It's so complex! Nostromo Spectral Synthesizer

[groovebox]

my 30 days is up (that went by quick!) but I found Nostromo hellish huge (screen / rack size) and had so many functions and variables....

Is it just me who thinks it has a little too much going on?

It's one of the reasons I didn't buy Reason cause some synths need a control surface dedicated to all the various functions and knobs.

Nostromo takes it up a notch!

Just my own view but interested to see how others cope with RE's like this...

[joeyluck]

I find it to be one of the most inviting synths to program. I like the size (others have suggested it could have been larger). I get great sounds effortlessly and quickly by just browsing the spectrum catalog and assigning some different sweep waveforms. Or I use the random function of each Osc and go from there. I feel like the layout makes the rest pretty straight forward.

[challism]

You said "one of the reasons you didn't buy Reason." You didn't buy Reason? How are you able to try Nostomo? Anyway...

Just because you have a Ferrari, doesn't mean you have to drive it 150MPH. I would rather have the extra functions/features and be able to grow into them as I learn the device. I think Nostromo could have been bigger, which would allow all the knobs to be bigger, too. I agree with what Joey said, it is a very easy and intuitive synth to get great sounds out of with very little effort (or without knowing what you are doing). Nostromo is currently my favorite synth.

Didn't like Nostromo? To each their own. Have you checked out Vibro? It's a really good spectral synth in its own right.

[frog974new]

the ony thing it take times with the Nostromo is to discover all wavesformes and find the best build to load on slot for each osc..

[groovebox]

Thanks Joey - I wish I could get another 30 day to really have another look at it...

I admit I got overwhelmed and did not really read the documents...

[groovebox]

One of the Reasons I didn't INITIALLY get Reason was cause it seemed very mousey but now I have owned it since v8 and LOVE it.

I was just saying Nostromo has a lot going on...

[dvdrtldg]

It's all about smart design IMO. Nostromo is a monster but it's so well thought out that you can get your head around it relatively quickly, even if you don't master all its functions straight out of the box. Same with Zero. Other synths like Predator (as much as I like it) have less going on, but are more of a pain in the ass to program because they're not as elegantly conceived

[Loque]

Nostromo is good as it is. The only things i miss is drag and drop, mousewheel support and named basic waves or something to help me identify them. And i guess except the names its not supported by the SDK.

[lowpryo]

I don't think it's any more overwhelming than other synths. maybe at a first glance it is visually intimidating, but when you break it down section by section, the only thing new to learn is the spectrum table. everything else, from oscillator pitch & unison functions, to filters, envelopes and LFOs is all standard stuff, and anyone comfortable with synthesis should adapt to that workflow very quickly.

[modecca]

I love that this thing has a lfo 3 cv out. These are some seriously unorthadox lfos!

[Loque]

I love that this thing has a lfo 3 cv out. These are some seriously unorthadox lfos!

Nice, that you have a additional filter, LFOs, reverb, delay and env shaper with this RE that can be used with other REs. Did not tried to use audio in to CV out routing...

[kuniklo]

Compared to a lot of VST plugins that cover similar ground I think Nostromo is brilliantly simple. Just focus on using one oscillator for a while until you're comfortable with how all the controls work.