#286

I find myself watching Waldorf Quantum videos recently…

4 Likes
#287

Maybe check into the Yamaha TX81Z. This demo shows a custom midi controller modulating one:

Yamaha FB-01 is also worth a look, but hard to find demos.

Been looking at getting a Volca FM. Some realtime modulation it seems (from the demos I’ve seen)

Just got a nakedboards mc-24 and hoping to modulate some things as the new version has midi din out via dongle.

3 Likes
#288

Always been intrigued by the old TX81 models, but yeah - with a controller like that it’d be immediately way more interesting ha. Love it!

1 Like
#289

On a Volca FM you have CCs to modulate the parameters that are on the front panel (algorithm, global attack and decay for carriers and modulators, LFO speed and modulation amplitude) but not the other actual DX7-type parameters.

#290

I’m in the talks to get an Ensoniq ESQ1. Been one of the affordable old polys I’ve had in sight for some time now. It would be my first poly and I’m pretty exited to sit at it and see what I can make out of its many lfos and complex envelopes and digital oscilators.
I was leaning towards saving for a Digitone or a Peak. But I’m getting the ESQ1 for little money in comparison and I dig having a keyboard at hand. I found they are prone to run into a number of issues but I got in contact with a local tech who says these are relatively easy and cheap to sort out and there’s plenty of info online.

So far I’ve been using Ableton Live synths. Operator, the physical modelling trio and lately Wavetable. Except maybe for the latter, they tend to have a somehow sterile sound that I like and I enjoy stacking effects on. I like grouping, ie, Tension with a number of effects and assigning multiple parameters to each of the eight macros and then play them from the midi controller. I sold the controller a few months back and bought a beautiful Yaeltex Miniblock so the keys in the Ensoniq are welcome.

Anyone tried U-he Diva? From what I read it’s too cpu hungry for my 2012 MacBook Pro, but I heard some demos and really enjoyed the sound of it.

2 Likes
#291

Diva sounds great but it’s… a lot. As in, lots and lots of combinations of things to try, this oscillator set with that filter, etc. I didn’t get on with all the fiddliness. But it sure does nail the Juno / Jupiter sound.

I’m all-in on having U-he’s Repro (Prophet) and Tal’s Uno-Lx (Juno). Both are straightforward to use and program and cannot sound bad.

3 Likes
#292

That’s what kept me from buying Diva or Zebra. At a distance I find the many possibilities appealing, more even when I hear how they sound. But in practice I’m not very good at dealing with that many possibilities. I heard good things about Tal’s synths and effects. I will check the Uno-Lx out. Their Juno chorus could pair great with the ESQ1.

1 Like
#293

Interesting timing, it looks like they just put out a new patch which, among other things, puts the layout of the controls into their “correct” Juno layout.
https://tal-software.com/products/tal-u-no-lx

2 Likes
#294

Ancient question, but the FS1R does that. Currently trying to get one for a decent price myself.
There’s a current gearslutz thread about the additional formant capabilities it has, and those demos finally made me decide to get it :blush:

#295

And to contribute a little bit more: I only own polys. When I didn’t have money, I couldn’t justify (in my head) spending anything on just one voice, now it’s a space and room problem :roll_eyes:
I have an alesis andromeda which I adore for sound, immediacy and flexibility (moog AND oberheim filter), a prophet 12 (was my first hw synths, still love it), a k5000s (airy atmospheric sounds and surprisingly fantastic bass sounds), black corporation kijimi (weird fat), JP-8080 (not convinced, considering selling it but looks nice (:sunglasses::roll_eyes:) and sometimes surprises me by not sounding sterile and a Jomox alpha base. And of course tons of vst plug ins, favorite one are diva, repro, op-xII pro, korg arp odyssey and mono poly, pg8x (Freeware Emulation of jp8x).
Currently thinking of buying the behringer odyssey, Kyra (though from what I read elsewhere people are at least divided), Rd 8, FS1R.
If somebody has experiences with those, I’d appreciate some words a lot!

#296

FS1R sounds great – about as “clean” as you can get, and very extreme in this regard, but it’s almost impossible to program.

Even simple FM programming takes about 20 keystrokes per operation, instead of one or two with the DX7. The only thing that’s quick is layering voices in combos, while editing macro/quick access parameters, but there are better synths for that approach (e.g. Wavestation).

The Sakura editor would be great, except that it takes forever to transfer the information via sysex, so the editing is painstaking in a different way.

The sounds basically have not been heard anywhere, it really never had its day. It makes a lot more sense now, with the cold digital sheen of post-vaporwave or imagined darker variants that still have yet to come forth, than it did in 1999 when everyone was making techno. It’s a great and mostly untapped synthesis engine that just never had a usable interface, and it seems Yamaha still doesn’t have an interest in reviving it.

As a bonus, the Korg DW-8000/EX-8000 is a great companion to the FS1R.

#297

Thanks so much for your view, much appreciated!
Re programmability: I have a Mackie control C4 pro which I plan on using for that. 32 endless encoders plus displays and paging. Additionally I have pre-ordered the Elektra One, hopefully 1 of them will let my dive in more easily :blush:
Also thinking about midi quest to integrate hw better into my work flow (ableton).
Have not been yet checked out the korg, will do!

#298

The Nord Lead 2 was my first synth ever back in 2000. I learned the basics and had incredible fun with this machine. I still have it and will keep it because there’s some kind of affection/nostalgia with this poly. Even if I don’t use it very often. I use to own a Prophet 08 but sold it to fund my Music Easel. No regret at all. Now I’m into Make Noise modular system and I think the Peak would be an awesome addition to my soundscapes. It looks right to me, I love the Novation lay out. And all demos I listened sounded huge.

#299

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Posted this on my instagram, but figured this would probably be a good place to post it too in more detail. I love my Juno-6 but its sound has always been not quite right to me, particularly not as full as Nils Frahm gets out of his Junos. Today I finally decided to just open it up and see what I could do myself.

Turns out the adjustments I really wanted to do are extremely easy and require no special expertise. Just a screwdriver, steady hand, and your ear.

So for those interested who own a Juno-6 or Juno-60, try this:

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Pictured above in blue are the adjustment pots for sawtooth width and level. My sawtooth has always been way quieter than my squarewave which bothered me, turned the level pot all the way up and now they’re even! The width slider is what’s really interesting though. At first when I was just testing the sawtooth alone one note at a time, I literally couldn’t tell a difference when adjusting this, nor could I really see a noticeable change on my scope plugin (admittedly not a great one). When I tested it with the square wave turned on in addition to the saw, with some plucky env sounds running, the difference was HUGE. There’s a little pointer nub that sticks out of each of the blue trimmers. I don’t know where mine was originally set, but I suspect it was pointed either east or west. When I adjusted this to point south (and slightly west in my case, tune with your ear to your liking)…BOOM, instant fuller Nils Frahm sound. So cool.

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Pictured here you can see two holes in the circuit board near each other. Behind these holes are more adjustment trimmers. The one on the right controls the square-wave pulse-width. This one you really have to use your ear and it can be a little tricky to adjust, but it was another case of night-and-day for making the sound richer and fuller when adjusted properly.

The Juno still needs a fair bit of work that I’m pretty confident I don’t want to do myself- cleaning/replacing sliders, recap, new buttons. But these little calibration adjustments made an enormous difference to the tone and it’s so cool to know I can adjust the tone so easily to my liking whenever I want!

Hope this helps some of yall!

26 Likes
#300

If I ever open up my Juno-60 I’ll have a look; thanks for the hints and tips.

#301

Looking for a new DIY project, I am thinking a digital polysynth is next. Anyone have any opinions on preenFM vs Ambika? Another project I am unaware of? MicroMonsta looks perfect for me, but seems like it’s been out of stock for a while

#302

MicroMonsta is lovely and lush but not a DIY build. Ambika is very nice, sounds gorgeous too and has a variety of filter designs. It can be difficult or at least rather fiddly to source everything you need for it, last I checked.

I’m personally underwhelmed by the PreenFM but some people really like it.

1 Like
#303

FYI there are a few builders on eBay who often sell Ambikas really cheap. I got mine for like £350. It’s an outstanding synth!

1 Like
#304

Can you say a bit more about using it in a modular setup? I have a semi-modular monosynth - MFB Dominion 1 - which is great but I’m looking for a sound which inspires me more and I am considering trading it for a Perfourmer. One thing I’m concerned I may miss is all the patch points on the Dominion, which are great for connecting to Eurorack. (Though I find it’s external audio in feature disappointing quality-wise.)

Also, difficult as it may be, how would you characterise the sound of the Perfourmer, and/or could you recommend videos which are representative? Thanks.

#305

Everyone’s taste is different of course but I quiet like the way it sounds here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmjhFhZUzKQ

I haven’t tried the Dominion myself yet, but a friend of mine has one and described it as a synth that doesn’t easily fit in a mix/sticks out/is a bit “sharp”. Do you recognize this/How would you characterize it?

1 Like