ZincT

33 minutes ago, Frank said:

Today I got additional 8 Updates for the rest of the synth.

No extras for me today, but they all updated yesterday.

17 minutes ago, Fleer said:

It is a good deal indeed. As Larry said you normally only get 50% off on these upgrades. 

What's your view on the CE upgrade Fleer? Anything you think is a "must have" in those 3 CE additions over U? 

I actually liked the look of Symphobia but I think I might have missed the 15% deal at T&S.

That's a good deal @TracingArcs

I received a similar email from NI with a voucher code to upgrade from K13U to K13U CE but I'm not sure it's worth it (£179) just to get the full version of the Symphony Series, Cremona Quartet, and ARKHIS (plus the useless £22 voucher and all expansions which I hardly ever use).

Looks like I have until 31st December to decide but I think I will hang on for the K14U update next year. 

47 minutes ago, jim137 said:

Arturia messaged me 28 synth updates. Run Portal.

Thanks!

The common changes seem to be

Bug fixes (all):

• No more issue when renaming a bank
• No more macro issue in Fruity Loops
• MIDI channels are now available in global settings in DAW

Arp 2600, Buchla Easel, Mini V also include

• No more issue on audio input

Buchla Easel also includes:

• User can setup Preset voltage memories in the advanced panel.

Mellotron also includes:

• Time stretch is now working on Mac OS

Wurli V2 also includes:

• No more issue with MAC OS installer

20 hours ago, Fleer said:

Actually, if you already own an EZ Keys library, adding another instrument now only costs $40 or so. 

Just saw your comment Fleer and did a double take 😵

Good shout - 45 EUR for EZKeys Cinematic pads if you own one of the others listed (which I do )
That's only at Toontrack though I guess not at 3rd parties?

On 12/26/2021 at 10:30 PM, Paul_in_wales said:

online local library sign-up+libbyapp.com = free+legal access to all the major music mags including computer music, future music, sound on sound and beat.

I discovered Libby recently looking for library books for my daughter. Pretty neat app.

Happy Birthday to the King! 🎂

On 12/27/2021 at 2:11 PM, Michael A.D. said:

Thanks Zinc - that certainly explains my issue.   I guess I'll have to play with the basic version a bit more to make sure I want it, and so far I am liking it.    Most likely I will be ordering the Pro version in a few days.

 

I am thinking the same Michael.

As an exercise, I am trying to make a cover Of Cyndi Lauper's True Colors with it. It's not until you start to listen really closely to the original that you realise just how varied the vocal is. She goes from quiet, almost whispers in places to a more shouting tone in others and some parts sound almost spoken. Trying to cover all those bases with Eleanor Forte AI is probably not going to happen, but I like the results I'm getting so far (typing this on my phone, so I'll post a link later). 

I find the tension control the least pleasing to my ear, but I'm using pitch deviation, loudness and breathiness to good effect. Plus the individual controls per note to control pitch rises/falls to/from the note etc. I have also had to use Arpabet on phonemes in a few places to get the pronunciation I wanted.

Getting the basic vocal into SV is pretty fast, it's all the tweaking afterwards that's quite labour intensive. I do wonder how much using the pro versions of voices and app improves things. 

Update: Here's the first verse/chorus of my True Colors exercise; I am using SV Basic and Eleanor Forte AI Lite. I think a different voice might suit the song better, or maybe a different voice for the chorus where in the original she has a much harsher tone. EF AI is kind of too "soft" and although using the "tension" control makes it harsher it's not quite what's needed.  

2 hours ago, Michael A.D. said:

I've started to play with the basic version, but I'm stumped how you get it to act as a VST inside my DAW (Reaper).    The program does not seem to have created either a VST3 or DLL (for VST2), so I'm not sure how they are making it work.

Has anyone been able to run it inside their DAW?

I've looked at their YouTube video, but it just basically says "Insert the plugin".

 

 

One of the comments over on KVR mentions the pros of using the Pro version (note the last bullet below)...

• Exported vocal tracks can have aspiration as a separate wav
• Up to 8-core rendering
• Custom Scripts with huge potential
• Alternate phoneme choices (“Alternate phoneme choices” doesn’t mean phonetic input is limited in Basic, but refers to a feature not seen before in editors of its kind. There are two extra choices in how each phoneme is pronounced alongside phonetic timing.)
• Can be used as VST plugin inside your DAW

So I'm assuming that the Basic version is standalone only. I have been using it standalone alongside Cakewalk without any problems. I just render the wav in SV and then drag/drop it into Cakewalk. 

50 minutes ago, cclarry said:

I won the FULL LIBRARY TODAY!!!  Woooo Hooo!

Hey congrats Larry. Well deserved 👍

16 hours ago, kitekrazy said:

This is the best one yet,  I've got the Steam version. 

Thanks for the reminder - I also have it on Steam.

11 hours ago, bitflipper said:

Me with eyes closed and hands over ears: nah nah nah nah...

Yes, I know the feeling this time of year 😃 My wallet's taken a hammering as usual.

As there are no deals on Synthesizer V or voicebanks at the moment I'm leaving purchase of the full version and voicebanks until the New Year.
Also, the demo version lets you tweak the voices to a great degree (e.g. breathiness, pitch deviation, vibrato envelope etc) so you can experiment with it before deciding whether to take the plunge or not.  As a learning exercise, I am making a cover of True Colors at the moment with Eleanor Forte AI to see how close I can get to the original song vocal (including all of the inflexions, breathiness, pitch deviation etc).

There are also plenty of SV tutorials on YouTube covering all of the voice tweaking options available, such as this one:

I completed my U-He synth collection last year in the NI half-price sale and I wouldn't be without any of them including Bazille.

Also, further to the post above by @kevin H Howard Scarr's 118 page pdf about the Bazille Cookbook is worth a read and can be downloaded for free on that page.

Merry Christmas and a Peaceful and Musically Productive New Year to all. 🕊️

With a special thank you to Larry who works tirelessly to bring us the deals.

12 hours ago, bitflipper said:

Finally picked up Blue last night, after having considered it for years.

After about two hours mucking about, I was successful in making her sing "OOH" quite convincingly.

Hey bit,

This was the first Realitone library that I picked up a few years back after watching Mike's demos at the time.  With 6 vowels and 23 consonants plus combinations to play with, I got the impression that it was almost possible to get her to sing any lyrics.  In reality though I didn't find it so easy. 

It is still a pretty nice library but I started looking elsewhere (e.g. Vocaloid, Emvoice). These are better but still not completely convincing imho.

Lately I have been looking at Synthesizer V and it's voicebanks (especially Eleanor Forte AI). The latest version of SV released yesterday is able to sing with an "English" accent even using non-English voice banks. You can get a free Basic version and demo voicebanks if you want to try it.

Here's a pretty good demo on bilibili using a Chinese voice bank singing in English. Some of the other released voicebanks and others in the works sound really good.

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1134y167fc

There's more information on this thread...

You can download the Basic version of Synthesizer V here (bottom of the page) --> https://dreamtonics.com/en/synthesizerv/ 

Also, just after the SV Basic download links for Windows, Mac and Linux is a link to download the Lite version of voicebanks.

3 minutes ago, cclarry said:

This person on KVR has Cubase Elements for $29, which is a bargain,
you could offer him $25...

https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=573650&p=8273376&hilit=Cubase+LE#p8273376

FYI I purchased something from him and it all went smoothly.  👍

8 hours ago, Variorum said:

Wellllll... That would be a good idea, but this plugin only affects CC's, not velocity 😜

I'll probably make a revised version of MultiCompander that uses my new spline control. I'll make sure it shows pressed keys when modifying velocity... 'cause Arturia does it! Not to mention theirs looks prettier than mine.

Oops, sorry completely misunderstood what it was for! I'll get my coat 🤣

On reflection I probably don't have a need for it, but that revised multi compander sounds good! 

Get it here --> https://algonaut.audio/atlas_2_downloads/ 

Atlas 2.1.1 Change Log

Mostly an important bugfix update but also introduces Native Mac Silicon support and better compatibility with older versions of MacOS.
Recommended.

IMPORTANT Bugfix: Fixed some samples not being categorized correctly. This meant some categories were wrong or some samples were not getting into the map. Maps created with Atlas 2.1 will need a FULL REBUILD (hold shift when clicking rebuild).

Bugfix: Maximize sequencer window is now correct size in 1x8 and 2x8 drum kit modes.

Bugfix: Fixed missing drag image when dragging sample from map or drum kit.

Bugfix: Sequencer 'Velocity always editable' setting now working correctly.

Bugfix: VST3 multichannel outs now working in Reaper and other DAWs. (VST3 only)

Bugfix: Fixed Linux project load/save. (Linux only)

Bugfix: Linux drag-drop to other apps improvements. (Linux only)

Bugfix: Fixed bug where some MIDI files wouldn't import.

Bugfix: Fixed crash that occasionally happened in Reaper when doing an Undo. (may happen in other DAWs too)

FEATURE: Native Mac Silicon version.

FEATURE: Atlas should now run on older versions of MacOS.

This new Cross-Lingual Singing release sounds crazy good. 

Here's one from Quadimension Cangqiong voicebank on bilibili (singing in English).  So realistic!

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1134y167fc 

Thanks Larry!

Looks pretty decent for free. 

I have a few of their libraries all of which were either free or not much money in sales and they are excellent.
 

5 hours ago, cclarry said:

Crazy thing about these Labs Libraries...I ALWAYS have to install them TWICE!
I install them, the SAA says that they are installed.  To verify, I have to close the SAA,
then restart the SAA, at which point it shows that it's STILL not installed, and ONLY 
after the SECOND time, does the install "Take"....crazy

 I have also gotten used to living with the idiosyncrasies of LABS because I do like the content (and they are also Unified).  

I currently have all of them installed and working fine but the installer tells me that there are 6 that need to be installed. Go figure 😵 

Love the new Christmas one - every type of Christmas bell you can think of,  soft vocal mmms and a good selection of fun whistles!
What's not to like 🎅🏻

I think this is the same one they released in May (file size/name is the same).

Some excellent presets for a freebie including contributions from Venus Theory, Navi Retlav, Newloops, Flintpope, Arovane, Man Makes Noise, Databroth and many others.

1 hour ago, Michael A.D. said:

Wow!   These are the best sounding synthetic vocals I've heard - far superior to Vocaloids and AlterEgo.  I'm going to have to get the demo and start fooling with this!

Definitely Michael. I have been holding off buying Vocaloid for the longest time as I always thought it wasn't quite there yet.

I like Emvoice but it requires an internet connection to generate the vocal.

This seems like the perfect solution and not overly expensive.

Anicute seems to be the best place to buy at present if you are in Europe/USA including bundles with Eleanor Forte AI and S V Pro.

https://www.anicute.com/pages/eleanor_forte _ai_pre-order 

You can select language and currency at the top of that page.

nvm