Liven Ambient 0: Simplified firmware update for new functions
The ambient synthesizer received the firmware update 1.5 on Friday. The update process has been simplified and there are new functions.
(Image: heise online / dmk)
On Friday this week, Sonicware released a firmware update to version 1.5(.45) for the popular synthesizer Liven Ambient 0, which specializes in spherical ambient sounds. It adds some interesting functions. The manufacturer has also included 32 new presets, meaning that 64 presets are now available. The update also works under macOS, Windows or with a smartphone via a dedicated website and browser.
Sonicware announces the new firmware on the download website. What stands out in particular is that the update now only requires a visit to an update website with a Chromium-based web browser such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. Smartphones such as the iPhone and PCs with macOS and Windows are supported. The Ambient 0 must be connected via USB-MIDI and the MIDI interface must appear in the drop-down menu on the website. Starting the synthesizer by holding down the "Shift" key and pressing the power button puts it into update mode. Sonicware names some devices tested (Roland UM-ONE mk2, Yamaha UX-16, iConnectivity mio, SmplTrek); in addition to those listed, the update also works with the MIDI ports of the Zoom UAC-232 audio interface.
Liven Ambient 0 gets new functions
For each track – i.e. Drone, Pad, Atmos and Noise –, a "Temperament" can now be set after the update. In addition to the standard "Equal" 12-tone temperament, there are also major, minor or Pythagorean temperaments and others. A total of 64 patterns and sound palettes are now available, which can be accessed after a factory reset. This can be done by holding the oval 3 (Atmos) and pressing the power button and confirming with the green "OK" button. Caution is advised as the previously saved pattern will be deleted.
The "Relaxation Playback Mode" allows interested parties to select several patterns one after the other, which are played in a loop with a selectable number of repetitions and adjustable transition time. Line-in can now be selected as the source in the noise layer and the input signal there can be processed with effects, filters and, for example, LFOs from Ambient 0. There have been structural changes to the oscillator usage: the noise layer now only uses one oscillator, while the ATMO 2 structure now uses three.
The LFOs learn three new variations: slow waveforms (L.SIN, L.TRI, L.S.RN) and a new target, the oscillator volume. Error corrections are also included. Unspecified problems with MIDI CC no longer occur, and other minor bug fixes have also been made.
(Image: heise online / dmk)
Sonicware has also created new instructions. The instructions for the new 1.5 firmware are available in revision 3 in English as a PDF. If you find English a little difficult, you can also download the instructions in German since the end of January, albeit in relation to firmware version 1.0. The new functions in the newer English manual are highlighted in magenta so that only these passages require translation.
The update to firmware 1.1(.26) for the Liven Ambient 0 was released around two months ago. However, this still required a complicated update procedure with software that was more than ten years old and had to be installed locally. Although the update procedure is now simpler, the data transfer still takes several minutes and is therefore a small test of patience.
(dmk)