UK-based Exodus Digital will be introducing a new virtual analogue hardware synthesizer at MusikMesse 2018, the Valkyrie.
Here’s what they have to say about it:
Valkyrie has all the features you’d expect of a virtual analog synthesizer but takes it to the next level; there’s hard synchronisation, ring modulation, frequency modulation, wavetables and the hypersaw from heaven waiting for you to experiment with.
The Valkyrie features 128 voice performance, 8 independent parts, each with a nine-module effects unit.
Sound generation is done in custom-designed hardware, at a 32x oversampled rate. The synth offers ten oscillators per voice (1,280 in total) which can be doubled to twenty by combining two voices.
There’s two wavetable oscillators available each offering 4,096 perfectly looped single cycle waveforms. Valkyrie’s filters are also implemented in hardware and are accurate emulations of classic two and four pole filters.
With four stereo 32 bit 96kHz outputs and 8 part streaming over USB 2.0 at 96kHz, physical and USB MIDI, Valkyrie integrates into your setup perfectly.
Valkyrie is perfect for live performance as well as studio-based producers. With a comprehensive control surface with real knobs and buttons as well as high-resolution OLED display, Valkyrie is a pleasure to work with and it comes complete with a full interactive editor/librarian application for Windows and Mac.
Audio Demos:
https://soundcloud.com/exodusdigital
Pricing and Availability
Details are still to be announced.
via Product Pilots, Penno, Synth Anatomy, Gear News
“Realistically on shelves in 2016” btw. Doesn’t sound much different from the Virus it seems like it’s trying to replace.
I have Luke Terry soundset on my Ti and it sounds equal 🙂 He probably just copied it for the demo. Jokes aside it all depends on pricing. Virus Ti is dated a bit and has limited USB streaming. So there is a chance to capture that market. But again, hard to compete with Virus which has thousands of soundsets created… In the end, it all depends on price.
Sounds awesome, looks ugly. I hear folks bashing the Behringer Neutron’s red. Color-wise, that thing is a work of art compared to this. Why the white and grey? Clashes, badly. Just make it all grey or all white.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder….like all artistic expression, some will hate it….some will love it…some wont care. P.S. I love its design and the Neuron. Reminds me of 90s sci-fi space futurism.
I dunno if i’m that impressed with the demos. Sure, sounds great, but feels like my 20 year old Virus B can produce the same sounds
Yeah I agree. Sounds very like my Virus TI2. That’s my go to synth because it is so easy to work with. For me the reason I would never part with it is the keybed. I don’t want a Virus copy. I want something that sounds as good as a Solaris.
UGULY
I really LOVE the look of it.
But how it looks is not a high priority. I’m not going to be staring at the chassis. I guess I prefer to not be distracted by my gear. Loud colors get old fast. With a white and grey like this, I won’t ever get tired of it. Also, the white sections leave lots of room for the kidz to put stickers and whatnot.
Conceptually, I like the idea of a powerful, great-sounding digital synth like this. The above description describes some things as “hardware based” but makes it sound like it might be software. Either way, I’m fine with it if it sounds good.
There are a few more IF’s, though.
IF it has super-high modulation scan rates, then it can have snappy envelopes and LFOs that can go way up into high audio ranges.
IF it has really versatile oscillators, noise generators, wavetables, and filters, it can create lots of versatile tones. Sounds like with FM & AM, it can probably make some of those ugly digital tones.
IF the parameter values have very wide ranges and high resolution then you can dial in the exact values you want. It’s also nice if the values are in real units (e.g., dB and Hz, S.T., cents, etc) when appropriate, with the right number of decimal places to get you the resolution you need. And interpolated when modulated.
IF the engine is full-featured, and the UI is logical and has a solid work-flow–
IF the effects modules sound amazing and give the same level of high resolution control of all parameters…
THEN… it’s the exactly the kind of synth I’d want to own.
I will disagree about the looks. It is very pedestrian and looks no more exciting than an EMU Command Station.
With standard control knobs you struggle to get ultra high resolution, if you then have a coarse and fine control for everything you lose the ergonomics. Then if you use a rotary encoder you won’t have the joy of WYSIWYG.
You also get sonic joy from low resolution controls and modulations. Think of the logic modulations in the Waldorf Microwaves. Think of stepped or staircase mods or slews and comparators.
I will remind you AM and FM are not digital. How do you think radios worked in the pre-digital age?
Looks like a Virus TI replacement / updated – will be good to see whether it offers similar/better DAW integration and sound quality!
Listening to the audio demos on SoundCloud, particularly the last which has a bunch of presets, I’d really like to here something new / different…
Digital synths with the multiple outs are great machines. I have owned pretty much most analogues and digital synths from voyagers, rogues,alphas,106’s etc My favourite synth to date is a novation ks rack. I own quite a few synths but this machine to my ears is astounding and thicker and dirtier sounding than a lot of high end gear.If the price is right on this machine it is worth a look.
Dog vomit brown ends…. Please make them back so I can throw an Emperial star wars sticker on it. Than we’ll have sound great look great!
Hopefully a virus with an reasonable price…
Awful demos, one could take any VST and do the same crap
Funny .. my Mom and Dad thought the Zepplin, Jeff Beck, and Return to Forever I listened to as a kid was ‘crap’ lol
Still remember the first time I heard the opening notes of the Romantic Warrior album at my friends. Up until then I was a Deep Purple, YES, Free, ELP, Zeppelin, Sabbath listener pretty much as a result of my older brother’s Columbia House monthly albums lol. Romantic Warrior opened a door to a whole new sonic world for me.
I’d like to see / hear this compared with the Novation – Peak.
Finally something up to date; 32/96 D/A out, USB audio with 96, 32x Oversampling – took time, until latest technology arrived at VA-synths.
Too sad, that the audio demos show little of the advantages like sync and fm-mod without the digital artifacts of low sampling rates.
I’m sure we’ll see a lot of custom paint jobs on these. Sounds great, though!
Don’t understand the horrible design. For me thats also important. I mean, you have to see that thing every time you play and work with it.