I finally got the Fumana! I’ve uploaded pics of the Fumana and a video of a performance I did with it last night in the pictures thread :slight_smile:

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The Buchla 296e is absolutely nuckin futs! I love watching the LEDs move

Bump! I’ve got a line on one of these, and wondering how it’s holding up in folks’ rigs. It’s not a module I would have looked at otherwise, but I’m intrigued!

There’s not a huge wealth of information online. Any reason to be cautious?

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I’ve read anecdotal reports of some quality control issues with Verbos modules in general lately and very slow response times (with just basic communication) regarding fixes. I have been eyeing this module for a while (it sounds gorgeous) but have significant concerns about support.

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It’s nice, but I’d always pick the Frap Tools Fumana over it. I’ve had both in my rack for a while and it was an incredibly clear decision for me. Basically, the Bark can’t do anything that the Fumana can’t, but the Fumana can do a ton that the Bark can’t. Specifically the spectral analysis is incredibly useful. The Fumana has two sets of 16 bandpass filters - one set that filters the main input sound and one set that is only there for analysis (and can have a different input!). The output from the analysis filterbank is normaled to the VCAs controlling the filters of the main filter bank and thus allows for spectral transfer from one signal to another. You’d need two Bark Processors for this. It’s a very powerful tool - I didn’t originally had it on my radar as much, but it is one of the main ways I use it nowadays.

Of course, the spacing of the bands is slightly different between the two, but I didn’t find that to be a very relevant factor in the general kind of tone-sculpting that I did with these (ymmv) - the basic sound was relatively similar to my ears, and neither sounded “better”.

That said, they both sound great and if you don’t care for the spectral transfer features of the Fumana as much and have a good offer on a used Bark, you aren’t going wrong with the Bark Processor at all. It’s a really nice module in itself. I just wanted to point out that there’s an alternative worth considering.

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It does seem like the Fumana comes up in any conversation about the bark. But it also seems like the fumana is pretty tough to track down, and quite a bit more expensive (at least more than the offer I’m looking at).

I’m probably more or less trying to figure out if I’d have a good use for a fixed filter bank. My filtration experience is limited to LPF’s and the various bandpass options on the QPAS. I really enjoy the kind of splashy spectral content that comes with sweeping the “scan” knob on the bark.

I dunno.

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It really comes down to the focus of your system. Both fumana and the bark are expensive and large and need some support modules to get the most out of them (granted you can also manually play them too).

I’ve built a system around fumana and adore it but it fulfilled an idea that is part of what got me into euro in the first place, so the cost and space is worth it for me (though I’m still trying to figure out the best case solution to house a relatively large avg. HP system).

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My current work centers around taking one or two sound sources, radically re-interpreting them, and sending 6-7 instances into a sequential switch or two. Then “composing” with the switch. This kind of filtration would seem to fill a gap, or at least introduce some new timbral possibilities.

Lots of potential uses with outputs from individual bands breaking up a sound for parallel processing or the envelop followers providing related modulation across a patch.

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Next batch due in March apparently. Presumably take that with a bit of a pinch of salt, but it came from Frap Tools themselves.

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I feel like a Frap Tools spokesperson or whatever but I’ve experienced their timelines to be pretty accurate, even over the last year!

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That’s great to hear. No offense intended, I’d just rather no one assumed that a tweeted comment should treated as a firm deadline.

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I ended up grabbing a bark, and so far so good. It’s played an interesting role in my last couple of patches.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKZcCBNhuBG/?igshid=1jyj7f9rdg2x2

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKcArNRhvRr/?igshid=1uhz6z4hkb2is

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