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Posted by DJ Robby Rox on Jun-23-2008 02:49:

Novation Xiosynth, yay or nay?

I've been asking questions about synths lately because I need to get a new midi keyboard and I want to get something else, possibly my first hardware piece.

I figure if I dish out 200 more for the Novation Xio I'll have my midi keyboard and synth all in 1.

I've seen vids on youtube and it sounds real nice. I have most commercial VST's available (except Massive) and can't decide whether to do Massive and a new midi board or just go for the Xio.

Anyone have it? I can't make up my mind lol.

Posted by davidbuhau on Jun-23-2008 02:55:

while the xio is no powerhouse, it sounds pretty snazzy

david

Posted by echosystm on Jun-23-2008 02:56:

nay.

imo, xiosynths are shit. they are basically just v-station with a gating effect and you don't even get a decent synth interface (not enough knobs).

if i were you, i would get an x-station. they are way better - you get a full synth interface with knobs for everything other than effects. no bullshit menus to deal with!

even better yet, see if you can find a k-station. should be able to get one for about $300US. they are basically the x-station plus a vocoder, but no usb and don't act as a soundcard.

Posted by davidbuhau on Jun-23-2008 03:09:

saying that a particular product is shit makes you sound really dumb

the advantage of something like a xio is size and versatility...

the number of things it does, and how tiny it is, gives it a pretty high "cool factor"

its not a full blown workhorse synth, novation does not claim it to be, it's just a controller with a very basic synth included. i think it's pretty tight...

david

Posted by DJ Robby Rox on Jun-23-2008 03:30:

G/damn, X-Station looks nice too.

I like K-Station too but I'm not crazy about getting a used one. Only problem is I went from planning on spending $150 for a new midi board to $300 for the Xios, and now $500 for the X-Station.

As long as I'm happy with w/e I get it won't really matter, I'll just youtube myself to death untill I make a decision.

Posted by davidbuhau on Jun-23-2008 03:32:

whatever you get, i hope it suits your needs

david

Posted by DJ Robby Rox on Jun-23-2008 03:59:

thank you! I'm still in college so moneys rough but I seemed to have forgotten my birthdays the 28th which has me leaning towards the X-Station right now.
I need to get a glimpse of the Alesis Micro but I don't like the fact my Alesis keyboard only lasted 1 year before the keys stopped working, and I never banged them or dropped it once.

Posted by davidbuhau on Jun-23-2008 04:00:

man on a budget i think the xio is a great little toy... but it's just not serious "Gear"

david

Posted by DJ Robby Rox on Jun-23-2008 04:18:

Yeh just going back & forth between vids on Xio and X they both actually sound almost identical (at least to me), I like the extra knobs on the X but I care more about sound potential.

And a few patches on the Xio actually sound pretty damn good for not being serious gear. Going to be a hard decision.

Posted by echosystm on Jun-23-2008 05:10:

She synth engine in the A/V/X-Stations is basically exactly the same as the Xiosynth. The only difference is you get a gate effect on the Xiosynth (negligable). I think patches are actually transferrable between them.

quote:
Originally posted by davidbuhau
saying that a particular product is shit makes you sound really dumb

Blow me.

quote:
Originally posted by davidbuhau
the number of things it does, and how tiny it is, gives it a pretty high "cool factor"

Xiosynth: 468 x 68 x 190mm
X-Station: 468 x 68 x 278mm

WAEW! A WHOLE 10CM!
I don't know how someone could live with that!

PS. davidbuhau, I'm just taking the piss. Dont hate. <3

Posted by derail on Jun-23-2008 05:50:

You have "most" of the commercial VSTs available, but you're still in college and money's rough? I'd be interested to hear your definition of "most" - surely they'd work out to a fair chunk of money?

Posted by Subtle on Jun-23-2008 06:23:

If it sounds like V-Station, dont go for it.

Posted by pwnage1 on Jun-23-2008 06:56:

quote:
Originally posted by Subtle
If it sounds like V-Station, dont go for it.
You clearly haven't looked beyond v-station's presets.

Posted by echosystm on Jun-23-2008 07:00:

quote:
Originally posted by pwnage1
You clearly haven't looked beyond v-station's presets.

i have to agree here.

i think these cheap novation synths are ridiculously good value for money.

Posted by Subtle on Jun-23-2008 07:13:

quote:
Originally posted by pwnage1
You clearly haven't looked beyond v-station's presets.
Oh, the presets are bad alright.
But i mean, spend the money on something else and get the V-Station instead.

Posted by davidbuhau on Jun-24-2008 00:33:

get whatever you want... maybe there's somewhere that you can play with a bunch of different stuff and make your choice then?

david

Posted by DJ Robby Rox on Jun-24-2008 20:42:

quote:
Originally posted by derail
You have "most" of the commercial VSTs available, but you're still in college and money's rough? I'd be interested to hear your definition of "most" - surely they'd work out to a fair chunk of money?

Absynth 3
Albino
Pro-53
Fm-7
Fm-8
Z3ta
Minimouge
Toxic III & IV
Poizone
Vangard
Sytrus
V-Station
B-4
& prob a few more I'm missing.

I have one more I want to add like Massive but I'm getting sick of softsynths.

I actually got the majority of them 2 years ago when I was doing barback. I since quit the job to take up something that pays shit but in another couple of years I'll be out of school and getting paid decent again.

So what I meant is right now I'm broke.
I've decided to get the Xio NOT for sound quality but I figure since I need a midi keyboard I might as well dish out an extra $200 to have the experience with some hardware.

I love the fact alone that I don't have to be chained to my computer while I'm making melodies and can be pretty much anywhere in my house making patches.
Thats prob the real reason why I want it, plus it really did sound decent to me. Nothing like a Virus obviously but I'm excited just to get a piece of hardware.

Posted by mysticalninja on Jun-28-2008 07:20:

Posted by davidbuhau on Jun-28-2008 07:57:

that attitude will lead us nowhere... if the developers don't have money to put into developing new stuff, we get no new stuff

david

Posted by dannib on Jun-28-2008 13:19:

Just watched some videos on the xiosynth. Sounds exactly like v-station to me, which you already have. I would just buy a good midi keyboard and save up for a decent hardware synth.

Posted by Zak McKracken on Jun-28-2008 15:51:

bassstation ftw:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=A0nFW4e2sa0&feature=related

Posted by DJ Robby Rox on Jun-28-2008 22:38:

Well its on its way so its a little too late.

I watched videos on the X-Station, K-Station, MicroKorg and Alesis Micro and honestly the only one that seemed to "glow" a bit was the K-Station.
I wasn't about to embark on a year long journey trying to track one down.. than having it break and being out the cash.

I figured at the level of the xiosynth I'm not really going to see a huge difference in sound unless I save up another 5,6 or 700 dollars. So it wasn't really a practical decision to make.

I wound up - believe it or not, finding the xiosynth on amazon for **$245**, called the seller and he said its factory sealed and they have great feedback.

So in reality, I only spent another $100 compared to how much a midi only keyboard would cost.
And I'm SOOO fucking excited just sit down with this thing and see what it can do.
My programming skills are enough to make it worth it at this point.

I can't stop thinking of idiot parents who by this shit for their kids, they have no idea wtf a synthesizer is, than the shit sits in their closet and collects dust for years.

This little guy will do what it was born too. MAKE TRANCE BABY!!!

Posted by DJ Robby Rox on Jun-28-2008 22:39:

someone please move the quote button farther away from the edit button. this is like the 50th time ive double posted this week..

i posted on other forums and never had this issue.

Posted by Zak McKracken on Jun-28-2008 22:55:

i like it, i cant realy function at any other forum anymore caus the buttons are all over the place, this one i know with closed eyes. should be the standard all over.

Posted by DJ Robby Rox on Jun-28-2008 23:05:

HAHA!

You know what? Because I was actually confused myself why it was happening and had to check where I post.

The edit and quote buttons are reversed there.
Its a bodybuilding forum and I have about 4,000 posts and here a lot less so anytime I want to hit the edit button I do it so unconciously and hit the quote button.

Just anyone bear with me if you see it happening. Eventually I should get use to it. But as long as I post there it will prob always happen.

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