#21

For owners of this…

I was too sceptical to back it. Now it seems as if the support is rock solid (and I am skint boo). How are the onboard synth sounds? (I am particularly interested in 80s style sounds).

#22

Having had a hands on end of 2016 on the first Soft release, i must say that the Deluge has evolved in a lot of very good ways with every new release and counting…Rohan the Mastermind behind the software seems the Madman we were told back then :joy:

I don’t own one but its one of these machines that once you get your workflow together, you won‘t stop experimenting.

#23

I just received mine last week. So far I’ve only really spent time with the sequencer and basic sampler and absolutely love it.

The sequencer feels like what I’ve been searching for for years… it’s incredibly immediate and easy to get going, but really deep and flexible when you want to dig in.

The sampler is the same, super fast and easy but also really powerful and deep. I love the auto-mapping for drum kits and multi-samples.

Also loving that you can use samples as oscillators in the synth voice, but I haven’t done a lot with it yet.

I can’t wait for v3. The looper looks cool, but I’m most excited for the wavetable synth.

3 Likes
#24

im so stoked to hear that, cause the sequencing and immediacy are why i bought it. Everything else is just icing. I intend to you use it as a brain between my digitakt, rack and organelle, and as an upgrade from my beatstep pro.

im pretty floored by the firmware upgrade cycle as well.

1 Like
#25

Depends what you’re comparing them to I suspect!

For a polysynth accompaniment to my modular and occasional lead and bass sounds to my ears the synth does well. It has a variety of modulation options to ensure one can ‘analogise’ it but misses a few useful ones (can’t modulate delay time for eg, but of course one can record the knob movements).

It’s no Juno or CS80 but in the right context with the right effects I think it sounds great. People do criticise a little based on the synth though so maybe my ears are dealing with unknown unknowns!

2 Likes
#26

Congrats! The Deluge is awesome and rewards at every level of exploration.

The only starting-out tip I’d give is maybe the most obvious: read the manual for this one. The Deluge can do a number of things you would wish it could do (e.g. extend/shorten/double/nudge loops) that are hidden behind a combination of buttons and knobs. It’s a little less immediate than, say, a Novation Circuit, but having so much more power makes the extra work worthwhile.

2 Likes
#27

Honestly, I think the on-board synth stuff is good, but doesn’t have all that much personality, and takes just a few too many shift-button-presses to tweak a sound. But to have access to all parameters (provided you know the shortcut) is super handy. Unfortunately, I think the reverb really could use some work, and is only serviceable at best (though the delay is good). And the chorus effect is only mono, which will really hinder that 80s-style Juno sound if it’s what you’re going for.

All that said, I really think the Deluge is superb, but it does have its limitations. As a hardware sequencer and as an all-in-one music maker, I think maybe it’s unbeatable.

4 Likes
#28

I borrowed one and by the end of the weekend had got a polymetric jam happening (where sequences are different lengths) with a custom set of samples for rhythms and textures, plus a couple of synth sound merrily tweaked. It’s amazingly easy to get your head around, imo.

3 Likes
#29

Agreed. A lot of the processes are very intuitive. Like @jayhosking says some of the deeper bits don’t come out unless you read the manual (or consult YouTube!) but there are so many interesting ways to do things with the Deluge.

1 Like
#30

i just tracked the shipping and mine is still set to get here tomorrow. you guys are making me even more excited. I am going to the desert this weekend with friends, so this thing will likely join me and my rack. perfect timing.

i swear i read somewhere that it may be capable of mimicking MLR/grids with the new looping features. i really hope this is the case.

#31

Went to the desert with friends this weekend. i brought a bunch of gear with me, but being an idiot, i forgot the power cable to my rack.

Fortunately i had my deluge, and many fun times were had. It was honestly the first time I had spent more than an hour with it, and honestly, it makes the act of creation so immediate that it feels like cheating! I had a very deeply layered ambient track running in like 5 min and my friends could not believe i was generating that much music on the fly. So awesome.

One hard lesson learned though: The wood panels are SUPER soft and dent very easily. I now have a couple of nice dings from transporting the thing. Not a huge deal, but worth noting.

2 Likes
#32

Maybe not the right place to ask this, but here goes:

Anyone have any hot takes on Deluge vs OP-Z as a companion to a 104hp Eurorack setup? I play ambient and chillwave/electro/chiptune type music. Looking to replace my Electribe 2.

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#33

Hey! I have both, and use both extensively with hardware, although not as much with controlling Eurorack. The Deluge will give you a somewhat more straightforward setup, with some decent sounding synths on it for back-up. The OP-Z will give you much more in terms of performance effects, smart transposition of notes within scales, etc., but its synth engines are less versatile than the Deluge. Both are great choices. I’d go with the OP-Z if you are inclined to “perform” the pieces on the fly or if you want to create varied and interesting percussion, and with the Deluge if you’re in need of tons of MIDI tracks and/or some synth back-up.

1 Like
#34

I don’t have the OPz so can’t comment on that.

However the Deluge I do have and its bloomin brilliant! Sequencing straight out of the box (CV and midi), sample your modular right back in and mangle it for resampling purposes. The forthcoming looper functionality is going to add a whole new dimension to the Deluge too.

I wouldn’t be without mine. Prior to getting it I had been working solely with modular for about a year and the D has been the one device that I’ve enjoyed as much as my modular.

Fanboy gushing over!

1 Like
#35

I don’t have the deluge but the op-z is awesome.
Once you get used to the UI (which didn’t take as long as I would’ve expected), it’s a breeze to throw things together that just sound good.
The performance aspect of it is really great too… Once you get something going, playing around with all of the little variations is super fun.

It basically stays in my bag all day. I take it to the coffee shop to play for 10-30 minutes every morning. If I get a lunch break I’ll play with it some then. Its really fun, portable, and not frustrating.

#36

They’re so brilliantly tiny and portable aren’t they?

Have you used it with any modular? How is it to sequence stuff?

#37

I did when I first got it, but it’s been a while. I just put a small rack together with plans to check it out again in the coming week. I’ll keep you posted!

#38

Ugh the Deluge would be perfect in that I could use the cv to sync my current two-voice Eurorack and I could take the Midi2cv out of my skiff and replace it with something else. It’s probably closer to how I’m using my Electribe, but obviously much more powerful.

The OP-Z would be great for the easy variations of sequences. And portability. But the lack of a normal (or even 3.5mm) midi out is a huge bummer. Might be a deal breaker (in the short term!)

#39

fwiw the deluge is pretty darned portable. Granted, it wont fit in your pocket, but its smaller than i expected, very light, and the battery lasts a rather long time.

1 Like
#40

Yeah, the OP-Z works best for me with that oplab module that gives you normal MIDI out. Without that, I found I wasn’t connecting it to much. But with it, I’ve hardly touched my Deluge since.

But both units are great!