Reviewing The Synthstrom Deluge

The Deluge is a cool and interesting instrument, and since it's been and will continue to be a fixture on this channel, I thought I should share my thoughts, at least after several months. Too bad it's not the Casio MT-68, but what is?

[LemniscatoLemniscato]

What a great vid and your "conclusion" AKA "competition" wrap-up is absolutelysSpot on, honest, practical, wise, funny (well: brilliant actually) and an healthy antidote to GAS.

[JeffBlaine]

Major review omissions: It has a ~6 hour battery and built-in mic for sampling random things! I use this thing on my lap with headphones all the time. I highly recommend taking it to an uncrowded nature park sometime for a new experience.

[SlowHaste]

Really like your style!! Just started doing some reviews myself and have been having a blast too!

[mijaba]

honest evaluation. I positively LOVE mine. I was part of the first public batch and I'm consistently impressed by the expanding functionality. I compose full tracks on it but I haven't mastered recording on it yet. I'm going to stick with my Tascam for that.

[hovermotion]

Nice vid...I really struggled with the Deluge for a while but then it just clicked after watching vairous youtube vids and just reading the quick reference charts which I printed and laminated..(this took about a month)
Its a great stand alone device which is very powerfull and has many hidden features.
I Bought extra dial switches and knobs with my order just in case.
My unit has crached a few times when using fx mixing...but this is no big deal...
What I was gob smacked about is its umlimited squencer which can be steched in vairous tracks..superb for sampleing.

Its a great synth-drum machine-sampler and more...but saying that I have more fun using my Tr8s and Volca bass I got recently.

[xcreenplay]

Finally ordered my deluge 2 days ago 😌 🙌 I can't Wait

[lucaselmore]

I struggled with the Deluge. I really wanted to love it.. and in some ways, I did.. It works wonderfully as a sketchpad and sequencer for other hardware, but I found it to be a "jack of all trades, master of none" as a standalone. I actually traded it to get the Digitone, and I haven't looked back!

Good review!

[Frakaphoto]

just order one. had an op1... so the all in one with battery and even speaker attract me . it will be use also as a dawless setting with a matriarch and a yamaha yc61 keyboard.
I know octatrack could be a competitor for drivings dawless setup but the standalone on batt capability do the deal.
a minus is the missing warranty european support and the size of the company.
a positive is the size of the company and the constant update with new features.

[tskw]

Good review of major points. Consider making your titled segues a little shorter. Thanks, will come back.

[accidentallyfasting]

Wave form editor using the button lights, powers USB controllers and supports hubs, can be used as mfx and live looper for input audio including guitars using a foot pedal, soon MPE support, song, track, and arranger modes, so much missing from this review. I picked up mine as part of the first batch and honestly this review could've been a 1.0 review. I wish you would've spent more time learning it before doing this video. Check out the Dawluge series of videos of your watching this and wondering what the Deluge is truly capable of.

[vertigev]

You say the main competition would be the Digitakt and Digitone, are those battery operated? I didn't think so but they are, I'm getting a Digitakt today! I have an OP-1 which I like, but the workflow on the Deluge is way more "my jam" so I think I'll get one.

[arcsibo]

It's really funny. I really would like to buy deluge since 1, 5 years, but this is the first review where I change my mind to the opposite way. I make music on my laptop in a lots of different style, like downtempo, ambient, postmetal whatever. I really like to create music dawless, and I am searching for a device, but I found deluge is the perfect for this, but yeah I have to rethink, because yeah, maybe dawless doesn't mean, drop the daw, it's more like expand my creativity without daw. Maybe I have to have got some midi translator, and a digitakt for example. Dunno. Anyway, really really good review <3. Maybe the best deluge review!

[backseat-of-the-audience]

i want a sequencer/synthesizer that can also function as a midi controller because keyboard input terribly confuses me. i'm juggling between this and the polyend tracker. i'm thinking i'll get the tracker because a monomachine would be the holy grail for a dedicated synth

[ShaighJosephson]

Was about to buy it, but realized that the firmware has severely outgrown the hardware... Now waiting for the new hardware rumored in development...

[danwhite]

I would say the Roland MC 707 is the closest comparison.

[jamesstonehouse]

The workflow of the Deluge is amazing though.

[WulfBoi]

ayo, where'd you get that cat dad shirt tho? also nice vid

[marteaupicard]

Very funny, I suddenly want to buy a Casio mt-68, it's subliminal ?

I own the Deluge and the Digitone, and although the Deluge is a great machine, I don't think it exceeds the Digitone, far from it ... The Deluge has the sampling ok, the trigs probabilities (chords ...) are more evolved than the Digitone, The smooth Automations, the limits are less oppressive. But if we compare their pure synthesis:

the Lfo for example:
Are really basic on the Deluge, no phase, no fade in/out, no s/h, no one shot, no triplets.


The Effects: There is case to listen and compare it sounds really much better on the Digitone, Delay / Reverb, and the chorus which is not even stereo on the Deluge wtf!


Also the modulation matrix on the Digitone is amazing! 4 Velocity parameters, 4 pirch bend parameters, 4 Aftertouch parameters, 4 modweel parameters and 4 breath control parameters, 4 Parameters in a single knob!



And the biggest point, the external control in Midi, nice on the Deluge, but nothing except the notes and Automation CC, impossible to use the Lfo, the Note mod, the Random, the Envelopes, in midi out! On the Digitone, the Lfo operates in midi.
No probailité on the lock of the parameters at noon either, on the Digitone, yes.



it still makes a lot of things in favor of Digitone not? Of course it has no sample, but I find its synthesis although FM, more versatile and less cheap than the Deluge.

[healthyhappyhero]

Can you plug in a microphone for sampling? (XLR)

[DominicJacksonFilm]

this device is a massive let down its impossible to use without looking at the 330 page manual, nothing makes sense you have a million shortcuts to do anything