One Synth Challenge #75: PG-8X (Jasinski Wins!)

[animehaus]

Also changing the velocity of notes in the piano roll has no effect, that's the biggest issue for me. Any other FL users have this problem or know of a solution?

Have you changed the "Env2 / Gate" and "Dynamics" switch on the "VCA" section? I'm using it on FL Studio 12 without any problems at all - no crashes, and velocity works just perfectly.

[LhaastDaiz]

To change the volume of notes you have to set the dynamic switch on the amp to 1 or more.

[Taron]

@Taron:
The correct english translation for "dabei sein ist alles" is "it`s the taking part that counts". Many germans here at OSC

As you see this sentence is also true for me. Even if I cannot take part to 100% (because my pc is making problems, or because I haven`t got enough off time in a certain month) I´m simply taking part as good as it is possible in making a couple of patches, listen the tracks and commenting them, join the forum discussion and so on. This way simply each OSC I can at least join partially makes sense for me because I always learn a little bit more

THANKS, Mojo! I know for sure that great spirits like you are what counts! ...somehow I think my brains are turning to mush with age, haha...crazy.

Yeah, I'm what one might call a veteran synth programmer, yet, this thing (PG-8x) is kind of frustrating me a little bit. I believe the most promising ways to control it is via automation, considering that volume can't get lfo and that the envelopes somehow can't get a crisp attack, particularly for the very narrowly confined filters. EQs are the other big lifesavers, of course.
I must say, though, after only hearing the little example Mark was posting, I almost have no hope to get such a beautifully crisp mix together. But it sure is a brilliant motivation to try!

It'll get interesting for sure, as you said, Mojo, just to even witness the greatness unfolding here. I can't wait to hear everybody's stuff! It's time I finally get exposed to a whole lot of musicians...something I somehow had never managed. I'm thrilled, practically by default!

[actioncat]

Oh awesome thanks, yeah the dynamics switch on the amp did it. I had that off for a few patches and the rest on 1, and on 1 the changes are so slight I didn't notice them with regular use, but testing max next to min velocity you can definitely tell it works. After not noticing any velocity changes I must have tested it with one of the patches that had it turned off

much better now

[Mojo42]

simply everything is practise for me and important to learn for me. Because it seems that I cannot join this OSC with a track because of my pc problems, I try to do at least what is possible. It is possible that I practise at least programming this month. That`s cool for me, because I learn something and it`s also cool for the others, because they get a couple of patches more.

Great attitude! I'm here to learn as well. I just want to improve at what I love doing most, and have fun doing it. So I'm back again for this month if all goes well.or know

Coooooooool. I`m glad to see you join Can`t wait to get all the great patches you surely will make this time *greed mode*

Seriously: Nice to see you

@Taron:
The correct english translation for "dabei sein ist alles" is "it`s the taking part that counts". Many germans here at OSC

As you see this sentence is also true for me. Even if I cannot take part to 100% (because my pc is making problems, or because I haven`t got enough off time in a certain month) I´m simply taking part as good as it is possible in making a couple of patches, listen the tracks and commenting them, join the forum discussion and so on. This way simply each OSC I can at least join partially makes sense for me because I always learn a little bit more

THANKS, Mojo! I know for sure that great spirits like you are what counts! ...somehow I think my brains are turning to mush with age, haha...crazy.

Yeah, I'm what one might call a veteran synth programmer, yet, this thing (PG-8x) is kind of frustrating me a little bit. I believe the most promising ways to control it is via automation, considering that volume can't get lfo and that the envelopes somehow can't get a crisp attack, particularly for the very narrowly confined filters. EQs are the other big lifesavers, of course.
I must say, though, after only hearing the little example Mark was posting, I almost have no hope to get such a beautifully crisp mix together. But it sure is a brilliant motivation to try!

It'll get interesting for sure, as you said, Mojo, just to even witness the greatness unfolding here. I can't wait to hear everybody's stuff! It's time I finally get exposed to a whole lot of musicians...something I somehow had never managed. I'm thrilled, practically by default!

Oooops even you as synth programmer veteran find the PG-8X challenging? Me too, but I`m a beginner, I find each synth challenging

Well okay that`s anyhow calming to know. But I have to say that it is more and more fun the longer I deal with it. It is just: One has to be very patiently I guess. I didn`t get any sound finished quickly. All is worked out with a lot of try and error and most of all with patience. This is a ruminant synth, it needs all your attention, concentration and patience. But that`s good I guess, feels good if a sound worked out nice. If results are too easy too reach you don`t valuate them as much as you valuate the results you had to work hard for. So: Enjoy

[Taron]

Maha, now I can help with a little: "Trial and error"!
I'm now religiously hooking an EQ after each sound, trying to carve out its own piece of the spectrum, which really helps to bring out the best in each instance. I have to be careful, though, because with a sharp Q you can get very different sounds, almost making it sound like a different synth and I'm a little worried about that, for sure. I'm taming it, of course, but it's tempting!

Well, the synth in itself has very few parameter to play with, which makes coming up with a sound at first very quick. It really is the filter that bother me most, but the other wacky thing is the synced LFO, which has only these off the wall timings?! I wished there was at least a 1/16, dreaming of a 3/16, 1/24 or 1/32, haha, but it's got like 4/1, 15/4, 7/2 and all sorts of wacky cra...stuff.

I'm very happy it has oscillator sync, though, that's source of good old complex standards and lovingly hooking envelopes into pitch and volume of the 2nd osc can get you some delicate sounds for sure.

The portamento is a bit...hmmm...odd, too. I'm still not sure, if it has legato portamento or not?!

HOWEVER, I am really having some fun right now, regardless of how the outcome may be...it's an entertaining and inspiring ride.

Oh, and Chorus Depth and Speed are swapped in the interface, as a little side note!

[bh9090]

My entry: Improv 2

An ambient improv with three instances. Ableton Live 9 with effects: EQ8, SimpleDelay, Reverb, Compressor, Saturator, and Limiter. 3rd party: Tal Reverb II and LoudMax.

https://soundcloud.com/hennessey/bh9090 ... 2-pg8x-osc

[Taron]

That's very, very pretty and beautifully relaxing, too! The saturator really adds an awesome character I was afraid to apply. It sure opens up possibilities.
But, what ever may be, your song is gorgeous, vulnerable and kind of sincerely self-indulging in the best of ways! Let me be the first to thank you for sharing it! GREAT JOB!

[ontrackp]

Maha, now I can help with a little: "Trial and error"!
I'm now religiously hooking an EQ after each sound, trying to carve out its own piece of the spectrum, which really helps to bring out the best in each instance. I have to be careful, though, because with a sharp Q you can get very different sounds, almost making it sound like a different synth and I'm a little worried about that, for sure. I'm taming it, of course, but it's tempting!

Well, the synth in itself has very few parameter to play with, which makes coming up with a sound at first very quick. It really is the filter that bother me most, but the other wacky thing is the synced LFO, which has only these off the wall timings?! I wished there was at least a 1/16, dreaming of a 3/16, 1/24 or 1/32, haha, but it's got like 4/1, 15/4, 7/2 and all sorts of wacky cra...stuff.

I'm very happy it has oscillator sync, though, that's source of good old complex standards and lovingly hooking envelopes into pitch and volume of the 2nd osc can get you some delicate sounds for sure.

The portamento is a bit...hmmm...odd, too. I'm still not sure, if it has legato portamento or not?!

HOWEVER, I am really having some fun right now, regardless of how the outcome may be...it's an entertaining and inspiring ride.

Oh, and Chorus Depth and Speed are swapped in the interface, as a little side note!

I'm finding to get the sounds from this synth to sit well in a mix to be a challenge, too. Lots of careful eq - - which doesn't change the character of the sounds, but it's the only way to get the mix to feel right. As soon as the filter is open even just a little bit, all of the timbres get very similar. It's a fun synth, but kind of frustrating in that sense.

And I agree about the LFO -- the sync timings are bizarre.

[Parduz]

Guys, do you think is it possible to to get a rim-shot (drum-stick? rim-stick? what's the name?) out of this Synth?
I'm trying a lot but i get everything else... either a "yes: this is how" or "no, because..." will be a really good help.

[Taron]

Yes, you kinda can, but mildly help it with EQ...as in... help it A LOT!
Also, you may not want to use noise for that, as weird as it sounds! I've made some conga like percussion with a tight reverb that really already go into that direction.

Hmmm...I could give it a look, see that I save out some presets to demonstrate. But it has to wait a moment. I'm almost done with my second song test, which might become my submission.

[Taron]

Ok, here's mine...
Done in MuTools' MuLab, no external plugins used, exclusively my own reverb mux patches and I totally blow at mastering...so...where's the smily that let's his head hang down?
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https://soundcloud.com/taronium/taron-a-way-back-home
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Breakdown
DAW: MuLab
17 instances of PG8X (64 bit)
All effects are MUX patches
2 different reverb patches ("freeverb.mux", "tight room.mux"), various instances of them, of course.
2 different delay patches ("OnBeat.mux", "PingPongBeat.mux"), various instances.
3 different EQ patches ("Parametric EQ.mux", "2 Band EQ.mux", "4 Band EQ.mux"), several instances. Pretty much every single PG8X has his own EQ attached.

Only one sad "compressor.mux" on the Master out that I can't do justice for some reason.
OH, I almost forgot the cute little "stereo.mux", with which one can control stereo aspects (parametric mono, low freq threshold and extra width). This one and both of the reverbs are mux patches I created myself (proudly and shockingly so), whereby I used freeverb coefficients for the tuning of- well- "freeverb.mux".

PG8X has only a very, very narrow spectrum of sound you can coax out of it without clotting up its quality or brilliance. As a result sounds tend to come out quite identical. The whole thing acts as though it has just one sound in three weights. With a bit of noodling and some courage you can stretch out this spectrum wide enough to get the rest with some more aggressive EQ work. I did use very tight reverbs to hang on to certain aspects of a sound for longer to coax out an interesting character without really departing too far from the original. Part of this challenge seemed to me to really stick with this synth and not turn it inside out beyond recognition. I'm sure I could've/should've gone further, though.
The major intention for the EQing, though, was to separate sounds, dedicate a specific frequency range to each. Sometimes it would just be mild separations, and I might've been a bit too shy about it, too. It's sometimes odd how terrible a sound might come out solo, once you pushed it's frequency range into a corner, but together with the rest it really start to shine again.

I did also EQ some of the reverbs to also take them off the sounds they came from. Here, too, I was too timid to raise enough contrast, I'm afraid, but well.

What I love doing is inverting channels to offset the sense of a sounds location. HERE I might have actually gone overboard. So...hmmm... dealing with a rather humble synth as only source for sound, it really makes me look that much harder at mixing again. All too often I neglect that, because I really mostly care about the composition, normally, or rather making musical sketches.

Allow me to be a little bit shameless, when I mention MuLab's MUX modular system, which does almost destroy any sense of limitation, especially compared to this synth, haha. When I experiment with that, I normally start with one sound, start a little song and then tailor all new sounds after that to what I want and where I want it... no further EQ required, hahaha...well...sort of.

Anyway, if you have any questions (which I really doubt...but hey), don't hold back!

[Mojo42]

Guys, do you think is it possible to to get a rim-shot (drum-stick? rim-stick? what's the name?) out of this Synth?

Do you mean rim shot or rim click? Rim shot is the sound of the snare and the rim same time and rim click is only the sound of the rim. In general I`m still working on snare sounds at all, but in between I had an adjustement that sounds similar to a rim click, but I didn`t save it. I can try to redo this. Concerning the rim shot....yeah should be possible with PG-8X, because all the snare sounds I could get until now are anyway much too hard and too punchy for my taste but rim shot actually sounds this way.

[Taron]

Guys, do you think is it possible to to get a rim-shot (drum-stick? rim-stick? what's the name?) out of this Synth?
I'm trying a lot but i get everything else... either a "yes: this is how" or "no, because..." will be a really good help.

Here's a 3 minute collection of ticks...wood, block and stick, but what ever it might be. Hook a tight reverb on them and you should be able to get closer!
I'm a bit too tired right now, but Mojo just reminded me... I totally forgot.

[LhaastDaiz]

https://soundcloud.com/lhaastdaiz/lhaastdaiz-init

Renoise 3.0.1 & 13 PG-8X

Native Effects

12 Filter
06 Compressor
06 EQ 10
02 Stereo X
02 Gate
02 Delay
02 Reverb
01 Exciter
01 Distortion