Wow Me! (Synth Suggestions...Dune 2 Winner Prize Ready...Update 5/5)

[spidergod]

Just to say this is a great thread as I am trying to decide on a new synth as well.

I am going to be testing Tone 2 Nemesis and also Spectral as well soon.

I might hold out for the NI Summer sale for Kontact 5 though (& possibly Massive & Rounds).

I also have Enzyme and must admit I do not think I have used it in any of my tracks, something seems to be too hard edged metallic for my taste.

I am going to have to re-install Synplant - that synth was amazing when I first bought it.

thanks

[sfd]

Do you guys like/prefer synths with many rhythmic, arpeggiated and/or sequenzed presets?

[wagtunes]

Do you guys like/prefer synths with many rhythmic, arpeggiated and/or sequenzed presets?

Presets don't matter to me as I program my own sounds. An arpeggiator is nice to have but not a requirement.

[EnGee]

Then I must be a very weird person. I use everything I have. Recently I did one track with 22 different synths. In fact, it's up on Soundcloud.

I'm sorry if I miss something. Is it the new way in composing? Because I hear also some others that use so many synths in their song.
I thought every synth has a line (melody or harmony) from beginning to end (almost, depends on the piece of music). I might be old school, or my mind is band oriented. I found your piece can be done with 3-5 maximum sounds(the pads is one, the melody is another one, I'm not sure I heard bass there, what other lines in your piece?).

It seems to me like a demonstration of the presets, or was that your intention? I think if it is done with less sounds but with better arrangement, it would be an interesting piece. Of course it is just an opinion.

[wagtunes]

Then I must be a very weird person. I use everything I have. Recently I did one track with 22 different synths. In fact, it's up on Soundcloud.

I'm sorry if I miss something. Is it the new way in composing? Because I hear also some others that use so many synths in their song.
I thought every synth has a line (melody or harmony) from beginning to end (almost, depends on the piece of music). I might be old school, or my mind is band oriented. I found your piece can be done with 3-5 maximum sounds(the pads is one, the melody is another one, I'm not sure I heard bass there, what other lines in your piece?).

It seems to me like a demonstration of the presets, or was that your intention? I think if it is done with less sounds but with better arrangement, it would be an interesting piece. Of course it is just an opinion.

Don't know if it's a new way of composing. I don't normally ask people how many synths they use when they create a piece of music.

As for the piece I did, it was simply a demonstration to show how it's virtually impossible to tell what synths are being used in a piece. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Michael L]

Because you program your own sounds, think about a percussion synth; Sonic Charge's MicroTonic. Great possibilities for very different sounds when you go beyond the presets A blast to program because each knob/slider enables a wide mod range. Neat ability for formants. If you do want thousands of free presets, connect with the MicroTonic Patternarium to audition & copy with 3 clicks.

[Lotuzia]

Just to say this is a great thread as I am trying to decide on a new synth as well.

I am going to be testing Tone 2 Nemesis and also Spectral as well soon.

I might hold out for the NI Summer sale for Kontact 5 though (& possibly Massive & Rounds).

I also have Enzyme and must admit I do not think I have used it in any of my tracks, something seems to be too hard edged metallic for my taste.

I am going to have to re-install Synplant - that synth was amazing when I first bought it.

thanks

Synplant patch creation concept is really great and unique. I was however a bit disapointed by the final sound. Not really for me, or let's say that when I need such sounds, wich is rare, I have some other ways to create them with rather simple tools.

[wagtunes]

Because you program your own sounds, think about a percussion synth; Sonic Charge's MicroTonic. Great possibilities for very different sounds when you go beyond the presets A blast to program because each knob/slider enables a wide mod range. Neat ability for formants. If you do want thousands of free presets, connect with the MicroTonic Patternarium to audition & copy with 3 clicks.

Okay, sounds great. Here's the deal breaker on this because drums are a special category for me (in fact I might start another thread for what I'm looking for) and I'm very picky in this area.

I want a drum module where I can do the following. So far, the ones I have do not have the capability.

This is what I'm looking for.

I want to be able to pull up a blank pattern. 16 steps is fine as long as I can chain patterns together.

I want to be able to assign a drum sound to a particular key, like I can in Battery 4, and then start the drum module circulating through the 16 steps and, in real time, hit the key on the keyboard and have the pattern insert the key where I pressed it into the pattern and keep going so I can continually add to the pattern.

In this way, I can create complex drum patterns that I would never be able to play in real time because I have terrible rhythm.

The drum sequencers I have so far do not have this capability. The only way to enter notes into the pattern is with your mouse, putting them in at the spot you want the drum sound to play, such as with Cubase's beat designer.

Doing it this way makes it necessary to be able to write percussion parts, which I am terrible at doing. I play by feel, not written notes. At least when it comes to drums. Piano, orchestral is different because I feel those instruments differently.

So, can this drum synthesizer do what I want it to do? If not, it's of no use to me. I have plenty of drum sounds already. In fact, to me, drums are just a necessary evil to make a beat. But this synth does sound really cool. However, if I have to enter the beats into the pattern generator with my mouse, it's useless to me.

[Michael L]

Check out the MicroTonic manual pp 27-30 for using multiple channels or triggering different patterns on the fly.

[wagtunes]

Check out the MicroTonic manual pp 27-30 for using multiple channels or triggering different patterns on the fly.

Read it. Nothing in it suggests that I can create a pattern in Microtonic in real time by playing the keyboard.

** EDIT ** Read the section on the Matrix Editor as well. Nothing in it says that you can edit this editor in real time by hitting the keys on your keyboard.

[Michael L]

Doesn't p 31 "midi keyboard" show what you want? If not, try a Maschine-style program like MOTU bpm. MicroTonic's uniqueness is its wild synth engine

[wagtunes]

Doesn't p 31 "midi keyboard" show what you want? If not, try a Maschine-style program like MOTU bpm. MicroTonic's uniqueness is its wild synth engine

Okay, I downloaded the demo and read through the manual just enough to at least get the thing to work. When I load a pattern and play it back, the only sound that sounds is the kick drum.

I made sure that all MIDI channels were being received. I even exported the pattern to a MIDI file and loaded THAT file into Battery and it played fine.

So I don't know what the problem is and I don't have the time to fiddle with it to find out.

** EDIT ** Okay, I got the VST to play back all sounds. To do this in Cubase I actually had to load a MIDI track, something I don't have to do with regular VSTs.

Here's the problem still. If you read the manual carefully, this is what it says...

The actions you perform with your MIDI keyboard can be recorded in MIDI sequencer tracks, but they cannot be automated as parameter changes

In other words, if I start my MIDI recorder going, I can play my keyboard real time and record MIDI data onto the track. What I can't do is record data into the matrix itself real time. To do that, I have to paint the notes using my mouse.

I already have drums that do that. The only reason for me, therefore, to buy this would be for the sounds themselves and I can't see paying a hundred bucks for yet another drum module.

When somebody creates a drum module where I can record into the matrix (not the MIDI track) real time, I'll get it.

[pdxindy]

When somebody creates a drum module where I can record into the matrix (not the MIDI track) real time, I'll get it.

Geist does what you are asking for.

[wagtunes]

When somebody creates a drum module where I can record into the matrix (not the MIDI track) real time, I'll get it.

Geist does what you are asking for.

$250 for a drum machine? (yes I know it does more that I don't need) No thanks. LOL.

[lnikj]

When somebody creates a drum module where I can record into the matrix (not the MIDI track) real time, I'll get it.

Geist does what you are asking for.

$250 for a drum machine? (yes I know it does more that I don't need) No thanks. LOL.

Very few people have paid $250 for it. Regularly on sale for $99.