Some feedback and some suggestions for updates

Question

Hi Taiho, hi Rob,

Thank you for your awesome instrument. The passion you put into it. The uncompromising and innovative approach. The mod matrix! For going the way far further where others already stopped. You guys are great. I love the synth and the depth it has while programming and experimenting with it.

After some hours of working myself into it I realized these things and I want to list them for motivation to make this instrument even a bit more rounder.

 - an "init" patch which makes the whole synth blank would be a great addition
 
 - the back and forth editing arrows are great. Is it furthermore possible to get compare all your edits with the original patch via A/B comparison?

 - When tuning the OSCs with "cycles" and "tune octave" and such there are often some great rythmic, pulsating or wobbling results. I didn´t find a way to play them even over the whole range of the keyboard. it´s like a sample loop. Played in higher octaves the rythmic elements are played fast and in lower regions the  rythms get slower. Is there a method to keep the rythm at same speed on the complete keyboard range?

 - When having many "num steps" and editing wave-segments on the oscilloscope you cannot see certain segments while doing phase and pitch editing. They appear offscreen. Is there a solution for that?

- Color schemes: it´s sometimes (with some color-modes) very difficult so see what part of the waveform or which NAV blocks are selected. The color differences aren´t highlighted enough in some cases.

- The list of usable waveforms is very big and the names are so cryptic. A preview window opening when the mouse hovers over a name in the dropdown lists would be a great addition.

- A great addition I´d like to see would be a programmable simple step-sequencer which can be implemented into the mod-matrix to trigger certain rythmic modulations.

- The GUI is totally small on a 2560x1440 screen. On a 1920x1080 it´s better but still too small for so many modules. Re-sizeabilty would be an enormous revaluation.

- BioTek2 has a buttom for multicore CPU usage which has an enormous impact on the CPU usage. It goes down drastically if turned on. Are you planning to add such an optimization for WAVERAZOR?

Keep up the great and passioned work, have joy and never run out of creativity.

Respectfully

Answer 1

@nichttuntun thanks for the feedback and these are all great ideas!   Many of them are already on our list as well.

> an "init" patch which makes the whole synth blank would be a great addition

There is an INIT patch in the upcoming v2.0.2 version.

> the back and forth editing arrows are great. Is it furthermore possible to get compare all your edits with the original patch via A/B comparison?

Agreed, that would be really useful.   Not too hard to implement either...

> Is there a method to keep the rythm at same speed on the complete keyboard range?

Very much agreed, and something I have wanted for a while too!   I have something in the works for this, but it's not done yet, but knowing that you have identified it gives me extra motivation to get that finished ;)

> When having many "num steps" and editing wave-segments on the oscilloscope you cannot see certain segments while doing phase and pitch editing. They appear offscreen. Is there a solution for that

I don't think I have seen this.   Is there a particular patch you have seen this happen?

> Color schemes: it´s sometimes (with some color-modes) very difficult so see what part of the waveform or which NAV blocks are selected.

I haven't put a lot of time into the color modes, but if there is a particular set that is giving you trouble, let me know and I can take a look at improving it.

> The list of usable waveforms is very big and the names are so cryptic. A preview window opening when the mouse hovers over a name in the dropdown lists would be a great addition.

Agreed.   Also Taiho and I have also talked about having the waveform switch automatically as selections are hilighted so you can also hear things more quickly, as a preview.

> A great addition I´d like to see would be a programmable simple step-sequencer which can be implemented into the mod-matrix to trigger certain rythmic modulations.

That has been on my list for a while as well, and I have some unfinished stuff under the hood in this area...

> The GUI is totally small on a 2560x1440 screen. On a 1920x1080 it´s better but still too small for so many modules. Re-sizeabilty would be an enormous revaluation.

This is probably our most frequent request these days, particularly with the editor.   This feature is quickly bubbling up to the top of my work list.

> BioTek2 has a buttom for multicore CPU usage which has an enormous impact on the CPU usage.

I haven't looked into this too much with Waverazor, as I focused on keeping the DSP setup in such a way to allow the DAW to determine how the multiple CPUs were utilized, but am finding that may have been a bit more 'old school' thinking ;)

Comments

> When having many "num steps" and editing wave-segments on the oscilloscope you cannot see certain segments while doing phase and pitch editing. They appear offscreen. Is there a solution for that

I don't think I have seen this.   Is there a particular patch you have seen this happen?

TAIHO:  It's not from patch settings.  The GUI cuts off much of the waveform with extreme DC offset settings, particularly for segments 1 and 16 because of the rounded edges of the display.  There are also times when extreme DC Offset overlaps the wave selection GUI too.  We should talk about this one at our next meeting.

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Ah, right, I see...  yes, that does happen.

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> Color schemes: it´s sometimes (with some color-modes) very difficult so see what part of the waveform or which NAV blocks are selected.

I haven't put a lot of time into the color modes, but if there is a particular set that is giving you trouble, let me know and I can take a look at improving it.

TAIHO:  Oh, I have one!  In Waverazor theme, the tabbed red headers are hard to see when they're highlighted.

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Answer 2

Hi Rob, hi Taiho,
thank you for your profound answers. You seem to have read my mind :o)
Having said that you are aware of most things and you want to work on them, I have to say you are the best. I still have in mind that we speak about an instrument which already is way ahead of so many other VSTs. What you are doing is pure luxury for your customers.

It will always be a pleasure to support you. So happy I found you :)
Cheers

Comments

We're happy we found you too!  We look at instrument development as a collaboration between the MOK team and our friends who let us know how we can improve.  You've already given us excellent and insightful feedback that has changed our priority list.  Many many thanks.  :)

Anyway, yesterday I was writing some answers to your main post, but then Rob beat me by posting his reply before I finished...  However, I think there is still some useful information in what I wrote, so I'll post it here:

 - an "init" patch which makes the whole synth blank would be a great addition

>Taiho:  You'll be happy to know that an init patch is coming in the next update, v2.0.2.  It will show up as "INIT" in the Template bank of presets.  As of this writing, we are in final beta and expect to post within about a week's time if all goes well.  However, I should say that the init patch should still be just a starting point to create more init patches.  There are so many variations possible, such as how many waves you want in an oscillator (num steps), or what macro controls you want, that it's hard to make a universal init.

I'll try to make more variations myself, but people can certainly create their own inits and tailor them to specific needs.  For instance, sound designers often make inits for envelope types, like leads, basses, pads, etc.  In the case of Waverazor, maybe a person would need 16 step oscillators and 4 step oscillators, or complex filter banks, or ????.  The other important items to consider are what sort of control surface you want on the main page (knobs, button and XY controls), and what modulation routes are always needed (like mod wheel vibrato, perhaps).

At any rate, all these options make it a good idea for people to create their own inits.  I'll help by making some more too when I get a chance.


 - the back and forth editing arrows are great. Is it furthermore possible to get compare all your edits with the original patch via A/B comparison?

>Taiho:  Right, those arrows are Undo and Redo.  In between those arrows is another arrow with a clock inside of it.  That one is your Edit History.  Each edit you make is saved as a step so you can jump back to any point in that list.  That's the quickest way we have to compare at the moment, and you can compare your current edit to any previous edit state or the original patch.  If you want to check the original, use the Edit History to undo back to the first step, and when you're done auditioning redo back to the latest edit.  But be careful not to make any edits when you're comparing.  If you edit when you've jumped back in history, any edits after that point will be erased.

The other way to compare would be to save your current work as a new patch, then go back and forth between that one and the original.  (Note that saving also clears the edit history.)  New patches don't take up memory bank slots like in the old days, so you can create and erase patches as much as you like, without fear of having to overwrite something.  In other words, the User bank can be thought of as a workspace where you can compare, or even do other types of organizing.

(And Rob said he'd look into a direct compare feature, which I expect will be a single button, so things could get much simpler in the future.)


 - When tuning the OSCs with "cycles" and "tune octave" and such there are often some great rythmic, pulsating or wobbling results. I didn´t find a way to play them even over the whole range of the keyboard. it´s like a sample loop. Played in higher octaves the rythmic elements are played fast and in lower regions the  rythms get slower. Is there a method to keep the rythm at same speed on the complete keyboard range?

>Taiho:  I think I know what you're talking about and we don't have anything in Waverazor to address this right now.  Any rhythmic elements that get faster as you go up the keyboard are probably due to pitch detuning (which Waverazor can do within a single oscillator, btw).  The two (or more) detuned frequencies "beat" against each other and the phase cancellations they create are what we hear as a rhythm.  In the case of Waverazor, the wave tunings can also beat against the "razor" tuning and that creates additional weirdness...  The reason it gets faster as you go up is that all those frequencies track the keyboard together.  If you go up an octave, all the frequencies double, including the beat frequency.

What's needed is a different tuning modulation scaling for how the detuned elements track against the reference pitch.  Rob and I have discussed this and we think implementing linear pitch modulation will solve this issue.  I've added it to our list of feature requests.


 - When having many "num steps" and editing wave-segments on the oscilloscope you cannot see certain segments while doing phase and pitch editing. They appear offscreen. Is there a solution for that?

>Taiho:  That's true. It's possible to tweak the wave so that the shape falls almost entirely outside of the display area.  We can take a look at resizing the display under those conditions, but I expect this to be difficult to address.  I know it's not the same, but you can also check the wave shape in the oscilloscope mode (as opposed to wave editing mode).  It's a pretty useful thing to do anyway, since it shows you the wave in motion, rather than as a static graphic.  And the scope also offers arrow buttons allowing you to zoom in and out of the wave.

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Hi again,

">Taiho:  You'll be happy to know that an init patch is coming in the next update, v2.0.2.  It will show up as "INIT" in the Template bank of presets."

 -> that´s great. Looking foreward. The approach that it will be like a starting point for new templets makes sense to me.

 -> good advice to step back to the first editing step for comparison. Thank you.

 ">Taiho:  I think I know what you're talking about and we don't have anything in Waverazor to address this right now.  Any rhythmic elements that get faster as you go up the keyboard are probably due to pitch detuning (which Waverazor can do within a single oscillator, btw)."

 -> thank you for the explaination. I think it is great what Waverazor does in that department and if the appr. 6 hours of my first tweaking sessions I could have recorded a complete sample pack (for use in a granular synth e.g.) alone with those crazy rythmic beatings. Sometimes it even makes sense, that it gets faster while playing higher but it would be fantastic to have an option with something like pitch tracking (I am no expert on such things) :)

"editing in oscilloscope mode"

 -> okay, good hint.

Thank you again for all the enthusiasm for helping and further developing. It´s just great to see all that and so much appreciated. For me that is no matter of  course. Have a joyful time.

Answer 3

Hi Taiho, hi Rob,

can you already reveal some information about a bigger GUI in a possible upcoming update?

Thank you a lot and a joyful time to you.

Cheers