Noob Question

[BibleMan]

Hi There,

I'm very interested in getting a machine, but I'm quite new at this. I've been using Transparent Corp software such as NP2 and MS with great results. I'm ready for a more fuller immersion with glasses. I'm really interested in the procyon with its RGB functionality. I'm looking for great visuals. But I've read that True White glasses will give you that, not necessarily have to be RGB. I'm also very interested in using audiostrobe. I'm debating between three models:

Procyon
Proteus
Nova Pro 100

I also was interested in TC Softworks Light and Sound Synergizer, but there's no preloaded sessions.

Can I play music while running a session with any of these models? I want to listen to meditation music while I entrain with beats, tones and lights. I guess if I get TC's L&S Synergizer I can just use it with MS. But it would be nice to have a unit with some sessions on it as well. I'm leaning towards the proteus. But I've read that TC's unit is very good quality (I've read alot of good feedback on prteus as well). The reviews on the Procyon are mixed. The Nova Pro 100 is advertised as the "world's best" but that sounds like ad hype? Haven't seen any user feedback on it.

I'm confused. Any help in deciding would be appreciated. I'm looking for superior quality unit and glasses, ease of use, plenty of options.

[Andy]

Hi Bibleman;

Welcome to the community!

Well, this forum is focused on the discussion of MindPlace products, so you may need to look elsewhere for info on other manufacturer's products.

I can tell you that both the Proteus and Procyon allow you to play music while running sessions, but you'd want music that doesn't interfere with the generated beats to get maximum effectiveness.

Here's a link to a quick comparison between the Procyon and Proteus. http://www.mindplace.com/comparisonProcyon-text.htm If you need to know anything more about these products, please ask!

-Andy.

[BibleMan]

thanks for your reply andy. i know one thing for sure is that in the comparison chart you sent me, it says that the procyon is audiostrobe compatible. After reading posts here I've seen that it doesn;t work very well with AS. I know you guys are working on a new OS. I would say that if you fixed the AS capabilities of the Procyon I would buy it in a heartbeat. I'm ready to pull the trigger on a unit. I almost bought a procyon...in fact it was the one I settled on, but decided to come here and read the forums first. I'm glad I did because I would have been sorely dissapointed. Also, the description of Synchro Muse was rather vague and I wanted to find out more about it, and I can see that this feature, although usable, requires considerable time and effort on the part of the user to implement. I'm finding out that it takes a great deal of effort on my part to do the research on figuring out which product is right for me.

[Andy]

FYI - The only people affected by the "AS issue" (as it's being called) are people using computer software to create AS signals. If you are using AS CDs (which is what the consoles were designed for) there is no issue whatsoever.

It's true though, that the AS capabilities are being expanded upon with a new OS coming out shortly.

-Andy.

[CraigT]

As one of the individuals who was affected by the 'AS issue' I can assure you that Mind Place are responding in spectacular fashion. I would be very surprised if you end up disappointed by the Procyon. Some units may do some one thing better, but across the board, the Procyon is incredible value.

Cheers,
Craig

[CraigT]

Just thought I'd add a couple of other impressions relating to your queries.

The product is of good build quality. The glasses in particular stand out in this regard compared to many on the market.

I consider the RGB capability to be a very significant feature. The effects you can achieve with the three colours are amazing. While any glasses will induce colour and pattern illusions, having control over the basic 'mood' of the session is very useful. Having access to a full palette is also good if you decide to explore the ganzfeld effect. Colour is significant in the results achieved - as can be deduced from the fact that most manufacturers offer a multitude of glasses in a multitude of colour combinations. The Procyon not only has all the colours, they are all independently and simultaneously controllable. While I do use Audiostrobe, and the Procyon allows you to map any of the three colours to the two AS channels, I always miss the extra colour when designing a session in NeuroProgrammer, so much so that I frequently choose to use the Procyon Session Editor.

Synchromuse is a new concept and as such it takes a little bit of effort to get your head around it, but once the method is understood it is no more tedious than achieving similar results with AS. The simple fact is that most of the time and effort involved in encoding a piece of music is in analysing the music and deciding how to interpret it in light - compared to that, the encoding process, whichever it may be, is trivial.

Hope this helps,
Craig

[BibleMan]

Thanks Craig and andy. you guys may be swinging me back towards the procyon!

[synaesthesia]

and the Procyon allows you to map any of the three colours to the two AS channels

I'm not aware of this feature, I thought it was still in the wish list for future updates.

All my commercial Audiostrobes CD's fire both colors/channels simultaneously together anyway: I guess it makes them compatabale with all kinds of lights glasses for differnet brands.

[Andy]

I'm not aware of this feature, I thought it was still in the wish list for future updates.

The current editor can do this, but it's part of the "enhanced" menu. Here's a link to a topic regarding that procedure: http://www.mindplacesupport.com/foru...=2198#post2198

-Andy.