-=[THE SYNTH ZONE]=-

Agreed about cymbals, I tend to gravitate toward weird synthetic or hard metallic hats, so this works great for me. Also got a lot of mileage out of throwing automation on the bass track. Longer loops are definitely not going to be as effective, for sure.

this (free) emulation of the Kawai K1 is fun

https://www.nilsschneider.de/wp/nils-k1v/

Looks fun, thanks for the link

finally traded in my Korg Opsix and some other guitars and gear for a nice Stratocaster. Ended up getting the same in trade as I paid initially so harm done but I gotta be honest I ended up hating that fucking thing.

Ha, I sold mine too. I realized that the Volca FM is all I need for those sounds, and for whatever I reason I got better results out of it and had more fun.

So this sounds potentially amazing, like Synplant except for synth patches:
https://bedroomproducersblog.com/2023/12/05/micromusic-vital

It's free and works with Vital, which is also free. You can drop in an audio sample and it will do its best to create synth patches that replicate the sound. Sounds ripe for abuse.

not sure how that is different from Synplant

Similar I guess, but in Vital you'll get more standard synth controls over the resulting patch.

I guess I'm more compelled to start with non-synth-sounding patches with Synplant. And with this, while I definitely want to try random audio clips, it sounds like it's geared more toward stuff that starts out sounding like a synth patch?

I realized that the Volca FM is all I need for those sounds

I might check one of those out, so cheap used it's like buying a soft synth

The Opsix reminded me of a wacky boutique guitar pedal called the Infinity Discombobulator that is designed to demo well at a guitar store cuz it makes all these "wow" sounds then you try to make actual music with it and you can't find anything that works

I know it's only 4op and not 6, but for FM/digital synthesis on the cheap, do not forget the Reface DX. It sounds great and is fun to use.

fun to use

ultimately this is what did the opsix in for me...just always found it somewhat irritating to interact with.

Stylophone Theremin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eupwp-EPMmo

Yall crazy. The Opsix rules. I get wild ass tones out of it everytime I go in for programming. The firmware update added some nice features like more sequencer program controls. I will never sell it.

They really nailed it with the Reface DX. Super fun and immediate, small and cute. That whole series is awesome. I sold mine when the Waldorf Quantum got 6-op FM. Not like FM plugs are anything new, buttttt...the Opsix plugin is only $99.

Has anyone tried the Opal synth plug-in from Fors FM? Seems to be a max-for-live device that does Elektron style sequencing. Would love to know if it's any good.

I bought it and never used it and forgot I had it until now. Thanks. Sorry I'm not more helpful.

Give it a try and report back!