One-Synth-Challenge #67: Digits by Extent of the Jam (z.prime wins!)

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BJ-
Thanks for posting the video! It's always nice to actually get to know the designers a little better. It really shows some heart going into the plugin design.
Haven't had a chance to download and tweak around with Digits yet, but it looks pretty fun, and this should be an interesting contest. I decided to go back to Zynewave Podium Free again. I was using Cubase LE 5, which only allows up to 8 virtual instrument tracks, all while I forgot that Podium Free can load as many VSTi tracks as I want into a project.

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Hi guys...back after a bit of a layoff. A very interesting choice, this month, and definitely a great-sounding synth with lots of potential. Some great sounds with a rawness that really speaks to me. This is definitely a keeper.

If the designers are paying attention, I sure would like the Duty Cycle knob to be envelope-controlled! Banging out modulations with knobs and automation for now, but I'm supernaturally lazy. :)
-Michael

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Oopfoo wrote:Hi guys...back after a bit of a layoff. A very interesting choice, this month, and definitely a great-sounding synth with lots of potential. Some great sounds with a rawness that really speaks to me. This is definitely a keeper.

If the designers are paying attention, I sure would like the Duty Cycle knob to be envelope-controlled! Banging out modulations with knobs and automation for now, but I'm supernaturally lazy. :)
Hopefully he'll check out this thread soon! Really psyched when Devs are still active :hyper:

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Pulse Width Modulation wrote:BJ-
Thanks for posting the video! It's always nice to actually get to know the designers a little better. It really shows some heart going into the plugin design.
Haven't had a chance to download and tweak around with Digits yet, but it looks pretty fun, and this should be an interesting contest. I decided to go back to Zynewave Podium Free again. I was using Cubase LE 5, which only allows up to 8 virtual instrument tracks, all while I forgot that Podium Free can load as many VSTi tracks as I want into a project.
Quick question - limitations of podium: Can I
1) route/group tracks into another track freely?
1a) For example - I have 4 layers for a kick. I want to route them into another track to add effects to all 4 - like compression. is that possible?
2) insert multiple effects on a single track?
3) Automate the synth?

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bjporter wrote:Quick question - limitations of podium: Can I
1) route/group tracks into another track freely?
1a) For example - I have 4 layers for a kick. I want to route them into another track to add effects to all 4 - like compression. is that possible?
2) insert multiple effects on a single track?
3) Automate the synth?
And I thought you were going to give REAPER a bash? :hihi:
[Of course, REAPER does all of the above without a hiccup or a sneeze!]

So ... do I bash on with my Blues??? It's looking good, just gotta bend this synth a bit now over the next couple of weeks.

dB

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bjporter wrote: Quick question - limitations of podium: Can I
1) route/group tracks into another track freely?
1a) For example - I have 4 layers for a kick. I want to route them into another track to add effects to all 4 - like compression. is that possible?
2) insert multiple effects on a single track?
3) Automate the synth?
The last time I built a track with it was in 2012 for OSC 43, but I just downloaded the new version and put it through some paces. I thought it was limited to only 8 VSTi's at a time, but I was wrong! I only had 8 at a time in my previous projects, because my old computer couldn't handle that much! So, you're not limited on VSTi tracks.

Podium Free can create Group Tracks (AKA Submix channels), and as far as I can remember, you can make as many as you want. You should be able to group your instrument tracks together, and then even take group tracks and send them to further group tracks if you wish. Great for submixes and sub-submixes!

You can definitely insert multiple effects on any track, including instrument tracks, group tracks, and your master output channel.

I'll need to check on the full extent of track automation. If I remember right, I could automate specific parameters very easily, and the CC data showed up nicely on the track timeline.
The only thing I need to check on are use of MIDI plugins, like arpeggiators and pattern sequencers.

Also, there are no bundled effects or Zynewave plugins included with the free version, and that includes things like onboard channel EQ, but most of us already have tons of plugins that will fit the job nicely.

The big limitations of Podium Free are: (according to Zynewave)
-MIDI interface setup is limited to one input and one output. (Although you do have a full 16 channels to work with. Also I did find a way around this...see below)
-64-bit mixer engine option is disabled.
-Plugin multiprocessing is disabled. (means that only one CPU core will be used when processing plugins. If you have a dual-core CPU you will be able to use 50% of your available CPU power before the Podium CPU indicator overloads. Podium Free still uses all available CPU cores for various background tasks such as audio file disk streaming.)
-ReWire is disabled.
-Surround-sound playback is disabled.
IN OTHER WORDS: LIMITED, BUT FLIPPIN' AWESOME FOR OSC PROJECTS! :)

But seriously, I really liked Podium Free in the past, and the only thing holding it back was only allowing 1 MIDI input and output. However, I found a way around this by using an iConnect MIDI 2+ interface. The iConnect software allows you to merge whatever MIDI inputs you wish into whatever output you choose, so now I have 2 keyboard controllers fed into Podium and I can separate them out by MIDI channel. I'm going to try to add my Korg NanoKontrol to the matrix as well. If you are looking for a DAW, give it a try. The GUI is pretty cool, it has the versatility I'm used to on Cubase, and if you like it, you can always upgrade to the full version for $50.

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Pulse Width Modulation wrote:
bjporter wrote: The big limitations of Podium Free are: (according to Zynewave)
-MIDI interface setup is limited to one input and one output. (Although you do have a full 16 channels to work with. Also I did find a way around this...see below)
-64-bit mixer engine option is disabled.
-Plugin multiprocessing is disabled. (means that only one CPU core will be used when processing plugins. If you have a dual-core CPU you will be able to use 50% of your available CPU power before the Podium CPU indicator overloads. Podium Free still uses all available CPU cores for various background tasks such as audio file disk streaming.)

Oh bummer, it was all perfect until this part (the multiprocessing). That really puts a huge damper on things.

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doctorbob wrote:And I thought you were going to give REAPER a bash? :hihi:
[Of course, REAPER does all of the above without a hiccup or a sneeze!]

So ... do I bash on with my Blues??? It's looking good, just gotta bend this synth a bit now over the next couple of weeks.

dB
Yeah I will soon :) Hehe makes me think of this :smack: :smack: :smack: I hope you mean Bash as in try, not bang it until it works? :hihi:

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Looks very interesting, not sure if I have chance this month as I will be away till the 22nd :-(
Maybe I will think of an idea/track will relaxing on the beach :-P

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bjporter wrote: Oh bummer, it was all perfect until this part (the multiprocessing). That really puts a huge damper on things.
Yeah, nothing's perfect for free! I also experimented with LMMS for Windows a few weeks ago. It works, but it got really frustrating! Anyone else work with that?

I'm contemplating Reaper in the future, or maybe the full version of Podium. All else fails I can always go back to Magix Audio Studio 6 from 2001! :lol: :cry: :help:

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OH yeah I played with Magix awhile back... version 5 I think. Quite enjoyed its Silver Synth, not realizing at first that it was a 303 clone.

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Pulse Width Modulation wrote:
bjporter wrote: Oh bummer, it was all perfect until this part (the multiprocessing). That really puts a huge damper on things.
Yeah, nothing's perfect for free! I also experimented with LMMS for Windows a few weeks ago. It works, but it got really frustrating! Anyone else work with that?

I'm contemplating Reaper in the future, or maybe the full version of Podium. All else fails I can always go back to Magix Audio Studio 6 from 2001! :lol: :cry: :help:
Do yourself a favor and go for a cheap decent DAW. Reaper is fantastic, heard good things about Podium and don't forget that there is also Mulab which gets great reviews from its user base.

Don't underestimate how productive working with a nice DAW with a good workflow can be.

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Interesting thread. I have a copy of Ohmstudio and have been testing it to see if it would be viable for OSC and of course collaborations. Took a little bit to get up and running as I had to "weed-out" my plugin folder but seems pretty good so far.

There is a free version with no real limitations other than no Wav export.

Info here: https://www.ohmstudio.com/shop

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H-man wrote:Interesting thread. I have a copy of Ohmstudio and have been testing it to see if it would be viable for OSC and of course collaborations. Took a little bit to get up and running as I had to "weed-out" my plugin folder but seems pretty good so far.

There is a free version with no real limitations other than no Wav export.

Info here: https://www.ohmstudio.com/shop
Very cool, I wasn't sure if it supported vst

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bjporter wrote:
H-man wrote:Interesting thread. I have a copy of Ohmstudio and have been testing it to see if it would be viable for OSC and of course collaborations. Took a little bit to get up and running as I had to "weed-out" my plugin folder but seems pretty good so far.

There is a free version with no real limitations other than no Wav export.

Info here: https://www.ohmstudio.com/shop
Very cool, I wasn't sure if it supported vst
Well, there are a couple of compromises, always on internet connection, no native preset handling (you need to use the VSTi to save the patch ...no a big deal), no internal midi routing without using a modular VST inside Ohmstudio etc.

On the positive side it does have a nice track/rack system with modular (audio) routing including side-chaining FX and if it does crash, your work is always there as the system backup up as you go ....but in saying that I take no legal responsibility.

Additionally, DigitsVST seems to work just fine :)

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