Nonlinear Labs has unveiled a serious firmware replace for its expression-packed C15 “musicians, not machines” keyboard instrument. No LFOs? No drawback: modulation and envelopes are actually massively expanded in ways in which ought to intrigue sound designers and keyboardists alike.

For these not within the know: the C15 and Nonlinear Labs are the brainchild of Stephan Schmitt, founding father of Native Devices and creator of Reaktor. A gifted, craft-obsessed workforce in Berlin now design the instrument and run its German-Italian manufacturing. Now, if you happen to’re not within the know, simply test the screenshots – that is one controller-heavy, eye-catching keyboard. There’s a deep digital synth engine inside, too, as you’d anticipate from Stephan and workforce, rooted in part modulation, comb filter, and suggestions – so it doesn’t sound notably like every other instrument, both.

The unique orthodoxy of this instrument was a bit excessive: no inside sequencers, no LFOs, and initially no MIDI. There’s MIDI now (phew) – a 2021 addition. And but if you happen to consider within the unique philosophy of the C15 – that devices are about human gamers, not machine gamers – the trendy C15 ought to nonetheless please, particularly with these distinctive pedal connections, pitch bend, and twin full-length ribbons. (Even earlier than beginning Nonlinear Labs, Stephan was an enormous advocate for pedals for efficiency, too.)

What’s good about this third main firmware replace is, you get all that playability, however with main options for sound designers. The instrument that initially “banned” LFOs is now one of the crucial modulation-friendly devices round.

The “LFO ban,” actually, means some very highly effective use of looping envelopes.

• Modulate all parameters with the Macro controls (some 185 modulation targets, up from 95)
• Prolonged ranges for 17 parameters
• Bypass Suggestions combine Gate and management the decay of Envelope C utilizing velocity
• Envelope C now has a loop operate, permitting it to “behave like a polyphonic LFO” – because it syncs to key, with velocity and key trackings
• Single sounds can now use a second impact group, upping the whole results to 10
• Each results teams have parallel and serial assist
• Pan Components and results teams and route them individually to left/proper audio output
• Splits now have prolonged suggestions routing – one Half’s output could be one other Half’s enter
• New Preset Search with overhauled, streamlined output and search and type standards
• The 2 bodily ribbons can now management up for 4 macros (by swapping them with a pair of digital ribbons)

Right here’s a glance:

Full documentation:

https://www.nonlinear-labs.de/assist/updates/23-05/C15-Replace-23-05-WhatsNew.pdf

https://nonlinear-labs.de/

I like that stuff like this exists – the alternative of any late-capitalist view of digital music manufacturing, a type of alternate-reality model the place digital devices have developed from conventional craft.

They’re neighbors, so something you need to find out about Nonlinear Labs, simply ask and we are able to pay them a go to.