Quote (Makemetalmusic @ Nov 20 2011 06:48pm)

Alright, synth time!

Filteria uses the big Waldorf Q, not the Micro Q. They have different sound engines, the big Q is a lot warmer and smoother, with the micro Q sounding more metallic and sharp. Both can do some VERY unique sounding noises. Filteria also owns like 20 other synths, his studio is fucking nuts. I actually JUST purchased a Blofeld used on eeebay last Thursday, it will be my second synth. I decided on it after much deliberation because of it's versatility. Has all the wavetables of the Waldorf Microwave series, as well as from the Q and Micro Q. The sound engine sounds very "new" to my ears, so very digital. Perhaps not as warm as the big Q or XT can get, but I want to sound different, not like the other artists, so I figured this would be a synth to check out.

As for the Nords, all of them are used HEAVILY in the Psy/Goa scene. The Nord Lead1 was used on tons of old Infected Mushroom tracks, as well as GMS. Filteria has a Nord Lead Rack 2x I believe. They can do very squelchy acid noises, and sound very thick and pronounced in a mix. However they have been used and over used to all hell. In fact, I can easily recognize the Nord Lead sound in many artists now because I've heard it so much. They sound good, but if you use one, expect people to recognize it when they hear it.

One synth I was looking at before I bought my Blofeld was the Alesis Ion. It's fairly cheap like the Blofeld, and has tons of very interesting filters, including 2 formant filters for doing weird vocal type noises (This can be achieved with wavetables as well however, which is why I went the Blofeld route). The Ion does however have TONS of knobs, and is easier to program than the Blofeld, so I'm told. However, I've been reading that they have poor outputs and you will need to replace them eventually, because they go bad after some time. This would require soldering on your part, or to take it to a repair shop. The Ion also sounds a lot more "vintage" than the Blofeld, perhaps a bit warmer too. The mod matrix in it is EXTREMELY versatile too, you can do some seriously crazy shit with that synth, like the Blofeld.

The Nord Modular series was also used heavily by Infected Mushroom, and Derango also uses one if I recall correctly. It's basically a synth engine and synth shell, but all editing is done through software editors, which may or may not be something you want. The sound of both of the modulars is superb, very thick with pronounced filters that cut through the mix, great for psy. However, they are expensive. A used Nord Modular 1 is like 600-900 bucks on eeebay, and a Nord Modular 2 is well over a grand.

Something else you might want to check out is the Access Virus series. The A and B models go for less than 500 on eeebay regularly. Derango uses an Access Virus A as well as the Nord Modular. The virus' sound is very dark, in my opinion. But they're very capable synths. The new TI series of the Virus don't sound as good to my ears though.

Another cheap synth is the Roland Gaia, which is supposedly quite good too. Something about it's tone doesn't sit right with me though, but that just may be my personal preference, so you should still check it out.

Also worth mentioning are the Dave Smith Instruments (DSI) Mopho and Tetra. Both analog synths, so you get that warmth and bass heavy beefyness from them. Although they're probably not as versatile as some of the other synths mentioned in this post. DSI also has an instrument called the Evolver which however is VERY versatile. It's an analog/digital hybrid synth, meaning it has both analog and digital oscillators, which can produce some VERY unique sounding tones. There's a polyphonic model of the Evolver called the Polyevolver, which is basically 4 evolvers in one unit.

Speaking of Polyphony, this is one thing you should keep in mind. If you want to be able to make proper pads, you're going to want polyphony.

Anyways, if you need to talk synths more, I'll be here!

Quote (HERETICtheory @ Nov 20 2011 05:33pm)

Awesome man, thanks a whole lot! 

It's funny that you said you just got a Blofeld, good to know it's a solid choice.  Out of curiosity, what types of sounds were you hoping to/getting out of the Blofeld?

I can't find a lot on the K2000 but I've heard somebody say that "most of the memorable Hallucinogen patches" were made on it which piqued my interest.  I want to have a unique sound though, but I also want some of that nice oldschool goa sound to come through.  I heard a bit about the Evolvers and I want to check that out more now that you've brought them up as well.  So far they seem like really nice synths also.  As far as Virus's, I didn't come across one in a quick eeeebay search earlier but I'm sure if I hunted I could find one.  I've heard great stuff about them as well and they're definitely on my long list.  So much to debate over!  As much as I do want to add a Nord to my collection one day, I think it would be a better choice later down the line.  I'll have to look more into the Gaia as well and this Alesis Ion is sounding really nice in some demo vids.  These DSI synths look pretty sweet too, I gotta look into them more for sure.  So far, I saw a demo vid of the Tetra making some really nice squelchy stuff but it seemed to be connected to a drum track too and I have no interest in making drums from my synths at this point in time but I'm sure the drums don't have to be in it, though my microKORG has a sound that always has a kick drum in it and it drives me nuts because I can make a better kick myself. 

Anyway, I guess I'd mainly like to use the synth to get a hands on experience and to get a nicer fuller sound but ideally I would still be running it through into a DAW and using it's MIDI, I'm not much of a keyboard player though I should certainly learn.  Having said that, MIDI is pretty crucial but I think so far pretty much all of these have MIDI capabilities except the Juno-60 which was kind of a deal breaker for me. 

Sort of thinking now mainly about the Blofeld, Micro Q, K2000 and possibly the Tetra or Virus.  Gonna have to do a lot more research before I commit to something but the clock is ticking on the K2000 deal and if I paid 700 for the Blofeld, or 699 or whatever, I could get the K2000 AND a Micro Q for about 80 bucks more than the Blofeld.  The question then is, do the K2000 and Micro Q compliment each other or are they both filling the same gap?  I'm not sure about that yet.  Though I'd really like to hear more about the K2000, I can't seem to find a lot of stuff about it's use in psy, if it has much use so more research is required.  If I can find something really sick for a few hundred more I MAY go up to 900-1000 but at that point I could snag an SH-101 and be quite happy, I'm not sure yet though, money's kinda tight atm.

Anyway, thanks a ton for your reply man, it's super helpful, especially so quickly when the clock is ticking on a lot of these deals.  I'll post back as I make decisions!

Quote (Makemetalmusic @ Nov 20 2011 07:48pm)

No problem

I got the Blofeld mostly for pads. I already own a Spectralis, which is a fairly powerful monophonic synthesier. It does some very nice floaty ambient leads, but I wanted something with polyphony and versatility for pads, so I went with the Blofeld. The Blofeld doesn't sound as squelchy as the Q's do, in my opinion. It definitely has no old school vibe to it, which is fine because I feel my Spectralis already covers a lot of old school textures and noises. I haven't heard much from the Ks2000 so I can't honestly speak for it, but if Posford made good use of it, then you know it's good. I would say the Micro Q will cover your squelchy needs, but they won't be as smooth or warm as another synth probably. This is perfectly fine however if you want to make some more aggressive noises. Some of the best noises I've ever heard were from a Nord Lead 1 which is notoriously aggressive in texture. Also another synth you may consider is the Roland V-Synth, which can do some AMAZING psychedelic noises. It has a touch pad built in, so you can do X/Y modulation and morphing, which comes in really handy when you do vocal type noises. Filteria uses a V-Synth XT, and so does Infected Mushroom, and I have to say it sounds fantastic. I really wanted one, but it was outside of my price range ( They're about 800-900 used for a 1st generation keyboard, I believe. The XT is like 1,300 used. )

Honestly though, no 2 synths fill the same gap, because every single one has a different personality when it comes to tone. I would however say versatility varies GREATLY, so make sure you know what you want when you go looking at specifications. How many voices polyphony do you want, does your synth need to be multitimbral (Layering one noise with another and playing at the same time), do you want it to have certain things like an Arpeggiator or Sequencer, do you want it to have FX like Delay,Reverb,Phaser,Flanger,Distortion, make sure to look at the different types of filters it has, and also check out how many modulation sources/destinations it has. After all that, make sure to read some reviews or threads discussing the synth and see what other people have to say about it, if there's any complaints, that stuff. There's a forum I use for this called Gearslutz, and the guys there are very helpful and know just about everything there is to learn about synthesizers. They can answer any questions you have, many of which I can't cause I'm still a synth noob. Opinion you should take with a grain of salt though, because everyone's obviously looking for different noises from a synth.

Quote (HERETICtheory @ Nov 20 2011 06:18pm)

Hm, yeah I need some good pads, I seriously cannot find a single VST pad that suits my needs 99% of the time.  They're all too presumptuous and try to be all complicated when I'm just looking for a nice textured, warm basic sounding pad for backing harmony.  After a bit more looking the K2000 seems like a solid choice for pads, I haven't seen much use of arps or squelchy kind of noises though so maybe the guy meant Simon used it for that kinda stuff, like the epic string-esque sound at like 7 mins-ish of Shamanix.  I was looking at a V-Synth too but they are a bit pricier, perhaps worth consideration but probably something I would pick up in the nearish future.

And yeah you're right about the gaps synths can fill.  I guess I want to be able to get some use out of both in a track if I buy two at once.  Like if I did K2000 for pads or something and Micro Q for some leads or ambient FX sounds instead of being stuck with two synths competing for the same place in the mix.  I also do want to post this on Gearslutz at some point soon when I have a bit more time since I have to register etc.  They've been super helpful just from me lurking their threads.  That's how I found a lot of these synths and I will definitely have to run my situation by them soon. 

I'm also starting to see a lot of potential in a Virus, A, B or C but I may save that for the next purchase, not sure though.  Anyway, your help has been invaluable man, I really do appreciate it.  Hope you're having a blast with your Blofeld and I will certainly let you know the outcome of my quest. 

Quote (ApocaliX @ Nov 21 2011 04:31am)

Any ways to listen the music you make guys ?