One Synth Challenge #125: T-Force Alpha Plus 2 (exponent1 Wins!)

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Karmoon wrote: Sun Jul 14, 2019 11:35 am
] Peter:H [ wrote: Sun Jul 14, 2019 9:46 am @DoctorBob - Thanks. The title like the previous one is like a statement. Observing the fear mongers and hate spreaders that are taking over the world. They cut one tree (empathy) after the other (compassion) after the other (love) out of the peoples heads ... the green healthy forest will soon become a deadly desert if we don't watch out and stopp them. They don't own the narrative. I don't have to name them, you can find such evil "persons" everywhere... Sorry for being political in this place, but I wanted to explain, that this time it's not just a crazy stupid title...
While some political opinions are certainly volatile, the notion of wanting to protect and maintain our planet in an adult fashion should not be topical. It's crazy that people have to moonwalk on eggshells for no brainer issues like this.

"I don't want to burn down the street we live on."
No one has a problem with this.

"I don't want to destroy the planet we live on."
This is somehow offensive to some people.

It's crazy that you feel you need to apologize to people for not wanting to destroy the planet that they also live on.

Aaanyway,

I found that Alpha Plus 2 was quite unusable on my laptop, which fills me with the salty tears of a weedling child. I was planning on making an attempt while going on holiday, and now i can't. You cannot imagine the depths of my suffering.

But the synth works just fine on my main rig. I think the synth is great, and i do like it a lot. But I also think its efficiency or something can be improved, especially as I am able to run Diva and MassiveX on the laptop or multiple instances of Hive.

I will still try to make an entry, so I'm not sulking over this issue or anything. I think it's a cool synth.
Thanks Karmoon :hug:

Some Tipps fo using the Synth. I've started with troubles as well. I have used the VST3 version and it was just pops and crackles with only 5 instances in my project. Then I changed from VST3 to the VST2 version. The VST2 is not only better perfromance wise, with the VST3 Version no factory presets were shown as well. And secondly I've edited the "voices" and "reserved voices" settings on the settings page of some patches I figured are expensive. Both measures helped and I can now work with the synth.

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The big problem I still have is that once I open the midi editor, playback is pretty much borked.

So, I have to edit-play-edit-play etc, rather than edit whilst playing in a loop to get timing and harmony just right!

Still not sure what's going on here … I will investigate … but I guess it's something to do with the synth.

No problem running a loop and editing the synth to "home in" on the right sounds!

dB

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Yeah, I am running the vst2 version, that's my normal really as vst3 can be temperamental. Ahh, Steinberg.

I did think that the polyphony voice count thing might have an impact, but I didn't really try experimenting with it.

Even if one instance works, it will be possible for me to write a track.

Thanks for the tips!

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I started messing with this today (taking a break from untimely and frustrating car repairs) and, despite a few crashes, I was able to get something started. A couple of ReaEQ's and ReaComps here and there, but pretty much all synth. This laptop is struggling though. https://soundcloud.com/the-never-scene/ ... ce/s-4Pv6f
Just a touch of EQ and a tickle of compression

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The problem with the audio glitching etc was something to do with the patches on 2 tracks. Did a process of elimination, and it was only if either of those tracks was playing, AND you try to use the midi editor! All very odd as the cpu performance didn't shift much - not going to try and figure it out, but have just deleted the synth on those tracks and started again - now it's all good. No idea what I did, but hey, that's life, and it's too short to worry about these things!!

Track coming on nice. Super chill to counteract all those trance tracks!

dB

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Wished this thing would not suffocate my CPU, because it is a nice sounding synth with good programming features. I did get a number of great sounds out of it, including great drums and even a surprisingly nice sounding piano like sound, but, yeah... after a few instances and reloading them (for some reason that really takes down the machine), it's virtually impossible to work with it on my poor little 12 core Xeon computer (sarcasm!). I'm sure with an I7 or so at 4Ghz this would be less problematic, but alas...

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Hi ! I am a completely new member of KVR and not the best english speaker in the world. So I read the rules to the challenge and I did not quite understand well those two lines :

"Most 3rd party plugin effects are allowed (Again, see below for what NOT to use):

The effects must be easily available freeware 3rd party effects. This does not include plug-in betas, demos, magware or freeware that has expired, unless a special exception is made that month."

Does this mean I cannot use any paid plugin? Because if that's so I find it strange that it is written "Most 3rd party plugin effects are allowed ".
Anyway, I will start a project without any paid plugin and I will see after for mixing. :)

[EDIT] Oh ! and I have a second question : can we use the factory presets of the synth, or free presets made by other users?

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Hi again !
After a few tests, I can tell that the VST3 version is not fully functionnal in Ableton Live 10
- I can't access presets
- The noise oscillator doesn't make any sound
- The filter enveloppe is doing quite what it wants

The VST2 version seems OK so far.

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Welcome to the OSC gang, diaseis! :hug:
You can only use FREE plugins that everybody can get. That excludes magazine ware, because you'd have to buy the magazine, for example. You can, however, use the internal effects that belong to your DAW.
Also, these effects must not modulate the pitch of the OSC synth, such as chorus, phaser, flanger or any pitch shifting effects (Unless they are part of the OSC synth, of course!). That's part of the reason why the rules say: "Most 3rd party plugins...".
Only exceptions are reverbs, of course, which may have mild modulation for the reverb tail. It's all about maintaining as much of the original sound of the OSC synth as possible. But people do like to stretch this rule with certain distortions, EQ automations and so on...
And, yes, you can use factory presets!

Hope that helped?! 8)
Looking forward to listening to your track then! :phones:

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diaseis wrote: Tue Jul 16, 2019 12:30 pm Hi ! I am a completely new member of KVR and not the best english speaker in the world. So I read the rules to the challenge and I did not quite understand well those two lines :

"Most 3rd party plugin effects are allowed (Again, see below for what NOT to use):

The effects must be easily available freeware 3rd party effects. This does not include plug-in betas, demos, magware or freeware that has expired, unless a special exception is made that month."

Does this mean I cannot use any paid plugin? Because if that's so I find it strange that it is written "Most 3rd party plugin effects are allowed ".
Anyway, I will start a project without any paid plugin and I will see after for mixing. :)

[EDIT] Oh ! and I have a second question : can we use the factory presets of the synth, or free presets made by other users?
Welcome to OSC :)
Yes this does mean that paid plugins are not allowed. :!:
Presets: factory presets, free presets, and any which you create yourself are all fine. :tu:

EDIT: Oh, taron beat me to it :)

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Thank you ! Having a hard time right now. So far I don't like the synth (I am a spoiled child hahah)

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Taron wrote: Tue Jul 16, 2019 11:18 am Wished this thing would not suffocate my CPU, because it is a nice sounding synth with good programming features. I did get a number of great sounds out of it, including great drums and even a surprisingly nice sounding piano like sound, but, yeah... after a few instances and reloading them (for some reason that really takes down the machine), it's virtually impossible to work with it on my poor little 12 core Xeon computer (sarcasm!). I'm sure with an I7 or so at 4Ghz this would be less problematic, but alas...
I want to hear all those sounds and of course your track. So no excuses and go back to work :pray:

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Thanks, Trojak, wished I could. Maybe I'll try again later this month. :shrug: Still... THANK YOU! :hug:

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C'mon Mr.T. - would be nice to hear one from you as this synth does make nice sounds! Didn't find a way to make a nice cymbal yet, kicks, toms and a clicky stick OK. Trying to make a shaker type thing, e.g. cabasa-like. So a nice slow amorphous attack sound, but with more of a "ball bearing like" rattle in the decay. Tricky!

I did find some patches of mine did choke the machine - only way was to ditch the patch and start again (with some foresight, of course!).

Here's my machine screenshot from reaper - only 14 T-Forces … but, plenty of FX …
Image

If my RT goes above 1%, then I start to "worry" !!! HEHE! I still have to rationalise the FX usage - ie more bussing etc - The T-Force cpu usage is buried in the FX use - but each track with a T-Force varies from 0.5%-3.5% depending on the patch and the FX used for that track.

dB

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Well, I noticed that it runs fairly smooth while you create instances and make new patches, but loading the project back in gives not only a horrendous spike during initialization, but creates lingering problems, slowing everything down.
I did a bunch of FM stuff, but tried to be extra careful with the polyphony, putting all sounds down to the minimum, but it doesn't seem to make a dent. That leads me to the conclusion that there's a different problem in the code of this synth that has not much to do with the amount of voices playing. In short: it's fishy!
I do know how hard it is, though, to write a solid, light-weight DSP and management. Sometimes a "great idea" for sound creation can be a horrible idea for processing, haha.
Anyway, I'll have another look, should I find the time. THANKS, Rob! :hug:

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