Revisiting the Futuresonus Parva

We're revisiting the Futuresonus Parva after last playing with it almost 3 years ago. The firmware for the OS and the voice cards has been updated a few times since then, and now at v0.7, it appears (according to some feedback from forums) it might not be getting any more updates.
I like the way it sounds quite a bit, and the intent of this video was to highlight how good it can sound, but it's far from a smooth operating, problem-free synth. There are still some common problems multiple units still have, and then individual units seem to suffer from varying problems too. I'm pretty lucky that mine operates fairly well under basic operating conditions. With a great mod matrix, lots of source and destination modulations, 4 LFOs, and 4 envelopes (all 4 assignable to whatever mod), it's also fairly programmable (the menu diving doesn't slow it down too much). Add to that, it's MPE-capable, so it's pretty playable too (as long as all your voice cards are working fairly well).
You'll hear over the course of the video, the oscillators or filters started adding a slight buzz beyond the normal over driving of the filter. Though that slight additional buzz can sound cool under some circumstances, it's better to be able to control when that happens. Usually doing a reboot of Parva and calibrating the filters fixes any problems like that, that can develop. There's no excessive buzzing during the filter sweeps in the video because that was recorded the following day, after I had powered the Parva off and on.
As mentioned in the video, supposedly Brad (the creator of the Parva) has moved on to other projects, which is unfortunate. It would have been great if similar to how the Exodus Valkyrie synth was adopted by Waldorf (and rebranded Kyra), the Parva had been picked up by a more established company and supported/developed into a full-up, finished product. Hopefully whatever new project he's involved with will be able pick up where this left off.
I had a blast programming it the last week, so if I come up with even more interesting patches or if there IS another firmware update, I'll likely do another video.
Oh yeah...the opening ProckGnosis theme (in 12/8) was recorded only with the Parva and some Reason Drums.
Some Links with More Info
-------------------------------------------
The manual:
futureson.us/p...
Playing the Parva with a Linnstrument
• Futuresonus Parva anal...
• Futuresonus Parva & Li...

[@pupation]

Thanks for coming back to the Parva. I came very close to pulling the trigger on one of these, but the reported problems, lack of support, and lack of good sounding demos scared me off. There are too many good alternatives for the price. Still, you make it sound very good. I think you’re right; it excels at pads.

[@ProckGnosis]

No problem...I think it was worth coming back to. It was ALMOST a great synth, but its greatness was lessened by quality problems and other, more dependable-but-not-too-expensive options released just after this (Korg Minilogue, DeepMind, etc) . If I didn't have this one, and I could find one that works as well as this, I'd consider laying out $400 for a used one, but probably not much more than that.

[@TurnerXei]

Thanks for posting this. I ended up picking up one of these used earlier this year and it would have been nice to have your video back then. I don't know that I'd give it up because I don't know anything like it, but also don't know if I can recommend anyone buy it either. It's really compact for 8 analog voices. 3 oscillators plus noise. 4 ENVs, 4 LFOs, 16 slot mod matrix. A multimode filter that can be overdriven. MPE and multitimbral support. I mean that's a great setup. It's pretty easy to use and very nice looking. Each voice is panned on each individual output on the back not just the main outs! Of course it can do pads with all those oscillators and modulations, but it can do pretty descent retro basses as well. The USB host mode is great too, only a single cable needed to both power and control from a Linnstrument or any other standard controller. It has a decent amount of room for patches and they load quickly. I find that the envelopes aren't snappy enough for me and also their curve is weird, in neither linear nor exponential modes do I feel like I'm able to replicate the volume and filter curves on other synths which means making drum sounds is less flexible than it should be with all the sound sources and modulations available. It's a bummer there's no way to use even OSC3 as a modulation source, even though the LFOs do go into low audio rate for basic FM. While it's easy to use, having to hold the button to go "back" means it slows down programming anything that isn't front-panel accessible. The A and B knobs are used inconsistently for the main menu so I'm always having to guess if it's click A to dive in and change with A or spin B to change value. I also get stuck notes sometimes, where a voice's VCA will not close fully until it gets activated again. Worth noting, Brad (the creator) is saying he's actually looking to do another run of the Parva for 2020. Hopefully with some hardware and software revisions.

[@ProckGnosis]

Yeah, I think we've had fairly similar experiences with the Parva. Feel exactly the same way where I want to keep it, but I'm not sure I would recommend it to anyone to buy used (especially as different units seem to randomly have different problems). Despite some of the less user-friendly aspects, I got fairly used to the interface when I went through my 2 weeks of just programming patches and sound design, and for the most part, I really enjoyed diving into it. So much so, that when I read other synth specs now and see that something only has 2 LFOs or 3 envelopes, I think it comes up short in comparison. Would LOVE if Brad comes up with a "new and improved" Parva, but given the problematic time line with this last one, I admit I'm a little pessimistic about when or if that will happen.

[@TurnerXei]

@@ProckGnosis yeah I'm not holding my breath for a new run. Wishful thinking probably on his part too. I just did a couple of days of Jamuary with it (on Instagram not KZbin) and the second day with it I did a bunch of drum sounds as well as the bass line and it is incredibly finicky. Percussive sounds require precision and it just doesn't have it, so I had to tweak the values after a reboot and even then they tended to glitch and drift out of their sweet spots.

[@MIDERA]

I just have to say that this thing has got one of the best filters I've ever heard on a synth... I think it sounds better than the Prophet 5/10 filters, Polysix filters, and maybe equal to the Juno 6 filters. The way that the filters saturate with the oscillators is just really nice.

[@ProckGnosis]

Fully agree. Problem is I'm not sure that's intentional or a defect specific to my unit. It does seem to be more prominent the longer I play it (the longer it's powered up).

[@fjfrancois]

Wow the opening music sounds awesome, nice emulation of a string machine by the Parva. 😊

[@ProckGnosis]

Merci Francois! The Parva does sound great, but the Chinelle BBD chorus (www.jiggery-pokery.com/jp_re/chenille.html) really helps nail that string machine chorus. Wish I could find something like that in hardware.

[@robertsyrett1992]

Nice keyboard vamping as always, always nice when the demo goes into concert mode. I'm glad we get to revisit this beautiful little synth and that you got under the hood at the end. Do you think it's a keeper or are you about to trade it in for a Hydrasynth?

[@ProckGnosis]

Thanks. Yeah, I'll definitely keep it. I consider it sunk costs, and I like the sound too much and the programming options are great. As many small problems as it still has, I'm not sure I would pay more than $500-600 for one used though. I'll probably end up getting a Minilogue XD module at some point, and even if I chained 2 of those together to get 8 voices, they're just not as flexible for programming as this thing is.

[@ProckGnosis]

Regarding the Hydrasynth, I am impressed (it also offers boatloads of programmable control) and happy to see someone doing their own thing like that...and man did that release seem to come out of nowhere. BUT, I'm trying to scale back on gear acquisition right now and more thoroughly learn and utilize what I have, so I doubt I'll be picking one up.

[@robertsyrett1992]

@@ProckGnosis Minilogue xD sounds great! I am curious how the Parva can be more programmable though since there is that third oscillator you can literally write your own code for. I can definitely relate to needing to keep the GAS down.

[@ProckGnosis]

@@robertsyrett1992 Definitely agree that XD third oscillator opens up sonic doors, but there are just more options for modulation with the rest of the Parva: for shaping the core sound, the XD has 1 LFO, Parva has 4. The XD has 2 envelopes, the Parva has 4. The XD has 1 LP filter. Parva has the multimode (LP, HP, BP) filter. With the Parva's mod matrix, there are just a LOT more parameters you can program to affect the pitch, the wave shape, the filter, the resonance, and even other mods (like the envelope attack or release time) etc. That's not knocking the XD...I still think it sounds great. It just won't let you modulate as much stuff, despite the very cool digital oscillator. I was a bit bummed when I learned the XD was like the Prologue, with only one LFO and one filter.

[@Heathcliff_hensel]

Its a nice sounding synth i think it would have been more popular if it had not come out at the exact same time as the minilogue.

[@robertsyrett1992]

LOL, it's actually crazy how much this sounds like a minilogue with a touch more driven filters. The power of suggestion is a funny thing. Although I should clarify I like the sound of the minilogue and view the comparison favorably.

[@ProckGnosis]

It was actually released a good year before the Minilogue, but it was buggy as heck. Had it not taken another 2-3 years past the release to get it working fairly solidly, and had he been able to produce in larger quantities, yeah, it would have been quite successful, I think. Like I said in the "SHOW MORE" notes above, I wish he'd been able to get the interest of a larger company with more production capacity to help make it a reality. It was a great idea for a great sounding synth...it just needed a different approach for the development and production.

[@Heathcliff_hensel]

ProckGnosis oh yeah your right.

[@MarcWeertsMusic]

Really love the sound - great demo video! Pity about the stability issues though that you mention...

[@ProckGnosis]

Good...the sound is what I wanted to highlight. Yeah, fortunately I can mostly work around most of the issues, otherwise I'd be really bummed about the investment. GREAT job on your last 2 pieces btw..."Unspoken" and "Unclear"...you REALLY need to do some soundtrack work. Are you selling the tunes anyplace? You should.

[@MarcWeertsMusic]

ProckGnosis : thank you very much, that means a lot! Not planning to sell stuff for now... Tbh I find it more liberating to produce stuff without thinking of commercial value (I tend to get overly perfectionist in that mode...). Mind you, wouldn’t say no if someone was interested in using the music. 😊

[@ProckGnosis]

@@MarcWeertsMusic Fully understand. Similar reason for why I haven't monetized the channel. When it becomes work instead of something you just enjoy doing, it loses something personal I think.

[@MarcWeertsMusic]

ProckGnosis : true - plus yt is getting really aggressive with their advertising and I'd hate to have my tracks interrupted. There's a lot of channels that get their money through Patreon though which I think is a way better solution. Of course, with the amount of subscribers I have, monitization is academic anyway. 😄

[@chriskelvin248]

This machine deserves a better fate. And to my eyes, the best industrial design aesthetic of any synthesizer. It is clean, Nordic design personified. Yes, I know it comes from TX, lol...funny that.

[@ProckGnosis]

Yeah, I say it all over the place...it's a bummer this didn't get to really fly as a product. I'm just hoping Brad (the guy who designed and sold it) is busy investing some "lessons learned" into whatever he's working on next. And you're right...if IKEA designed and sold a synth, it might look like this.

[@astrogerry]

Very nice job !!! You deserve a big like !!!

[@ProckGnosis]

Mille grazie!

[@beatnikcafe]

Are any of the firmware or bug issues something that would be troublesome during a live performance? Meaning, does it ever crash or freeze when changing settings or patches? Of course new user features and overall user friendliness is important the most important for me is the sound and reliability.

[@ProckGnosis]

Not that I discovered. Don't think I would do much "live" tweaking during a performance just for fear of that, though. If I stuck to my programmed patches, it would likely be fine. And as I said elsewhere, different units appeared to have slightly different problems.

[@dirtrobot]

How does the tuning hold up on yours? I find about every few months I need to manually tune my cards. Otherwise I have to say it's a pretty awesome synth, it sort of has a bunch of sweet spots all over the synth timeline. It can sound like an old moog, an ms20, an sh101, does oberheim style pads or more dissonant modern kind of stuff. I wish the square wave was cleaner at times and the resonance could be like 25% sweeter but otherwise, it's easy to program and the multitimbral mode actually works pretty darn well.

[@ProckGnosis]

Alright, a fellow user! I usually calibrate the DCOs every time I fire it up, so I haven't noticed any major tuning problems. That being said, since I did the v.07 firmware update, I've only played with it a dozen times or so, including really heavily the week before I did the video. Had fun creating most of the patches, and getting more comfortable with the workflow, but the thing still has some rough edges. I get some weird sound/noise artifacts, like in the video how the output became distorted a bit over time; a sometimes noticeable low-frequency click when a note is pressed or released; a low freq rumble on certain notes when I increase the filter with the mod wheel (as mentioned in the video, but not so easy to hear); and the saw waves losing amplitude the higher the note played. I've also noticed inconsistent behavior from the different voice cards...one or two have slightly lower level output than the rest, but fortunately it's not too extreme. Agree about the square wave. It's not quite as square-ish as I would like. If you notice the spectrum analyzer graphics for the square, the even harmonics are still fairly present, which shouldn't be the case for a good square wave. BUT, all that being said, it's still capable of producing some seriously cool sounds, which is what I wanted to show.

[@Emily_M81]

he's actually somewhat responsive on Facebook (even December 2019/early 2020 helping someone get their Parva up to 0.70. That gives me hope as mine is on .48 for the synth and .46 for my voice cards and the firmware updater is no longer downloadable from the site :( I have .7 for both on my MacBook but forgot to get the firmware updater lol. I had hopes for this when I got my 8-voice, and it's still good for what it is, I think. Definitely a bit of a sleeper that lost its steam before its time, imo.

[@ProckGnosis]

That's good to hear. I really hope he takes what he learned from this, and he gives it another shot. Ignoring production issues and bugs, design-wise, this thing is awesome, and it sounds great. Also hope you can get yours updated, and it works at least as well as mine does with the .70 update. That way you can still use it a bit.

[@Vasyanya3000]

@@ProckGnosis Hi! I also can't download the latest firmware from the official website. Brad doesn't fix it. Could you send me the firmware utility & 0.70 file by email, please?

[@MrDaigoRiki]

Brad seems to be working on another new synths and too busy for fixing the website and Parvautil. What a bummer.

[@ProckGnosis]

Fully agree. He put a lot of work into this. I would think he could have partnered up with someone to put the best parts of the Parva in a new synth and recouped some of the costs on this.

[@georgewoolf6300]

@@ProckGnosis Brad did just that, Isla Instruments new Caladan synth is being built on all the Parva work.

[@ProckGnosis]

@@georgewoolf6300 Yeah, I just learned that earlier last week. I'm happy to see some of the work carried on.

[@bluename4]

how would it compare to the "udo super 6"?

[@ProckGnosis]

It's not easy to make a 1-to-1 comparison between the two, but if the Parva didn't have any of the issues I pointed out in the video, sound-wise I think it would compete nicely. The Parva was a lot cheaper, it has 8 voice polyphony versus 12 (with the Udo), and the Parva didn't have a keyboard nor effects. I suspect the Parva offers more programming options, but of course the biggest advantage the Udo Super 6 will have is it's being made and supported when the Parva isn't.

[@struggleinprogress]

I would like to say that while Brad is moving on he told me he is still 100% behind supporting the Parva when owners run into any issues.

[@ProckGnosis]

Good to know and thanks for sharing. I'm not sure how he'll address (or if he can address) functionality issues that deal with programming, but some support is always better than none!

[@RabRabNZ]

@@ProckGnosis did he every address these issues at all? I am on the verge of trading for one but this video has me worried. Love your work , thanks!

[@ProckGnosis]

@@RabRabNZ Don't think so. Thought I'd heard even the Futuresonus website wasn't being managed anymore. Maybe Shawn has more encouraging info.

[@RabRabNZ]

I would love to find out. It's heartbreaking to pass by such a beautiful machine all because it was abandoned by its parents 😅 anyway thanks for everything you do, love your vids !

[@junglsmor]

i read this is multitimbral. is that true?

[@ProckGnosis]

Yes, it supposedly is, though I've never tested it on mine. Was mostly interested in big, polyphonic pads so I never tried a multitimbral set up. I'll give it a shot when I unpack and set it up.

[@dnch]

abandonvare huh.. sad

[@ProckGnosis]

Yeah...it was a great idea that just didn't get the follow-through it needed.