You’re a party animal, just pull an all-nighter and jam your heart out on that beautiful new baby!!
1 Like
Yes Siree!
1 Like
Some new videos starting appear that I think show off the sound much better than a lot of previous demos.
this is exactly what bothered me when I tried an Argon8 - everything wobbled quite a lot.
sound is great, but these are definitely made to a budget. Guess it’s whether that bothers you or not ultimately.
1 Like
In contrast the Minilogue XD’s controls are much more sturdy. I have both now…time will tell.
I returned my Argon8 due to a problem with the joystick. It was a little loose in the center position, causing continous unwanted random pitchbends (just a few cents, but enough to hear).
I opted for money back instead of a replacement. There were too many other annoyances with the synth for me to keep it. I could probably live fine with a just few of them and there may be workarounds for some of them.
One could argue that I am expecting too much at this price range, but most of these issues appear to be software- or UI-issues and should be addressed in the development stage. There simply were too many issues with this synth for my personal liking, but I am sure others may feel differently and love theirs.
Would love to know if others agree/disagree, maybe this is all just in my head. Maybe there is a setting or method somewhere that I have missed, that fixes most of these. If so, let me (and others) know 
Knobs
The knobs have a flimsy feel. I am sure they are of good quality, but the feel is unappealing none the less. Endless encoders do not have to feel cheap in this price range, something all Elektronauts will know 
Shift-button
Many of the parameters require use of the shift-button. That would be fine for lesser-used parameters, but I found myself pushing (latching) that shift-button ALL the time, and then forgetting it was active when I was trying to adjust something else that needed shift off. I could of course hold the shift button while turning a knob (meaning, not latching the button), but that requires two hands, and I prefer to play notes while twisting.
Patch-change
The “Preset/Edit” knob adjusts whatever parameter you adjusted last (or within the last 2 seconds, depending on setting). So, I wiggle the filter (intentionally), and then twist the Preset/Edit-knob to change to another patch. This causes the filter to change instead of changing patch, so now I first have to push the Patch-button, turn the Preset knob and then push the preset knob to select patch.
VA
The tone of the Virtual Analog waveforms aren’t very appealing to my ear. With the filter wide open, they sound brash and thin. I know analog tones isn’t the core purpose of a wavetable synth, but to me they are the «bread and butter» in sound design and I expected them to sound better.
Filters
They work fine, but I found them a little «bland», a «lack of character» maybe? The resonance also get very spikey very fast.
Envelopes
5 seconds max (attack, decay, release). Long swells and hanging pads aren’t easy with this limitation. And when the envelope reaches the end of the attack-stage and starts the decay-stage, this transition is very sharp/abrupt and audible in a weird non-fluent way.
Reverb
The reverb is very basic, sounds very “tinny” and can’t do crazy stuff (like the Minilogue XD can).
Volume
This synth has almost ridiculously low output. It seems like the volume drops significantly in each sound-design step. Add «Spread»? Volume drops. Add Chorus? Volume drops some more. Add delay, and some reverb? Volume drops even more. I set master volume AND patch volume to full, and even then, the output is so low that I have to set the mixer channel to full blast, and turn the Digitone and Digitakt down to 1-2 on the mixer. And by then, the master volume on my mixer has to go so high that there isn’t much left to go on if I really want to crank it for a jam.
Arpeggiator
The arp-implementation is just, yeah, weird. First of all, it isn’t synced to the beat (only to the bpm). This is not uncommon on synths, but I don’t like it. Reason is simple: When I arpeggiate, I want it to hit perfectly from the first cycle. When I smash down 5 notes on the Argon8, not all those notes are included in the first arp-cycle. This may be because there is a small delay between when those keys hit (I’m only human, folks), and the arp just kicks off right away, ignoring the last note or two until it picks them up again in the next cycle. A fix for this would be to sync the arp to the beat, so you can smash those notes an instant before the beat, and the arp will trigger perfectly with all notes starting from the next consecutive beat.
Oh, and don’t get me started on using the arp-mode that plays the notes in the order they where entered (“Pend”), WHILE having it hit the beat perfectly… Oh, and one more thing: When I engage «arp hold/latch» on a synth, one would think that releasing the keys and then hitting a new set of notes would retrigger the arp with just those new notes, right? The argon8 just adds them to the already playing arp, causing arp-chaos. So I’ll have to turn off the hold-function (hold one button, press another), play the new arp-notes (and hope that I manage to play them perfectly in sync with the beat), and then re-engage hold (again, two buttons).
This may be a very good synth. But I didn’t gel with it. You might. 
4 Likes
Thank you for those details. I’ll get cracking tonight & see how it goes.
Last night I spent a good few hours on the Argon8. Have to agree with a few points mentioned above.
Simply changing a Patch is very annoying indeed. Patch changed should be the default/override mode of the Preset Encoder. I see no reason whatsoever for it not to function like this.
The Fx are a weird one for me. People have mentioned that if you focus on the Fx you might find them disappointing. I tend to agree. But some of the patches do sound great because of the fx. In contrast to most reports I actually like the Reverb a lot, especially for really fluid, silky pads.
The Dynamics of the Argo8 are all over the place and I started to find myself wincing as I edited sounds, expecting the reported drops in volume.
Definitely going to require some external processing for certain things.
The more I used it the less stressed I felt about the wobbly encoders. I’m not exactly happy with them but they’re so light and smooth I really didn’t need to handle them firmly. But I really don’t expect them to last and they’re a major let down consider the general build is excellent.
I love the sound of this synth. I usually think of synths for specific duties but I can really see the Argon8 being used for lots of different sounds. This thing can handle the highs and lows equally well and I found the sound to be rounded and clear without being harsh. Straight after I compared my new Minilogue XD, and I initially found the XD to sound harsh and quite flat. Took a little while to appreciate the XD for it’s own character.
If i’d had the opportunity to demo the Argon8 i’m not entirely sure i’d have bought one. The thought of the awkward UI and wibble wobble controls would have bugged me too much.
But I’m going to keep it for the time being. Not worth stressing over a (relatively) budget synth when the sound is gorgeous to my ears. I get a feeling i might end up sampling it though, rather than relying on the weird dynamics in a live/recording context.
Either way, the Octatrack’s going to take it under it’s wing and teach it to soar.
Edit: Just emailed Modal with a request to change the Patch Selection process.
1 Like
Today i received this message from Modal.
"What we can say is that a bit of play in the knobs is to be expected - We use Bourns rotary encoders rather than pots in our products, these consist of a series of contacts at the end of the shaft that ‘brush’ over switch contacts in the body - the shaft, therefore ‘floats’ inside the body of the encoder, suspended by a lubricated bearing and a gasket.
This means the encoder shaft can feel less ‘stiff’ than a potentiometer - however it is this mechanism that gives the far greater longevity of encoder life, compared with a potentiometer.
We took the decision to use these even though they are more expensive than pots but we made this decision for a few reasons;
• They are more reliable, lasting up to 3X longer than analog pots
• They are better suited to digital synthesisers as they provide digital signals meaning we don’t have to covert from digital to analog and back again
• They enable us to better edit from the original setting of a patch rather than needing to “pick up” from wherever a pot physically sits
A pot (rotary potentiometer) works by having a carbon tracked disc attached to the end of a shaft, ‘gripped’ by wipers - this ‘gripping’ action inherently makes the pot feel stiffer -but in reality, it’s this gripping / stiffness that causes mechanical failure in a rotary potentiometer. The friction of the action causes failure over time.
Several ‘urban myths’ have grown up in the synthesiser industry regarding the performance of rotary encoders - and these stem from the use of low cost ‘generic’ Chinese made encoders by some companies.
Modal only use Bourns encoders in our Argon and 002 and 008 product range: https://www.bourns.com/docs/Product-Datasheets/PEC11R.pdf - because of their quality and reliability. Bourns are THE industry benchmark for encoders in the audio industry.
I hope the above explains why you may find the ‘feel’ a little different, but the reliability and quality of the encoders in your synthesiser is the best we are able to purchase to use in our products.
If you feel there is a manufacturing fault here then you should be able to exchange the unit with the vendor in a warranty swap.
Best,
Modal Support"
6 Likes
That is reassuring and makes sense. I agree, how a part feels and how it performs and lasts can be two different things.
I will comment though about the swipe made with the “low cost ‘generic’ Chinese made encoders” comment. Poor quality components don’t have a nationality, and cost doesn’t necessarily infer quality either.
I would match the 23 encoders in a Hydrasynth against anything out there. They use encoders for all rotary controls as well and they feel amazing. Everything on the Hydrasynth is physically top-notch in performance – the poly-aftertouch keyboard included, they make that themselves too.
EDIT: Fixed typo.
3 Likes
Another Modal email with shipping updates for the 8M /8X Models.
ARGON8X and ARGON8M
Shipping Update
With manufacturing rolling on, we received news about the production schedule for ARGON8 models:
ARGON8 (37 note) - Next shipment is very small and will be ready in about two weeks
ARGON8M - Shipping in two weeks but then no more for 2 months - if you need to order more to cover this period let us know and we will try and accomodate wherever we can.
ARGON8X - There has been some delays of this product and it will now ship circa mid June
1 Like
Great feedback, and I hope someone from Modal reads it.
I’ll take the same topics and add my 2 cents on them, as I’ve had one since launch and use it regularly.
Knobs - Completely agree - they work very well, but the first touch is a turn off. They don’t bother me at all now.
Shift-button - I actually really like this design. I do make a few mistakes, but overall it flattens out access to things. I find it fast to use, and not sure what the better alternative would be.
Patch-change - I just got used to this, but again it was strange at first. I use the edit knob to make incremental adjustments to parameters often. For example changing “fine tune” to 10, I always get 11 for some reason, so I just knock one off with the edit knob since it ratchets at increments.
VA - Really? Wow, I find that even with basic shapes you can get very intricate sounds with drift, voice width, and spread thrown in. That said, we all have our own ears so it really depends on what you like. I use stack-2 often with a voice width of 127, when I need more depth/color.
Filter - I’m sounding like a complete fan boy here, but I seriously love the “standard” filter. The more I work with it, the more I get from it. Again, it’s all a matter of taste, but it really grew on me.
Envelopes - Nailed it. The envelopes need a buff.
Reverb - I’m OK with it, but it’s not my kind of reverb. I want something darker, with more drama. For now, I’m using an external one.
Volume - Ah yes, this has to be the key challenge with this synth. I boost the gain +20db in my mixer, but I hope they can do something in an update. It’s just as you describe that as you layer more stuff, the volume dips.
Best regards,
Gino
3 Likes
Yeah - Bourns are nice units. I wouldn’t worry about them at all.
I also got that email about pricing, availability, etc. I thought it was strange, since it seemed like a communication meant for distributors, versus the average synth enthusiast.
2 Likes
What’d I tell you my dude, they’re using high quality components of course, rad company making rad gear!
1 Like
Ok - I made my noise video for the Argon8… welcome to the darker side…
Best regards,
Gino
2 Likes
Hey Gino, great vid. Just curious how are you turning tune off for the joystick x±. I turned off the mod slot that went to global tune but it’s still acting as a pitch bend when going left to right. My goal is to use the joystick as a multi parameter mod source at all positions without effecting pitch. Thanks for the continued deep dive vids!
1 Like
Thanks!
In the patch settings, you can turn Joystick PitchBend off.
Click the Patch button
Turn the Param knob to the right until you see “Joystick”
Click the Param knob to go to the bottom row, and turn to the right and you should see “PitchBend = On”
Change the setting to “off” with the edit knob
Hope this helps!
Best regards,
Gino
1 Like
Perfect! Thanks so much.
They were mentioned quite a while back on here and it caused a few people to get irritated with Modal, as these 2 additional models were unexpectedly announced just a very short while after they received their 37 key models.
1 Like