#43

Just for the sake of having fun I did just try the opposite though : send Oscillator 1 into the 4 filters through successive external outs and it’s a lot of fun, especially since you can still control each filter’s enveloppe and LFO seperately.

3 Likes
#44

I love my PF2. Use it mainly to create round-robin note sequences where the sound on each note of the pattern changes as the voices are allocated differently each time. Good to have 4x full synth voices rather than paraphonic voices as that gives much more variety and separate articulation of each voice. It seemed expensive when I bought it but now seems good value compared to the Moog as you get more synth for the money.

An alternative, albeit paraphonic, could be the Monopoly.

#45

Interesting! Haven’t tried that!

#46

Honestly I really haven’t experimented with the individual outs or with sculpting exterior sound sources, but this is a good reminder that I need to!

#47

This is the way I tend to use my Analog Four. Though the perfourmer seems to sound a bit more ‘vintage’, I have no complaints about the A4’s sound and the extra flexibility it has in terms of oscillators/subosc per voice, lfos, fx, and of course the sequencer, but the perfourmer is tempting !

1 Like
#48

One of my all-time fav synths!
A couple videos of the Perfourmer MK II:


and
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#49

And, as a self-proclaimed gear accumulator, let me say it’s my 2nd fav synth (The OB6 being #1).
The sound is so “pure” and the oscillators are just perfect. Throw in their amazing filters and it just makes everything work so well together. I was worried about buying one because they NEVER come up used and their controls seem more limited. In actual use, because you have control over each voice (closest synth I can think of is the Oberheim Two-voice [TVS]) you can sculpt the sound like no other. Modulation is limited though, no question. In practice, this becomes a non-issue imo.

This was the first synth that ever sounded miles apart from other synths I have (NB: The OB-6 was like the same sensation I have from the Perfourmer compared to other synths except that was compared to the Perfourmer!).

I run it 70% in duo mode (a la duo mode like the sub-37, odyssey), 29.5% in poly mode, and, unlike most people here, 0.5% in mono mode. (Note: there are two versions of each mode).

My biggest gripe: really basic MIDI implementation. I wish all those knobs could send/receive cc’s. While you can control one main filter, it’s not as nice as you’d think so I always record it live.

1 Like
#50

I agree about midi implementation being the only “flaw” of the Perfourmer.

Overall I must say this thread is making me very happy. I’ve never liked a synth this much and I always wondered “is it just me? Am I just not “getting” how all other synths are far superior?” but times and times again, I tried them and came back to the Perfourmer because it just worked, and it took me to new places. It’s kind of a plee for simple yet well thought architecture. There’s something deceiving about it. Personally I never had that thing where I was worried it might be bad from looking at videos or what, because the way I discovered it was I tried it in a store. And it was instant gratification, I think I lost 30 minutes of my life on that thing with my headphones on in the store. I couldn’t buy it at the time but it became top of my purchase list instantly.

So really, seeing you all happy users, on a tech-savy forum of synth users, in an era where there’s a new x-voices poly analogue with tons of inovative tricks released every week, I think it says something of what a succes the Per4mer is that it still holds up, and is still a favorite of a lot of people.

3 Likes
#51

Pretty salty discount happening over at PC:

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#52

Sheeeiiit. This is not the information I need.

Update… I survived the day so far, but it’s in my cart… :grimacing:

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#53

After having my Perfourmer for a few weeks now I can safely say the pure quality of sound is as good as anything I’ve heard.

The only thing I’ve heard that can compare in terms of the raw tone of oscillator-filter-vca (to my ears) is my old Prodigy.

What I have also learned in my brief time with it is subtlety is its strength when patching.

My first experiments were creating wildly different patches per voice, which can end up sounding a bit chaotic.

Where it is really shining is subtle differences in LFO times, ADSR settings, filter settings. Everything then gels together in a more cohesive way, but sounds so alive.

Feeding it a sequence with different octave settings (and the odd voice tuned up/down a fifth) then sounds magical :sparkles:

I love it… no regrets at all in selling off a lot of kit I had to get it.

7 Likes
#54

I recently pulled the Perfourmer out to use as 4 channel mixer in a mini setup I have in another part of the studio and it has been great for that especially using the inserts to bring in effects. But it really makes really wish I had the CV version. I’ve seen the CV option for sale from Europe.

Has any one tried this route? Mine is a MKII.

#55

My Perfourmer is seeing less and less use as I go deeper with the Matriarch. The thought of selling it just crossed my mind. Am I crazy? Is this just cabin fever talking?

I’m going to play with it today and let it convince me otherwise.

#56

They sound pretty different though, right?

#57

They can sound pretty different, but I’m trying to figure out if they sound different enough to warrant owning both.

When I bought the perfourmer, I was very much in tabletop mode. Since then, I’ve gone full euro, and the matriarch is so wonderful and perfect when combined with the euro.

It’s one of those deals: I love it in theory, but have not made much use of it since getting into modular. Let it chill with the intention of coming back to it? Let it go and make room for something else? Become full of regret if so?

#58

I don’t have either of those synths but I have to think Perfourmer through Matriarch would be awesome. 2 osc 4 voice Perfourmatriarch? Perfourmer round robin 2 voices left 2 voices right through Matriarch stereo filter and delay?

#59

I had the same thought, or rather a similar thought: an eight voice mega-poly, with the matriarch acting as midi controller. The results were underwhelming, as I felt the two synths kind of covered the same ground.

Plus it was just absurd. :grinning:

1 Like
#60

Well, I do love me some absurdity. That said, I was considering either of those synths as a VCO poly but I ended up getting the Prophet 10. Couldn’t be happier with it, but I could have been more absurd. I would still consider replacing my Pro One with a Matriarch, but I’m kind of attached to the old junky thing.

1 Like
#61

Ah, lovely. Something about the Elektron Analog four is piquing my interest as of late. But I also feel like I’m kind of just kicking the tires on some different ideas as a way of avoiding major life change events that are on the horizon.

(That’s what synths are for, right?)

Update: Perfourmer is amazing, and I’m going to keep it for the time being. If nothing else, the true polyphony differentiates it from matriarch.

3 Likes
#62

You can always get another if you miss it…I’ve had the Perfourmer four times now.

1 Like