quote:

Originally posted by echosystm you only really need the power of a virus or blofeld for complex pads etc.

and honestly complex pads dont usually mesh that well with most electronica.

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I really suck at making music

quote:

Originally posted by derail In terms of "bang for buck", I'd say Virus B's would be the best pricepoint to get the Virus sound. They're very cheap and you're not losing *much* compared to a C. (Depending how people define *much*, a 10 page flamewar can result)

The analog emulation filter of the C and TI models is much, in my opinion.
It really makes for some sick bass sounds. It's great for smooth sounding plucks too. The regular LP filter just sounds weak in comparison.
The EQ, not so much. But it's nice to be able to EQ your presets. And don't forget the additional 8 voices of polyphony.

Aha. I have a KC, I haven't actually tried a B, I was just going largely by the specs. And that Virus C soundsets can be loaded into Virus Bs.

I also don't have an earlier model Nord (mine's an NL3), but I'm thinking if someone's on a reasonably tight budget and doesn't know definitely what they're after, they'd be better off going with synths that cost $300-$600, rather than putting all their eggs in the one expensive basket.

For that money, one could maybe get a Virus B, Nord Rack 2 and Micro Q and get a feel for the sounds of a few different manufacturers. Then you'd have a much better idea of what kind of sounds you're looking for and can do much more targeted research. Then, resell the earlier model synth either at the same price or for a small loss (you could see it as a "synth trial" cost) and invest in the synth you really want.

But yes, it's up to RJT to decide whether to invest the whole amount in a single synth or not. (RJT, you could also go to the vengeance sounds page and listen to mp3s of a lot of these synths - though keep in mind the sounds have all been designed by one sound designer - the synths are capable of producing different sounds than the mp3s focus on)

Its such a personal thing....I have a lot of synths- my personal favourites are the Novation Nova, and the An1x- but what I like abd look for in a synth may be completely different to what you like.

The good news is that wuth your budget you should be able to buy at least 2 synths...so you coul dget the An1x (dont forget to download An1x editor for your computer- essential) and say, a nord.


And make sure you buy used not new- that way if you dont get on with it, you dont lose any cash and can effectively swap it for another. Bargains galore to be had!

Hi derail, you mentioned about choice of synth being related to the kind of trance one wants to produce. Any suggestions for vocal trance? I like the idea of getting several pieces of hardware to play around with and get a feel for the sound of each. That makes sense.

Purpose Unknown:

Well...once again, this is totally my personal opinion and should be taken with a grain of salt (and it's also based on my vision/ preference of "ideal vocal trance", which may not be the same vocal trance you're thinking of) - my first instinct would be to look for the main sounds in my Nord Lead 3. When I think vocal trance, I think very clean production, nicely defined sounds, not massive detuned saw leads.

Other synths would definitely find places in the production, but that's the one I'd reach for currently. You could read up on how different the earlier model Nord Leads are (a number of people prefer the 2X, but going by a number of comments, that preference is due to the 2X's "rawer character"...great if you want that, but not sure it'd be better for the type of vocal trance I'd like to make personally) - there are some earlier models going quite cheap on eBay.

However, it does feel odd to make a recommendation out of thin air...there are many fantastic hard and soft synths which have been used in top vocal trance productions. But I can imagine that a lot of vocal trance producers would be able to make use of a NL3.

Thank you guys so much for all the suggestions - I've been bumming about trying to find places around here that have a few of them I can play around with for a while before making up my mind.

So far I've been able to try the 8080 and Nord Lead 2, really enjoyed playing around with them both but haven't had enough time on them to really make up my mind. Before I drop the loot I just really, really want to make sure that I've at least tried a few out.

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last minute disco dot net

didn't know you were looking otherwise I would have given you first crack at this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl....cSELL.m315.lVI

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Audio Logic Recordings

The first synth that I bought and learned everything on was a Juno-106. Recently I picked up a JP-8080 a couple weeks ago for $435 and would highly recommend you looking around for one as well (it's all about when and where you look).

I think it would make for a great beginner synth (plus vocoder)!

I think it's safe to say that Virus C, Nord Lead 2x/3/wave and Dave Smith Prophet 08 are must have for trance oriented EDM. Then there is novation stuff, moog and waldorf which all have lots of characters. Buy used so if you don't like it you can sell it for what you had paid for.

JP-8080 i have found to be a good first synth to learn on