Synclavier Regen

[ghettosynth]

I searched and didn't find anything, apologies if there's already a thread. If not, have you seen this?
[$2499 if you want to get right to the punchline]

[cryophonik]

I’ve seen a few reviews of it and all the usual bitching about the price, digital sound (gee, ya don’t say ), yada yada yada… It’s not for me, but it looks like a kickass synth and it’s priced about the same or a little less than what I would’ve guessed. I’m sure a lot film composers and pro sound designers have been drooling nonstop ever since this was announced.

[zerocrossing]

I’ve seen a few reviews of it and all the usual bitching about the price, digital sound (gee, ya don’t say ), yada yada yada… It’s not for me, but it looks like a kickass synth and it’s priced about the same or a little less than what I would’ve guessed. I’m sure a lot film composers and pro sound designers have been drooling nonstop ever since this was announced.

What “pros” do you think are going to be interested in a synth with such a poor interface? I’m not some famous Hans Zimmer or Howard Scarr, (who famously use Zebra HZ) but I do make a living doing music and sound effects for games, and the nature of that kind of work often means turning on a dime. Our publisher just literally changed a major game dynamic while we were in beta. That kind of thing happens all the times, and I’m sure it happens on big projects as well. Having software where I can run video along side of my DAW and virtual instruments is crucial for being able to have that kind of flexibility. I don’t even use my hardware that much unless it’s got a plugin editor, which I’ve not seen mentioned with the Regen.

Additive is notoriously difficult to program unless you have a lot of knobs and a large screen. I keep hearing, “well the Synclavier II had a button centric UI with a single knob,” but the Synclavier II also had a CRT display and qwerty keyboard. I’m writing all this because the Regen is actually something I’m interested in, but not if it’s going to end up being a preset machine because the interface is too arcane. I am getting very good quality doing additive in MSoundFactory, and the feature set is amazing, far eclipsing the Regen. Does the Regen sound better? Not sure yet, but it would have to sound a lot better for me to really consider it. It does sound good, I’ll give it that. For it’s price, I think they could have done an interface that had a large touch screen display like the Quantum and some sort of knob array. Maybe it would have to be a bit more expensive, but I think they’d sell more of them. I think it’s a mistake to make a synth in 2022 that doesn’t have an interface that’s fast and fun to use.

[cryophonik]

I thought I read in one of the reviews that an app would be available, but I could be mistaking that with another synth or maybe it was just speculation. Loopop did mention that Regen could import presets from the Go! app, which I assume he meant directly via one of the USB ports, so maybe that’s a hint that they’ll at least release a dedicated iOS app for it.

[egbert101]

Seems interesting. Interface looks eccentric but beautiful. Price is not too crazy considering the competition (waldorf).

[zerocrossing]

I thought I read in one of the reviews that an app would be available, but I could be mistaking that with another synth or maybe it was just speculation. Loopop did mention that Regen could import presets from the Go! app, which I assume he meant directly via one of the USB ports, so maybe that’s a hint that they’ll at least release a dedicated iOS app for it.

Well, if they do provide an editor, consider me interested. Plugin would be best, but iOS would be acceptable. Even a regular Windows app. As it is now, I can’t imagine spending a moment trying to program that synth from that interface.

[Examigan]

It would be cool if it could be tied into Arturia's version in some type of edit mode.

[Bach666]

Synclavier Regen GIVEAWAY

[DrGonzo]

Ouch.

[synthique]

That interface is really strange. A lot is going on on the tiny screen. Synclavier says you get 12 partials that can be anything from 24 harmonic additive to subtractive and PCM "square waves" - but it's an FM synth so I'm confused. It sounds like you have 12 partials that can be any of the internal engines, each with their own envelopes, filters, modulators etc. It doesn't say how many voices are available. It sounds like it covers all the Synclavier bases. I would hope there's a software editor or something. The controls on the box are weird - the osc section has chorus button, and so does the timbre? How much chorus?

I've used the Synclavier V and had a Kawaii K5000s for a while, but I never really found or programmed anything I really liked using on either. You can probably get better sounds out of the Mini/Micro freak without knowing what you're doing..

[GuyaGuy]

That interface is really strange. A lot is going on on the tiny screen. Synclavier says you get 12 partials that can be anything from 24 harmonic additive to subtractive and PCM "square waves" - but it's an FM synth so I'm confused. It sounds like you have 12 partials that can be any of the internal engines, each with their own envelopes, filters, modulators etc. It doesn't say how many voices are available. It sounds like it covers all the Synclavier bases. I would hope there's a software editor or something. The controls on the box are weird - the osc section has chorus button, and so does the timbre? How much chorus?

I've used the Synclavier V and had a Kawaii K5000s for a while, but I never really found or programmed anything I really liked using on either. You can probably get better sounds out of the Mini/Micro freak without knowing what you're doing..

99 voices

The chorus controls are pretty much the same as on the Synclavier V. Each of the 12 Partials has its own Chorus control and there's also the Timbre-level Chorus that acts as an offset for all 12 Partials. It's just a way to do quick tweaks or have performance control. It's the same with FM, Envelope settings, etc.

I'd suggest diving back into the Synclavier V. The Regen architecture wouldn't be confusing if you know Synclavier V well. Each Timbre (aka Preset) has 12 Partials, which you could say is the set of the carrier and modulation oscillators in FM. Only on the Synclavier, each Partial is actually made of 24 oscillators in the harmonic series for additive synthesis and the same for the modulator. Or you can replace the carrier with a sample, which can also be FM'd. Additionally the Regen has VA waveforms.

Also on the Regen you can break things out into 12 Tracks--one for pads, another for leads, another bass, another drums, etc.

The Minifreak is definitely more immediate. But the Regen allows for much deeper sound design and layering.

As for the interface, it's easy to get around once you learn it. The screens aren't that small. Together the two are about the size of my phone's.

[Old Norse]

They're apparently bringing out a 61-key version in the style of the original ORK keyboard.

https://synthanatomy.com/2025/03/syncla ... works.html

ORKII.jpg

[ChamomileShark]

Seems most of the development is for the add on PSV I/O (no, I don't know what PSV stands for, I think it's a throwback to the old systems, "polyphonic sampling voice"?") for sampling into the Regen and some kind of analogue mixing stage.

[DrGonzo]

"The Synclavier Ork II’s price and release date have not been announced. However, after talking to the team, Andrew estimates it will be a high-priced Synthesizer à la Groove Engine 3rd Wave."

[ChamomileShark]

Do you know when that was from?

Both the Ork & PSV I/O are featured in the company's literature but so far I've only heard/ seen video of the work on the PSV. Maybe the PSV will be included and so it needs to be built first?