Best or Cheapest Analog Saturation/Drive for Digital Synths
- KVRAF
- 16659 posts since 22 Nov, 2000 from Southern California
A Tube Screamer circuit like that Joyo has a midrange forward sound with reduced bass and treble. It's a good sound but it doesn't fit the sound you're describing (no sparkle). A Tim circuit would give you more of that.
Behringer spring yes. Analog synth module yes. The MoogerFooger filter is one of the best synth distortions, IMO.
Behringer spring yes. Analog synth module yes. The MoogerFooger filter is one of the best synth distortions, IMO.
- KVRAF
- 12400 posts since 7 May, 2006 from Southern California
This is a good suggestion. I'll add Louder Than Liftoff's Mister Focus, as it also supports DIYRE's Colour format sub modules. I like it's gain staging and routing options a little better than the Colour Palette and the tilt EQ is really useful. I use a 15ips and Mass Drivr modules in mine. Two distinct flavors or saturation.bmanic wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 6:30 pm If you happen to have a 500 series system you could take a look at things like this:
https://www.diyrecordingequipment.com/c ... ons/colour
These are quite subtle though unless you drive them really hot but they give some subtle "mojo" when wanted.
I'll also second Eric's suggestion of MoogerFooger and Minifooger pedals.
I run my Ambika through an old Roland SDE-2500 and it comes out sounding super lush.
Analog Heat is also good.
I have a few tracks where I recorded parts to a really cheap cassette recorder and then mixed the results with the unprocessed signal. I find that works really well for some synth sounds.
There are lots of other things... an old Boss BX mixer, vintage voiced mic pres, DIs with nice tube/transformers (I run a lot of synths though a pair of Phoenix Nice DIs).
- KVRAF
- 16659 posts since 22 Nov, 2000 from Southern California
Old mixers is a great recommendation. The Roland M-240 distorts very cool, that's 24 channels of distortion for around $100! The very first Mackie CR-1604 also distorted cool (has to be the first one, not a VLZ). Finally, my all-time favorite, the Yamaha M512, has the same opamps as vintage Boss DS-1 pedals and distorts like mad.
- KVRAF
- 15206 posts since 26 Jun, 2006 from San Francisco Bay Area
This. The days of "digital can't do saturation" are long over. I sent back a bunch of analog hardware stuff after finding there was no appreciable positive difference. Not that all of it's that good. Some kind of sucks. I was looking at Bitwig's shapers and they're all pretty mediocre, but there are a lot of other options in plugin form. I recently did a per-voice-distortion shootout, and the clear winner was Spire. Analog Four was runner up, great but not very flexible. That's with a desk full of $3000 synthesizers.
Can you tell us your Tonex name? I'd love to grab those 'fooger captures. That was the best thing about my Cluster Flux.
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- KVRAF
- 15206 posts since 26 Jun, 2006 from San Francisco Bay Area
Ooo, that new Behringer 636 clone does sound nice, but if you have a stereo synth you'll want two. Shame they didn't do a stereo version.
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- KVRAF
- 15206 posts since 26 Jun, 2006 from San Francisco Bay Area
These are stereo and can be had for about $200. I keep thinking of selling mine, but then I find a use for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDeVyabN054
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmEgV31mcJA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDeVyabN054
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmEgV31mcJA
Zerocrossing Media
4th Law of Robotics: When turning evil, display a red indicator light. ~[ ●_● ]~
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- KVRAF
- 16659 posts since 22 Nov, 2000 from Southern California
I'll PM it to you when I get home.zerocrossing wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 10:03 pm Can you tell us your Tonex name? I'd love to grab those 'fooger captures. That was the best thing about my Cluster Flux.
- KVRAF
- 16659 posts since 22 Nov, 2000 from Southern California
I am AIRA junky.
- KVRAF
- 2358 posts since 3 Mar, 2010
I just bought an IK Multimedia Uno Synth Pro as an outboard unit for my modular setup. You can run audio input through its analog filters and it has analog drive. The digital effects - reverb, delay, modulation - not to mention the actual synth, are a bonus .
- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 4070 posts since 13 Jun, 2014
Ahh yes, it does doesn't it. Mono might be fine for me and I might just buy it as a bonus for crunchy drums.zerocrossing wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 10:13 pm Ooo, that new Behringer 636 clone does sound nice, but if you have a stereo synth you'll want two. Shame they didn't do a stereo version.
<list your stupid gear here>
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- KVRian
- 1135 posts since 6 Mar, 2004
A tubescreamer isn't necessarily the best pedal for most synth duties as it so strongly mid-focused ( it's meant to push a guitar amp with those frequencies into further distortion ). So a lot of bass synth will just sound honky and thin, pads will sound congested etc. on a TS type pedal. Try going for something with a wider, flatter frequency response, like the Boss Blues Driver or all its clones.
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- KVRAF
- 6445 posts since 22 Jan, 2005 from Sweden
If to use guitarpedal I would try Catalinbread Dreamcoat that brings a very warm thing for saturation. It's a replica of a tape machine preamp use by Blackmore for a while. I have not used for synth though but think it would suite very well and have good tweaking options.
But that is two to get stereo.
For daw I would look at Waves Vitamin, Kramer Master Tape or NLS also keeping stereo field. Voice panning stuff is among the best things happening for synths IMO that make less cancellation harmonics since spread in stereo field compared to stacked on a mono.
https://www.waves.com/plugins/vitamin
https://www.waves.com/plugins/kramer-master-tape
NLS is simply 3 different consoles like SSL and a drive knob. You can go from subtle to obvious.
Vitamin is really full control of many things as which frequencies to add harmonics to.
https://youtu.be/Ex5F1jb-ncg
Master Tape takes a bit of experimenting to get it right.
Once my Opsix moves from my lap to dawwork I would try those plugins. Nordlead 2X sounds good as is and the REV2 and Prologue are analog and need nothing.
But that is two to get stereo.
For daw I would look at Waves Vitamin, Kramer Master Tape or NLS also keeping stereo field. Voice panning stuff is among the best things happening for synths IMO that make less cancellation harmonics since spread in stereo field compared to stacked on a mono.
https://www.waves.com/plugins/vitamin
https://www.waves.com/plugins/kramer-master-tape
NLS is simply 3 different consoles like SSL and a drive knob. You can go from subtle to obvious.
Vitamin is really full control of many things as which frequencies to add harmonics to.
https://youtu.be/Ex5F1jb-ncg
Master Tape takes a bit of experimenting to get it right.
Once my Opsix moves from my lap to dawwork I would try those plugins. Nordlead 2X sounds good as is and the REV2 and Prologue are analog and need nothing.
- KVRAF
- 15206 posts since 26 Jun, 2006 from San Francisco Bay Area
When I was looking for something to put on the outputs and in feedback loops of my Dominion 1, I came across the Torcido demos and it blew me away. I didn’t do much research into it, other than to see that it had the sound I was after and the feature set I wanted. I was at least a few months until I found someone talking about it being a fully digital device, and I was surprised, though I’m not sure why. Lot’s of digital devices do amazing distortion, these days.
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- KVRAF
- 15206 posts since 26 Jun, 2006 from San Francisco Bay Area
I’m contemplating getting one next April. How do you like it so far?bharris22 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 10:44 pm I just bought an IK Multimedia Uno Synth Pro as an outboard unit for my modular setup. You can run audio input through its analog filters and it has analog drive. The digital effects - reverb, delay, modulation - not to mention the actual synth, are a bonus .
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4th Law of Robotics: When turning evil, display a red indicator light. ~[ ●_● ]~
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- KVRian
- 696 posts since 29 Sep, 2012 from Minnesota
You could get Saturn 2. I almost got the bundle recently.