Spielraum wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2019 12:06 am
cool, makes me curious
based on the workflow of roys
cmn synthi v2!?
pics are welcome...
I think a reminder of where it comes from is necessary.
AFter BlackBox II, I designed multisynth (2008/2009 ?) , . It is a multitimbral device made of 3 synths that shared an ensemble of modulators that were either "inside" or "outside"' of each synth - but all inside the same device. MultiSynth came in several versions and took 1 full scope PCI card to enjoy. Basically I wanted to have something mutitimbral, splittable, and with shared modulators. It could also do limited rythms thanks to a noise generator (the 4th synth, hidden bnehind the 3rd one).
- ms-screenshot001.jpg (374.99 KiB) Viewed 9209 times
After Multissynth - which lacked a step sequencer- came LBH VIII (2009?) , an 8 tracks 32 step sequencer . LBH VIII was also a giant host that could load oscillators and filters, but also drum modules. It was made like a workstation and improved the MultiSynth concept a lot by removing any "non-shared" modulator. It could manage 8 synths/tracks, instead of 3/4 with Multisynth. it also required a full Scope PCI to make it work with all oscillators and filters, you had room for a small mixer after LBH, and a mixer was actually made for this. It had very powerful preset sequencing functions, a première in scope and may be in the world ... you could also trigger pattern changes in various ways, such as "pressing a button" or with specific notes of the keyboard ( it was tricky to make them change by specific notes, but it worked, with a bit of latency).
Pictured is the latest version.
- LBH-X1-full-size.jpg (174.89 KiB) Viewed 9209 times
Then came Modular Mixer 1 (2011), then v 2 (2016) . It is very different but SpaceF makes mixers since the very early days of Scope. The concept of the Modular Mixer is unique to the scope platform, and dates backs years before other companies even begin to think about modular mixers. It also included VCA modules, LFOs, ADSR, modulation crossfaders.... Modular Mixer has always been thought of as "a mixer", but also as a "post oscillator synth", where you can modulate filters and levels directly inside the mixer, while using any sound source that you wish. So with a basic oscillator in front of a channel, you could create a basic synth. I confess that this was the "last step" of the concept and was not naturally achieved with Modular Mixer, because a bit too far from the concept of a mixer, only 1 modulator (or two in chain, which is not ideal gfor a synth) and because only a handfull of devices allowed to play this part nicely. Modular mixers v 1 and v2 were crucial in understanding how to mix sounds together properly. All further devices, like CV synths, include the mixing tricks learned with modular mixers and whithout which they would not sound the same.
- Modular_Mixer_4c2fbab2367c3.jpg (87.96 KiB) Viewed 9209 times
Then came KrOn, which is the evolution of LBH VIII as well as a refinment of the MultiSynth concept. The timing was improved for the best precision on dsp. Also, now the modulators are a single device that can be connected to many synths. t is lighter and more powerful than multisynth, but much more flexible. You are not obliged to load "lots of synths" at once anymore, and you are not limited anymore by a synth arhitecture fixed inside the device. Yo ucan use simple or complex devices connected to a single "Modulation Center". It means more variety, less compromises, all united under the same workflow of devices connected together, each doing different stuff, to achieve a final sound.
KrOn is both a Modular Mixer and CV modulator (built inside the guts of LBH VIII). At first it was made to control a KorG MS 20 (
LogiQuencer) , but then evolved into something different: because KrOn is a modulator, you can connect it to any synth. The principle is ismply to remove the oscillators and filters from inside the device, and keep the modulators only. KrOn is - akaik - the first and only attempt to manage CV signals from Scope in an advanced way ie supporting V/Oct, Hz/V , DSP etc. It is also in the tradition of spacef modulators, that were made over the years (I hope you have the free LogiQuencer?). KrOn is also an evolution of multisynth, in a more manageable way as synths are completely seperated from modulators.
KrOn+FMZ shows this pretty well, and it works much better than the old Multisynth. KrOn+FMZ is the definitive update to MultiSynth and it kicks ass
KrOn is also a "re-discovery" of the power of CV and all the things it can do.
https://spacef-devices.com/kron/kron-updates/
BlackBox III is a step further on the same road of "multisynths", CV/DSP Modulators/Step sequencers , refining concepts that have been in the work for more than 10 years now.... ) .... It also supports both DSP and CV modulators like KrOn. BlackBox III also takes the Modular Mixer v2 "effect routing" to the maximum compatibilty. It is compatible with KrOn, but includes modulators that are almost as powerful as KrOn.
So to answer the question, the workflow on BB3 is not to be compared to third parties, but to previous spacef devices, as they are all part of the same idea born years ago and pushed to new limits each time
.