almost certainly will ignore any fine tuning data in the header.
I watched a bit of a tutorial for this, and the guy had to manually enter all the root note data for his piano patch, even though the filenames all had the root key clearly in them.

Perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised, but I suspect that my search will go on.

[Scrubbing Monkeys]

《 ^^^^
Exactly.....i am really hoping. I havent done much more but load it up but am hoping to find one also. Twx16x is perfect but so unstable I refuse to use it. Mulab is close. Waveform is close. Love Tal for simple stuff....but still searching.