Got no Virus - Maybe Rack XL maybe Waldorf somthing?

[Sneaky Kitty]

Greetings all

I have been using Samplers / Analog Synths and modern stuff for a while. 88'

I am currently looking for something to fix a hole in my live sound.

I like about 80-85% of my sound that I have.

I love sounds that soar or sear.

I use a lot of sounds designed from scratch

I make alot of my own samples from vintage gear I have or any noise I can make.

I also use Akai and Kurzweil Libraireis tweeked in Halion and put into my Triton Rack sampler. I like the triton rack sound for soaring pristine patches. I can also make rich elegant ambient sounds. It edits well and can control and organize my other librairies well once tweaked up in HALION.

Over all I like my sound. I feel I am missing out when I want my sounds edgy or reallly thick. I need help searing. I dont have the best bottom end.

I was thinking the ACCESS XL would work well for me.

Maybe a waldof product instead? It seems waldorf stuff doesnn't sound as good as they did in the 90's?

What do you guys think? Perhaps something else.

[unio mystica]

The virus is great but it don?t quite have the qualities you described. If you want a lot of bottom end the waldorf pulse is for you. Another great synth for you is novation A-station.

If you don?t need anything else than a great synth with bottom end don?t buy the virus. It?s more like an all-around synth. It sounds wonderful but there?s more better sounding equipment on the market to use on certain tasks.

[Sneaky Kitty]

Perhaps I dont really know what I want....

but I know a lot about some Waldorg gear.

I am surprised to say this but in the year 2002 the pulse just sounds very dated to me. Not vintage just dated.

Waldorf has been one of my favorite pieces of equipment to design sound with. Very easy from the first time I ever touched. The modulation very dynamic and amazing. I like the XT which is based off of the PPG best so far out of the Waldorf stuff I tried. I think I like the Access better though.

I will look into the "novation A-station" cant say I know anything about that off the top of my head. Will look into it. Thanks for the input.

[unio mystica]

I don?t like the word dated in making electronical music. There are a lot of very (very,very)old gear people still use. If a synth sounds great it will do that eventhou ten years has past. It?s just how you use it. A good synth is a good synth no matter if it?s made 1996 or 1986. It?s about what gear you need to make the kind of music you like to make. Many old gear is much better than new if you make certain type of music like something retro-sounding.

(The Virus will be a bad-ass synth for the next 20years, so does everything else that is great now)

[unio mystica]

Weird. Everytime I write ass it shows as grass in the forum.....See...it did that again.

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

Virus, Nord, Waldorf polysynths will be the big ones people remember in 10+ yrs time. THey are by far the most heavily used since 1997-2004+

Its funny but I dont think any synth sounds 'dated'. Overused maybe.....but not really dated. Its just a tone characteristic that the synth has...and always had.

I totally agree with unio. Its all about the music ur making....its not about owning desinger label synths. There are alot of obscure synths from the 80's which many peopel dont even butt an eyelid at....but can give you such an edge to ur music. Take the Casio CZ synths for example. They are relatively underused, dirt cheap, and are capable of making fuking unreal/cool sounds. I swear to god that alot of the sounds used in computer games circa 1985+ used some Casio in it. The Casio CZ3000 made me smile.....nearly as much as the Jupiter 8 I owned.

Its all about having a variety of synthesis technologies > Phase Distortion, Subtractive (VA and True analog), Wavetable etc etc. I once made a metallic bass sound on the Casio cz3000 and ran it through my Pro-Ones filter.....fuking unreal!

http://artists.iuma.com/site-bin/mp3...sio_CZ3000.mp3

*The link may not work that well first time round.....the site is having probs. But keep trying.

DS

[Juho L]

Usually people find tombs, mummies and vases in archeological diggings.

[Sneaky Kitty]

Since I first posted this?

I went out and got the Virus Rack Classic. Had it for about a year. I love it.
I just acquired the Waldorf Micro Q Rack last month right after they announced their Demise.

It seems my dated comment has turned some people off.

I think Digital synths can certainly sound dated. Some sounds have a flavor of an era or decade but I consider that more nostalgia than being dated.
I think synths sound dated mostly because D/A Converters are so superior today and they were noisy in yester years. This is more apparent to me when working closer to either edge of the audible sound spectrum. I say this after owning and using a lot of different synths in the studio and live. Also I think a lot of older synths sound dated because the Waves used to created them are created with dated technology. Let us not forget, things like the logic for how key tracking is done today is far superior than it was. That is obvious when playing an older patch in more than one octave and listening to degradation of pitch and general quality. Sure that can be fun to do on purpose but it?s also a pain when it cannot be improved upon.

I do think some of the older synths that are very simple do not require converters by today?s standards to sound great or fresh. But I also think these synths are limited once you go past the few things they do well.

Sure you can mix and engineer enough stuff around them to hide some of these things but I will stick to my opinion about that a lot of equipment out their sounds dated. I would like to be able to play one keyboard for more than one riff.

I also really do not want to tour and gig with a ton of stuff. Nor do not I want to keep them in a storage unit or closet. I.e. have not touched my ARP Odyssey, or Prophet 600 in forever. I need to sell them both. It?s just hard to let go of some of them.

Since technology has come so far I have been looking for just a few things to focus on the things really like.

I am not really interested in designer synths but a particular sound.

For me that now means layering these three...

Triton Rack ? lovely and ambient with very smooth motion (I also needed something that can do homemade media samples)
Virus Rack - Rich Bass as well as Dark Edgy sounds
Waldorf Micro Q Rack ? Harsh, and Gritty as well as complex semblance and very versatile motion (MMM comb filters)

So in 8 rack spaces I believe I have everything I want. (2 rack spaces for 16track line mixer, 1 space power conditioner)

1 Dated Ensoniq VFX SD the greatest controller of all time IMHO (but never makes a sound anymore on its own) all the cords fall out of the rack, and I am set up in minutes.

PS ?Gator? now makes some great cases that I am crazy about for mixers. Turn it on its side and it angles all your keyboard racks easy access to your real time control knobs much easier. Also ?On Stage? has some Amp stands that will allow you to further adjust the angle and put it high enough off the ground to comfortably use while standing.

Have not taken it out live with Waldorf yet but I will next Monday and I am loving the addition so far.

Andrew

[Smag]

My friend has a Juno 106 which is really good for searing (and screeching)

[Hollowcell]

I.e. have not touched my ARP Odyssey, or Prophet 600 in forever. I need to sell them both.

Which version of the Odyssey do you have? Model and year if you could? Also where are you and how much do you want? hehe