ZincT

1 hour ago, pseudopop said:

Solaria alone costs $89, so if I bought them both I would pay just $38.50 for Asterian. I think it's a good price and an acceptable risk to take for a potentially useful voice.

Yes, definitely worth it at that price for Asterian.  

The other thing is that if you add two of any voice to your cart it gives you 25% discount, so 2 x Asterian works out at $120 or $60 each.
It might be worth it for two people who both want Asterian. Looking back on my Solaria and Kevin purchases you just receive an activation code so I don't think it is linked to your email address for example.

@bitflipper  How very odd, but I'm glad that it appears to work.

As for early-onset dementia, I worry about it all the time.  
Every 3 minutes, someone is diagnosed with dementia......Poor lad keeps forgetting he has it.

Good idea about flagging favorites btw. I've only started on Chronospheres so far and there sure are some sweet pads/atmos in there.

36 minutes ago, Brian Lawler said:

SynthV and Solaria are still my VI software picks of the year.  I am frankly dumbfounded by that latest Asterian demo though.  Now I know why the first demo was so heavily autotuned. I certainly won't by jumping on that one early to save $10.  Very disappointing.

Yes, it's a bit of a surprise indeed! After the amazing success of Solaria, expectations must have been high for a male successor.  Surely a male equivalent of Solaria must be on their to-do list? Also, their choice of demo songs for Asterian is crazy, and both sound awful to my ears. Why wouldn't they at least do a demo with one of the songs that Eric Hollaway would typically sing (check out his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@thatbassvoice/videos ). I still think it might have potential but I will wait and hear more examples of how it is used before jumping in. 

Quote

We just released ShaperBox 3.1 containing a new Oscilloscope Tool.

With a high-res waveform display that locks to beats and bars, audio or MIDI, the Oscilloscope Tool helps you visualise the dynamics of your music and pinpoint mix problems. External sidechain overlay enables you to easily compare any two tracks in your project, in real time. Further features include vertical Zoom, 0dB clipping indicator, and a Freeze function.

ShaperBox 3.1 with Oscilloscope is a free update for all existing users. Log in to download: https://www.cableguys.com/login.html

…And our Black Friday Sale is on for a few more days! You still have time to get the best deal this year on ShaperBox 3: the full ShaperBox 3 Bundle containing all 9 Shaper effects (worth €301 / $301 separately) for just €89 / $89.  https://www.cableguys.com/shaperbox.html 

Upgrades are also discounted and available at  https://www.cableguys.com/login-upgrade.html 

I was eligible for the free update but it might work out cheaper for some from 3rd parties.

9 hours ago, bitflipper said:

Well, although it irks me to buy the same product twice, I gave in and bought Legacy for all the cool patch libs. I don't need ZebraHK. I'm not Hans Zimmer and I've never felt the need for more than two MSEGs. But I reckon a thousand or so presets are worth the 99 bucks.

I've got a problem, however. After this install most of my previous third-party patch libraries are now missing from the browser.

For example, I have all three of Joseph Hollo's Padsheaven series. Padsheaven number 2 is still populated and useable, but 1 and 3 show "folder empty" in the browser. I've verified that the folder is not empty and the files are all still there, and I've done a refresh, but they refuse to show up. Neither the new drag 'n drop nor the "Install Soundset" menu option do anything with .H2P files. All the factory presets are still there, as are a handful of the previous third-party libraries and all my own custom patches. 

ZincT, you're a longtime Zebra user. Any insights or suggestions?

Sorry, didn't see this until now as you didn't put an @ before my handle and there are so many new posts at this time of year!

Not sure what happened with your install, but the way I have my third-party Zebra presets organized is by having a folder which I manually created named "Third Party" in my  "\Documents\u-he\Zebra2.data\Presets\Zebra2" folder.  I move any of my third party libraries into this folder so that I have them in one place and then re-scan.  Like this...

After I downloaded the legacy zip, I unzipped it and ignored the 01 Zebra and 02 Dark Zebra folders as I already have these installed.

All I then did was to open Zebra2 and drag and drop each of the 14 soundsets (13 actually as I already owned one of them) from the "03 Zebra Legacy Soundsets" in the zip file onto the Zebra2 UI.

This installed each of those into a folder called Legacy under User in the Zebra2 UI. The preset browser looks like this...

I have just tested a number of my third-party patch libraries and they seem to operate as they did before (I have Padsheaven 1 which works fine).

So you could try re-organizing your third-party folder structure to be the same as mine.

Not sure what else to suggest other than to contact U-he support and see if they can help. 

2 hours ago, Zo said:

If i recall well owners of dark zebra and zebra are elligible for the free update .... no need to buy this bundle for that ...

That's correct Zo, which is why I thanked U-he in the above post. I didn't have to buy anything (other than Zebra2 and Dark Zebra which I bought from NI in their Christmas deal a couple of years ago). I just downloaded the legacy zip and then only installed the 14 free expansions (I already have the latest Zebra and Dark Zebra installed).

Pre-orders are now live on Asterian. https://www.eclipsedsounds.com/asterian 

Release is set for 2nd December, with seven different vocal modes.

There's also a new demo (see below).

Not sure about the song choice 🤔, but the voice is certainly powerful and realistic. The voice just doesn't seem to fit the track.
It's almost like someone just plonked the vocal from VS onto an existing song that hadn't been mixed yet and then exported the result. I seriously struggled to listen to all of it.

I'm pretty sure we will hear better examples of songs using Asterian in future weeks though.

29 minutes ago, locrian said:

I was planning to get the Synth V Pro + Solaria Bundle from Dreamtronics but may instead go for the Solaria & Asterian offer.  Thanks for posting that info...

My pleasure. I'm tempted by Asterian myself but heard a demo of Weina today (doing Karen Carpenter) which was seriously impressive. She's the first of their Gold standard databases. Although more expensive she seems to come with more vocal modes, better dynamic range, and a greater vocal range (low and high).

For some reason, I didn't see any notifications for updates on this thread for your and pseudopop's posts above. I just happened to notice them when I posted the info about Asterian above 🤔 So apologies for not replying sooner.

From Eclipsedsounds twitter feed (I think 7pm EST is midnight tonight in the UK)...

Quote

Here is a breakdown of pre-order information for ASTERIAN's pre-order launch tomorrow - including pricing, physical edition stock, and discounts!

Also @locrian and @pseudopop, I have followed Synth V development for quite a while, and I am not aware of any previous special sales over BF/Christmas for Synth V and voicebanks, other than bundle prices and intro sales.  Of course, that might change at any time but at the moment I think it is regarded as "cutting edge" by many so they probably don't need to offer much of a price incentive.  Having said that, I hope I am proved wrong as I will probably jump on a few more voicebanks myself if the price is right 😉

1 hour ago, SmokeyJ628 said:

Saurus is on sale for $70 as well to go along with this update.

The reason I didn't say it was a deal is that Saurus has been at this "sale" price for a long time.

It's a great synth and well worth the money though. 

Their other synths are also great and are also on perma-sale.

They do sometimes have proper sales where the prices are reduced further (often via direct email to existing Tone2 product owners), also from third parties (I picked up Nemesis and Saurus cheaper than this from Best Service in their previous Christmas sales for example). 

Available now: Saurus 3.4

Saurus is an authentic emulation of analog synthesizers. It covers all aspects of the most famous and expensive synths, but without disadvantages.

The update to v3.4 is available for free for all Saurus users. It adds VST3 support, a new standalone and enhancements.

Saurus 3.4 Update Details

The update is available for free for all Saurus users.

Please note that the AudioUnit interface of Saurus 3.4 is not downward compatible.

New features:

• Added a VST3 version for Mac (M1 native and Intel).
• Added a standalone version for Mac (M1 native and Intel).
• Completely new AudioUnit interface.

Enhancements:

• Several small enhancements.

Fixes:

• Automation in the VST3 version did not work with parameters that were located behind the 10th slot.
• Workaround for a bug of Ableton and FL Studio which did not display AudioUnits.
• Workaround for a bug of Reaper which did display automation parameters incorrectly.
• The AU version of Saurus 3.2 running in M1 mode could occasionally crash.

Breaking changes:

Please read this if you are on Mac and use AudioUnits. You can ignore it if you used only Vst plugins or if you are on PC.

The AudioUnit interface had to be completely rewritten because of various issues that were raised from the introduction of native M1 support and Apple's notarisation.
It was no longer possible to keep AudioUnits downward compatible with reasonable effort.

As a result, the tracks that used previous Saurus AudioUnit versions will 'forget' their patches when you load them with Saurus 3.4.

You will have to re-select the patches and re-save your song or you might prefer to stick with your current version.

Product page:
https://www.tone2.com/saurus.html 

Download link (free demo and update):
https://www.tone2.com/download.html

My upgrade from Platinum to Horizon is $55.99 from Koby.

Tempting as I've just run out of WUP.  

@abacab

Agreed, I don't see it as a problem (I have 32gb of RAM which rarely gets fully used). I was just answering the question. 

Thanks, I just checked my upgrade price from V Coll 8 and it is $99.  

That's for

KORG MS-20 V, 
SQ80 V,
Augmented STRINGS,
Augmented VOICES,
Prophet-5 V,
CS-80 V 4,
Prophet-VS V,
Piano V 3

plus 14 soundbanks

I already have CS-80 V 4 as it was a freebie with the Cubase 12 upgrade so I could resell that.

I am tempted 🙄

Available now...

https://u-he.com/products/zebra2/ 

I already own Zebra2 and the Dark Zebra but it's cool that I get the other 14 soundsets and the upgrade to Zebra3 for free.

Thanks U-he 👍🏻

Incidentally, I asked Urs whether you need to install the downloaded version of Zebra2 and The Dark Zebra if you already have the latest versions of these installed (2.9.3). He confirmed that you don't need to install these, only the soundsets (which are installed by drag/drop anywhere on the Zebra2 UI).

Heads up - Zebra Legacy will be available from 12:00 CET today (that's 11am in the UK or just under an hour from now).

16 hours ago, Esteban Villanova said:

Does it still use 1 GB RAM per instance?

Just tested it after the update and yes it does still use 1Gb of RAM per instance.

I have most of what's in Absolute 5 bought separately, apart from Groove Agent 5 (I have GA 5 SE included with Cubase 12 Pro).
The Absolute 5 upgrade cost is currently 150 GBP inc VAT for me so it's probably worth my waiting for a sale on Groove Agent 5.

I'm also still waiting for Halion 7; seems to be long overdue.

10 hours ago, locrian said:

Asterian's voice is quite a change in timbre from all their previous male voices.  I might actually be able to use this one in a song.  Their progress lately is amazing!

Yes, Asterian is quite a departure from the previous offerings. I would like to hear a few more demos from him, but I could definitely use his voice. We could do with some more English male voicebanks. He is based on the singer Eric Holloway; here's a couple of examples of his singing:

I have Solaria and Kevin so far, and Solaria remains a favourite. Kevin is a good "poppy" voice but it's difficult to make him rock! I'm also tempted by Natalie; lovely tone. 

Synth V has certainly made astounding progress in recent times. I am hoping there will soon be a glut of great English voicebanks for it. 

Eleanor Forte has now been added to the list of v1. 8.0b1 voicebanks available (link in first post). 

Also, Eclipsed Sounds has released a new male voicebank, Asterian.  Quite a deep voice, although the demo seems to feature more of Solaria than Asterian. 

https://www.eclipsedsounds.com/asterian

1 hour ago, pseudopop said:

What stings me the most is that I don't need Publisher and I don't need the iOS versions. I'm opposed to paying for stuff I don't need and I feel like I'm railroaded into buying the universal license, instead of being given a reasonable upgrade path.

The universal license is certainly a good deal, if you are a new customer. Upgrading two products for (practically) the same price as a new customer gets the full package is not a good deal, IMO.

I will probably get the universal license to support Serif and because I do need these tools occasionally, but I will crumble audibly about people not valuing existing customers anymore while logging in to PayPal.

Same for me.

I bought all three products for use in Windows some years ago but hardly ever use Publisher and Designer.

I will probably just go for the Photo upgrade and agree that it's a shame there isn't a reduced upgrade price for v1 users.
I still need to convince myself that I need the new features; back to watching video reviews of v2.

Thanks for the heads up.

Btw your link doesn't work (it points to ujam/ instead of https://www.ujam.com/usynth/drive/ ).

UPDATE: The full v1.8 version has now been released. Update in the application.

Note:  This could be seen as a deal as Studio owners get a free voice bank, AI Mai which supports the new voice technology (DPM).

Dreamtonics releases the Synthesizer V Studio 1.8.0b1 update.

As a major and comprehensive update, 1.8.0b1 is being rolled out as a beta first. The update introduces a major evolution of the synthesis engine – high speed Diffusion Probabilistic Models (DPM) based singing synthesis technology, along with a number of exciting features and improvements detailed below.

1.8.0b1 also introduces MIDI keyboard and metronome support. Cross-lingual Synthesis feature gets updated to support note-level specification of the language.

Users are invited to update individual voices to give the new engine a try. You will find the full list of voices, currently available for updating, down below.

In addition to the voice updates, on Oct 27 Dreamtonics released the demo for a new Japanese voice database, Synthesizer V AI Mai. We are happy to announce today that users who have purchased the Synthesizer V Studio Pro version will have access to Mai for free.

List of Voice Database being updated to support DPM:

Dreamtonics - An Xiao, Feng Yi, Kevin, Mo Chen, Natalie, Ryo AI, Saki AI, Qing Su, Weina, Yuma
AHS - Koharu Rikka AI, Natsuki Karin AI, Hanakuma Chifuyu AI, Tsurumaki Maki AI (JPN), Tsurumaki Maki AI (ENG), Kyomachi Seika AI, Tsuina-Chan AI
AUDIOLOGIE - ANRI
Eclipsed Sounds - SOLARIA
Quadimension - MEDIUM5 Stardust

Beta versions of these voicebanks which support the new features can be downloaded here.

More information -- https://dreamtonics.com/en/synthesizer-v-studio-1-8-0b1-update/ 

1.8.0  Beta 1 Studio Downloads

Synthesizer V Studio Pro

Windows: https://download.dreamtonics.com/svstudio/1.8.0b1-EJ7TAjeC4kQkRABY9Pkj/svstudio-pro-setup.exe

Linux: https://download.dreamtonics.com/svstudio/1.8.0b1-EJ7TAjeC4kQkRABY9Pkj/svstudio-pro-linux64.zip

macOS: https://download.dreamtonics.com/svstudio/1.8.0b1-EJ7TAjeC4kQkRABY9Pkj/svstudio-pro-setup.pkg

Synthesizer V Studio Basic

Windows: https://download.dreamtonics.com/svstudio/1.8.0b1-EJ7TAjeC4kQkRABY9Pkj/svstudio-basic-setup.exe

Linux: https://download.dreamtonics.com/svstudio/1.8.0b1-EJ7TAjeC4kQkRABY9Pkj/svstudio-basic-linux64.zip

macOS: https://download.dreamtonics.com/svstudio/1.8.0b1-EJ7TAjeC4kQkRABY9Pkj/svstudio-basic-setup.pkg

Free AI Mai Voice Bank download supporting v1.8.0 DPM feature (for owners of the paid Studio version only) - https://resource.dreamtonics.com/download/English/Voice Databases/Free Voice Databases for Synthesizer V Studio Pro/Mai/

New Synthesizer V product page --> https://dreamtonics.com/en/synthesizerv/ 

Also, there's a new paid English Voice Database for $79 which sounds pretty nice (Natalie) -- https://store.dreamtonics.com/product/vdb-natalie/ 

Thanks Bakers!

2.8.2 Change Log
---------------------
- Fix sustain pedal handling in Ostinato Arp
- Fix possible crashes with VST3 version on some Windows