This is fascinating, thanks for posting. I was trained by my friend and classmate Greg La Porta how do use this authentic instrument back in 1988 at the headquarters in Manhattan. I then had many opportunities to play the Synclavier owned by Suzanne Ciani at her studio on 23rd and Madison Ave. I never expected the company to come back with a new product, how cool!!
Ah, that Greg Laporta guy. I know him well. This new hardware was a surprise to me too. Impressive, lots of depth here with all the layering options. Nice work by Cameron Jones. Hope everything is great with you Dave!
This synth offers a tremendous amount of sound options in a very small box, it could fit in any studio (but not any budget sadly). Thanks for your review and demo Sir.
I'm really impressed how deep your knowledge is of a device you just recently got. I've got a Synclavier II here, but it's been in a closet since the nineties. Probably be easier to get one of these than to get the old one up in running. Worked fine when it was put away, but that was over a quarter of a century ago.
I was so lucky to have my hands on this beauty 24/7 for 10 years in the 90s - the best sounding, most reliable and smartest "DAW" - The keyboard was just so user-friendly with all necessary functions with pushing a button - GENIUS!... not to mention the ease of saving and reloading prior versions with a click of a button
thanks for doing this review. I had access to a Synclavier II in 1981-82 at Ithaca College - many late night sessions exploring this incredible instrument.
3 sharp corners and 1 rounded corner actually looks kind of nice. Usually my OCD would have blown a gasket over such asymmetry :) Thanks for the review @loopop.
This is the type of design that people of the future will appreciate. I'm digging it. *the sounds that Regen is capable of, is demonstrated on Synclaviers website...bloody awesome!
I think Wendy Carlos was also a user of the NED Synclavier back then in the mid & late 80s. The original Synclavier always fascinated me as much as the Fairlight CMI. Simply because of how much they revolutionized music productions with very different tools to shape your thoughts into a musical fashion. Especially when the Synclavier even got Sampling later added to it to be on par with the Fairlight CMI. Some of my favorite Movie Soundtracks were made on the Synclavier. Like "Starman", "Buckaroo Banzaii" and of course "Flight of the Navigator". This new incarnation really came by surprise. I had no idea someone was owning and actually DOING anything with the Synclavier brand.
Actually, she used Crumar's General Development System keyboard and the Synergy, the preset version. She was one of the instrument's greatest advocates. She used it on parts of the "Tron" soundtrack to replace orchestral parts, then she made an entire album with just the GDS, "Digital Moonscapes."
@@beaglebailey6588 I caught Metheny live at in London where he was playing his Synclavia guitar. The controller looked like a sewing machine! Shortly after Song X was released. Gone are those days sadly.
Great video as always. No midi sync on a modern digital synth at $2500? strange. I hope they do well just because I like to see new and different products, but for me it would be a hard sell at that price range, not enough hardware controls so it seems like you would really need to do a lot of midi mapping and at that point you can get a lot of great soft synths and effects plugins for that price. I would have to watch again and understand better all the differences between the Waldorf Iridium and this, but through the whole video I kept thinking that the Waldorf would be its main competitor and I see at the end you felt also. If I has to choose between the two, the Iridium seems like it would fit my setup better and seems more "hardware:" than this. Cool product and concept though.
$2500 just made me feel better. I definitely won't be getting this. I think The Moog matriarch is more hands on and such a great analogue sound. Not like this digital monstrosity. And at least the matriarch has a keyboard. Thanks.🥺👍
@@ruiner3137 yeah, it is a really strange move, maybe they will it add it in a firmware. For a synth that is made to have complex patches with lots of movement and also has effects to not have midi sync is almost unheard of these days. The only synth I have that doesn't have midi sync is a model D and that only has one LFO and I still think it is annoying that it doesn't have midi sync but that is a pure analog $300 synth. . I don't even have an effects pedal that doesn't have midi sync.
They aren't focused on that aspect, or other parts of the design take precedence. People don't sell ergonomics right now, they sell the bells and whistles under the hood.
@@MikolaiStroinski Agreed. Not a big fan of the uppercase labeling and the layout arrangement. Reminds me of the initial Squarp Pyramid where they labeled the touchpad « Touchpad ».
I'm actually really surprised by the design... it looks like a mega cool VST synth... when I saw a photo of it I thought, here we go again a beautiful looking synth but just VST... then I found this video and I went woahhhh
I kind of love it - it's a new Synclavier after all and it's great Cameron Jones is still at the helm - but where's the giant aluminium knob !?!? That swiper is nasssty. That said, I still want one.
Such an engaging and unique sound to it. I also love the unusual design. I could see this becoming a real cult synth in the decades to come. $2500 is no joke, but I have a hunch that these units will hold their value and start to appreciate before too long. Kind of like the Nord G2x and similar niche instruments.
good to see another ambitious synth in 2022. great onboard display and very flexible mod options in a serious sound design synth with some amazing features and some surprising (perhaps temporary) omissions. could do with a few more hands-on controls.
Great review ! I’m happy this is out. The samples you played were made by me :) I did 100 sounds for this and put a lot of effort into them. Some real beauties. I hope they send me a unit to try :)
I clicked your video, liked it (as always) and after 5 mins I check the price for the Synclavier and Sweet Baby Jesus .. I closed my tab in Firefox. Nope. :) But as always, your videos are top notch! Thank you.
for a fraction of the price the synclavier V plugin is really nicely done; and super CPU friendly. For this type of synthesis it seems like mouse and keyboard makes the most sense anyway; specially the frame system
Yeah, the secondary window on the Synclavier V ( where all the frame qnd other deep editing lives) is literally an animation of the old green CRT screen of the original. It's a great sounding incredibly deep plugin.
@@ZigbertD When trying out the plugin I didn't know about the hardware and was really surprised in a good way by the uniqueness of this synthesis system. The closest I could think of was the late absynth but this is way more advanced; and I really like the frame system.
What a surprise! And a nice one by the way... Really powerful and rich sounds possible with this instrument. It deserves a keyboard version with a larger screen and more swipers you're right @loopop. A software editor as well maybe for more ease of use before playing.
You always sound so confident in your knowledge about the products you review! You must spend your life reading manuals, to give such clear, well-thought out reviews! It's amazing! the synth's lovely too but too pricey for me, lol!
Thanks and well spending my life reading manuals isn't how I'd like to see it... more like spending my life exploring electronic music instruments, with the help of manuals if they have good ones :)
confidence does not necessarily correlate with actual knowledge, on the contrary, low actual knowledge/competence often correlates with confidence (dunning kruger?). In other words, don't be fooled by confidence, always stay critical, and don't vote for someone because they seem confident ;)
@@loopop but still the videos are always so complete! actually like a manual…. besides that i want these too for looking up details, your subscription is the best investment for learning everything my devices can do, and make decisions to buy them…
I think LFO sync to midi clock and resynthesis would be what tips me over the edge with a product like this. I like that you can mute and unmute partials in real time. If that is something that can be controlled via midi, that could be a cool thing to sequence as the notes play. I also think the Hydrasynth - other than its lack of multitimbrality - would be a strong alternate for an instrument like this.
Hopefully there comes an easy way to import multisamples, even if it's via a computer editor, etc. That's one thing that always bothered me about the Blofeld; so much potential, such a PITA for sample import.
Really amazing that with the release firmware you can use the modulator with all oscillator types. Meaning, you can FM modulate samples with very complex waveforms for unique results. And, you can change FM depth and define a unique modulator waveform for eacn frame, and set the speed to move between these frames, for extremly complex evolving hybrid FM/Sample sounds.
As always brilliant in depth review 😊 If loopop reviewed something there is nothing to do for another reviewers 🤣 About the synth: sounds big and many possibilities for sound design but it not clicked with me. Don't like it's look, and overall layout. It seems less though out like hydra or iridium imo and for my taste not enough hands on controls (faders/encoders).
Awesome review! I think they should have scaled back the polyphony and multi-timbrality a bit, added a lot more controls and dropped the price. This is way too expensive for what it is. This feels like an iPad app with a bunch of physical buttons. I also think you covered the main competitors very well! This is becoming more and more difficult, with so many awesome products hitting the market every year.
Great review once again! Perfect for someone who needs to save on studio space. Although, I would actually be willing to pay more for a better menu diving screen with controls like the Quantum or Iridium has for quicker editing. Other than that, this thing rocks.
Sonically it’s interesting and brings back memories. Industrial design puts me off, and yes I'm that petty and this would prevent me from buying it. Rubber "mash" buttons and the swiper - why not a Synclavier "wheel" even mini? With the swiper, after an evening of deep programming, your left index fingertip will be worn smooth.
Fascinating. Sounds delicious, but really more of a luxury purchase. I mean, for $2500 you can get a pretty powerful touchscreen tablet like a Surface with a couple of soft synths. Which this kind of is. Hell, you could even grab the Arturia Synclavier and probably still have enough to spend an afternoon at the pub while you have a play. Late to the party and way overpriced. But your video presentation hits the spot.
I disagree. If you understand the true quality of the Synclavier and the fact the original cost over 25k in 1982 which was a helluva lot of money And like 150k today. Its a marvellous instrument.
This looks interesting. This looks VERY interesting. This looks…HEY! (watches money fly out of wallet into the aether) (yells at money and watches it come back when he realizes gizmos like this don’t work out all the kinks until at least v. 2.0 updates)
Considering the price and UI I would probably go for some Waldorf desktop alternative: doing great on UI side and (imo) equally good on the sound side. It would be a great product if they worked on the interface a bit more, design and added proper midi.
Cameron Jones is a brilliant guy and his instruments sound fantastic, but they are challengingly complicated for dummies like me. I really enjoy exploring and experimenting with the Arturia Synclavier V, nevertheless.
31:07 fm synthesis is interesting but it takes so much time to learn on how to actually know how to recreate sounds or make new ones. I have a kodamo essence fm mk 2.
I would love to see a keyboard workstation version of this with a big touchscreen and lots more knobs and faders. A wood case (as a throwback) would be nice too. Conceptually, the Syncalvier is the most advanced and versatile synthesizer ever made, given that it does so many types of synthesis and has so many forms of control (Pat Metheny controlled one with a guitar!).
It looks cheap to me -- like a budget Sonicware product -- something they'd price for $500 or $600 .. That it's $2600 and competing with the far better designed UI and more feature rich Iridium was a shock to me. I'd love to have one if it was under 1k but not at this price. It could probably run on a Raspberry Pi, as additive/FM aren't particularly CPU intensive synthesis types.
Nice thing you did with the waveform and filter view. It's a logical next step, like using white letters and a black background for a presentation using a beamer.
Back at headquarters: "Hey guys, before releasing this gem, how about reviewing the final layout design?" "Don't worry Jef, Gary from programming has got it covered, ... and eh don't tell, but he promised something about classic Texas Instruments 90's magic sleek curves and buttons, how about that! eej?" :-p
Digital high pitched noise at low frequencies is usually hearing the actual steps. which sound like high harmonics, but they change with the pitch of the note you are playing, rather than all over the place like aliasing.
Great video like always. I just searched "Synclavier Regen" on YT and only your video comes up. How is that even possible, no one else got the synth yet? Either that or YT search is broken.
Another fantastic video! Upside - I love the sound and flexibility. Even with your Cons, I think I'll be getting one. Downside - For $2500, I'd sure love to see a keyboard. Maybe I'd pay more for a keyboard version, but I've got too many "modules" connected to my controller now and I'd love to have it be self-contained. Downside 2 - Square??? (with one rounded corner, like that unnamed car, you know the one) I'm curious to know how well it will sit on a keyboard stand (back to "wanting a full keyboard" rant). Lastly, a question - will it import samples I've made? (I apologize if I missed you saying so) If so, I'll be getting one and sorting out the crazy form-factor issues later. It's too amazing to pass up.
Very interesting. Not sure about the price but maybe there's a lot of tech in the box making it relevant. One thing though: I really wish they hired a UX designer. I really appreciate that aren't trying to make the user experience as most other synths but it has to be properly made when doing so.
Just like the 80’s. these tools are so complex that they need a dedicated programmer, along the lines of a Jonathan Sorrell or JJ Jeczalik. I take it from their company history, that a Regen 2 will follow, and after that a Regen 9600 😊
Very interesting. I agree on the hardware comments. I didn't hink I would aver say this about a hardware instrument but one gets the impression the mouse controlled Arturia version is more practical. Sound engine wise I would mis granular sampling unless resynthesis gets implemented and works like a charm. Theoretically resynthesis is the holy grail but granular sampling seems to be the more practical solution to get comparable expressive control without drowning oneself in parameter overflow during programming. So for the time being I would go for the Iridium if I was in the market for something at this price point.
I Like the timbres produced on initial listen here. Reminds me of perhaps the Waldorf Iridium desktop module. It seems like a heck of a challenge for these developers of stand alone hardware to get an interface that can access all of these functions maybe better accessed through a computer GUI with large screen and large menus to see. Certainly stand alone synths and modules serve their purpose of mainly reminding you that you bought them as you see them sitting on your desks and stands verses trying to remember which app is on which computer and on which SSD drive!
Lovely to see Synclavier at it again, but the editing interface for this is bafflingly limited. One encoder? Even being able to control multiple parameters with one encoder limits you to moving those parameters in the same direction simultaneously. I can’t imagine that that is practical or pleasant to use 😢
@@2112jonr i think ASM navigated this well with the four knobs at the four corners of a screen on the Hydrasynth Explorer. At least there is a knob per screen-visible function there, which the Regen does not have.
Even the $600 Minifreak has 2 multi-assignable macro strips, and a bunch of knobs. 21:52 onward, for the next 40 seconds, is an example of why a single swipe strip for everything is a bad idea. The sounds are cool tho.
@@GizzyDillespee Agreed! Sounds cool, no question that it's an impressive instrument - just very hard to approach all the potential through the narrow doorway of one encoder. Making the screen a touchscreen is the simplest fix I can think of - surely that would have the least impact on production? Then the swipe strip could be an assignable macro control or something...?
Thanks, I'm glad I was subscribed to your channel I've been out of the loop, so I was not aware that Synclavier was coming out with a New Synth It'll be a pre-order wait according to their website, $3465.00 CAD and some are complaining about a $2500 price tag Lol! AND thanks for the Demo looking forward to more Demo's
Does it offer microtuning? How about polyphonic aftertouch? I imagine you could do some incredible things with poly AT with control on individual partials
@@loopop Thanks! Love the demo and seriously interested. Every new synth ought to have custom scales, and it would make even more sense here, partials being not equally tempered by their very nature. It would be an easy firmware addition 👏
Thanks for the review - some odd design decisions in this one. Don't really like the super digital sound, or the price, not for me. I did actually have the chance to use the original synclavier when it first came out. At the time it had a clarity and smoothness that not many other digital synths had. Digital design has moved on a lot since then though and now this just sounds ordinary and struggles to sound noticeably different compared with much cheaper VST's.
Can you have more than a 2 op fm on this synth? For example, and I couldn't discover this anywhere yet, can you connect the 12 oscillator partials to have multiple carriers sending to one or multiple modulators, making up your own '12 operator' fm algorithm setup? If it's only 2 op style per partial, it's still pretty cool what you can do with it.
I find the lack of knobs disturbing… it’s as though the developers said… “the synth engine is fantastic… but let’s put something into the interface that will really stick in every musician’s craw.”
Awesome review that gives a really good picture of the Regen. But with so much great gear launched these days, I really enjoy direct sound control with lots of knobs and sliders over menu diving. The sound concept is really interesting, but I feel it's a bit limited in terms of immediate usability and real-time control having just a single "swiper".
Sounds AMAZING BUT: After all this time and legacy of the company synclavier, we get something that looks like somebody cemented their cellphone into a box. Yay :/ its a $2500 menu diving box. This just seems like a price that is WAAAAY out of its own range. Maybe just paying for the brand name?
Right, so after it costs you a lot of money, then it costs you a lot of time. I mean who in their right mind thinks this looks FUN? I was SOOOO stoked when I saw the video title, and now I'm just fucking pissed that they spent all this time developing such a shit physical interface.
Reminds me of Synapse Dune with all the layers and synthesis types, which I wish would support SFZ or sound font import instead of just a single sample.
I just wonder how did they come to the idea: “let’s make our newest synth look like big Korg Volca with a clown vivid black-red-sky blue-navy blue-white color scheme”
If only Fairlight would release a modern reincarnation. I sold my Fairlight Series III back in 2005 for £6500 and wish I hadn't. I've not owned anything since that had such a dynamic sound.
reminds me of the late '80s/'90s Digital synths but with waaay more control possibilities. crisp & focused would be interesting to find best Keyboard controller to pair it with.
this is a massive surprise. wow. crazy stuff.
I will consider buying this only after having mastered Arturia Sinclavier V… I’ll be a while
I'm here only for the warm analog voice of Loopop
We simply need a 'Hi! Thisiz.....' -intro in our lives every few days! 😁
@gridsleep always fap to Tim shoebrige
🤣🤣🤣
Same me
I’m here only to see if anyone gripes about how he’s saying “Synclavier”. 😂
This is fascinating, thanks for posting. I was trained by my friend and classmate Greg La Porta how do use this authentic instrument back in 1988 at the headquarters in Manhattan. I then had many opportunities to play the Synclavier owned by Suzanne Ciani at her studio on 23rd and Madison Ave. I never expected the company to come back with a new product, how cool!!
oneworldartists.com/davidmusial-com/images/jpeg/WayneSharpe-DaveMusial-CianiMusica-1988-B.jpg
suzanne ciani ❤
Ah, that Greg Laporta guy. I know him well. This new hardware was a surprise to me too. Impressive, lots of depth here with all the layering options. Nice work by Cameron Jones. Hope everything is great with you Dave!
Yes, fascinating. Me too.
Wow you played a synth owned by Suzanne Ciani, an artist i really love! i'M jealous!
This synth offers a tremendous amount of sound options in a very small box, it could fit in any studio (but not any budget sadly). Thanks for your review and demo Sir.
I'm really impressed how deep your knowledge is of a device you just recently got. I've got a Synclavier II here, but it's been in a closet since the nineties. Probably be easier to get one of these than to get the old one up in running. Worked fine when it was put away, but that was over a quarter of a century ago.
I was so lucky to have my hands on this beauty 24/7 for 10 years in the 90s - the best sounding, most reliable and smartest "DAW" - The keyboard was just so user-friendly with all necessary functions with pushing a button - GENIUS!... not to mention the ease of saving and reloading prior versions with a click of a button
thanks for doing this review. I had access to a Synclavier II in 1981-82 at Ithaca College - many late night sessions exploring this incredible instrument.
Holy cow, a menu-diving synth that's actully been thought out. Well done Synclavier.
3 sharp corners and 1 rounded corner actually looks kind of nice. Usually my OCD would have blown a gasket over such asymmetry :) Thanks for the review @loopop.
I could literally see you as Professor Loopop at a prestigious hardware University offering in depth courses on studio gear. Great video brother! 👊🧡👍
Isn't that what he's doing for the Internet University? There's even a textbook and everything.
@@aretwodeetoo1181 lol... so true especially the textbook. Just looking at the more personable version 👊🧡👍
This is the type of design that people of the future will appreciate. I'm digging it.
*the sounds that Regen is capable of, is demonstrated on Synclaviers website...bloody awesome!
I think Wendy Carlos was also a user of the NED Synclavier back then in the mid & late 80s. The original Synclavier always fascinated me as much as the Fairlight CMI. Simply because of how much they revolutionized music productions with very different tools to shape your thoughts into a musical fashion. Especially when the Synclavier even got Sampling later added to it to be on par with the Fairlight CMI. Some of my favorite Movie Soundtracks were made on the Synclavier. Like "Starman", "Buckaroo Banzaii" and of course "Flight of the Navigator". This new incarnation really came by surprise. I had no idea someone was owning and actually DOING anything with the Synclavier brand.
Actually, she used Crumar's General Development System keyboard and the Synergy, the preset version. She was one of the instrument's greatest advocates. She used it on parts of the "Tron" soundtrack to replace orchestral parts, then she made an entire album with just the GDS, "Digital Moonscapes."
@@cubdukat You're absolutely correct. I keep forgetting the Crumar GDS was indeed capable of Additive Synthesis too.
Really hoping the Regen supports Xenharmonic tuning.
Pat Metheny also was using one triggered from his guitar.
@@beaglebailey6588 I caught Metheny live at in London where he was playing his Synclavia guitar. The controller looked like a sewing machine! Shortly after Song X was released. Gone are those days sadly.
Great video as always. No midi sync on a modern digital synth at $2500? strange. I hope they do well just because I like to see new and different products, but for me it would be a hard sell at that price range, not enough hardware controls so it seems like you would really need to do a lot of midi mapping and at that point you can get a lot of great soft synths and effects plugins for that price. I would have to watch again and understand better all the differences between the Waldorf Iridium and this, but through the whole video I kept thinking that the Waldorf would be its main competitor and I see at the end you felt also. If I has to choose between the two, the Iridium seems like it would fit my setup better and seems more "hardware:" than this. Cool product and concept though.
$2500 just made me feel better. I definitely won't be getting this. I think The Moog matriarch is more hands on and such a great analogue sound. Not like this digital monstrosity. And at least the matriarch has a keyboard. Thanks.🥺👍
Hey, I've got a Pioneer AS-1 without MIDI sync, and it only cost me $350 !!! 😀
This sounds much more solid than the iridium, better fx section for sure
No midi sync is an absolute no go for me
@@ruiner3137 yeah, it is a really strange move, maybe they will it add it in a firmware. For a synth that is made to have complex patches with lots of movement and also has effects to not have midi sync is almost unheard of these days. The only synth I have that doesn't have midi sync is a model D and that only has one LFO and I still think it is annoying that it doesn't have midi sync but that is a pure analog $300 synth. . I don't even have an effects pedal that doesn't have midi sync.
18:18 that pitch tracking graphic is excellent. Great production standards as ever loopop 🙌🏼
I don't understand how some hardware developers don't seem to realize that the interface is equally important as the sound.
They aren't focused on that aspect, or other parts of the design take precedence. People don't sell ergonomics right now, they sell the bells and whistles under the hood.
as long as marketing can get enough people to buy and not send them back in time… why bother?
Is this a critique of the Regen? Or you like that interface?
@@martindu4 I don't think I like the interface.
@@MikolaiStroinski Agreed. Not a big fan of the uppercase labeling and the layout arrangement. Reminds me of the initial Squarp Pyramid where they labeled the touchpad « Touchpad ».
I'm actually really surprised by the design... it looks like a mega cool VST synth... when I saw a photo of it I thought, here we go again a beautiful looking synth but just VST... then I found this video and I went woahhhh
I kind of love it - it's a new Synclavier after all and it's great Cameron Jones is still at the helm - but where's the giant aluminium knob !?!? That swiper is nasssty. That said, I still want one.
The knob is out now, Not cheap but beautiful.
That OLED almost looks unreal its so crispy
It looks like a phone built-in to the synth! Cool but doesn't need a rectangle drawn around it for me...
Can't believe I missed this one. Dream come true!
Such an engaging and unique sound to it. I also love the unusual design. I could see this becoming a real cult synth in the decades to come. $2500 is no joke, but I have a hunch that these units will hold their value and start to appreciate before too long. Kind of like the Nord G2x and similar niche instruments.
Wanted it, once i saw the price all i want to know, beside the workflow, how does it hold up against my iridium
That’s easy: the Iridium is way more powerful - including comb filter for example, full FM synthesis, granular, wavetables…
LOL no. These will be on reverb for under $1000 within a year.
to be fair, not too many synths in recent times have seen a total slash in price. The inflation is also a factor.
Just came upon this comment.
One year out and lowest current price on Reverb is $2300.
good to see another ambitious synth in 2022.
great onboard display and very flexible mod options in a serious sound design synth with some amazing features and some surprising (perhaps temporary) omissions. could do with a few more hands-on controls.
I like how they structured the bottons. Seems well organized and intuitive. 👌
Great review ! I’m happy this is out. The samples you played were made by me :) I did 100 sounds for this and put a lot of effort into them. Some real beauties. I hope they send me a unit to try :)
Your sounds on this are AMAZING! Wait, how did you make the patches without the unit....
@@loopop not patches but samples. There’s many of them in your demo which is gratifying :) I made them a time ago and they finally have a home
Ah nice, then in that case they must have organized them as patches because there are a few there
I clicked your video, liked it (as always) and after 5 mins I check the price for the Synclavier and Sweet Baby Jesus .. I closed my tab in Firefox. Nope. :) But as always, your videos are top notch! Thank you.
It’s super expensive to manufacture that rounded corner.
💯 I done exactly the same thing, I'll just get the iPad app for now 😂
It has 98 voices of polyphony. It would be cheaper if it had 64 or 32.
Oh! I've been hearing about this all day. Gonna have a look tomorrow. Greetings from Synthplex!
for a fraction of the price the synclavier V plugin is really nicely done; and super CPU friendly. For this type of synthesis it seems like mouse and keyboard makes the most sense anyway; specially the frame system
Yeah, the secondary window on the Synclavier V ( where all the frame qnd other deep editing lives) is literally an animation of the old green CRT screen of the original. It's a great sounding incredibly deep plugin.
@@ZigbertD When trying out the plugin I didn't know about the hardware and was really surprised in a good way by the uniqueness of this synthesis system. The closest I could think of was the late absynth but this is way more advanced; and I really like the frame system.
What a surprise! And a nice one by the way... Really powerful and rich sounds possible with this instrument. It deserves a keyboard version with a larger screen and more swipers you're right @loopop. A software editor as well maybe for more ease of use before playing.
We definitely need a 6 or 7 octave keyboard version.
Sounds amazing and seems capable of all kinds of deep, abstract sounds. 90-voice polyphony sounds like a winner.
Price makes it a big loser
Finally, a hardware Synclavier's actually in my reach! I wonder if this will include all of the sounds the original Synclavier II came with.
The graphics they use are so, so much better and more usable than what you tend to get on synth screens! Also it sounds fantastic!
You always sound so confident in your knowledge about the products you review! You must spend your life reading manuals, to give such clear, well-thought out reviews! It's amazing! the synth's lovely too but too pricey for me, lol!
Thanks and well spending my life reading manuals isn't how I'd like to see it... more like spending my life exploring electronic music instruments, with the help of manuals if they have good ones :)
@@loopop nicely put
confidence does not necessarily correlate with actual knowledge, on the contrary, low actual knowledge/competence often correlates with confidence (dunning kruger?). In other words, don't be fooled by confidence, always stay critical, and don't vote for someone because they seem confident ;)
@@frydac you are not helping my imposter syndrome
@@loopop but still the videos are always so complete! actually like a manual…. besides that i want these too for looking up details, your subscription is the best investment for learning everything my devices can do, and make decisions to buy them…
I think LFO sync to midi clock and resynthesis would be what tips me over the edge with a product like this. I like that you can mute and unmute partials in real time. If that is something that can be controlled via midi, that could be a cool thing to sequence as the notes play. I also think the Hydrasynth - other than its lack of multitimbrality - would be a strong alternate for an instrument like this.
Hopefully there comes an easy way to import multisamples, even if it's via a computer editor, etc. That's one thing that always bothered me about the Blofeld; so much potential, such a PITA for sample import.
The section on Additive, Frames, and Resynthesis makes me realise how sophisticated and ambitious the Kawaii K5000 synths were.
They where ambitious unfortunately they didn’t sound any good due to 1987 technology, had the Keyboard and the rack, sold them both
Really amazing that with the release firmware you can use the modulator with all oscillator types. Meaning, you can FM modulate samples with very complex waveforms for unique results. And, you can change FM depth and define a unique modulator waveform for eacn frame, and set the speed to move between these frames, for extremly complex evolving hybrid FM/Sample sounds.
As always brilliant in depth review 😊 If loopop reviewed something there is nothing to do for another reviewers 🤣 About the synth: sounds big and many possibilities for sound design but it not clicked with me. Don't like it's look, and overall layout. It seems less though out like hydra or iridium imo and for my taste not enough hands on controls (faders/encoders).
Awesome review! I think they should have scaled back the polyphony and multi-timbrality a bit, added a lot more controls and dropped the price. This is way too expensive for what it is. This feels like an iPad app with a bunch of physical buttons.
I also think you covered the main competitors very well! This is becoming more and more difficult, with so many awesome products hitting the market every year.
incredible sound design possibilities
Great review once again! Perfect for someone who needs to save on studio space. Although, I would actually be willing to pay more for a better menu diving screen with controls like the Quantum or Iridium has for quicker editing. Other than that, this thing rocks.
Sonically it’s interesting and brings back memories. Industrial design puts me off, and yes I'm that petty and this would prevent me from buying it. Rubber "mash" buttons and the swiper - why not a Synclavier "wheel" even mini? With the swiper, after an evening of deep programming, your left index fingertip will be worn smooth.
Yes the design is poor. Very poor in fact!
this will be a great episode of Bad Gear
Fascinating. Sounds delicious, but really more of a luxury purchase. I mean, for $2500 you can get a pretty powerful touchscreen tablet like a Surface with a couple of soft synths. Which this kind of is. Hell, you could even grab the Arturia Synclavier and probably still have enough to spend an afternoon at the pub while you have a play. Late to the party and way overpriced. But your video presentation hits the spot.
I disagree. If you understand the true quality of the Synclavier and the fact the original cost over 25k in 1982 which was a helluva lot of money
And like 150k today. Its a marvellous instrument.
This will only sell to irrational nostalgia freaks … Good luck/fun to them …
Wow, sounds amazing.
Thanks for keeping us up-to date on what’s new in sound and noise sculpture. Gramps from Iowa🎃🎃🎃
Amazing! I love the sound of the synclavier! But at 2500$... I am plenty happy with the Arturia VST... Great video regardless!
what 2500??
24:45 that decay 😱🫠🤩
That is some gorgeous sound
This looks interesting. This looks VERY interesting. This looks…HEY!
(watches money fly out of wallet into the aether)
(yells at money and watches it come back when he realizes gizmos like this don’t work out all the kinks until at least v. 2.0 updates)
So many feelings over this. I'm gonna just narrow it down; feels like Christmas came early!
I can only imagine they have been developing this for a long time.
Considering the price and UI I would probably go for some Waldorf desktop alternative: doing great on UI side and (imo) equally good on the sound side. It would be a great product if they worked on the interface a bit more, design and added proper midi.
Great review, although after half an hour I was totally confused and just wanted to go and play my piano.
Cameron Jones is a brilliant guy and his instruments sound fantastic, but they are challengingly complicated for dummies like me. I really enjoy exploring and experimenting with the Arturia Synclavier V, nevertheless.
31:07 fm synthesis is interesting but it takes so much time to learn on how to actually know how to recreate sounds or make new ones. I have a kodamo essence fm mk 2.
I would love to see a keyboard workstation version of this with a big touchscreen and lots more knobs and faders. A wood case (as a throwback) would be nice too. Conceptually, the Syncalvier is the most advanced and versatile synthesizer ever made, given that it does so many types of synthesis and has so many forms of control (Pat Metheny controlled one with a guitar!).
Sounds beautiful
My youtube algorithm is flooding brand new synths into my feed. Like c'monnnn they're all really cool, and I want most of them.
wow, how refreshing, only 37 seconds in but just LOOK at it! I love it!
Who's guessing that if you open this pup, you'll find a Raspberry Pi? The USB ports are a bit of a giveaway.
It looks cheap to me -- like a budget Sonicware product -- something they'd price for $500 or $600 .. That it's $2600 and competing with the far better designed UI and more feature rich Iridium was a shock to me. I'd love to have one if it was under 1k but not at this price.
It could probably run on a Raspberry Pi, as additive/FM aren't particularly CPU intensive synthesis types.
Nice thing you did with the waveform and filter view. It's a logical next step, like using white letters and a black background for a presentation using a beamer.
Super video, as usual. I think I would get sick of that swiper after a while.
Back at headquarters: "Hey guys, before releasing this gem, how about reviewing the final layout design?" "Don't worry Jef, Gary from programming has got it covered, ... and eh don't tell, but he promised something about classic Texas Instruments 90's magic sleek curves and buttons, how about that! eej?" :-p
Not to be confused with Clavia who makes Nord products (I had to think twice). Looks fantastic. Well done as always.
You confuse Synclavier with Clavia? You're joking right? You remind me of my mom :) Bless your heart.
@@ZenMountain oh my you're so cool
Swiper no swiping! 🦊👧🏽
Make sure you’re always walking sideways and continuously breaking the 4th wall and you’ve got yourself a gig with that catchphrase.
Bit rich for my blood, but I'm really impressed with how it sounds and the interface/user experience looks great. Great stuff
Digital high pitched noise at low frequencies is usually hearing the actual steps. which sound like high harmonics, but they change with the pitch of the note you are playing, rather than all over the place like aliasing.
Great video like always.
I just searched "Synclavier Regen" on YT and only your video comes up. How is that even possible, no one else got the synth yet? Either that or YT search is broken.
Thanks! I got an early look at a pre-production model, so there aren't many of these in the wild at all
This is the first synth I see with a Help Button 😂🔥 no hate here really great designed synth something new for sure
Another fantastic video! Upside - I love the sound and flexibility. Even with your Cons, I think I'll be getting one. Downside - For $2500, I'd sure love to see a keyboard. Maybe I'd pay more for a keyboard version, but I've got too many "modules" connected to my controller now and I'd love to have it be self-contained. Downside 2 - Square??? (with one rounded corner, like that unnamed car, you know the one) I'm curious to know how well it will sit on a keyboard stand (back to "wanting a full keyboard" rant).
Lastly, a question - will it import samples I've made? (I apologize if I missed you saying so) If so, I'll be getting one and sorting out the crazy form-factor issues later. It's too amazing to pass up.
It looks like a controller made around a handset )) I would not wonder if there is Android inside. Thanks for this video. Cool as always.
The stacking of those USB ports looks more like a RaspberryPi - very similar to my GR-1 (Tasty Chips)
Very interesting.
Not sure about the price but maybe there's a lot of tech in the box making it relevant.
One thing though: I really wish they hired a UX designer. I really appreciate that aren't trying to make the user experience as most other synths but it has to be properly made when doing so.
Just like the 80’s. these tools are so complex that they need a dedicated programmer, along the lines of a Jonathan Sorrell or JJ Jeczalik. I take it from their company history, that a Regen 2 will follow, and after that a Regen 9600 😊
Very interesting. I agree on the hardware comments. I didn't hink I would aver say this about a hardware instrument but one gets the impression the mouse controlled Arturia version is more practical. Sound engine wise I would mis granular sampling unless resynthesis gets implemented and works like a charm. Theoretically resynthesis is the holy grail but granular sampling seems to be the more practical solution to get comparable expressive control without drowning oneself in parameter overflow during programming. So for the time being I would go for the Iridium if I was in the market for something at this price point.
wow that is unusual looking Synclavier
Nobody going to mention the cool midi controller top right in the video, with the round white stand and interesting green spikey control arms ?
Synclavier Go! also supports one sample per partial.
I Like the timbres produced on initial listen here. Reminds me of perhaps the Waldorf Iridium desktop module. It seems like a heck of a challenge for these developers of stand alone hardware to get an interface that can access all of these functions maybe better accessed through a computer GUI with large screen and large menus to see. Certainly stand alone synths and modules serve their purpose of mainly reminding you that you bought them as you see them sitting on your desks and stands verses trying to remember which app is on which computer and on which SSD drive!
The 'swiper' looks like a part that could be trouble 10-20yrs down the road. I wonder how it will hold up.
I had that thought, too. Then again, I'm 67 years old, so I don't need to worry too much about stuff over 20 years down the road. ;)
@@LeeBlaske 😂😅
Lovely to see Synclavier at it again, but the editing interface for this is bafflingly limited. One encoder? Even being able to control multiple parameters with one encoder limits you to moving those parameters in the same direction simultaneously. I can’t imagine that that is practical or pleasant to use 😢
Not necessarily, but the alternative implies that you're going to be menu diving instead. Lose-lose situation.
@@2112jonr i think ASM navigated this well with the four knobs at the four corners of a screen on the Hydrasynth Explorer. At least there is a knob per screen-visible function there, which the Regen does not have.
Even the $600 Minifreak has 2 multi-assignable macro strips, and a bunch of knobs. 21:52 onward, for the next 40 seconds, is an example of why a single swipe strip for everything is a bad idea. The sounds are cool tho.
@@GizzyDillespee Agreed! Sounds cool, no question that it's an impressive instrument - just very hard to approach all the potential through the narrow doorway of one encoder.
Making the screen a touchscreen is the simplest fix I can think of - surely that would have the least impact on production? Then the swipe strip could be an assignable macro control or something...?
Thanks, I'm glad I was subscribed to your channel I've been out of the loop, so I was not aware that Synclavier was coming out with a New Synth
It'll be a pre-order wait according to their website, $3465.00 CAD and some are complaining about a $2500 price tag Lol! AND thanks for the Demo looking forward to more Demo's
Loother Popadopolis, gear review extraordinaire. The Synclavier people sent this to you to teach them how to use it.
You've unmasked my full name! they do know how to use it though... the manual's actually quite good...
It sounds really good, that can be said.
Does it offer microtuning? How about polyphonic aftertouch? I imagine you could do some incredible things with poly AT with control on individual partials
Poly AT yes; it doesn't have scales at all but I guess if you sent it midi with pitch bend as some microtonal sequencers/controllers do it should work
@@loopop Thanks! Love the demo and seriously interested. Every new synth ought to have custom scales, and it would make even more sense here, partials being not equally tempered by their very nature. It would be an easy firmware addition 👏
Dreaming with one of this :)
Thanks for the review - some odd design decisions in this one. Don't really like the super digital sound, or the price, not for me. I did actually have the chance to use the original synclavier when it first came out. At the time it had a clarity and smoothness that not many other digital synths had. Digital design has moved on a lot since then though and now this just sounds ordinary and struggles to sound noticeably different compared with much cheaper VST's.
It sounds cheap. I can't really differentiate with an Alesis Micron.
'Not as expensive as a house' Depending on where you live that is!
Can you have more than a 2 op fm on this synth? For example, and I couldn't discover this anywhere yet, can you connect the 12 oscillator partials to have multiple carriers sending to one or multiple modulators, making up your own '12 operator' fm algorithm setup?
If it's only 2 op style per partial, it's still pretty cool what you can do with it.
I find the lack of knobs disturbing… it’s as though the developers said… “the synth engine is fantastic… but let’s put something into the interface that will really stick in every musician’s craw.”
I could cry.
Awesome review that gives a really good picture of the Regen. But with so much great gear launched these days, I really enjoy direct sound control with lots of knobs and sliders over menu diving. The sound concept is really interesting, but I feel it's a bit limited in terms of immediate usability and real-time control having just a single "swiper".
Agreed. Such a compelling synth and form factor. Shame they didn't go with knobs.
Sounds AMAZING BUT: After all this time and legacy of the company synclavier, we get something that looks like somebody cemented their cellphone into a box. Yay :/ its a $2500 menu diving box. This just seems like a price that is WAAAAY out of its own range. Maybe just paying for the brand name?
Seriously. This doesn't look like something that would be fun to use, or inspire me to make music
It does actually look like the GUI on an app.
Right, so after it costs you a lot of money, then it costs you a lot of time. I mean who in their right mind thinks this looks FUN? I was SOOOO stoked when I saw the video title, and now I'm just fucking pissed that they spent all this time developing such a shit physical interface.
Reminds me of the abysmal interface on the Wavestate. Amazing synth and potential trapped behind menus and 3 buttons.
This comment thread:10/10
Reminds me of Synapse Dune with all the layers and synthesis types, which I wish would support SFZ or sound font import instead of just a single sample.
I just wonder how did they come to the idea: “let’s make our newest synth look like big Korg Volca with a clown vivid black-red-sky blue-navy blue-white color scheme”
😮😮😮😮😮😮
Now we want a Fairlight IIx!
An unexpected surprise to see them back. The Additive interests me. But i find the omission of sampling input at this price point to be mistake
Man you were really dancing on the edge of oblivion by demoing the galactic patch
dig that color lcd screen/waveform viewer
What a great time to be alive.
so now we know where the designer of the UNO synth ended up after he got fired. ;-)
Ouch! This one hurts. lol
If only Fairlight would release a modern reincarnation. I sold my Fairlight Series III back in 2005 for £6500 and wish I hadn't. I've not owned anything since that had such a dynamic sound.
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!! 🇦🇺
reminds me of the late '80s/'90s Digital synths
but with waaay more control possibilities.
crisp & focused
would be interesting to find best Keyboard controller to pair it with.
A hope a firmware update will make the partials in the additive oscillator inharmonic.
I loved.