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Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 3:44 am
by misk
i've got the korg emx, and esx. they're pretty dope tbh, but i'm constantly debating whether i should sell them or not... it's frustrating I could buy a lot of vinyl with them, and i dont use them these days, but it's nice to mess with 'em every once and a while.

that being said, if you put the work into it, you could make those bastards do SICK things.

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 3:46 am
by djake
ive always wanted to buy a hardware synth....

since i was about 12, 6 years on and still havent got round to saving up for one :cry:

software synths just dnt do much for me, i need knobs to twiddle and buttons to press to get deep into a synth.

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 3:49 am
by misk
djake wrote:ive always wanted to buy a hardware synth....

since i was about 12, 6 years on and still havent got round to saving up for one :cry:

software synths just dnt do much for me, i need knobs to twiddle and buttons to press to get deep into a synth.
how would you know, if you've only ever used software? Bottom line, spend money on something, and you'll force yourself to learn it. you'll be the best you can be at it, because only then will you feel like you're getting your money's worth.

I bought renoise when i didnt have a clue how to use it, but i remember thinking "shit, now i've GOTTA make this work", and my productions are better for learning it.

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 3:51 am
by djake
Misk wrote:
djake wrote:ive always wanted to buy a hardware synth....

since i was about 12, 6 years on and still havent got round to saving up for one :cry:

software synths just dnt do much for me, i need knobs to twiddle and buttons to press to get deep into a synth.
how would you know, if you've only ever used software? Bottom line, spend money on something, and you'll force yourself to learn it. you'll be the best you can be at it, because only then will you feel like you're getting your money's worth.

I bought renoise when i didnt have a clue how to use it, but i remember thinking "shit, now i've GOTTA make this work", and my productions are better for learning it.
because ive played about on synths before.

plus recently clickin a mouse has become extremly boring, i need a change. but first i gotta get a decent midi controller, buts thats another subject.

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 4:14 am
by slothrop
Misk wrote:
djake wrote:ive always wanted to buy a hardware synth....

since i was about 12, 6 years on and still havent got round to saving up for one :cry:

software synths just dnt do much for me, i need knobs to twiddle and buttons to press to get deep into a synth.
how would you know, if you've only ever used software? Bottom line, spend money on something, and you'll force yourself to learn it. you'll be the best you can be at it, because only then will you feel like you're getting your money's worth.

I bought renoise when i didnt have a clue how to use it, but i remember thinking "shit, now i've GOTTA make this work", and my productions are better for learning it.
I pretty much agree with that, but there does seem to be something about hardware that makes it - for me at least - easier to tweak and twiddle and play around on. Admittedly my hardware and software are both pretty limited but it's kind of nice to be able to sit in a room totally away from the computer with a keyboard and a set of headphones and mess around with ideas and sounds that way.

I'm not 100% sure it's nice enough to justify the extra expense, I guess it depends how rich you're feeling...

I'm not one of these "digital algorithms automatically sound better when they're running inside a box with knobs" people, though.

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:44 am
by deadly_habit
to me hardware is like real film to a movie i guess
not necessary, but a lil bit of authenticity :wink:

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:53 am
by spencertron
djake wrote:
Misk wrote:
djake wrote:ive always wanted to buy a hardware synth....

since i was about 12, 6 years on and still havent got round to saving up for one :cry:

software synths just dnt do much for me, i need knobs to twiddle and buttons to press to get deep into a synth.
how would you know, if you've only ever used software? Bottom line, spend money on something, and you'll force yourself to learn it. you'll be the best you can be at it, because only then will you feel like you're getting your money's worth.

I bought renoise when i didnt have a clue how to use it, but i remember thinking "shit, now i've GOTTA make this work", and my productions are better for learning it.
because ive played about on synths before.

plus recently clickin a mouse has become extremly boring, i need a change. but first i gotta get a decent midi controller, buts thats another subject.
Doesn't have to be that way...with a modular synth building package you could get deeper into the sound than you could on any analogue equipment and as for using a mouse, again that is not really the way to do it...once you've got the softsynth of your liking...you can assign controls to it...if i had to do sound design with a mouse i'd have RSI by now.

Novation Zero/Doepfer do great controls for this sort of thing...being able to define how each button, knob and fader interacts with the synth...is an added bonus. (i.e toggle/gate mode/steps)

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 1:03 pm
by djake
spencerTron wrote:
Doesn't have to be that way...with a modular synth building package you could get deeper into the sound than you could on any analogue equipment and as for using a mouse, again that is not really the way to do it...once you've got the softsynth of your liking...you can assign controls to it...if i had to do sound design with a mouse i'd have RSI by now.

Novation Zero/Doepfer do great controls for this sort of thing...being able to define how each button, knob and fader interacts with the synth...is an added bonus. (i.e toggle/gate mode/steps)
yea ive been looking at the novation remote 25 sl recently.....

its on the top of my list once i find a job.

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 2:02 pm
by paradigm_x
ive got the remote zero

really changed the way i make music - stare at the screen much less, which is good anyway. And you start to listen more than look at knob positions.

Highly recommended

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 2:06 pm
by manray
If I was gonna buy hardware it would probably be ancient shit like a 20 year old valve compressor and so forth. Fucked if I'm gonna spend £2k on a triton or whatever.

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:12 pm
by whineo
Changing to hardware fucks up your workflow
but when you get results and look at the lovely organic waveforms it makes you want to be a better man.

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:19 pm
by jolly wailer
we run a bunch of hardware samplers and synth modules. 6 total, 3 akais, a roland, a yamaha and an Emu with a little cheeky sequencer box.

you can get akai racks really cheap. shit, alot of rack modules that were top-o @ the end of the 90's you can get for just a couple hundred$ these days...

its wide-open, as long as you're comfortable with the transition from endless mouse clicking to what amounts to programming a VCR.. and outboard gear sounds reeeally nice on a big PA.

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 9:24 pm
by jobbanaught
Forget about the electribe synths (drums are cool), theres better VA for that price - get a Waldorf micrQ or a Microkorg for example. If you want analog, go for a Waldorf Pulse (monophonic all analog) or Waldorf MicroWave (wavetable synth - the bass...), theres nothing( better that the nice analog filters on those!!! (yea, Im a fan) :lol:

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 9:39 pm
by jobbanaught