Attn: Don Solaris

[sizzlemeister]

Would you kindly provide a quick MP3 of yourself tweaking the Neptune through a range of sounds. I'm interested to hear what all three oscillators sound like together, interested in the range of the fuzz and distortion, and also the range of the filter.

 

In return I offer good vibes.

 

Thanks!

[Don Solaris]

You know i was so kind to do this task in advance, just for you my dear friend. Ok, to cut the crap... yes i already do have few short demos. I will add what you requested when i get back home. (tweaking, fuzz / distortion etc).

 

3 OSC This sound has 3 oscillators, a little bit of filter opening with added reso. Some random notes played (please ignore). :poke:

 

 

 

(This probably doesn't interest you, but since i have few of these...) I actually use this synth a lot for external processing as the input itself can also be used as a control signal (to modulate fitler, pitch, amplitude). Ring modulation and FM is possible as well as extensive filter processing using LFO's. Over here below we have comrade George W Bush processed with:

 

LFO mod1 Resonance is gently added at 00:05 and filter gets modulated via the LFO, applying different mod levels, rates and shapes.

 

LFO mod2 Similar as above. More LFO waveshapes, different rates.

 

Ring-mod Low freq ring mod with a little bit of filter opening. In the end filter is put above 14 kHz, still full of power (you need either good earphones or a spectral analyzer to "hear" this). The synth has open high end.

[mytee2.0]

that {censored}s {censored}ing meaty.

[sizzlemeister]

Is the beating natural on the 3 OSC clip or are you modulating something somewhere - and if it's the latter, how are you doing it?

[Don Solaris]

Osc beating. :poke:

 

If you are getting a Neptune 2, first CHECK its serial number! Then contact Spectral Audio and ask them "is it one of the early units?". If it is, there is about 5-6 hours of work on it. At least that much it took me to fully fix it.

[sizzlemeister]

 

Osc beating. :poke: If you are getting a Neptune 2, first CHECK its serial number! Then contact Spectral Audio and ask them "is it one of the early units?". If it is, there is about 5-6 hours of work on it. At least that much it took me to fully fix it.

 

 

You need to elaborate.

[ElectricPuppy]

I had to look that one up, I've never heard of it before.

 

 

Oooooo analog goodness. Nice.

[Don Solaris]

 

You need to elaborate.

 

My unit (one of the early ones):

 

The LFO / OSC3 switch was wrongly placed (ie selecting LFO actually selects OCS3 and vice versa). This required putting few wires in and some PCB scratching. AFAIK you can not unsolder the switch and just rotate it 180 deg.

 

The Free Run ON/OFF switch was wrongly placed. This was easy. Unsolder, rotate 180 deg, solder.

 

External input was not routable to OSC3 (to convert it to control signal). This required a wire or two. Very simple.

 

Oscillator 1 was not pure square wave, instead it was 65% pulse, which was pretty annoying. This required removal of 2 SMT resistors and placing new onces. I did not(!) used SMT as replacement, because original ones are some ultra-micro SMT's. Once removed i just connected wires there instead and put ordinary resistors. Now it is pure square wave.

 

Oscillator 2 same thing as OSC1. Another 2 SMT's to unsolder. Actually goes pretty fast with a sharp solder tip.

 

Oscillator 3 did not had pure triangle wave. Another 2 resistors had to be replaced. It cured the problem, but still there was a glitch. So i contacted Spectral Audio support with an idea to put a trimmer in parallel to one of the new resistors. They told me which one and i "fine-tuned" it into a perfect triangle wave. Why do i want a perfect triangle? Very simple. If i route it to cutoff and use very slow LFO value, at one point i would get a glitch instead of smooth transition (ie going up/down - down/up). Now it is smooth.

 

I contacted Spectral Audio about the above issues and they helped me with providing all the details i need for the repair, including: schematics diagrams, drawings, descriptions. They are very friendly people and will respond to every inquiry. This includes your questions regarding additional modifications (not available in original unit).

 

I think my unit is No_63. Given i spent no more than 5 hours doing repair (and learning inside of this synth), it was more than worth. I would do it again.

[sizzlemeister]

I like the sound of it, however I'm concerned about a comment you made in an earlier thread that it lacks low-end power. Is this still true? I was hoping it could trade off bass duties with my LP.

[sizzlemeister]

You're not done here, Solaris. Get typing...

[Awake77]

 

that {censored}s {censored}ing meaty. __________________

 

 

Ill say! Damn - how much this piece set you back Don?

[sizzlemeister]

 

I like the sound of it, however I'm concerned about a comment you made in an earlier thread that it lacks low-end power. Is this still true? I was hoping it could trade off bass duties with my LP.

 

 

What's the matter, don't you like me, Don? Love me! Please!

[Don Solaris]

Here are audio examples as you requested. My unit was "not available" for the past 2 days.

 

 

Regarding open high end. An image below shows the spectral view of the above FM sound example. As you can see, the synth has the same power at 22 kHz as it has on 100 Hz. Some might like this, some other might not. Most of older analogs have a slight roll off above 10 kHz falling down at 15 kHz, making them more dark and warm sounding, as the most of the power stays focused in the low frequencies. On the Neptune 2, it is spread all the way up to 22 kHz. So, for good basslines you are forced to close the filter a little bit, else they sound a little bit thin. You can't have a fat sub bass with open filter, as you can on the MiniMoog for example.

 

 

[asynchro_nous]

Great demos.

 

That single oscillator sequence demo shows how beautifully dense and rubbery this thing can apparently get.

 

Isn't there a newer version in the works?

[sizzlemeister]

Excellent! Thank you, I am indeed feeling the love.

 

I found some other demos, too. I, for one, definately appreciate competence in the high frequencies so this feature of the Neptune is welcome. It's almost a perfect contrast to the LP.

 

Thanks again, Don.

[Don Solaris]

 

I found some other demos, too. I, for one, definately appreciate competence in the high frequencies so this feature of the Neptune is welcome. It's almost a perfect contrast to the LP.

 

Nice analog synth. But i use it mostly for special stuff, modulations and external processing - it is unbeatable in this area (can do things even Korg MS-20 can't).

 

Since it has external input, and a good filter, it is possible to do a Physical Modeling. For the "driver" i use its white noise generator, for the "resonator" the high pass filter and the "delay line" is the mixing console + simple delay processor. Here is the result:

 

Mad Pipe - an example of physical modeling

[asynchro_nous]

That was fantastic!

 

This is exactly why I wish there was an analog HP filter and an external input on the new P'08.......

[Sealed]

Great demos, Don!

I'm impressed with the deep modulations and smooth filter. And it's the first time for me to listen to the evil axis speech again and again.... Nice filter effect.

[Don Solaris]

 

Great demos, Don!

 

I must admit it is very easy to find a "sweet spot" on this synth. It is totally opposite from Korg Monopoly where you can lose hours for finding something that sounds good (i do admit once you find it - it sounds pretty good).

 

 

And it's the first time for me to listen to the evil axis speech again and again.... Nice filter effect.

 

Hahaha.... yeah. Comrade Bush with his "911 ... ... blah blah blah". Check this guy:

 

 

[Dogboy73]

I've just bought a Neptune 2 myself. But I've been having some trouble with the MIDI side of things. I've been using my MS2000 as a controler keyboard but it doesn't seem right. Playing fast on the keyboard the notes sound 'sloppy' & miss out if I play fast. Anyway, I'm trying to get to the bottom of this. Might just need to by a dedicated controller keyboard & use it with that.

 

I've started a Neptune 2 Yahoo! Group if any Neptune owners are interested.

 

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Nept2/

[sizzlemeister]

Where did you buy it from? There's a resistor with a wrong value in the batch of N2s at Nova Musik. Even after it's fixed, you need to set the key-priority to last note priority - and then you'll still have to get used to playing it from a keyboard.

 

It's not without its quirks still when connected to a keyboard (actually, it plays just like my old Pro One did from its keyboard), but suffice to say operates flawlessly when sequenced.

 

You're also going to want to experiment with turning on or off the various velocity settings. I turn them all off. And, you may find that unless you set the mod-wheel to at least 1, the MIDI sync on the LFO will not seem to work. I can understand this architectural decision, other older VCO synths work this way as well.

 

Also, YES, you can turn down the filter to make darker tones - just experiment with the filter envelope amount setting.

 

 

If you have any questions, I think Don and I can handle them. Someone else around here has a N2, as well. Great synth, I think it's been overlooked up until recently.

[idiotboy]

I really liked Don's "FM Sound Example" demo clip. Sounds great.

 

Guess I better get to ordering one, so I can beat the inevitable post-Solaris-demo rush.

[Don Solaris]

 

There's a resistor with a wrong value in the batch of N2s at Nova Musik.

 

 

Unfortunately there are many N2s with resistor "bugs". Check the following: