#1

I recently made a post asking about the Blofeld vs the Analog Four. Not sure I’m sold on either of them. I liked the idea of the blofeld but it seems to have a lot of problems I don’t really want to deal with and I’m not sure I’m sold on the workflow of the A4.

What would you guys suggest as a good compact synth to compliment the Octatrack?

#2

Need some more detail about what kind of thing you’re looking for.

Literally dozens of possibilities.

#3

I’ve used the OP1 quite a bit to feed the OT in the past. Highly recommended.

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#4

I’m thinking that the most versatile compact synth right now is the Organelle. But you’ll want to learn Pd patching to get the most out of it.

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#5

Literally anything that makes cool noises works well with the Octatrack. Just sample and mangle :slight_smile:

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#6

OT also has 8 tracks of MIDI sequencing which are pretty fun. Meeblip might be a good way to go to get your feet wet, https://meeblip.com/

Would definitely recommend going with a synth with DIN midi though, given the OT’s DIN only (no midi over USB). I had an OT and OP-1, I liked passing OP-1 audio through the OT, but regretted not having a synth that I could hook up directly to MIDI.

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#7

One of my favourite combos is with the Nord Drum. Despite its name it’s basically a 6-part multitimbral synth.

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#8

Agree with some others, it really depends on what you’re pursuing. You’re probably going to get a difference answer from everyone. For me, I have enjoyed the OP1 with it, but the lack of syncability was frustrating at times.

#9

I’ve had the most fun with the OP1 or Nord Drum 2 paired with the OT.

#10

i love using the op-1 with another sampler. op-1 has a nice immediacy to it. building loops fast and then resampling them into a sp-303 is a worflow i’ve enjoyed.
on the analog side i’ve fallen for the atlantis. great size, great sound.

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#11

as I wrote on the original post:

  • Nord Modular G2, the first choice… with it you’ll be able to build anything
  • Elektron Monomachine, that with the Machinedrum and Octatrack was called The Trinity
  • OP-1
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#12

nord micromodular would work well as well, and can be had for under $300.

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#13

This 100%.

I’ve not used one yet but I imagine the Blofeld would be a lot of fun multi-sequenced from the midi tracks and audio fed in to the sampler tracks.

#14

I’ve always wanted to try a Blofeld but it’s hard to justify when I already have so many other synths… if I can find a crazy deal on one though…

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#15

Make Noise 0-coast. Speaks MIDI, awesome sound, knobs & patch cables.

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#16

First of all: monophonic or polyphonic? Are you into a more classic subtractive sound? Wavetables? FM? More crazy experimental sounds? Do you enjoy the idea of patching (semi modular)? Do you like samples or physical modelling sounds?

But just to throw in a nice synth, which sounds interesting (to me), is polyphonic, small and versatile: http://www.audiothingies.com/product/micromonsta/

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#17

but maybe let’s ask another question. what’s a band/musician that you would pick as your main source of inspiration when it comes to sound design?

#18

yeah and twenty characters :smiley:

#19

i’ve had a ton of fun messing around with sequencing the volcaFM with the octatrack and then resampling it. polyrhythm FM goodness for days (and cheap).

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#20

I had and almost enjoyed it. Great synth engine but there are not nearly enough knobs to prevent wanting to throw it out a window.

That said, I’m strongly considering the black Studiologic Sledge. Has a bunch of PPG wave tables in it and with all the panel controls you can actually get at that (pretty much same?) blofeld engine.