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Author Topic: Icarus feature requests  (Read 131626 times)

Markus Krause

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Re: Icarus feature requests
« Reply #60 on: August 10, 2016, 10:21:03 AM »
Requested:
- Sub menus for better overview
- Mod matrix targets visible in GUI
- Drag & Drop modulation

OneOfManyPauls

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Re: Icarus feature requests
« Reply #61 on: August 10, 2016, 01:17:49 PM »
First off, I am absolutely loving Icarus - brilliant work.

Here are my suggestions so far - I apologise if any of this is already possible, but if it is I've not been able to find it in the manual:

Can I add another voice for more clock speeds, especially for the mod-matrix LFOs - it'd be nice to have at least one free running lfo where we can set the speed in hz to anything we need rather than having to use a drop down.

Another nod for the semitone/coarse oscillator knob - I know I can do this with the matrix and const>pitch xl, but it is a bit of a faff for something so common.

Increase font size/weight of current parameter value display (below patch name/type)

A way to type in values - especially for the mod-matrix.

Multi-stage envelope generator(s) - to give more scope than the current AHDSR ones.

I can't find a way to always force an LFO to restart on keypress - I've tried using arp/lfo hardsync in setup, but that doesn't seem to always restart the LFO.

Step LFO - I find it tricky to set multiple points to zero.  It's good that we can just draw across for higher values, but I'd expect that if I held the mouse button down and dragged a point to zero and then swept across to the right or left with the the mouse button held and the cursor below the step edit window that I would be setting other points to zero too as I passed them horizontally.

wavetable editor:
A means to draw curves would be useful - ideally as a multi-stage envelope type editor, where lines and curves can be drawn using moveable anchors/breakpoints etc.

An option to paste the clipboard n times - eg could copy an init silence waveform then paste 254 times.

Visual feedback of button presses eg copy and paste

When cutting a waveform, it always reverts back to displaying the starting waveforms in the wavetable, even if the cut waveform was number 240 of 255 - would be better if it reverted to showing the same point where the cut was made.

A "Select All" option for the waveforms, as it's tricky to select them all when there are 255 displayed

The manual says "A wavetable can consist of 1 to 256 waveforms" - is that right? There is no option to add a waveform to a 255 waveform wavetable.

A means to insert/paste insert waveforms in a wavetable
« Last Edit: August 10, 2016, 04:14:28 PM by OneOfManyPauls »

Markus Krause

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Re: Icarus feature requests
« Reply #62 on: August 11, 2016, 01:05:44 PM »
Hello Paul,

thanks for the nice words. :-)
Some stuff is already in. I'll explain how it can be done:

Quote
Can I add another voice for more clock speeds, especially for the mod-matrix LFOs - it'd be nice to have at least one free running lfo where we can set the speed in hz to anything we need rather than having to use a drop down.

There are adiitional 15 free running lfos available in the matrix. Select 'Lfo XHz' as matrix source.

To make LFO1/2/3/STEP run free go to SETUP and select Arp/Lfo Free.

Quote
Another nod for the semitone/coarse knob.

I've added this in the last update. Go to Unison mode within the osc (above the vol knob) and select Semi/Interval/Pitch. Then you can use the detune knob to change the pitch.

Quote
Step LFO - I find it tricky to set multiple points to zero.

If you use the right mouse button only the current step is editet. Then you can move it to 0.
Quote
A means to insert/paste insert waveforms in a wavetable

First copy. Then us Mix->Insert copy

All The Best,
Markus


OneOfManyPauls

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Re: Icarus feature requests
« Reply #63 on: August 11, 2016, 01:50:44 PM »
Thanks for the reply Markus - that's great.

Quote
There are adiitional 15 free running lfos available in the matrix. Select 'Lfo XHz' as matrix source.

I might not have been clear - those were the ones I was hoping for more clock speeds for - especially odd number divisions below 1hz.

Being able to set all the lfos to free-running is better than nothing, but individual control would be welcome.

Quote
I've added this in the last update. Go to Unison mode within the osc (above the vol knob) and select Semi/Interval/Pitch. Then you can use the detune knob to change the pitch.

That doesn't really work the way a coarse knob usually does - they are usually bi-polar with a 1:1 ratio between the parameter value and number of semitones.

The way you've got it for semi/interval whereby 0-100 unison parameter value is mapped to 0 to +12 semitones isn't the same.

There's still no easy way to just set an oscillator to, say, 7 semitones above the played note by eye.  And no way at all via that method to go negative.

Plus by using this unison mode, it prevents using any of the other unison modes at the same time.

HardFeelings

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Re: Icarus feature requests
« Reply #64 on: August 11, 2016, 04:56:01 PM »
Hi Markus

Totally loving Icarus! Sounds amazing and super fun to use :)

I've got a few feature requests below, thanks!

A way to simply step / scroll through ARP presets (even if was as basic as alt / shift alt clicking the Tool button to increment / decrement preset), at the moment it's really fiddly to step through and try out different ARP presets just using the tool menu.

Folders / nested folders in the wavetables folder / list to organise large collections of wavetables

Arrow keys on the computer keyboard (OSX) to select next patch in browser, they do change last touched parameter, but I would rather this function was off by default as I use these keys to switch between tracks in the daw generally.

Free / sync button added to each LFO rather than the current global setting for all LFOs

Step LFO: In the step LFO make the area just above and just below box active to quickly set steps to maximum or minimum by dragging along: clicking on a step in the step LFO then dragging down to just below the box and then dragging to the right just below the box should pull steps to zero, at the moment it’s very fiddly to set steps to maximum or minimum values and sometimes requires multiple tries. Also maybe add to the step LFO a function key to enable snapping of values and / or have shift key constrain values to clicked position when dragging horizontally. Step LFO in ENV mode would be good if the lfo started on fist step and ended on last step rather than returning to left hand value

Some kind of “drift” / filtered noise / chaos as a modulation source in the matrix, basically random chaotic wiggilyness, with fast medium and slow versions. I figured out how to use Filter(X) on the pink noise source to do something similar but a dedicated "drift" source would be way less fiddly to set up.

ability to paint steps / pitches into the arp by dragging along it. Modifier key + select a step mode would change all steps to that mode

multi stage envelope / editable LFO shapes

drag and drop modulation assignment or modifier key + click a control to select a mod source (eg cntrl + click on the knob brings up a 'mod source' menu).

Also I noticed that parameter names for automation in Logic are wrong or not showing up correctly for example all AHDSR controls show up as: “Volume E” or all the filter parameters are just labeled "Filter E"




OneOfManyPauls

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Re: Icarus feature requests
« Reply #65 on: August 12, 2016, 04:38:29 PM »
A few more for consideration:

In the wavetable editor, I think it would be more useful to have it so that clicking to the right or left of the horizontal waveform scroll bar position marker moves a page at a time (based on the current zoom level) rather than jumping to the position of the click relative to the wavetable length as it does now.

When inserting a waveform into a wavetable where it is zoomed in, it instantly reverts back to fully zoomed out - I think it would be more useful to retain the zoom level and show the inserted waveform.

I don't know about other people, but I'd find it useful if it used the last folder location for load/save of wavetables/waveforms.  It very briefly does show the contents of the last folder, then reverts to the default icarus wavetable/waveform locations.
« Last Edit: August 12, 2016, 05:23:31 PM by OneOfManyPauls »

HardFeelings

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Re: Icarus feature requests
« Reply #66 on: August 12, 2016, 07:30:47 PM »
I have a couple more to add -->

The bottom (lowest 7 or 8 pixels on retina display) area on the knobs is currently not clickable, i keep trying to click on this part of the knob and failing.

In OSX, popup menus for the matrix source and destination are very long, and only show the first 4 or 5 menu items when clicked on my screen and therefore require a lot of scrolling through to get to lower items (compared to the windows version which shows the entire menu in multiple columns), the scrolling is a bit tiresome when setting up lot’s of modulations in the matrix quickly. It would be good if the menu in OSX popped up closer to the top of the screen so more of the list was visible and therefore less scrolling would be required, or maybe use a custom menu similar to the windows one with multiple columns so all the menu items were visible simultaneously.

oh and AIF file support on OSX would be great! (seems to be WAV only at the moment)
« Last Edit: August 12, 2016, 07:33:24 PM by HardFeelings »

HardFeelings

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Re: Icarus feature requests
« Reply #67 on: August 13, 2016, 11:29:36 AM »
also..

a shortcut to turn on and off oscillators rather than having to click their tab first, perhaps this could be done by ‘control’ clicking on the oscilator tabs, plus a way to see if oscillators are switched on or off from the main screen, maybe if the number on the tab (1,2 & 3) could be a bit more grey when that oscillator isn’t switched on

mousewheeling over waveform display could be a shortcut to change wave position, mousewheeling over filter display change filter type, this would also add more consistency across the GUI

when noise is selected as morph mode then the morph knob could filter out upper partials to make the noise warmer. the morph knob currently has no effect on the sound in this mode and this would be handy for shaping the tone of the noise a bit.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2016, 11:31:54 AM by HardFeelings »

Markus Krause

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Re: Icarus feature requests
« Reply #68 on: August 15, 2016, 10:21:45 AM »
Requested: Mousewheel over osc waveform display switches tho previous/next wavetable

StefG

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Re: Icarus feature requests
« Reply #69 on: August 17, 2016, 12:21:16 PM »
Hey,

I'm really enthousiastic about this synth. I love the sound and the creative and sonic possibilities!
It's also fun to use. 

Mainly with the GUI and the modulation options I do have a few requests.
(Some of the modulation aspects have also been requested by other people).

Modulation

* Drag and drop modulation: possibility to drag e.g. an lfo or envelope to a parameter to modulate it
* Visual representation of the modulation of a parameter. Most likely way would be to show this at the knob as most synths do.
* Visual representation of the target(s) of a modulation (typically using colors)
* Ability to draw in your own lfo curve for all lfo's


GUI

* Ability to see the exact value of the parameter when you change it by e.g. dialing the knob
* Revert some odd GUI choices to GUI standards
    - odd placement of the synth setup in the mod matrix panel. This would typically be placed in the menu on top
    - quite odd placement of the main volume knob
    - cycling through options is not practical. You always have to re-open the menu and choose the next one.
When changing a filter, morph, fx,...  it should be possible to easily cycle through them
    - in the parameters in the FX's there is no clue/affordance that you can change them by dragging up or down. It's plain text so nothing shows that you can change it or how.
 
* In the same way several options and possibilities are quite hidden
   - option to balance the filter output in the distortion section?
   - chord 1 as "stack option" in the oscillator (why not show the actual chord name?)

There are some really innovative and neat things in this synth but they are sometimes to much hidden away.


FX

It would be neat if we could have more effects slots.
(But you can do that in your DAW signal chain as well)

* Question: I really like the duck option for a FX, but there are 3 FX slots and only 2 duck knobs.
Is the reasoning that ducking is mainly usefull for reverb and delay, so 2 duck knobs are enough?

"STACKING"

In the oscillator stacking options, there are several options to stack a second instance of the oscillator one octave UP. Could there be a possibility to have the second oscillator be one octave DOWN to use it as a sub-oscillator. It also seems a more common practice to me to have a copy of the base note of a chord one octave DOWN, not UP.


I love the attention to detail in this synth like microtuning, ducking on FX, special options in the oscillator section, 2 filters with distortion option but some things are too much hidden away.

« Last Edit: August 17, 2016, 12:41:21 PM by StefG »

HardFeelings

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Re: Icarus feature requests
« Reply #70 on: August 17, 2016, 12:48:36 PM »
a few more requests:

a button in 'setup' tab that turns LFO “Fade In” into LFO “Delay” (like the LFO delay setting on Roland keyboards) then the LFO's Fade In knob would delay onset of LFO rather than a linear fade in, I think this is often more useful / musical sounding than the linear fade in.

EQ controls interpolated to avoid zipper noise when modulating

Add ‘X’ as a modulation source, so X can be used to sum multiple modulations or for putting several destinations on one control, then this control would act as a macro control which could then be modulated (for example constant —> X :=value  /  X —> multiple destinations)

Add 'Modwheel' as a modulation destination.. patches anything into the modwheel source, useful for setting up modwheel ‘sweep’ with multiple parameters and multiple filters controlled by the modwheel then controlling the sweep with an LFO source

Step LFO Presets
« Last Edit: August 17, 2016, 01:38:24 PM by HardFeelings »

thetechnobear

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Re: Icarus feature requests
« Reply #71 on: August 17, 2016, 08:30:42 PM »
Really enjoying Icarus...

- insert silence, in current position... so we can put a whole load of extra slots in place, before we morph between to existing waves.

- It would be really useful if we could have keyboard controls in the wavetable editor, in particular:
. navigation - e.g. cursor keys select next/previous wave, 
. play current wave
. zoom in/out
. insert silent wave.
(i really want to be able to move quickly around the wavetable, playing waves so I can hear and modify, without constantly grabbing the mouse)

thanks for creating a fantastic synth, with some really interesting wavetable creation options, which I think are pretty unique.

StefG

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Re: Icarus feature requests
« Reply #72 on: August 22, 2016, 08:01:21 PM »
GUI
* Ability to see the exact value of the parameter when you change it by e.g. dialing the knob
Ok, found where the value of the parameter is displayed.

The more I use Icarus, the more I love this synth. It's very inspiring for sound design and the warm sound is a serious plus compared to e.g. Serum.

Still, a few extra requests:
* Ability to create folders in the wavetable list. Once you start to use a lot of wavetables, you lose overview.
As a workaround I just started renaming them, but that's no solution as soon the list is too big to display. Just bought a few 100 wavetables, also inserted some from other sources and ... the list is too big. 
* Easily see whether an oscillator is on. If e.g. oscillator 2 is not on, make the color of the label "2" grey instead of white e.g. or use another greyed-out appearance (you could also grey out the tab).

« Last Edit: August 22, 2016, 08:16:59 PM by StefG »

Markus Krause

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Re: Icarus feature requests
« Reply #73 on: August 29, 2016, 10:11:33 AM »
It would be great to be able to activate/deactivate an oscillator or filter with a Ctrl/shift/alt-click while working on other oscillators/filters. So when editing oscillator 1 I would like to 'mute' oscillator 2 and/or 3 by ctrl/alt/shift-clicking on their buttons, but the edit focus would stay on oscillator one. This would decrease the amount of mouse clicks tremendously while editing patches with combined oscillators. Maybe the colour of their buttons (or a led on the button) could also show their on/off-status, as there is only one led to show the status of the oscillator in focus now.

IngoWeidner

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Re: Icarus feature requests
« Reply #74 on: September 03, 2016, 11:04:21 AM »
Hi Markus,

as i alraedy mentioend to you shortly i found an interesting feature in the demo version of the Serum wavetable synth taht could be also helpful in Icarus.

In the waveable editor it has a "Sort" menu which allows sorting the waveforms of a table based on the spectral content.

The names of the menu entries there are (+ descriptiosn in the manual):

- Sort by spectrum (Peak Spect): frames are sorted based on the which frame has
the highest peak frequency bin.

- Sort by spectrum (Average Spect) : Frames are sorted based on where the average
spectral content exists (sum of all frequencies).

- Sort by spectrum (Peak Amount) : Frames are sorted by the highest overall peak
(concentrated frequency energy)

- Sort by spectrum (Num w/Spect) : Frames are sorted by how many frequency bins
contain energy (spectral complexity)

- Sort by spectrum (Highest w/ Spect) : Frames are sorted by the highest frequency bin to
contain spectra. This should work well for filter sweeps, for instance.

- Sort by spectrum (Fundamental Amt.) : Frames are sorted by the amount of energy in the
fundamental. This is a recommended sort to try first, when in doubt.


IMO it would be nice to have a comparable way of sorting waveforms in the Icarus editor. The Serum demo deos not allow saving so i could not provide an example wavetable that was sorted there.
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