Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Burlington, Vermont, USA
quote:
Originally posted by aNYthing
What's up with all the virus hatin? I like my TI. Although I do agree that soft synths are catching up with Virus. It's hard to justify keeping the virus if you're not a gigging/live musician when you have so many other synths and soft synths are pretty darn good.
though the thought did cross my mind. however, I always end up getting virus again, as I like it's sound A LOT... and I'm pretty comfortable using it these days.
BTW, I had Andromeda and Matrix 12 before - which I both sold and I'll be honest, I don't really miss them. Andromeda was perhaps the most overrated of all synths I ever owned. And yes, I did not use just presets but it just didn't do anything for me. It took TOOO FUCKING LONG to get it to sound different from everything else. It has the most bland sound and I doubt anyone could ever ID it in a mix. You can hear Virus or Moog or Jupiter or Elka and say - THIS IS such and such synth. With Andromeda it lacked it's own characters and it was perhaps the most digital sounding analog I ever played with.
Speaking of overrated synths, I also had Prophet VS, Prophet 08, DSI MEK, and DSI PEK which I also sold swearing to never purchase another sequential or DSI gear again, Pro 5 included... no offense.. just didn't do anything at all for me.
I enjoyed your insight here.
I sold my TI this past summer after owning it for about three years and designing a sound bank (see my sig). The main reasons:
*Using the Virus|Control is way too buggy and kind of sucked the fun out of owning a hardware instrument. The synth has gotten so damn complicated that you practically *have* to use the software interface to get reasonable access to all its features, but it's buggy and annoying -- always adding little clips and digital artifacts into the track as well as voices randomly cutting out when the CPU load goes up. Then, when you play through the track again, it would either sound perfect or there would be voices cutting out/digital artifacts somewhere else! Inconsistent and very annoying.
*I didn't feel the instrument was capable of anything that my current line up can't do better (Waldorf Q, Waldorf XT, Nord Lead 3, Alesis Andromeda).
*The instruments character is a bit too easy to pick up on. In this genre, I think it to be detrimental if someone can hear that you're using the same damn thing everyone else does. Makes you seem uninspired.
Although I have been thinking about getting an original Access Virus. I kind of feel they may have gotten it perfect the first time. All the main features are accessible right from the knobs, no space wasted on FX, and even though it doesn't have the third osc, I always found that to do little or nothing, especially when it already has a dedicated sub osc. While, as I said, its sound can be noticed VERY easily, it's capable of sounding quite unique when used right. And for $350 or so, I figure I'll give it a try. I do love this audio demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrjR02Ju7UE
About the Andromeda, I suppose I can see not owning an Andromeda when you already have a JP8 and a SYnthex. I look at my Andy as the closest I'll ever come to owning a Jupiter 8. Not necessarily I feel it's impossible, but because I don't want to put that much $$ into something that is "old" technology. The Andromeda may not sound quite like a classic analog, but where it lacks there it makes up for it with voices, modulation capabilities, multi-timbrel capabilities, and other various features like having LFOs for every voice. You get all that for about $1750 used. PLUS, there were a lot of these made, so parts or a replacement will be easy to find if ever needed. I've heard lots of people complain about the Andromeda's sound, but I like it. It can definitely sound A LOT like a classic analog but still has a very modern punch and character.
On the DSI side of things, I've owned both a Prophet 08 and a PEK. I wasn't too fond of either and eventually sold. Even after I designed a sound bank for the Prophet 08. Its sound was very gritty and sloppy rather than punchy. Although I kind of like the Tetra since it has multi-timbrel capabilities. I may get one some day if I can find an easy way to get my patches on it. I have been meaning to email DSI about this.
Sounds for your Virus TI, Alesis A6 Andromeda, Prophet '08, Nord Lead 3, and JP8000 / JP8080: http://www.alanmarcero.com
Last edited by alanzo on Dec-13-2009 at 01:42
Dec-13-2009 01:31
hexadecimal
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Mar 2004
Location: Chicago, IL
quote:
Originally posted by aNYthing
My 2 next dream synths are: Hartmann Neuron Kbd and VSC3. Esp. after watching Dark Side of the Moon documentary, I really started to lust after EMS Synthi / VSC3 - that would probably be my first (pseudo)modular.
I'm on the waiting list (for several years now) for a brand new VCS3. They're great synths, and it looks like Robin Wood is finally getting things in order to start building them again.
Having said that, though, I'm not sure I'd suggest it to anyone who didn't already know exactly what they were going to get. They're selling for idiotic amounts of money right now, and it's really not "a lot" of synth for the money. It's rather limited, and mainly just has a following because of how unique it sounds. It also doesn't really have typical CV control inputs and outputs, instead going with some strange custom connection (designed to work with the keyboards made by EMS). Makes it difficult to integrate with the rest of a studio, unless you're just planning to use it as a stand alone modular with no external control.
Prepare a large repair savings account for a Neuron. I know a few people who have them, and all of them have ended up spending at least 2-3k keeping them up and running since they got them. It's a cool synth, but, ehh... Maybe look into the new Acxel for something similar, possibly a bit cheaper (or a lot more expensive, depending on options), and in my opinion, more interesting? http://www.acxel2.com/
The fact that it's new and still supported, already puts it way ahead of the Neuron in my book.
Dec-13-2009 02:06
aNYthing
Abrasive Cockhead @ Large
Registered: Dec 2005
Location: Near metric fuck-a-ton of high-end gear
quote:
Originally posted by hexadecimal
I'm on the waiting list (for several years now) for a brand new VCS3. They're great synths, and it looks like Robin Wood is finally getting things in order to start building them again.
Having said that, though, I'm not sure I'd suggest it to anyone who didn't already know exactly what they were going to get. They're selling for idiotic amounts of money right now, and it's really not "a lot" of synth for the money. It's rather limited, and mainly just has a following because of how unique it sounds. It also doesn't really have typical CV control inputs and outputs, instead going with some strange custom connection (designed to work with the keyboards made by EMS). Makes it difficult to integrate with the rest of a studio, unless you're just planning to use it as a stand alone modular with no external control.
Prepare a large repair savings account for a Neuron. I know a few people who have them, and all of them have ended up spending at least 2-3k keeping them up and running since they got them. It's a cool synth, but, ehh... Maybe look into the new Acxel for something similar, possibly a bit cheaper (or a lot more expensive, depending on options), and in my opinion, more interesting? http://www.acxel2.com/
The fact that it's new and still supported, already puts it way ahead of the Neuron in my book.
EMS may be a pipe dream - I think Jupiter and Synthex will be as impractical as I'll get, in terms of overpaying for something. As far as Neuron goes, my understanding was that inside it was nothing more than a PC running a ported version of Linux and "Neuron" app on a hard drive, connected to front panel controllers + keyboard.
___________________
Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate
Dec-13-2009 16:44
cryophonik
Lunik Fanatik
Registered: Jan 2008
Location: Elk Grove, CA USA
You guys and your tens of thousands of dollars in synths make me feel so pathetic. My biggest dillema of the last few months is whether or not to spend a few hundred bucks replacing my Prophet 08 with an SE ATC-Xi Quad or SE-1X.
PreSonus Studio One V2 | Pro Tools 9 | Sonar X1 PE | Access Virus TI2 Keyboard | Kurzweil PC3X | NI Maschine
Dec-13-2009 17:59
alanzo
Tha Equalizer Womanizer
Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Burlington, Vermont, USA
quote:
Originally posted by cryophonik
You guys and your tens of thousands of dollars in synths make me feel so pathetic. My biggest dillema of the last few months is whether or not to spend a few hundred bucks replacing my Prophet 08 with an SE ATC-Xi Quad or SE-1X.
On that note, I've sold my Pulse and am in the process of seling my ATC-1 because mono synths bug the piss out of me. You should get an Alesis Andromeda. My sound bank is almost ready for its first release.
PreSonus Studio One V2 | Pro Tools 9 | Sonar X1 PE | Access Virus TI2 Keyboard | Kurzweil PC3X | NI Maschine
Dec-13-2009 18:34
clay
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Jun 2003
Location:
quote:
Originally posted by cryophonik
I don't have room for an Andromeda. And, if I did buy one, the wife would probably make me sleep in the box that it came in.
not if u sell everything else?
Dec-13-2009 18:44
meriter
...
Registered: May 2009
Location: Chicago
pfhahaha
Dec-13-2009 19:10
alanzo
Tha Equalizer Womanizer
Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Burlington, Vermont, USA
quote:
Originally posted by palm
not if u sell everything else?
Yeah, my (soon to be) wifey doesn't mind when I get new gear if I sell another piece. Me selling the Pulse was to pay for some homebrewing equipment (I brew beer, too). The ATC-1 is to maybe buy an Access Virus at some point whenever I find a good enough deal.
Sounds for your Virus TI, Alesis A6 Andromeda, Prophet '08, Nord Lead 3, and JP8000 / JP8080: http://www.alanmarcero.com
Dec-13-2009 23:42
hexadecimal
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Mar 2004
Location: Chicago, IL
quote:
Originally posted by aNYthing
EMS may be a pipe dream - I think Jupiter and Synthex will be as impractical as I'll get, in terms of overpaying for something. As far as Neuron goes, my understanding was that inside it was nothing more than a PC running a ported version of Linux and "Neuron" app on a hard drive, connected to front panel controllers + keyboard.
It is basically just a PC inside, but unfortunately, as with most things involving expensive synths, it's not quite that simple.
From what I know, the most common issues (besides the controls on the front panel, mainly the orange joysticks, breaking off), are failed hard drives and dead BIOS batteries. The second issue is easy enough, but the hard drives, as far as I know, must be replaced by the same model, rather than any hard drive with equal or greater specs. This means ordering directly from Hartmann's ex hardware support partner, where you get charged a typical OEM part for repair "fee"
Other things that people I know have had to replace include displays (also hard to source for the neuron), and various pieces of the interface (pots, encoders, etc).
If you're set on the Neuron, and are willing to to dedicate a PC to running it, you could always try to find the Neuron VS package. Pretty much the same thing, without the expensive to fix custom hardware. Seems to pop up on eBay here and there for around $300-500.
Dec-14-2009 00:25
aNYthing
Abrasive Cockhead @ Large
Registered: Dec 2005
Location: Near metric fuck-a-ton of high-end gear
quote:
Originally posted by hexadecimal
It is basically just a PC inside, but unfortunately, as with most things involving expensive synths, it's not quite that simple.
From what I know, the most common issues (besides the controls on the front panel, mainly the orange joysticks, breaking off), are failed hard drives and dead BIOS batteries. The second issue is easy enough, but the hard drives, as far as I know, must be replaced by the same model, rather than any hard drive with equal or greater specs. This means ordering directly from Hartmann's ex hardware support partner, where you get charged a typical OEM part for repair "fee"
Other things that people I know have had to replace include displays (also hard to source for the neuron), and various pieces of the interface (pots, encoders, etc).
If you're set on the Neuron, and are willing to to dedicate a PC to running it, you could always try to find the Neuron VS package. Pretty much the same thing, without the expensive to fix custom hardware. Seems to pop up on eBay here and there for around $300-500.
there are plenty of... SOFTWARE-based work-arounds to the Nuke. I think it also has 2 resynators, as opposed to 3 that ship with the real deal. but if broken encoders is the main concerns - I don't have to worry, as I don't gig and I baby the crap out of my gear. Interesting enough - Korg Z1 employs similar type of concept - e.g. modeling unrealistic instruments - e.g. what would happen if you had an 18 foot tuba or 30 foot aperture on a bell - things like that. But I played around with Z1 and it just didn't inspire any ideas.
You trully know you have a special synth when synth itself makes the melody for you. I spent about 30 minutes today, recording just filters and just messing with simple tweaks like LFO speed, modulation, resonance, etc - using one sound and it sounded great.
When you can take one sound and make it sing all by itself and it sounds original you know you have something special.
___________________
Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate
Dec-14-2009 03:25
alanzo
Tha Equalizer Womanizer
Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Burlington, Vermont, USA
quote:
Originally posted by cryophonik
And, if I did buy one, the wife would probably make me sleep in the box that it came in.
You totally could, too! It's quite giant. I wanted to hang on to mine since it was shipped in the original box but it was just way too huge.
I like my TI. Although I do agree that soft synths are catching up with Virus. It's hard to justify keeping the virus if you're not a gigging/live musician when you have so many other synths and soft synths are pretty darn good. 
My biggest dillema of the last few months is whether or not to spend a few hundred bucks replacing my Prophet 08 with an SE ATC-Xi Quad or SE-1X. 
I think it also has 2 resynators, as opposed to 3 that ship with the real deal. but if broken encoders is the main concerns - I don't have to worry, as I don't gig and I baby the crap out of my gear. Interesting enough - Korg Z1 employs similar type of concept - e.g. modeling unrealistic instruments - e.g. what would happen if you had an 18 foot tuba or 30 foot aperture on a bell - things like that. But I played around with Z1 and it just didn't inspire any ideas. 
