KVR Audio

anomandaris1 · Post by **anomandaris1** » Sun Jun 19, 2016 5:11 pm

The good factory presets !!!

recursive one · Post by **recursive one** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 8:07 am

It must be supplied with a VSTi plugin making any parameter accessible from a DAW and able to stream both MIDI and audio.

Which basically limits the choice to only one HW synth which I already have. Actually I wonder why more HW synth manufacturers don't implement things like that. Roland System 1 seems to be a prime candidate (afaik it has a plugin which only runs in native mode, does it?)

xtreme sounds · Post by **xtreme sounds** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 2:35 pm

rod_zero · Post by **rod_zero** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:00 pm

recursive one wrote:It must be supplied with a VSTi plugin making any parameter accessible from a DAW and able to stream both MIDI and audio.

Which basically limits the choice to only one HW synth which I already have. Actually I wonder why more HW synth manufacturers don't implement things like that. Roland System 1 seems to be a prime candidate (afaik it has a plugin which only runs in native mode, does it?)

Virus ti
Elektron Analog4/keys
elektron Analog Rytm
Novation Ultranova/mini (no audio through)
Moog Sub37 and miniatur (midi only)

Yeah, not very popular feature, and I think it is very expensive to develop it properly that's why it is not widely implemented.

recursive one · Post by **recursive one** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 6:10 pm

Thanks, didn't know about the Electrons. As for the MIDI-only variants, they don't interest me much - the cool thing about the virus plugin is that it needs only one track in a DAW which can be frozen/unfrozen.

MX61 is a workstation? I guess I don't need this as I don't need workstations in general. I have Yamaha MM6 which I only use as a MIDI-keyboard. When I need something like "real-world" sounds (not so often), I have Kontakt for that.

DJ Warmonger · Post by **DJ Warmonger** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 6:26 pm

It must be supplied with a VSTi plugin making any parameter accessible from a DAW and able to stream both MIDI and audio.

I want the possibility to control every parameter with MIDI automation, but not all actual synth settings need to be automated. The whole point of hardware is hands-on control, manipulating everything from DAW kinda defeats its purpose.

recursive one · Post by **recursive one** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 6:36 pm

DJ Warmonger wrote: manipulating everything from DAW kinda defeats its purpose.

For me it doesn't. I'm a plugin guy, but I love the sound of certain hardware.

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 7:36 pm

Minimonsta is the one synth where the interface trumps sound for me. The modulation section makes it fast and easy to program non-standard sounds. If GForce comes out with a Minimonsta 2, I'm guessing it will become my main synth.

Stupid American Pig · Post by **Stupid American Pig** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 7:57 pm

Uncle E wrote:Minimonsta is the one synth where the interface trumps sound for me. The modulation section makes it fast and easy to program non-standard sounds. If GForce comes out with a Minimonsta 2, I'm guessing it will become my main synth.

I read that as "the interface is better than how it sounds" in the first sentence but I get what you are saying in the second.

Ive interacted with Dave when I did some optigan demos for him a couple years back. Hes a great dude.

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 8:05 pm

Stupid American Pig wrote:I read that as "the interface is better than how it sounds" in the first sentence

Well, Minimonsta was top notch when it was released so many years ago but I think Dave would agree that he can improve upon it now. He did great work with the updates to Oddity and ImpOSCar, I feel pretty confident that a Minimonsta 2 would be just as good.

AnX · Post by **AnX** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 8:10 pm

I thought John did the impOSCar...

BONES · Post by **BONES** » Mon Apr 24, 2017 11:42 am

Some interesting comments here. Those of you who want each new synth to offer something you don't already have are kind of missing the point of synthesisers, I think. A good one can do anything, what you really want is something that allows you to do certain things more easily.

I find myself easily roped in by a cool looking design but unless the instrument can also deliver the goods, that initial attraction fades very quickly. I sure as hell couldn't care less how they all look together as they spend 90% of their time in a bag or a box.

What matters to me first and foremost is ease of programming. If I can't take a preset and easily turn it into something different when I am playing around with a synth in a shop, I'll lose interest very, very quickly. It is even more true with softsynths - GUIs buried under pages and pages of menus for no good reason are a waste of time and money. e.g. I bought z3ta+ when it was $20 and I have never used it, it's just too hard to work with.

It's strange because for the last 18 years or so I have loved using softsynths but, just lately, hardware is making a real case for usability. Take a look at something like Waldorf Rocket - the versatility they manage to wring out of a dozen or so knobs and a few switches, without having to change modes or go menu-diving, is amazing. Software GUIs could learn a lot of synths like that.

Beyond that, a synth just needs to have something that grabs me about it. Korg Monologue, for example, has a real ballsy bottom end that jumped out of the headphones in the shop. I bought it on the spot and haven't regretted it at all. My Ultranova has the most amazing string sounds I've ever heard.

Then there is portability. Even though the Ultranova is a measurably better machine that my Minilogue, it's the Minilogue that will go to Europe with us next month because it's carry-on luggage size. It's a case of the sound being a lot less important than the ability to deliver it when and where it's needed.

skipscada wrote:A Jordan Rudess endorsement is absolutely key.

Seriously? You let someone else decide what's going to work for you? More importantly, you allow someone who probably has never heard of half the synths around, much less used them, make those decisions for you. That's insanity.

johnrule wrote:If it's what everyone else wants, I know I don't want it.

Again, seriously? You give other people that amount of power over you? That's also insanity.

do_androids_dream wrote:Nothing - the sound is key. That's the only thing that ends up on the record

But what if it is such a PITA to work with that you can't get the sound to work the way you want it to? I mean, sometimes it is really important but an amazingly versatile synth that maybe doesn't ultimately sound as good will get a lot more use. Or what if you can't save patches, like KORG's ridiculous ARP Odyssey clone?

skipscada · Post by **skipscada** » Mon Apr 24, 2017 12:13 pm

BONES wrote:
skipscada wrote:A Jordan Rudess endorsement is absolutely key.
Seriously? You let someone else decide what's going to work for you? More importantly, you allow someone who probably has never heard of half the synths around, much less used them, make those decisions for you. That's insanity.

Respect the Rudess, please. I'm pretty certain he's heard, played and endorsed every synth ever made.

IncarnateX · Post by **IncarnateX** » Mon Apr 24, 2017 3:37 pm

BONES wrote:Or what if you can't save patches, like KORG's ridiculous ARP Odyssey clone?

Absolutely no go for me. Absurd to make something so "authentic" that you inherit all the shit that caused the development of digital synths in the first place. Those with whom I have spoken that got a MS20 mini, simply don't make it part of their set up but are just playing around with it. What a waste.

Stupid American Pig · Post by **Stupid American Pig** » Mon Apr 24, 2017 3:52 pm

I could offer a counterpoint here. Synths with presets tend to make me scroll through presets and then tweak, but you can go down any number of rabbit holes and lose sight of what you are trying to do in the first place. I just bought the Odyssey from JRR(hurry and ship uncle e

) specifically because I want to be forced to put hands on the controls to make sounds.

What determines your choice of synth beyond sound?