@@undulations I'm returning mine, it's the coolest inexpensive hardware synth ever but playing with it a few days just reminded me how much I prefer VSTs. (I also make VSTs). Very useful and good video though. Thank you!
People, forget about the knobs ,it's a Kickstarter Synthesizer and made of plastic. I've been using mine since it came to my doorstep and not one knob has fallen off. Go buy it, if there are any left as it's a fun little sound machine. Thanks for this video too.
Nice video explaining things. I learned a few new things about it I can explore now. I feel you on the color coding, I did the same to mine but with blue white and black djtt endless encoder chroma caps, they fit this machine perfectly.... Keep the craft vids coming, I'm enjoying them
shizzledizzle052 That’s great to know about the chroma caps! I think I may actually have enough to do it. I bought some ages ago to glam up my Twister but then decided against it.
Thanks for sharing. I am tempted to get one of these synths and you are giving me a good impression of what it can do and how to tweak the dials to get the sound that is wanted. I like how you showed the manual. It showed me that there is a virtual analog section and therefore has some functional overlap with the Skulpt (which has the advantage of being polyphonic rather than monophonic). This is important for me as I am evaluating whether or not I want to go one of these synths.
scott sturgis Yeah, it is pretty different, but I have really started to like the workflow a lot. If you are curious, the manual it nice - terse with details. In some ways it reminds me of the Kastle synthesis options - but 16 types in this case.
I think concerns about "wobbly knobs" are misdirected. I have two of these (Kickstarter deal, one to be a present) and the encoders aren't "wobbly" like cheap pot's. Sure, if you push them hard off-axis there's a bit of flex on their axles. But in actual use they are precise and smooth, look at the graphs on the app ... as Heath says, you don't think about it because it's not an issue ... the Skulpt is a similar piece of quality kit
I have watched a few CraftSynth2 videos and this is by far the most helpful. One question that I do have is that near the end of the video you are saving your own presets on Bank 8 - does this mean your are overwriting what is already bank 8 . sorry a bit of a dumb question!?
David Smith No, not dumb at all. I figured it would be like 4 banks of factory presets and 4 empty ones - but it’s fully loaded. I assume you can get them back somehow, maybe in the app? So I just picked the last bank. ps Kind of a blooper in the video. I had to SWITCH to bank 8 for the other sounds i made because I actually saved the pad into bank 1. This doesn’t match the first part of the video, where i am working in bank 8 - all because midway through the video I accidentally loaded a different preset and the patch i recorded on video was lost - I was easily able to re-do it and keep shooting but did it in the wrong bank...
Does yours still work with the Modal app? Mine did years ago but re-download the app and it crashes constantly. Company was sold, website is still up, can still download Modal app, but I'm wondering if the liquidators turned off some server that the app needs to phone home to? Would make sense. I can change the presets with it when hooked up to the app via my desktop, but crashes in about a minute and can't close it with CTRl ALT DEL. Takes full computer reboot to use it again for about a minute, then it crashes. I really wish that company would open source their stuff on the way out the door, but maybe filing for bankruptcy forbids that in UK? Probably would in US. It's "property" the liquidator can sell to pay people the company owes money to.
I really want to buy one but I’m worried about the wobbly knobs what is your opinion on the knobs. I’ve discovered there is a fix from a friend who used to work for Mackie New Zealand and they used to use electronics spacers (plastic eletoincs tube) or nylon shoulder washers inserted over the shaft and into the small hole to provide stabilization what do you think of this method do you think it’s necessary. Oh, can this be controlled directly with a MIDI keyboard or do you need a pc mac or tablet. Any help would be appreciated thank you very much I’ve tried asking a lot of people but I haven’t had a lot of replies so hopefully I’ll hear from you thank you for your educational inspirational videos they have taught me very much. Just thought id say hi from New Zealand my name is Heath, I Use music to combat health conditions, best medicine.
Heath Wiseman Well, I certainly get the concern, but after looking closely at it I feel like it’s okay. I pulled various knobs off, wiggled the encoder shafts, tried putting on other knobs, etc. A couple of findings: 1) It looks to me like the actual encoder mechanisms are mounted rock-solid to whatever board or surface they attach to. The wiggle seems to be a part of the encoder design itself; I assume that some sort of looseness to the shaft fit is desirable for wear or otherwise, but don’t know for sure. 2) The “shoulder” on the encoder shaft is above the synth deck, so other knobs that I have (DJTT Chroma Caps, a spare SP 404-sx knob) sit higher above the deck. The included knobs have a recessed “shelf” so the knobs can actually go closer to the deck. I guess you could put some vinyl washers or such under each knob and they would be less wobbly, maybe glue washer to knob? But I haven’t really thought about any of this while I’ve been playing it. I even kind of think going knobless would be fine - sort of Volca style. Not sure I’ve really answered your question, but I guess my main takeaway is that it probably needs some sort of case if you are going to travel with it much. Nice to hear from you!
Heath Wiseman Oh, and about the midi keyboard - it depends on what you have. If you have an Arturia Keystep or some other keyboard with midi out then it will hook right into the craft synth 2. If you have a midi controller like maybe an Akai MPK Mark II then you need another couple of connecting pieces (midi host box and midi cable). Glad you like the videos - best wishes to you and enjoy your music.
@@undulations Case-wise, mine came in rather beautifully moulded semi-rigid zip-up case ... excellent travel protection. I have plugged in a Keystep, a QuNexus (VERY small portable like the synth) and a Linnstrument (Kenton or KMI box and MIDI cable as you say) and sequenced it from a Squarp Pyramid ...
Toby B Always happy to hear when stuff works! Keystep is such a trusty piece of gear. I will check out the QuNexus. The app on iOS has been relatively straightforward, and it allowed easy hookup of Korg NanoKey2 directly into a usb hub. Will show this and other connectivity in upcoming video. I am envious of your case - I have a small Pelican case that might do the trick, idk. Thanks for sharing your findings here!
WILLIAM DANIEL AGÜERO GARCÍA I feel like it makes 100% sense! The sounds on the CS2 are really pretty and diverse. Monophonic, so I think the Keys is a nice companion to it for chords, etc. BUT, they also really work well together. You can go all-batteries for one thing, so very portable. You can sync them, so the arps and sequences work nicely together, keep time. AND the CS2 has 5 pin midi out, so one standard midi cable lets you play arpeggios on the CS2 that get relayed to the Keys. That said, I just spent like 20 minutes playing around with them together - thanks for the idea! - and they also sound great unsynced, unconnected. So, maybe a sequence on the Keys and some slower backing sounds on the CS2 (or you could do the opposite). Last thought, you can even get percussion sounds out of the CS2, so that would be another form of support for the Keys. Good luck with it if you go that route, and thanks for watching👍🏻!
READY2fly I would emphatically say YES! In some ways, my plan to plow forward and study the app is just sort of a completionist viewpoint - I want to show all the major aspects. But for really using it? I have been thinking more about maybe hooking up the Keystep or SQ-1 and certainly syncing it up with Volca and/or Pocket Operators. I picked up a midi keyboard at the thrift shop that can send CC, so that could be cool too. Or maybe just use it with some headphones, because I have really enjoyed the sound design directly on the device - maybe sample some of the sounds? I haven’t really covered the scales or sequencer at all yet, a lot of musicality in it too. May change my mind once I have delved into the app more, but I feel like it’s quite solid on its own.
@@undulations ok so it is useful outside of the software realm... i do have a po-33 to sample into and i also do love the price point i just dont want to be confined to another software
READY2fly Understood. I will make sure to talk in the third video about what the app really brings to the table. ps the manual might also be helpful in your decision-making process (it’s on their website).
3:24 Navigate presets. First video out of 8 I watched on this synth that showed it. Time stamp for me as much as for everyone else.
Thanks for checking out the video and making this note🙏🏼. I still love the sounds and style of this synth.
@@undulations I'm returning mine, it's the coolest inexpensive hardware synth ever but playing with it a few days just reminded me how much I prefer VSTs. (I also make VSTs).
Very useful and good video though. Thank you!
@@BipTunia_Microtonal_Cats Understood. Making VSTs sounds very cool👍🏻!
The colour coding is such a good idea. Thanks 😊
Thanks for checking it out!
Wow...I just got this little synth but didn't know it was soooo deep
Thanks for a clear demo on what can be done!
Absolutely, thanks for checking out the video🙏!
People, forget about the knobs ,it's a Kickstarter Synthesizer and made of plastic. I've been using mine since it came to my doorstep and not one knob has fallen off. Go buy it, if there are any left as it's a fun little sound machine. Thanks for this video too.
Eleni Eliades Agreed👍🏻!
ps you’re welcome!
Thanks to your time making this video about this great synth !
Absolutely! Thanks very much for watching!
Brilliant thanks for sharing. Really informative and your final track and video is really inspiring. 👍
Nigel Rogers Thank you very much for the feedback! It’s great to hear that it was helpful👍🏻!
Nice video explaining things. I learned a few new things about it I can explore now. I feel you on the color coding, I did the same to mine but with blue white and black djtt endless encoder chroma caps, they fit this machine perfectly.... Keep the craft vids coming, I'm enjoying them
shizzledizzle052 That’s great to know about the chroma caps! I think I may actually have enough to do it. I bought some ages ago to glam up my Twister but then decided against it.
Thanks for sharing. I am tempted to get one of these synths and you are giving me a good impression of what it can do and how to tweak the dials to get the sound that is wanted. I like how you showed the manual. It showed me that there is a virtual analog section and therefore has some functional overlap with the Skulpt (which has the advantage of being polyphonic rather than monophonic). This is important for me as I am evaluating whether or not I want to go one of these synths.
Raku777 Glad you found it helpful! Thanks for watching👍🏻
Thanks for taking the time to do this one. It's still a bit confusing to me, though. heh...
scott sturgis Yeah, it is pretty different, but I have really started to like the workflow a lot. If you are curious, the manual it nice - terse with details. In some ways it reminds me of the Kastle synthesis options - but 16 types in this case.
@@undulations It does sound pretty nice for what it is.
scott sturgis agreed!
Totally agree
I think concerns about "wobbly knobs" are misdirected. I have two of these (Kickstarter deal, one to be a present) and the encoders aren't "wobbly" like cheap pot's. Sure, if you push them hard off-axis there's a bit of flex on their axles. But in actual use they are precise and smooth, look at the graphs on the app ... as Heath says, you don't think about it because it's not an issue ... the Skulpt is a similar piece of quality kit
Toby B thanks Toby 😃
Just got my craft synth 2 and their sculpt synth
Awesome, that's very exciting! I'm still quite pleased with the CS2. Was just recently thinking about using it for a project.
with all the configurations and parameters available on this synth i might be in my eighties even before really playing the thing!! ha,ha!
yes! there is a ton going on with it! so much power coming from the LFO's and envelope modulation. can kind of control anything with anything.
This guy didn't know this new herb was so strong
I have watched a few CraftSynth2 videos and this is by far the most helpful. One question that I do have is that near the end of the video you are saving your own presets on Bank 8 - does this mean your are overwriting what is already bank 8 . sorry a bit of a dumb question!?
David Smith No, not dumb at all. I figured it would be like 4 banks of factory presets and 4 empty ones - but it’s fully loaded. I assume you can get them back somehow, maybe in the app? So I just picked the last bank. ps Kind of a blooper in the video. I had to SWITCH to bank 8 for the other sounds i made because I actually saved the pad into bank 1. This doesn’t match the first part of the video, where i am working in bank 8 - all because midway through the video I accidentally loaded a different preset and the patch i recorded on video was lost - I was easily able to re-do it and keep shooting but did it in the wrong bank...
@@undulations Thanks for confirmation - I do need to get a connector/adapter at some point to start playing around with the app.
Does yours still work with the Modal app? Mine did years ago but re-download the app and it crashes constantly. Company was sold, website is still up, can still download Modal app, but I'm wondering if the liquidators turned off some server that the app needs to phone home to? Would make sense.
I can change the presets with it when hooked up to the app via my desktop, but crashes in about a minute and can't close it with CTRl ALT DEL. Takes full computer reboot to use it again for about a minute, then it crashes.
I really wish that company would open source their stuff on the way out the door, but maybe filing for bankruptcy forbids that in UK? Probably would in US. It's "property" the liquidator can sell to pay people the company owes money to.
Just got this synth and it's great but the knob layout makes zero sense. Going to color code like this. Get on it Modal.
Thanks for checking out the video🙏🏼!
I really want to buy one but I’m worried about the wobbly knobs what is your opinion on the knobs. I’ve discovered there is a fix from a friend who used to work for Mackie New Zealand and they used to use electronics spacers (plastic eletoincs tube) or nylon shoulder washers inserted over the shaft and into the small hole to provide stabilization what do you think of this method do you think it’s necessary. Oh, can this be controlled directly with a MIDI keyboard or do you need a pc mac or tablet. Any help would be appreciated thank you very much I’ve tried asking a lot of people but I haven’t had a lot of replies so hopefully I’ll hear from you thank you for your educational inspirational videos they have taught me very much. Just thought id say hi from New Zealand my name is Heath, I Use music to combat health conditions, best medicine.
Heath Wiseman Well, I certainly get the concern, but after looking closely at it I feel like it’s okay. I pulled various knobs off, wiggled the encoder shafts, tried putting on other knobs, etc. A couple of findings: 1) It looks to me like the actual encoder mechanisms are mounted rock-solid to whatever board or surface they attach to. The wiggle seems to be a part of the encoder design itself; I assume that some sort of looseness to the shaft fit is desirable for wear or otherwise, but don’t know for sure. 2) The “shoulder” on the encoder shaft is above the synth deck, so other knobs that I have (DJTT Chroma Caps, a spare SP 404-sx knob) sit higher above the deck. The included knobs have a recessed “shelf” so the knobs can actually go closer to the deck. I guess you could put some vinyl washers or such under each knob and they would be less wobbly, maybe glue washer to knob? But I haven’t really thought about any of this while I’ve been playing it. I even kind of think going knobless would be fine - sort of Volca style. Not sure I’ve really answered your question, but I guess my main takeaway is that it probably needs some sort of case if you are going to travel with it much. Nice to hear from you!
Heath Wiseman Oh, and about the midi keyboard - it depends on what you have. If you have an Arturia Keystep or some other keyboard with midi out then it will hook right into the craft synth 2. If you have a midi controller like maybe an Akai MPK Mark II then you need another couple of connecting pieces (midi host box and midi cable). Glad you like the videos - best wishes to you and enjoy your music.
@@undulations Case-wise, mine came in rather beautifully moulded semi-rigid zip-up case ... excellent travel protection. I have plugged in a Keystep, a QuNexus (VERY small portable like the synth) and a Linnstrument (Kenton or KMI box and MIDI cable as you say) and sequenced it from a Squarp Pyramid ...
Toby B Always happy to hear when stuff works! Keystep is such a trusty piece of gear. I will check out the QuNexus. The app on iOS has been relatively straightforward, and it allowed easy hookup of Korg NanoKey2 directly into a usb hub. Will show this and other connectivity in upcoming video. I am envious of your case - I have a small Pelican case that might do the trick, idk. Thanks for sharing your findings here!
@@undulations The case will be available separately in about 6 weeks - priced circa $20
does it make any sense to buy this if i already have a korg volca keys? Do they make different noises? haha will they work great together?
WILLIAM DANIEL AGÜERO GARCÍA I feel like it makes 100% sense! The sounds on the CS2 are really pretty and diverse. Monophonic, so I think the Keys is a nice companion to it for chords, etc. BUT, they also really work well together. You can go all-batteries for one thing, so very portable. You can sync them, so the arps and sequences work nicely together, keep time. AND the CS2 has 5 pin midi out, so one standard midi cable lets you play arpeggios on the CS2 that get relayed to the Keys. That said, I just spent like 20 minutes playing around with them together - thanks for the idea! - and they also sound great unsynced, unconnected. So, maybe a sequence on the Keys and some slower backing sounds on the CS2 (or you could do the opposite). Last thought, you can even get percussion sounds out of the CS2, so that would be another form of support for the Keys. Good luck with it if you go that route, and thanks for watching👍🏻!
@@undulations Thanks a lot!
is it worth using if you do not plan on linking it with the software side of things??
READY2fly I would emphatically say YES! In some ways, my plan to plow forward and study the app is just sort of a completionist viewpoint - I want to show all the major aspects. But for really using it? I have been thinking more about maybe hooking up the Keystep or SQ-1 and certainly syncing it up with Volca and/or Pocket Operators. I picked up a midi keyboard at the thrift shop that can send CC, so that could be cool too. Or maybe just use it with some headphones, because I have really enjoyed the sound design directly on the device - maybe sample some of the sounds? I haven’t really covered the scales or sequencer at all yet, a lot of musicality in it too. May change my mind once I have delved into the app more, but I feel like it’s quite solid on its own.
@@undulations ok so it is useful outside of the software realm... i do have a po-33 to sample into and i also do love the price point i just dont want to be confined to another software
READY2fly Understood. I will make sure to talk in the third video about what the app really brings to the table. ps the manual might also be helpful in your decision-making process (it’s on their website).
Much thanks huge fan keep me coming