How Do You Try Out a New Instrument?

[b2d]

i just load it up in orion or fruity and try out some presets, mostly i use the compuer keyboard to play with so i dont have to lean forward,

or i just add a few notes and press play while browsing the presets.

i rarely start programming a new sound from the scratch anymore, unless there are no presets.

then maybe i try it out with enormous amounts of distortion and delays to see if it can scream like Ted Bundys girfriends.

[vurt]

poke it with a stick,add some fx see what happens

[CypherOne]

play with the presets and the filters in particular. Check bass response. If it makes my jaw drop it becomes an impulse buy, if the presets sound cack it gets deleted. Note I am not much of a programmer so the presets do most of the selling (although I am getting better, particularly with Albino)

[Mitch I.]

Play through the presets, turning off delay and arpeggiators so I can actually play the presets and hear what they sound like. When I find a preset I like, I start tweaking. That gets me into the editing system to see if the synth can do what I want it to.

I also check the thoroughness and readability of the doc. If I like the sound and tweakability of the synth, I'll be spending some time with the manual.

Mitch I.

[Stupid American Pig]

poke it with my stick,add some fx see what happens

you have porn plugins?

[elv]

Just load it up and star playing.
Usually I get new ideas straigt away if the sounds are good.After that I check the cpu usages

[wrench45us]

nowadays i mostly play through the presets and if it's so designed see what the sound designer has exposed for expressive playing via mod wheel or easy automation on controls. mostly i'm looking for expression/playability these days

previously when i was trying to figure out if a synth's sound was compatible with some of my favorites, I would set up a few sequences of chords and arps and play the new against the familiar, to hear how well things blend in a mix

[ztrauq]

I usually load it up, select some of the presets, and play some "usual" patterns on a controller keyboard. I guess I like to see how it feels to play it, and whether the patches sound good for various kinds of things... after that, the next step is usually to play around with the interface and see if I can figure out how to use it. If it sounds good and is intuitive to use (i.e. don't have to struggle to get different sounds out of it), I'll usually hang onto it...

[shamann]

I repeatedly hit one note while I move every widget on screen. If still curious, I try a few presets at random. I'll leave it for a few days and repeat.

If it's free and doesn't crash, I generally keep it for a while at least. If it costs money, I'll try to program a few different sounds before I buy. If it doesn't strike me I'll get any use out of it, I'll delete.

[jones-y]

I compose a tune. those few synths that have been keepers (the latest was fabfilter one) just really inspire me.

If it has timed noise or dropouts, I'll bounce until I have enough for one good take. Apply a quick mix, and burn it to CD. If I still like the sound of the synth (and the song that the synth inspired) in my headphones, my monitors, and again in my car in the morning, it makes my short list.

At that point, I keep working with the demo until payday. Then I splurge. And, to make the money disappear, I tell my fiancee that my cell phone bill was rather big this month. Which has two beneficial effects. The first is obvious, but the second is she calls me less than ten times a day for a month or so...

[kevvvvv]

Let me add my voice to the "write a tune" brigade.

Way to go

[BONES]

Just to clarify, you start writing and use something with which you are completely unfamiliar. Does that mean that if you are going through a bout of writer's block you will blame the new synth and toss it? Seems pretty flawed to me.

[soulkraka]

simple test

If I can hit ONE NOTE and hear my neighbors dog jump up and run across the linoleum floor in fear then its a keeper.

[smart]

I usually Fire it up and Play it with my keyboard

same here, then If I like what I hear, I'll record a loop or so and then start tweaking knobs.