It has been weird week on software releases front

I don’t know what is so special about this week when four companies have decided to release updated version of their software. Joe Biden was announced winner of US presidential election but it can’t be that because software development takes much more time and launch can’t be organized in couple days. What ever was the case I got updates on three software I use on video production and making music. I was about to get the fourth one but more about that later.

It all started on Monday with new version of Davinci Resolve. Version 17 is still in beta. I have downloaded it but am not sure if I install it or wait for more stable version. It has few helpful improvements like audio is now available in fusion tab and easier keying and rotoscoping. There are other useful improvements but nothing I can’t wait for software to get more stable when I have other new software no longer in beta state.

Tuesday was Ableton’s turn to announce Live 11. Still in closed beta. Live is finally getting MPE and polyphonic aftertouch support and Push will get polyphonic aftertouch. If they had those one and half years ago I wouldn’t have moved from Live. I used Live for years until I learned about MPE. New release made me think about starting to use Live again. It lasted only one day. I might get Live 11 because it is still better for somethings than Cubase 11 which was released next day.

Cubase 11 and Scale Assistant stopped any considerations of updating to Live 11 right now. Scale Assistant is something I have wanted ever since I started to use Cubase. Ableton’s Push has similar functionality. Komplete Kontrol has it too and I was about to buy one last year. Scale Assistant gives same functionality to every controller and more. I didn’t have to think if I update or not. Of course I want to use Roli Seaboard with Scale Assistant. Everything else was bonus. Only problem was getting licence updated. I managed do that next day. I could use Cubase without updating licence for a day so it wasn’t big issue. But it was annoying. This was first software of these actually released this week. Not as beta but really released.

Day after Cubase released new version which made Roli Seaboard my main keyboard Roli released Equator 2. I had Equator but it didn’t get as much use as it should have. It felt like it was made to have MPE capable synth for Roli’s MPE controllers. It was synth which took most out of MPE’s potential. But when other synths started to implement MPE I started to use them when wanted to use MPE. Other synths were synths first and MPE capable second. Equator 2 feels like it was made to be synth first, not just synth for Roli’s own controllers. After announcement I updated Equator. It is now better than I remembered. One reason being sound libraries are no longer limited to what controllers you own.

I didn’t realize how complex Equator was until I checked how much of its functionality was in Equator 2. Equator has six sound sources too but you can’t choose what those are and architecture is similar to Equator 2. I guess I should have used it more. Maybe I was too turned off by the limitations it had. Equator 2 loses some of those limitations. User interface isn’t the sexiest but I think I can endure.

I have wanted to find one synth I learn well. Zebra HZ has been good candidate but it doesn’t have MPE. Zebra 3 is coming in future. At least it has been promised. Zebra 2 and Zebra HZ has still got major updates while we wait for Zebra 3. Equator 2 could become that synth. It is quite complex and while it is not perfect yet it does many things well. It still takes most advantage of any synth I know out of MPE. Ability to use own samples and wavetables expands sounds from what you get out of box. After evening with Equator and second with Equator 2 it feels like this could be the synth for me. It is not perfect yet but with small improvements it could be close to it.

After Cubase 11 and Equator 2 was released I feel like I got what I was missing in making music. Now I just have start working on it which is a other matter.

MPE rising from obscurity

MPE (Midi Polyphonic Expression) took big step forward to become feature music software and hardware should implement. Until last two week there have mostly been synths with good MPE implementation or good synths with MPE implementation which let you use use synth with MPE controller. First ones you could have bought from Roli’s site. Those are still ones with best MPE implementation but as synths they are not among the best ones. I don’t have every synth with MPE implementation. Serum could be good synth with good MPE implementation after it got MPE support earlier this year. I can’t comment on its MPE support since I don’t have it. Now I know two good synths with good MPE implementation.

MPE is midi extension. On technical level MPE means each note gets its own midi channel. This means each note has its own aftertouch, pitch wheel and mod wheel. Velocity has been per note already. Fifth dimension of expression is Lift which tells how finger was lifted from the key. Synths on Roli’s site have implemented it but I don’t remember seeing it anywhere else since it has quite limited usefulness as modulation source. Other four are more important. Roli has kept list of software and hardware with MPE support. List has not been updated in couple months but I assume it will soon have two synths which got MPE support during last two weeks.

We can probably thank Serum that Icarus 2 and Pigments 2 have MPE support. After these three have MPE support everyone else have to seriously consider adding MPE support to their products. Pigments 2 was Arturia’s first synth with MPE support. I wouldn’t be too surprised it V Collection synths get it 2020. After that MPE controller owners don’t have to think about buying software synths without MPE support.

Roli just launched Studio Editions of their Block range. Seaboard Block is expensive compared to cheapest midi controllers. But it is not that expensive if you want to have really expressive controller. With Seaboard Block you can expand your keyboard later and add Lightpad Block to give more control. I will leave you with video demonstrating some of the MPE capable controllers. There are more than the four shown on video.

Dreaming of Electric Sheep and Unicorns

I got exited about Deckard's Dream. It is quite expensive but I might get one. I started to study how to get most out of it. This video tells what happened. When I say I investigated Ableton Live's polyphonic aftertouch I mean googling. I haven't done proper test for reason which comes up in video.

Video was shot with DJI Osmo Pocket. It is surprisingly capable for size and price now when it has features it should have had from the beginning. There is still little room to improve but it is really capable already.