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Tone2 Audiosoftware has released Electra 3.0, “a giant update with a massive number of new features and sounds.”

Electra 3.0 features a scalable interface, with support for displays up to 8K; a deeper synth engine with new oscillator types, modulation types and more; improved effects; more efficient CPU usage; and more.

What’s new:

New features – interface:

• GUI with 16 different sizes (with and without editor / effects).
• Native support for WQHD, 4K, 5K and 8K UHD displays.
• GUI can be scaled from 50% up to 300% by clicking in the lower right corner.
• Smoother animations and more responisve controls.
• Support for hardware-acceleration.
• Ultrasharp graphics with enhanced HiDpi and Retina Display support.
• The SYNTH button flashes when a layer plays a note.This makes it easier to work with several arpeggiators.
• Automatic detection of the ideal GUI size.
• A check-mark shows the last loaded custom-waveform.
• Online help with tutorial videos.

New features – synthesis:

• 118 additional patches that make use of the new features. The synth ships with 1439 patches now.
• The 8Bit noise oscillator can create lo-fi fx sounds from the past.The sound can be changed with PW and the key.
• Major and minor chords are available as additional key modes for the arpeggiator.
• The new ‘Transient shaper’ adds punch and presence to the sounds. It can be accessed in the ‘sound mode’ selector.
• The new ‘Transient + Bass’ mode adds presence and dynamic bass pressure to the sounds.It can be accessed in the ‘sound mode’ selector.
• New analog pulse oscillator types : Pulse 1/2, Pulse 2/5, Pulse 1/3, Pulse 1/4, Pulse 1/5, Pulse 1/6, Pulse 1/8.
• New analog oscillator types with inverted phase : Saw invert, Pulse invert.
• New analog oscillator types : Impulse, Sine Flip, Comb 2, Comb 3.
• New reverb-types : Cold, Theater and Hangar.
• 40 new waveforms for the custom-wave/wavetable oscillators.
• New bipolar modulation source : “Step LFO/Envelope +-“.
• Monophonic LFOs that re-trigger only with the first pressed key (set the LFO mode to ‘Mono’).
• Monophonic STEP LFOs (set the trigger mode to ‘Mono loop’).

Enhancements – synthesis:

• The audio-engine now uses 64-bit precision instead of 32-bit, which results in a higher sound-quality.
• CPU useage has been lowered.
• Maximum Delay-time has been extended.
• Enhanced sound of the automatic micro-tuning : A wide range of chords are detected.
• Replaced ‘Reverb Hall’ with a better sounding algorithm.
• Slightly enhanced sound of the Reverb types ‘Cathedral’, ‘Room’, ‘Infinity’, ‘Big’, ‘Glass’, ‘Plate’.
• The arpeggiator’s Stack-mode has been enhanced and can handle polyphonic input and duplicate notes.
• Enhanced sound of Unison.
• Unused matrix slots are cleaned-up automatically after saving patches.

New Multistep-Envelope / LFO (available for each one of the 4 synth-layers):

• The STEP LFO has been completely rewritten.
• It can be used as a Multistep Envelope by changing trigger-mode to Envelope.
• The modulation capabilities of the synth have been extended drastically.
• Editing and sound-design is more intuitive.
• A realtime-display visualizes the current shape.
• The current play-position is shown.
• Unused parts of the LFO are faded-out.
• The STEP LFO shape and values are not longer only updated after NoteOn.
• It offers higher precision timing.
• It is able to interpolate and sounds a lot smoother.

New Multistep-Envelope / LFO waveforms:

• Linear to left : Interpoles smoothly to the step located to the left.
• Cubic to left : Interpolates with a cubic spline.
• Analog slow : Analog envelope smoothing with low cutoff.
• Analog medium : Analog envelope smoothing with medium cutoff.
• Analog fast : Analog envelope smoothing with high cutoff.
• Analog reverse : Inverted analog envelope.
• Saw down : The step ramp downwards.
• Saw up : The step ramps upwards.
• Triangle : The step ramps upwards and downwards.
• Triangle 25 % : Sloped triangle.
• Triangle 75 % : Sloped triangle.
• Pulse 0 % : The second part of the step is 0.
• Pulse 50 % : The first part of the step is 0.
• Decay 1 : Slow analog decay envelope.
• Decay 2 : Fast analog decay envelope.
• Attack 1 : Slow analog attack envelope.
• Attack 2 : Fast analog attack envelope.
• Sine / 2 : Sine with half frequency.
• Cosine / 2 : Cosing with half frequency.
• Sine + -: Bipolar sine.
• FM Sine : The FM modulated sine is useful for wobbles.
• FM Square : FM modulated square-wave.
• FM Saw down : The FM modulated saw is useful for wobbles.
• FM Saw up : The FM modulated saw is useful for wobbles.
• Noise : A step with noise.
• Diffusion : Noisy diffusion between steps

Enhancements – interface:

• Completely rewritten GUI code.
• More beautiful graphics for the LCD displays.
• The animations of the filter, LFO, waveform and envelope-displays are drastically faster and smoother.
• More contrast for the knob-handles.
• Reworked many graphics.
• LFO waveform display is bigger.
• Keyboard in patch browser is hidden when editor or effects are hidden.
• Fine-tuned many coordinates in the interface.
• Fine-tuned some colors.
• More immediate control of filter cutoff and parameters.
• More tooltips with better descriptions.
• Layers are initialized with a smoothed gate shape.
• Patch browser can now also be opened by clicking on ‘BROWSER’ or the display on the upper left.
• A finger is shown when hovering over ‘BROWSER’ to indicate that the control is click – able.
• The interface gets a blue shading when drag & drop modulation is used.
• When a patch uses the STEP Lfo it is show automatically after loading.
• The user is warned if he / she selects a GUI size that is too large for the screen.

Enhancements – synthesis:

• Enhanced sound quality.
• More precise pitch calculation.
• Higher precision timing of the LFOs.
• Enhanced sound of white noise.
• Enhanced sound of pink noise.
• Analog oscillators are more in-tune and have more beautiful noise.
• Step LFO shape and values are not longer updated only on NoteOn.
• Step LFO is able to interpolate and sounds smoother.

Other enhancements:

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• Enhanced DAW compatibility and stability.
• Performance optimizations.
• Smarter detection of the installation path on PC to avoid duplicate installations.
• All links are now https.
• A huge number of small enhancements.

Electra 3.0 is available now, with an intro price of $169.

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This video, via Elinch, captures a live minimal ambient performance, featuring Mellotron M4000D.

What they shared about the technical details:

“00:00 loop 01 /// bitboy 1010 (source mellotron / replicator / soma cosmos)

00:20 loop 02 /// bitboy 1010 (source mellotron / replicator / soma cosmos)

00:40 loop 03 /// bitboy 1010 (source rings / replicator / soma cosmos half speed)

00:57 loop 04 /// bitboy 1010 (source mellotron / replicator / soma cosmos)

01:20 loop 05 /// bitboy 1010 (source rings / replicator / soma cosmos)

01:50 loop 06 /// bitboy 1010 (source mellotron / replicator / soma cosmos)

02:22 loop 07 /// bitboy 1010 (source mellotron / replicator / soma cosmos)

recorded live with tascam dr 100.

for the best listening experience listen to the video with headphones or good speakers.”

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Is this the best performance keyboard on the market?

Clavia, the Swedish manufacturer behind Nord keyboards, on 15 February teased an update to its flagship performance keyboard, the Nord Stage 3.

Today, Clavia has officially announced the release of the Nord Stage 4. The instrument has been revamped with a new control panel design, an improved keybed, expanded effects section, an updated synth engine and more, making it a strong contender for one of the best performance keyboards on the market.

The Stage 4 new control panel design is aimed at making the instrument more intuitive to use and features a completely new layout and dedicated LED faders for each sound layer, with the majority of knobs and switches controlling one dedicated parameter. The keyboard has been equipped with a new preset library, to make accessing sounds quicker and easier.

The instrument keybed has been redesigned, an improvement many Nord fans were hoping for. The previous generation’s keyboard has been replaced by a triple-sensor hammer action keybed with aftertouch, with the triple-sensor technology constituting the update.

The Stage 4 Piano Library has been bolstered with an enhanced collection of grands, uprights and electric pianos, while the instrument’s synth engine has been upgraded to operate using Nord’s Wave 2 technology, taken from their synthesizer of the same name. This offers virtual analogue, FM, wavetable and sample-based synthesis, an updated arpeggiator, and an expanded stock sample library with an increased 1GB of onboard memory.

Nord new keyboard has also been outfitted with physical drawbars to control the onboard organ emulator, a feature taken from the Stage 3 Compact that was notably absent on the Stage 3. The effects section has been improved significantly, delivering a complete and independent set-up of effects for each sound layer. The new pump effect allows for tempo-synced or pedal-controlled sidechain modulation, while an upgraded reverb has been bolstered by spring, booth and cathedral settings.

The Stage 4 comes in three different models: an 88-key version, a 73-key version, and the Nord Stage 4 Compact, a smaller and more portable 73-key edition. Clavia has also announced the release of a new premium pedal range that controls a variety of the Stage 4’s new features.

The Stage 4 88 is retailing at $5699/£4399, with the Stage 4 73 coming in at $5399/£4111 and the Stage 4 Compact at $4899/£3869.

Find out more on Clavia website.

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