#507

I’m looking for some advice, I lately started thinking that what i like most in my modular is looping and making flexible FX chains. And I’m not a huge fan of monophonic synthesis. Therefore im looking for a nice flexible and easy to come up with different sounds polysynth. Any recommendations?

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#508

Can someone with experience compare Novation peak and the digitone? I’m mostly interested in lush stuff, not interested in strange FM noises for now

#509

I think the Hydrasynth would be a good option as the routing/mod matrix is super flexible and quick to use.

#510

Both can do lush, both have copious preset to work from in that area. The Peak is far easier to program from a general synthesis knowledge perspective; if you’ve never done digital FM before the learning curve of the Digitone will be much steeper. Peak has the mod matrix and interface upsides, Digitone has the multitimbral and sequencer upsides (including sequencing other midi gear).

If you’re coming from the perspective of using a keyboard, I think the Peak is a stronger choice, more immediately satisfying. If you’re primarily sequencing I think there’s a lot more to consider given what other gear you have.

#511

I also have octatrack and 9u modular rack.

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#512

11 posts were merged into an existing topic: Vermona Perfourmer

#513

Novation Peak has gorgeous potential. 80% Knob per function, 20% in the menu (my math may not be spot on.)

Many synths have come and gone from my studio, but the Peak has an “always home” with me.

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#514

I’m so keen to buy a Peak. It will be my first hardware synth, and I really think it’s an instrument I want to devote myself to.

For the moment, enjoying the anticipation.

#515

My space for hardware is currently exhausted but if I was in the market for a hardware synthesizer, I’d be getting a KORG Minilogue XD Module. Over 2X cheaper than Peak so if you really want that 8-voice polyphony you can get two (it supports a tandem mode that makes a single instrument of two of those).

While it “only” provides 4 voices, it’s similar to the Peak in its voice structure… but better, I think. You get an incredibly versatile combo of two triangle-core analog oscillators and one digital which allows open-source oscillators and effects. It’s quite something.

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#516

Got a Hydra and THIS is why I’m thinking I should sell it and buy a Peak instead. I am.constantly turning the wrong knob or bouncing back and forth in menus trying to figure out what I am trying to adjust.

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#517

Even though the menu system on the Hydra is built in a clever “module” design, it does still feel like a chore to program. Both have their strengths, but if I had to choose one over the other, the Peak stays put.

The Peak interface is immediate, and it sounds much warmer, less “harsh” than the Hydra (to my ears).

#518

I just got an Iridium and it’s also mostly knob-per function; however, I don’t mind using menus on its touchscreen because the ux is well thought out. Also, it’s fun to freehand draw LFOs and step sequencer values!

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#519

Number one on my buy list. Please post demos if you have a chance. Thank you.

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#520

Will do! It’s an absolute beast and unapologetically digital (which is my favorite synth style). I’ll make some demos that showcase the gnarlier side of Iridium; the demos that you’ll find on youtube or elsewhere make it sound like a pleasant ambient machine, but it can do so much more than that! It can get really gritty & nasty, which is exactly what I want from a polysynth.

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#521

That’s great. I have an XT, but Iridium/Quantum sound very different.

The XT sounds more veiled and obviously a lot like The Fragile at times, but can do amazing evolving and noise sounds with all the filter types, and never sounds harsh to the ear, when harsh in character. Even though the filters are early digital in comparison to ZDF tech of today that you hear in u-he or Cytomic for example, they sound really good, and the knobby interface a huge plus.

The resolution and liquidity of the Iridium/Quantum is off the charts, though, as well as all the new synthesis modes. It also sounds to me that they used higher quality line amps than they did in Blofeld.

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#522

It’s on my watchlist as well, I’m very interested in it although I most likely won’t buy it, but I’ve watched a lot of videos of it and I like what it stands for and how it tries to approach it. It feels a bit like Hydrasynth in its sonic philosophy except the layout seems more matured and meaningful to me from a distance.

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#523

Yeah, my main motivation for buying this was that I once had an XT that I foolishly sold (I loved that synth!) so I wanted to get back to the Waldorf wavetable magic. Iridium really delivers on that magic (especially when you put the wavetable into its “retro” modes that emulate the lower-fidelity PPG Wave/XT style)… although there’s no filter FM! I guess I can live without it.

Agreed – both in the wavetable part and also with the kernels (“mutators” in Hydrasynth land). You can go much deeper with both in Iridium, but to be fair to the Hydrasynth it is (a) much cheaper than Iridium and (b) kernel mode in Iridium is so mind-bogglingly powerful that sometimes you might wish for a simpler way to do things, like the mutators in Hydrasynth.

I’m not knocking Iridium at all here – the kernel mode is worth the price alone (6-op audio rate wavetable position modulation[!!!] or if you want, you can mix audio rate wavetable modulation with FM, phase modulation, AM, and ring mod across your 6 operators[!!!]) – but by necessity the kernel mode in Iridium is pretty hardcore and involves oscillator-level programming. I’m a giant nerd and I love that sort of thing, but I also understand why people might not want to spend 30 minutes tweaking operator envelopes, pitches, and levels.

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#524

I don’t think anyone who thinks the Hydra is intuitive or easy to program has much experience with modular. And get that that opinion is maybe unfair to a more traditional style synth, but coming from modular, it’s a real barrier for me.

#525

After many years of eschewing polysynths in general and MIDI control in particular, I have jumped on a strange bandwagon of polysynth exploration.

My favorite polysynth is the eMu Systems Proteus 2000 because it has a “randomize” function which randomizes the patches. Probably one out of every five random patches is usable and one out of every twenty shine. One out of every 1,000 or so is the funniest patch I have ever heard. It is very high fidelity, immediately sounds like cartoons, and has expansion slots in which you can plug in any of those eMu Systems neon faceplate rack unit ROMs. Mine came with ZR, World, and Techno already installed. It sounds like cartoons and that’s all folks. Plus the Proteus 2000 costs like 200 bucks all day. I play mine with a digdugdiy Scales.

My least favorite polysynth is the Korg TR-Rack. You cannot really edit the sounds, the sounds are heinous. They simply haven’t “come back around again” yet from the multicultural 1990s. There’s a whole bank of technically offensive Ethnic samples… you know what I’m talking about; “African Rain,” “Bangkok Nights,” “Arab Scorn,” etc. I have unhooked the TR-Rack from my rig.

My new favorite polysynth is the Kurzweil (Young Chang Industries) K2500RS. You can edit everything into infinity. It reminds me of modular synthesis insofar as, if you feel clever and have the time, almost any parameter can mess with almost any other parameter. As we speak, I have it spitting 10,000 winter goblins scraping ice spears against the Un-holy Obelisk. I control the incredible K2500RS with the Rozeta Suite of sequencers on an iPad. I haven’t even begun to utilize the sampling feature yet!

An honorable mention goes to the Waldorf Blofeld, my first introduction into polysynths. Like the Proteus 2000 it has an incredibly useful randomize function which saves one from having to program all of the 10 billion parameters from the little screen and knob matrix. The randomizer produces less gold than the Proteus 2000’s but it still produces some gold and platinum patches for the open-minded experimentalist. I usually control the Blofeld with an ancient, half-functioning Boss DR-202 Dr. Rhythm. The pads just feel right, and old, and dirty, and dirty…

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#526

Wow, that one is really awful