discoDSP News

OB-Xd 3.22 and Bliss 1.14 released

We're pleased to announce updates to OB-Xd and Bliss, featuring expressive aftertouch on ordinary keyboards, full MPE for the Bliss sampler, automatic loop cue extraction, tracker module import, and a host of sample editor improvements.

OB-Xd 3.22

OB-Xd is a classic virtual analog synthesizer that recreates the Oberheim OB-X with enhancements like micro random detuning, polyphonic unison, and bi-directional MIDI control.

Version 3.22 brings expressive aftertouch to ordinary keyboards - no MPE required - with multi-destination routing, invertable response, and a Poly AT mode for per-finger controllers. Plus fixes for Windows HiDPI knob rendering and popup menu scaling.

What's New

Aftertouch for Non-MPE Keyboards: Channel pressure can drive any combination of Cutoff, Pulse Width, PW Offset (Osc2), Cross Modulation, Osc2 Detune, Pitch, Pan, and Amp simultaneously - the same destination set as MPE Y/Z. Depth and Mod Wheel Scaled controls let you set how far pressure pushes each destination, and optionally ride the amount from your mod wheel. Invert flips the response so pressure ducks the destination instead of boosting it - close the filter, pull pitch down, or duck amplitude as you press harder. Reads both mono channel pressure and polyphonic aftertouch - poly drives per-voice, mono fans out to all voices. Live LED previews on every routed destination. The Aftertouch menu appears only when MPE is off, so the two never conflict.
Poly AT Mode: Controllers like the ROLI Lightpad in Multi Channel mode - per-finger MIDI channel but no MPE handshake - now drive per-voice aftertouch. Channel pressure is re-routed to the last note played on that channel. Mutually exclusive with MPE - enabling Poly AT disables MPE and vice versa. Notes on any channel are accepted, with per-channel bend collapsing to the global wheel. The setting is saved per-instance and globally, so new instances inherit your last-used choice.
Windows HiDPI Knob Rendering: Knobs no longer render blank at 150%/200% display scaling - tall high-resolution filmstrips are now sliced past the Direct2D size limit.
Popup Menu Font Fix: Menu text no longer double-scales on high-DPI Windows displays.

This update is free for all OB-Xd 3.x customers. OB-Xd is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux in VST, VST3, AU, AAX, LV2, and Standalone formats, and Standalone and AUv3 for iOS.

Discovery Pro 8.20 released

We're pleased to announce Discovery Pro 8.20, bringing full MPE support with per-voice pressure, pitch bend, and Y (CC74) expression, independent Poly Aftertouch and MPE Mode toggles, real-time aftertouch and Y visualization on the status LEDs, plus Favorites pinned to every Programs popup.

Discovery Pro is a Nord Lead-style virtual analog you can put inside your DAW. Four layers, twelve oscillators, and 16 filter types including Nord Lead Zero Delay Feedback, Moog Ladder and Oberheim SEM. Full Nord Lead SysEx import/export keeps your existing patches working both ways.

Version 8.20 turns Discovery Pro into a fully expressive MPE instrument. Per-voice pressure, pitch bend and Y (CC74) flow independently through the engine, so you can bend, slide and brighten one finger while the rest of the chord holds still. Toggle between MPE and Poly Aftertouch from the Config menu, or let LinnStrument's RPN handshake (RP-053) switch MPE on automatically.

What's New

MPE Mode: per-bank toggle (Config menu and Edit > Swap) that enables per-voice channel routing for pressure, pitch bend, and CC74 (Y / Slide). Mutually exclusive with Poly Aftertouch.
Manager / Member Channel Split: pitch bend and channel pressure on the manager channel (MIDI ch 1) drive the global pitch wheel and global aftertouch, while member-channel traffic routes per-voice. Hybrid controllers like the Osmose CE work correctly out of the box.
MPE Pitch Bend Range: global setting (2 / 3 / 12 / 24 / 48 semitones, MPE-default 48) persisted in Config/MPE.xml.
MPE Configuration Message (RP-053) Auto-Detect: receiving the CC 100 / 101 / 6 RPN handshake (as sent by LinnStrument) automatically enables MPE Mode. Other controllers can be switched on from the Config menu.
MPE Y (CC74): drives the per-voice morph axis at full depth, so any knob with a sense delta responds independently per finger.
Poly Aftertouch: per-bank toggle restored as an independent option (Config menu and Edit > Swap) that gates 0xA0 reception. Mutually exclusive with MPE Mode - each greys the other out - and old presets that had Poly AT enabled light back up automatically.
Real-time Aftertouch Visualization: blue AT halo on the status LEDs follows live pressure, max across all active voices.
Real-time MPE Y Visualization: green sense LEDs follow live Y position, max across all active voices.
Bank Popup Menu: category submenus moved to the top for faster navigation.
Favorites Folder: a Favorites folder placed under Presets/Programs is now pinned to the top of every Programs popup (Programs, Randomize > Program, Randomize > Program from Disk, Disk Bank, and File > Export Program to Folder) with a separator beneath it.
Improved Aftertouch Edit: double-click in aftertouch edit mode now resets the AT depth back to zero (Cmd+double-click resets the knob's main value instead).
Right-click Parity: right-click is now accepted everywhere Shift+click is, so every alternate-click action works with either gesture - Assign LED, Panic, Layer ABCD, Split, Amp Limiter, Filter Distortion, Filter Type, Filter Model, Gate components, and Preset menu items.
Bug Fixes: File > Export Program to Folder now writes the .fxp file to the chosen subfolder as expected. Morph Assign LED and knobs stay in sync after Reset Bank, program switch, or MIDI CC 14, so knobs no longer behave as if morph is off while the LED shows it on.

This update is free for all 8.x customers. The Discovery Pro 7.x to 8.x upgrade offer ends today, June 1st, 2026. Discovery Pro is available for Windows, macOS (including Apple Silicon), and Linux in VST, VST3, AU, AAX, and standalone formats.

OB-Xd 3.21 released

We're pleased to announce OB-Xd 3.21, a major MPE expansion bringing multi-destination Y-axis routing, automatic controller configuration, a hardware-named preset library, live LED modulation previews, and full-range timbral sweeps.

OB-Xd is a classic virtual analog synthesizer that recreates the Oberheim OB-X with enhancements like micro random detuning, polyphonic unison, and bi-directional MIDI control.

Version 3.21 turns OB-Xd into a fully expressive MPE instrument. Plug in a LinnStrument, ROLI Seaboard, Sensel Morph or Haken Continuum and the plugin auto-configures from the controller - no menu work required. The default aftertouch behavior now aligns with Roger Linn's How to add MPE developer notes.

What's New

Multi-Destination Y-Axis (CC74): The Y axis can drive any combination of Pulse Width, PW Offset (Osc2), Cross Modulation, Osc2 Detune, Cutoff, Pitch, and Pan simultaneously. At 100% Y Depth a full Y excursion sweeps each destination across its full musical range. Factory default is Pulse Width + Cross Modulation - the timbral combination recommended for MPE because it changes how the wave sounds without affecting pitch or apparent volume. Old presets and global MIDI.xml entries auto-migrate to the equivalent single-destination bit.
Automatic Controller Configuration (RPN): Plugin auto-enables (or disables) MPE when the controller sends RPN 6, with NULL RPN guard. RPN 0 updates the per-note bend range to match the controller (commonly 48 semitones). Both Lower Zone (Ch 1 master) and Upper Zone (Ch 16 master, used by LinnStrument) are auto-detected. Switching a LinnStrument, ROLI Seaboard, Sensel Morph, etc. to MPE mode is enough - OB-Xd matches the controller without any menu work.
MPE Preset Library: Ships with hardware-named factory presets for LinnStrument, ROLI Seaboard RISE 2, ROLI Lightpad Block, Sensel Morph, Madrona Soundplane, KMI K-Board Pro 4, Embodme Erae II, Joue Pro, Artiphon Instrument 1, Haken Continuum, Expressive E Osmose, and discoDSP KeyPad - each with the correct bend range and Y-Rest convention. Native Save / Rename / Delete dialogs with a self-documenting filename suffix (e.g. My Patch (Range 48 - X to Pitch - Y to PW+XMod - Z to Amp - Y-Rest Bottom).xml). Tweaks auto-save as a Custom snapshot so the latest setup survives reopening the plugin.
Live LED Modulation Previews: Every Y/Z destination knob shows a green LED dot that tracks the live MPE modulation in real time. The Volume knob's green MPE dot takes precedence over the blue VU peak meter when Z is routed to Amp; the Cutoff knob turns green when MPE is modulating the filter; pan slots pick up MPE pan offset; OscPitch and Detune show MPE presence as a green dot.
MPE Z-Axis (Aftertouch) Default: Channel pressure now defaults to Amp (silence to full level, like wind pressure on a wind instrument), matching Roger Linn's MPE design recommendation. Cutoff, Pitch, and Off remain selectable.
MPE Setup Menu & Workflow: All MPE configuration lives under MIDI > MPE Setup, grouped by axis with depth and range options for each. MPE Mode and MPE Preset sit just above as a contiguous group. Conditional visibility hides options that aren't relevant to the current routing. Auto-Enable turns MPE on automatically when you change any setting. New 3-semitone bend range matches the LinnStrument 128 hardware pad (range now offers 2 / 3 / 12 / 24 / 48 semitones). Per-axis depth 5% / 25% / 50% / 75% / 100%.
LCD Status Feedback: The bank-name area briefly shows MPE ENABLED / MPE DISABLED for two seconds when MPE mode toggles. Bend range notifications show MPE Bend Range 48 (or similar) when the range changes; enable/disable messages take priority so you actually see the "ENABLED" notification when both arrive together.

This update is free for all OB-Xd 3.x customers. OB-Xd is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux in VST, VST3, AU, AAX, LV2, and Standalone formats, and Standalone and AUv3 for iOS.