I've been messing around attempting to learn sound design on my Gaia and a lot of times I get these strange hissing noises. I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong, or the synth is messed up. This little sample is with just a simple synch of a square and sine wave. I'm getting this hissing sound and I'm not sure why.. is it normal when you sync oscillators? (It's not clipping, my levels are good and it does it no matter how low I adjust the volume while wearing headphones).
Edit: It also doesn't seem to do it on all notes, although I'm pretty sure if it doesn't hiss on a single note one time, if I play it again it sometimes will. The hiss skips some notes and is heavier on others.
Nice playing, BTW.
Odd.
Have you tried plugging the Gaia into an amp directly? This will rule out any other gear noise.
Also, like many digital and analog synths, the filter has a noisy spot. The Gaia's is generally with the cutoff at 10 o'clock and the resonance at 2 o'clock.
Very unusual. I wish I had more answers, but have not experienced this.
It's a total digital machine so this rules out bad circuits or resistors like a bad VCA chip or something.
You could always piss in the wind and call Roland Support or if you are on Facebook, there is a great Gaia page that is very useful. Put Roland Gaia in FB search box, it will have a music note icon on it and has 690 members
Also, like many digital and analog synths, the filter has a noisy spot.
If oscillator sync is enabled then the filter is disabled
Anyway - sounds like there's a phaser effect enabled (besides the delay, that is) - don't know if it's possible to retrigger the phaser's LFO with a keypress? What if you disable all effects, it's still there?
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If oscillator sync is enabled then the filter is disabled
Anyway - sounds like there's a phaser effect enabled (besides the delay, that is) - don't know if it's possible to retrigger the phaser's LFO with a keypress? What if you disable all effects, it's still there?
Hahaha
Shows you how much I use oscillator sync! Use the MEK for those sounds.
Thanks for clarifying! (Wiping egg off my face)
As far as I know the phaser (or any other effect) in the effect section is stand alone and not subject to envelope controls.
Using the shift key will allow more parameters in that spacific effect using the two control knobs in the effect section.
Very strange, Yooz. I have been trying to create this odd sound for a while and could not.
So you think it is an organic issue, not a malfunction?
Since when do you know about the Gaia, could be wrong, but I thought you thought it sucked along with most others here.
If oscillator sync is enabled then the filter is disabled
Anyway - sounds like there's a phaser effect enabled (besides the delay, that is) - don't know if it's possible to retrigger the phaser's LFO with a keypress? What if you disable all effects, it's still there?
Thanks guys
Well, yeah.. the first thing I did to attempt to remove that hiss was to disable all effects. I am running a phaser, reverb, and delay on that patch but removing all of those does nothing.
I am also running the output into a headphone amp, which I also removed just to make sure my headphones weren't blowing out.. but it recorded the hiss in Cakewalk so obviously there's nothing wrong with my gear. When using the Roland in controller mode with a vst the hiss disappears. Also, the hiss isn't present on all patches. Seems the most prevalent on patches that have oscillator syncs.
Since I'm pretty new at this, I thought maybe there might be an issue with the way I was setting up the oscillator sync, but after re-reading my books about it, it appears that I'm doing it right. I'm stumped. I'm thinking perhaps it's time to send this unit back while I still have about 5 days left before my return time expires. That is unless there's something I should consider that I haven't.
Well, yeah.. the first thing I did to attempt to remove that hiss was to disable all effects. I am running a phaser, reverb, and delay on that patch but removing all of those does nothing.
I am also running the output into a headphone amp, which I also removed just to make sure my headphones weren't blowing out.. but it recorded the hiss in Cakewalk so obviously there's nothing wrong with my gear. When using the Roland in controller mode with a vst the hiss disappears. Also, the hiss isn't present on all patches. Seems the most prevalent on patches that have oscillator syncs.
Since I'm pretty new at this, I thought maybe there might be an issue with the way I was setting up the oscillator sync, but after re-reading my books about it, it appears that I'm doing it right. I'm stumped. I'm thinking perhaps it's time to send this unit back while I still have about 5 days left before my return time expires. That is unless there's something I should consider that I haven't.
OK I have my Gaia running directly through my Peavy KB100.
Give me the relevant settings. Envelope settings aside. Just the basics and I will try to recreate the sound in the next day or so.
I am confused as to why this only happens in syc.
You could just not use the headphone amp and plug direct, if you haven't already. That is nothing between the Gaia and speaker or phones.
OK I have my Gaia running directly through my Peavy KB100.
Give me the relevant settings. Envelope settings aside. Just the basics and I will try to recreate the sound in the next day or so.
I am confused as to why this only happens in syc.
You could just not use the headphone amp and plug direct, if you haven't already. That is nothing between the Gaia and speaker or phones.
I'll post the setting tomorrow. Gaia is in bed for the night. lol
I've plugged it direct to the headphone out jack on the Gaia and it's no different. As far as I know, I've removed everything that might have been an issue and it's still there with just the raw waves and the envelope settings.
Yeah, sharing the preset with fellow Gaia owners would be a good idea to find out whether it's just yours. Just zip it up and add it as attachment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by verve92
Since when do you know about the Gaia, could be wrong, but I thought you thought it sucked along with most others here.
I desperately wanted to know what made it tick, and my conclusion is that it's an improved SH32. The SH32 had the "mono mode + filter bypass when osc sync is enabled" issue as well, which immediately showed me that unlike all other claims on forums, it's not a JP8000 or based on that technology.
Eh, "suck" is a big word. It obviously has a great interface but is like lots of other Roland synths limited in places where I personally don't want to see limits.
I think using samples for this and adding a generous control panel is a great idea, I'd just hope for more in-depth editability for the samples. E.g. more a V-synth lite than a JV with a better front-end. Of course, this would cost more and push the price up, but hey.
Sorry guys, no patch info. I decided to return the Gaia yesterday while I still had time on my return policy.
As far as duplicating my patch it's easy. I had a square wave on tone 1 (center dent on the Osc pitch) with a LP 12 filter set at about 3/4 and resonance around 1/4 of the way up from 0. On tone 2 I had a sine wave pitched an octave up with filter and res set close to the same as tone 1. Envelope settings were pretty standard for a lead sound, very little attack or release, decay maxed and sustain just beneath it. Oscillators were synch'ed with no tone on tone 3. Nothing fancy or unique.
I figured this:
If the issue wasn't unique to my Gaia only, then taking the keyboard back was the best decision I could make since the hiss on what should have been a pretty smooth patch was unacceptable. After researching, re-reading, I'm confident it wasn't my programming causing the issue.
If the issue was with my Gaia alone, then I still feel I've made the right decision (for me) to return it and not get another as I wasn't all that impressed with the sound. After very close to a month of banging on the keys nearly everyday, I found the sound rather... mellow. It made really great ambient evolving pads, but seemed to lack that 'punchy' sound that I kept trying to yank out of it. I went as far as downloading Roland's free Daniel Fisher pack just to make sure it wasn't my piss poor programming, and to be honest, I felt the same way about it after listening through those patches. I really respect Daniel Fisher's synth programming ability, but I honestly just feel like the Gaia fell short.. or didn't showcase it well. It's all a matter of opinion of course and my opinion certainly isn't some definitive statement, but I kept on trying to hear a Radias or a Blofeld out of the Roland, and I kept feeling like the Gaia didn't have enough 'bite' in it's sound. Overall, the Gaia was great if you want to space travel, but if you are pretending you're Depeche Mode in your living room with that bit of 80's punch in the sound.. the Gaia doesn't seem quite able to pull it off appreciably. I decided to grab an R3 which will be here next week. The R3 claims to have the Radias engine so we'll see if that pulls out those sounds... without the annoying hiss.
Sorry to hear it.
And, no you won't get Depeche Mode sounds out of it, or many VA's.
One of their bread and butter synths was the Juno 60/106. Better to find one of those.
Don't mind if I steal your patch?
Sorry to hear it.
And, no you won't get Depeche Mode sounds out of it, or many VA's.
One of their bread and butter synths was the Juno 60/106. Better to find one of those.
Don't mind if I steal your patch?
I guess I realize that I'm not going to get perfection out of the R3, but it edges closer to what is pleasing to my ears anyhow. I didn't hate the Gaia, but it sort of didn't quite put me in the ballpark I was looking for. I guess I might be a minority in the synth community, but I love the sound of some VA's. I don't always want that rich 'warm' analog sound. I actually prefer what a Waldorf or Radias can produce in that digital spectrum over a Moog. I can certainly appreciate the amazing sounds of a Moog, but my ear likes those well done digital sounds more... I guess you can't help what you like.
My next purchase after the R3 will likely be a Radias or Waldorf once my synth abilities reach a level where they merit the price-point.
It is worth noting that I'm far from an aficionado when it comes to synthesizers, their brand/model limitations, or their individual capabilities. I'm a true master of select-a-patch playing though. Who knows? Maybe I'll find that as my expertise increases, my opinions will change regarding VA vs Analog. (This last statement was purposefully added to calm those of you who had read that I preferred VA over Analog and nearly kicked their dog over the incomprehensible fault of my logic).
Also, by all means go ahead and use the patch. If you wouldn't mind, please report if you run into that same issue. I'd be interested to know if I just had a lemon or it might be a problem/limitation of the synth itself.
I guess I realize that I'm not going to get perfection out of the R3, but it edges closer to what is pleasing to my ears anyhow. I didn't hate the Gaia, but it sort of didn't quite put me in the ballpark I was looking for. I guess I might be a minority in the synth community, but I love the sound of some VA's. I don't always want that rich 'warm' analog sound. I actually prefer what a Waldorf or Radias can produce in that digital spectrum over a Moog. I can certainly appreciate the amazing sounds of a Moog, but my ear likes those well done digital sounds more... I guess you can't help what you like.
My next purchase after the R3 will likely be a Radias or Waldorf once my synth abilities reach a level where they merit the price-point.
It is worth noting that I'm far from an aficionado when it comes to synthesizers, their brand/model limitations, or their individual capabilities. I'm a true master of select-a-patch playing though. Who knows? Maybe I'll find that as my expertise increases, my opinions will change regarding VA vs Analog. (This last statement was purposefully added to calm those of you who had read that I preferred VA over Analog and nearly kicked their dog over the incomprehensible fault of my logic).
Also, by all means go ahead and use the patch. If you wouldn't mind, please report if you run into that same issue. I'd be interested to know if I just had a lemon or it might be a problem/limitation of the synth itself.
No need to justify your decision. I don't judge a man on gear like many here. R3 is a nice unit. Wouldn't kick it out of my rig. Just not easy to program like most Korgs post MS20 analog days.
Have you considered a Virus B or C? They blow away every synth you are considering. They can be had for $500 or so and are mult- timbral galore 32 band vocoder.
The Novation UltaNova is nice too and is mutli timbral.
No need to justify your decision. I don't judge a man on gear like many here. R3 is a nice unit. Wouldn't kick it out of my rig. Just not easy to program like most Korgs post MS20 analog days.
Have you considered a Virus B or C? They blow away every synth you are considering. They can be had for $500 or so and are mult- timbral galore 32 band vocoder.
The Novation UltaNova is nice too and is mutli timbral.
Actually, I've never seen a virus B or C except on a few videos and after seeing what the Virus Polar cost, I figured that's as far as I needed to go. I do really like the sound of the virus, but I expected them to be far out of my budget at this point. I'm looking to cut teeth in programming and the virus looked like what you aspire to get once you're good at it.
Overall, I went looking for a unit that has a keybed, could enable me to learn the art of programming a synth, and could get close to the sounds I was looking to reproduce as well as letting me sculpt my own. An internal sound card wasn't necessary as I have a pretty decent USB audio interface already. I'm not looking for a dubstep machine because I'm not a big fan of that type of music. I really don't do a lot of trance/dance type music either. I mainly enjoy some 70/80's music that I'd love to cover as well as going in an entirely different direction and playing melodic/symphonic metal with fast synth leads and big choirs and strings. After watching a Jordan Rudess demo I bought Omnisphere a couple years ago and have been using that as my main be-all-end-all sound source. I decided to go the hardware route just for fun really to learn programming. I could use vst's but I want to get away from computer dependancy and have a decent synth that I can play when friends come over for a living room jam session.
Besides, learning to program sounds on a synth is fascinating and I'm having as much fun doing that as I do playing it. I don't just want to learn it, I want to be bad ass at it when I'm done. lol
The R3 is already on order and will be here early next week so I'm locked in on that buy. If... the R3 can sound (which videos have shown that it can) like the Radias, then I'll be happy. If it cannot, I'll deal with it until I'm ready to make a really informed decision on what my wants/needs are when I'm experienced enough to know the difference.
Actually, I've never seen a virus B or C except on a few videos and after seeing what the Virus Polar cost, I figured that's as far as I needed to go. I do really like the sound of the virus, but I expected them to be far out of my budget at this point. I'm looking to cut teeth in programming and the virus looked like what you aspire to get once you're good at it.
The R3 is basically a Radius LE same engine, just the subtractive synth version.
BTW if you have not seen this site I HIGHLY recommend it as it has a page on every synth known to man over a span of 50 years. It is the goto source and well respected:
Below is the VSE page on the R3:
Funny you mention programming. I seem to gravitate towards playing them. I often start on a patch modified or not and just go from there with LFO's and change envelopes and oscillators and go rather than stay at given program settings.
I am relatively new at synth also been playing guitar semi pro for 25 years and first synh was Gaia year and half ago. I have not played my guitar rig since.
...
I decided to go the hardware route just for fun really to learn programming.
The R3 will be fine for that, I'd say (no need to go to Radias later). I learned a lot from it, just make sure you get the editor for the PC - way easier to handle. And sounds are great (I got Omnisphere some months ago, not much difference in sound quality, I'd say
And then there is the nice vocoder.. I'm sure you will have fun..
The R3 will be fine for that, I'd say (no need to go to Radias later). I learned a lot from it, just make sure you get the editor for the PC - way easier to handle. And sounds are great (I got Omnisphere some months ago, not much difference in sound quality, I'd say
And then there is the nice vocoder.. I'm sure you will have fun..
And make sure to visit axxim's site for examples of nice patches
Thanks Calis
I've already seen that video. It helped me make my mind up about the R3. I thought that video was pretty cool and inspired. I did a lot of searching for demos on the R3 before I decided to go ahead and buy one and it really has the type of sounds I'm looking for. I would have rather had the Radias, but for the money, I'll be content with the Radias LE. lol
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Who knows? Maybe I'll find that as my expertise increases, my opinions will change regarding VA vs Analog. (This last statement was purposefully added to calm those of you who had read that I preferred VA over Analog and nearly kicked their dog over the incomprehensible fault of my logic). 
