Members oldgearguy Posted January 27, 2009 Members Share Posted January 27, 2009 Since you've had some hands on time w. it, what does it sound like for real? The demos and such haven't really been in 'blow me away' territory, but I know how presets/demos go. If you'd rather PM the response, that's cool too. FWIW, I've had a PEK, P'08, Virus, Supernova II, and currently a Q+ for VA, as well as a lot of older gear, so any comparisons you can summon up as far as sound goes (not necessarily functionality) would be great. The outstanding question would be -- is it worth selling off X, Y (and maybe Z) to replace it/them with a Solaris? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members carbon111 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 Since you've had some hands on time w. it, what does it sound like for real? It's a bit of a chameleon. With wavetable oscilators and a comb filter it can sound eerily close to a Waldorf Q...kind of "shiny", "smooth" and "fizzy". With a VA modelled oscillator paired with the SSM or Mini filter emulation and the Mini VCA emulation, it can be "warm", "plump" and "fuzzy". Maybe not exactly like a Mini or Prophet but very surprising nonetheless. Of course it can be a million other shades of color too, as well as many "hybrids"...the architecture is very open-ended especially where signal flow and routing is concerned. The DSP guys are from Sonic Core so there is some of the Creamware heritage to the sound - very good models, very organic and alive if not exactly like the "real thing". The demos and such haven't really been in 'blow me away' territory, but I know how presets/demos go. Yeah, the ones on John's site are too simple but they were mostly designed to show a single, focused character. (PWM, Multi-saw, many without filter to further show the raw feature, etc...) ...and the demos are a bit long in the tooth at this point as they are from earlier iterations of the Solaris code. He's eager to get some time to do proper new ones now that the hardware is finalized and the OS nearly so. The outstanding question would be -- is it worth selling off X, Y (and maybe Z) to replace it/them with a Solaris? Quite probably...but base your choice on a listen to newer demos or personal hands-on time with the Solaris. FWIW, a number of those boards you mentioned I didn't get on with very well with so my personal answer would be a resounding "yes". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oldgearguy Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 Thanks James. I was careful to use proper tense when listing which VAs I had versus have. What I've come to is this -- I really like Waldorf's output stages in their synths. They make the sound big and punchy and give it a lot of presence. Also, not all Waldorfs are created equal. For example, I've A/B'd a uWave and a Wave and the Wave just sounds huge in comparison, even though I had the same patch on both. I don't generally like the sound of surfacemount/ASIC emulating analog. Where in the Northeast US will I be able to get hands on time with the Solaris? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members carbon111 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 I don't generally like the sound of surfacemount/ASIC emulating analog. Me either. Hell, I don't much like the sound of some of the new analog polys...they sound anemic to me with little character of their own. I've made no bones about the fact that I find the P'08 and A6 sonically disappointing...I've garnered a lot of grief in these parts because of it. Where in the Northeast US will I be able to get hands on time with the Solaris? Don't know. Drop John an email through his site or ask on the forum on his site - he's quite active there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members InsideLookinOut Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 That said, I'm glad I preordered mine as it would be harder to afford at this point. Yeah I'm glad I pre-ordered mine as well . Just under 3 grand is a lot better than shelling out 4 grand. This is a guaranteed classic just based on the looks. I already know the sound of Solaris will put a lot of other modern synths to shame! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gribs Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 Bruddy herr that is pricey. Boutique synthesizer, limited run, long development times. I understand the price but the timing is unfortunate; I really hope that the economy turns around by the time these start rolling out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members qtuner Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 Based on what i've heard, and what i see, I've decided to bite on the Solaris. i will be placing my order in a few days once the funds become available. I blame carbon111 and this thread. In all seriousness, I have been trading emails with John this week, and I am incredibly impressed by the specs. From the sonic state video, you can tell the Solaris has tone. For those who are balking at the price, $4k is what it takes to get a top end instrument now. I shelled out almost 5k for my #1 acoustic guitar. The real question is will Delicious Lamprey will buy two of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AfroRouge Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 I think $4k is a very fair price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mildbill Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 I'd like to hear a little more of it. Very impressive specs and design layout. I'm sure it'll be worth every cent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Marzzz Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 The wheels and encoders feel like quality parts to me, not too light, "solid" is a good word. The case is metal BTW, not plastic. I played with it for quite awhile at NAMM, definitely a very solid piece of gear. Even the joystick has a nice "chunkiness" to it, nothing about it is flimsy. The keys are a lightly weighted "synth action" but feel great! A touch heavier than many "synth action" keybeds. Very much like the keybed of the DSI Polyevolver Keyboard or the Kawai K5000 (at least if I'm remembering right )...suffice to say its a good keybed. Wrong. It is a much more solid keybed than the Prophet, and is slightly weightier than the Fatar TP9 used in the Andromeda and PolyEvolver Keyboard. I would say it is a great keybed. You know it! The trigger has been pulled.... There is still some room to get in on the pre-orders, save yourself $$$$... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 It is a much more solid keybed than the Prophet, and is slightly weightier than the Fatar TP9 used in the Andromeda and PolyEvolver Keyboard. I would say it is a great keybed. Say, Mister Carbon Isotope, do you think John would be willing to part with info on the keyboard assembly if you asked him nicely? Is it a Fatar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Acid Hazard Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 Yummm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Marzzz Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 Say, Mister Carbon Isotope, do you think John would be willing to part with info on the keyboard assembly if you asked him nicely? Is it a Fatar? I am not a carbon isotope, I am more of a halogenated ether. [i understand it is a Fatar keybed, but the higher quality one with the "textured" accidentals] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mildbill Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 Sounds like the one the Access Virus uses. If so - I really like that keybed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members seamonkey Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 Best photos I've seen so far of Solaris James, really shows off it's features, clean user interface and overall FATNESS! You should've included a disclaimer with these pictures that you aren't responsible for serious episodes of GAS when viewing these photos. Just a reminder, if one puts down a preorder deposit on the second batch of 50, the final cost is $3599USD. I think there may be another additional $200 off if the predeposit is paid in full, but, I wasn't exactly clear what he meant by this, so it would be best to email John first to verify this(the info is on the purchase page). Also, I'm not sure how many preorder slots are left but you can always put your name on the list in case someone backs out, which in this economy is quite possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members carbon111 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 Say, Mister Carbon Isotope, do you think John would be willing to part with info on the keyboard assembly if you asked him nicely? Is it a Fatar? I will ask him as soon as I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ripe Posted January 29, 2009 Members Share Posted January 29, 2009 I just checked the NAMM video of the Solaris from Gearwire (digital controlled analog, lol) I noticed that the sub interfaces seemed very similar to the Korg Prophecy, except in quintuplicate, I wish they would have shown more of what the main screen is used for... cheersripe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members carbon111 Posted January 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted January 29, 2009 I wish they would have shown more of what the main screen is used for... Basically anything not addressed by the other programming sections. The central section will initially cover the step sequencer, the arp, fx, the 8time/8level looping envelopes, vector mixers, etc... The labels are all soft, selected by the buttons across the top so more features may be added easily and still conform to the UI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members evildragon Posted January 29, 2009 Members Share Posted January 29, 2009 Have I said already that this UI is so {censored}ing sweet? I think nothing compares to simplicity and usability to this one. Multiple LCDs, clever and brilliant solution to cover a great deal of parameters! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xpander Posted January 29, 2009 Members Share Posted January 29, 2009 Have I said already that this UI is so {censored}ing sweet? I think nothing compares to simplicity and usability to this one ... except the one that inspired it: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members evildragon Posted January 29, 2009 Members Share Posted January 29, 2009 OK, Xpander. Oldies but goldies, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xpander Posted January 30, 2009 Members Share Posted January 30, 2009 ... not that i don't want to try one of these things! don buchla has taken me out of the market for anything for a good long while... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members drxcm Posted January 30, 2009 Members Share Posted January 30, 2009 ... not that i don't want to try one of these things! don buchla has taken me out of the market for anything for a good long while... You didn't.... You got a Buchla? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lonerstoenr Posted January 30, 2009 Members Share Posted January 30, 2009 Holy hell that looks awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xpander Posted January 30, 2009 Members Share Posted January 30, 2009 You didn't.... You got a Buchla? yesh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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