Few picky comments on DirectWave VSTI
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 200 posts since 17 Jan, 2003
Hi, I'm really in great expectations from this sampler. The GUI and price are great! Filters sound great! Browsing patchs, VSTI sampling etc are fast and cool!
Though here are my comments (hopefully constructive) about it and a couple of issues I have with while experimenting with the demo:
- No polyphony control. This makes it very hard to deal with patchs that have long release times. CPU dies very quickly playing fast passages especially when the filter is on.
- Attack and Release curves of amplitude envelope. Attack has a bit too exponential curve so that it is making it hard to deal with slow attack instruments and pads. And release has a too linear curve, so that even fast release patchs sound a bit unnatural, as if it starts to fade out the sound too late after you release the key and suddenly turns into silence. Maybe we could have a curve control or presets for envelopes.
- No multi select and move zones together both horizontaly and vertically. This makes it quite hard to deal with multi samples with various velocity switches.
- Awkvard relation between Zone Gain and Mod Matrix Velocity. When I want to edit velocity responce of a zone, I always should tweak and change the Zone Gain too. I guess this is because Mod Matrix can only send positive values to Zone Gain limited with the value 0.0db. But I haven't see such behaviour from an other sampler.
Anyway, thank you for reading and for the promising sampler with great features!
Though here are my comments (hopefully constructive) about it and a couple of issues I have with while experimenting with the demo:
- No polyphony control. This makes it very hard to deal with patchs that have long release times. CPU dies very quickly playing fast passages especially when the filter is on.
- Attack and Release curves of amplitude envelope. Attack has a bit too exponential curve so that it is making it hard to deal with slow attack instruments and pads. And release has a too linear curve, so that even fast release patchs sound a bit unnatural, as if it starts to fade out the sound too late after you release the key and suddenly turns into silence. Maybe we could have a curve control or presets for envelopes.
- No multi select and move zones together both horizontaly and vertically. This makes it quite hard to deal with multi samples with various velocity switches.
- Awkvard relation between Zone Gain and Mod Matrix Velocity. When I want to edit velocity responce of a zone, I always should tweak and change the Zone Gain too. I guess this is because Mod Matrix can only send positive values to Zone Gain limited with the value 0.0db. But I haven't see such behaviour from an other sampler.
Anyway, thank you for reading and for the promising sampler with great features!
"when you have nothing to say - shut up." -A friend of Luc Besson
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- KVRist
- 453 posts since 16 Sep, 2002 from Malaga (Spain)
Indeed, something to have in mind for a revision.- No polyphony control. This makes it very hard to deal with patchs that have long release times. CPU dies very quickly playing fast passages especially when the filter is on.
Yes, already some users asked about this, i'm changing this for next version. Forthcoming update also have 0-sample envelope stages (for samples with loud click/transients at start), wich other user suggested. This will be displayed on envelope controls as slider with fatest setting turns brighter. The current version smooths a bit the minimun envelope time as it's clipped to some millisecs. (3 - 4 ms), so some samples are smoothed on attack.- Attack and Release curves of amplitude envelope. Attack has a bit too exponential curve so that it is making it hard to deal with slow attack instruments and pads. And release has a too linear curve, so that even fast release patchs sound a bit unnatural, as if it starts to fade out the sound too late after you release the key and suddenly turns into silence. Maybe we could have a curve control or presets for envelopes.
Yes, you should be able to do already, keep Ctrl pressed to multiselect zones in the zone map or list.- No multi select and move zones together both horizontaly and vertically. This makes it quite hard to deal with multi samples with various velocity switches.
The zone gain it's like the "base level" or offset level, then you add a modulation amount in a positive or negative way. Indeed it's different to most other instruments, but once u get the point it works well.- Awkvard relation between Zone Gain and Mod Matrix Velocity. When I want to edit velocity responce of a zone, I always should tweak and change the Zone Gain too. I guess this is because Mod Matrix can only send positive values to Zone Gain limited with the value 0.0db. But I haven't see such behaviour from an other sampler.
Think about velocity to volume modulation as it would be velocity to a parameter such filter cutoff.
All suggestions in these forums will be helpful for next updates.
Regards,
Argu.
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Reverse Engineer Reverse Engineer https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=9129
- KVRAF
- 4968 posts since 23 Sep, 2003 from Glasgow
I seen the ad for this up there ^^^ top right, and i thought it was the intro to eastenders for a quick second Crazybeans.
- KVRAF
- 19134 posts since 13 Feb, 2003 from Vancouver, Canada
Hi Argu, I have a couple questions:
- is there any way to assign Zones to Groups and assign those Groups to Directwave's VST Outputs? For instance, having the kick and snare of a drumkit split up - but being in the same Program.
- can you zoom in/out of the mapping area? It's terribly small right now. almost impossible to work with.
And I don't think you ctrl+clicking is working to select more than one sample. A lasso-selection would be even more useful here too.
- is there any way to assign Zones to Groups and assign those Groups to Directwave's VST Outputs? For instance, having the kick and snare of a drumkit split up - but being in the same Program.
- can you zoom in/out of the mapping area? It's terribly small right now. almost impossible to work with.
And I don't think you ctrl+clicking is working to select more than one sample. A lasso-selection would be even more useful here too.
- KVRAF
- 1802 posts since 23 Sep, 2004 from Kocmoc
Has anyone got this realtime sampling of other instruments working in Cubase SX3? I have demoversion setup on my workmachine with SX3 and tried everything I could get my head around with no success. I mean I want to sample me playing a sequence live to sampler, that should work shouldnt it? No fx-directwave or anything found.. or then I need a modular host?
Internal (eg. directwave's own vsthost) host sampling works ofcourse, but not recording.. as I cant find a way to get input
Internal (eg. directwave's own vsthost) host sampling works ofcourse, but not recording.. as I cant find a way to get input
Soft Knees - Live 12, Diva, Omnisphere, Slate Digital VSX, TDR, Kush Audio, U-He, PA, Valhalla, Fuse, Pulsar, NI, OekSound etc. on Win11Pro R7950X & RME AiO Pro
https://www.youtube.com/@softknees/videos Music & Demoscene
https://www.youtube.com/@softknees/videos Music & Demoscene
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- KVRist
- 165 posts since 8 Apr, 2004
Yeah I noticed that there is no VST version of Directwave (only VSTi). I am kind of suprised that there isn't one, because then we could easily use the realtime recoring in Cubase SX3 and so on. So far I can only get it to work in sequencers that have really flexible/modular routing like Ableton Live.
- KVRAF
- 3834 posts since 15 Mar, 2002 from Underworld
The concept and responsiveness is great and CPU usage is ok. Really, the audio engine and GUI works very very nice. However, there are a few quirks/drawbacks in usability, some very serious, some less serious, IMHO, of course:
1) what bduffy mentioned - should be able to assign different zones within the program to different outs for drums.
2) why using stereo outputs for mono samples? - should be able to define mono/stereo outputs. That's very very usable for drums as kick and snare, for instance, are recommended to be mono for less problematic mix and saving channels/resources.
3) filters could be a bit more versatile and I wouldn't say they sound as good as they could, as gassle says, to me they sound too plastic... and there should be more different filter "models", if nothing else at least to stay competitive . OTOH, it is a great idea that there are TWO of them, and there are serial/parallel options!
4) Controls [pots] are a bit too small and not very precise. When you take a look at the GUI, there is sooo much unused space...
5) Envelopes sound weird, gassle mentioned that - there should be more envelope behaviours.
6) A bit more contrasted GUI? Or give user an option of changing a few colours here or there? Like sample editor background, zone editing background etc.
It may seem like a lot of bitchin' but it's not. It's refreshing to see such a usable VSTi sampler, which works rather flawlessly. However [i like that word...], you should implement some more features to stand out of the crowd. There's nothing in it that, say, Shortcircuit, Kontakt, Highlife etc. couldn't do... and SC, for example, has so many different filter models and excellent modulation matrix.
IMHO, of course.
And as this is the initial release of Directwave, I must say: Excellent work, guys!
My instincts say you have something really worthwhile in your hands, don't throw it away and make it THE sampler.
Cheers!
Edit: I forgot to mention one of the biggest drawbacks: where's sample preview in browser?!
1) what bduffy mentioned - should be able to assign different zones within the program to different outs for drums.
2) why using stereo outputs for mono samples? - should be able to define mono/stereo outputs. That's very very usable for drums as kick and snare, for instance, are recommended to be mono for less problematic mix and saving channels/resources.
3) filters could be a bit more versatile and I wouldn't say they sound as good as they could, as gassle says, to me they sound too plastic... and there should be more different filter "models", if nothing else at least to stay competitive . OTOH, it is a great idea that there are TWO of them, and there are serial/parallel options!
4) Controls [pots] are a bit too small and not very precise. When you take a look at the GUI, there is sooo much unused space...
5) Envelopes sound weird, gassle mentioned that - there should be more envelope behaviours.
6) A bit more contrasted GUI? Or give user an option of changing a few colours here or there? Like sample editor background, zone editing background etc.
It may seem like a lot of bitchin' but it's not. It's refreshing to see such a usable VSTi sampler, which works rather flawlessly. However [i like that word...], you should implement some more features to stand out of the crowd. There's nothing in it that, say, Shortcircuit, Kontakt, Highlife etc. couldn't do... and SC, for example, has so many different filter models and excellent modulation matrix.
IMHO, of course.
And as this is the initial release of Directwave, I must say: Excellent work, guys!
My instincts say you have something really worthwhile in your hands, don't throw it away and make it THE sampler.
Cheers!
Edit: I forgot to mention one of the biggest drawbacks: where's sample preview in browser?!
It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society. - Jiddu Krishnamurti
- KVRAF
- 1802 posts since 23 Sep, 2004 from Kocmoc
Yeah, but as SX3 is my main host and though I have to work with it on one project, Live still feels like someone is assraping with a cactus..republik wrote:Yeah I noticed that there is no VST version of Directwave (only VSTi). I am kind of suprised that there isn't one, because then we could easily use the realtime recoring in Cubase SX3 and so on. So far I can only get it to work in sequencers that have really flexible/modular routing like Ableton Live.
Could this be solved with a simple 'dummy' VSTfx -plugin for track, which will transport recording information to the main DirectWave VSTi ?
Soft Knees - Live 12, Diva, Omnisphere, Slate Digital VSX, TDR, Kush Audio, U-He, PA, Valhalla, Fuse, Pulsar, NI, OekSound etc. on Win11Pro R7950X & RME AiO Pro
https://www.youtube.com/@softknees/videos Music & Demoscene
https://www.youtube.com/@softknees/videos Music & Demoscene
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- KVRist
- 186 posts since 16 May, 2004 from Norway
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 200 posts since 17 Jan, 2003
BTW...
Will there be an option for a monolith file format? Totall Recall is cool for project portability but monolith can be great for presets portability.
Will there be an option for a monolith file format? Totall Recall is cool for project portability but monolith can be great for presets portability.
"when you have nothing to say - shut up." -A friend of Luc Besson