#shruthi-1

☁ ✈ New drone demo to mark the end of 2014

So here is my basic break down of the Shruthi-1 with the Polivoks Filter board:

Right off the bat the best thing....A Fantastic sounding filter. so sexy. It has some really gorgeous qualities. Thick, distorted, dirty, and gritty are words that come to mind when i think of this filter. It has an agressive sound that colors whatever it is processing with a heavy hand. The thing can scream and get nice and creamy, bubbly, and gurgley with a little TLC too if that is what you want. My only complaint with the filter is with the sensitivity being really touchy. The resonance is almost too sensitive. One value goes a lllllooong way. I think this my be a digital resolution issue with the controller tho as the analog aspects seem perfectly fine. all and all... smexy. 

The oscillators are another story. I cant decide if I love or hate em. They are truly unique. I did a test of each wave and took a look at the shapes. They are thin and dont really match up with the wave shape names they are called.  It makes sense since they are digital but they are seriously the most digital sounding oscillators I have experienced. They got ice and crunch to them. it took me a bit to get used to it and was a bit of a turn off at first as it was almost too scratchy sounding for my taste. After stacking the oscillators and playing with the mixing options and all that, I started to get things more to my liking and there were some really rad sonic options with the whole mixing modes. 

Finally after slapping the oscillators together, distorting them through the mixer, and messing with the LFO and filter envelopes you can get some sexy full sounds. I have to say tho using the filter is almost a must for sound design. Another thing i wasn't so keen on was the lack of a volume knob for the output (I got over it eventually). The thing is really loud and sends all my recording devices into the red really easy.

Editing Is a breeze. I really like the interface as it is ridiculously simple to learn and understand. 5 min of use and I had all the basics without reading any documentation.

It's quite a capable little machine especially for the price mark. The filter board is fantastic and I love working with its interface. Despite all this I cant help but feel that the oscillators could easily be better. In my mind that is the point that makes this synth only just "usable" rather then having me want to use it. 

My final conclusion? It's a cool little project that is perfect for getting unique dirty digital sounds If that is what you are after. The filter will give you a bit of that warmth you might be missing but dont expect the thing to be your sole synth. I would recommend it to be used with other equipment to fully pump out those lovely sounds you so desire. I like the thing and look forward to more development in the future.