Rhythm Core Alpha 2

Hi, I just noticed this thread, and since I made Rhythm Core Alpha 2, I thought I should answer it, even if it is a few months late...

It does use preset samples, but I give you a ton of control options for how you make sounds with them. Not only do you get ADSR envelopes for volume and pitch, but you can actually change the interpolation curve it uses for the transitions, something I've never seen in any other synthesizer, hardware, software, or otherwise. So besides linear and exponential curves, you get reverse exponential, a smooth in/smooth out curve, a square wave, a double peak wave, a stair-step curve, and a random curve for extra grit.
There is a vibrato feature, but I give you 14 different vibrato waveforms. So not only do you get sine waves, but you also get triangle waves, sawtooth waves in both directions, several square waves, and major and minor key arpeggios so you can do the chiptune thing of using one note to play a chord. You can also synchronize these waves to the beat clock by running the rate to less than 0 - it will give you options 1/4 beat, 1/3 beat, 1/2 beat, 1 beat, etc.
Portamento is now implemented so you can do those awesome glides you get in so many of the C64 chiptune songs. This also sounds really great in the solo mode.
Finally, each and every track can have its own independently adjustable live echo. So you don't have to burn echo permanently into tracks anymore (although you still can).
And that is just how the synthesizer has improved!

Editing blocks (loops) has always been different from the tracker metaphor that other programs use, because you can change the block with a single button press, so that would make the tracker thing unwieldy. But there have always been a very complete set of editing commands for copying some or all tracks / beats to other tracks / loops / beats. So when you want to use the old drum part with a new bass line, you just copy it over. It is really fast and easy to do, especially since I let you select multiple tracks by tapping on the number and then use the top edit button to copy multiple tracks. I tried to do it in the simplest way possible.

As far as normal editing goes, I can't imagine that anybody finds it difficult. You tap on the screen at the instrument and time you want a drum to play and when the little green bar goes by, it plays it! Similarly, you just draw the notes onto the note grid. How anybody could think that is harder than the spreadsheet editing in trackers is beyond me. You can scroll the screen and so can draw notes all the way out to beat 64!

Oh, I should also mention that by holding the L or R button it gives you recording controls so that you don't even have to draw the notes in, you can just play them live and record them into the currently selected edit track! That is super easy.

Pattern editing has also been improved, with the ability to insert and delete steps in the middle of a pattern. I don't think any other program lets you change the key of your playback, and then sequence the key changes. You can even build multiple loops of chord and block changes and then define the buttons to switch between them.

I haven't even mentioned the drum screen, the mixer screen, the 10 different solo modes... all of the tiny little tweaks I made to make it awesome for playing live shows.

As far as the 8-bit aspect of it goes; like the original version it is loaded up with C64 and Atari 800 sampled drum sounds and waveforms. The new version adds a whole bunch of pokey noise waveforms from the Atari.as well as a bunch of other sounds, like different duty cycles of square waves, dubstep WUB sounds, a PWM sweep, etc. Between those and the awesome envelope, vibrato and echo settings, one can build a wide variety of sounds for oneself. They are all downsampled to 8-bit so that they would fit well into the available memory. So I don't think you will be disappointed once you dig into it.

So, far from being limited and inflexible, I would counter that it is the least limited and the most flexible program for creating chiptune on any platform. I think the demo songs prove that pretty well. And for playing live, nothing else even comes close. The chord changing capability is completely unique. The ability to press a button and jump to a completely different loop or chord sequence is not really possible in other programs. And the stylus based solo modes are more flexible and capable than any other program on anything. Hell, even if you are going to still do your music with LSDJ, having Rhythm Core Alpha 2 in your live show just to play solos on is something you should seriously consider!

There is a learning curve, but that is because it is a serious piece of music software, crammed into two 256x192 pixel screens. I think it is just as intuitive as Propellerhead's Reason, or Ableton Live. I've made the PDFs of the manuals available on the website so that you don't have to stop the music to look stuff up. Lucky Button Pusher made an awesome demo video for RCa2 to show people how to really make music, and of course the RCa1 tutorial videos are still mostly relevant.

So please give it a shot! I've worked for five years to make this the absolute best chiptune program that I could, but without you guys to use it, I am nothing...

I'm going to be at Rockage 2.0 in San Jose on February 7-9,  giving demos and perhaps performing a few songs live, so if you are in the San Jose area, please stop by! I'm also playing shows and doing demos in LA all the time, so if you want to learn how Rhythm Core Alpha 2 really works, attend the event and let me show you!