How Synthstrom Made Deluge Immortal // Updates & Open Source Community Firmware 🔥

The ‪@SynthstromAudible‬ Deluge has been a long time favorite of mine and it was about time to revisit it and show you how far it´s come since I last featured it here. From hardware improvements to promising developments in open source firmware, the sky seems to be the limit!
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[@wook_one]

Thank you very much for highlighting the open source community ❤ Happy you like it!

[@MidlifeSynthesist]

The community devs are absolute legends for what they’ve accomplished and will continue doing! THANK YOU ALWAYS🔥

[@joeymc5272]

Yes dev teams amazing please dont stop keep going with it im drooling waiting for new feature firmware updates.

[@G00G00L]

No company like Synthstrom! The world would be a lot better place if everyone would be like these guys.

[@sieste]

Im happy to see a company making their firmware open-source. I really want Arturia to do the same for the Micro and MiniFreak

[@juliansvidal]

I wanna see Roland do it for the 404MKII

[@iamrocketray]

@@juliansvidal Never Going to Happen, not even IF hell freezes over!

[@fakshen1973]

They engineered the upgrade in a way that existing owners could get their machines upgraded. That's commendable. Also, opening up the firmware is a must for any hardware instrument these days. Your users have to buy your hardware. Allowing for 3rd party tweaks and rewrites can only help sales.

[@jaysilence3314]

Awesome! Please make a deep dive, or several deep dives, into the new community features!

[@MidlifeSynthesist]

Absolutely! I plan to keep posting updates as soon as more stuff comes out! See you there!

[@danieltx7066]

When the OLED version came out, I ordered it. When it arrived, my LED one went up on Reverb. That screen was the change I’d been hoping for for a long time. finally, meaningful filenames!

[@carstensorensen154]

Great video. As an early Deluge adopter, I can only agree entirely (and happy that mine now has an old, with the retro preserved on the "old screen souvenir badge" ;-)

[@MidlifeSynthesist]

Thank you my friend! Always great hearing from you!❤️

[@alecsbuga]

16 levels of tuning: just map Velocity -> Pitch and unmap velocity from volume :)

[@MidlifeSynthesist]

THANK YOU!

[@vazicus]

Thank you for this Video! Just upgraded from old screen to OLED. Looking forward to test new oss firmware! 🎉

[@MidlifeSynthesist]

Thanks so much for watching!!

[@bradfordmay]

Nailed it. The deluge does almost everything in a portable battery-powered format. Take it anywhere, do anything.

[@1wildrogue]

One of the best devices out there. Probably my favourite groove box to do live jams with. Great and concise video, as always!

[@LordWiggle]

Damn, now that I reach the point of almost completely understanding how everything works, after getting the OLED upgrade, I have to update and learn all the new epic features! Thanks for showing :)

[@elwhagen]

Loved my Deluge from start when I bought it used this spring, but there were some stuff that I really wish was different. And then, not only did Synthstrom do the amazing thing of releasing the source to the community, an amazing group of developers has fixed most of my complaints AND added a bunch of stuff. Just awesome time to be a Deluge owner, that is for sure. I’ll happily keep being a patron as long as they work this amazingly hard on the firmware.

[@danktle]

RESPECT!! Man, this thing truly is like nothing else out there. I bought mine back in 2018 and have absolutely no intent of getting rid of it. Seriously, this thing rivals a laptop with DAW if you're on a plane or riding in the car and just want to make some beats. Most apps on both Apple and Android fall short of where this thing can go...!

[@dzaxys4643]

Agreed the way it's so quick to play about with different sounds and effects whilst producing off the cuff music is unparalleled imo I just seem to make better stuff using it than I do with other gear

[@wendy161]

Dammit I think you just sold me on it lol😂. Brad Holland better hurry up and get that damn Dsp filter out for the S2400.

[@cardboardmusic]

You're very right, Sythstrom is really doing some good work. I've had my Deluge for quite some years, and all the new updates you mention are indeed very useful. However, although I think making the code open source is a good thing, I also think it's (as we say in the UK), a can of worms. If you look at the newly implemented ideas, it's mind boggling, a kind of 'I didn't know I needed this', until now. As an example, the strength and weakness of Linux is that it's open source, but it's become quite fragmented (rather than one super linux). Let's hope Synthstrom can keep the updates and ideas 'grouped' and organised.

[@GazRendar]

As always, thoughtful highlights in the video. Took awhile to get my retrofit, but the deluge is so much better with it. I'll be sure to watch your channel for more community open source developments in future videos!

[@SmallWorldBigThings]

OLED screen and going open source. Yep! It changed everything.

[@MidlifeSynthesist]

Indeed!! Thanks for watching!

[@videosarchive8058]

Great video! Would love to see another video on the use of clips for a workflow

[@AnahataNaad]

Synthstrom and the community is GODLIKE!

[@PinCaster60]

Completely agree. Kiwis know how to do a good synth! Had a blast with the Deluge back when I bought it years ago and still use it regularly (my unit has evolved two times, one with the 3.0 firmware optional layout cover -> added the qwerty keyboard and then with the OLED retrofit). Everything around Synthstrom is amazing... even the wait time for the shipping was impressive, about 3 - 4 days from New Zealand to Europe.

[@QuasorMusic]

Watched your original review and bought one. Got an oled one. Thanks for all you do. Looking forward to more content re this fun little machine.

[@seangoodvibes]

Thank you for this refreshing and informed review of the community firmware and its features ❤. Could you give your thoughts on the Automation View too 😊? Thank youuu

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

*Edited for clarity: *Elektron/Teenage Engineering Esque screens are the future. At one point I was considering working on a project to use smartphones as interfaces to devices like the Deluge - then they go and add an official one. How cool would that be though? Maybe have customizable animations per control for supported devices.

[@safa1one]

Dang I forgot about all the new cool features and learned about ones I didn't realize existed :D very cool thank you!

[@aquaticborealis4877]

Amazing device, amazing company

[@DesertNinjaX]

D@mnit man, I've been debating stepping up to my next piece of tech and have been eyeballing this.

[@MidlifeSynthesist]

🫣😜 Sorry for throttling the GAS! It’s just matured so well this thing❤️ definitely try one out if you can! Cheers!

[@mauchkimberly]

Dangit man! I'm here to learn and hear new interesting things about the Deluge, and I'm waaaay too early. *sigh*

[@MidlifeSynthesist]

Hope you had a chance to check it out now😜

[@mauchkimberly]

@@MidlifeSynthesist totally worth the revisit. I have always had my eye on this machine, but that screen was an impossibility. I'll be revisiting this machine in more detail now too. Thanks for the insights. :)

[@oaklandghosts0510]

easily my go-to piece of gear since I bought one. Even my DAW is getting lonely cuz I only wanna write on the deluge.

[@JGlassy]

Nice video! And IMHO in virtually every groovebox, I’m always struck by at the omission of bluetooth or a simple USB connection, to support one of the most ubiquitous devices on the planet: a USB or BT QUERTY keyboard…for quickly, efficiently entering or editing track, sample, project names, menu nav. via arrow keys etc. I know it “adds” a component out of the box, but I think the metadata improvement to workflows would be immense.

[@MidlifeSynthesist]

I agree! I do think the community devs might be able to add the keyboard at least, here’s hoping!! Thanks for watching my friend!

[@alamunez]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a QUERTY keyboard, for which language are they designed?

[@JGlassy]

My apologies: I meant QWERTY, the common layout for English (via ASCII) language typing. Some adaptations also exist for non-english languages. @@alamunez

[@luvinfunvan]

So amazing. I love these people ❤

[@MidlifeSynthesist]

Makes two of us👍🏼👍🏼

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

I hear some criticism of the Deluge effects but Ive always disagreed. To me they are really good and feel like any guardrails are completely removed so they are capable of really overriding/overdriving them.

[@johnp3298]

Hellz yeah, FOSS for the win!

[@FrancoisRougepullon]

Thank you very much for this video. I was wondering how you go on upgrading to the oled screen?

[@pintfetzer3461]

thanks for your nice vibe ,your nice editing ,view of things , i like it:)) how much did u pay for the update with the Oled?

[@laurencehayes2061]

I had my deluge retrofitted with the oled screen this summer in the UK. Cost about $150nz all in. Servuce was brilliant, it took a long time coming though- registered for the upgrade last year and waited about 8 months until they had an available slot.

[@alecsbuga]

I bought my 3rd one. Because of OLED and OpenSource firmware. The update really has a few nice features I actually requested (drum pads for instance)

[@SmallWorldBigThings]

And the new view for automation is gorgeous!

[@djbigpump]

Wow,awesome

[@ToastedGhost]

super cool tutorial, the screen update does that require send back to their base? Is this an extra cost… must be yes?

[@merovingio10101]

All these new features wold work with the numeric screen deluge?? ... bought mine just before the oled version was anounced, should upgrade?

[@dzaxys4643]

I love my deluge it's just a shame I have to spend time sleeping and eating I have been loving these new features and would download the nightly drops as soon they came out whenever I heard about improvements, when ever there has been issues during the process I have been amazed how quick the open source nerds (aka geniuses imo) get everything running smoothly and it is running smoothly Great video peace ✌️

[@dylsey83]

I'm curious how you feel about the Oxi One with its new firmware vs the Deluge and its recent improvements. It's hard to find video comparisons of these two out there.

[@iamrocketray]

Oxi 1 is just a sequencer, no synths, no sampler. I've got both and the Oxi just sits in its box, it needs selling to someone who will use it!

[@dylsey83]

@@iamrocketray since that comment, I’ve acquired an Oxi, a Deluge, a Tracker+, and a Play+. I’d say the Deluge is the most versatile and probably the best of the bunch, but each on has its own strengths. Honestly, the ability of the Deluge to have an excessive number of midi tracks is pretty nice to use as a master to control or as a master in/out/thru box for all of my gear from one device.

[@JH-qg5ho]

Nice video as usual. Now I am in full doubt again Deluge or Live 2 😅

[@Karamel437]

Hey.. I really love the deluge and the open source.. what nobody mentions is a problem: it just crashes too often - maybe it`s due to the c++ memory allocation ..I don`t know, but it`s really annoying.. I hope its getting less in the future.. The community built crazy things in it since a few months, it`s really amazing how many new things there are!

[@nathanbryers]

Oh yes I wouldn’t like my synth to fall asleep 😂 God it’s already my only listener - haha it has to pay attention 😅

[@dasczwo]

Wow. Applause. Still want one. Imagine hologram bringing out new algos for the microcosm…l

[@michaelmoog1]

hello mr midlife, first of all love your videos, you are NOT boring, never really go off track and stray away from the point of your initial topic. [very fucking rare, because most people do} my name is michael moog, I play live (kinda like DJ'ing) with a couple of Synthstrom deluges and a few other gadgets. I've created and remixed close to 400 tracks in these lil bastards, yet still trying to master the time stretching thingy, and they (Synthstrom) make it NOT easy to say the least. my friend DJ jonathan peters now does his sets with 2 elecktron Octatracks, and told me that when importing any audio into these machines, it automatically trats them like REX FILES, and automatically invisibly chops them up to act if they're being time stetched making it possible to change the tempo... but thats another story. I have a few questions for you, that I have yet to have clearly answered on synthstrom's community blogsand everywhere else I scour the universe looking for this answer. 1) have you ever imported stems?: (I have, full blown session stems, and yes it actually works) so basically I'm able to mix my stems live from one deluge to the other. 2) if so, have you figured out how to really lock them to the internal midi? because there is no UNIVERSAL default tempo like ie, ATOMIC CLOCKS each daw has slightly different measurements of tempo. which is why we are forced to use EXTERNAL CLOCKS... but again, thats another story. 3) if so again, have you figured a way to time stretch and ENTIRE STEM (say each pass of a stem is 3 minutes) I am beyond DESPERATE to figure this out, I am starting to get real gigs, (people are flipping the fuck out over seeing me play these boxes live) and I really need to get a grip on this. I keep trying to hit the people at synthstrom to no avail. just wondering if you, or anyone, or a friend of a friend of someone, anyone on earth can answer my question and help me resolve this. I would say that I'm probably at 6% of knowledge of what this box is capable of.... and now here come ALL THE OPEN SOURSE craziness!!!!!! thank you for getting this far in my message, if you haven't already ran away from reading this. warm regards, mOOG!!! you can see a few snippets of me using this thing from my last gig at ADE on my IG page @michaelmoog

[@michaelmoog1]

sorry, automatically TREAT them like REX FILES... RE: jonathan peters

[@xisotopex]

I am on the list for the new oled and I still havent sent it off, probably lost my spot by now...

[@totalSLACK]

if i buy a Deluge on secondhand market with the old display, what are my options to upgrade to the OLED display?

[@iamrocketray]

You send it away and it comes back oled about $150 NZ. I bought 2nd hand from Reverb, I didn't have much money BUT the cheapest one had the oled screen. 3 O Clock in the morning and I couldn't get my credit card out quick enough. When it arrived, not a mark on it. Been lusting after a deluge since seeing an article in 2016 from some music exhibition, finally got one that's so much better than the original. I can die happy now🤣

[@totalSLACK]

@@iamrocketray i just found one with the number screen SO cheap on reverb, and it came in today! the first thing I made sounds so goofy, I can't wait til I know how to properly program it! I really got it to use as a midi sequencer for a ton of synths, but I haven't even got to that yet, still messing with the internal sounds and getting used to sequencing... huge learning curve

[@krazywabbit]

⛽️⛽️⛽️⛽️

[@Ryannaut_g]

Cool

[@ILLUDIUM_Q_36]

Do I need the old to use this firmware or do they have a version for the old screen users?

[@MidlifeSynthesist]

All screen/hardware versions support the new firmware as of this date👍🏼 I would recommend sending it over to Synthstrom for the upgraded screen so you can get the full blown experience though! Cheers and thanks for watching!

[@ILLUDIUM_Q_36]

@@MidlifeSynthesist thought about it. I was one of the first people to put a deposit on the new screens when first announced. I just could never bring myself to send it in.

[@spacelung]

@@ILLUDIUM_Q_36 Do it! I sent it in and it literally shipped to them and back in two weeks top. Twas good as new!

[@RandoCalglitchian]

The screen definitely looks like a nice upgrade, however there is one issue and that is that OLED screens are actually incredibly fragile, and there is a crazy amount of different ones that talk to the rest of the hardware in wildly different ways. I suspect machines that kept their original segmented displays are going to far outlive the retrofitted ones. One of my major issues with new gear is these little OLED screens, it will almost certainly be the first component to break over time.There is not going to really be a good chance of you being able to get spare parts 10 years from now unless you were lucky and the manufacturer of your device picked a screen that happened to become a future standard. Fred from Fred's Lab has specifically called this out as the reason for why he went with an older style LCD screen on the Manatee, these are standardized and many manufacturers make interchangeable components. And then back to your complaint about the display going to sleep, this is likely intended as a longevity feature of the display, since OLED screens burn out (not in). Ideally you should also be able to lower the brightness as well. So it's great to see this kind of innovation and support from a manufacturer, but there's a risk they lowered the longevity of the machine, trading it for usability. Which could be just fine of course, no point in having this thing live in your closet for 25 years if you're not going to use it. And having open source firmware probably sidesteps at least some of these issues in the future.

[@mdeerocks6792]

While the concept of Deluge is incredible and the sequencer is great, the sound engine is at best mediocre. It doesn't sound good on it's own. The "unlimited" tracks are in reality very limited, it will very quickly start to choke and glitch if you use just a couple o multisampled tracks and effects. I think Synthstorm decided to move on, hence open source, they didn't want to "abandon" the hardware. There was zero official updates for almost a year, except community mods, which, as commendable and brilliant some of them are, can get very unstable, clunky to use and load the weak CPU even more. For me the announcement of going opensource was an announcement of EoL I really like Deluge and hope Synthstrom comes up with 2.0.

[@iamrocketray]

Not sure you're right, I see the oled screen as Synthstrom answering the community who have always listed the screen as the main shortcoming. And it's given the Deluge a new lease of life, and opening up the software means taking some of the strain off of Synthstrom doing everything themselves.

[@ToyKeeper]

Open-source is made of win.

[@ToyKeeper]

I may be a little biased since my entire career has been about free software, but... whenever a decent open-source solution exists for a given task, it tends to make everything else irrelevant.