Mike Conway wrote:chini wrote:I now use a Waldorf Pulse 2 for a lot of mono lead work and the occasional pad sound utilising its paraphonic mode (up to 8 voice)
I was going to get the Pulse 2, but then the DM12 came out. If it was paraphonic saw (instead of pulse) waves, I might have stayed with it. I still might get one, later on. Andromeda is a beast!
Big difference in price!... Nevertheless the DM12 certainly sounds like a really capable synth. It did initially raise my interest, at least in a module form if Behringer were to produce one, until I realised that yet again a designer has missed the opportunity to implement free-running envelopes! Shame because the DM12 really does shine with very filmic evolving pads that I would certainly use.
Admittedly the Pulse 2 does not possess free-running ENVs either but it serves for straight analogue monophonic lead duties and occasional basic chord filler duties within my rig in a small portable format. It's actually the only synth in my rig that I would consider replacing should somebody release an analogue module that does have free-running ENVs! Ironically in the digital domain both Waldorf's Blofeld and Largo do have the function. I did consider getting a Blofeld but I would be compromising sonically for that unique analogue harmonic sound. I do use Largo for some free-runing sounds also but begrudgingly take my laptop on stage!
The dreaded laptop is another item I would willingly replace: nothing more uninspiring than seeing a laptop sat in a live rig! So until some bright spark comes up with a keyboard like the Kronos that incorporates Mac OS and a comprehensive audio/midi interface I will continue to lug the blessed thing around with me! I don't begrudge VIs, in fact it's good to have a mixture of analogue and digital textures/timbres to work with to produce an overall interesting sonic landscape; I just wish I didn't have to port a wretched computer to house them and relay midi! There have been rack designs in the past that are VST players but this is only a half way solution to negating the need for a laptop/DAW on stage.
I think I know why manufacturers aren't implementing free-running ENVs these days: it's because most buyers are using these synths at home or in a studio environment for composition and recording, not so much for live work.
In a recording environment most people are happy to keep a chord held down to cycle fully through ENVs to yield evolving sounds as they can dub as much as they like. On stage one needs ones hands free to trigger/play other sounds simultaneously so any long evolving sounds demand free-running ENVs that can be stab triggered. One sound I still use within my repertoire is an 8 second floaty type string patch I programmed on the EMU Morpheus back in the 90s! I have it zoned on the Kronos right hand along with an improvising lead sound coming from the Pulse 2. As I play my solo every note triggers this string patch and creates a wonderful wafting wash of evolving strings underneath the lead.
No doubt many of todays top end analogues like the DM12, P6/12 and OB-6 are more than capable of producing lush strings but because they all lack free-running ENVs I wouldn't even consider them. I have actually spoken to Dave Smith Instruments from time to time informing them of this omission in their designs, hoping they might eventually implement an OS update to the PM12 which sonically definitely appeals! but alas! it appears they continue to manufacture synths without this function despite them having such a fantastic sonic arsenal ! Also because the polyphony count on an analogue is rarely more than 6/8 I sense a lot of designers shy away from implementing free-running ENVs for fear of getting complaints/cries of "more polyphony please!"
By the way
Mike Conway, your video demonstrates very clearly just how stark a digital synth is compared to an analogue! I love the Kronos but although it is very capable of mimicking analogue in terms of basic sound, the moment you compare it against a real analogue synth you can really hear the blinding difference between the two in terms of thick harmonic saturation. This is precisely why I chose the Pulse 2 over the Blofeld.