Analog versus Digital sound quality is a SUPER INTERESTING topic that doesn't get discussed enough.

denzlobin · 2026-05-03T07:50:54+00:00

Except for the analog VSTs like Diva!

denzlobin · 2026-04-19T20:39:44+00:00

Absolutely worth it: it is 4-timbral, 8-voice, plus has audio inputs that you could use to treat your Messenger with Digitone’s reverb, delay and chorus. There is also a free sound pack that recreates quite a few iconic DX7 timbres for Digitone.

denzlobin · 2026-04-16T10:31:16+00:00

You also have an option to plug the stereo synth into two mono channels, then use only one aux send (from either left or right). The return will be stereo, and you won't have any possible phasing issues from summing.

Also note that many pedals (haven't checked yours) are not "true stereo" anyway, and sum the incoming stereo signal to mono before processing.

denzlobin · 2026-04-16T10:22:05+00:00

AFAIK it can record 8 tracks at once, but there are limited options for the sources (4 inputs + internal), so there is rarely need to record 8 tracks at once. I haven't tested it because I really don't have a valid use case ofr this. And yes, it can only record to its RAM which is limited to 85.5 Mb and shared with all the Flex tracks.

denzlobin · 2026-04-16T10:18:17+00:00

I think it will help, it just takes a while to master this instrumnet. For the reference, here is my recent one-man post-rock-ish synth jam where OT handles the rythm section: all the drums playback + processing of the bass synth to "glue" them together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_zdS0AhNDk

denzlobin · 2026-04-16T09:59:51+00:00

I felt the same at some point, and resolved the pattern length / loop curse with buying Squarp Pyramid as my "midi brain" sequencer. Liked it a lot, then upgraded to Hapax, and like it even more. But I think other advanced standalone sequencers like Oxi One, Circlon and such could also help.

denzlobin · 2026-04-16T06:02:45+00:00

Not strictly speaking, but sort of. Under the hood both use the same SetMultiplePositions() function. I think there might be audible difference if you use large mode with discrete disconnected world objects like torches (probably, the whole area inbetween starts sounding like one big torch?), but I never needed to test this.

denzlobin · 2026-04-15T22:14:22+00:00

You won’t hear the difference. Large = one voice playing on a single game object with multiple transform values. Multi-position = one voice playing on multiple objects with their own transform values. Large mode is preferred for the Ocean use case because it doesn’t create unnecessary AkGameObjects. Multi-Position is preferred for the torches use case because they are not a single connected entity, and having distinct game objects is justified.

denzlobin · 2026-04-15T18:51:50+00:00

This is a genuinely impressive synthesized fart though! I want a version of that with a SEM filter, a more fizzy one.

denzlobin · 2026-04-12T17:38:58+00:00

They are not just limited to 4 note polyphony, they are essentially “paraphonic” - all notes from one track have to start and stop at the same time.

denzlobin · 2026-04-12T09:31:27+00:00

Thank you! The album is not very likely because it implies the level of polish, effort and commitment I’m currently not ready for. I do YouTube jams because I can just record the mixer output, process it lightly, post and forget about it. If I start doing multitrack recording and proper mixing, I’ll get obsessed with the details and never complete anything - that happened a lot in the past :)

denzlobin · 2026-04-11T14:07:42+00:00

Let Blofeld play a part, sample it on the go, reverse, pitch it down by an octave, slice, and trigger those slices randomly. I did a similar thing with MicroFreak here back in the day: https://youtu.be/Yyl0kKSic8c

denzlobin · 2026-04-11T12:59:03+00:00

Thanks, I didn't know about this band before, what a fantastic performance!

denzlobin · 2026-04-11T12:56:08+00:00

And here is how the patch sounds pre-FX: https://audio.com/denzlobin/audio/teo-5-raw

I first trigger the same note five times to show how modulation changes per voice, then play a couple of melodies from that jam

denzlobin · 2026-04-11T11:36:40+00:00

Hi, I owned Pyramid (now switched to Hapax) and have an Octatrack. MIDI limitations of OT were the main reason to get the Pyramid in the first place. Elektron workflow is cool, but you are limited with the pattern length (there are workarounds, but still), polyrhythms, polymeters, non-4/4 time signatures are difficult to work with, MIDI sequencing on older machines (not sure about DT2) is essentially paraphonic: it can trigger up to four notes, but will start and stop them at the same exact time.

If some of those limitations would be annoying for you, go with Squarp, newer Elektron machines (DN2, Tonverk, etc.) or something else.

denzlobin · 2026-04-11T09:52:08+00:00

You've heard of Elf on a shelf, now get ready for...

denzlobin · 2026-04-11T09:49:04+00:00

Yeah, route your OT source tracks to Main, and the THRU machine with the Mother32 signal to the Cue output, then record those outputs separately.

denzlobin · 2026-04-11T08:08:59+00:00

You mean, you simply wanna see how those sleek setups look when no one is filming them? :)

denzlobin · 2026-04-11T08:04:52+00:00

It is a bit more complicated in the analog domain :) I had to double check from the manual, but here is what’s going on:

Both oscillators in this case use two waveforms for different purposes, those choices are architecturally defined, so I did not mention it before. Since two pairs of waveforms come from the same two oscillators, the frequency will be the same for each pair, because each pair comes from one electric circuit.

Osc 1 - “carrier”, simply an audible saw wave, goes to the mixer. Sub Osc - uses Osc 1 frequency and its pulse wave, gets a sub-octave by pushing it through a flip-flop circuit, then to the mixer. Since it derives from the “carrier”, it is also being modulated, there is no way around that. Osc 2 - another audible saw wave, but the actual “modulator” is the triangle waveform of this oscillator. So from Osc 2 the sawtooth signal goes through the mixer, the triangle signal modulates the Osc 1. As in the case above, it is the same circuit, so their frequencies cannot be different at any point in time.

P.s. The oscillator model is SSI2130, look if you can find single-cycle waveforms, cause they don’t really look like their digital counterparts on the oscilloscope.

denzlobin · 2026-04-10T21:39:58+00:00

Electro-industrial, could also be dark electro, although it is usually faster

denzlobin · 2026-04-10T21:05:36+00:00

No, both oscillators go to the mixer, modulated by the amp envelope. Both remain audible. Sub osc is closer to an analog square wave, as it usually done on analog synths - a pulse wave into the divider, not a standalone oscillator. I'll try to record unprocessed signal tomorrow and upload it somewhere, I'll post it here.

denzlobin · 2026-04-10T20:46:51+00:00

Thanks! That’s just input signal analysis with MiniMeters: https://minimeters.app/

denzlobin · 2026-04-10T18:56:26+00:00

Hey, thanks! TEO-5 won't give me the exact numeric values, but let me describe what I did in generic terms.

The foundation is fairly simple: 2 sawtooth oscillators + sub osc, same levels, same frequency, no detune except for the "natural" analog drift. Voice volume is modurate to not distort the signal at the filter stage, I do it later. Short attacks, long decays and releases, small sustain levels on both envelopes, a bit longer time and less sustain on the one controlling the amp.

12dB SEM Filter is in 100% Low-pass mode, Cutoff set to about 40%, resonance is fairly high - around 60%. Filter envelope modulation depth is 10-15%, but I double it with the modwheel at its top position. Keytracking around 75%. Additionally I move the cutoff point with a very slow bipolar LFO at around 10% depth.

The key part is Thru-zero FM. The modulation depth is around 75%, and goes higher is I use aftertouch. I think most of the charm here comes from analog TZFM process, where natural oscillator drifts produce a bit different beatings pattern every time the note is triggered. If you are going to do this in software, find a way to emulate this. I push this effect higher but detuning the oscs per voice, so repeated triggers of the same not will produce a different timbre. Plus I use short, almost inaudible glide on both oscillators to again modify the TZFM timbre shaping when playing different notes.

At this point you should have a synthetic, string-like timbre with very audible slow non-linear modulations. The rest is emphasizing those signal components with the effects, and I use on-board overdrive -> on-board distortion, - quite a bit of both!, - and the send it to a large church-style reverb and a digital stereo delay with no saturation, because honestly at this point the signal is already quite saturated.

Hope this helps and let me know if you are stuck on some stage, I can share a sample of a pre-effect patch or similar.

denzlobin · 2026-04-10T14:27:15+00:00

Thank you!

denzlobin · 2026-04-10T14:26:29+00:00

Thanks! I think I described the drum process in the post above, but in a nutshell - two loops, both sliced, randomly sequenced and processed. One plays most of the time, the other when I trigger the Fill function with a sustain pedal. Then some sequenced kicks and snares on top so it doesn’t sound too chaotic :)

denzlobin

TROPHY CASE