Interest for a SOLARIS desktop version ?

HUROLURA · Post by **HUROLURA** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 9:06 am

Thought it could be usefull for John to see if there is an interest in such a thing ...
Let's say it could be offered at 60% of the price of the Keyboard version with a downsize of the number of the available control elements and even only half of the DSP power...

Post by **John Bowen** » Sat Oct 27, 2007 4:37 am

60% less, eh?

You'd also loose the 6 displays, probably reduced to the one graphic display.

Which means you'd lose the 35 or so knobs, reduced to 10....but go ahead, I'm curious to see what the interest level would be.

john b.

HUROLURA · Post by **HUROLURA** » Sat Oct 27, 2007 8:06 am

Hi John

No not 60% less but 60% of the price of the keyboard version.
This is the same ratio as for the VIRUS TI keyboard compared to the desktop model.
And I thought it could be achieved with just half of the control elements and half of the DSP power.

Just an idea anyway. One more suggestion: it could perhaps be designed (on the hardware side) to be either a Desktop SOLARIS under John Bowen Synth brand or a SCOPE 5.0 module ...

Let us go on dreaming ...

CheerZ

urge · Post by **urge** » Sat Oct 27, 2007 8:46 am

Aren't the Virus gear identical except for the keyboard? If you couldn't do that w/ the solaris it wouldn't be worth it IMHO.

Housefly · Post by **Housefly** » Sat Oct 27, 2007 10:28 am

i would be very interested as well. but it should have the same DSP power, bells and whistles as the keyboard version, no compromise...

something sized simmilar to the korg M3 desktop size maybe.

i would also recommend studying the Nord Modular G2 panel layout, because IMHO it's the best in the world. you'd need to check the manual however to understand the beauty of it...

i can only hope the solaris will be succesful enough to consider the release of a ported desktop version in the future.

i'll keep saving for the keyboardversion for now

good luck to development!

Post by **John Bowen** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:57 am

HUROLURA wrote:Hi John

No not 60% less but 60% of the price of the keyboard version.

Do you mean 1500 Euros? (60% of 2500)?

HUROLURA · Post by **HUROLURA** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 10:05 am

Yes.

The idea would be to remove the keyboard and bend/mod wheel and to pack the rest in a smaller case with smaller screen and control elements to achive something similar in size to 2 Origin units for example ...

Post by **John Bowen** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 4:32 pm

HUROLURA,

Unfortunately, I don't see this happening, especially at that price. Besides, part of the 'experience' of Solaris is the user interface - the tactile approach, with all the knobs and the 6 displays, etc.,etc. That's actually a big part of what makes the Solaris special, in my opinion. (Of course, very few have experienced this yet - only at the Frankfurt Messe).

Chances are good that the next synth I design will not be a Solaris spin-off, but something else that could be done cheaper and simpler. This one has been a BIG project!

-john b.

HUROLURA · Post by **HUROLURA** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 1:31 am

I do not meant you should absolutely remove any knob or screen.

I agree with you that user interface is a key feature of such a product.

The transition achieved by Access between the Virus TI Keyboard and Virus TI Desktop version has been easy because the knob and screen panel is not that big (arround 18.5"x7.4").

I do not thing the current user interface panel of the SOLARIS could fit in such a dimension. The depth dimension shouldn't be an issue. The Width one is maybe a bit more complicated (one seem to have comfortable access to the control elements on the SOLARIS with well separeted and easy to access elements).

The problem is then not as easy to solve ... for the moment.

Housefly · Post by **Housefly** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 3:41 am

well, i think an elegant solution would be:

develop a good editor for operating the solaris

now, if you look at the front panel of the Nord G2 you'll notice it's designed to very elegantly be able to control A LOT of parameters very easily.

i haevily recommend studying this method of accessing a very large number of parameters through a limited amount of knobs.

the user is then able to assign virtually as many parameters as he would like in the editor, that can now be easily tweaked from the front panel.

Fidgit · Post by **Fidgit** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 12:17 am

editor for operating the solaris?!

IMHO: no, thanks, we have enough plugin synths already. i dont want to control my solaris with a mouse!

Post by **John Bowen** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 7:24 am

I think he means that, if you have a good editor, you can sell a smaller tabletop or whatever unit that provides a minimum of necessary features, but depends upon a good editor to get all all the goodies hidden within. He is also saying the Nord G2 is a pretty good example of what that minimum should be. (It's true the G2 is the only other 'synth' product I've seen recently with multiple displays.)

To really bring the price down, all you need is something really small like the Klang Boxes, but with some basic knobs for volume and maybe Midi Channel. (But I hear those didn't sell very well....). Nord offers this idea as well for the G2 Engine product. Don't know how that is selling either.

John b.

Housefly · Post by **Housefly** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 7:37 am

a lot of people were surprised there was no G2 in a format like the arturia origin (but of course with the layout of the G2 keyboard)...

anyway, the price of the G2 engine is halve that of the G2 keyboard (not G2X).

i had to open my G2 engine to install the xpansion board and noticed how clever the G is engineered. the PCB board is exactly the same as the one in the G2. they thus had no costs porting it.

so if the PCB of the solaris is designed that it can be put in a smaller box, a clever system of operating it with a minimum of knobs and displays and a well developped editor. it is possible. i agree one will carefully have ro investigate whether there is a market for this , it's definately something to consider (e.g. poly evolver --> rack version)

don't take my word for it, but the G2 engine is still selling very well, that's the only reason the G2 keyb and engine (not G2X) are still in production.

Post by **John Bowen** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 7:53 am

Housefly wrote:a (e.g. poly evolver --> rack version)

Actually, the rack version came first, then the PEK.

Post by **John Bowen** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 9:17 am

Housefly wrote: i had to open my G2 engine to install the xpansion board and noticed how clever the G is engineered. the PCB board is exactly the same as the one in the G2. they thus had no costs porting it.

Yes, well that's typically how it's done. The main board is separate from all the front panel stuff, so with some effort, you can usually take the main board and put it into a smaller box. This is also the case for the Creamware KlangBoxes - just the ASB board inside.

By the way - there is room for an expansion board in the Solaris. Do you think it would be a good idea to allow users to install one, as you did with the G2 Engine? It would be a bit more work than opening up a small 1u rack, though....

-john b.

John Bowen Synth Design

Interest for a SOLARIS desktop version ?

Would you be intersted in a desktop version of the Solaris for 60% of the keyboard price

Interest for a SOLARIS desktop version ?

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