Distropolis Goods has introduced the Prismatic Spray II ‘bytebeat adventure synth’, an updated version of their experimental desktop synthesizer.
Here’s what’s been updated from version one:
- Dual bytebeat engines, configurable independently
- DETUNE knob for slight variations in pitch
- PAN a bytebeat incantation between the left and right engines
- GLIDE from pitch to pitch with adjustable rate
- PITCH SCALING attempts to keep bytebeat “tempo” consistent while changing PITCH
- Responds to MIDI Pitch Bend
- Multiple on-device visualizations viewable in color or grayscale
- Much faster display refresh rate for more fluid visualizations
- Web-serial display of visualizations to compatible desktop browsers (Chrome, Edge…)
- Digitally controlled analog filter – recallable settings and controllable via MIDI
- 60+ bytebeat incantations
- 60 save slots
- USB-C for power/MIDI
- PITCH is now represented in chromatic scale
- Bytebeat incantations now display the original creator (or my best guess)
- Updated and revised, illustrated printed user manual
Pricing and Availability:
The Distropolis Goods Prismatic Spray II is available now for $275 USD.
Any electronic instrument that has to connect to the interweb gets a HARD NO from me.
No need to explain why.
It doesn’t need to connect to the “interwebs” as you call it.
In fact it has no internet connectivity
It can do some visualization using a serial interface when connected to a computer via usbc and using a web browser to display them. .
You can save the required page for visualization to your computer and use it offline..
Did you read the manual?
Also the manual is really funny, check it out
Sorry, where did you get this information from?
I’ve read both the manufacturer’s website and the manual in full and I can’t find any mention of it needing to connect to the information super highway.
“Web-serial display of visualizations to compatible desktop browsers (Chrome, Edge…)”. So it is not like you miss something essential.
That’s what I got too.
It’s literally so you can get the visualisations on a bigger screen.
The manual also says “A conjurer can also save the complete website locally, to access this functionality without a connection to the internet”.
So no information super highway needed.
Hi – I make this device. You do not need to connect it to the internet.
You can use a browser for larger, external display of the visuals. You can just download the page and run it locally if you want.
Thanks!
Many devices have internal webservers for handling functions that require a programmed UI. It’s just easier to write web code than desktop software these days, as it runs on any client with a browser, and is easier to update. Just because it has it’s own web tools doesn’t mean it runs on the internet.
Happy owner of the OG Prismatic Spray here. You have to be into (or at least curious about) bytebeat to begin with, but the designer has done an excellent job of giving you the kind of control you need to easily tweak it and discover the musical output that most works for you. In other words, simply having knobs you can turn and buttons you can push – as opposed to code you can edit – makes it feel like a true synth. Excited about this new version, the opportunity to layer algorithms and “spray” them across a stereo field.