1
A mini-review (couple of paragraphs) would be perfect, including the pros, the cons, and its relevence to a somebody who might be just starting out and/or looking at purchasing their first piece of hardware.
Is it a one trick pony, or the master of all? How does it work for you?
As this thread fills up, I'll update this post to include your contibutions in some sort of neatly formatted, alphabetical synth order (as per Jester's most excellent Compressor/Expander thread.).
Ready, steady, GO! :cans:
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SoundPunk Community Hardware Synth Archive
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Akai
S3000
[Jester_Fu]Sampler. What more needs to be said? Oh, it’s got the EB16FX expansion in it. Worth every cent. The SCSI MESA program is a god send compared to the front panel. Everyone has a use for a sampler.. be it VSTi or in the flesh. Mine was cheap, came with effects… so I bought it.[/Jester_Fu]
Alesis
DM5
[Jester_Fu]Rompler, yeah!!! This is criticised the web over for having a very ‘rock’ sound… and I love it. Being a rompler, there’s little you can tweak, but a few outboard effects (like a bass station ) and this nets some interesting results. Personally, I love the sound set, I love the fact I could one day get a drummer to plug their electronic kit into and drum beats out using my sound sets… and I generally love the value it presents for some different flavours.[/Jester_Fu]
Clavia
Nord Lead 2
[Luko]Because it screams like a banshee![/Luko]
ensoniq
ESQ-1
[no-fi]Got it broken, very cheap off ebay. fixed it in a couple of evenings (well, about 1 hours work all up, but needed to go get parts when I worked out what was wrong with it!) It's just a joy to program, which is really surprising, considering it has no knobs. but the button-per-synth module layout, combined with the 10 buttons around the display is really easy. I like the sounds, too. trashy 80s digi/analogue. would suck as an only synth, but so cool to have alongside the other things.[/no-fi]
VFX
[rhythmboy]Owned one for about 12 years, got the last brand new one in Melbourne in '92 or so. 12 part multi, 21(!) note poly, dual fx, etc. Cons: Very hard 'digital' sound (although clean), only kick/snare/hats for drums, only HP/LP filters with no resonance, clicky plastic keys. Pros: very deep programmability, up to 6 oscillators layered at a time, multi-stage envelopes, scalable velocity/filter/pitch/etc curves, great effects for its era, capable of making some really unique and trippy sounds. Massive swirls and pads its main strength. Used by Mike Oldfield on Tubular Bells II.[/rhythmboy]
Korg
Mono/Poly
[BOB-SNARE]After waiting 10minutes for it to warm up and get into to tune, damn it's worth the wait. 4VCOs, sync, X-mod and 2 LFOs make for some huge bass sounds to clangorous metal on metal sounds. And then there's the Polyphonic mode all through 1 filter and VCA. It's got the Korg chord memory function so you can play a chord and transpose it all over the keyboard (or via CV VCOfm input). Using this with the arpeggiator and it's very dopplereffekt. Only annoyance is the arp is triggered on a falling edge to GND (Inverse of Roland type trigger outs from X0X drum machines.)[/BOB-SNARE]
MS-10
[BOB-SNARE]I bought this 10 or so years ago broken, very simple to repair. The MS-10 and MS-20 both have Hz/V CV inputs. I modded mine to be Roland compliant because at the time I only had an SH-101 to sequence it with and it's been very convenient. The single VCO limits the sonic palette but with the filter near self oscillation it is pure acid squelch. The MS-10 is superb for bass and can produce some nice deep tones. The LFO has a nice continous variable waveshape control from falling saw to triangle to rising saw. 1 Envelope.[/BOB-SNARE]
MS2000
[hps909]my favourite VA had a raspyness to it the step sequencer was brilliant detuned osc tones that had that right amout of grit still not much chop to a ms 20 but pretty good none the less..
...kinda spewing i sold it now[/hps909]
Moog
Voyager
[Luko]because it is the phattest thing i have touched[/Luko]
Roland
D10/D110
[rhythmboy]I had the D110 module version. One of the shittest things I've owned - it's saxophone and lead guitar have to be heard to be believed. I got it cheap 2nd hand, and it was handy for multitimbral convenience but didn't last long. Digital Linear Arithmetic (LA) Synthesis, 8 part multi + drum channel, a nightmare to program anything new. I scored a bunch of ROM cards with it too - ooh the electric guitar cards rule![/rhythmboy]
HS-60 (aka Juno 106)
http://www.vintagesy...land/hs60.shtml
http://www.vintagesy...d/juno106.shtml
[spectrum]My first synth! This domesticated Juno 106 (that is, the same classic synth engine, just bundled with onboard speakers and a bland paint job) was such a fantastic introduction to analogue subtractive synthesis for me with its knobs, buttons and sliders galore. Nifty programmable modulation lever that could be used to tweak the filter, akin to a "wah-wah" guitar pedal for highly funky live riff playing. With just 6 voices, it could be occasionally heard stealing notes for heavily sustained sounds, however, capable of some quite etheral sounding resonant pads. Basslines sounded fantastic cranked through its speakers, though a little tame via a proper hi-fi/monitors, so really benefited from bring overdriven wherever possible. In the end, proved to be a little unreliable, regularly requiring grime to be removed from the contacts to fix "dead notes". While MIDI capable, no good as a controller as no velocity control (with a velocity permanently stuck halfway at 64 - on a scale of 0-127), and the sliders don't transmit the more common CC## values. Since sold, however, much solo fun bashing away at this thing, sans sequencer, for a couple of years.[/spectrum]
JP-8080
[hps909]Had this one for about a year then sold it ... too trancey and thin had a great control surface though and could get some really nice detuned oscilator sweeps but in the end it really didn't cut the mustard i had some fun with it though and it gave me some nice pwm pluckedesque bass notes..[/hps909]
Juno6
[Luko]Dont really use this much either these days, pull the occasional arp from it and use as a ekyboard to tap out ideas on the run.[/Luko]
Jupiter 4
[no-fi]Seems to need opening up for re-tuning pretty often, and a very limited synth copmpared to the other jupiters, but the sound is just perfect. I'm planning to make a midi to key matrix converter so I can have this synth sequenced off MIDI, clocked off MIDI, and still use the arpeggiator, and the different key modes.
A jp4 with 2 oscs per voice, and a multimode filter would be complete and utter analogue sex.[/no-fi]
Jupiter 6
[BOB-SNARE]This was my first proper polyphonic keyboard with sliders. (I had a Matrix-6 first but no realtime editing). This is a performance keyboard. The sound is nice but not as round sounding as something like a Jupiter-4 or SH-2. The multimode filter is nice for creating little rhythmic squawking percussion with crossmod on the VCOs. Each VCO can have more than 1 waveform enabled which is unlike the other jupiters. The MIDI is very poor, only note-on and off, so no pitchbend or mod. All recorded pitchbends need to be done in realtime, as I said it's a performance keyboard. The arp is very basic too, no famous random mode like JP-4 and JP-8.[/BOB-SNARE]
JX10
[SilverStreak]This synth has shit midi implementation, but it does the most amazing analogue strings that almost brings a tear to my eye sometimes. Its basicly 2 x JX 8p's side by side and you can play them whole split or dual mode. If you get the same sound on both synths and slightly detune one you get HUGE strings.You should also get the PG800 controller for it as its apin in the ass to program with the dial and buttons. Good for pads/soundscapes etc and totally analogue. I'll never sell this one
If I didn't have the JX10 I'd definately get a JX8P w/PG800 because they definately excell in the string department........and all the emulations I've heard have missed totally. You cant beat the analogue real deal[/SilverStreak]
MC202
[SilverStreak]What can I say? Same synth as a SH101 but smaller and no keys monosynth that can knock out acid and other assorted basses and bass wops swoops etc.You gotta have a midi/cv for this to really get what you want as the sequencer is a bit tricky, but still fun in its own right.[/SilverStreak]
MC-303
[hps909]well what else can be said almost passable as a drum machine and semi good as a live sequencer but unbeliveably bad for everything else having said that though i plugged it into a ibanez tube screema guitar pedal and it gave a reasonable static low tb 303 impression untill you tried to move the filter then it all came undone ...[/hps909]
SH1000
[hps909]analog bass personofied kooky UI but very squelchy filter and a growl feature ? that did interesting things ...[/hps909]
SH101
[Luko]Dont really use this piece of turd much these days, usually for screaming nasty effects.[/Luko]
SH-2
[BOB-SNARE]This was my first VCO based synth bought about 12 years ago. This has 2 VCOs (+ 1 sub). One VCO didn't work for the first few years, until I got around to fixing it. The SH-2 has the beautiful round sounding VCOs (similar to JP-4) and has an external audio into the filter. The filter envelope can be set to use the external input as a peak detector. This can be great for putting drums or anything through. Only 1 envelope and 1 LFO. I modded my SH-2 to have VCO sync and use the LFO to mod only 1 of the VCOs. This adds a whole new range of sounds to it. This synth is great for creating really solid bass sounds.[/BOB-SNARE]
Sequential Circuits Inc.
Pro One
[no-fi]I didn't "get" this synth for years, but somehow I always kept it. (I was even looking to sell it once, but must have been asking too much $$) I think it had, like, one part on one track on our whole album. But now I'm going to it all the time. It's a pain to tweak, cause the range on the knobs is stupid (all the action I'm interested in when tweaking it always seems to happen over about 10 degrees on the pro one's knobs!) but i think I'm finally over that issue now, adjusted to the way it wants me to work, and just using it. YAY!
I think that when I do this midi to key matrix cionverter for the JP4, I'll put one in this synth, too. I love the arp and portamento it has.[/no-fi]
Novation
Bass Station
[Jester_Fu]May, so their marketing people claimed it was a 303 clone. You can get sounds similar to a 303 out of it... but you need to know how to 'think' like a 303 when you sequence. IMO, this thing is wasted trying to emulate a 303. It has a unique mid-bass sound (just like the 303 did) and you can work it into tracks really well. I don't use it much right now... but i'll never part with it. The midi to CV converter it has built in makes it a keepsake for any future CV based analogues i might acquire. The midi controllable filter in it is worth every cent of what you can buy one for second hand... but don't tell anyone[/Jester_Fu]
Drum Station
[Jester_Fu]This is an 808 and 909 sound clone in one box. Again, the sequencer and all the faults/idiosyncrasies that made the 909 and 808 what some owners embraced have been designed out. On a note for note basis, 99.9% of people will never tell the difference. Honestly, I’m a little over the whole 808/909 sound, and only use this now and then, and sparingly at that.[Jester_Fu]
K-Station
[Jester_Fu]I bought this after playing with a hacked version of the V-Station VSTi, and found it cheaper. It's a key part of my studio, and my cheap substitute for a SuperNova. Very easy synth to comprehend, and a great number of functions that all have knobs assigned to them. IMO, this is modern VA done well. No, it's not "Virus" cool, but it's damn functional... and despite popular opinion, you can get some very nice bass notes out of it. If you're expecting to find a preset to give them to you... buy a Virus. This is a synth that gives you all the Trance and Hard core style sounds off the bat, but all the original analogue functionality that means you can pull something different out of it. It has a certain recognisable tone about it... but you can do something original to it, and the limit view some people have on it's application means it can be a good secret weapon.[/Jester_Fu]
SuperNova
[Jester_Fu]I think the only thing that really wipes the floor clean of competition in VA is the Novation SuperNova. I'll wait for Jay to put his review up, but i've spent some quality time over the years with the SN and SNII's... and nothing comes close. Virus - pfft, total toy. Korg - what a joke. Roland - Still trying to get analogue right Even the new Novation stuff doesn't come close. But, they had to make a business call - "we can be an obscure specialist brand doing awesome stuff with a matching high price tag... or we can step out of the dark and make products that appeal to majority of the market and price accordingly". I mean, who the hell had really heard of Novation back when the SN was new? I mean, i had - i already owned their Bass Station and Drum Station by the time the SN was released. At $5k AUD retail for the SNII base keyboard version? Man, even Roland looked price competitive... until you got into the nuts and bolts
The SN series are absoute weapons. 8 output with one DSP per output pair AND a seperate DSP for effects? Fuckin' bring it! Oh, and they're all motorola DSP - just like Virus use (like it actually makes any difference, but some people seem to think so!). The best bit of the SN is that they really are set up as a performance synth. So much VA love, and sooooo many knobs to match it. The ability to assign patches to outputs, seperate them onto unique midi channels and then split the keyboard up? OMFG. This isn't one synth, this is 8 synths in one with effects and a sampler-esque ability to setup keys for live performance.
You can pick up an SN rack for about $700 AUD these days, a SNII rack will set you back about $900 AUD and the SNII keyboard, if you can find one, will rock you in (base model) for around $1600 AUD (often less!). Seriously, you can stick your Virus Ti where the sun doesn't shine... it doesn't come close to the SN for functionality, sound and flexability. Yeah, Virus provide some great 'out of the box' patches. If you want to run a preset studio, go buy a virus. If you want to build some unique sounds (which most do with a virus)... then you can't beat the SN for value and tweakability. No one will EVER make a VA as powerfull and flexible as it again. Ever.[/Jester_Fu]
[Jay Parker]^^^Couldn't have said it better myself...
I have wanted one since i first heard some of Hybrids earlier work, and saw one pop up in some aussie upstart live act Nubreed.
The depth of this synth is amazing, i have not even barely touched the surface of it and it blows my mind every time i turn it on.
I was told when i bought it that i got the last one in the country new. Its one thing that i will never be able to part with unless it really fall on hard times, and its monetary value is nothing compared to its capabilities.
Truely one of the worlds finest synths.[/Jay Parker]
Yamaha
AN1x
[Jester_Fu]Such a shit looking synth. The first time i ever saw one in the flesh, i shook my head and said "WTF were they thinking"... and then i touched her. Ohh baby... So, some people don't rate VA. They don't own and haven't used an AN1x. This synth is reasonably common, as it was pretty cheap - but it packs a very unique ability to produce original sounds. I'm fucked if i actually know why... the base sounds are so easy to spot in a track once you've heard them solo... but with a bit of originality, this thing seems to bring something unique to the table every time. Maybe it's a bit of the FM/Analogue (read - VCA, OSC and filters) hybrid Yamaha manage to pull out of it.
There's not a lot of knobs, and this also put me off - with the number of 'tweakable' parameters in the AN1x, you'd need a small boat full of knobs to give instant access... but the selector system on it is surprisingly intuitive if you take the time. The fact you can assign the knobs it does have for performance is a godsend. It'd be useless without it.
But that ribbon strip, and the ability to 'blend' two sounds using the AB and morph between them??? Who the fark came up with that? It seems so alien, but puts so much performance power back into the thing. Start with one quite distinct sound, morph in the next... and the go fully over to it. The other interesting feature is the step sequencer. Sick of a fixed pattern arp? Well, so am i. Why not enter 16 bars into the step sequencer... and get a custom arp[/Jester_Fu]
[Spectrum]As typical with gear such as this (or maybe it's just Yamaha), the AN1x flopped at the time of release, with the market steering towards the superior-interface/inferior-sound of the Roland JP-8000. Not sure what the retail price was on the AN1x, thinking somewhere up around AUD$2499-2999 (anyone know?), and the JP-8000 was up around AUD$3499 (maybe originally $4k?). Following the AN1x clearout prices around the world (I picked mine up for AUD$1400 from Turramusic, Sydney, and I recall them maybe dropping to around $1200, possibly a grand) and with the last new unit snapped up, that's when the loyal following for this fine synth began to grow in esoteric circles.
And it still holds its own today against all that micro-synth crapola coming out of Korg right now. Hey, come-on, we should not have to buy supposedly 'pro' sounding gear with crude micro-keys and primitive interfaces, a couple of voices, and just a handful of notes.
VA is over 10 years old, and the manufacturers still choose to hold out on us. No wonder the AN1x is so well regarded when there ain't too much being released today to compete with it.[/Spectrum]
cs1x
[hps909]digital rom synth that was pretending to be analog sounded terrible but you could layer up 4 sounds at once to form a multi so could get semi interesting. filter sounded fucking horrible almost as bad as my old mc 303 ...[/hps909]
DX7 and TX7
[Jester_Fu][i]yes, I have a family of FM synths. All the first vintage… no modern features for me! Very distinct sounds. I love the pads… and that’s why I love my FM’s. There’s a handy app. You can download to program these things if you don’t like the front panel – and no-one does. Must be used sparingly in tracks, and levels are so important with these. Being that it’s 2007 and not 1987, the sound can be overpowering. But I love them anyway.[/Jester_Fu]
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purely software although i wouldn't mind a nord G2
..
will put it to good use. :cans:
