Friday 26 May 2017

SUPERWAVE SIRIUS SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

 SYNAPSE CIRCUIT 

SUPERWAVE SIRIUS SPRING SALE £11.99 NORMALLY​ £14.99 REVIEW!

#VST #VirtualStudioTechnology #Virtual #Studio #Technology #Steinberg #DAW #Instruments #Effects #Electronic #Music #ElectronicMusic #ComputerMusic #MusicTechnology #FutureMusic #SuperWave #Ultimate #Super #Wave #SuperWave #Sirius #Analogue #Synth #AnalogueSynth


Synapse Circuit keeps bringing you more VST synths (and soon to be effects) for your music making pleasures... 

SUPERWAVE GETS SIRIUS...
Sirius is a powerful virtual analogue synthesizer incorporating a Moog Filter for that nostalgic warm and fat analogue sound.

If you're technically squeamish look away… NOW!

Technical Specifications

Technical Specifications
Oscillators
35 Oscillators + Noise Generator with integrated 12dB Resonant Filter
Waveforms: Sine, Saw, Ramp, Square, Pulse, Bi-Pulse, Triangle, Vintage Saw, Exp Saw, Morph Triangle, Parabola, Saw Square, BPF Noise, White Noise
Controls: Tune, Semi Tone, Pulse Width/Morph, LFO1 WFM Depth, LFO2 WFM Depth, Ring, Sync, Active

Mixer
3 Channel Mixer
Controls: OSC1, OSC2, Noise

Filter
Resonant Filter: Moog 4-Pole 24dB
Filter Type: Low Pass
Controls: Cutoff Frequency, Resonance, Keyboard Track, Envelope Intensity, Velocity Sensitivity, Velocity Curve

Amplifier
Controls: Level, Pan, EG2/Gate, Distortion, Distortion Shape, Distortion Limit, Keyboard Track, Velocity Sensitivity, Velocity Curve

Envelopes
2 Envelopes with Time Scale and Output Contour function
Contour Types (Curve): 13
Controls: Curve, Time Scale, Clip Attack, Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release

Low Frequency Oscillators
2 LFO's (Low Frequency Oscillators)
Waveforms: Ramp, Pulse, Triangle, Sine, Sample and Hold
Beat Ratios: 33
Controls: Select (Waveform), Frequency, Key Sync, Tempo Sync, Sync Note, Motion, Phase, LFO1>LFO2 Frequency

Virtual Patch Function
Virtual Patch function x4 (8 Source Inputs, 8 Destination Outputs)
Controls: Select (Patch), Source, Destination, Depth Level

Arpeggiator
Classic Arpeggiator
Types: Up, Down, Alt1, Alt2, Alt3, Alt4
Range: 1-4 Octaves
Beat Ratios: 18
Controls: Type, Range, Latch, Resolution, Velocity Mode, Transpose Channel, Transpose Mode, Tempo, Gate

Sequencer
16 Step Sequence x4 (Modulation x3, Gate)
Destinations: 29
Types: Forward, Reverse, Alt1, Alt2
Beat Ratios: 18 (Independent beat resolution for each sequence)
Controls: Select (Sequence), Depth/Length, Motion, Sequence Type, Run Mode, Resolution, Key Reset, Knob (Destination), Step Value

Effects
Effect Types: Chorus, Phaser, Delay (Stereo, Cross, L/R), Distortion, Equalizer
Chorus Controls: Speed/Time, Depth, Pre-Delay, Modulation Depth, Feedback, FBK Mode, Waveform, Phase, Level, Panpot
Phaser Controls: Speed/Time, Depth, LFO (Internal, External), Waveform, Freq Min, Freq Max, LFO 1 Depth, LFO 2 Depth, Stereo Diff, Feedback, Stages, Key Sync
Delay Controls: Speed/Time, Depth, Type, Tempo Sync, Sync Note, Feedback
Distortion Controls: On/Off
Equalizer Controls: High Freq, High Gain, Low Freq, Low Gain, Active

Other Features
Integrated Patch Browser for loading and saving of FXP and FXB files
16 note polyphonic operation
Main volume control
Mono/Polyphonic control
Portamento control
Pre-Bend function
Compatible with Korg MS2000 control surface
Midi CC control with learn capability
128 high quality presets

2 GHz+ Processor recommended / 1024 x 768 pixels screen resolution / 24 bit colour depth.

Gosh! Did you get all that?

THE PRESETS
Above: Sirius working like a dream in MAGIX Music Maker 2017 Premium, which is a cost effective level entry DAW, and my has it grown! See review here: MAGIX Music Maker 2017 Premium

As you know, the preset patches are a good indication of what a synthesizer is all about. Once again, I am truly astounded by the eargasmic range of the presets. The bass patches are rich and deep - check out the Moog basses; luscious pads, and multitude of great authentic sounding patches from strings, arpeggiated Instruments that brings back that era of 80s Synth Pop, and Trance oriented Instruments. WOW!

AESTHETICS

Again, I'm blown away at how great the interface looks for a synth coming in at this price. It's not gimmicky, it's complex but on the right side of complexity - if you know what I mean. Okay, when you first launch it as a novice the knobs and buttons may as well be embedded within the dashboard of a pilot’s cockpit! But when your eyes and brain calm down you'll see that it's not so complex. Going through the presets gives you an idea as to how the onboard sequencer works for example.

As always, I encourage novices to get stuck in and create unique patches. Look, I can tell you that as a computer musician I don't have an in-depth knowledge of synthesizers, it never stopped me from messing around with hard and software knobs and sliders to get the sounds that I want.

THAT ANALOGUE AGE
Sirius transports me back to my youth and discovering synthesizers for the first time. My Electronic music heroes are very varied; from Parliament/Funkadelic’s Bernie Worrell to Bon Harris of Nitzer Ebb to Depeche Mode, Front 242 and many others! The aforementioned made me swap my guitar for a synth (Kawai K1), drum machine (Roland R8) and sequencer (Kawai Q80). I was a kid on a budget but I managed, with no prior knowledge, to program some great patches on the K1.

It was an exciting time for me as I and anyone else could get on a stage, press ‘play’ on the sequencer and music would come out! Amazing! But, sadly, today people are still doing the Industrial thing.


Sirius, has given me the synthesizers that I wasn't able to afford from yesteryear! I was able to feel nostalgia and excitement from being in the possession of a great synth! I feel like making music again. Gosh!

CONCLUSION
I'm impressed by the care and attention to detail in how this synth was put together. The quality is unprecedented at this price point, £15! £12 - if the sale is still on by the time you get to read this review!


I can't fault Sirius! It's great! It's a monster of a synth! I'm sure that the seasoned synth enthusiast/professional would get a tremendous amount of joy from Sirius! Please, do not overlook Sirius and SuperWave in general in favour of synths that costs considerably more! You'll be missing out!

SCORE
Trust Synapse Circuit on this one… Sirius is super-cost effective and awesome in sound! It is a no brainer!

Sirius scores an heartfelt... Synapse Circuit Platinum!
You can purchase it here: SUPERWAVE SIRIUS

Enjoy!
Thank you for reading!
Synapse Circuit / Blue Gene

Thursday 25 May 2017

Reallusion & Sketchfab Partner for 3D Character Creation and Publishing SYNAPSE CIRCUIT NEWS

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT 
Reallusion & Sketchfab Partner for 3D Character Creation and Publishing

NEWS!
#Reallusion #CharacterCreator2 #Character #Creator #2 #Sketchfab #CrazyTalkAnimator3 #2DAnimation #Cartoons

Reallusion are at it again... Reallusion is an unstoppable machine!

San Jose, California 5/25/2017 - Reallusion and Sketchfab partner technologies connecting Character Creator 2.0 advanced 3D characters to Sketchfab’s powerful real-time 3D content viewer & sharing platform. Sketchfab integration with Character Creator (CC) 2.0 adds instant and highly flexible sharing of 3D characters to the CC 2.0 enhancements featuring PBR shaders, Image Based Lighting options, and a new Substance Material Generator to dynamically design high-quality 3D characters and appearances.

Watch Video: Character Creator to Sketchfab:
https://youtu.be/xuTM20RQadg
Create & Publish fully-rigged 3D Characters Directly to Sketchfab
https://www.reallusion.com/character-creator/publish-to-sketchfab.html

Complete Character Design Tools Ready for Sketchfab Character Creator 2.0 characters are fully-equipped to look great and animate in real-time on the web or in VR with Sketchfab. Character Creator tools are designed to start with an already rigged character base that can be clothed, morphed and animated from head to toe. Choose from hundreds of motions in iClone to animate characters for Sketchfab and add facial animation with lip-sync to make characters come to life with ease. The new Character Creator 2.0 comes with updated visuals for industry standard PBR shaders, allowing users to import PBR textures made with 3D paint tools like Substance Painter, 3D Coat, or Quixel. Users can now export their Character Creator assets to iClone, Unreal, Unity, or Sketchfab with the same PBR visual quality.
View Animated Character Creator model  “The Female Pirate” on Sketchfab
https://skfb.ly/TrYu 

Publish and Share Real-time 3D Characters online and in VR The new “Upload to Sketchfab” function lets Character Creator 2.0 and Character Creator 2.0 Lite users directly publish 3D characters straight to Sketchfab to share their content with the world. Users can export the character along with its motion clips, facial morph expressions, and PBR textures. Characters with different motion clips can animate in real-time in the Sketchfab viewer to see the animated results. Sharing Character Creator 2.0 characters with Sketchfab also provides a complete method to post real-time 3D viewers embedded into Facebook, Twitter or blogs and websites.

Get a Free Character Creator Download from Sketchfab

https://sketchfab.com/models/8476e3679aa442c3ad811727705524ac

Reallusion is showcasing the Sketchfab real-time 3D viewer as a dynamic way to browse and view 3D character content in the Reallusion Marketplace demonstrating that the Sketchfab viewer is a valuable tool for content developers and artists alike.

View Reallusion Assassins on Sketchfab

https://skfb.ly/66FXX

Sketchfab Soft Cloth Physics Animation Demo

This is a character test showcasing how Sketchfab can real-time render blend shape animation generated from iClone soft cloth physics.  
https://skfb.ly/6oKpG

Pricing and Availability:
Character Creator 2.0 is available for Windows 7 and above. The full version of the software is free to anyone with a licence of iClone 6 Pro or the upcoming iClone 7, which currently cost $199.


There is also a free Lite edition of Character Creator, which includes all of the features of the commercial version, but limits users to five exports and a maximum of 30 seconds of animation in FBX files.

About Sketchfab:
Enter new dimensions. With a community of over half a million creators contributing over a million scenes, we are the world’s largest platform to publish, share and discover 3D content online and in VR.

Our technology integrates with every major 3D creation tool and publishing platform and supports almost every 3D format directly through our site or using one of our official exporters. Using our universal 3D & VR player, your creations can be embedded on any web page and every major network including Facebook, Tumblr, LinkedIn, WordPress, BÄ“hance, DeviantArt and Kickstarter.


With offices in NYC and Paris, Sketchfab is proud to be the official 3D publishing partner of Adobe Photoshop, Facebook, Microsoft Hololens, Intel RealSense and more. Sketchfab is a venture­ backed company, alumnus of the TechStars accelerator program (New York Spring 2013) and winner of several start up awards.

About Character Creator 2.0:

Character Creator (CC) innovates 3D character design process for generating fully rigged characters with: Face & Body slider morphs, Custom Clothing Design, Animation, & Content, and FBX Export. CC 2.0 delivers character design tools for 3D pros and hobbyists alike with AAA level visuals and options to do all-in-one character design for ZBrush, Mudbox, Allegorithmic Painter, Substance, Unreal or Unity, and web sharing sites like Sketchfab. Character Creator features PBR, a customizable clothing system, and direct real-time animation capability through Reallusion iClone for creating custom motions and facial animation.

About Reallusion:

Reallusion Inc. is a 2D and 3D animation software and content developer. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, with R&D centers in Taiwan, and offices and training centers in Germany and Japan. Reallusion specializes in the development of real­time 2D and 3D cinematic animation tools for consumers, students and professionals. The company provides users with easy to use avatar animation, facial morphing and voice lip­sync solutions for real-­time 3D filmmaking, and previsualization for professional post ­production. Reallusion’s core technologies are widely used by trainers, educators, game developers and filmmakers.
Thank you for reading! Synapse Circuit / Blue Gene

Wednesday 24 May 2017

MAGIX SOUNDLY FORGING AHEAD SYNAPSE CIRCUIT NEWS

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT 

MAGIX SOUNDLY FORGING AHEAD

NEWS! 

#Audio #Editing #DAW #VST #VirtualStudioTechnology #Virtual #Studio #Technology #Steinberg #Instruments #Effects #Electronic #Music #ElectronicMusic #ComputerMusic #MusicTechnology #FutureMusic #SuperWave #Ultimate #Super #Wave #Ultimate #Analogue #Synth #AnalogueSynth

Synapse Circuit brings you more VST synths (and soon to be effects) for your music making pleasures... 

A Bright Future Shines Ahead for the Entire SOUND FORGE Line


MAGIX releases SOUND FORGE Pro MAC 3 and announces new versions of SOUND FORGE Audio Studio, and SOUND FORGE Pro

Berlin/Madison... It’s official: The SOUND FORGE community will be pleased to hear that MAGIX has committed to upgrades for the entire SOUND FORGE family of products. Currently under development by engineering teams in the US and Germany, new upgrades begin to arrive this month with upgrades for the entire line slated for completion within the next 12 months.

SOUND FORGE Pro Mac 3 marks the beginning. Support for 64-Bit float/192kHz/32 channels high-resolution audio, sample-accurate editing, enhanced professional-level filters and processing and disc-at-once Red Book Standard audio CD authoring makes SOUND FORGE Pro MAC 3 the perfect tool for audio processing and mastering on macOS. Version 3 adds several new features including loudness metering and the iZotope Plug-ins RX Elements and Ozone 7 Elements.

A new, 64-bit version of SOUND FORGE Audio Studio follows at August 8, 2017. Top features include: Improved DSP-algorithms for native audio effects, slice-oriented edit mode providing a dynamic way to edit wave files, VST3 compatibility and enhanced accessibility.


After 4 years without a new version, SOUND FORGE Pro 12 is expected to roll out end of 2017. Teams in both Berlin, Germany and Madison, Wisconsin have set a goal to raise the bar for audio editing and mastering in version 12. 
“For years, the name SOUND FORGE has defined the industry standard for top-tier professional audio recording, editing, and mastering tools,” said Gary Rebholz from SOUND FORGE team. “But we're not satisfied with relying on our reputation, so our teams in Berlin and Madison, now join together to renew a commitment to carry on this unparalleled legacy. Audio pros and enthusiasts alike will continue to rely on SOUND FORGE for years to come.”

The latest version of SOUND FORGE Pro Mac 3 is now available online for $299/€299.

About SOUND FORGE In May, 2016, MAGIX acquired the SOUND FORGE product line, along with other video and audio products. The choice of audio professionals the world over, SOUND FORGE continues to provide the essential tools needed to record, edit, enhance, and deliver high-resolution audio with speed and accuracy.

Great stuff, huh? You betcha!  Thank you for reading!
Synapse Circuit / Blue Gene

Thursday 11 May 2017

SUPERWAVE ULTIMATE SYNAPSE CIRCUIT REVIEW

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT 

SUPERWAVE ULTIMATE SPRING SALE £15.99 NORMALLY​ £19.99 REVIEW!

#VST #VirtualStudioTechnology #Virtual #Studio #Technology #Steinberg #DAW #Instruments #Effects #Electronic #Music #ElectronicMusic #ComputerMusic #MusicTechnology #FutureMusic #SuperWave #Ultimate #Super #Wave #Ultimate #Analogue #Synth #AnalogueSynth


Synapse Circuit brings you more VST synths (and soon to be effects) for your music making pleasures... 

THE SUPERWAVE ULTIMATUM...
My goodness! SuperWave Ultimate looks like something out of the Millennium Falcon! It promises to deliver great sounds for all manner of genres including: Pop, Rock, Electronica, Dance and Trance. Big talk! And for less than £20? Yeah, right! Let's have a look… Could it really be possible to have such a potentially awesome sounding synth for such a low asking price?

If you're technically squeamish look away… NOW!

Technical Specifications

Oscillators
2 Oscillators (Total of 28 Oscillators played simultaneously)
Osc 1 Waveforms: Ultimate Osc, Tri Sync Osc, Noise, Morph Osc, Square, Saw, Triangle, SF2 Exp
Osc 2 Waveforms: Square, Saw, Triangle, Noise, Perc
Ultimate Osc Waveforms: Sine, Saw, Ramp, Soft Ramp, Peak Ramp, Square, Triangle, Peak, Octava, Cluster1, Cluster2, Noise
Morph Osc Waveforms: Sine, Saw, Ramp, Soft Ramp, Peak Ramp, Square, Triangle, Peak, Octava, Cluster1, Cluster2
Osc 1 Controls: Waveform, Gate Sync, On, Ultimate Osc Detune, Ultimate Osc Stretch, Tri Sync Slide Speed, Tri Sync Mode, Noise Cutoff, Noise Resonance, Morph, Morph Beat, Square Pulse Width, Square PWM Depth, Saw Shape, Saw LFO 1 Depth, Triangle Shape, Triangle LFO 1 Depth, SF2 Exp Level, SF2 Exp Spread
Osc 2 Controls: Ring, On, Gate Sync, Sync, Waveform, Range, Fine/Wide, Square Pulse Width, Square PWM Depth, Saw Level, Saw Harmonics, Triangle Level, Triangle Harmonics, Noise Cutoff, Noise Resonance, Perc Level, Perc Decay
Ultimate Osc Controls: Pan Mod On, Master Level, Phase/PW, Stereo Spread, Analogue Drift Rate, Analogue Drift Depth
Ultimate Osc Mixer Controls: Waveform, Harmonics, Semi Tune, Fine Tune, Phase/PW, Pan, Level
Ultimate Osc Mod Edit Controls: Tune Depth, PW Depth, Pan Depth, LVL Depth, Waveform, Key Sync, Rate/Beat
Morph Osc Edit Controls: Waveform, Harmonics, Morph/Beat, Stage

Osc Common
Osc Shift: -2 +2 Octaves
LFO 1 & Env Destinations: Osc 1+2, Osc 2, X-Mod, Tri Sync, Tri Sync + Osc 2
Controls: -Oct +Oct, LFO 1 & Env Destination, Osc Balance, X-Mod Depth, LFO 1 Depth

Filter
Resonant Filter: 12dB, 24dB
Filter Types: Low Pass, Band Pass, High Pass
Controls: Cutoff Frequency, Resonance, 12dB/24dB, Type, Key Follow, LFO 1 Depth

Amplifier
Controls: Pan, LFO 1 Depth, Level

Envelopes
3 Envelopes with Time Scale and Output Contour function
Contour Types (Curve): 13
Pitch Envelope Controls: Attack, Decay, Curve, Time Scale
Filter Envelope Controls: Depth, Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release, Curve, Time Scale
Amp Envelope Controls: Attack, Decay Sustain, Release, Curve, Time Scale

Low Frequency Oscillators
2 LFO's (Low Frequency Oscillators)
LFO 1 Waveforms: Triangle, Saw, Square, Sample and Hold
Modulation (LFO 2) Waveforms: Triangle
Beat Ratios: 33
LFO 1 Controls: Waveform, Rate/Beat, Fade, Key Sync, Beat Sync
Modulation (LFO 2) Controls: Depth Select, Rate/Beat, Depth, Key Sync, Beat Sync

Arpeggiator
Classic + Phrase Arpeggiator
Modes: Up/Forward, Down/Back, Alt1, Alt2, Alt3, Alt4
Range: 1-4 Octaves
Beat Ratios: 18
Controls: On, Tempo/Beat, Phrase On/Off, Chord On/Off, Hold, Mode, Range, Tempo, Gate

Sequencer
32 Step Sequence x4 (Modulation x3, Gate)
Directions: Forward and Reverse
Beat Ratios: 18 (Independent beat resolution for each sequence)
Sequence 1 Destinations: Pitch 1, Cutoff, Amp, Pan, Morph
Sequence 2 Destinations: Pitch 2, Cutoff, Amp, Pulse Width, X-Mod
Sequence 3 Destinations: Pitch 1+2, Cutoff, Amp, Ult Stereo, Tri Sync
Sequence 4 Destinations: Cutoff, Amp, LFO 1 Rate, LFO 2 Rate
Sequence 1 Controls: On, Key On, Reverse, Beat, Smooth, Pitch 1, Cutoff, Amp, Pan, Morph
Sequence 2 Controls: On, Key On, Reverse, Beat, Smooth, Pitch 2, Cutoff, Amp, Pulse Width, X-Mod
Sequence 3 Controls: On, Key On, Reverse, Beat, Smooth, Pitch 1+2, Cutoff, Amp, Ult Stereo, Tri Sync
Sequence 4 Controls: On, Key On, Reverse, Beat, Smooth, Calibration, Cutoff, Amp, LFO 1 Rate, LFO 2 Rate

Effects
Effect Types: Tone Control, Chorus, Phaser, Delay (Stereo, Cross, L/R), Sweep Filter, Limiter with Drive
Tone Controls: Bass, Treble
Chorus Controls: Rate, Depth, Wave, FBK Mode, On, Pan, Phase, Mod Depth, Level, Pre-Delay, Feedback
Phaser Controls: Rate, Depth, Wave, LFO (Internal/External), Stages, Key Sync, On, Stereo Diff, Freq Min, Freq Max, LFO 1 Depth, LFO 2 Depth, Feedback
Delay Controls: Time/Beat, Feedback, Level, Type, On, Beat Sync, LPF Feedback
Sweep Filter Controls: Wave, Beat Sync, On, Key Sync, Cutoff Freq, LFO Depth, Rate/Beat
Limiter Controls: Bypass, Threshold, Drive, Squash

Other Features
Integrated Patch Browser for loading and saving of FXP and FXB files
10 and 20 note polyphonic versions available
SF2 Wavetable Expansion Oscillator
Main volume control
Mono/Polyphonic control
Portamento control
Midi CC control with learn capability
FREE Trance SF2 Expansion containing 30 plus multi-sampled waveforms
384 high quality presets

2 GHz+ Processor recommended / 1024 x 768 pixels screen resolution / 24 bit colour depth

Gosh! Did you get all that?

REALIZATION Above: Ultimate working like a dream in MAGIX Music Maker 2017 Premium. Well, I've got to say that the GUI of Ultimate looks superb! It evokes the feel of a hardware synthesizer - I can visualize the controls on a physical keyboard and/or module.

Ultimate is a beautiful looking vintage analogue VST instrument. Now, let's check out how it sounds...

PRESETS
The preset patches are nothing short of brilliant! Ultimate absolutely delivers upon the aforementioned music genres. The bass patches are rich as are the leads and pads. Run them through the onboard arpeggiator and you'll be further astounded. Some patches have sequences as part of the sound and they sound wonderful!

I've got to say that not only does Ultimate look and sound fabulous, it's beautifully created. What do I mean by that? What I mean is that the synthesizer has been created to perfection when you take the cost into consideration! There were no instances of hanging notes and it wouldn't crash when I put it into a decent budget DAW that is MAGIX Music Maker Premium. I played some notes on my Akai USB musical keyboard whilst the sequencer (of the DAW) was running and it didn't cause a crash like other synths have done.

Well done!

COMPLEX
No doubt that we're looking at a potentially complex synth in Ultimate! I'm talking from a programming perspective. In order to get the most out of any synth you must program your own patches - in my humble opinion. If, like me, you're not very technical, you'll soon get to intuitively understand the parameters.

I'm going to have great fun creating my own patches.

CONCLUSION
SuperWave Ultimate is an absolute no brainer. It looks great, sounds even greater and it's been created with such precision that I didn't worry about the possibility of it crashing my DAW in the middle or composition.

You will do well to add this one to your collection. Even at £19.99 you're getting such a steal of a deal. You're just laughing should you snap it up for the spring sale price of £15.99! The arpeggiator, effects and sequencer in addition to the sound shaping possibilities with the vast range of oscillators makes for one awesome sounding and inspirational synth! Get it now! Quick - before the sale ends!

SCORE Come on... This synthesizer was put together by a scientist! It's clean, clear and precise! Ultimately (see what I did there?), you can get some deep bubbling basses, searing laserbeam leads, electrical pads, and some dirty old sleazebag electronic sounds! Seriously... Gosh!
Ultimate scores a super-well deserved... Synapse Circuit Platinum!
You can purchase it here: SUPERWAVE ULTIMATE

Enjoy!
Thank you for reading!
Synapse Circuit / Blue Gene