'OverBridge' for Electron- VST type Control of Analog Hardware Synths

[SLiC]

OverBride is due out in Beta next month, I think it may represent the biggest advance in DAW/VST/Hardware integration since good old steingy came up with the VST concept....

Obviously Overbride will only work with Electron alalog4/keys/rytm - but assuming Electron can do what they claim, surely all hardware synths an effects will follow shortly behind offering true integration of hardware and software (and ending the witch is better debate once an for all!)

a few 'tech' highlights.....

Multitrack USB audio in/out without selecting it as the only soundcard (aggregates in Windows ) so you can have multiple devices all in, all going in/out the primary soundcard/driver- like plugging in an audio in/out cable!!
VST for 'analogue' hardware synths, control analogue hardware in DAW, analogue hardware streams audio to DAW over USB
VST for analogue hardware effects- streams from DAW to analogue effects unit, processed and back to DAW (with control from VST for automation etc.)
USB and 'sample accurate sync over USB (not midi) with high resolution encoders etc.
Librarians, patch editors etc. (for analogue synth) and sample loader (for RYTM)

[samsam]

I buy hardware synths to buy a hardware synth, not for how it might integrate with a DAW. Maybe I'm just weird.

[xamido]

Access did it 10 years ago.

[bluedad]

Sounds similar to what Yamaha/Steinberg have done with Cubase for years.

[UltraJv]

Its just a way of controlling Elektron stuff from inside a DAW. Grossly misleading title.

[tehlord]

Access did it 10 years ago.

Access did it badly 10 years ago and never fixed it.

What Elektron are doing, or what they are claiming to be doing is fix the sync issues that are rife when hardware is connected to DAW over USB.

That's the killer app.

[tehlord]

Its just a way of controlling Elektron stuff from inside a DAW. Grossly misleading title.

It's adding multi scene automation over time that you can't on the Elektron boxes in standalone mode and also multi channel audio over USB. It's a little bit more than controlling your stuff from your DAW.

[VariKusBrainZ]

You can do this with most Daws, using an external effect / synth device in Live and Bigwig for example.
You're still going to get the roundtrip latency whichever 'scheme' yoiu choose.

Overbridge just makes the integration a little less cludgy for some Electron hardware, it was announced a year ago.

Certainly not original or ground breaking

[UltraJv]

Access did it 10 years ago.

Access did it badly 10 years ago and never fixed it.

What Elektron are doing, or what they are claiming to be doing is fix the sync issues that are rife when hardware is connected to DAW over USB.

That's the killer app.

Corrected that for you :

What Elektron are doing, or what they are claiming to be doing is fix the sync issues that are rife when THEIR hardware is connected to DAW over USB.

You also have to update the firmware on the Elektron hardware to utilise this.

[xamido]

Access did it 10 years ago.

Access did it badly 10 years ago and never fixed it.

What Elektron are doing, or what they are claiming to be doing is fix the sync issues that are rife when hardware is connected to DAW over USB.

That's the killer app.

Yes, but it shows that what the OP mention as groundbreaking is not exactly new if some other company have done it 10 years ago (albeit buggy).

Even we have no proof that Elektron version will be stable enough.

[tehlord]

Access did it 10 years ago.

Access did it badly 10 years ago and never fixed it.

What Elektron are doing, or what they are claiming to be doing is fix the sync issues that are rife when hardware is connected to DAW over USB.

That's the killer app.

Corrected that for you :

What Elektron are doing, or what they are claiming to be doing is fix the sync issues that are rife when THEIR hardware is connected to DAW over USB.

You also have to update the firmware on the Elektron hardware to utilise this.

All hardware connected to DAW over USB has sync issues in my experience, only solved for me by using an RME fireface as my midi device. Even then I still had audible but acceptable latency issues.

There are myriad new sync boxes being shown at Messe this year so the problem does actually exist.

Yes, but it shows that what the OP mention as groundbreaking is not exactly new if some other company have done it 10 years ago (albeit buggy).

Even we have no proof that Elektron version will be stable enough.

Granted it's not exactly groundbreaking, but perhaps their implementation of midi sync over USB will work. They keep mentioning it in every interview so I suspect it will be the best solution so far.

[UltraJv]

Access did it 10 years ago.

Access did it badly 10 years ago and never fixed it.

What Elektron are doing, or what they are claiming to be doing is fix the sync issues that are rife when hardware is connected to DAW over USB.

That's the killer app.

Corrected that for you :

What Elektron are doing, or what they are claiming to be doing is fix the sync issues that are rife when THEIR hardware is connected to DAW over USB.

You also have to update the firmware on the Elektron hardware to utilise this.

All hardware connected to DAW over USB has sync issues in my experience, only solved for me by using an RME fireface as my midi device. Even then I still had audible but acceptable latency issues.

There are myriad new sync boxes being shown at Messe this year so the problem does actually exist.

Yes, but it shows that what the OP mention as groundbreaking is not exactly new if some other company have done it 10 years ago (albeit buggy).

Even we have no proof that Elektron version will be stable enough.

Granted it's not exactly groundbreaking, but perhaps their implementation of midi sync over USB will work. They keep mentioning it in every interview so I suspect it will be the best solution so far.

My point was that this "fix" is for Elektron hardware only. It wont work with anything else. Also at this stage, this is vapourware and hasn't been tested publicly so it may be worse than the Access attempt. Not everyone has sync issues, sounds like a problem particular to your setup. Some sync issues have been down to the external hardware itself, not USB related. These two posts are an example of what goes on, neither were down to USB itself :

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=216674

http://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=119788

[Scotty]

I am with Slic on this one. If aggregated audio; syncable clock, patch loading and librarian functions can be made to work reliably via USB and the technology is adopted by others it would greatly simplify things. I'd be very excited about this. I have a lot of external gear and maintain 72 input/output dual RME Raydat rig with 4 midi interfaces doing the job with external editors and workarounds for many of the synths. It works but true integration via USB would be game changing. I'll be following OverBridge closely although I am not an Elecktron user. I am a Cubase user and have all of my external gear patched up as external synths or efx. The external synth and efx panels and routing is essential and effective but It is not flexible enough (IMHO) for complex studio setups. - Scotty

[DrGonzo]

OverBride is due out in Beta next month, I think it may represent the biggest advance in DAW/VST/Hardware integration since good old steingy came up with the VST concept.

That was kind of what Access said when they released the Virus TI - Total Integration. Cool synth - still love it. But they never sorted out the usb-integration part.

I applaud Elektron for their efforts. I hope their coders all have ninja black belts when it comes to usb.
I hope so many things, but don't believe a single marketing word until proven rock solid.

I've been through this OMG-New-Cool-Technology-That-Will-Change-Everything too many times now.

End of grumpy mode.

/C

[Deep Purple]

Misleading title for sure. I had hoped for something much better.