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Re-Member wrote:

tpantano wrote:Let's say you want to have a bass with a subosc, chorus, a flanger, and stereo delay. if you want to do this, you can't get it really warm because you won't be able to use drive, a tube sim, distortion etc. in conjunction with your other waveshape/effects.

The warmth you are describing using those last effects is replicating the sound of the synthesizer being played through an amp. This is what I was stating earlier about how most of this supposed warmth of a synthesizer is not the synth itself, but the amp. Warmth is actually one of those terms that guitar players use when describing the sound of an amp. The irony here is that when synthpop came out, rock music critics complained endlessly about how cold everything sounded.

The term warmth applies just as much to synths as it does to amps. Just as one amp can be warmer than another, one synth can be warmer than another. Its all based on how the device handles the electricity passing through it.

VA synths in this price range tend to have pretty good math going on in their DSP chips, the problem is that its not perfect, they tend to fall in the "Uncanny Valley" of sound(if not familiar with the term google). Tube sims help muddle that math to sound a little bit nicer to the ear. On the same amp and speakers, you can hear the difference in a triangle wave from one synth to the next. They all have their own color, for me in the last year or so it has been learning not to fight the synth and use it for what it excels in.

@tpantano: What synth did you just buy for 850? I recently got a hold of a DSI P08 module for 900.

zalo wrote:

Re-Member wrote:

tpantano wrote:Let's say you want to have a bass with a subosc, chorus, a flanger, and stereo delay. if you want to do this, you can't get it really warm because you won't be able to use drive, a tube sim, distortion etc. in conjunction with your other waveshape/effects.

The warmth you are describing using those last effects is replicating the sound of the synthesizer being played through an amp. This is what I was stating earlier about how most of this supposed warmth of a synthesizer is not the synth itself, but the amp. Warmth is actually one of those terms that guitar players use when describing the sound of an amp. The irony here is that when synthpop came out, rock music critics complained endlessly about how cold everything sounded.

The term warmth applies just as much to synths as it does to amps. Just as one amp can be warmer than another, one synth can be warmer than another. Its all based on how the device handles the electricity passing through it.

VA synths in this price range tend to have pretty good math going on in their DSP chips, the problem is that its not perfect, they tend to fall in the "Uncanny Valley" of sound(if not familiar with the term google). Tube sims help muddle that math to sound a little bit nicer to the ear. On the same amp and speakers, you can hear the difference in a triangle wave from one synth to the next. They all have their own color, for me in the last year or so it has been learning not to fight the synth and use it for what it excels in.

@tpantano: What synth did you just buy for 850? I recently got a hold of a DSI P08 module for 900.

A Slim Phatty.

I guess the warmth difference never has been an issue to me because one, I never use triangle or sine waves, second, most of what I do is more retro/minimal synthpop and industrial. I typically program my sounds within the same limitations of many of the classic Roland's had (my favorite synths) and use just chorus to replicate that Juno-6 sound. Never really cared for Moog since they're typically monophonic and pricey. Not my cup of tea. In a perfect world, I'd get a mint Juno-6, but yeah, too expensive these days and it's not something I'd want to take out on road for gigs. The DSI P08 sounds awesome, I use to pop into Guitar Center weekly to play it for an hour, but I've read there were some problems regarding the encoders. I wonder if that ever got resolved.

Re-Member wrote:I guess the warmth difference never has been an issue to me because one, I never use triangle or sine waves, second, most of what I do is more retro/minimal synthpop and industrial. I typically program my sounds within the same limitations of many of the classic Roland's had (my favorite synths) and use just chorus to replicate that Juno-6 sound. Never really cared for Moog since they're typically monophonic and pricey. Not my cup of tea. In a perfect world, I'd get a mint Juno-6, but yeah, too expensive these days and it's not something I'd want to take out on road for gigs. The DSI P08 sounds awesome, I use to pop into Guitar Center weekly to play it for an hour, but I've read there were some problems regarding the encoders. I wonder if that ever got resolved.

haha you never use sine or triangle? I can see why, although they can be good to add to a sound for some sub frequencies, if you can't close the filter on something else.

Re-Member wrote:I guess the warmth difference never has been an issue to me because one, I never use triangle or sine waves, second, most of what I do is more retro/minimal synthpop and industrial. I typically program my sounds within the same limitations of many of the classic Roland's had (my favorite synths) and use just chorus to replicate that Juno-6 sound. Never really cared for Moog since they're typically monophonic and pricey. Not my cup of tea. In a perfect world, I'd get a mint Juno-6, but yeah, too expensive these days and it's not something I'd want to take out on road for gigs. The DSI P08 sounds awesome, I use to pop into Guitar Center weekly to play it for an hour, but I've read there were some problems regarding the encoders. I wonder if that ever got resolved.

Potentiometer Edition, they have a swap board to change the encoders to pots and detented encoders. I am thinking about making the swap soon myself. And I thought retro/minimal synthpop is suposed to be monophonic.

@tpantano: I thought about getting a slim phatty, awesome budget moog, but I have been saving for a Voyager RME too long to jump ship now.

zalo wrote:And I thought retro/minimal synthpop is suposed to be monophonic.

Not really, there's a long list of polyphonic synths from the early 80's. Typically I play and sequence bass and lead together using split patches which you can't really do on a mono synth.

Here's a good example of the Jupiter 8 in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qI-7Izk ... re=related

Re-Member wrote:

zalo wrote:And I thought retro/minimal synthpop is suposed to be monophonic.

Not really, there's a long list of polyphonic synths from the early 80's. Typically I play and sequence bass and lead together using split patches which you can't really do on a mono synth.

Here's a good example of the Jupiter 8 in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qI-7Izk ... re=related

mostly a joke, some minimalists don't have 2 sounds playing at the same time let alone polyphony in their synths.

zalo wrote:

Re-Member wrote:

zalo wrote:And I thought retro/minimal synthpop is suposed to be monophonic.

Not really, there's a long list of polyphonic synths from the early 80's. Typically I play and sequence bass and lead together using split patches which you can't really do on a mono synth.

Here's a good example of the Jupiter 8 in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qI-7Izk ... re=related

mostly a joke, some minimalists don't have 2 sounds playing at the same time let alone polyphony in their synths.

Well, maybe if they're just recording, then yeah, a mono synth is fine, but typically if you want to perform live, you're going to need more than a mono synth unless you're just doing techno music or Rick Wakemen solos all night.

I good example of minimal synth music that inspires me is something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v7FZwyO ... re=related

Would definitely need a poly, a sequencer and a sampler to pull this sound off live without looking like I'm just miming on stage.

Re-Member wrote:

zalo wrote:

Re-Member wrote: Not really, there's a long list of polyphonic synths from the early 80's. Typically I play and sequence bass and lead together using split patches which you can't really do on a mono synth.

Here's a good example of the Jupiter 8 in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qI-7Izk ... re=related

mostly a joke, some minimalists don't have 2 sounds playing at the same time let alone polyphony in their synths.

Well, maybe if they're just recording, then yeah, a mono synth is fine, but typically if you want to perform live, you're going to need more than a mono synth unless you're just doing techno music or Rick Wakemen solos all night.

I good example of minimal synth music that inspires me is something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v7FZwyO ... re=related

Would definitely need a poly, a sequencer and a sampler to pull this sound off live without looking like I'm just miming on stage.

I have seen guys live, with no sequencing, just a sampler and a mono synth, and never hit 2 things at the same time. I got bored after a few minutes but thats "true" minimalism. Like minimalist drummers that don't hit 2 things at the same time.