We're pleased to announce Discovery Pro 8.16, bringing a new analog oscillator engine, Polyphonic Aftertouch, Adaptive Filter Slope, advanced sequencer capabilities, and folder-based preset organization.
Discovery Pro is the ultimate virtual analog synthesizer and sampler with 4 layers, 12 oscillators, 20 filter types including Nord Lead 2, Moog, Oberheim SEM, and Phaser models, SFZ/WAV/SoundFont support, PADSynth re-synthesis, and Nord Lead 2 SysEx import/export.
What's New
New Analog Oscillator Engine: Brand new engine with warm analog modeled character and richer harmonic content, especially in the bass range. Real-time discontinuity correction for clean hard sync and FM synthesis. Classic engine available via per-bank global switch for backward compatibility.
Polyphonic Aftertouch: Per-voice pressure routing enabling individual note expression control and MPE-ready workflows.
Adaptive Filter Slope: Innovative filter slope switching with note and velocity matrix for dynamic filter character that responds to playing style. Adaptive slope support extended to SEM and Phaser filters with adaptive tap count (4/8/12 taps) for Phaser.
Per-Sample Parameter Smoothing: Smoothing applied to pulse width, oscillator mix, filter resonance, filter envelope amount, mod envelope amount, and wave osc level to eliminate zipper noise.
Gate and Mod Gate Sequencer Overhaul: Four independent playback modes per layer — Normal (resets on note-on), Trigger (continues from last position), Free Running (follows DAW transport), and One Shot (plays 32 steps once then stops). Custom Speed entry (0.1x–4.0x) for fine-grained tempo control. Step rotation via Shift+drag shifts all 32 steps left or right; Shift+Ctrl+drag rotates gate on/off bits while keeping articulation fixed.
Per-Sequencer Randomization Algorithms: Individual randomization algorithms for Gate and Mod sequencers — Oscillator Shape, Rhythmic (with 7 scale types, 6 chord progressions, 6 density patterns), and Sample and Hold. Retrig and note-off articulation included in gate randomization results.
Folder Support for Preset System: Presets can be organized into subfolders with Save to submenu (Root, existing folders, New Folder...) and folder-aware delete. Gate presets reorganized into subfolders.
Analog-Modeled Soft Limiter: Added to standalone output for clean limiting without harsh clipping. 5ms output fadeout on program change, bank change, and panic.
Hard Sync Correction: Improved hard sync quality and tightened PWM clamp.
Bypass Controls: Bypass toggle added to preset edit popups for LFO1, LFO2, Mod Envelope, Panning, Delay, and Gate. Expanded Bypass menu with modulation and group bypass controls.
Improvements: Consolidated oscillator menu with Analog Oscillators switch and clarified phase labels. Moved Adaptive Filter Slope and Auto Switch LP Filters to filter presets popup. LCD status display for CPU protection state. Flattened filter layout menu and reorganized filter listing items. Reworked Mod Gate mouse interactions and improved value dialog with input validation. Persistent last-opened effects tab via Skin.xml.
Bug Fixes: Fixed arp not stopping on gate note-off cell and removed click on arp retrigger. Fixed CPU protection oversampling persisting after project reload. Fixed gate sequencer issues with held keys and articulation state. Fixed Note Retrig Edit mode left-click cycling articulation correctly (None -> Retrig -> NoteOff).
This update is free for all 8.x customers. Discovery Pro is available for Windows, macOS (including Apple Silicon), and Linux in VST, VST3, AU, AAX, and standalone formats.
