Best Percussion Synths?

[TychoStar]

What are some good percussion/drums synths available on the market.

[diogo_c]

Waldorf Attack for the basic stuff is ok. This is something I need to research more in-depth as I'm getting pissed by samples hitting -0,1 dbfs.

[hoffy]

It's not a drum synth specifically, but albino's great. Nice fx for drums, 4 oscillators with tonnes of waveforms (including different types of noise), lots of envelopes etc. I believe e-phonic have a freeware drum synth and that one by the maker of whatever it is- synplant, that's it... is very good.

[golden beers]

Originally Posted by diogo_c

Waldorf Attack for the basic stuff is ok. This is something I need to research more in-depth as I'm getting pissed by samples hitting -0,1 dbfs.

just wondering what the problem with this is?

[golden beers]

OP: if you like the sound of these, you could grab yourself a FRXS

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/5329074-post94.html

[zerocrossing]

I've been toying around with the idea of getting a MFB-522 mostly because they're cheap and look pretty tweakable, but my one fear is that I've not heard a single hi-fi recording of one. I can't make a purchase based on Youtube audio. I fell in love with the sound of the Metasonix D-1000, but it's so limited midi wise, that turned me off. There's a German company selling a product called "Tubes" which is samples from it, but they don't have a US distributor. The demo tracks sound great.

I wouldn't call it a drum synth, but I can get some cool synthetic percussion out of my MoPho.

So... I use a combination of samples (Battery 3 with Electronic Drums 2) and a few VSTs. Microtonic is very good and I really like Drumaxx. For the most part though, I'm OK with samples and I think it might be time to pick up some of the Goldbaby stuff which sounds fantastic to me.

[itisnick]

I'm assuming you mean hardware.

The Elektron Machinedrum has a nice variety of sampled, virtual analog, FM and physical modeled sounds. Lots of ability to do modulation and parameter sequencing for complex changing sounds.

The Andromeda A-16 being 16 voices and multitimbral you can do some nice old school analog drums that don't sound like everyone else and still have enough voices left for some synth parts.

The MFB-522 is very compact and reasonably priced. MFB has a fairly conservative range of adjustment on their drum sounds in general and this is no exception. What I mean is don't expect a wide range of sounds from what you initially hear, just some ability to tune and adjust a bit. I've not compared it to a real TR-808, which it seems to be influenced by. It has a MIDI in and a simple sequencer. No advanced features like programming timbre changes or complex song construction

Jomox sort of follows the TR-909 approach in that the cymbals & hats are low res samples while the bass, snare, toms are analog. You can sequence timbre changes and make a wider range of analog sounds than MFB though at a much higher price.

[protonate]

There's a number of decent "analogue style" drum synths out...

Sonic Charge Micro Tonic
Sonic Charge - µTonic close-up

Audio Damage Tatoo
Audio Damage :: Tattoo

Audiorealism ADM
AudioRealism Drum Machine (ADM)

D16 Drum boxes
D16 Group Audio Software - Beyond Perfection - Home

Personally though, I usually find drum boxes like these a bit of a waste. You can synthesize drum sounds with just about any synth... Usually I'd just sample stuff I've made and rather use them in plugins like Battery or GURU where you've got the option of working with audio as well.

I like Native Instruments Massive as well for percussion sounds cause the envelopes are fast, and you can fix the oscillator phase in place, making things sound a bit tighter.

[guze]

For electronic percussions, Vermona DRM1 mkIII all the way
You can get great kick,snare and clap are very characteristic, deep toms,love the hh, and all the blips,clicks,blops, etc.

Really a different style from the classic drum machines

[L-feld]

If you have basic soldering skills and like the 70's syndrum sound, these kits are a really fun way to blow 50 bucks:

Synare Sensor Synth DIY KIT - Analog drum - Dub Siren - eBay (item 270602040321 end time Jul-05-10 14:08:13 PDT)

They're good for deep analog basses, pinball/atari-type sounds and those space lasers that were on every disco record.

For the electronically challenged, I think the guy who makes these will assemble them for you for an additional fee.

[Barfunkel]

Originally Posted by golden beers

OP: if you like the sound of these, you could grab yourself a FRXS

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/5329074-post94.html

Second this. XS plus a samper is a great drum combo, it's very easy to dial up lots of different, punchy, analogue drums from the XS, and it's useful for other things too of course.

[msl]

If I had the money I go for a Miami.




.

[peglegjoe857]

tama techstar, drumfire df-500, simmons sds. all super cheap, flexible, and dope sounding analog drum modules.

[aeonlux]

While neither are dedicated percussive synths, both the Clavia Nord Modular and Yamaha FS1R are excellent for the synthesis of drums and percussives of many kinds. Envelope speed, spectral control, and dynamics shaping make it all possible.

The Korg OASYS PCI is also a solid percussive synth. Among Korg's varied engines, Brandon Daniel's ElectroDrums, and Harm Visser's polyphonic physical models, you can create just about any drum and percussive you want - analogesque, pure digital, realistic, ethnic, minimal, and otherwise - all with extensive real-time parametric control.


cheers,
Ian

[Headphones]

I kind of like the drum sounds an alesis Micron can come up with, but as of yet, I don't own one. I think a Korg ER-1 does a decent job at being a drum synth, and also because it can do some R2D2 odd sounds if you tweak it right. I always wondered why my X-station can't make any decent drum sounds, but I'm sure it's because I don't know how to make one.

[plastic ships]

Originally Posted by peglegjoe857

tama techstar, drumfire df-500, simmons sds. all super cheap, flexible, and dope sounding analog drum modules.

+1

dont forget the Synsonics Drums from Mattel, and the Yamaha ED10

[Jens Burkert]

Check this one out.
Drumaxx

Extremly nice for glitchy percs and stuff.

[wave alchemy]

My favourite synth for percussive type sounds and weird sounding hits is the Future Retro XS. When used with other CV gear things can be taken further still. With the XS alone you can create a wider variety of drum sounds than most analogue drum machines put together. I love its super snappy envelopes.

You can download some nice drums which I made with the FRXS in this thread:

Future Retro XS Drums & Percussion

[alexp]

If you can find one, the Pearl Syncussion. Im in love with mine. It can do everything from kicks that blow the 808/909 out of the water, to really good toms, hats, and snares. in fact, it will do pretty much anything better than anything else.

If you want something thats the same idea but digital, look at the old Kawai XD5. Cheap as chips, and they sound quite good!


Kawai XD-5 | Vintage Synth Explorer



alexP

[wave alchemy]

Originally Posted by alexp

If you can find one, the Pearl Syncussion. Im in love with mine. It can do everything from kicks that blow the 808/909 out of the water, to really good toms, hats, and snares. in fact, it will do pretty much anything better than anything else.

Sounds cool. Do you have one of these? would love to hear an audio example!

[alexp]

Originally Posted by wave alchemy

Sounds cool. Do you have one of these? would love to hear an audio example!

I do have one. Their pretty ridiculous. I will try and get something that resembles a demo up this week.


alexP

[wave alchemy]

Originally Posted by alexp

I do have one. Their pretty ridiculous. I will try and get something that resembles a demo up this week.


alexP

I just got a Syncussion today! I agree that you can get some ridiculous sounds out of this box. The kick drums and weird perc sounds you can get with the Syncussion are great and blow away many of the drum machines I have used. Its like a Vermona DRM on steroids

[gordonmerrick]

The new Wavedrum can be a good time.