Adding to my Studio - What Synths to buy

[Skallawa]

I currently have a V-synth XT, Novation X-station, and a Moti XS. I have about $2,000 to play with. I can probably pick up a Virus TI keyboard for $1,600 and a Micro X for $450. Or I can pick up a TI Snow ($1,100.00), a Blofeld ($525), and a Micro X ($450). Would do you guys think of this setup? Would you suggest me going another route? Is there any other synths that I should consider?

[cosmos]

theres many synth's to consider, but first, whats your monitoring chain ? converters ? upgrade that section (if needed) could improve your work and take your work soundwise a step forword.

on the other hand, you could get Analog synth. that will bring you a different sound to your VA setup. many oldies & goodies to consider, Waldorf Pulse for example .. cheap great analog synth. SH101, the new DSI Mopho and many more .. you could get them all for less then 2k.

[Skallawa]

Originally Posted by cosmos

theres many synth's to consider, but first, whats your monitoring chain ? converters ? upgrade that section (if needed) could improve your work and take your work soundwise a step forword.

on the other hand, you could get Analog synth. that will bring you a different sound to your VA setup. many oldies & goodies to consider, Waldorf Pulse for example .. cheap great analog synth. SH101, the new DSI Mopho and many more .. you could get them all for less then 2k.

I have a RME FF400 (Black Lion udgrade) with a Black Lion Micro Clock and Genelec.

I will look into these analog synths that you suggest. I looking for phat basses, dirty leads, and some cool pads.

[cosmos]

Originally Posted by Skallawa

I have a RME FF400 (Black Lion udgrade) with a Black Lion Micro Clock and Genelec.

I will look into these analog synths that you suggest. I looking for phat basses, dirty leads, and some cool pads.

i can only recommend the synths that im working on and actualy knows them.

-the Waldorf Pulse is a strong player if youre after basses.
-for Pads, the DSI Poly Evolver is beast but it will eat out your budget. Juno 106 is great for pads and cheap.
-have a look on the Waldorf Q keyboard, its a powerful synth for pads/leads/fx. it is my main keyboard in the studio (Q+)

im using alot Nord Lead 1 latley for leads, you cant go wrong with that.

also, explore some pedals for distortion or other effects, always handy for strong dirty leads. many many to choose from, search GS for that.

Good Luck.

[space2012]

search for the sound, the onestike go to several studios, rent synths, play every synth you can, hear demos, etc..
oberheim ob-1 its nice, roland junos/jupiters, moogs, love my kenton plugstation + yamaha plg150-an, etc...

me? i want to buy:
korg m3:61 + exb:radias with toslink out

[Skallawa]

Right not I am leaning towards a MOPHO, Korg Micro X, Blofeld, and another synth (not sure yet).

I really like the MOPHO, wonder if the Evolver is a better buy though. Anybody use both?

[clusterchord]

Originally Posted by Skallawa

I currently have a V-synth XT, Novation X-station, and a Moti XS. I have about $2,000 to play with. I can probably pick up a Virus TI keyboard for $1,600 and a Micro X for $450. Or I can pick up a TI Snow ($1,100.00), a Blofeld ($525), and a Micro X ($450). Would do you guys think of this setup? Would you suggest me going another route? Is there any other synths that I should consider?

i think with motif XS you got the ROMpler end pretty much covered. wouldnt waste cash on mini-triton i.e. MicroX.

second, Blofeld, i think, is a great buy. just played it few days ago. it will bring you wavetabling (you already have) but with different filters than XT (got one as well to compare), its more liquid, more like Q fiters but even better, and in addition, it does trademark VA stuff very good too, sounds "up to date" so to speak - with arpeggios, delays, the works. and most of all, it is VERY cheap for what it does.

further, as cosmos suggested i'd recommend u spend biggest chunk of this money on some real analog synth. maybe a few monos, i.e. Roland SH-2/SH-101 etc and a DCO polyanalog like MKS70 for warm strings/pads.. or maybe one nice VCO polyanalog like Roland Jupiter 6. and use whats left on Blofeld or MKS70. this will really bring a difference in your setup as it is now.

[sctt_stone]

P5

[spol]

First get a Nord synth (2, 2x, 3, Wave), virus snow and Mopho next.

[Carey M]

You have a rompler and virtual analogues. Like people have suggested, you need a real analogue synth. Yes, need Preferably something with real VCOs. Moogs, Roland SH-2, Studio Electronics stuff, etc.

- CM

[Dirty Halo]

It's been said, but worth reinforcing... you have the virtual, digital, wavetable and romplers well covered, so any additions should be something that does what you currently have does not...

Go analog young man!

Prophet '08 is a great bang for the buck!

Mopho if you want to dip your toe in the Prophet '08 world and then add a few others.

Or... Get a new MoPho or Evolver then add a few good ised classics... Oberheim 1000, Roland Sh-101, Jupiter 4, Crumar, Juno 106.

$2000 can actually go a long way if you spend it right.

Best of luck... fun fun fun. ENJOY!

-Andrews

[sheever]

Originally Posted by Skallawa

I currently have a V-synth XT, Novation X-station, and a Moti XS. I have about $2,000 to play with. I can probably pick up a Virus TI keyboard for $1,600 and a Micro X for $450. Or I can pick up a TI Snow ($1,100.00), a Blofeld ($525), and a Micro X ($450). Would do you guys think of this setup? Would you suggest me going another route? Is there any other synths that I should consider?

I suggest you to dont spend for Micro X if you dont wanna get plastic sound.
as I see you ve got key already so my oppinion the Virus TI rack in the first round.I would say Evolver desktop for the second one.I own one Evolver desktop and Virus TI just cant touch it...
cheap,and then you ve got real analogue and fm monster too in your arzenal.

[Skallawa]

Thanks for the replies everyone. The Prophet 08 looks intriguing. Can you guys get really good dirty bass out of it. I like what I heard with the Mopho, so I am wondering if the Prophet can create that type of bass. What about the poly evolver?

I wish I had a million dollars to spend. What about a Blofeld and Prophet 08 rack. Or if I save a little longer or sell enough stuff I can get a TI snow and Prophet 08. Or I can just get a poly evolver. I want some mean sounding synths. The V-synth XT can be mean but still sounds a little glossy to me.

[RobJB06]

Andromeda is nice

[SWAN808]

double trouble

[SWAN808]

If you want dirty bass look at a Little Phatty - lots of fun.

I just got a Blofeld and I think its great. Those 2 make a mean pair.

FWIW I dont think bass is a P08 strong point. Its quite clean and bright. I would think the Phatty with its VCO and overdrive would own a MOPHO. MOPHO still looks fun tho. YMMV

[divine source]

Originally Posted by cosmos

-have a look on the Waldorf Q keyboard, its a powerful synth for pads/leads/fx.

im using alot Nord Lead 1 latley for leads, you cant go wrong with that.

+1

thus two plus MAM MB33mk2 are the only synth i got - highly recommend thumbsup

[kraku]

Good suggestions would be:
- Nord Wave
- Prophet '08
- PolyEvolver
- Blofeld (if you like Waldorf sound)

[sheever]

Originally Posted by Skallawa

Thanks for the replies everyone. The Prophet 08 looks intriguing. Can you guys get really good dirty bass out of it. I like what I heard with the Mopho, so I am wondering if the Prophet can create that type of bass. What about the poly evolver?

I wish I had a million dollars to spend. What about a Blofeld and Prophet 08 rack. Or if I save a little longer or sell enough stuff I can get a TI snow and Prophet 08. Or I can just get a poly evolver. I want some mean sounding synths. The V-synth XT can be mean but still sounds a little glossy to me.

Evolver a beast.
it have 2 analogue,and 2fm osc (from Prophet VS)with 128 /osc waveform,but with editor you can create whatever you want...if its not enough than 4 real analogue LFO and the best step (my guess) sequencer ever build.

[pyvnd]

Originally Posted by SWAN808

If you want dirty bass look at a Little Phatty - lots of fun.

I just got a Blofeld and I think its great. Those 2 make a mean pair.

I was thinking the same exact thing. With what you have already, and the amount of money you have to spend, this makes perfect sense.

[dsound]

I would say with that budget get a Moog LP and Roland MKS-80 - both used. Like the gentleman said above, GO ANALOG! I recently went through a hardware synth craze - getting the Mopho, MKS-80, Moog LP and Virus TI. All incredible synths. All are analog except the TI. The MKS-80 feels like a real instrument..like buying a Rhodes or B3.

[Skallawa]

So the Little Phatty makes my list. Still doing research to see what the other synth will be. Blofeld? MKS-90? Evolver? Maybe a TI Snow?

Saw a Juno 60 and 106 for sale near me. Maybe I should give those a go.

[Skallawa]

Originally Posted by dsound

I would say with that budget get a Moog LP and Roland MKS-80 - both used. Like the gentleman said above, GO ANALOG! I recently went through a hardware synth craze - getting the Mopho, MKS-80, Moog LP and Virus TI. All incredible synths. All are analog except the TI. The MKS-80 feels like a real instrument..like buying a Rhodes or B3.

As far as Bass is concerned is the Moog LP worth the extra expense vs the Mopho?

[SWAN808]

Originally Posted by Skallawa

As far as Bass is concerned is the Moog LP worth the extra expense vs the Mopho?

personally as far as raw sound goes - yes. Not that the MOPHO isnt great for the money.

Moog bass - has anyone ever argued with that?

[tribeofenki]

+1 As above, I'll argue on some synths (as the Mopho, will try for sure) but Moog is The Synth. +1

[Skallawa]

Would it be pointless to buy a Moog and an evolver first because both are mono.

[dsound]

Originally Posted by Skallawa

Would it be pointless to buy a Moog and an evolver first because both are mono.

Having recently struggled with the same questions, I would say get a Moog so you have that sound then check out something Poly. Check out Virus TI Snow or if you can swing it, a good deal on a used Desktop Virus TI (which is what I got). Also, for pure analog - check out the Prophet 08 or as I stated above, an MKS series Roland. Just my 2 cents based on the research I did.

[DevonB]

Ok, I'll go against the grain here. Analog, smanalog. There's a shedload of analog snobbery around here (I still love you guys anyway. ) Either you'll like the sound or you won't. Keep in mind, if you're totally in love with the 'big package' of having sounds, layers and effects married all into one patch like the boards you have now, you might be sorely disappointed with an analog too. I currently only own two analogs right now, a Novation Super Bass Station and an Oberheim Matrix 1000. Both have a great, smooth sound. The Matrix 1000 sounds a bit bland without any work done to the sound. Slathering on some delay for me does the trick. Still, it's nowhere as 'immediate' as you might be used to.

As for the Micro X and 'mini Triton'. No, not really. The MicroX is HEAVILY built towards sythesis sounds. Bread-n-butter ROMpler sounds are *NOT* its strength. I have a MicroX and a Triton Rack, and I much prefer the MicroX personally. It's got a TON of GREAT patches, and they go for $300-$350 on Ebay which is a steal. I bought it fully expecting to sell it in a month, but it's sticking around in my studio for now.

What would I recommend? Do your homework, buy used, and be prepared to sell it on Ebay if you hate it. The Synth Mania site has tons of awesome examples of presets for many many boards in MP3 format. Give a listen for yourself, and good luck.

Devon

[Skallawa]

thanks man. I just picked up a TI 61 for $1,600.00. I am going to add to the budget and get a Little Phatty. These should quench my gear thirst for awhile. Loving the Virus. Destroys the x-station and is different from the v-synth xt. After the Moog LP i think I am going to get a few old school synths.

Edit: May just wait around for LINNDRUM II

[Skallawa]

Just added the Mopho. Searching for another analog. Looking to trade or sell my v-synth xt.

thanks guys