-=[THE SYNTH ZONE]=-

I'm always looking for Solina substitutes and that thing sounds comparable from the demo

THREAD, I need your opinions. I finally want to fulfill my Synth Dream of getting an analog polysynth. In the beginning of this thread I stated that my Dream Synth would be the Prophet 12... Well, I found out it uses digital/wavetable oscillators with an analog filter. I can pull that shit off with my Blofeld + Microbrute.
So now I'm still looking for a bread-and-butter analog polysynth. I don't care about sequencing, but about a nice sound and many modulation options. To cut a long story short, I want a Prophet 08. The sound demos have convinced me, but there are other alternatives out there. And since I actually trust you more than the people on, let's say, Gearslutz, I ask thou: Does/Did someone own the Prophet 08 and is it actually WORTH IT? Or should I go for the Vermona PerFOURmer? Or the Elektron Analog Four?

Just for reference: An used Prophet 08 rack costs less than the Per4mer/Analog 4 in new condition where I live

The Analog Four is a fantastic little machine, but it's not what you want if, as you say, bread-and-butter polysynth sounds are what you're after. Would you prefer for all of the parameters to be accessible from the front panel? If so, go for the P08 or look for a Juno-106.

the 08 is definitely the best of those three choices. i kinda expected to be really impressed by the vermona but was not

"definitely" ha. i mean imo

The latter day DSI synths have lousy sounding filters, drifty knobs and are of limited use. I use a P08 all the time and I hate it. Preferable to the P08 imo is the Tetra; cheaper, poly-timbral, and features sequencers. I have never tried a Prophet 12 but Caribou Dan got one and doesn't like it at all.

My dream is for a mini Korg PS-3100 but I doubt it will ever happen :(

If you're planning on touring your new synth I'd really recommend sticking with virtual analog. If not, I'd get a 106

it seems like a bit of a wasteland for truly great polys out there right now. i'd almost reckon it would be worth waiting for a v5 mks80 rack

Thank you for all your opinions. To clarify: I definitely prefer knobby/slidery over slick synths because you can have this beautiful workflow on them. Like, you just fuck around with the knobs, and voila - new patch. Every synthesizer should be like that. That's also why I was eyeing on the P8 and not the Tetra because the Tetra's interface looks like a nightmare compared to the P8. But since the P8 is apparently lame for its price I might as well look out for other alternatives.
The Juno-106 looks like a nice candidate but I can easily imagine reaching the limits of its sound engine. I know I said "bread and butter" but the Juno seems to be like a dry pumpernickel with rancid spread fat. I know limitations can fuel your creativity but I should mention that I'm using these instruments in a home studio/sound design setting so I am also open to more adventurous/fragile instruments. I can use my An1x/Blofeld live (when they don't glitch out). Also a Juno-106 costs around the same as an used P8 rack.
Sigh. It sucks that synth companies keep churning out monosynth after monosynth yet I have to make these stupid compromises when it comes to the grim world of analog polysynths. Maybe my Synth Dream needs to stay just that, a dream. Maybe I need to lower my standards - maybe I need to concentrate more on cool vintage monosynths and less on lame modern analog polysynths. Someone around me is selling a Roland SH2000 for 500 bucks and I'm starting to like these weird old preset synth sounds.

#SynthProblems

Oh, I mean the Tetra keyboard version, which is almost exactly the same as the P08, interface-wise. Same dull filters, those things don't put out any sound above 2kHz, but the multi-timbrality, light-weight, and sequencing options make it preferable to the P08; unless you're looking to use it like an "analog piano" like James Blake does. Say whatever about Mr. Blake, he makes his P08 sound good

The good thing about the DSI synths is the four internal LFOs, it's pretty easy to get CS-80-like sounds with some creative detuning and wobbling. And the other modulation sources can be patched anywhere, which offers considerably more performance options than the Juno/Jupiter series.

I didn't know 106s cost the same as used P8 racks, that is weird to me; did the P8s go down or the 106s go down? I bought three 106s between 2006 and 2008 and they were in the $600-800 price range

Used Prophet 8 rack (classified ad): 1050 €
Juno-106 (Buy Now on Ebay): 1100 €. But that's a classic case of Buy Now Prize Syndrome. When they are auctioned the price goes to 600 - 700 €. That's roughly 900-1000 $. So Junos actually went up if anything. Maybe it's like that because I'm in Europe. It's crazy and also a bit stupid.

And when I think about it I'll also skip the SH-2000, even though I'm a sucker for camp stuff (it has a Popcorn preset!)

But I think I mixed up the Ebay auction prices of the Juno-60 and the Juno-106, so let's say 500-700 €.

Oh, wow, just as I posted this I saw a classified ad selling a SH-2000 (with the Moog filter copy) for only 300 €. Now I'm torn.

It's official: My newest synth is neither a modern modulation masterpiece nor a cult classic of polyphonic beauty, but a monophonic preset home organ with presets such as "Popcorn", "Frogman" and "Funny Cat", essentially the Juno of the 70's. Can't be that bad for 290 €, right?

For all the DIY synth fans out there: Check out this Arp 2600 clone kit - shipping is unfortunately on hold right now though.

Say whatever about Mr. Blake, he makes his P08 sound good

for real, he knows that thing inside and out.

shipping is unfortunately on hold right now though.

sample & hold?

:J

In other unrelated news, I'm selling my SH-2000 right now. Yep. After living with it for a few weeks I realized I actually hate it. Too much camp, not enough usefulness. Too performance-oriented (that's why I compared it to the Juno earlier) and not enough tweakability. Too much synthesized tuba. Not even the Moog filter copy could save it, although I liked the "Electric Bass" preset. This relationship is over. I think I'll just buy a Novation UltraNova.

a local electro band here makes heavy use of that sh2k preset on their records. it is a nice sound.

Yes, it's a blissful bass. I'm even using it for the bassline of a song I'm currently working on. My "making tracks with synths" philosophy: Even if your newest synth acquisition turns out to be a dud, you should still try to use it for a part in your composition. Don't waste important oscillators.

Don't THROW AWAY*

I've had an SH-2000 for years and really like it for some stuff - I make heavy use of bass, cello, basically most in that row, presets but use some others - and I always use pedals - it's great with delay, octave, chorus (not nec at the same time). That's for loud weird rock band stuff though, maybe not what you're into making.

I definitely wouldn't mind one of those but I'm in no position to be throwing away any more money on music gear right now :/

Yeah, the Roland SH-2000's presets have this classic 70's sound ("French Horn" with slow chorus through a tube amp sounds magical), which isn't a bad thing, just not my cup of tea. Some of the other presets remind me of 70's children's TV shows! Nice but not my cup of tea either. If you're in Europe and interested in buying one, let me know.

Okay.. Actually, I just fell in love with the SH-2000. I was fucking around with the settings until I found out that when you tweak the "Tuba" preset enough, you can get a truly PHAT (yeah, I know) bass sound. Even better than the "Electric Bass" preset. Not selling anymore.

For all the Kraftwerk fans out there: People are saying that Kraftwerk or Kling Klang Studios are selling their gear on Ebay right now. I don't know whether that's true or not since the Ebay seller says they're closing the studio - and I haven't heard about Kling Klang closing their doors. Would suck, though. But still, lots of interesting (East German and Soviet) stuff on there.

Just clicked through the auctions and almost all of them have a pic of the Elektro Müller sign - so yeah, it's Kraftwerk-affiliated.

buying an RS-202 for cheap tomorrow.

Sweet, some nice string action! Nobody can deny a fine string machine.

Speaking of new purchases, I kept my Synth Dream alive and actually bought an analog polysynth - an Ensoniq ESQ-1. Okay, not completely analog, it has digital oscillators and an analog filter. So it's more like a hybrid, just like the Juno-106. But I prefer the Ensoniq's sound and it also has more modulation options. So yeah, ESQ-1.

That was the first keyboard I ever had! Bought with my own money in high school. I thought it sounded crappy at the time, compared to fancier synths, but it was all I could afford, and it had a sweet (for the time) little sequencer too.

(BTW not saying it actually SOUNDS crappy, just that I was lusting after Fairlights and Emulator 3s and shit back in high school!)

bought an alpha juno 1 last week - it's like the 'one lady owner' of polysynths, the woman i bought it from has had it since she was six! but mostly playing with microbrute this week. waiting for the programmer to turn up before I go deep into the JU1.

crucially it still has the 'what the?' patch in the user memory, aka the base for the hoover of 'dominator', 'charly', 'mentasm' fame. I basically plan on a full bank of hoover variations.

no sequencer or arp, but I gotta learn to play better/properly anyways.

Can I just say

I love the Juno 1, light and durable and sounds kind of hilariously good. Love the weird six-stage envelope. Not hard to program once you get used to it. I don't recommend a PG-300 (the programmer) unless you really, really need to have your fingers on the frequency knob at all times. Try the software editor first until you figure out what does what, then learn how to use the wheel

schwantz, I can understand that if you want a good workstation, the Ensoniq ESQ-1 could be a bit of a disappointment. It's a kind of clumsy attempt to be a budget workstation (right when workstations became a thing), but to me it's also a synth that is unique, gritty yet beautiful at the same time.

As for the Alpha Juno interface... man, the DX7 truly brought in the dark age of synthesizer interfaces. And actually paying money so you can program the synth more easily is a bit scummy. At least it sounds cool. And it's funny how the DX7 gets famous for its "clean" piano sound while the AJ hoovers around in a Gabber nightclub.

Forgot to mention: I sold my SH-2000.

crucially it still has the 'what the?' patch in the user memory, aka the base for the hoover of 'dominator', 'charly', 'mentasm' fame. I basically plan on a full bank of hoover variations.

First thing I checked when I got mine two months ago for $85 from a pawn shop. Thinking about getting a BCR2000 for it as I can't get the Alpha Juno Control app to work. Maybe I can try to sysex something from my 106 if possible.

BTW, this guy did a dead-on hoover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FYfRSTvspk
The parameters are listed in the video's description.

goon tie, my eyesight is not great to be honest so the less I am peering at the screen the better!

plus you must admit this video is quite seductive: http://youtu.be/Oll0NYC1PpY

I remember the look on the Craigslist guy's face when I handed over $300 for a PG-300, at the time I thought it was "a bittersweet parting with a beloved object".

Six months later I'm in the carpool parking lot, selling the PG-300 to a new Craigslist sucker, $300, and I know the bittersweetness was a chump recognizing a chump

It is awkward and large and somewhat unreliable and requires its own wall wart AC and a MIDI hookup. Fantasies of playing live evaporate in minutes. Even when I still had it lying around I had switched to using one of the virtual PG-300s that are available for download, where you can edit the patch names with your computer keyboard instead of dialling the new names in character-by-character. If you want dials and knobs you can program an Akai MPK or equivalent to act as a controller in less than an hour.

Bumping this thread because I just ordered a Volca Keys + Volca Beats.

Question -- I have a USB MIDI controller that I want to use to control the Volca keys and I want to sync both of them with each other and with my laptop (running Reaper) and to output audio through my interface. I was thinking I could plug the keyboard into my computer via USB, then run a MIDI cable out from my audio interface to one of the Volcas, then from the sync out of the first Volca to the sync in of the 2nd, and from the audio out of (one or both?) Volcas into my interface. Would that work?

I guess your USB MIDI controller doesn't have a MIDI out in addition to the USB output?

No, it's an Akai LPK25, it just has mini-USB out. I might get something nicer in a bit, but what can I do for the time being? Is there no way to make Reaper send a clock sync and also the MIDI messages from my controller out of my audio interface's MIDI out to the Volca?

See, 'cause I was going to suggest going from your controller's MIDI-out into your Volca's MIDI-thru and thereby simplifying things for you a bit. At this point I can't help myself from mentioning the Rube Goldbergian aspect of your proposed set-up. I'm thinking there's got to be a better way than what you described, but my MIDI knowledge/experience is hardly expert-level. Good luck is all I offer at this point.

I was thinking about going USB-to-MIDI from the Akai to the synth but the Akai is powered via USB so that wouldn't work, and also I'm not sure how I'd sync the devices to the computer in that case.

I think your original set-up might work. But don't you have an old keyboard that has MIDI out or something? It might simplify things a bit.

Hm, yeah I actually do, it's just kind of big and unwieldy for my workspace.

But let's say I do go straight MIDI out from one keyboard or another, I'm still wondering how I'd sync everything to my computer's clock, like if I've got other things playing on the computer. Or is that not possible?

And since the Volca keys is polyphonic, would it be possible to have some notes being triggered by the computer, and also trigger notes on top of that with a keyboard? Maybe with some kind of MIDI box?

So a simple keyboard is unwieldy but lots of cables going from/to your computer & interface aren't? Just get a Korg microKONTROL or something.

You can use MIDI quantization in your music editing program to sync MIDI messages to the computer clock.

A instrument that has MIDI-in capabilties should be able to recieve MIDI messages from two sources (computer and the Volca Keys keyboard)

The cables can be managed but the keyboard I have is too large for my space and I wouldn't want to take it to shows. The Korg micoKontrol looks like it only has USB like my Akai, so I don't see what it would offer me.

I guess I'll have to do some experimenting when these things show up.

Woops, didn't know the Kontrol doesn't have MIDI out! I'm sure there has to be a similarily small-ish MIDI controller.