synth shopping

I'm getting a Doepfer Dark Energy soon. They is well good innit. No stock of them anywhere atm though - they're apparently shipping more out to suppliers around mid-march...

rack.

it also has that lovely faint noise colouration that you get from analogues, and, yeah, it can be a bit thin. but also quite fat for bass if you can get the right settings (using the env>pulsewidth knob&switch and the 2 envelopes:]

mandy is well up for me buying a few expensive analogue synths. 'well its of a feeling with analogue synths isnt it, and why you'd want to sit in front of a computer screen i dont know, i can easily get a loan'

defo a keeper

  On 3/5/2010 at 5:40 PM, lala said:

rack

oh ok then i take it all back and apologise unreservedly. thought you were talking about the keyboard version.

and yeah, get a well expensive analogue synth on tick it'll be wicked.

re: Bass Station

From Analogue Heaven, and str8 from the source (Novation)

  Quote

Thanks for your mail, sorry for the delay in our reply.

 

Both the BassStation and the BassStation Rack are digitally controlled Analogue synthesisers. The oscillators use a digitally generates timing signal to generate waveforms using analogue circuitry.

 

ASM was used for our other synthesisers outside of the BassStation range.

 

Let me know if you need any more info.

 

Best regards,

 

Novation Support"

=D

There have been multiple big long and nerdy discussions over on the AH list comparing the x0xb0x and the TB303. The general consensus is that they are pretty close (surprise surprise) but most analogue super nerds can tell the difference between them if the exact patterns on both are compared.

I own a TB303 and in my opinion most of the x0xb0x samples I've heard are pretty close. D16s software emulation is also pretty close. And like somebody else said, two TB303s beside each other would probably sound pretty different, so I suppose the best the x0xb0x can do is try to emulate a certain "area" of sound that various TB303s inhabit.

  On 3/6/2010 at 1:06 PM, Rbrmyofr said:

so I suppose the best the x0xb0x can do is try to emulate a certain "area" of sound that various TB303s inhabit.

and it does it well

Has anyone seen a comparison between the 303 and the Acidlabs BassLine/Bassline2?

no but from the demos of the acidlab bassline I have heard, it's not a very accurate attempt at all. maybe it's not meant to be....

I think they look awesome, but unfortunately they sound far too eurotechno* for my tastes.

*by this I mean that kind of cheesy, slightly distorted acid sound you get on rubbish eurodance/eurotechno tunes.

REBIRTH FTW!!!

roland alpha juno is cheap and good

you could get at least three of these for the price of a juno106

and if you have the money for the average 106 you have the money for an mks 70 which is two great synths in one rack case.

kawai sx 240 is cheap, amazing, and underhyped

can go for £100 or less in usa.

http://britishelectronicmusic.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=41.0

you can get certain (big, heavy) yamaha organs with 'pass' technology for free or cheap from old grannies and churches

more info here:

http://britishelectronicmusic.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=78.0

SX240 is recommended, yeah.

ES2 till I die

  On 3/11/2010 at 1:31 AM, esquimaw said:

ES2 till I die

ES2 is ugly as hell, but it does sound damn nice.

On the 303 discussion:

Analog circuits are organic and living. Richard said it well- a digital circuit is static and doesn't hold the same amorphous nature as our beloved analog synths. So, things like a 303 really are nebulous. A great way to hear what I am saying is to create a one note pattern on your 303. Dime out all the knobs and listen to the way that the squelches scale up and down in pitch. No one of those resonant overtones sounds the same as the last. With a living and breathing circuit, each individual unit in a production will sound slightly different.

The same goes for cymbals. If Zildjian creates a load of 22 inch K Dark Rides, though they all used about the same amount of material, lathing, and hammering technique, each one is bound to have its own characteristics. Maybe this one has a brighter bell. Maybe that one sounds akin to a grandfather clock close to the outside edge. Maybe this one winds up quicker. And maybe that one just feels slightly different.

So, even though clone circuitries ostensibly sound similar to the 303, they all have their own characteristics. I find the x0x to be nasal and hollow. That's not necessarily a bad thing- it's just one of the synth's attributes. To say that it sounds nothing like a 303 is false. To say that it sounds 99.9% like a 303 or whatever is false as well. They all have their own flavor. My copy of audiorealism ABL2 is fantastic, but the vibe makes the 303 seem like less of an instrument and more of a toy. The acidlab sounds like a futuristic adaptation of the 303 sound. I would love to own one for texture with my actual 303. The point here is each one has their own niche.

If one is just searching for ACID ACID bzyarp, then there's no need to buy the real thing. That person would not be doing the instrument justice. Buy the clone at that point- you'll get similar exciting zaps. Or get any synth zapping! There is so much undiscovered with this simple synth- and unless you are looking to venture, you ought not spend the 2000 necessary to gain one today. People might say the 303 is played out, but they are just naive to what's not yet seen and heard. The 303 is one of the most ripe instruments in the world for effects- and by using analog bits and bobs, the 303 can reach into all genres of electronic music and beyond.

Just wanted to deposit a couple cents in this discussion.

-Christophocles

  On 3/15/2010 at 3:56 PM, Ramses said:

ACID ACID bzyarp

I love you.

Damn it. Now I want to drop a ton of cash on hardware.

OK, so i went a little nuts and just purchased a used Little Phatty.

Anyone else here have one? What am in for? How do you rate it?

not got one, but have used a few and they're wicked! nice choice :)

I'm thinking of getting a polyphonic analog synth, because the MS-10 I have is of course monophonic. Haven't done a whole lot of research yet. Any suggestions?

  On 4/15/2010 at 8:55 PM, Cryptowen said:

I'm thinking of getting a polyphonic analog synth, because the MS-10 I have is of course monophonic. Haven't done a whole lot of research yet. Any suggestions?

vintage, 2nd hand or new?

whats your budget?

1. Doesn't really matter to me, as long as it's in at least mostly good working order.

2. Ideally I'd want something under $500 US, but I would be willing to go up to $800 or possibly even $1000 if a really good deal came along.

  On 4/15/2010 at 9:35 PM, Cryptowen said:

1. Doesn't really matter to me, as long as it's in at least mostly good working order.

2. Ideally I'd want something under $500 US, but I would be willing to go up to $800 or possibly even $1000 if a really good deal came along.

I use the SCI Prophet 600 and Akai AX-73. I also use the Chroma Polaris which I prefer to my others but I won't suggest one because of the cost of potential age failure issues.

The P600 is raw and of course has knobs for easy tweaking. The AX-73 is really smooth sounding but menu driven, maybe the AX-60 or 80 would be a better choice.

Hey Cyphersum, where are you in the Pacific Northwest?

  On 4/15/2010 at 11:54 PM, scones to die for said:

Hey Cyphersum, where are you in the Pacific Northwest?

the islands... north of Seattle.