Partials & Discrepancies 1.0.5 | New One Revolution Setting Explained

video upload by Unusable Engineering

"A short video showing the new One Revolution setting in Partials & Discrepancies 1.0.5.

This update is a small, but useful. The main new feature is the One Revolution behavior in the slot sequencer when running in clocked modes.

If both KBD Reset and KBD Next are turned on in a clocked mode, the sequencer will now do one full revolution on key down and then stop at the last step.

That opens up some nice behavior depending on the rate:

at higher rates, you can get more static sounds with quite wild transients
at slower rates, it works really nicely for sounds like pads that settle into place over time

This video goes through how it works and shows a few improvised examples.

Version 1.0.5 also includes slightly smoother node dragging.

More info:
www.unusable.net"

Harmonic Dissector 1.2.0 | New Motion Features and Sound Examples

video upload by Unusable Engineering

"A no-talking sound example video of the updated Harmonic Dissector 1.2.0.

The main addition in this update is motion. The sound engine itself is unchanged, but the plugin now has a new bottom section with a 4-slot slewed preset system, clocked stepping, slot on/off control, copy/paste between slots, and randomization for both filter sections.

This video shows the updated functions in use with a static Partials & Discrepancies patch, plus examples with Curves & Membranes and an emulated Rhodes. Some of the examples also use Geometry Delay and Geometry Reverb.

What I like about this update is that it opens the plugin up quite a lot without changing what it fundamentally is. Even just moving panning or level between slots can get you into tremolo and auto-pan territory, and because there are two parallel filter sections, it can go much further than that. Of course it also works well for stepping or sweeping filter movement.

A small tip if you want some extra fun: run the LFOs at audio rate and modulate the depth of FM and BandWidth per step.

Update notes
added randomization of both sections
added the 4-slot slewed preset system from the Geometry series
added clocked stepping via internal or host clock
added slot on/off by double-click or shift-click
added copy/paste to make it easier to align the 4 slots
added value labels for LFO rates
brightened the interface and increased contrast for better usability on lower-contrast screens

More info:
www.unusable.net"

Partials & Discrepancies 1.0.4 | Foot Control Slot Sweeps + Red MPE Mode

video upload by Unusable Engineering

"A no-talking Partials & Discrepancies 1.0.4 demo focused mainly on foot-controlled slot sweeps.

This patch is played on Arturia PolyBrute 12 in MPE mode, with CC4 / foot control used to sweep through the slot states in real time. I am trying to show how the synth can be played more more expressively with pressure controlled swells and with the slot motion under direct foot control rather than just running as a sequence.

It uses the new red Unusable MPE mode, added in version 1.0.4. In this mode, Slide / CC74 opens the filter, while Pressure controls level behavior for more expressive swells. (the PB12 don't have slide, so it is only pressure used in this video). The screen notes explain what is happening as the patch moves.

This update also includes improvements to MPE voice visuals, smoother Resonance and Res Warp, Versioned Save in the preset browser, better editor responsiveness, and a few other fixes. Release notes in the news section of the website.

More info:
www.unusable.net"

Partials & Discrepancies | MPE Demo with Full Bundle v2

video upload by Unusable Engineering

"A no-talking Partials & Discrepancies sound example video focused on MPE playing and pairings with effects from the Full Bundle v2.

This video uses the new "red Unusable" MPE mode and explores a range of sounds, from dirtier and more broken textures to more cinematic and laid-back ones, plus a few more straight sounds and some small tricks along the way. The screen notes explain what is happening as the patches move.

The MPE playing here is done with three different controllers: ROLI Seaboard Rise 2, Expressive E Osmose, and Arturia PolyBrute. The idea is not just to show the synth on its own, but to show how Partials & Discrepancies behaves when played expressively and paired with effects from the full Unusable Engineering range.

So this is less a walkthrough and more a practical look at what the synth can do with MPE and the full bundle around it.

More info:
www.unusable.net

Partials & Discrepancies | Understanding Discrepancies

video upload by Unusable Engineering

"A closer look at the Discrepancies side of Partials & Discrepancies.

This is a more ad-lib walkthrough focused on what the discrepancy system actually is, what it does to a patch, and how it can be used either to add a bit of life and variation or to push things much further into chaos.

At the core of it, each voice gets its own randomized offset values for around 40 different parameters. Some of those have their own dedicated discrepancy controls, while others are grouped under broader macro-style controls. The result is that each voice can behave slightly differently, from small differences in tuning, filter, or position, up to much more obvious divergence.

The dice control generates a new set of random offsets, but those values are otherwise static and stay saved with the patch until you throw the dice again.

This video is really about understanding what the discrepancy system is, what happens when you push it, and how it can make patches feel more alive, more unstable, or just a bit less perfectly digital in a very digital synth.

More info:
www.unusable.net"

Unusable Engineering Releases Partials & Discrepancies Additive Soft Synth & Effects

video uploads by Unusable Engineering

Playlist:

1. Partials & Discrepancies | Full Walkthrough of an Additive Synth
2. Partials & Discrepancies | Sound Examples
3. Geometry Delay | Full Walkthrough of a Multi-Tap Delay
4. Geometry Reverb | Walkthrough of a Geometry-Based Reverb
5. Binaural Modulator | Full Walkthrough of a Spatial Modulation Effect
6. Partials & Discrepancies | Extremely Long and Incredibly Offhand


via Unusable Engineering

Today marks the release of our second synth, a multi-tap delay, a reverb and a free spatial modulator for both Mac and Windows as AU/VST3.

Partials & Discrepancies is an 8 voice additive poly-synth. The goal was to make additive synthesis accessible through a much simpler abstraction model than what you usually get, and include lots of sonic motion capabilities within a simple interface without modulation matrixes or multi page layouts. As always, we want to build instruments and effects that makes it fun to make music and that won’t slow down the creativity. Partials & Discrepancies is available for 79 euros incl. VAT. Discounts and cross-grade offers may be available on the account page for earlier costumers.

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Curves & Membranes - Software Bézier Monosynth w. Orbital Modulators & Membrane Filter

video uploads by Unusable Engineering

Note this is the first post to feature Unusable Engineering. You'll find additional plugins by them below.

Playlist:

1. Curves & Membranes - Software Bézier Monosynth w. Orbital Modulators & Membrane Filter - Walk Through
2. Curves & Membranes - Sound Demo and Patch Ideas - No Talking
3. Curves & Membranes | Synthesizer Patch Creation & Sound Design Walkthrough
4. Curves & Membranes v1.1.0 | New Features and Sound Examples
5. Curves & Membranes Filter Walkthrough | Understanding the Membranes
6. Unusable Engineering Jam | Curves & Membranes in a Different Context
7. Unusable Engineering Update | Curves & Membranes Features and Grain Discharge
8. Unusable Engineering Breakfast Jam | Curves & Membranes + Full Bundle

"Curves & Membranes is a focused mono synth built around a shapeable Bézier oscillator, two visual modulation systems, and a membrane-based filter. In this full walkthrough I go through the core ideas behind the instrument, how the oscillator works, how the preset morphing and orbital modulators create movement, and how the membrane filter shapes the sound.

The goal with Curves & Membranes was not to make a do-everything synth, but to build something more specific: a synth where sound, shape, and motion are tightly connected, and where the structure stays easy to understand while still allowing a lot of character and timbral movement.


More info: https://www.unusable.net/"

And a playlist of addtional plug-ins by Unusable Engineering:



Playlist:

1. Synaptic Resonance | Neural Vocoder Walkthrough

Synaptic Resonance is a neural vocoder-style effect where incoming audio, or an optional sidechain, excites a two-dimensional neural simulation. That simulation is then read back somewhere else and used to animate a bank of forty steep resonant band-pass filters.

In this walkthrough I go through the basic idea behind the plugin, show how the Stim Plane and Read Plane shape the behavior, and explain how the neural controls affect the way the model reacts, spreads, remembers, recovers, and settles.

The core idea is fairly simple: the input excites the model, and the output is affected by reading the model. That is what gives the plugin its character. It can behave like a vocoder, a resonant filter instrument, or something more unstable and alive depending on how it is set up.

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