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Alan's List of Favorite Trance Hardware Synths (pg. 12)
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| cryophonik |
| quote: | Originally posted by DjStephenWiley
Before you even read, I do NOT want a virus of any kind.
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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.
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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. :p
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! |
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| alanzo |
| 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. |
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| cryophonik |
| quote: | Originally posted by alanzo
7. DSI Prophet '08 (audio demo)
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Hey Alanzo - what did you use for the effects on this P08 demo - they really sound good with this synth! |
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| alanzo |
| 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. :p
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. :) |
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| DjStephenWiley |
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) |
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| alanzo |
| 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. |
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| Ry Thomas |
| 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. :p
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! |
;) |
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| alanzo |
| Or you can get a NL3 and use my sound set for free if you so choose. :) |
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| hexadecimal |
| 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 :stongue: |
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| RichieV |
same
i still have a few in storage that I haven't bothered to sell because honestly , selling things makes me anxious. |
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| tehlord |
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. |
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