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Alan's List of Favorite Trance Hardware Synths (pg. 9)
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| simonbostock |
Just spotted this thread, bit late but thank you Alanzo for that.
I love the sound of the NL3 but it looks like they don't make it anymore, so is the NL2x the next one up?
Cheers,
Simon |
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| alanzo |
| quote: | Originally posted by simonbostock
Just spotted this thread, bit late but thank you Alanzo for that.
I love the sound of the NL3 but it looks like they don't make it anymore, so is the NL2x the next one up?
Cheers,
Simon |
Get a used one. The 2x is hardly a 3. |
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| cryophonik |
| quote: | Originally posted by alanzo
Get a used one. The 2x is hardly a 3. |
I've owned the NL1, NL2, NL2X, and I reluctantly purchased a NL3 earlier this year thinking that there was no way I'd like it as much as the NL2X. Man, was I ever wrong. I've owned a lot of synths since the early 80s and nearly every hardware VA synth made in the last 15 years and the NL3 is easily among my favorites. It's just a very well thought-out machine and it sounds incredible. It has a somewhat different character than the earlier Leads, but it has so many different functional improvements (e.g., screen, knob LEDs, advanced arp w/mask and sub-arp, unison mode that doesn't reduce the polyphony!!!, etc.) and sonic capabilities (e.g., advanced FM) that it really could be the only hardware VA you'll ever need. |
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| cryophonik |
| quote: | Originally posted by simonbostock
I love the sound of the NL3 but it looks like they don't make it anymore, so is the NL2x the next one up?
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BTW, to answer your question, the 2X is not a step up from the NL3 - the Wave is the latest generation of the Lead series, so that might be considered a step up, but many people (myself included) are not very impressed by it and would have rather seen something truer to the subtractive synth paradigm. The production chronology of the Lead series went like this:
NL1 > NL2 > NL2X > NL3 > Wave
All but the NL2X and Wave have been discontinued and, as I recall, Clavia stopped producing the NL2X for a short period after the NL3 was released, but brought it back before they stopped production of the NL3 in 2006.
Some people would probably consider the G2 Modular series as the "step up" from the Lead series in terms of capabilities, but that really depends on how much you like to program your synths in the virtual realm. |
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| alanzo |
| quote: | Originally posted by cryophonik
Some people would probably consider the G2 Modular series as the "step up" from the Lead series in terms of capabilities, but that really depends on how much you like to program your synths in the virtual realm. |
I thought about getting a G2 engine... it's a fun idea. Being able to, basically, build your own Nord Lead 3.. with like.. 10 OSCS!!! OMFG....
I decided I really didn't feel like programming it, though. |
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| alanzo |
Oh, and in case anyone cares, I bought a Q Rack recently (shipped from Israel, hasn't come in yet).
Next on the list: Yamaha TX-802, Waldorf Pulse, and an... Access Virus (original). I'm going to give the original Virus a chance and see if they got it right the first try. I think it may be a lot more usable since it's:
1) not buggy
2) not crowded with mediocre features
3) adheres a lot more to "a knob for every feature"
Oh, and it's also disgustingly cheap. I can pick it up for less than $400. I'm going the cheap-route with these three instruments. The pulse is also < $400 and the TX-802 is < $200.
But I won't hold onto it if I can't enjoy using it through the hardware interface. Sames goes for the Waldorf Pulse. Don't expect a TX-802 bank from me, though. I'm not even going to ing try to program that thing ... it's going to be a preset machine as far as I'm concerned. Good thing there are a lot of presets available on the web ... |
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| Luke Terry |
| Alan I'm sure I have you on MSN but I can't find you, can you give me a prod next time you're online so I can find you! |
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| cryophonik |
| quote: | Originally posted by alanzo
Oh, and in case anyone cares, I bought a Q Rack recently... |
Nice. I really miss mine (even though it wasn't actually "mine" - a friend left it at my house for a few months).
| quote: | Originally posted by alanzo
Access Virus (original). |
I don't know - my opinion on the original is that it's so limited that it's the primary reason people still ignorantly consider any Virus to be a one-trick pony "trance synth". I personally think Access started to get it right with the "B" and made huge improvements with the "C" (yes, albeit with more menu diving). But, I'll be curious to hear your thoughts if you get an "A".
| quote: | Originally posted by alanzo
Don't expect a TX-802 bank from me, though. I'm not even going to ing try to program that thing ... |
That's the way I'm already starting to feel about my FS1R that I got a week ago today. Imagine what is widely regarded as the deepest FM hardware synth (+ formant shaping synthesis) ever made, with just this to program it:
Yeah, a small screen with sub-menus and cryptic text galore. Unfortunately, the numerous free software editors that were once widely available for it are no longer anywhere to be found. Oh well, I'm going to keep looking and working at it because this synth is capable of some pretty incredible things. |
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| alanzo |
| quote: | Originally posted by cryophonik
Yeah, a small screen with sub-menus and cryptic text galore. Unfortunately, the numerous free software editors that were once widely available for it are no longer anywhere to be found. Oh well, I'm going to keep looking and working at it because this synth is capable of some pretty incredible things. |
Are we seriously supposed to be able to program that? I'd consider the FS1R but I'm really only interested in the classic 80s DX7 sound, so the TX-802 fits my need for that perfectly. |
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| cryophonik |
| quote: | Originally posted by alanzo
I'd consider the FS1R but I'm really only interested in the classic 80s DX7 sound, so the TX-802 fits my need for that perfectly. |
The FS1R actually includes all of the original DX7 sounds and will import sysex patches from any of the DX/TX synths. Then, you get to try to manipulate those sounds with 4 knobs, 9 buttons, etc. :p
Actually, with the right editor, it's supposedly nearly as easy as programming FM7/8, but the problem is finding those elusive editors. |
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| alanzo |
| quote: | Originally posted by cryophonik
I don't know - my opinion on the original is that it's so limited that it's the primary reason people still ignorantly consider any Virus to be a one-trick pony "trance synth". I personally think Access started to get it right with the "B" and made huge improvements with the "C" (yes, albeit with more menu diving). But, I'll be curious to hear your thoughts if you get an "A".
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Limited compared to later ones, definitely. But compared to most instruments ... not so much. 12 voices kinda sucks, but at least you're freakin' guaranteed those 12 unlike the 25 you'll probably get out of the TI. Other than that, I don't want the 3rd OSC of the Virus B since it requires menu diving, and I won't use any of the FX of the B, especially the Phaser since it's a very over-used character. |
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| Luke Terry |
| quote: | Originally posted by alanzo
Limited compared to later ones, definitely. But compared to, say, the Waldorf Q ... not so much. 12 voices kinda sucks, but at least you're freakin' guaranteed those 12 unlike the 25 you'll probably get out of the TI. Other than that, I don't want the 3rd OSC of the Virus B since it requires menu diving, and I won't use any of the FX of the B, especially the Phaser since it's a very over-used character. |
Ah the Q, I've got one of those little yellow bundles of joy coming to me soon fingers crossed! |
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