Updated to v1.1: ExtraBold — Free Subtractive Synthesizer

[nakst]

ExtraBold has been updated to v1.1 https://nakst.itch.io/extrabold.

New features:

• 32 new waveforms
• FM between oscillators
• One-shot LFO mode
• Band pass filter mode
• Secondary filter
• Crusher effects
• ARM 64-bit support on linux
• New factory patches
• Dark gray skin

Upgrade price: $499.

[Nug Wrangler]

Thank you But:

Upgrade price: $499.

--

[audiojunkie]

ExtraBold has been updated to v1.1 https://nakst.itch.io/extrabold.

New features:

• 32 new waveforms
• FM between oscillators
• One-shot LFO mode
• Band pass filter mode
• Secondary filter
• Crusher effects
• ARM 64-bit support on linux
• New factory patches
• Dark gray skin

Upgrade price: $499.

I'm guessing the "Upgrade price" is tongue in cheek.

BTW, can we talk about your upcoming SFZ player that you are going to build? I'm more interested in that than anything else right now. What would be really nice, would be for it to be able to load up to 4 large SFZ files, reading all of the opcodes used in apps like Sforzando and Sfizz, except bypass the SFZ control functionality opcodes so that the SFZ file is treated more as an oscillator, but the ASDR, modulation, LFOs, etc are built into the device and not dependent upon SFZ opcodes as to whether they show up or not. In other words, you essentially create a synth, but use SFZ files as the full blown oscillator. Similar to Zampler, but with support for all three OSes (Windows, Apple, Linux), and better developed oscillator support. As I understand it, Zampler does the absolute basics of SFZ support. I would also love the ability to save everything as a preset containing everything (even if the file is actually a bit large). As I understand it currently, Altitude supports very few opcodes, otherwise it would be a good option for this.

[nakst]

BTW, can we talk about your upcoming SFZ player that you are going to build? I'm more interested in that than anything else right now. What would be really nice, would be for it to be able to load up to 4 large SFZ files, reading all of the opcodes used in apps like Sforzando and Sfizz, except bypass the SFZ control functionality opcodes so that the SFZ file is treated more as an oscillator, but the ASDR, modulation, LFOs, etc are built into the device and not dependent upon SFZ opcodes as to whether they show up or not. In other words, you essentially create a synth, but use SFZ files as the full blown oscillator. Similar to Zampler, but with support for all three OSes (Windows, Apple, Linux), and better developed oscillator support. As I understand it, Zampler does the absolute basics of SFZ support. I would also love the ability to save everything as a preset containing everything (even if the file is actually a bit large). As I understand it currently, Altitude supports very few opcodes, otherwise it would be a good option for this.

According to my notes, Altitude/Apricot support the following SFZ opcodes:

• sample
• trigger
• lovel, hivel
• key, lokey, hikey
• pitch_keycenter
• volume
• offset, end
• loopstart, loopend
• pitch_keytrack

But there are a lot more opcodes defined here: https://sfzformat.com/opcodes/
Which of these should be supported? Naturally, this will take a lot of work.

[seafire]

All of them, ideally.

[audiojunkie]

BTW, can we talk about your upcoming SFZ player that you are going to build? I'm more interested in that than anything else right now. What would be really nice, would be for it to be able to load up to 4 large SFZ files, reading all of the opcodes used in apps like Sforzando and Sfizz, except bypass the SFZ control functionality opcodes so that the SFZ file is treated more as an oscillator, but the ASDR, modulation, LFOs, etc are built into the device and not dependent upon SFZ opcodes as to whether they show up or not. In other words, you essentially create a synth, but use SFZ files as the full blown oscillator. Similar to Zampler, but with support for all three OSes (Windows, Apple, Linux), and better developed oscillator support. As I understand it, Zampler does the absolute basics of SFZ support. I would also love the ability to save everything as a preset containing everything (even if the file is actually a bit large). As I understand it currently, Altitude supports very few opcodes, otherwise it would be a good option for this.

According to my notes, Altitude/Apricot support the following SFZ opcodes:

• sample
• trigger
• lovel, hivel
• key, lokey, hikey
• pitch_keycenter
• volume
• offset, end
• loopstart, loopend
• pitch_keytrack

But there are a lot more opcodes defined here: https://sfzformat.com/opcodes/
Which of these should be supported? Naturally, this will take a lot of work.

I've been researching opcodes, and I think maybe you may be able to just add opcodes to Altitude and have Altitude take care of things instead of a new app. I would suggest the following opcodes: global, group, region, tune, seq_length, seq_position, lorand, hirand to begin with. This should allow sample tuning, and round robin regions to be taken into consideration. I guess the point would be that I would want the oscillator function to be as fully supported as the SFZ file's oscillator capability.

Does Altitude have separate ADSR, pitch, volume, lfo, modulation capability per sample player? That would be very nice if it isn't currently available.

Also, when saving the preset, does can it save the samples with the preset? That would be great too, even if it takes up more space.

[nakst]

Does Altitude have separate ADSR, pitch, volume, lfo, modulation capability per sample player? That would be very nice if it isn't currently available.

No, this is intentional to keep CPU down. Altitude was never meant to be a SFZ player, so it's engine architecture is not designed in a way that makes this possible (without increasing CPU a lot).

Also, when saving the preset, does can it save the samples with the preset? That would be great too, even if it takes up more space.

Not currently.

[audiojunkie]

Does Altitude have separate ADSR, pitch, volume, lfo, modulation capability per sample player? That would be very nice if it isn't currently available.

No, this is intentional to keep CPU down. Altitude was never meant to be a SFZ player, so it's engine architecture is not designed in a way that makes this possible (without increasing CPU a lot).

Also, when saving the preset, does can it save the samples with the preset? That would be great too, even if it takes up more space.

Not currently.

How about if the following opcodes, and the saving of samples (into the preset, as an option) was added to Altitude? Would that be a more reasonable feature request?

opcodes: global, group, region, ampeg_attack, ampeg_hold, ampeg_decay, ampeg_sustan, ampeg_release, seq_length, seq_position, lorand, hirand

This would cover adding the following features to Altitude: round robins samples, and the import of the initial AHDSR settings from the SFZ, added into Altitude's oscillator, and the optional ability to consolidate presets with the samples.

No additional controls or CPU would be needed, yet we would have round-robin capable oscillators; we would have an initial AHDSR setting for the instrument import from the SFZ text file; and we would have the ability to share the preset as a monolithic patch that won't lose the samples.

In summary of what I'd love to see:

• Altitude supports round robin samples in the sample oscillators
• Altitude can read the initial AHDSR from the imported SFZ and use it in the sample oscillators
• Altude has the option to save all of the samples with the preset.
  
  The round -robin basics are explained here:
  
  https://sfzformat.com/tutorials/drum_basics/
  
  The AHDSR settings are explained here:
  
  https://sfzformat.com/tutorials/subtractive_synths/
  
  
  Even cutting the AHDSR input down to just importing Attack and Release would be acceptable (ampeg_attack, & ampeg_release).

[nakst]

How about if the following opcodes, and the saving of samples (into the preset, as an option) was added to Altitude? Would that be a more reasonable feature request?

opcodes: global, group, region, ampeg_attack, ampeg_hold, ampeg_decay, ampeg_sustan, ampeg_release, seq_length, seq_position, lorand, hirand

This would cover adding the following features to Altitude: round robins samples, and the import of the initial AHDSR settings from the SFZ, added into Altitude's oscillator, and the optional ability to consolidate presets with the samples.

No additional controls or CPU would be needed, yet we would have round-robin capable oscillators; we would have an initial AHDSR setting for the instrument import from the SFZ text file; and we would have the ability to share the preset as a monolithic patch that won't lose the samples.

In summary of what I'd love to see:

• Altitude supports round robin samples in the sample oscillators
• Altitude can read the initial AHDSR from the imported SFZ and use it in the sample oscillators
• Altude has the option to save all of the samples with the preset.
  
  The round -robin basics are explained here:
  
  https://sfzformat.com/tutorials/drum_basics/
  
  The AHDSR settings are explained here:
  
  https://sfzformat.com/tutorials/subtractive_synths/
  
  
  Even cutting the AHDSR input down to just importing Attack and Release would be acceptable (ampeg_attack, & ampeg_release).

Unfortunately I can't promise anything now. But maybe, in the future

[audiojunkie]

Fair enough.

[akira2]

I'm not an expert but maybe I found a bug...
osc 3 off
Wavetable on both osc 1 & 2
sync osc 2 off
volume osc 1 on
volume osc 2 off (so no sound on osc 2)
but when I tweak other osc 2 knobs (wt, fm, semitone....), it changes osc1 sound (sync osc 2 off or on)

[nakst]

I'm not an expert but maybe I found a bug...
osc 3 off
Wavetable on both osc 1 & 2
sync osc 2 off
volume osc 1 on
volume osc 2 off (so no sound on osc 2)
but when I tweak other osc 2 knobs (wt, fm, semitone....), it changes osc1 sound (sync osc 2 off or on)

Even if Osc 2 has volume at 0%, its output is still sent to Osc 1 for FM. Check the FM Amt dial on Osc 1.

[muki]

sorry for my ignorance, but...:
i cannot seem to find a manual...

clicking "Setting > User Manual" just leads to the ExtraBold website - no manual to be found

the question i would like to have been answered in the manual would be:
how to resize the GUI ?

don't see an option in the settings menu
no rightclick or ctrl-click menu
buttom-right corne has no resize handle...

apricot, fluctus, regancy do have percentage scale settings in the settings menu, btw

thanks

[eb23]

Very nice, simple-looking synth with some welcomed twists. I'm always on the hunt for simple synths for beginners. And it both fits that bill, and goes further in a non-threatening way.
Wouldn't it be nice if it had all the MiniMoog and Alpha Juno waveforms? Even as wavetables.

[nakst]

sorry for my ignorance, but...:
i cannot seem to find a manual...

clicking "Setting > User Manual" just leads to the ExtraBold website - no manual to be found

the question i would like to have been answered in the manual would be:
how to resize the GUI ?

don't see an option in the settings menu
no rightclick or ctrl-click menu
buttom-right corne has no resize handle...

apricot, fluctus, regancy do have percentage scale settings in the settings menu, btw

thanks

Sorry, there is no manual. I don't write manuals for my free plugins (they are too much work). I forgot there was a link in the menu, so I'll remove that for the next update.

It's very strange the GUI resize options don't appear. They should be in the menu, as shown in the screenshot:

settings.jpg

Can you take a screenshot of the settings menu for you? And include the plugin version number and DAW.