Some more considered comments, now that the other videos are finally working. I just posted this on another forum, and it may bear adding here as well:
Now the other videos are actually working, we have a better overview of this thing.
I'm inclined to say it's well designed, apart from the keyboard. Obvious and not very original, but solid and good. It's about time we saw a decent multimode filter on an analogue monosynth.
Judging from the second video I don't like the sound of the filter in self-oscillation. It has the harsh quality of the Korg MS filters. Of course that's a matter of personal preference and would be right for some people. It could also be that the settings and performance in this video make it sound harsh and it could be sweeter and fuller in practice. So far I prefer the sound I was able to get from the Roland Gaia when I tried one a little while ago - and the ultimate would still be the beautiful ARP filter on the
Axxe. I made an oriental flute just by self-oscillating the filter and keyboard tracking it. (There's a YouTube video somewhere of someone demonstrating the filter on a late model Axxe.)
The LFOs seem well thought out. Experimentation would be needed to see what sorts of complex modulations are possible, and whether one LFO having been designed with vibrato in mind would be a limitation. I like the aftertouch modulation option, though - so long as that can also be received over MIDI from a proper keyboard. Annoying if it can't. And it's good to see a good range of waveshapes on the main LFO. It's also worth remembering that the arpeggiator can be used for LFO-type effects as well.
One thing not mentioned, that I would have liked to see, is a hold button, or a bypass for the ADSR, so you could free up both hands for manipulating the controls without having to stick Gestapo knives in the keyboard to hold a key down.
I think we'll soon be sick of hearing the Ultrasaw on every record that comes out, like the Roland Supersaw that's obviously more or less the same thing.
The audio demos make it sound like the kind of horrible buzzy kind of crap I avoid, but it may well be capable of a lot more. So far no full richness in the self-oscillating filter and no nice hollowness in the square wave, nor anything else that really appeals to me in the tone, but I'd want to see if that's really the case.
The keyboard modulation and the CV outs tempt me, and I'll try one to see if it does have any musical possibilities for me, but I'll wait and I suspect it won't be a likely option for me unless I'm suddenly in possession of more cash than I need (and when did that ever happen?) By that time they'll be second hand and we'll know how good the build quality really is. Still, I see these selling in shedloads and making a lot of money for Arturia. Who knows, they may be able to employ someone to answer questions I asked their tech support two, three or more years ago?
