LinuxMusicians

just visited Monoplugs site and discovered that they offer B-Step Sequencer and Monique for half a price until 25th of march.

(and ordered both but why monique?! i avoid using soft synths since i've bought real ones!)

After trying out the B-Step sequencer, I got it. Seems to have a lot of musically useful features. The one about extending the duration of a note w/o having to write many sequencer steps legato mode is quite nice. I also tried the synth, tried to see ways it could be useful but nah, did not make it. It seemed way to restricted to a certain Sci-Fi genre or some such.

as for me and my musical background (psy/goa trance, EBM/industrial, postpunk), B-Step is the best sequencer ever, period.

jonetsu wrote:I also tried the synth, tried to see ways it could be useful but nah, did not make it. It seemed way to restricted to a certain Sci-Fi genre or some such.

developers say that it's intended use is bass synth.
seems reasonable. 3 regular + 1 FM oscillator allow to do really deep & powerful bass.
anyway, i still have not tested it enough, because i don't use soft synths in my rig anymore, and ordered it just like a WOW toy ))

Yeah I saw that the dev had come out of hibernation and was active again. The synth is capable of some really crazy sounds, and certainly not restricted to bass, but it's a strange beast. Gets really fun when you start modulating things.

chaocrator wrote:as for me and my musical background (psy/goa trance, EBM/industrial, postpunk), B-Step is the best sequencer ever, period.

I've exchanged a few messages with Thomas at Monoplugs and I'll give Monique another try. There's a latent impression that, considering how the config/params of this synth is, there might be some use. I'll have to start from an 'init' sound and see how the synth works.

sysrqer wrote:Yeah I saw that the dev had come out of hibernation and was active again. The synth is capable of some really crazy sounds, and certainly not restricted to bass, but it's a strange beast. Gets really fun when you start modulating things.

Yes, playing around briefly with the presets, and fiddling here and there modulation/morphing was surely a highlight. The UI does not seem to be scalable as B-Step is however.

EDIT: I downloaded again, the UI is scaling all right (Bitwig 2.3.1).

I suggested to Thomas two things: 1) That the lastly tweaked B-Step parameter be shown, like all other synths do, as a first param in the Bitwig device. This would allow easier automation/modulation. 2) That B-Step could be played like an instrument eg. would play for the duration of an incoming MIDI note. He found the two ideas excellent, will keep them in mind for a future update.

I finally got Monique. I was too quick in evaluating it (not noticing the 'init' button for instance) and also, I forgot to put the sounds in context. Quite often it happens that what would be perhaps bland sounds on their own end up blending nicely with existing tracks. The contrary is also true: what could sound as rich, so deep sounds on their own can be more difficult to blend with tracks as if their complexity command the mix to their side.

Monoplugs are now free and can be downloaded here https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... b-D3ys9EZF

They are now closed for private reasons.

See the Facebook page for official statement.

That's good ! And if they also could have his metronome, it is a wonder.

milkii wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 2:32 pm https://github.com/surge-synthesizer/b-step

Wow, that's very generous from Thomas.. This sequencer is a very powerful and versatile tool.
Long life to B-Step!

stanlea wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 8:35 pm That's good ! And if they also could have his metronome, it is a wonder.

Infact, also Metronom is a great tool. It has a midi sync out and (as far as I know) it is a standalone executable (i.e no plugin).

AZ