KVR Audio

coltpeacemaker · Post by **coltpeacemaker** » Sun Apr 09, 2017 11:30 am

Hi all im in the market to buy two new synths for ambient/deep house style off music and even some soundscapes for fun and i was thinking about getting a Nord lead 4 and the Modal 001. Does anyone have either off these synths? And whats their thought off them? Other synths i have considered are the Roland system-8, Access virus ti2 or polar, DSI pro2 rev 2 prophet 12! The last category off synths ive thought about are the Korg kronos 2 and Yamaha Montage, i know they sound amazing but theres something about rompler synths that dont grab me as much, but to be honest i dont care if its Analog VA Rompler as long as it sound great im in. I also though about getting the Modal 002/008 but there very expensive So i guess im asking whats the best synth that can produce as many sounds from pads to bell sounds to lead?
Cheers all....

dark water · Post by **dark water** » Sun Apr 09, 2017 12:08 pm

Take this advice with a pinch of salt because I don't know enough about your style or existing setup, but if it were me with roughly £3,500 to spend:

Get the Modal 001.

Don't get any of those other ones you've listed.

Buy some cool effect pedals for creating ambient soundscapes, such as the Strymon BigSky.

Take a look at a modular synth setup or a couple of semi-modular Moog Mother 32s:

(And spend any spare money on upgrading studio acoustic treatment if necessary).

transmetropolitan · Post by **transmetropolitan** » Sun Apr 09, 2017 12:36 pm

Waldorf Blofeld offers an awful lot of bang for buck. For ambient those slowly evolving wavetables and comb filter etc are hard to beat.

I agree about thinking FX too, you could look at Eventide h9.

The other synth I'd be considering is something from the Moog lineage, because there's something great about the smoothness of those synths that is great for ambient. Sub 37 would be my choice.

coltpeacemaker · Post by **coltpeacemaker** » Sun Apr 09, 2017 2:11 pm

Thanks guys ive been thinking about the 001 and have been watching every YouTube vid on it because im not sure the 002/008 are worth that sort off cash, but they do sound awesome. That video was amazing great set up he has but it must off cost a fortune for all that gear and i heard the Blofeld are a great synth with a big sound. I have a Elektron rytm, Cirklon sequencer( that thing is amazing) Arturia Martixbrute and Moog Sub 37 i felt the Moog and Arturia have similar sounds so i wanted to expand into some other territory. Basically i want to move away from my DAW Sonar Platinum as im not inspired with clicking a mouse and get a more hands on setup, so my Elektron rytm a external sequencer some sort off fx units and a few synths so i can jam by myself self or with some friends. This guy is my live synth music hero check it out its AMAZING...

zerocrossing · Post by **zerocrossing** » Sun Apr 09, 2017 3:05 pm

One thing I notice is you don't really have a polyphonic synth. The .001 is monophonic. If you can scrape the funds together, get the .002. The rack version runs $2500-3000 depending on voice count.

An analog polyphonic might be a good thing too. You can get a Prophet 6 module for $1700 or so. Prophet 08 for even less. That and a Sledge or Blofeld could be a great solution. I personally do most wavetable in software, but I do love the Micromonsta and it's cheap.

tehlord · Post by **tehlord** » Sun Apr 09, 2017 3:23 pm

It might be worth holding out a little bit until we hear some more details/sounds from the new Waldorf Quantum. With digital wavetable and granular synthesis with analogue filters it is potentially a killer synth if they get the OS right.

I would always recommend the Virus too. It's such a multi talented powerhouse and the onboard FX are stunning.

Oh and don't forget the DM12 too, which also has superb FX and 12 note analogue polyphony.

coltpeacemaker · Post by **coltpeacemaker** » Sun Apr 09, 2017 3:34 pm

Thats my problem no poly synth so a DSI like the pro 6 or 08 might be a go. Id love a pro 12 but i hear alot off ppl dont like the sound off it! i find that a bit strange and i saw a prototype off the Waldorf Quantum and it looks like a beast. Another synth ppl have recommended was the Solaris but i dont know much about it...Thanks for the ideas

Wormhelmet · Post by **Wormhelmet** » Sun Apr 09, 2017 4:12 pm

Nord Lead 4 is 4 part multitimbral and polyphonic

Virus Ti2 is 16 part multitimbral, polyphony of up to 80 voices I think

Blofeld is 16 part multitmbral and 25 voice I think

Korg Kronos 2 is not exactly a rompler. It uses multisamples for some engines and VA oscillators for others. Its a beast and also 16 part multitmbral with full 16 track sequencer. The dedicated VA engine, MS-20, and Polysix all use VA oscillators I believe. They sound very good.

Big fan of multitimbral VA's. Some sampled waveform synths sound great too if done right.

Good example - Spectralis 2
Bad example - Roland SH-32 (although pads can sound good on it)

cryophonik · Post by **cryophonik** » Sun Apr 09, 2017 4:57 pm

Nord Lead 4 and Virus TI2 owner here. I'd recommend either one for your needs. The Virus is a deeper synth, but the Nord is arguably a little more immediate and has one of the best interfaces of any synth currently in production. Either one of them plus a Modal or one of the other analogs mentioned above would be a great combo.

FWIW, I'm also a Sonar Platinum user and the TI2/Virus Control works great here. I also have an instrument definition (.ins) file for my NL4, which makes patch recall and parameter automation really easy in Sonar, in case you decide to stick with it.

rod_zero · Post by **rod_zero** » Sun Apr 09, 2017 6:01 pm

If you are getting 2:

Arturia Matrixbrute and System 8

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Sun Apr 09, 2017 6:15 pm

rod_zero wrote:If you are getting 2:

Arturia Matrixbrute and System 8

OP has said he owns a Matrixbrute ...

coltpeacemaker · Post by **coltpeacemaker** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 1:33 am

This is tougher then i though it would be lol be fun, and yes i love VA synths as well they can do nearly any task you want from them. So i guess the list off synths are
* Nord lead
* Virus Ti2
* Blofeld
* Korg Kronos
* Modal 001/002/008 I can get a awesome price discount on this one
Are DSI prophets any good? and which one? Because i was thinking about getting one as i hear they can do alot off crazy sounds if you want them too!
I do like the idea off the virus and the Nord together as i can just afford to get them both and being able to integrate into Sonar sounds very good. I notice Rolands dont seem to get much love these days from ppl, has Roland lost its way or something because once they used to be very good but now...I looked at the system 8 and it sounded great and having those plug out synths built in so you have a Jupiter as well sounded very promising but i just could not get past that plastic build....

V0RT3X · Post by **V0RT3X** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 5:39 am

Prophet 12 is pretty awesome for ambient..

example#1

example#2

The Modal 002 is also another great option.

zerocrossing · Post by **zerocrossing** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 10:17 pm

coltpeacemaker wrote:Thats my problem no poly synth so a DSI like the pro 6 or 08 might be a go. Id love a pro 12 but i hear alot off ppl dont like the sound off it! i find that a bit strange and i saw a prototype off the Waldorf Quantum and it looks like a beast. Another synth ppl have recommended was the Solaris but i dont know much about it...Thanks for the ideas

I had a 12 and I was one of the people who never quite got on with it, though it did do somethings brilliantly. Don't take my word on it, though. Listen to the demos and make your own mind up. I just felt the osc section was weak sounding compared to other Curtis based modern DSIs and the implementation of wavetables... well, it was like they gave you 12 waves that you can morph between two at a time. One waveform is called meh, but IMO, they all should have been called meh.

I actually just bought (finally) a hybrid wavetable synth today. I got a DSI Tempest. "What?" You say? "The Tempest is a drum machine/synth!" That's what they said, but I thought it was kind of lame in that respect. It's like they took the MoPho/Evolver idea and shoehorned it into a drum synth. Not great for drums, IMO, but I kept hearing it used as a really cool sounding poly, so I picked one up. I'm not going to have the $3K or space for a Quantum any time soon, so that's my soulution.

ghettosynth · Post by **ghettosynth** » Tue Apr 11, 2017 12:35 am

I would consider the Deepmind 12 and I would also hold out to see exactly what Waldorf brings to the table. I guess it depends a lot on what type of ambient that you are doing. I do a lot of stuff with monosynths and effects, but, when I'm actually playing chords with long decaying sounds the extra polyphony matters quite a bit.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the Nord leads, although I think that the various incarnations of the modular are pretty special.

I need two new hardware synths