First hard synth ideas?

[UN!T]

Asking what's the best synth is like asking What's the best ice cream flavour?

[Macca]

Asking what's the best synth is like asking What's the best ice cream flavour?

Nah man I know I'm not asking what the best synth is, Im asking opinions on synths to get ideas.
Dont want to spend money on shite.

[blnn]

Well, I think in this case it's like asking about some ideas of "acid" type of flavours in ice cream... just for not doing mistake buying a "sweetest" ice cream... or something like that.
I would like to have had some forums as this when I started to doing music...

[willemb]

lemon sorbet

[UN!T]

Asking what's the best synth is like asking What's the best ice cream flavour?

Nah man I know I'm not asking what the best synth is, Im asking opinions on synths to get ideas.
Dont want to spend money on shite.

Fair enough.

I have 2 poly synths right now. An Xt and a Microwave both are above your 300p range. I choose the Microwave over a Nord in a sell off I had a couple years ago. I preferred the sound of the Microwave over the Nord even though it only has 1 knob.
My top choices for 1K or less. Budget. Nord & Virus. Spending a bit more and hunt. Waldorf Xt, Prophet 08. I am of the opinion that when you are starting out you want knobs. The more parameter you can access instantly the better all of the above have lots of knobs.

[Hades]

Well, I think in this case it's like asking about some ideas of "acid" type of flavours in ice cream... just for not doing mistake buying a "sweetest" ice cream... or something like that.
I would like to have had some forums as this when I started to doing music...

bran !

when we were starting out there wasn't even internet widely spread to buy used gear from ebay...
but I'll stop before I go into grumpy old man modus again saying "you young folks just don't know how good you have it nowadays..."

any new mixes out ?
I'm pretty much through all the ones you have on your site, and they are killer mixes for doing sports on,
or any other intense physical action for that matter, I did a lot of renovation works in my house while listening to your mixes !

[Macca]

Is the blofeld a digital synth? Or analogue?
And is there honestly much of a difference either way?

[UN!T]

Blofeld is digital.

Of course thre is a difference. The XT and the Microwave are pretty close to being the same synth with some more depth of programming to the Xt yet they sound different. Enough that I own both.

[Senko]

Out of curiousity, how much did you pick up your Microwave for? I'm in the market for a Microwave 2, but I'm having trouble finding one.

[Hades]

Is the blofeld a digital synth? Or analogue?
And is there honestly much of a difference either way?

quite often VA's are made to sound as analog as possible.
so in that case one could understand your question,
but the blofeld is wavetable and VA combined,
and though I haven't played one yet, I doubt from the other waldorf's I've had my hands on that it's designed to sound like an analog synth.

But the question is usually which type of synthesis it is as an answer to how it will sound.
Only after that it's the question how synth A or B or whatever specifically sounds.

VA is usually made to sound like analog, sometimes that ends up in synths that sound very close, if not so close a lot of people wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
But sometimes the result is a synth that is just totally unique sounding, and doesn't resemble analog that much at all.

Wavetable always sounds a lot more digital and "gritty" as compared to analog synths.

additive synths sounds bubbly, airy, very hollow and pure at times (after all, it's just sine waves thrown on top of one another) ... once you've heard the typical sound a few times, you'll probably recognize it.

granular sounds like granular, grainy stuff, dead easy to spot anywhere...

FM can sound like a lot of things, usually it's more digital, clean sometimes, gritty at other times, it can do a lot of things, but it's not an easy thing to program at all.

rompler is sampler with fixed samples, so it can sound like anything if the samples are good and the filters are ok.

same counts for the sampler : if you have (a) good sample(s) you can make it sound like anything.

(actually I see there's even a sampler option in some models of the blofeld if I'm not mistaken)

and so on...

Usually one could say 80% of most people's needs are covered with VA/RA and samplers/romplers.
FM, Additive, wavetable, granular,... are mostly used for the extra 20%

Of course this differs greatly from person to person.
Some never use FM or additive, or only use sampling, or...

But there sure is a difference between all those different types of synthesis and different types of synths.
Thank god for that.

[blnn]

Well, I think in this case it's like asking about some ideas of "acid" type of flavours in ice cream... just for not doing mistake buying a "sweetest" ice cream... or something like that.
I would like to have had some forums as this when I started to doing music...

bran !

when we were starting out there wasn't even internet widely spread to buy used gear from ebay...
but I'll stop before I go into grumpy old man modus again saying "you young folks just don't know how good you have it nowadays..."

Just to say I was thinking my MC-303 had analog filter... ....
...later you told me that was not true, and I had to investigate that info to have the conclusion that I was wrong...

Since then I'm less happy because my 303 started to sound quite worst....
Funcking knowledge!! and fucking internet...!


Appart from the jokes... and taking only the good things of the forum talks (without falling in the unfounded hardware snobism...brands, hi-end-and not needed- equipment...etc) one can have highly valuable info specially in the first steps.

any new mixes out ?
I'm pretty much through all the ones you have on your site, and they are killer mixes for doing sports on,
or any other intense physical action for that matter, I did a lot of renovation works in my house while listening to your mixes !

Yes, I have some mixes around there, most of them in my webpage... though I dont want to do spam here...check your private inbox!

[Macca]

Is the blofeld a digital synth? Or analogue?
And is there honestly much of a difference either way?

quite often VA's are made to sound as analog as possible.
so in that case one could understand your question,
but the blofeld is wavetable and VA combined,
and though I haven't played one yet, I doubt from the other waldorf's I've had my hands on that it's designed to sound like an analog synth.

But the question is usually which type of synthesis it is as an answer to how it will sound.
Only after that it's the question how synth A or B or whatever specifically sounds.

VA is usually made to sound like analog, sometimes that ends up in synths that sound very close, if not so close a lot of people wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
But sometimes the result is a synth that is just totally unique sounding, and doesn't resemble analog that much at all.

Wavetable always sounds a lot more digital and "gritty" as compared to analog synths.

additive synths sounds bubbly, airy, very hollow and pure at times (after all, it's just sine waves thrown on top of one another) ... once you've heard the typical sound a few times, you'll probably recognize it.

granular sounds like granular, grainy stuff, dead easy to spot anywhere...

FM can sound like a lot of things, usually it's more digital, clean sometimes, gritty at other times, it can do a lot of things, but it's not an easy thing to program at all.

rompler is sampler with fixed samples, so it can sound like anything if the samples are good and the filters are ok.

same counts for the sampler : if you have (a) good sample(s) you can make it sound like anything.

(actually I see there's even a sampler option in some models of the blofeld if I'm not mistaken)

and so on...

Usually one could say 80% of most people's needs are covered with VA/RA and samplers/romplers.
FM, Additive, wavetable, granular,... are mostly used for the extra 20%

Of course this differs greatly from person to person.
Some never use FM or additive, or only use sampling, or...

But there sure is a difference between all those different types of synthesis and different types of synths.
Thank god for that.

Cheers for the big detailed answer bud. Appreciated.
Youre sounds for feedback hades

[UN!T]

Out of curiousity, how much did you pick up your Microwave for? I'm in the market for a Microwave 2, but I'm having trouble finding one.

$400 for the RevA + 3 ram cards & an 8 voice WaveSlave expansion unit.

If you score a Microwave 2 let me know. I have a chart with all the cc# you can use to automate it. Also there are a couple good links too.

[Hades]

any new mixes out ?
I'm pretty much through all the ones you have on your site, and they are killer mixes for doing sports on,
or any other intense physical action for that matter, I did a lot of renovation works in my house while listening to your mixes !

Yes, I have some mixes around there, most of them in my webpage... though I dont want to do spam here...check your private inbox!

spam would be if you just put them up here when nobody asked for anything.
I fully understand and definitely appreciate your humbleness.
I don't like it either to make some "publicity" for my own stuff.
Hell, just 2 days ago I put up a track of mine since we were talking about D16 stuff, and I felt like bragging or something when doing so.
Turned out the guy I put up the track for was one of the perhaps 4 people that already listened to it...
So yeah, that was pretty pointless !

But there's nothing wrong with other people promoting your stuff, right ?

so, gentlemen of the techno cult, I can recommend you bran's DJ mixes,
great perfectly nice old school vibe : lots of 90's techno (or at least often 90's sounding).
all vinyl, high tempo, no modern hipster dark shit, just all about the groove !

http://www.branlanen.com

I gotta say that translating doesn't really work well bran,
and the site could do with a better overview.
But hey, the music is perfect !

[Hades]

Cheers for the big detailed answer bud. Appreciated.
Youre sounds for feedback hades

no problem.
obviously I over-simplified it all, and it would have been far more helpful with sound examples,
but I really have no time for that.

honestly, if it's your first HW synth, or if you're really just starting to get to grips with sound design,
thé most important thing is that you get a synth with a good interface, meaning preferably something with as many knobs and/or sliders as possible, and very little menu-diving.
The point is that you're gonna learn so much faster if you have a knob/slider for every parameter than if you gotta look up stuff in menu's, and for example use an alpha-dial or numeric pad or "value" knob to enter your data for a parameter you first gotta select in some menu.
It's gotta be dead easy to work with. That is FAR more important than whether you get RA (real analog, didn't say that before, in case you didn't get that) or VA (virtual analog),
or wavetable.
It's pretty safe to say RA/VA/wavetable/sampler/rompler is the best to start out with. FM, granular or additive are a bit too "exotic" because of how their sound is created.
But yeah, all synths/samplers have envelopes, filters, LFO's,... so once you start learning that properly you can use that knowledge on other synths.
Only thing frustrating will be that sometimes people use different kinds of envelopes and stuff...

[Lag]

I'm sure it was already mentioned but I would suggest the Dave Smith Instruments Evolver. DSI stuff sounds REALLY techno. The thing is if you go for Volcas or something like that it will sound too... cheap so to say. The sound is messy and even though it tries to be "big" it still sounds small. Micro and Minibrutes etc are very fun and intuitive to use, but at the same time you can't save patches and are very dry sounding (which is not something that will keep me away from it as my next purchase). Evolver is not that easy to use, but you get what I call a "medium" sound. It's still not majestic and powerful like the type of sound Moogs can make, but it is not the small shitty stuff you get with some other synts in it's price range. Here are a few examples:
youtu.be/a2N4pSFwEvM
youtu.be/T711BOeRzRQ
Shitty sound on this one but you will get the idea.
youtu.be/20AKWByXW10
And here are some presentation videos.
youtu.be/sV93_FB3XSI
youtu.be/JKMippZbi-A

[Hades]

I'm sure it was already mentioned but I would suggest the Dave Smith Instruments Evolver. DSI stuff sounds REALLY techno. The thing is if you go for Volcas or something like that it will sound too... cheap so to say. The sound is messy and even though it tries to be "big" it still sounds small. Micro and Minibrutes etc are very fun and intuitive to use, but at the same time you can't save patches and are very dry sounding (which is not something that will keep me away from it as my next purchase). Evolver is not that easy to use, but you get what I call a "medium" sound. It's still not majestic and powerful like the type of sound Moogs can make, but it is not the small shitty stuff you get with some other synts in it's price range. Here are a few examples:
youtu.be/a2N4pSFwEvM
youtu.be/T711BOeRzRQ

are the above video's your work lag ?
If so, nice stuff.

I always think DSI is a good idea.
I remember when the evolver was the only synth they were making.
People bought them used on ebay and had knobs missing.
They emailed Dave Smith and the guy send them new knobs for free.
That's definitely some service right there.
Plus I feel Dave Smith deserves our respect. I mean, the guy invented MIDI in 1983,
knowing it had to be made open source or otherwise the different big companies wouldn't incorporate it.
We're 31 years later and MIDI is still version 1.0

Nice part about the evolver is also that it has 2 analog oscillators and 2 digital ones, so it combines the best of both worlds.
Plus a step sequencer, always a nice extra to have onboard.

I wouldn't take their tetra and their prophet 12, but the evolver and the prophet 08 I would take in a heartbeat.

oh yeah, if you got an evolver, you might wanna read this guide, it's a really good users guide for the evolver. More useful than the manual.

http://www.carbon111.com/evolverguide.pdf

[Macca]

yeah the DSI looks amazing, but I went ahead with the minibrute for my first mono.
Unless the dsi poly?

and am i right in saying the blofeld also has the option for samples?
http://www.waldorf-music.info/license-sl-sample-option

or am i reading this wrong?


Looks like im going to go with minibrute and blofeld and keep with them for the next while.


Cheers guyss

[Alume]

Bookmarked this one, some great ideas here.

[Hades]

yeah the DSI looks amazing, but I went ahead with the minibrute for my first mono.
Unless the dsi poly?

and am i right in saying the blofeld also has the option for samples?
http://www.waldorf-music.info/license-sl-sample-option

or am i reading this wrong?


Looks like im going to go with minibrute and blofeld and keep with them for the next while.


Cheers guyss

yes, as I said above it says the blofeld should be able to load samples.
But from that link you posted, it seems you gotta pay first for some kind of software update that activates your sampler option.
When I clicked on the activate sampler thing at the bottom, I only got to a site that had sample packs for sale.
It's not very clear to me where you're supposed to pay for enabling the sample options for user samples only (which is possible if you read what they say).

But yeah, please check that out for yourself.
If I waste any more time today I'll get very unhappy.
Up till now I was 3x on the phone for more than 15 minutes without any result, waiting to get through to Music Store for a faulty delivery while they had already promised to get back to me 2 weeks ago, and 2 days ago when I last called.
Meanwhile I wasted 45 minutes of my life on a tutorial video (don't often watch those, most are crap) that showed nothing useful at all except the guy trying out stuff, hitting the randomize button like 50x, and that got advertized as showing some Max4Live FX (which is why I started watching it in the 1st place).

Some days...