Vector shared this sneak preview of their upcoming Vector Synthesizer.
No details on the synth, or whether it’s based on the Vector Synthesis introduced with the classic Sequential Prophet VS, have been announced.
Audio Demos:
You can sign up to get information about the synth as it becomes available at the Vector site.
Now thats a teaser.
They actually let us see the product, to an extent.
Love the teaser… looking forward to more info and demos !?
how come when it comes to vector synthesis, it NEVER gets associated with the Yamaha SY22 / 35 / TG33 ? They perhaps have sold more than the Prophet VS… Lack of cachet ? Or anteriority ?
A fair point. I had the 22 and 33 as well as a Wavestation EX and I loved them all. I think most people recognize the VS and the Wavestation series to be iconic, high end pro instruments, in contrast to the Yamaha instruments which were more entry level. Still, I’d love to find a nice 22 or 33 in good shape and take a walk down memory lane.
indeed ! my 1st machine was an SY22 ! Lovely machine !
Loved my TG33, used it for many years, it had a full sound, was fun to use & create new presets, an intriguing blend of 2 FM oscillators and 2 sampled oscillators. Some good original features too, for example shortcuts to create standard envelopes (piano, strings, organ etc.).
15+ years later I bought one 2nd hand on eBay for a song, played it a bit, and, to be honest, it really didn’t sound that good at all. Sold it again pretty quickly.
Funny what time does to your ears 🙂
Since vector synthesis was introduced with the Prophet VS, mentioning that, makes sense.
And as far as any claims to fame the vector synthesis really has, that comes in the form of the Korg Wavestation series…. Vector synthesis, to this point, is just a side note in the history of synthesis, and the Yamaha products are just side notes on that side note.
Whatever the case – “vector synthesis” is sort of a bull**** name, it is 4 oscillators that pan with an x/y controller full stop. The only innovative thing about it is the dynamic mixing of 4 sources, there is no cross-synthesis between the different sources happening.
Indeed, vector synthesis is not a real synthesis technique, It’s more a way of mixing things, or a kind of 2D control interface. You could control any kind of synth engine with this.
I got distracted (in a good way) about the above comment regarding the Yamaha synths. I wanted to add that I thought this Vector synth sounded REALLY good. Can’t wait to get more info!
Seem to hear a very nice Hang pan sample in the last part of the video. The full color graphical user interface also looks promising. Seems like a boutique edition to me.
I have a Legacy Wavestation (great synth) and the whole vector thing comes down to either striking rhythmic loops or major-league layers. That includes both big pads and uniquely detailed leads. It depends on how many hours you spend choosing waves and cross-blending things. There’s an added layer of effects work because of the various rotations that are going on; its not always linear. I love playing the X-Y joystick, too. When you dig into it a bit, vector is a great resource that allows you to humanize things with added R/T tweaking. Its a little like FM programming minus the pulled-out hair component. Good demo sporting a fascinating patch. More, please.
Looks fun.
And what was the inspiration for the Korg Wavestation and all related instruments from Yamaha and Sequential? The PPG Wave 2.3.
Do you think so? I don’t recall that the wave had a joystick, and conversely I didn’t think the korg/yamaha/sequentials at the time had true wavetable capabilities.
@Bill: No. Absolutely No.
Get your rulers out fellas, it’s a synth history p33n measuring contest! Without PYTHAGORAS, none of this is possible, so CLEARLY pythagoras invented vector synthesis.
I think you nailed it 🙂
My questions would be:
– can you import your own samples?
– how can you further deform / manipulate a sample?
As S-Trigger Dave said, vector is essentially about dynamically changing the mix between multiple oscillators.
I hope that these gentlemen do things in a professional way, build a synth that promises to be like the old Prophet VS, it means making sure to use very advanced and reliable components, which can be integrated with the modern technology of the controllers (see iPad) and DAW MOTU, CUBASE, etc. sequencer Keys of regular size and no mini keys as recently did KORG with some MS20 type synths. Display with good visibility, ….. and maybe implement the technology that used Korg for WAVESTATION, when you change a preset while playing, the previous chord or note held, is not abruptly cut off, with the result that the switching from preset to preset, turns out sweet crossfade type. Try to think for example Kurzweil K series …., Korg Wavestation, Ensoniq SQ1, Accelerator Radikal Technologies. Who owns these synh knows what I mean. In practice you can build a demo in real time, without ever lifting your fingers from the keyboard, changing the sounds or presets, changing the parameters of the sound itself, without anyone noticing the various changes occurred during the performance.
For the curious, you can listen to this little demo at this link https://soundcloud.com/joerg-schaaf/accelerator-sound-demo-bizarre
I quote the words of Jorg anyway you can read them under the demo itself.
“Sound Accelerator sound without external FXs.” I created that for the synth. of the former performance: Not even the FXs get interrupted.
Thanks for the attention …. e
GOOD JOB
Great job on the teaser! a genuine teaser…
I’m interested to find out more.
I never understood what was so ‘great’ about vector synthesis, it is just simple mixing. This demo sounds ok, but what I find interesting is that this synth has a lot of knobs for direct control of the effects – Tremelo, chorus, delay etc and comparatively few for the synthesis part, presumably the touchscreen is mainly used for that. I wonder if the effects are analogue?
Meanwhile i just bought another Korg Wavestation… I have 2 now and i’m angry still…
Looks pretty neat. I’m a big fan of the Prophet VS sound and personally I would like to see a collaboration between John Bowen and Dave Smith on a new Poly Evolver or any type of digital/analog hybrid which combines the digital oscillators in the Solaris (with all the wavetables) as well as two P6 based VCOs.