Synthesizer Gear Porn ;-)

[battema]

What?

Those things are super cool...was eyeing one for a while not long ago but decided to go for other trinkets

[Gizmotron]

I got half way through the video before being interrupted. I need to watch the rest.

[hFx]

Korg Wavestation reborn??

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/elec...tm_name=iossmf

[Top Cat]

Korg Wavestation reborn??

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/elec...tm_name=iossmf

This looks and sounds great, but another downsized synth If an alien musician landed here on earth and looked at all the new keyboards, they would probably think the only musicians we have on earth are very small trolls.
I have my original Wavestation EX sitting next to me and it's now back in the keyboard stand, I also use it as my midi controller.

There is also this new release from Korg, a Korg Triton VST. I downloaded the demo and love it, it sounds wonderful, so will be picking this up in a few days.
https://www.korg.com/us/products/sof...ion/triton.php

Then there is all the talk about Korg reissuing the Arp 2600, and we should know by Jan 16 when NAMM starts.

[BobM]

That Korg VST sounds great, from what I can hear on the demo tracks. But I just bought Arturia Pigments VST, which is very versatile. I wonder if it's worth looking at the Triton demo to see just how different it is. No reviews comparing the two yet that I can see, And then there's the cost difference. Pigments was $69 for me as an existing customer, but the Triton is $199 for a while, not inexpensive for a hobbiest.

[Gizmotron]

Korg Wavestation reborn??

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/elec...tm_name=iossmf

Ooh, I like what I have seen and heard so far:
https://www.korg.com/us/products/syn...ers/wavestate/

[Top Cat]

That Korg VST sounds great, from what I can hear on the demo tracks. But I just bought Arturia Pigments VST, which is very versatile. I wonder if it's worth looking at the Triton demo to see just how different it is. No reviews comparing the two yet that I can see, And then there's the cost difference. Pigments was $69 for me as an existing customer, but the Triton is $199 for a while, not inexpensive for a hobbiest.

Bob, I have the Triton VST demo and it has limitations such as not being able to save edits, but it doesn't have those white noise bursts every 20 seconds or so that used to be the common thing in demos.
It goes 20 minutes then it stops and you have to reload it.
I actually didn't care for the demos sound quality and I listen on headphones, it seemed to sound boxed in with very little stereo spread, but the demo sounds great on my audio interface.
The greatest thing I can say is whenever I turn it on and play I get inspired which isn't always the case.
Once my stuff on ebay goes, I'm picking up Spectrasonics Keyscape($379) as well.The pianos on it are unlike anything I've heard in software quality..unbelievable. I have their Omnisphere VST and it's my desert island synth.
I agree the price on the Triton at $199 is a bit much and for some may sound dated, but so are my D50, Wavestation and VFX. If one uses the stock sounds that were used on a million hit records, then yes, but if used judiciously the sounds are fresh to new ears. lol

As far as sound comparisons, I've always thought the A/D convertors on a hardware synth is what gives it the edge between it and it's software counterpart. I have a Korg Wavestation keyboard and I also have the Korg Legacy VST version. I'm quite happy with the VST Wavestation but again, when I play the same patch on my keyboard there is a slight difference favoring the hardware to me.
Then you have to consider differences in audio interfaces may factor the sound.

[smcfee]

[battema]

Fun!

[battema]

Just got word that my Hydrasynth is in the mail. So...guess I'll have a better-than-usual excuse for my reclusive nature for much of next week

[Gizmotron]

...and speaking of just got word about...

https://www.musicradar.com/news/namm...-rule-them-all

Woswers!

The 2600 was the first synth I was able to mess with (it was my roommate's synth in the late 70s)

EDIT: Oops! I was scooped by smcfee! Sorry for the redundant post

[Gizmotron]

Just got word that my Hydrasynth is in the mail. So...guess I'll have a better-than-usual excuse for my reclusive nature for much of next week

Yay!
Please do give us your thoughts when you come up for air!

[hippypants]

^^Yes, I'd be interested in that Hydrosynth too. From the demo over at Sweetwater it looks amazing and packed with features.

[battema]

It arrived last night! Didn't really get a chance to fire it up until this morning though. Initial impressions (all very good):

- It's got some weight to it, definitely feels sturdy with a solid build (some of the newer synths feel a bit "flimsy" and plastic).

- The keybed is excellent, with good resistance from the keys. Pressure for aftertouch feels smooth and consistent (some lighter keybeds, you press down and then just near the bottom there's a bit of "sponginess" that represents aftertouch). With a small bit of practice I was able to control the release really well on a few patches by controlling the speed with which my finger released pressure.

- Ribbon is good; it requires a bit more finger pressure than I'm used to, but that may also be my working with "light touch" instruments like the Haken Continuum, where just brushing over the surface triggers a response. I like that it does relative-type pitch bends, where it doesn't matter where I start on the ribbon, it just starts the bend from there (i.e. it avoids the "jumps" you can get on some ribbons where you have to start from a zero point in the middle).

- I really like the interface, even though I don't fully understand it yet. The voice architecture is represented by a series of buttons that you can press to jump into that page. The various knobs light up different colors for different presets (again, not sure what those colors represent), and the mod wheel/pitch wheel both change color based on position. Small things, but when one is on a dark stage that is really handy. The waveform/oscilloscope-type display is super cool too.

- Oh my word, the SOUNDS. At this point I'm just surfing presets and mucking a tiny bit with obvious knobs but...wow. It sounds awesome. The performance gestures (aftertouch, ribbon, velocity, mod wheel, etc.) make this thing crazy playable. The presents cover analog territory of course but also have a bit of that wavetable sound that is almost a little Waldorf-esque, if you will.

I'm excited to spend more time exploring this lovely keyboard but even just out the gate, it gets two big thumbs up from me

[Gizmotron]

Very cool, John. It really does sound intriguing.
Keep those updates coming.

THAT RIBBON LOOKS AMAZINGLY COOL!

[interbellum]

Maybe posted before: the documentary The Rise Of The Synths, narrated by John Carpenter.



Apparently this one is in the making via a Kickstarter-campaign since 2016, since there are older teasers like this:

[battema]

Oh yeah...I supported their Indiegogo campaign which I think was already their 2nd crowdfunding effort. It's been a long time coming and not everything worked out like they originally planned...but I'm glad it finally exists. I've only just started watching the film, looks fun.

[Progbear]

Hopefully it’s a little more comprehensive than most films focusing on “electronic” music (i.e.: “let’s get the ‘boring’ formative stuff out of the way in the first 10 minutes so we can spend the rest of the runtime blabbing on at length about EDM”).

[dropforge]

Hopefully it’s a little more comprehensive than most films focusing on “electronic” music (i.e.: “let’s get the ‘boring’ formative stuff out of the way in the first 10 minutes so we can spend the rest of the runtime blabbing on at length about EDM”).

Ditto. I hope the film's better than those trailers convey...

[dropforge]

https://rekkerd.org/moog-introduces-...c-synthesizer/

[hFx]

New Synth Galore 2020

More synths than ever has been introduced last fall and now at NAMM 2020. Most interesting is that in the midst of the flood of analog clones, both innovative and even "sorta" reissues of digital synths and hybrids are emerging. Here are just a few pics.

POLY

• The reigning kings of 2019 are of course the Moog One and Waldorf Quantum, truly monster polys with analog and digital emphasis respectively.
• The Hydrasynth kicked of the series of new digital (and/or hybrid) synths - an excellent innovation (as discussed above already).
• The Modal Argon 8 hybrid is an interesting wavetable hybrid synth (Waldorf Microwave/Blofeldt style) with some innovative thinking.
• Talking wavetables, Korg Wavestate is more or less an updated and much more tweakable version of one of my fav digital synths of yore, the Wavestation.
• More digital, Nord Wave 2 looks like a stage-adapted development of the original Nord Wave
• Even more digi-retro from Korg is the yet-to-be-announced opsix, which looks like a DX7 with updated interface!

MONO

• Quite a jungle and not very interesting to me, but loads of new products! I reckon most of you have seen the surprising Korg ARP 2600 limited full size reissue (announced previously in the thread) and rumors has it that it is also a scaled down 2600 in the works as well as a Behringer 2600 version.
• Moog is introducing the Subsequent 25, a scaled down version of Subsequent 37, based on Sub Phatty. A quite affordable moog.
• More innovative seems to be Sequential Pro 3, with its moog-style tilted control panel with loads of knobs.
• Behringer is busy flooding the market with mono clones. A "sorta" moog clone is the Poly D, a full size paraphonic version of their miniature model D. The Poly D has got some nice reviews. BTW, following the mini trend of model D is the K-2 (Sequential Pro-1 clone) and the CAT (Octave The Cat clone). MS-1 is a more of a 1:1 clone of the Roland SH101).
• Stirring more attention are their announced Eurorack products, like a physically smaller clones of the famous moog Modular and not the least, clones of the rare Roland System 100 (really, it's rather the later System 100m )

Not by any means a complete list, but fun times ahead for the synthesist

[battema]

The other one that is a huge, huge, HUGE deal for me is the upcoming Expressive E Osmose: https://www.expressivee.com/discover-osmos

At the heart of the synth is the Eaganmatrix, the same sound engine inside the remarkable Haken Continuum, but this has an actual piano-esque keybed capable of the same sorts of nuances found in less traditional MPE devices like the Continuum or the Linnstrument. For me, this is like watching my dream instrument be invented right before my eyes.

You really are spot on...it's a wonderful time to be a synth lover, no matter what flavor you may prefer. My bank account might need a proverbial chastity belt tho

[Rarebird]

New Synth Galore 2020

More synths than ever has been introduced last fall and now at NAMM 2020. Most interesting is that in the midst of the flood of analog clones, both innovative and even "sorta" reissues of digital synths and hybrids are emerging. Here are just a few pics.

POLY

• The reigning kings of 2019 are of course the Moog One and Waldorf Quantum, truly monster polys with analog and digital emphasis respectively.
• The Hydrasynth kicked of the series of new digital (and/or hybrid) synths - an excellent innovation (as discussed above already).
• The Modal Argon 8 hybrid is an interesting wavetable hybrid synth (Waldorf Microwave/Blofeldt style) with some innovative thinking.
• Talking wavetables, Korg Wavestate is more or less an updated and much more tweakable version of one of my fav digital synths of yore, the Wavestation.
• More digital, Nord Wave 2 looks like a stage-adapted development of the original Nord Wave
• Even more digi-retro from Korg is the yet-to-be-announced opsix, which looks like a DX7 with updated interface!

MONO

• Quite a jungle and not very interesting to me, but loads of new products! I reckon most of you have seen the surprising Korg ARP 2600 limited full size reissue (announced previously in the thread) and rumors has it that it is also a scaled down 2600 in the works as well as a Behringer 2600 version.
• Moog is introducing the Subsequent 25, a scaled down version of Subsequent 37, based on Sub Phatty. A quite affordable moog.
• More innovative seems to be Sequential Pro 3, with its moog-style tilted control panel with loads of knobs.
• Behringer is busy flooding the market with mono clones. A "sorta" moog clone is the Poly D, a full size paraphonic version of their miniature model D. The Poly D has got some nice reviews. BTW, following the mini trend of model D is the K-2 (Sequential Pro-1 clone) and the CAT (Octave The Cat clone). MS-1 is a more of a 1:1 clone of the Roland SH101).
• Stirring more attention are their announced Eurorack products, like a physically smaller clones of the famous moog Modular and not the least, clones of the rare Roland System 100 (really, it's rather the later System 100m )

Not by any means a complete list, but fun times ahead for the synthesist

So much interesting stuff and not enough money.

[battema]

Happy day: new firmware update for the Hydrasynth will apparently add MPE capabilities!!!

[dropforge]

So much interesting stuff and not enough money.

No money, in my case.