Synths of the father: Making some noise at NAMM 2015

Re: Electronic instruments

For a minute there I was thinking of a different Doctor and synths:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H_o6ncUz3g

Re: Moog Modular

I used to be keyboard roadie to a lunatic who used a Roland System 700 (look it up) on the road, hours of "fun" setting that bugger up, along with Prophet 5, MiniMoog, various ARPs, Yamaha portable baby grand piano and a host of other crap.

He then bought the Moog from Tangerine Dream and mashed it to the 700 but by then he'd stopped touring - thankfully.

Happy days, well they might have been, can't remember a lot of it to be honest.

Re: But I'm skint!

True...but then you can do a lot with a Waldorf Rocket/Monotribe (Or Dark Energey if you are flusher) and the new SQ-1 (Or Dark time if you are flusher) which don't take up a lot of space and you just really can't beat twiddly knobs.

For those that don't know, the Monotribe has CV./Gate in with no mods with V2.11 of the OS. WHich you load with a sound file...:D

Re: But I'm skint!

I've got the G-Force Oddity 2 which adds polyphony amongst other things. It's absolutely incredibly good! I've got their version of the Oscar too - impOSCar, and that is in a class of its own as well.

I know they do an emulation of the Moog as well. But I haven't tried that. Not really a moog fan.

Even though the Oddity is the best emulation, the one included with Elektrostudio is pretty fun and it's free. http://www.elektrostudio.ovh.org/index.php?lang=en

There is an 'emulation' of the moog and the pro-1 there too. It's a great little package of synths for free. I use it now and again, but I've got so many VSTs I'm drowning in them. All paid for and legit.

As for virtual patch cables, it doesn't bother me. I had an MS-20 for a bit and it's an incredible machine, but the emulation included in the Korg Legacy pack is pretty spot on. Plus you get a Wavesation (with new resonant filter the original didn't have), the 8-part Multi-timbral M1 with all the expansion cards (thousands of sounds), MonoPoly which is another classic, plus the PolySix. In the Legacy Cell you get a kind of container program that can utilise a PolySix and MS-20, or two of each one, all put through an MDE-X multi Fx processor. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts and the sounds it can come up with are mind blowing. You can get the all those synths in one package for 99 dollars or about 60 odd quid. You need to buy a Nanokey or some other controller first to qualify for the discount, but they only cost about 30 quid, so say a oner for the whole package with a keyboard thrown in. You can use the MDE-X FX as an insert in your DAW as a normal FX unit too.

The amazing thing about the Oddity 2 is that is can almost sound like an Oberheim or Jupiter. It's great for those monophonic and duophonic bass and lead sounds, but it can create some amazing FX sounds too with the sample and hold. It's gritty and warm with bite, but can be incredibly ethereal and lush too. I wish I had the money for the Korg version, but I don't have the space to put it anywhere anyway.

You are right. I started building the KromaSynth but when it was almost ended I stopped the development, thinking that there would be not great interest in another digital/analog synth. But the prototype is still on my desk :)

Re: I love this stuff

Seriously, consider a Monotribe instead. They are so much fun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkvpSkzcYWU

There's loads of things happening in controller land. I wish I had the money to grab quite a few things, but the best thing I've recently acquired was the Novation LaunchKey. I got the 49 key version which is about a 120 quid I think. Lots of knobs and sliders that map quickly to whatever midi you throw at it.

And it's got the launch buttons for Ableton Clips or the FLStudio equivalent, whatever they call them. It's also a very nice playable keyboard and quite light. Usb powered. The knobs and sliders are a bit flimsy though, but for the money if you didn't have anything else, it is compact and cheap and works well. I love it, and I've got a few controllers around the place.

Re: Tired of the whole analogue thing

theres a *very* slightly different sound to a CD compared to a live performance

Oh.

Re: Tired of the whole analogue thing

Probably right. By that same logic any electric guitar is the same after you have stuck it through an effects processor and so why have all these variations and everyone should just use a Telecaster.

Analogues, for me at least, they are just immense fun to play. The more you play around, the more you discover things that you can then use. It isn't *just* about the sound, it is about the entire creativity for the person doing the creating.

If you don't like it, that is great. I wouldn't knock you for processing everything via a DAW and a few controllers and a library of awesome plugins.

Re: Tired of the whole analogue thing

I agree. I do everything ITB these days, and while it's not so immediate when designing patches, it more than pays for itself with the other aspects of music production. Space is also at a premium so to have virtual copies of analog synths right on my machine to pull up anytime I choose without having to go through a rats nest of cabling is a god send.

I've many times been tempted by a MiniBrute or an MS20 mini, but everytime I'm about to pull the trigger I ask myself "am I really going to use it" and the answer is always "no, probably not".

That said I do think it's good that Korg and others are actually making these classics again as I can understand that for some the tactile feel of the controls is very much part of the production process for them, and I'm not going to disagree.

@boltar

Ok, thanks. Your tiredness is noted. I'm guessing there might be some people who'd disagree with every word you just wrote. But, whatever. Doesn't matter. We don't want to tire you even more.

Re: I'm feeling old!

I had the DX100 as well. The four operator version of the DX7 which was six operator iirc. I programmed that thing black and blue. Pretty difficult programming structure, but I had nothing else. Most of the time it was just a case of 'change that parameter see what it does'.

Now I have the excellent and far superior version of it - the FM7 by Native Instruments. They don't sell it anymore, but they do an updated versio of it called the FM8. Lots of people like it but I wouldn't part with my FM7 for anything. They copied the front panel of the DX7 and for some reason totally changed it to something god awful with the FM8. I think there might have been some kind of 'cease and desist' from Yamaha. The FM7 actually sounds warm. Experts say that strictly speaking the DX7 wasn't true FM - Frequency Modulation, but rather Phase Modulation. Whatever.

I have some real beasts that do FM in VST form now. Blue II by Rob Papen is a classic. Also Octopus by LinPlug is another. Sytrus by Image-Line. Plus a few more.

Here is a very rare and never released version of the DX7 in VST form that can import the thousands of sysex patches on the net - http://black.winny.free.fr/MAO/VX7/

It's six operator and can import SY77 as well. Not sure how good it is, but others say it's great.

This one is pretty good too apparently - http://www.kvraudio.com/product/dexed-by-digital-suburban

https://github.com/asb2m10/dexed

http://black.winny.free.fr/MAO/Dexed/

While you're there check out the AlgoMusic synths, they are pretty amazing as well. All free now.

http://black.winny.free.fr/MAO/Algomusic/

.....................

The reverb you are referring to is the Alesis. I had one of them too. It was the only affordable digital reverb at the time and had a narrow band of usage without it going mettalic on you. Still, a very very nice reverb. I wish I still had it, but I'm spoilt in that dept. as well.

For 30 quid you can get an excellent emulation of an old Lexicon from Audio Damage, called ADverb.

http://www.audiodamage.com/effects/product.php?pid=AD012

But the most versatile and mind blowing would be either the Valhalla Vintage Verb or Valhalla Room. VVV is an emulation of old Classic Lexicons. While Room is more an emulation of actual room space. It's all explained on their website: https://valhalladsp.com/

If you like super long and lush reverbs, then check out their Shimmer. It's simply gorgeous. They even give away a free Delay FX there which is also stormingly excellent. They all cost about 30 quid. Can't remember. The valhalla reverbs are used by people that own the actual 5000 quid units. They are state of the art. Nothing matches them for the price. I won't use the term 'industry standard', coz I hate it.

If you can't run to that and want some free ones, I highly reccomend either epicVerb by Bootsy - http://www.vstcafe.com/2009/03/epicverb-is-reverb-device-that-aims-at.html

or any of the TAL reverbs/delays - http://kunz.corrupt.ch/products/tal-reverb

Simply awesome for free, but perhaps you might like to donate even a beer to say thanks. They do some excellent free synths too based around rough Roland emulations.

Talking of Roland emulations, there's a pretty good emulation of the TB-303 called Venom, kicking around somewhere as well. Free too. Why don't you couple that with probably the best free emulation of the TR-808 - Tromine GT http://marvinpavilion.ojaru.jp/en/sound/vst.html

There you will find an emu of the TR-909, the CR-78 and even a Simmonds kit. Think there is a Casio Phase Modulation synth there too. Have a look.

If you are really crazy for an 808 and don't want to splash any cash, then check out the TS-808 http://tactilesounds.blogspot.co.uk/p/tactile-synthesizers.html

and the VR-08 http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?id=1701

Altogether those are the three best emus you will find of that classic drum machine. People that own the real thing swear by them, though they aren't totally perfect. But neither are the paid for versions. I'm a big fan of D-16 and I have their Drumazon which is a 909 emu. It's pretty spot on but costs about 80 quid.

So for no cost at all you can get a couple of world class reverbs that blow away your old Microverb or whatever it was called. And a couple of excellent emulations of the DX7 with thousands and thousands of patches to play about with.

If you don't have a DAW already to plug them into, then just buy any old keyboard controller - they usually come with a copy of Ableton Lite or wtf it's called. It's fully functioning if crippled, but it gives you the ability to save and work out how the program works. I think you get 8 audio tracks and the use of 3 VSTs or something. It changes as the program evolves, but you get the picture. Also check out Podium Free - that is about the most powerful and functional and non-crippled DAW you can get these days. I think it might not take advantage of multi-core.

That and a copy of Computer Music mag for a fiver and you have a state of the art digital studio running in your (hopefully recent) computer. More cores the better as audio software really takes advantage of concurrent programming. Not sure how it's going to work out when we get past Octo-Core, what with scheduling and whatnot, but that's another argument for another day. For now. You have the equivalent of a studio costing hundreds of thousands of pounds, just a decade or two ago, for less than the cost of a couple of pints. One of the great things about being alive now in the digital age.

If you don't want to buy a keyboard to get Ableton Lite, just put up a nice polite post at the market place forum on KVR asking if anyone has a spare license, and within a day or two some kind soul will just email you their serial and you have it for nothing! I've given away a good few copies of that to nice polite people there. Thanks was all I asked. If you are going to get a controller though, like I said a few posts up, check out the Novation LaunchKey, even the small cheap version is excellent and they all come with a copy of V-Station and Bass Station II - both awesome synths. I bought those before and gave away my old copies to other nice people along the way.