Members Meatball Fulton Posted January 3, 2011 Members Share Posted January 3, 2011 I don't grok what is meant by midrangey After all, squares, saws, sines and triangles have defined harmonic content. Two square waves where one sounds more "midrangey" than the other means one of them isn't really a square wave (i.e. TB303). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Metrosonus Posted January 3, 2011 Members Share Posted January 3, 2011 The oscillators don't just die out suddenly at low frequencies or anything like that. I obviously am applying metro speak here. caveats about the format and engine aside, the sound just wouldn't go where I wanted it to. The high end sounded tight and crisp which is why think that it appeals to the vintage people. However the low end, to my ears, is just very tight and sits where it lays rather than affecting the frequencies above it like in my virus. even the nord has a lushness to it I think is missing from the radias. overall it just sounds very cold and compartmentalized to me. nothing I'd want to throw the kind of money they were asking for at the time to and nothing i don't feel i could get out of something else. of course YMMV and certain but not all terms and conditions apply. please exit through the gift shop and thank the talking llama before but not after rinsing and then repeating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Metrosonus Posted January 3, 2011 Members Share Posted January 3, 2011 After all, squares, saws, sines and triangles have defined harmonic content. Two square waves where one sounds more "midrangey" than the other means one of them isn't really a square wave (i.e. TB303). so are you saying i'm not crazy? it sounds midrangey to me for sure. but i seem to have my own dialectuar vehicular vernacular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The groin Posted January 3, 2011 Members Share Posted January 3, 2011 I have an unhealthy borderline phobia of VAs, romplers and well, basically all digital synthesizers (with a few exceptions). I simply can't justify paying the price for sounds that you can get for free on a computer. And from what I've heard of the Radias, it's not one of the better sounding VAs either IMHO. It lacks character, sounds generic, etc. Admittedly, I've never fiddled with one myself though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wheresgrant3 Posted January 3, 2011 Members Share Posted January 3, 2011 I play in a regional band that covers a lot of seventies sound, meaning I need to get analog synth type sounds for leads and chords, and sound effects on occasion. I started with a Nord Lead, went to an Ion, and now use a Radias Rack. It gets the job done well enough live. Simple to program, easy to see and use on a dark stage, and reliable. I'm actually very happy with mine till something better comes along. Especially for the size and price.Any pics? I'd love to see how it looks on stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members McHale Posted January 3, 2011 Members Share Posted January 3, 2011 so much misinformation... RADIAS. Everyone should at least one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted January 3, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 3, 2011 RADIAS. Everyone should at least one. Quoted for humorous grammars. Slap that slogan on a poster, man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spleencage Posted January 3, 2011 Members Share Posted January 3, 2011 Got rid of my Radias after a month, hated it. I dint like the fidelity, or the way it programmed, very counter-productive to how I work. A semi pro machine for electroheads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members paulo_ Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 EQing is a big part of programming the Radias/R3 engine, imo. Works surprisingly well to shake off the midrangey character. It's actually quite versatile in its own way (extremely clean sounding), unlike the virus, which is a lot more reluctant to step out of its dark shell. I went for the R3, which seemed to be a more adequate package for that. The better aesthetic plays a big role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gribs Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 After all, squares, saws, sines and triangles have defined harmonic content. Two square waves where one sounds more "midrangey" than the other means one of them isn't really a square wave (i.e. TB303). To be fair, what is called a "square wave" or "saw tooth wave" by audio synth folks might not necessarily be what I as a EE and mathematician consider to be a perfect square or saw wave. Two different synth's square or saw oscillators will most likely have different harmonic content unless generated using the exact same algorithm and hardware (not counting variability from component-to-component). There is a varying degree of ringing in square and saw waves. Even the perfect Fourier series has the "Gibbs phenomenon" which manifests as overshoot and undershoot at the discontinuities in the wave even in the limit of the number of harmonics becoming infinite (see for example Carslaw's book on Fourier Series and Integrals) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Conbrio Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 please exit through the gift shop and thank the talking llama Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FLNagle Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 It honestly took me a while to come around to my R3. I was really not digging the sound for a long time, but then I started to figure out quirks in the synth engine to get me the sound that I want. For instance, the drive effect in the waveshaper does wonders at analog-ing any sound that you put through it, especially at any setting from around 10 - 25. I actually just found last night that the hard clip mode of the same section is perfect for that ultra aggressive dubstep sound that's popular right now. Another such technique is setting the first oscillator to any digital wave and ring modulating it with the second oscillator to get downright crazy sounds. I can understand frustrations with the architecture of the synth, but it really ends up giving you a lot more flexible of an instrument after you figure out what's going on. I would personally LOVE to trade up to a Radias, just because everyone could use moar knobs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MuzikB Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 To FLNagle, I would appreciate it if you kept further incite into the Radias synth engine to yourself in order to maintain its' "standout" status in musical works. Sincerely, B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bernard Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 so true of synths, its those hidden tweaks that can add spice especially in a VA... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members McHale Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 It honestly took me a while to come around to my R3. A friend ordered his RADIAS (instead of a Little Phatty) and told me how awesome it was. So I ordered mine and I didn't fall in love with it. The presets sucked and I just couldn't coax anything out of it that was inspiring. Then a kind soul on Korg Forums (X-Trade) released a free bank of patches that were amazing. He had some awesome textures and some pads but overall, he had a bunch of analog sounds that were beyond convincing. I deleted all of the stock patches, loaded up many of his and started creating my own and really started to see the potential of the RADIAS. I love the RADIAS. It really is under-appreciated. It really, really is. Now go buy one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grimleyj Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 Considering it's currently so much cheaper than competing VAs (esp. Virus) you'd think people would be all over it. I just bought one (my second) for $575...brand new. T May I ask where you got it for that price? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mididoc Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 I LOVE my Radias. I am NOT an experienced synthesist at all, just a weekend warrior cover band player who occasionally knocks out home recordings of varying poor quality.. Grew up playing Yamaha Romplers and FM stuff, owned a JX3p for a while but found it very limiting. Love electronic and dance music so I eventually bought an AN1x to add to my SY85. I LOVED the sound but found the interface confusing and the limited polyphony a frustration so I sold it to the studio I worked at. Then later my Fantom-S was lacking for certain 70s & 80s Disco/New Wave sounds.... so I finally bought the Radias to augment it. I discovered an immensely satisfying and inspirational tool, prompting lots of song ideas and soundscapes. It has filled in nicely as a vintage sounding analog-ish keyboard packed with many nice variations of EPs, Clavs, Organs as well as nice Arp String-ensemble-ish and other PAD type sounds. It also recreates standard Iconic analog sounds from specific songs by the likes of George Duke, Stevie Wonder, Keith Emerson, The Who, Pink Floyd and more. And while it may never sound as near or proper as it should as it aims for those mythic Oberheim. Moog, ARP or Prophet tones, it comes close enough to keep the people happy and dancing and that is all that matters to me. More highlights: The Vocoder has come in handy and is easy to use. The Audio inputs are great for mangling guitars, drums whatever. The FX are quirky and incomplete but make for great dialed-in recreations of MANY standard Vintage-era instruments like Rhodes, Wurlies, Clavs, Organs and such because the Tremolos, Pans, Leslies, Wahs, Vibras, Choruses etc. are all lush and VERY controllable in realtime. This added sample wavetable as OSC sources takes it beyond most VA's and makes it quite useful, even with only 49 keys. The only real beef is the quirky and fragile nature of the design, but it gets me noticed and is commented on by musicians and non-players all the time. And the sounds from my synth always impresses both groups and that is gratifying as well. Additionally, the sounds it makes are so widely-varied as to be quite self-entertaining and worth exploring, prompting lots of creative sparks. I get lost for hours tweaking and playing this beast. And isn't that what making music is really all about? The 2.0 update helped a lot and there has been a pretty decent contribution of patches from owner/programmers. I hope the party continues... Most important of all, I find it EASY to use. If I have a patch that's almost what I want, but not quite, it usually takes me very little time to get it right. And that is the bottom line for me - a USEABLE interface. Maybe the Nord and Acess synths do all this and even better I don't know as I have never had one in front of me to play with. For my money the Radias has been the most fulfilling keyboard purchase in ages and does the job I wanted it to. Of course, there is PLENTY of room for improvement as many above have highlighted. Maybe the upcoming Kronos is the answer?...... Anyway, another YES vote for the usefulness of a Radias. Your mileage WILL probably vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wwwjd Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 kinda wanted one, but JP8000 showed up instead. good enough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Conbrio Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 I love the RADIAS. It really is under-appreciated. It really, really is.I definitely enjoy mine. Funny though, I do spend too much time tweaking and not enough time playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Paolo Di Nicolantonio Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 hint: bottom left Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members plaid_emu Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 KORG RADIAS: Why don't you have one?Because a couple of years ago Nova Musik sent my girlfriend a free Virus TI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members suitandtieguy Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 with all due respect to The Velveteen Strangler, who sold me his RATIOS, anyone who thinks the RADIUS doesn't sound good is either deaf or didn't spend enough time with it. (The Strangler didn't spend enough time with it. he can hear fine.) this is all acoustic drums and RADEEUS under Trapkat control. there is one tuned 808 kick which is in the S5000. there are no computers or sequencing outside the RADUIS involved: [video=youtube;qy-rU_MkxoA] admittedly, there are some reasons to cut your time short with it. i had years of experience with the MS2000 (i had one as soon as they were available, along with an ER-1) and i found the RADDISM to be a bit frustrating at first. i'm not going to sit here and try to convince you it has the best UI ever. it has other problems too (for example, when i saw the prototype i pointed out to the secret operative who showed it to me that it needed its jackfield oriented properly. this was yet another example of Big MI not taking STG seriously and paying for it in the end.) however i think it's the best bang-for-the-buck VA out there and does very useful things nothing else does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Minocan Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 Cause I've got Q It's not 599 $ either, it's 1500 $ here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sani Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 hint: bottom left What a great place for a synthesizer. Must be a joy to use and operate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Metrosonus Posted January 4, 2011 Members Share Posted January 4, 2011 with all due respect to The Velveteen Strangler, who sold me his RATIOS, anyone who thinks the RADIUS doesn't sound good is either deaf or didn't spend enough time with it. (The Strangler didn't spend enough time with it. he can hear fine.) WOT YOU SAY. I IZ NO BUNEE. Actually I had it for about six months.. technical concerns aside, I just didn't like the sound of it. You and I have different ears in that regard and I'm glad you've enjoyed it so much. I actually preferred the Lead over it and that's what I should have kept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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