-=[THE SYNTH ZONE]=-

I love the push so far, especially for playing out ideas, but I find that I'm having a harder time than I expected getting away from the mouse and computer monitor

It has its limitations. For navigating thru the library, Push is very slow, and just about useless in the arrangement window, but I think you have the right idea cuz it's great for playing out ideas. Also nice to have quick access to an instrument's macros with the knobs at the top of the Push instead of one at a time with the mouse, yeah? pr0 tip: I recommend configuring and saving default settings for instruments and FX that you use frequently, so you don't have to repeat that work.

yes, one big help has been using the drum rack template from the All You Need Is Live youtube channel that is set up so that you can drop a big list of samples in for each drum voice and then select the specific sample you want by turning a macro knob. It saves a lot of time since you don't have to browse through the ableton menu to test out lots of different drum samples.

Browsing the ableton library to test out different patches is far and away my least favorite aspect of Live. The fact that it's so clunky to swap out sounds in a midi track drives me nuts. I feel like hot swap option used to be much smoother, and now it barely works.

Lol I had a hard time getting Razor out of brostep mode yesterday, I had an LFO-based thing in my head but just couldn't rein it in enough, I think it was the wrong tool for the job. I'm learning that it maybe works best for a big moment in the track (ie 'the drop'), and not necessarily for more subtle applications, at least for me.

I got a Polyend Tracker yesterday, it's simultaneously overwhelming (remembering the combos to enter a kick every four steps automatically instead of scrolling individually, getting from menu to menu, etc.) but also stupid easy to generate results (not good results so far, but results). Sampled a two second snippet of radio and then playing it granularly with random chance for the playhead location every step+choking plus panning the kick slightly every time it triggers and it was a mess but total fun.

Ooh, I've been very intrigued by the Tracker, especially the built-in radio sampling feature. I'd love to hear what you do when you've got a solid bead on it.

the radio thing is like the best part of the op-1, didn't know the tracker did the same.

milo have you ever used renoise or other tracker software? curious as to how the interface translates

I can't get Renoise to work properly on my iMac (every time I enable record it just autoplays and records the same C3 note at every step - I don't think it likes Macs and wireless keyboards) but from what I can tell it's very similar, the Tracker interface is a little easier because of the way the blank buttons act with note values and instrument selection.

My only complaint so far is that minijacks for audio/MIDI - a regular MIDI port and 1/4" jacks would be easier than remembering to keep adapters handy.

that it has

tracker is exactly as good aas you'd imagine "volca sample, but you can play chromatically and chop samples and do wavetable and granular stuff and sequence full songs and quasi-generative" would be. so fast to work with!

having a volca modular alongside is great sample fodder, until I lose my mind and get a DIY buchla clone.

First impressions of Elektron RYTM Mk2: Not Great!

Legitimately puny sounding synth engine in this thing. Like why do I have to max out Overdrive/Volume/Distortion and have to layer a sample on everything to make it feel substantial? I went to hook it into my Octatrack and caught what I was working on in there, all sample based, and it was like 10x more ferocious. Been basically playing with the Octa all night instead of the RYTM.

I’m gonna stick it out for a few weeks, I know people swear by it, but not a great first impression.

That’s kinda how I feel about my Drumbrute. Sounds better when it’s clipping the input on the mixer, but it never sounds that great.

drumbrute needs compression badly ime, maybe the rytm is similar? i found the octatrack to sound a little weedy without tons of fx too tbh, tho it is the piece of gear i regret selling the most besides my bugbrand system

Borrowing a Rytm taught me that I'm not really into tweaking and refining the synthesized drum sounds - a minimum of parameters like a 808/909 or samples for me.

Tempted to start -===The Soft Synth Zone===-

After getting frustrated with Razor sounding to Razor-y (basically the more I messed with it, the farther away I was getting from the sound in my head and the more I started hating the track idea), I went into tailspin of checking out the other factory Reaktor instruments and scrolling through lame presets, which is always a recipe for non-creativity.

Now I've got my eye on NI Form. I hate to feel reliant on buying synths/software to generate ideas, but manipulating samples/audio has always been where my heart is, and it looks like a truly interesting way of getting new sounds and motion/automation out of samples. Anyone used it?

I have tinkered with Form, and getting fiddly automating some of their presets has been very enjoyable and I think they sound very good. FYI, Pigments has similar sample synth engine affordances you might want to compare, if that synth still interests you.

I'd be down for the -===Soft Synth Zone===- thread so we'd have a separation of concerns—this thread had been a hardware focused thing. I think we could also make that a good place talk about other kinds of (not-necessarily-cheap) VSTs, like FXs and such.

(Oh and another sample-based synth that has very powerful and unique ways of getting motion/automation out of samples: iZotope's Iris 2 spectral synthesizer.)

I love Iris, although I only have Iris 1 and use it mostly as a basic sampler (just to easily keyboard map a sample and add glide etc). It's been awhile since I've messed with any of the spectral stuff, it's fun but I just haven't been going there sound-wise.

Pigments 3 continues to be tempting since it seemingly does everything.

I don't know that I'd make enough productive use of Pigments 3 for it to be a good use of my money, but it sure is pretty

there are several vst threads btw

Thread for awesome VSTs that cost money but are still awesome

Pigments loads samples as wavetables though, right, which is maybe not the same as Form scanning and modulating the sample itself? I've never used serum, or a wavetable synth where you could load your own samples.

If you are looking for a modern take on Iris style spectral stuff then the free Sensel 'Spectral Shiatsu' M4L synth is the absolute shit imo: https://cdm.link/2021/08/massage-that-sound-with-free-spectral-shiatsu-for-max-for-live/

I've only been using it with a single finger on my trackpad and had some great results just drawing and tapping through old acapellas and rave pads. Basically the x axis is time and the y axis is spectral frequency, and anywhere you hold your finger will loop. I'm seriously contemplating getting a Sensel Morph soon for 8-finger spectral sample massaging fun.

rad. thank you for that link, willl

Oh dang, looking more into Pigments it does appear to have a sample engine that's very similar to Form. Maybe I'll try and grab demos for both and see what sticks.

Sorry, circling back to my RYTM experience.

Starting to see likely intentional design choices here. You can get mean sounds, just takes some sauce through internal and/or external effects. Seeing the design philosophy of “easier to add than to remove”. Stuff fits very well in a mix. There are some really cool sound design possibilities in this, you’re just not gonna get it without some work. Would not recommend if you just wanna jump in and jam, but would recommend if you wanna sculpt the ultimate kick drum or whatever. The sequencer is Elektron standard of course and a thing of beauty imo.

Elektron is canny and shitty enough to hold back just enough on each device so you want to pair it with another. “Not enough heat? Well we’ve got this device called Analog Heat that will solve all your problems!”

Love em and hate em in that regard.

Octatrack and Digitone are desert island devices though. They’ve got me.

Octatrack looks rad, but I think if I wanted to go pad-based (instead of keyboard-based), I'd get an MPC. They are looking fantastic these days.

In other GAS news, I got a Novation Peak, and I'm beyond happy. Sounds so goddamn great, and the internal effects are gorgeous. I'd rather the effects levels were send levels instead, but that's a minor quibble. Everything sounds good. Basses, pads, leads. I can still get a better howling sync sound out of my bass station 2, but the Peak has plenty of guts, and wavetables add even more stuff to play with. Honestly, I've mostly been trying out presets and packs from other people for now, but when I want to tweak them, most functions are on a knob.

i'd been missing my mpc1000 so i got another off of ebay (ram upgrade, jjosXL2, etc) for a semi-reasonable price. really an amazing machine, even on a simple tactile level--the octatrack is the same way tbh, just pleasing to use.

i never really dove into using the mpc to sequence other gear so i'm looking forward to playing around with that.

the peak is a very appealing instrument. post some sounds!

Here's a little jam I did last week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YUFCO0v1kI

I start hitting the arp on the Peak around 4:30.

that rules thank you

Haven’t used mine in a while but mpc1000 w jjos was a great sequencer. I never used it as a sampler. I only loaded drum samples and sequenced ext synths with it. And it’s a workhorse. You still see lots of live electronic artists using them on stage.

The MPC One is like $700 and does so much.

Yeah those new MPCs look great. I was kinda turned off for a while because they were supposed to be buggy and felt like software in a box but seems like they’ve ironed out some stuff. I wonder if it would feel enough like using a 1000 but with all the modern stuff added.

the MPC live 2 was tempting but it the 1000 is very photogenic, also i'm not sure i want another touchscreen in my life

the battery/portability thing in the live 2 is cool tho, someone's developed a battery mod w usb-c charging for the 1000.

Been seriously considering an MPC to break me out of my typical workflow.

Unrelated Sidenote: The Roland SE-02 is a fuckin beast and is too slept on. Basically a 3 oscillator Moog for like 400 bucks. Sounds monstrous. Don’t think Behringer is even giving you that much at that price point.

The MPCs can now use their USB host ports for controlling gear, which would simplify things a lot.

I went to Guitar Center to buy picks and they had one of the new Waldorf M retro wavetable synths set up (despite having no other synths these days). The price is way past reasonable for me but it sounds great and it's laid out really well for programming.

DJI love it so much when the arp arrives

at 4.30

This thing looks wild:
https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2021/10/08/analog-drum-machine-in-5u-powered-by-artificial-intelligence/

And the $600 mini Hydrasynth with poly aftertouch looks cool too.

"AI trained in electronic music and other genres"

I do not understand the appeal of generative/algorithmic music.

I downloaded the demo of Berna3 (early electronic music lab in software) and I recommend giving it a spin - I never got the old version to work, it was incomprehensible and timed out before I could figure it out but the designer put together a good video on this version and it's much easier to navigate.

https://www.giorgiosancristoforo.net/

I do not understand the appeal of generative/algorithmic music.

Grids, which that drum machine is based around, is a good module but I can’t imagine not also wanting a programmable sequencer, even an external one.

Purely generative music can be fun to make, less fun to listen to - i agree.

It’s not either / or, though. I have a Mutable Marbles and a Qu-Bit Bloom and they’re both good for generating phrases that can be repeated and altered or adding semi-random variation to deliberately programmed patterns.