I'll let people with knowledge/experience with the volume controllers answer question 1.

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Originally posted by Zlaught 2)Also what are your guy's opinions on what kankerkop recommended to me? Should I invest in a popular VST synth and learn from there and then I'll have the knowledge to create what I want on my virus?

Naw, there's no reason to buy another synth when you've already got a Virus TI2, which already comes with the soft synth version (Virus Control) and whatever synths came bundled with your DAW. I highly recommend getting familiar with synthesis using one synth, then applying that knowledge to other synths. And, since you've already got the Ferrari of synths, there's no need to buy anything else.

One thing to remember with the Virus is that it's very easy to reverse-engineer the presets as a means to learning how to program them. You can just load up a patch in Virus Control and look at the settings, write them down, then recreate them from the "init" patch. It's a great way to learn synthesis, particularly with the Virus TI2 because you can recreate the sound using the software and/or the hardware. Just make sure that you listen as you're recreating the patch to hear how the different parameters affect the sound.

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Originally posted by Zlaught BTW Cryophonik I've ordered A)Becoming a Synthesizer Wizard: From Presets to Power User B)Power Tools for Synthesizer Programming: The Ultimate Reference for Sound Design

Great! I think you'll find them both very useful.

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Yeah, dont buy another synth. Kinda useless when you have a TI lol. Learn to make basic sounds then learn about modulation then modulate those basic sounds that you create and make massive weird stuff with that

Alright thanks for the info guys, I know it may be very basic but I can't stress enough how much you guys have helped me already .

1)So what should I go with? the TC Pilot or the Nano Patch, those seem to be what I was looking for(unless there is another cheap volume control like these that you would recommend instead).

Still need some help with this question if anyone happens to have some insight on it.

EDIT: Cryophonik, I noticed you are using a TI2 also, do you have your volume on it set to 127 and are using something in between it and the monitors to lower the sound? if so, what? If not just disregard this question, I was just curious since you seem to be quite knowledgeable.

Last edited by Zlaught on Mar-09-2011 at 01:46

I'm not sure about the nano patch vs the tc pilot but I believe you can't go wrong either way since they're both passive (which means they do not amplify the sound signal and thus alter that same signal as little as possible, usually inaudible).

If I had to choose, I'd go for the TC Pilot. It looks better.

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quote:

If less is more think about how much more more would be. -Frasier

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Originally posted by Storyteller I'm not sure about the nano patch vs the tc pilot but I believe you can't go wrong either way since they're both passive (which means they do not amplify the sound signal and thus alter that same signal as little as possible, usually inaudible). Ya I guess since there the same thing and same price it can't be too wrong of a decision to go either way. If I had to choose, I'd go for the TC Pilot. It looks better.

My thoughts exactly, but I just didn't want to go ahead and buy something off of the aesthetics before thinking it through xD.

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Originally posted by cryophonik I agree, particularly with guitars. If you're looking for a synthetic/fake sounding guitar, then the Virus is fine for that, but if you're looking for realistic sounding guitars, don't waste your time because it will sound obviously fake. That's not the Virus' strength - use a good sampler (e.g., Kontakt) and sample library (e.g., Orange Samples, Pettinhouse, Indiginus) instead. I totally disagree about books - books are great and they concentrate a wealth of information in a small package that you can actually enjoy without wasting your life staring at a computer screen. The internet has some great info, but it's also loaded with misinformation. Regardless, check the Books sticky above and be sure to check out the SoundOnSound "Synth Secrets" series - that'll keep you busy for a while: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/allsynthsecrets.htm

I learnt everything I know without books. Generally I think experimentation is the most important element of learning to produce.

That said its not like I'm a synth programming genius, so meh.

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Originally posted by kitphillips I learnt everything I know without books. Generally I think experimentation is the most important element of learning to produce.

Too true - sometimes the best way to learn synthesis is to just start twisting knobs and listening to the results.

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bit of both. too many people don't really know what they are doing and why it sounds that when doing some operation that they don't get the big picture. It would be like memorizing a piece of music just by where your fingers go instead of understanding what scale degree the melody has, and what chords are playing and what key regions you are in. The more you understand things on different levels of conception, the easier it is to understand, and the longer it will stick in your brain.

I used to never read manuals but considering how little time it takes, you might as well spend the hour or two.

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I'm not saying that you should just dive in and go for it, but I think a bit of knowledge combined with a lot of practise is best. I honestly can't see how you'd fill more than 10 pages if talking about basic subtractive synthesis as used in most trance.

If we're talking FM, granular, sample manipulation type stuff then maybe you could I guess.

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well if you learn the basics go thru the wave types, understand what lets say FM does to the actual waveform and the sidebands createds, same with AM , also understanding what a ring modulator does. Once you understand synthesis in a way you can describe with words, you generally are able to make a sound in your head without having to experiment.

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Originally posted by kitphillips I'm not saying that you should just dive in and go for it, but I think a bit of knowledge combined with a lot of practise is best. I honestly can't see how you'd fill more than 10 pages if talking about basic subtractive synthesis as used in most trance. If we're talking FM, granular, sample manipulation type stuff then maybe you could I guess.

Books aren't for everyone but for many people, including myself, it is much nicer to read a book rather than stare at websites on a computer screen. I can dip in and out of the book, wherever and whenever I like. I can also have the book open on my desk with my daw loaded up, rather than switching tabs back and forth.

Does any one book give more/better advice than the various blogs and free tutorials scattered around the web? No, but it is still preferable for many of us.

I agree that reading up on synthesis is not as effective as practical time spent on a synth but it can save a lot of time in the long run having a full understanding on what exactly each parameter is doing rather than trial and error.

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Originally posted by Zlaught EDIT: Cryophonik, I noticed you are using a TI2 also, do you have your volume on it set to 127 and are using something in between it and the monitors to lower the sound? if so, what? If not just disregard this question, I was just curious since you seem to be quite knowledgeable.

Yes, I have my Virus and other synths connected directly to my MOTU 828mkII. I generally keep the volume on the synths at max output and control the levels from the volume on the MOTU when I'm direct monitoring.

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