Ribbon functionality wrong?

[DAVID ROGOFF]

Well, I'm playing the demo.  Actually, I have no MIDI hooked up to my laptop, so it's just a single note with arpegiator.  That's the first thing: on CS80V and the MgV, why can't QWERTY keys be mapped to notes?  This would be handy!

So far, I like the sound a bunch.  I've owned two CS-80s and a CS-60, but it's been about 8 years since I played one.  However, either I'm not getting something or the ribbon is all wrong!

First, the ribbon is absolute, not relative.  This is really bad!  Is there a setting somewhere?  I can't find it.  The section of the manual available for download doesn't mention.

Second, and equally really bad is that the ribbon bend is an equal pitch up and down.  This is not at all how the CS-60/80 worked since they had linear oscillators (which the digital emulation should copy easily).  In the real CS-80, starting at the left and bending up doubled the frequency, which is a one-octave bend.  That's easy - going the other way is the problem:  

In the real unit, starting at the right end and sliding down bent the frequency down to zero!  D.C.!  -infinity octaves!    This was the coolest effect and can't be done on any real analog synthesizer with exponential (1v/octave) VCOs.  So, the CS-80 could do this, but not any Oberheim, Mg, or Prophet 5.  

Please tell me that there's a setup menu somewhere to fix these problems (or will be very soon)!

More soon,

 David

[xavier]

Hello David,

On the virtual instruments we decide to make the ribbon not exactly the same as the original.
First, concerning the "relative" issue: with a mouse, it is difficult to use the ribbon, so it is connected to the pitch bend wheel midi message, and therefore you cannot initialise the "zero point" of the ribbon.
Second, as we use the pitch bend wheel, it is easier for a keyboard player to have a symetrical detune with the pitch bend wheel.

All you can change is the course of the pitch bend ( from 0 to 2 octaves by semi-tone).
Maybe a switch could be added to select the type of the modulation (linear or exponential). This feature may be added to further versions.

Xavier