Futuresonus Parva

Jogerflocky · 2018-05-17T17:41:57.518Z

Want to bump this thread and see if anyone has comments. Sounds like this has been out for a couple years now. I am interested in picking one up because of the MPE features and I recently bought a linnstrument.

Pluses and minuses for those that own or owned one?

Analogic · 2018-05-17T20:16:15.046Z

Have had one for just over a year. Love it but have only scratched the surface of its potential with the Octatrack. Weak preset library means you need to bring your sound design game. Feels very limitless to work with. Xmod section especially.

youmakeme · 2018-05-17T20:43:46.352Z

Your setups [ 10k Archive] Other Gear

Hey! Im waiting for the next firmware release to make a video review about it but here we go… I absolutely love the interface, even if its not 1 knob per function is really easy to program it. Great construction quality, big knobs and excellent oled display, also really nice to look at I really like the sound of the raw oscillators. They are DCOs but I think they are individually clocked, so you can make them drift and detune quite easy. His filter is very aggressive, better suited f…

Jogerflocky · 2018-05-17T20:58:56.289Z

That’s good to hear! Thank you for the reply. It sounds like the man is getting a steady stream of orders but reviews are far between. I have been looking for a workflow type video but mostly it’s just demos of the sounds.

How does it feel navigating thru the different sections?

Jogerflocky · 2018-05-17T21:01:06.751Z

Thank you, I read your review a few days ago and it helped nudge me toward the Parva. Since there aren’t a lot of reviews it helps to see an honest one.

Analogic · 2018-05-18T00:18:16.939Z

It’s kindof how you imagine by the layout. Coming from Elektron world it’s very simple in comparison. Barely need to RTFM… Editing within a patch is all mainly above the bottom two dials, which are more for higher level menus. The left side dials take you through the parameters and layers that aren’t covered on the right hand side. My only requests would be a detented range knob and less ‘focus’ time on the display. (When the display changes to highlight the parameter you’re selecting. …but stops you from further changes until it defocuses)

Analogic · 2020-07-29T23:55:04.265Z

Sad to see Futuresonus appears to now be defunct, along with the forum. Still love my black Parva s/n 6 and moderately convinced it will become a rare collectible in years to come. I mean who else offers an 8 voice analog multitimbral module?? …not to mention its many other features.

Anyone have copies of the .dmg for ParvUtil or the desktop editor? I would like to install them on my laptop as well.

Hope us Parvistas can use this space to connect and share patches in the future!

Daspetal · 2020-07-30T03:14:27.715Z

MFB synth pro

I had a black parva as well… not a bad sounding synth, but it took work and there were no good presets to start from.

Analogic · 2020-08-01T01:13:19.031Z

We should really have gotten one into @Floppydisk_Pirates’ hands years ago… In all seriousness though it would be awesome to have a top notch sound designer do this synth justice.

Floppydisk_Pirates · 2020-08-01T01:45:29.841Z

I have not heard of the synth yet but seems to be exactly my thing, small and clear with undersides How long has it been around? And thanks for the nice words! Looks like the synth has been around for some time. I wish I had noticed this earlier… But maybe a few are happy about a new Digitone Pack? Actually finished a long time ago but demo tracks and cover design always stop me

AdamJay · 2020-08-01T03:02:32.916Z

Started as a kickstarter project in early 2015 at a time when an 8 voice analog poly for $1,000 was quite the bargain.

Floppydisk_Pirates:

I wish I had noticed this earlier… But maybe a few are happy about a new Digitone Pack?

Seems like a separate topic?

Analogic · 2020-08-01T05:03:20.345Z

Floppydisk_Pirates:

seems to be exactly my thing

I bet you would have a blast with it! My patch building skills are pretty rudimentary and I suspect most other users too. I’ve heard several times it was the reason why it never took off. There must be 1000 or so of them out there considering the kickstarter was successful. I never realized before how much a patch library can really make a synth before owning this one. It’s a huge investment of time and creative energy.

Floppydisk_Pirates · 2020-08-01T15:08:58.606Z

Analogic:

I never realized before how much a patch library can really make a synth before owning this one. It’s a huge investment of time and creative energy.

I’ve never actually seen it that way. Maybe a lot of big manufacturers don’t either?! A good bank of sound packs can motivate to get exactly this synth.

Thank you for appreciating how much time and energy it takes to make a sound pack. Reading something like this helps every sound designer out there as it inspires courage.

Analogic · 2020-08-03T16:15:06.507Z

AdamJay:

at a time when an 8 voice analog poly for $1,000 was quite the bargain.

I might not be up on all the competitors these days. Are there some alternatives that come to mind for you? The new MFB looks great but monotimbral. A bit less screen real estate too but more knob per function so maybe a draw on that front. Are there others? I’d consider a swap for the right box…

AdamJay · 2020-08-03T17:04:10.706Z

Sadly, Multi-timbrality isn’t a focus for most synth manufacturers.

I never got to explore the way the Multi mode was implemented on the Parva. Most manufacturers get it all wrong though. Elektron and Nord seems to have it well figured out for non-destructive multi editing.

To answer your question, I dunno. Prologue is close-ish, but again mono timbral.

youmakeme · 2021-11-11T16:12:28.459Z

Sorry to resurrect an old post but since the official website is broken i dont know where to ask…

Im trying to send program changes from a DN MIDI track to the Parva (v0.70) but i get some strange behaviour. It seems like the bank in the MIDI track controls the bank, the sbank controls the program and the program does some weird shit and nothing starts to work untill i change the value.

I’ve tried to search for the Parva’s midi implementation for program changes but ive got no luck so far. Help?

PeterHanes · 2021-11-12T01:31:24.264Z

youmakeme:

Im trying to send program changes from a DN MIDI track to the Parva (v0.70) but i get some strange behaviour. It seems like the bank in the MIDI track controls the bank, the sbank controls the program and the program does some weird shit and nothing starts to work untill i change the value.

I’ve tried to search for the Parva’s midi implementation for program changes but ive got no luck so far.

The manual that seems to still be available on the Futuresonus website does not give information about the Parva’s response to Program Change messages:
https://futureson.us/parva/manual/

I recall a previous topic on Elektronauts where this aspect of the Parva was discussed:

Midi editing solution required Other Gear

Note that I made a typo in my previous response. OT can only send Bank Select LSB (CC 0). That seemingly does correspond with the Parva’s implementation but … This post on the Futuresonus forum makes it seem like there may not be a Program Change that corresponds to a Multi; you may have to enter Multi Mode and then send a Program Change to each program slot.

I infer from my post on that topic that you can use BANK (not SBNK) in conjunction with values of PROG on the DN to call up patches in Parva’s banks A to F, but that Program Changes to call up Multis might never have been implemented.

Perhaps a Parva owner like @Analogic can tell us more.

@youmakeme, can you tell us in a little more detail what happens with your setup; start by setting BANK and SBNK to ‘Off’ on the DN and describe what is happening in response to PROG changes only.

Analogic · 2021-11-12T17:18:13.475Z

I was working through a different program change idea with my Parva (see the thread Peter linked, it was about program change with multis), so I’m not sure if I can be too helpful but I’m happy to try things out on mine if you need. Maybe I’ll learn something! I’m more of a program change follow type user of program change, so some of the more advanced ways of doing things still confuse the heck out of me.

On the multis front, I can see the original Futuresonus forum thread with all the details has gone dark, so from memory I think there was something about the existing program change implementation being set up to, while in multi mode, change programs on a voice by voice basis. (I was looking for it to change on a multi by multi basis.) Brad talked about making a change that would remedy the behaviour (can’t recall exactly) but this conversation was all after the 0.70 firmware release. I thought a simple fix might have been to assign banks A and B to multis instead of M and N.

youmakeme · 2021-11-12T17:51:49.286Z

Hey first of all thanks for the Reply!

If I recall correctly, in previous versions of the Parva firmware it worked like you say (BANK and PROG) but in this version SBNK seems to be the one selecting the correct program.

If i use PROG it seems to change program for a second and then reverts to the first program in the current bank. Maybe its a bug?

I tried monitoring the DN Midi out and it seems like it only starts sending BANK and SBANK messages after I put something in PROG. I also have a Blokas MidiHUB so maybe I could hack a solution…

Multi patches are located on Banks N and M and let you select a midi channel and voice alocation for each individual patch. Then you can send a program change message to each channel to change each patch individually.

PeterHanes · 2021-11-12T18:30:59.143Z

youmakeme:

If I recall correctly, in previous versions of the Parva firmware it worked like you say (BANK and PROG) but in this version SBNK seems to be the one selecting the correct program.

Perhaps the implementation was changed to something non-standard?

youmakeme:

If i use PROG it seems to change program for a second and then reverts to the first program in the current bank. Maybe its a bug?

Make sure that you are not sending Program Change messages whenever the DN’s pattern changes by disabling PROG CH SEND in the DN’s SETTINGS > MIDI CONFIG > SYNC menu.

youmakeme:

I tried monitoring the DN Midi out and it seems like it only starts sending BANK and SBANK messages after I put something in PROG.

That is expected behaviour for a MIDI device.