The crashes/sound outs are the most frustrating thing with the editor - if I make a mistake (unless I’m saving as I go) I’ve lost the patch. No bother right now but the better I get the more annoying that will be.
It is! It’s nothing like as academic as Kyma (from which it seems to have brought much). It’s mostly just a matter of understanding how to create the appropriate formula and put it into use. But that’s the trick, really - most of use are used to seeing direct connections between source and destination, not some algebraic mumbo-jumbo.
As far as I know you can tinker but without sound. I’m using the continuumini, which when not sound designing will be tethered to a Linnstrument.
Kyma is an itch I’d like to scratch one day… Another thing with a huge learning curve that’s worth the time/effort.
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Ah bonus- when the audio drops out I can save the patch and reload it as a working thing. That helps.
I’ve been using Kyma for nearly 20 years, but I am nowhere near as smart as the typical Kyma user, so I struggle. I don’t write code, and that limits me to some extent, but I can get a lot out of it by trying to work out the existing library of expressions. Mind you, you don’t need to write code to spend a lifetime making new stuff with Kyma, but it does open up new potential if you can.
My fascination with the Continuum goes back to the day when it was merely a Kyma controller and had no synth of its own.
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You see, I’m possibly quite a bit like you there - I’m more hands on normally than computer based stuff allows, though I’ll break that and put time into stuff where results are unique/worthwhile. I’m not at all a coder/computer type - quite the opposite really in that what I like most of all is modular stuff.
Occasionally though I’ll dive into something computer based if I can justify the time spent learning - the Haken approach is that, since modular aside my other love these days are expressive synthesis/controllers.
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As expressive controllers go, it’s hard to beat the Haken. I’ve never touched the Continuumini, but the halfsize Continuum was a life-changer for me.
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I can imagine! The mini is much more limited, in terms of surface area, polyphony and expression, but it’s useable. I much prefer the Linnstrument controlling it, though I’ve built a bit of experience with that now, so was always going to gravitate towards plugging that in to access the sound engine.
The proper continuum has always been a desire of mine, though I suspect that has passed me by now… this will do!
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Right, I’m done for the day with that - actually got further than I thought I would with it, which is promising.
Need to read up more on the directs I think, since they seem to solve my ‘why if I’ve routed that there aren’t I getting a sound’ conundrum. I’ll continue to rtfm…
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So I’m thinking of the directs (perhaps incorrectly) as additional formula inputs, which are conditional on the type of direct used. Eg if you’ve already programmed an oscillator to track to keyboard location (X) in the matrix and you want to add more controllable parameters, then you can put that in the direct part of the matrix - you could add an FM source here for example.
While initially very daunting, it’s not too steep a learning curve at this point… more a different way of doing things, without some of the tools we are used to doing things for us. (ADSR’s for example, which as scot_solida pointed out you don’t really need in this approach)
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And the highlighted parts of the formula in their display is useful for identifying what is controlling what - eg if you want to find where the y modulation is look at the formulas with y highlighted.
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Also I only had the one near deaf experience today.
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So much going on in this thing - I’ve got to the point where I’m somewhat confident with the basics, though I’m scratching the surface really given all the different options. There’s a life’s work in it.
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And take this with a pinch given my surface scratching, but think electro-accoustic/modelling type sounds are where the strengths lie - tend to think I’ll be using more traditional means for standard synth sounds, probably because I can’t get a filter to sound how I want yet!
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This is how I feel too. While the presets demonstrate that it is fully capable of traditional synth sounds, it almost feels (for me) a bit wasteful to use it for that sort of thing. If I want Continuum control over a synth sound, I’ll use the CVC. However, the Eaganmatrix’s acoustic/electro-acoustic patches practically beg to be played with the Continuum. I rarely (almost never) use synth presets, but some of the Continuum patches are so well-crafted that I can play them for hours. Still, they give me the inspiration to see what I might get out of my own pseudo-acoustic patches. Venusian orchestras and Cimmerian symphonies seem within reach. Eventually, anyway… 
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I’ve spent a large chunk of the last four or five years trying to make my synths to sound organic/accoustic so that leaning is welcome here.
There are a handful of those presets that are right up my street, though I’d like to bend them a little, just so they can be pushed from something accoustic sounding into something that’s clearly electronic/synthesised; that’s where the magic is!
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Accidentally ended up down this rabbit hole last night, while trying to set up a raspi to host/midi to the continuumini from the linnstrument I wish to control it with…
Im getting a feedback loop somewhere with the linnstrument/mini, though accidentally found the morph works fine. I’d need to change some of the bend scaling for it to work seamlessly with the thunder overlay set up I have, but think an innovators overlay is on the horizon… no brainer since I have the rest of the hardware.
Meanwhile I’ll try to troubleshoot the problems with the linn/mini. Wonder if I need to remove the midi out capability of the mini when not connected to the editor.
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Update time - so a friend got me set up using a raspi to pipe midi from whatever USB controller I plug into it - works seamlessly with the linnstrument and sensel morph (at the same time too - bonus!)
On the synth side there’s so much going on in this - it’s daunting, though there’s plenty of starting point gold in the presets; I’ve settled on finding the patches up my street, saving to the user slots and working to taste/making variations from there. I’d like to think I’ll go further but we’ll see… for now I need to refine what I have to taste.
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One thing I haven’t figured out yet, and I’m aware this probably isn’t the best place to ask, is how to assign and label the bespoke controllers. If anyone knows - and I’m looking directly at you Scott Solida - speak up!
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