I think most basic stuff on the Deluge is quite intuitive, entering beats, setting up sections, arranging, synth editing, setting trig conditions, altering note length, pitch or velocity, editing start, end and loop points of samples, copying stuff, naming stuff, and so on.
Where it could use some attention is capturing audio, there are a few ways to do it and they are all different and don’t seem to follow the same conventions as the rest of the machine, worse still is that most if them are not easily remembered IMHO.
But I’m determined to crack it, I just need to focus on it until it becomes second nature, I do feel that if it had one dedicated button for capturing audio and the display had a list of options to select which type of audio to capture it would be a whole lot easier.
Tbh, the screen is frustrating when you think it could be bigger and think about many little screens done right under the circumstances (Digitakt comes to mind, OP-1, etc.)
Althought we are missing the point.
The screen is great as it gives you precise numbers for value increments.
Sure it sucks when you are browsing files/directories with large names (you can edit your files/folders names to keep it clean when loading files on the SD though).
Honestly I dont see it as an issue.
I see it like I didnt need a screen on the Circuit when I owned it.
Most of the time you dont really need the screen, you need it to know how much you incremented a value (you can still undo it and dont really have to remember it if it needs to be reverted.).
I agree. The Deluge seems like it had its roadmap cut it out for years ahead, and Synthstrom was well aware what they did when they applied a lo-fi screen onto this. It’s the anti-Akai in that respect. I for one think this decision makes sense. It gets a little crippled when you’re browsing samples and stuff, but I’ll take that trade-off before the idea of focusing on the grid and the knobs.
Yeah, well, I’ve been away from the Deluge and I’m back on it now, so audio recording is new to me (except for the basic sampling stuff which was there the first time around). Following the Producer’s Manual, they sort of get into the latest implementation of audio recording firsthand, and now that I’ve learned that, I don’t know if I need so much more. The other ways of doing it are nice, but for my workflow, just making a track into audio, record something and then either just work with it as is or convert it into a sample, is enough for me.
Haven’t tried it yet, but I assume perfect loops can be achieved this way as well, without going into timed resampling. Seeing as the audio isn’t tempo matched, as long as you set the Deluge to record at the same BPM as any outside source, like a drum machine or so, start recording and midi play at the same time, trimming seems very straight forward. And since it time stretches your trim, you’ll get your loops in time with no hassle.
And if you don’t wanna go down this route, there’s always synced resampling, which as I recall was there even when I used it the first time around.
I did a few recordings with the Deluge going into the Chase Bliss Blooper yesterday and then back into the Deluge again. Seems like you can record an external signal without monitoring audio thru, which essentially means you can resample the Deluge through external fx units and back again, in real time, without getting ears hammered by feedback.
Not sure I know of any other sampler that doesn’t have multiple hardware outs, that allow for this. Or actually, I am sure I don’t know. But that doesn’t mean they’re not around
One thing that’s improved significantly, is the overall mixer workflow. The fact that I can access all track quick parameters from the song view, makes the balancing process so much easier. I remember missing this back in the days, having to jump in and out from the clip view just to adjust volume, panning and EQ. Not so anymore. Good stuff.
And the new audio workflow (well, new to me, at least) really beats the old one by far. It’s only for recording loops in sync I can see the point in using the resample through line in feature.
There doesn’t seem to be a way to properly gain stage your recording, so I’m just going by ear now. So far, it seems to work well. I match the monitoring with whatever else is going on in the Deluge and other samples I know are properly recorded as well, and this gets me to where I want. Not pretty, but it works
Yeah for monitoring I just do it by ear using the **.**input type when sampling an external source, AFAIK the Deluge automatically normalises.
One thing I forgot to mention earlier, the timestretch on the Deluge is by far the best on anything I’ve ever used, you can go quite far from the original tempo without obvious artifacts, it is really quite incredible especially more so considering it streams from SD card and that it is their first product.
You’re so right. I’ve pushed the time stretch a lot these last few days and it just goes, “Pfft. That all you got? I’m more elastic than Mr. Fantastic.”
Overall, the sound engine sounds pretty damn great and that talk about the synth not being quite there (I myself being guilty of saying such a thing once or twice), that’s not true. At all. It sounds amazing. Buuut … you gotta work it right. Envelopes aren’t super snappy, filter’s a bit polite. It’s not great at sh-101 arps or bass or a prophet-y, snappy funk lead. It’s good for more streamlined bass sounds and other ordinary mono stuff, but it excels at creamy leads, pads with dust and grain, long tails of dreamy stuff, and the polyphony itself allows for thick and rich textures by synth patching alone.
I do agree on your point with the audio workflow. Clearly, the original recording features are in conflict with the newer ones. There’s legacy stuff still there that kind of collides with the new stuff. So far, I haven’t found a way to convert a proper audio recording into a sample, without actually saving the project and then locating the recordings in the Clip folder, which is slightly awkward. The audio workflow itself is great, but if you want to convert it into a sample, that’s messy (in comparison). I’m still learning, tho, so maybe it can be done in a better way than I’m currently doing it.
Almost there is when I bought it, never will be there is when I sold it. The deluge was one of the coolest bada$$ pieces of kit I owned but the idea to put in a 1970 car radio display is beyond me. It’s hard to read, if it was at least like the Sp-234-234 it would have been a keeper. I understand the want to ignore the screen and use the hardware, that is until you need to browse for a sample on a sampler. And yes, the looper was seamless and the hardest piece to part with. It is so intuitive and awesome. The deluge is like that girl/boy friend you have a ton of fun with but know you can’t commit long term. The company is awesome and look forward to their mk2.
I don’t even want a big screen, just a text one would do to sufficiently display names and functions, I do kind of have a soft spot for LED displays though, but just 4 characters is a bit hardcore even for a die hard retro freak like me.
Without doubt I’ll probably insta-buy their next machine, I very much trust them as a company, which is pretty rare today.
I was explaining some stuff to a friend the other day over the phone: your synths can use built in waveforms and/or samples, at the same time, and your drum kits can contain samples, MIDI, CV and synth patches…at the same time.
I cannot think of a single other piece of gear with that flexibility. In fact I can’t think of any piece of software either!
Navigation has drastically improved over the updates, I’d say. I have no issues with the interface now. The Producer’s Manual has really helped the learning process, though. Makes the legacy manual seem like a penalist attempt at teaching someone to play
I was about to order it in march but the shipping seemed to be complicated due to covid at that time.
At the moment I‘m quite happy with my setup, and I’d have to get rid of something if I get a deluge… sticking to that rule.
That said, I generally like the idea of not being dependent on a screen and menus but rather use the light guide. But from what I‘ve seen it seems a bit too feature crowded actually for not having some display guidance.
Maybe they could also think about a light version with the best features in a lower price segment, Digitakt style.
Don‘t know, I‘m still curious, I just want to test it for a while and see if it could kick one or two elektrons out of my setup. I promises a lot I have to say
Apart from browsing samples and navigating the settings menu (which you won’t do much), the screen isn’t really needed. The Deluge is designed being very aware what the screen is and isn’t, and most of them time you won’t need it or miss one. If it wasn’t there, you’d do all your work by ear and probably get by just fine.
I get the feeling that people who are more used to abstract interfaces in general don’t much care about the screen on the Deluge, whereas if you’re used to or just really like big bad-ass color screens, the Deluge is contrary to what you prefer. Elektron’s screens are somewhere in the middle. Charmingly pixel-stylish, but with a technology behind it that still has some shine to it.
I don’t know. But that doesn’t mean they’re not around 
