U-he Astro (Alesis Andromeda emulation)

[Lbdunequest]

Now that we have a name, we just need an actual emulation

Urs, have you ever though of doing andromeda emulation?

[MitchK1989]

is there anything that special about the andromeda from an oscillator or filter perspective or is it just the feature set that made it so hype? Why would I want a slavish A6 emulation over a diva 2 with a full hive style mod matrix, etc, some more models, etc?

[Lbdunequest]

Feature wise what made it awesome. It has 4 oscillators (2 osc plus sub per osc), 3lfos, 3 envelopes, 16 voice, unison.

[Tj Shredder]

There are synths with unlimited oscillators , unlimited filters, unlimited lfos, unlimited emvelopes and 128 voices... (At least in theory modular synths can do that...)
The user interface of Andromeda was kind of special, but pasting it on a screen doesn't really help...
I do get the nostalgia aspect of it, but I would rather beg Cherry Audio for doing it... (They only need to print the UI and assign their Sines synth to it. It would certainly look much better...; - )

[Lbdunequest]

IF we follow that logic then any of these synths Xfer Serum/Vital/VPS Avenger/Parawave Rapid/Phase Plant/Dune 3 are enough and others are not needed But despite having so much power in synthesis people still go with simplier things like emulations or something like Sylenth1

[fsciarra62]

Following that, you only need U-He synths and effects and Phase Plant Ultimate... And Bitwig.

Anyway, the question was interesting, because I've never put my hands on an Andromeda.
Which sonic characteristic does it have? So speaking about oscillators and filters, mainly, I guess..
Oh maybe also envelopes if not "stock envelopes"

Cheers.
Fabrizio

[suthnear]

Andromeda was somewhat famous for its issues. These were mainly caused by an underpowered CPU which led to various compromises, including sluggish (and oddly shaped) envelopes, but also tuning that was far too tight. It would also lock up on occasion. On the analogue side, it had gain staging problems that negatively impacted the sound and which probably led to its reputation as being somewhat thin and weak. Its effects, too, were very workmanlike considering its heritage. Anyone expecting a brash American poly would be very disappointed. A fairly subtle synth with well hidden charms that required work to get the best out of. Having said all of this, I ended up really liking it. I borrowed one for a few months and was sad to give it back. Probably for the best, though, given the fact that they do seem prone to failure and pretty much cannot be repaired due to their custom chips.

I am guessing that your proposed emulation would not seek to faithfully reproduce its problems

[Shiek927]

Let's hold off on new synth ideas until AFTER Zebra3 is released haha

[Urs]

Let's hold off on new synth ideas until AFTER Zebra3 is released haha

+1

[MitchK1989]

Let's hold off on new synth ideas until AFTER Zebra3 is released haha

and even then I'd hope we'd get diva 2 and ACE XL (or whatever it winds up being) before an alesis product

[orbita]

I'd rather see something simpler and quirkier but done with the highest quality possible.

All these plugins with huge voice count and a gazzillon modulation routings get a bit boring after a while. Many are too complicated/time consuming to program and a lot sound no better than 10 years ago.

Maybe something along the lines of a 4-8voice polyphonic Dreadbox Nyx or Ocoast with the same or greater level of raw quality as Repro/Pulsar Modular P900/latest Softube synths.

I'd also love to see more in the realm of audio rate modulation and thru zero FM where you can bring out the harmonics. Maybe an east/west coast hybrid inspired by some interesting eurorack modules. Something like MN DPO osc > Belgrad filter > Intellijel Quadrax modulation > MN Mimeophon for example. Maybe the modules could be replaceable over time with purchasable add-ons. Skip the cables and stick with fixed architecture, make it polyphonic and with a straightforward mod matrix. Killer synth.

I think something like this could be really special but maybe it wouldn't have broad appeal in the way emulations do.

[glokraw]

I would hope instead for audio-in and midi-out for all the U-he products where it would be possible,
before a new product that's yet to have a fresh codebase.

Alesis, subservient of parent company In-Music, would be the ideal supplier for
a fixed and modernised Andromeda.

I'd also like a (more modest?) U-he spin on the Alesis Drum machines like venerable HR/SR-16/SR-18 lineup.

https://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/hr16.php

A generic hardware that could ship with and import and arrange/sequence the many percussion sounds in the U-he preset banks, would be a welcome product. Kraft your new drum sounds on your synth(s), and have a pattern-fluent machine and/or plugin to make good use of them.

I'll bet the parts bin down in the dungeon has most of what's needed

[zerocrossing]

I used to really want an Andromeda. There was something about its sound that always seemed good to me, though not typical. I don’t know enough about it to say if it would be easy to emulate, or not, but I suspect we’re sort of beyond that now. I think a synth like Rob Papen’s BIT is more interesting, or even putting together a dual filter poly in VCV Rack Pro. Is a second sub oscillator really important?

I’m more interested in analog style characteristics than true emulations. So many of the classics have been done really well, in both hardware and software. Sure, they’ll never please the true devotees, but who cares? A good Andromeda emulation won’t either. I think I’d be way more interested in an updated ARP 2600 V from Arturia than an Andromeda, and a Diva 2 from U-He that maybe finds whatever the secret sauce of the Andromeda is (filters?) and includes that as a module.

[pdxindy]

Let's hold off on new synth ideas until AFTER Zebra3 is released haha

and even then I'd hope we'd get diva 2 and ACE XL (or whatever it winds up being) before an alesis product

CLAP ACE in Bitwig is ACE XL

[pdxindy]

Let's hold off on new synth ideas until AFTER Zebra3 is released haha

I'm quite excited for Zebra 3!