Polysynths

[jlmitch5]

@steveoath

(if you count MI Rings as a polysynth) here’s one that pretty much exclusively uses the technique for sequencing

Basically I’ll start off with a note like this that never ends:

and I’ll just use the control devices (mostly LFOs) from this pack to modulate parameters (and on/off state) of various midi effect devices like the arpeggiator and scale. If you get a chain up with a lot of different midi effects and control devices you can create some cool generative things off of one midi track. It’s also super easy to duplicate or run the signal from one midi track into another to create parallel layers.

There are some new control devices that came with ableton 10 which are more sophisticated, but I haven’t dove as deep into those.

[kesserich]

A couple of price tiers seemed to have emerged for the new (non-vintage) analogue polys.

The cheaper stuff:
< $1000 - Korg minilogue. Any others?

Mid Range:
$1500 - Korg Prologue, Electron Analogue Keys, Dave Smith Prophet

Fancy Stuff:
$2k - 3k - Davie Smith Prophet 6, OB6

Boutique:
$5k+ - SE Omega series and now the Moog one.

Can anyone comment on the sonic differences between these different groups?
I haven’t played with either personally but there are definitely people on gearslutz that SWEAR that an Omega blows away a OB6, for instance.

[alanza]

I was gonna ask “well, why analog?” but I was not born yesterday, I know that’s a bad idea.

[jasonw22]

I was really enjoying the Moog star studded testimonial advertisement about the value of listening until Ryuichi Sakamoto went there with the analog sounds better than digital thing.

[autreland]

i definitely won’t pass final judgement on the moog before hearing it in person, but i’m with you on the omega—frankly i think anything in the upper brackets would be hard pressed to stand up against the 16-voice rev2 . . .

[glia]

i was ambivalent toward the moog one since i’m not a keyboard player but the teaser film turned my opinion on it’s head

the video clearly demonstrates there IS a market for this thing and some of my favorite artists are featured (suzanne ciani, paris strother and robert glasper)

they all can afford it and i expect them, and others that i love, to make very interesting art with the instrument…which is great news for me as a music fan!

[geh2oman]

<$1k Depends on how new you’re considering? Behringer DeepMind, Volca Keys, DSI Tetra & Mopho x4,
Midrange: Novation Peak, Dreadbox Abyss, Vermona PerFourmer
Fancy Stuff: Modal 008

Not sure about the things that set them apart, necessarily, if you’re just talking price range. More options per voice, perhaps, such as waveform selection, filter types/slopes, number of filters or oscillators, number of envelopes/LFOs/modulators. Maybe certain companies have things that set themselves apart, like Dreadbox with the way the effects integrate and the interface.

I’m happy with my vanilla and cheap option, personally.

Geoffrey Waterman

[Starthief]

[kesserich]

It’s a totally fair point. Most of my eurorack is digital to be honest. I guess it’s just harder to justify paying $5k for a physical synthesizer if it’s exclusively running software. At least, it is for me. If i’m dropping 5k on digital outboard, it’s gonna be a kyma.

[bookmil]

Maybe they haven’t said it at release (because it’d be a bummer) but is it possible this thing has a lot going for it AND the tariffs are affecting pricing?

As a result, Moog has urged customers to contact North Carolina’s Republican lawmakers Reps. Mark Meadows and Patrick McHenry, and Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, in an email to its customers. The company warned that the tariffs “will immediately and drastically increase the cost of building our instruments, and have the very real potential of forcing us to lay off workers and could (in a worst case scenario) require us to move some, if not all, of our manufacturing overseas.”

https://www.npr.org/2018/07/02/625363659/moog-says-chinese-tariffs-may-force-a-move-overseas

[Jonny]

Thought this was a nice addition to the Moog One:

Moog One Features Eventide Reverb

[kesserich]

Anyone else wish that someone would just take 6 STO’s or 6 Mangroves and shove them into a keyboard with some VCA’s? All these new polys on the market are nice but they are all refinements. I would love to see a more contemporary offering.

[Jonathan_Riley]

A mannequins poly…

[kbit]

I got to play with a Juno 106 for the first time the other day and found a fun way to play it that exploits it’s limitations. The voice allocation seems keep an individual voice on it’s last played note until a 7th new pitch is played, then assigns the oldest pitch to the new note. Adding a healthy dose of portamento will make only the newest notes glide to their pitch, keeping the old ones in their place. I added a relatively short attack/decay envelope while playing rhythmic, single note phrases to make little tiny flute melodies with weird pitch swoops every now and then. So much fun.

I’ve never been much of a keyboard player but a simple, straight forward polysynth felt way more like playing a instrument than a lot of other feature-packed synths I’ve played before. Having the keys felt more fun than intimidating with (relatively) limited options.

[gigasturtz]

4 of 8 voice boards assembled for a Deckard’s Dream!

[grey]

I mean… Just Friends? You could do a polyphony of 12 with 2.

[Plym]

Hi!

I’m finally looking into buying a new poly and I can’t stop thinking about the Prophet synths. What’s peoples experiences with them? Any thoughts on the different models? I’m leaning towards the Prophet-6 as it seems to be the most straight up hands on poly, closest to the original Prophet-5. Also the OB-6 seems great. At the same time the Rev2 models offers a lot of cool features like the layer/stacking, more modulation and so on. 08’s keep popping up on the used market for a decent pricing, but I’m afraid they lack some of the character composers to the 6 and the functionality of the Rev2. Not going to get into the digital/analog discussion, but I’m not sold on the sound and style of the Prophet-12 for some reason.

[ghost]

I don’t have a lot of experience with the new prophets though I had a tetra for a while which uses the same architecture as the 08. It was fine but had none of the vintage prophet character. I’ve spent a lot of time with a prophet 5 which really is a beautiful thing. However I also have a prophet 600 which I installed the Gligli upgrade into earlier this year. While the original synth was quite sloppy and murky, the upgrade really tightens it all up and really gives it a character close to the prophet 5. I really can’t recommend it enough!

Ghost Hunter

[chapelierfou]

I own the OB-6 which, in my opinion, is really not worth the price. It sounds damn good but I find the overall sound palette a bit small. I always end up doing the same sounds. The lack of different amounts for the modulation destinations irritates me A LOT. The FX are OK, arpeggiator and sequencer are super basic.
The sound selection is incredibly stupid and outdated.

I now also own a Rev2, and I love it. Mainly because it’s crazy about modulation. 4 LFO, a Mod Matrix, 3 enveloppes. And the “Gated Sequencer” that honestly blows my mind (actually I’m currently replicating it’s functionalities on Max/MSP synths).
It has some minor quirks but nothing dramatic (No “Auto” Midi sync mode, some strangeness in voice allocation, no “lockable” LFO between voices, etc…).

The Prophet 6 looks amazing.

[jonsimon]

i’m gonna chime in for the minilogue. it’s changed my approach with synths. i’ve had many different analog and digital synths, and the minilogue is up there with the best. i’m super happy with its sounds and depth and bass and how both clean/dirty it can be. it’s been making its way into every thing i make lately.