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HegelNovember 19, 2008 A modular workbench.
Hegel (Click image for bigger view)
Welcome to Hegel v2, a production quality modular workbench for real-time performance, complex sequences, and audio exploration. It contains dozens of full-featured units, essentially cramming three complete polyphonic synthesizers into one instrument. An extremely flexible design provides access to virtually every audio and event modulation possible. Even so, the control panel still fits on 1024x768 monitors. The A panel contains three oscillators, three filters, two distortion units, a waveshaper, three LFOs, six envelopes, six submixers, four sequencers, sample and hold, unisono control, tempo control, and a three-channel mixer with polyphonic mixing and pan, echo, and chorus. The implementation is complete: for example, audio and events can modulate any available parameter for all Reaktor oscillators. The B panel provides detailed manipulation of the sequencers, as well as an audio recorder and velocity/aftertouch shaping.
A switchless matrix lets 30 different event sources modulate >100 different sound parameters. The matrix is a full butterfly implementation, which means different amounts of multiple modulations can affect the same parameter. For example, any number of envelopes, LFOs, sequencer values, and MIDI controllers can all modulate filter frequency by a different amount for each source. Matrix 1 provides modulation of all the audio parameters; Matrix 2 provides modulation of envelope, LFO, sequencer, and tempo parameters.
The audio modules are fully modular, so they can be chained in any serial or parallel combination; audio paths can also be blended together with submixers. Only the audio path is switched in Hegel; if two snaps use the same switch settings, you can change between the snaps without interrupting the sound or timing. This lets you use snapshots to change between vastly different sound scenes, either instantaneously, or gradually through morphing.
Those familiar with modular hardware will know how complicated it is to set up triggers and gates. Here all the wiring has been done for you (if you look inside the structure, you’ll see what I mean). The sequencers, LFOs, and envelope sources offer over dozens of different triggers and gates, so they can trigger and gate each other, or be triggered in many different ways by MIDI notes.
The three audio envelopes can each play MIDI or different sequencer tracks at the same time, polyphonically, letting you split the modules up into three separate instruments that play different sounds. Because all the modules are combined in one instrument, the pitch of one envelope can modulate the filter of another, and so on. Alternatively, all the modules can be configured into one giant complex instrument, as desired.
Even more has been done to reduce CPU usage. After the ensemble loads (which may take some time because the structure is very large), you will find it smooth and responsive. The last beta was tested on PentiumIII, PerntiumIV, Macs, Athlons, and G4 CPUs. Six voices are found functional on CPUs down to a 700MHz G3.
New Features in Hegel v2
- >200 snapshots in multiple banks (Tom Watson's bank is particularly impressive).
- New "CPU" list in output panel limits CPU usage by continuous event modulations.
- New "FAST" switch in output mixer provides faster channel modulation.
- New "FM" modulation of EQ module.
- Two additional audio-rate modulation switches in submixer.
- New "GAIN" adjustment for each voice of unisono unit.
- Oscillator and filter FM depth are now set in semitones. (this lets LFO and envelope modulate filter at audio rates, for example).
- Table copy/paste/clear now uses FROM and TO values to set step range.
- New lists to select bank and snapshot in B panel.
- OVERWRITE button in B panel stores current snapshot without opening snap window.
- New table editor permutations: new FLIP control, improved SHIFT control.
- Reduced CPU load when changing values and snaps.
- Lower cpu utilization in FM filter modes.
- Internal amplitude gain correction at high resonance added for NoiseQ oscillators.
- Updated tooltips.
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