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-- Alan's List of Favorite Trance Hardware Synths
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quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik Not if you're smart about it. I always check their eBay feedback and any other feedback. KVR has its own feedback thread as well (as does vintagesynths, etc.). Between eBay and KVR, this guy had hundreds of positive feedbacks (including a transaction with other people that I "know" through other forums) and no negative ones.

true, man that was a lucky find. I think they still retail for around the 2K mark.

nice nice

quote:

Originally posted by Energy_3 true, man that was a lucky find. I think they still retail for around the 2K mark.

Well, just to clarify, I got the rack version, which has a normal street price of $1500. But, it's still a very good deal.

And, just to add to my previous post, I've found that I typically have better and more confident buying experiences from guys on KVR than I do on eBay, because they tend to have much better communication. I've bought big ticket items through eBay in which the seller has give me zero communication even after I sent them emails inquiring about the shipping, etc. So, I sit there for a week or two wondering if I'm going to get my expensive item, or if I'm going to have to take action through eBay/PayPal (yes, I've had to do that twice with eBay transactions). Also, everything is handled through PayPal when I buy from forums, so there's an additional layer of recourse there.

I've been up and down like a schizophrenic for the past week trying to decide what I want to do. First, I wanted outboard gear for mostly signal FX processing, then I decided to stick with software processors and get some older synths. Then the more and more I looked into "classic" synths, I found that most just a bunch ROMplers with a very low amount of memory (but still plenty of presets). Yes, I know there are old digital instruments that have patches and sounds that not even Nexus or Trilogy can reproduce, but I'm pretty confident in today's ROMpler's in that they blow away old ones.

Then I thought about getting 3 MX 1000's and turning them into an 18 voice, stereo monster. After much reading and review, they seem to be fairly faulty so I've got cold feet on that.

Thankfully, all I have so far is a rack mount. I've decided I'm going to do a lot more "research" before I start trying to commit to something. Sweetwater has been really helpful and said even though they'd love to sell me 10 synthesizers today, its probably best to get just 1 and go from there. So for now, the plan is to save for one really good synthesizer. (Most likely a new one)

I really like subtractive synthesis (I despise FM synthesis as a method, although it produces wonderful sounds) so my choices are pretty narrow. I'm an absolute atmospheric freak, so I want my synthesizer to have huge sounding pads, atmospherics, sound scapes, synths, etc. Although great bass, percussion, etc is always welcomed, they are not what I'm concerned about.

I've been looking at the following.....if anybody has any other suggestions or would like to comment on these, please do tell. The only thing I have to go on are youtube videos and various sound samples. Before you even read, I do NOT want a virus of any kind.

I am preferring a mount rack, but not all of these are available as such.

Nord Lead 2x Rack
Nord Lead 3 Rack
Alesis Andromeda (most likely way too expensive, but I am entertaining the thought of getting one if it's worth the outrageous price tag)
Korg Radius Rack
Roland VP-770 / VP-550
Moog Little Phatty Stage II

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cryophonik
Well, just to clarify, I got the rack version, which has a normal street price of $1500. But, it's still a very good deal.


Ah nice Cryo indeed. hey by the way sorry to ask i had looked about in this thread but couldnt find anything relating to KVR is that where you get items from? interested to know.

Dj Stevenwiley if i was you, i wouldnt even start with any hardware for now, im not sure what you have already have, but IMHO

just start with the basics if you have decent a sequencer like logic or something there is plenty of presets and onboard effects and again you can alter these at will. If your just starting out dont spend lots of money there is NO point and to be honest that is stupid. there are lots of hardware units around all with similar capabilities, but of course different sound texture. its a preference thing. Of course virus is a good starting point for pads and stuff like that and you dont need the newest model either (save your money).

If your really keen on production focus on the CPU side of things first. a Midi controller perhaps, run some VST's see if you like the sounds, then move onto to hardware if you cant find or make the sound your after..! oki doki i.e. and some good monitors

thats my point of view anyway

quote:

Originally posted by Energy_3 Ah nice Cryo indeed. hey by the way sorry to ask i had looked about in this thread but couldnt find anything relating to KVR is that where you get items from? interested to know.

Yeah, I've bought and sold a few synths through KVR's Market Place. I've also bought/sold a few synths and other items through Vintage Synth Explorer and Harmony Central's classified ads - never had a problem with any of them! Of course, like anything else, you have to use common sense - be wary of buying anything from people with little/no feedback (forum or eBay), strict adherence to the "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" rule, ask questions, verify that their eBay user ID is who they say they are (i.e., contact them through eBay and ask them to confirm), etc.

quote:

Originally posted by Energy_3 [QUOTE]Originally posted by cryophonik Well, just to clarify, I got the rack version, which has a normal street price of $1500. But, it's still a very good deal. Ah nice Cryo indeed. hey by the way sorry to ask i had looked about in this thread but couldnt find anything relating to KVR is that where you get items from? interested to know. Dj Stevenwiley if i was you, i wouldnt even start with any hardware for now, im not sure what you have already have, but IMHO just start with the basics if you have decent a sequencer like logic or something there is plenty of presets and onboard effects and again you can alter these at will. If your just starting out dont spend lots of money there is NO point and to be honest that is stupid. there are lots of hardware units around all with similar capabilities, but of course different sound texture. its a preference thing. Of course virus is a good starting point for pads and stuff like that and you dont need the newest model either (save your money). If your really keen on production focus on the CPU side of things first. a Midi controller perhaps, run some VST's see if you like the sounds, then move onto to hardware if you cant find or make the sound your after..! oki doki i.e. and some good monitors thats my point of view anyway

Did you miss my signature?

quote:

Originally posted by DjStephenWiley Did you miss my signature?

lol shit, yeah sometimes it pays to pay attention to detail.

i thought i was being helpful hahaha oh well. well you know what you doing then

sorry i wasnt very informative

quote:

Originally posted by DjStephenWiley Before you even read, I do NOT want a virus of any kind.

Just curious to know why not??? In terms of the Virus' sound capabilities, you're ruling out a synth that is very good at doing this:

quote:

Originally posted by DjStephenWiley I really like subtractive synthesis...I'm an absolute atmospheric freak, so I want my synthesizer to have huge sounding pads, atmospherics, sound scapes, synths, etc. Although great bass, percussion, etc is always welcomed, they are not what I'm concerned about.

With that in mind, here are my thoughts on each:

Nord Lead 2x Rack - definitely an excellent choice (and add the Andy Vax soundset if you do buy one!).

Nord Lead 3 Rack - the best choice IMO.

Alesis Andromeda - never owned one, but undoubtedly a good choice.

Korg Radius Rack - never owned one, but have used one and it's decent, but I'd put it below the others in my list of choices.

Roland VP-770 / VP-550 - not sure why these are even mentioned - they're kinda one-trick-pony voice synths and probably aren't going to give what you're looking for (as described above).

Moog Little Phatty Stage II - great for analog basses, leads, blips/bleeps, drones, etc. but that's about it and it's a mono synth. Pads, atmospherics, etc. require layers, so it would be a gigantic PITA to make those one note at a time on an LP, and Moogs aren't exactly known for those types of sounds anyway.

Others to consider:

- Novation Supernova I or II
- Waldorf Q
- Waldorf Microwave XT
- Vir...ooops nevermind.

I'll just throw this out there for you to chew on, just because it's sorta on-topic. The Yamaha FS1R probably has the best pads/atmoshperics/ambient/etc. sounds I have ever heard from a hardware synth, BUT it is obviously an FM (and Formant Shaping) synth and it is nearly impossible to program (for me at least, so far). I'm not saying that you should consider buying one, but if you ever get a chance to hear one in person, be sure to give it a listen!

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik Just curious to know why not??? In terms of the Virus' sound capabilities, you're ruling out a synth that is very good at doing this

The Virus (TI especially) is an OK "all in one" kinda deal -- it can do everything but excels at nothing. This is why everyone has it, though. It can sound pretty good, but the NL3 sounds better for virtual analog and the XT sounds better for wavetables.

Re: Alan's List of Favorite Trance Hardware Synths

quote:

Originally posted by alanzo 7. DSI Prophet '08 (audio demo)

Hey Alanzo - what did you use for the effects on this P08 demo - they really sound good with this synth!

Re: Re: Alan's List of Favorite Trance Hardware Synths

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik Hey Alanzo - what did you use for the effects on this P08 demo - they really sound good with this synth!

I think that demo sucks.

It was just Waves stuff. I never actually bought any of it, and I'm glad I didn't. Had I the money to shell out for VSTs back then, I would have gone with UAD. Thus why I now own UAD.

I'll keep that in mind about the FS1R.

What do you think about the Motif series?

I almost bought an Alesis QSR today but again I got cold feet because when you wash it all away it's a freakin 16 meg rompler.

I don't want a Virus because it's overused, have read too many integration problems regarding it, doesn't really impress me (I have about 2 gigs of pure high quality Virus WAV samples), excels at nothing.

I'd buy one if the price was cut in half. In its price range there are much better things to get IMO

As far as the VP goes, I've read some interesting things. From its appearance it is a one trick pony, but it has some really neat processing abilities. Not to mention I could turn myself into a top ten pop singer with it and Melodyne. (oh gad)

quote:

Originally posted by DjStephenWiley I'd buy one if the price was cut in half. In its price range there are much better things to get IMO

Same here. I might get a Snow if they ever go down to $450.

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik Just curious to know why not??? In terms of the Virus' sound capabilities, you're ruling out a synth that is very good at doing this: With that in mind, here are my thoughts on each: Nord Lead 2x Rack - definitely an excellent choice (and add the Andy Vax soundset if you do buy one!). Nord Lead 3 Rack - the best choice IMO. Alesis Andromeda - never owned one, but undoubtedly a good choice. Korg Radius Rack - never owned one, but have used one and it's decent, but I'd put it below the others in my list of choices. Roland VP-770 / VP-550 - not sure why these are even mentioned - they're kinda one-trick-pony voice synths and probably aren't going to give what you're looking for (as described above). Moog Little Phatty Stage II - great for analog basses, leads, blips/bleeps, drones, etc. but that's about it and it's a mono synth. Pads, atmospherics, etc. require layers, so it would be a gigantic PITA to make those one note at a time on an LP, and Moogs aren't exactly known for those types of sounds anyway. Others to consider: - Novation Supernova I or II - Waldorf Q - Waldorf Microwave XT - Vir...ooops nevermind. I'll just throw this out there for you to chew on, just because it's sorta on-topic. The Yamaha FS1R probably has the best pads/atmoshperics/ambient/etc. sounds I have ever heard from a hardware synth, BUT it is obviously an FM (and Formant Shaping) synth and it is nearly impossible to program (for me at least, so far). I'm not saying that you should consider buying one, but if you ever get a chance to hear one in person, be sure to give it a listen!

Or you can get a NL3 and use my sound set for free if you so choose.

Updated!

hahaha... I wish I could even remember all of the synths I've owned to be able to list them. Half the time I end up forgetting one or two things I still own. It's like getting a free synth, drum machine, whatever every time I go to my storage unit for something

same

i still have a few in storage that I haven't bothered to sell because honestly , selling things makes me anxious.

Great post this, I missed it first time round as it was before my time.

I've not read every page YET but i'd also add the Korg MS2000B. It's not ground breaking in any way but has a great, intuitive interface and a wicked inbuilt vocoder. Great bass sounds too.

Alan, i've been meaning to ask you but was the Andromeda used for the synth sounds during the break in Ibiza Sun (the original mix)

They were sublime.

quote:

Originally posted by tehlord Alan, i've been meaning to ask you but was the Andromeda used for the synth sounds during the break in Ibiza Sun (the original mix)

Depends on what part you're talking about but the main lead was a mix of an Access Virus and a JP 8000. Also used in that track was Spectrasonics Atmosphere and Trilogy. That's about it.

I did that track with Wes Johnson like five years ago while I was still in college. No way I had room for more than a keyboard and a rack at that point.

quote:

Originally posted by alanzo Depends on what part you're talking about but the main lead was a mix of an Access Virus and a JP 8000. Also used in that track was Spectrasonics Atmosphere and Trilogy. That's about it.

The pluck that comes in at about 3.12

Beautiful sounds

quote:

Originally posted by tehlord The pluck that comes in at about 3.12 Beautiful sounds

That in particular was an access virus.

quote:

Originally posted by alanzo That in particular was an access virus.

Don't tell me that. I just sold mine

I make 90% of my plucks with the Virus. Just sayin'...

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik I make 90% of my plucks with the Virus. Just sayin'...

Pluck off

















you set me up beautifully for that one. cheers

I also got a powercore firewire with the proceeds so a poco virus plug could easily be obtained!

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