12 replies to this topic

[lightfoot]

Well,

Looking to get a new piece of hardware for making tunes and in the near future doing some live work, I'll detail a few specs I am looking to fulfill, and any suggestions would be MUCH appreciated! I'm not looking for a workstation as I do sequencing and stuff in live,

Righty:

1, at least two octaves (or thereabouts).
2, Need to be able to run a few sounds simultaneously via midi (on different channels).
3, Plenty of knobs for live tweakage.
4, Recallable presets.
5, looking to spend around the $2k (more if a convincing argument is put on the table) mark.
6, Good sounding strings and basslines (and perhaps FX on board)

I am new to hardware so any suggestions more than welcome!

I think thats about it!

Go!

[ehsan]

A second hand Nord Lead or Virus Indigo in one corner at the roughly $1k-$2k mark. Nord gives you 4 parts, great keys and heaps of tweak but no FX. Virus gives you 16 parts and stax of FX. For slightly less perhaps a Korg MS2000 series for less than a grand, 4 parts, FX and vocoder and stax o tweak. Alesis ION does 4 part I think too and is quite similar to the MS2000 in features for a similar price range.

[lightfoot]

Cheers mate!

Virus indigo looks about perfect, and the nord also! Nord could win out with the more keys.. and doubt I will need more than four dif sounds simultaneously in production...

There is a korg ms2000 on ebay now for about 900 bucks...

Hrrmmmm

[exohex]

hey lightfoot - don't get the ms2000, its basically the same synth engine as a microkorg - so its got 4 voices, its not 4 part multitimbral - BIG difference ...

the lack of effects on the nord is a big deal as well ... great synth, but if you want to use the four parts with different effects at the same time, you'll need four different effects chains - very expensive to put together

the indigo is the synth you want ... or maybe a ks4 - they're awesome value for money second hand

[lightfoot]

Cheers exo,

Thanks for the heads up!! You dont get FX on a nord until the wave yeah? I need to get on board with the lingo first I think.

So MultiTimbral means four different patches at once? and four voices means Four different sounds in a single patch?

[exohex]

si senor

[ehsan]

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hey lightfoot - don't get the ms2000, its basically the same synth engine as a microkorg - so its got 4 voices, its not 4 part multitimbral - BIG difference ...

the lack of effects on the nord is a big deal as well ... great synth, but if you want to use the four parts with different effects at the same time, you'll need four different effects chains - very expensive to put together

the indigo is the synth you want ... or maybe a ks4 - they're awesome value for money second hand

Ah you're right-ish. It's actually 2 part multitimbral, but yes only 4 voice. That's why I never bought one. ;D

[exohex]

ehsan ... actually you're right-ish too - two timbres can be combined to make a more complex timbre and played at once on the same midi channel - but you can't play two different timbres on two different channels

so really its psuedo-multitimbral or as I like to put it: monotimbral

[Jester_Fu]

Nord is a sexy bit of kit, but i don't think it's going to satisfy the strings requirement really. Love mine to death, but you're better off consdiering it a bass or fill synth. You can pull some really nice "Rhodes" type key leads from it and some truely awesome '80sesque synthpop sounds... but the strings are weeeeeeeeaaaaaak. If strings matter, you're better of picking up a cheap Yamaha CS1 or DX/TX7 and using the patches in that.

My Novation inner fanboi is about to come out... but despite what's said on TSWDNSO, SuperNova II is one of the best ever multiple output synth engines around. Heaps and heaps of tweakability, but very very distinct patches - you have to be prepared to make your own sounds and adjust things a lot. 8 individual outputs all cabaple of having effects applied and any style of patch output there. Very tweakable over the 8 outputs live - so a great performance synth as well. It uses 4 seperate stereo DSP's between the 8 outputs and a dedicated stereo DSP for effects on each channel - 8 stereo DSP's make it able to land a space shuttle on the moon, if you wanted it to ;D Able to allocate a different midi channel for each output, just like the Nord. You'll have to search for a while, but you'll pick up to the 48voice version (top of the line!) for under $2k. Best to search UK and US ebay for one if you want it sooner rather than later. Even with freight etc, you'll get one from the US or UK landed in Aus for under $2k.

Virus is another option, as already suggested. IMO, i agree with TSWDNSO in that the sounds from it have been patched to death by every tom dick and harry making it hardly unique. Good performer, and plenty floating around on the second hand market.

[lightfoot]

What do people think of the alesis andromeda A6?

16 outs sounds pretty cool

[Rusty_OHara]

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Virus gives you 16 parts and stax of FX. 

Only global Delay/Reverb fx for all 16 parts on the Indigo. If you want separate fx for each part, you'll need to grab the TI or Polar. Even then, you won't be able to run anywhere near 16 parts.

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Ah you're right-ish. It's actually 2 part multitimbral, but yes only 4 voice. That's why I never bought one. ;D

;D

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SuperNova II is one of the best ever multiple output synth engines around. ...

SNII is awesome. Like Jester said.

[exohex]

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What do people think of the alesis andromeda A6?

16 outs sounds pretty cool

i've never used one, but on paper it looks like it is one of the best synths ever made - I doubt very much that you would regret getting one, and being an analog polysynth it probably won't depreciate much, if at all

[SilverStreak]

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What do people think of the alesis andromeda A6?

16 outs sounds pretty cool

Never played with one, but it looks like a monster. I think most ppl who have them keep them, which says something.