new Solaris v2.0 announced

King of Snake · Post by **King of Snake** » Sun Jan 18, 2004 11:12 am

Sounds like a good idea to me. And good to see you're so in touch with your userbase! (as if I didn't know that already!

)

astroman · Post by **astroman** » Sun Jan 18, 2004 6:58 pm

On 2004-01-18 04:30, johnbowen wrote:
...
1) 4 oscs (2 multimode, 2 wavetable)
2) one filter (which can select from all 4 types and variations)
3) less envelopes and LFOs
4) no sequencer
5) no modular windows

It could still have the RD Slots, so it could be expandable...

I can only judge from the Solaris 1 demo, but the configuration above wouldn't be my cup of tea

Imho the CEM osc/filter, Rotor and 'paralellized' use of filters are essential parts of the Solaris, but I wouldn't bother about points 3 to 5.

Btw when trying to refresh my memory with the Solaris demo I made an observation:

On the front page one can assign the same controller to several filters, as each screen dial seems to be a different item when the corresponding filter type is activated.
Say a lowpass and a bandpass on mod wheel.
It then sounds as if both filter frequencies are modified by the wheel, but (of course) the visual representation is wrong.

Usually one wouldn't expect to be able to apply the same controller to several dials on the same surface, so are my ears fooled or is the system fooled by sub-windowing the various filter types ?

Is the Solaris 2 more DSP intense than it's predecessor or roughly in the same range ?

cheers, Tom

johnbowen · Post by **johnbowen** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 1:15 am

Hi Tom,

With the Mod Wheel assigned to both the lowpass and bandpass cutoff, you should get both moving together. If you want to use a user-assigned controller, in the new Solaris v2.0, there are 4 general purpose knobs which you assign by right-clicking over the knob, etc., and then available in the modulation lists just like any other source. So, this way you can assign any general controller to multiple destinations (not just the Mod Wheel or Aftertouch).

As for DSP use, it's a little bit better, actually. For some presets I was able to get an extra voice of polyphony.

Cheers,
John b.

[ This Message was edited by: johnbowen on 2004-01-19 01:17 ]

[ This Message was edited by: johnbowen on 2004-01-19 01:19 ]

[ This Message was edited by: johnbowen on 2004-01-19 01:21 ]

Micha · Post by **Micha** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 7:11 am

A masterpiece. A clear, easy to understand surface. Everything you need is on top. Just push the appropriate button. No "where the hell can I find this" feeling. Whenever you have a popup window you're deep inside the machine. It is fun to work with Solaris.
If you buy a light version: good idea if it contains an upgrade path. (nobody can live without all these cool features for a longer time, bet that!)
Oh yes: and that beast sounds incredible.

johnbowen · Post by **johnbowen** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 12:42 pm

OK, so, I've got a few votes for a Solaris Jr., but of course, no one has mentioned what price they'd be willing to go for.

My synths are priced according to how much time I have to put in, etc. It's one thing to build something new (the Solaris, even though it started as a revised Orion Custom, still took another 6 months to complete the first version), and you would think then that stripping things out for a simpler version would be easier, but still there's lots of adjustments for the presets, etc. A Solaris Jr, is about 3 months' work, I would estimate.

As for providing an upgrade path - that's certainly fine with me. Another idea is, the Jr. version could have the RD Slots as well, so it COULD be expanded in function a bit that way (this is how you could use the CEM oscs, for example). No FM possible, though.

I'd be really curious to get a price range that people will be happy with, before I commit time to do this.

interloper · Post by **interloper** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 4:31 pm

I think that the price of the Solaris is a steal for what you get. The Euro is a bit strong nowadays, so for the US market it's a bit more, but it's still a great deal.

Considering that for the TC Electronics Powercore single effect plugins range from $199 - $499, getting an entire synth with a myriad of features for under $300 is a bargain. Even the Virus plug for the Powercore starts at $399...

John, in my humble opinion, I would rather see you spend your time on new instruments and/or effects, rather than cut down the features of an existing device and sell it for less. Seems to me that it would dilute the product unecessarily. You vision was the Solaris as it is today, why cut down the feature set for small incremental saving for a few consumers?

Let me also state at the same time that everyone appreciates you taking the feeback to heart. Everyone would like cheap products, but I don't mind paying these reasonable prices for the Zarg quality. Then, if this helps you continue your excellent work for the platform, all of us benefit from your future efforts.

astroman · Post by **astroman** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 7:14 pm

On 2004-01-19 01:15, johnbowen wrote:
... you should get both moving together.

...As for DSP use, it's a little bit better, actually. For some presets I was able to get an extra voice of polyphony.

tnx for the explanation, John

In my case only the last item assigned was moved on screen when switching between the various types, but that's probably outdated anyway due to the new interface.

If it's more resource effective then I'm fine with the version 'as is'.
I totally agree with Interlooper that it's reasonable priced, it is an outstanding synth with just one single drawback:
it may cut a little bit sales of other devices as it is sooo versatile

Anyway, I cannot but simlpy add that all your synths are programmed very musically - it's not just their bag of tricks but the fun (and ease) to make use of that stuff

cheers, Tom

interloper · Post by **interloper** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 7:25 pm

On 2004-01-19 19:14, astroman wrote:
If it's more resource effective then I'm fine with the version 'as is'.
I totally agree with Interloper that it's reasonable priced, it is an outstanding synth with just one single drawback:
it may cut a little bit sales of other devices as it is sooo versatile

cheers, Tom

True, that's a very good point. It's like the jack of all trades...basses, pads, fx, keys, hits, the list goes on.

johnbowen · Post by **johnbowen** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 12:51 pm

Hi group!

OK, since response was so few, what I've decided to do is hold off on a Solaris Jr. for now...but I am going to make a slightly reduced price for a short time - now through February 29th, I'm posting a "Leap Year Day Sale" price of EU199 for the Solaris v2.0.

astroman · Post by **astroman** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 2:39 pm

sold

interloper · Post by **interloper** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 3:41 pm

What a steal...

gedas · Post by **gedas** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 4:17 pm

Now I only hope Creamware is prompt in arranging for the key transfer of my plugins that are on sale after I purchased Powerpulsar with Christmas packs.. Solaris is No. 1 on my next purchase list... well, maybe No.2 .. I need that fairchild.. I'm so greedy

Post by **hubird** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 5:09 pm

On 2004-01-17 11:15, King of Snake wrote:
Are there any sound examples for the Solaris 2 available? I would love to hear what it can do.

Are there?

johnbowen · Post by **johnbowen** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 4:50 am

There is a large Zip file of about 8MB of some 40 MP3s done by Marco Paris. These show off just Marco's presets, but if you get the Demo, you can play through all of the presets (with some "annoying periodic ping and noise burst"...sorry).

Send me a request if you would like the Marco Paris Zip file...

music251 · Post by **music251** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 6:41 am

Hi pulsarians!

This is my first post here, but I had to chime in on John's Solaris.
I think 199 Euro is really cheap for this "monster". I just got the 2.0 upgrade myself, and this synth ROCKS! Add John's excellent customer support, and it's a no-brainer.

I agree with that a Solaris Jr. is not necessary. I think the regular price on Solaris is already cheap.

Steinar

Post by **hubird** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:09 am

to John Bowen: oh well, I'll grab the Demo then, thanks for the offer

_________________
Let There Be Music!

[ This Message was edited by: hubird on 2004-01-23 10:10 ]

Shayne White · Post by **Shayne White** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 1:31 pm

I also have a piece I made using only Solaris. It's located at: http://www.gaeldesign.com/first_solaris_piece.mp3

Shayne

johnbowen · Post by **johnbowen** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 3:28 am

I'd also like to add that the presets barely scratch the surface of what the Solaris can do (I guess I'd better get busy!). None of them yet make use of the FM oscillator section, or the Wav Oscs (well, using samples in the factory presets would be a bit of a hassle, as I'd have to include them in the Zip folder, and then make sure the end user place them in the appropriate folders for quick preset playback.) There's also an unusual 'LFO Blender' which allows 4 LFO sources to act as a modulation signal in a variety of ways, etc..

There's also a new Multimode waveshape choice, called 'SuperSaw', which I used in 2 quickly-made presets. This "waveshape" combines 7 sawtooth waves, each incrementally detuned +/- from the other. I"m sure there's some great "rolandesque" presets to be had yet....

Lastly, in v2.0 one can use any of the four filter mix outputs as a modulation source or an input signal,
allowing for feedback loops, etc..

I guess what I'm saying is, the presets have not been updated to really address any of these new parameters, so there's still a lot to be discovered in this beast!

regards,
john b.

[ This Message was edited by: johnbowen on 2004-01-25 03:30 ]

[ This Message was edited by: johnbowen on 2004-01-25 03:33 ]

King of Snake · Post by **King of Snake** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 7:11 am

On 2004-01-23 13:31, Shayne White wrote:
I also have a piece I made using only Solaris. It's located at: http://www.gaeldesign.com/first_solaris_piece.mp3

Shayne

that's very nice indeed

I love the way this keeps changing into new textures and melodies. Some great sounds too.

[ This Message was edited by: King of Snake on 2004-01-25 07:14 ]

Ben Walker · Post by **Ben Walker** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 1:15 pm

On 2004-01-25 03:28, johnbowen wrote:
I'd also like to add that the presets barely scratch the surface of what the Solaris can do (I guess I'd better get busy!). None of them yet make use of the FM oscillator section, or the Wav Oscs (well, using samples in the factory presets would be a bit of a hassle, as I'd have to include them in the Zip folder, and then make sure the end user place them in the appropriate folders for quick preset playback.) There's also an unusual 'LFO Blender' which allows 4 LFO sources to act as a modulation signal in a variety of ways, etc..

There's also a new Multimode waveshape choice, called 'SuperSaw', which I used in 2 quickly-made presets. This "waveshape" combines 7 sawtooth waves, each incrementally detuned +/- from the other. I"m sure there's some great "rolandesque" presets to be had yet....

Lastly, in v2.0 one can use any of the four filter mix outputs as a modulation source or an input signal,
allowing for feedback loops, etc..

I guess what I'm saying is, the presets have not been updated to really address any of these new parameters, so there's still a lot to be discovered in this beast!

FWIW I'm working on a set of presets at the moment which use the wav oscillators, making use of the Jaded800 sample bank (surprise, surprise!). However, don't expect this any time soon - I'm having such fun exploring the possibilities of the synth that I keep getting sidetracked ! I've also written a few presets which use the Red Dwarf modules, but this is an area where I really think we need your help John. Some of the RD modules have obvious uses, but some I'm not so sure about at all.

Anyway, suffice it to say that I agree with all of the previous posts in praise of Solaris. It is truly an amazing, flexible, versatile, exciting synth, and I really look forward to seeing what other people come up with for it - come on folks, lets get the presets coming!

Cheers,
Ben