Members Meatball Fulton Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 I keep telling myself I need something to "complement" my Motif but every time decide I don't really need it and sell it. I just don't have the budget to be a synth collector nor do I have the space. I just picked up a knobby MIDI controller yesterday and will be exploring the softsynth world instead, between demos and freeware it's infinite bang for the buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members augerinn Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 I also tend to neglect my arsenal. The QS gets played the most, because it's my controller. And, it's the first thing I usually flip the switch on. After that, my Juno-2 and MKS-50 get played the most. I turn on the 60s every now and then. The TX-81Z is next, tied with the Wavestaion, and strangely enough the Obie sees the least usage. Well, except for the soft synths, which are way down at the bottom of my list. However, this is about to change. I just recently signed a lease on a house, so I'll no longer be an apartment dweller. In the garage, is a dry walled, air conditioned 12 X 12 room someone built, and that's gonna be my new studio. I should finally have everything set up and ready to go at a moments notice, and all I'll have to do is switch MIDI channels and/or presets on my Express XT to switch between synths, split, layer, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mildbill Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 I find myself turning on the QS8 when I want to play, and the A6 when I want to program. A couple others see some use, and a few are basically in storage. I keep a G2 and a TI desktop permanently hooked to the computer for when I want to boot it up and do stuff in Cubase. As long as I've gone to that trouble, I usually goof around with some softsynths while I'm there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SpaceNorman Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 I find that it really depends on the tunes / gigs I'm playing. By and large, I drive a "ROMpler Rig" that consists of a CP300, an RD700SX and a Motif ES Rack unit - and play an eclectic mix of classic rock and R&B. My palate of sounds tends to revolve around pianos, e-pianos, clavs, organs, strings and a little brass. I find that I use BOTH keyboards on the majority of tunes I perform - using different sounds on each (piano on the CP300 with my right hand, organ on the RD700 with my left, etc.) I recently added a Novation X-Station to my rig as my first "knobby synth" and am slowly exploring what I can do with simple filter sweeps and stuff like that in live settings. Truth be told though - the X-Station is still pretty much a fun noisemaker for me that I use on a couple of "synth-y" solos as opposed to something that I feel is an integral part of my sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wheresgrant3 Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 Wow... don't make me think about this. I'll feel real guilty... mostly from the redundancy in my setup. Here is my current setup.... For bandKorg Triton Extreme-synth leads, stabs, samples, arena synth soundsRoland XP 30-use in coverband for brass, some organ and pianoKorg Micro X for quick access for drum kits and synth patchesAlesis Micron-Only bring to some gigs... for select patches only. Because we gig every Fri and Sat night it's rare I uncase them and have them in my studio At HomeRoland Fantom S w/ Ultimate Keys-plan to sell but currently in the shop.Yamaha EX7-Lovely synth, but a bitch to programAlesis Fusion- Had for a year, got it cheap. Still trying to find it's place in my studio setup.Korg Karma- Currently my favorite synth. Incredible pads and ambient noise. I'm considering selling a bunch of gear and getting an M3 and a V-Synth XT. I'll probably end up selling the EX7, Fusion and Fantom, plus some guitar gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Diametro Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 All ... some more than others ... The smallish truck has already been loaded with my gear for the summer tour ( cute! ) ... X-Station-25, V-Synth XT, Electribe EMX, wired headset mic, 8 channel analog mixer, a mixer stand and a drafting table ... (I also purchased a kick-ass wireless headset mic for the rest of the band to use ... But if my $$$$$$$ comes through on Friday, I'll probably buy one for myself as well ... Sound and fit are awesome ... Sennheiser something or other ... ) Leaving at 7:15 a.m. ... Not bringing my laptop ... Going to use the guitarists even at the risk of having anything less than a Mac onstage ... (this leg only has two dates before the remaining 15-20 ... so I might have to take lappy along for the extended stay ... for now the break will be nice ... ) My beloved Fantom X is sadly staying home due to its unweidly length ... and a desire to go somewhat more minimalist for this tour ... (I'm in support; not doing my own actual set at this point ... which is fine ... ) It certainly so much easier to create performances on Fan-X ... The analogs -- Juno-60 and JP-8 -- are obviously staying home as well as ESX, ER-1 (which may replace or accompany ESX on next leg) and the KP3s ... which I'll probably take one as well next time ... I'm so glad I picked up that V-Synth XT for $650 just under two months ago ... Going to really wear that VC-2 card out this summer ... KO1 is also staying home ... I'll be using the X-25 in the truck to practice in during travel time ... Luckily it has audio input so I can jam along with the MP3s ... Have a good one, y'all ... First stop ... Albany on Friday, Syracuse on Saturday ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomkeen Posted April 30, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 Good luck on your tour D! Too bad you can't bring your X7... Seems that a lot of people have use for every board. I think I already decided to sell some stuff, it's probably better off with someone who uses them. Since I'm not in a band right now I can't really say if they would be useful regarding sounds, but I'm thinking I could always get the sounds I want out of the PC3x, Blofeld and TR-rack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NickD101 Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 One synth only would be good - seems like the PC3(x) almost does the job, but I'd really miss the sampler on my Fantom. I gig with two bands, and in one of them being able to drop in weird noises easily with the sampler is pretty much essential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shambler Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 I think there comes a time when you can have too much gear. The choice of voices available to you then gets in the way of writing music when you have to audition a melody with 5000 different pianos etc. :poke: I have a simple setup of V-Synth GT for wow factor VirusTI rack for analogueness Yamaha Motif XS Rack for rompling NI Komplete Synths for er...softness Any more gear than this and I find myself weighed down by a preset avalanche! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fisnotigut Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 I just use 3 when I gig: the K2600XS, PEK, and XV5080 (recently dropped the MS2000R because we don't do songs with vocoder anymore). All three are used extensively. I wish I could get this down to 1 keyboard and 1-3 rack boards, but I tend to spread the sounds over the keys instead of changing patches mid-song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wheresgrant3 Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 All ... some more than others ...The smallish truck has already been loaded with my gear for the summer tour ( cute! ) ... X-Station-25, V-Synth XT, Electribe EMX, wired headset mic, 8 channel analog mixer, a mixer stand and a drafting table ... (I also purchased a kick-ass wireless headset mic for the rest of the band to use ... But if my $$$$$$$ comes through on Friday, I'll probably buy one for myself as well ... Sound and fit are awesome ... Sennheiser something or other ... )Leaving at 7:15 a.m. ... Not bringing my laptop ... Going to use the guitarists even at the risk of having anything less than a Mac onstage ... (this leg only has two dates before the remaining 15-20 ... so I might have to take lappy along for the extended stay ... for now the break will be nice ... )My beloved Fantom X is sadly staying home due to its unweidly length ... and a desire to go somewhat more minimalist for this tour ... (I'm in support; not doing my own actual set at this point ... which is fine ... ) It certainly so much easier to create performances on Fan-X ... The analogs -- Juno-60 and JP-8 -- are obviously staying home as well as ESX, ER-1 (which may replace or accompany ESX on next leg) and the KP3s ... which I'll probably take one as well next time ... I'm so glad I picked up that V-Synth XT for $650 just under two months ago ... Going to really wear that VC-2 card out this summer ... KO1 is also staying home ... I'll be using the X-25 in the truck to practice in during travel time ... Luckily it has audio input so I can jam along with the MP3s ...Have a good one, y'all ... First stop ... Albany on Friday, Syracuse on Saturday ... Diametro.... throw me out your NY, NJ, CT dates. I just played in Albany last weekend? Where are you playing? I'd love to hear that V-synthXT in action! I assume you're using the X-Station to control the V-synth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aeon Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 My attention tends to shift here and there among my synths, but a few see constant use - among them, my Clavia Nord Modular, Korg OASYS PCI, Roland SH-2, Roland JD-990, Yamaha A5000 and Waldorf MicroWave XTk30. That said, I have recently began a project where all of my synths are being used and programmed, so it means attention is even being given to the less-used, like my E-mu UltraProteus and Waldorf Pulse. cheers,Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dave Bryce Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 Studio: the ones that get most use are the PEK, Andromeda, ES8, PC3, V-Synth XT (it's a rack - does it count?) and M3. Live: I only use two boards - PC3 and Electro 2 with two of my bands, PC3 and PEK with the third band. dB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Pro Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 My needs change every week and I have to have the gear necessary to cover whatever may come, but some things have stayed constant like the need for a good gigging piano and organ. So here's my gear listed in order of need/use: Kawai ES4 piano (most often)Hammond XK3c organ (most often) Yamaha CP300 - studio use only (often)Yamaha 9000 Pro - studio use only (occasionally) Yamaha 9000 Pro - gig unit (rarely but about to change) Novation X-Station (rarely but so handy)Access Virus T1 Polar (rarely)Radio Shack Piano (Casio CDP-100) (spot-use) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wheresgrant3 Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 My needs change every week and I have to have the gear necessary to cover whatever may come, but some things have stayed constant like the need for a good gigging piano and organ. So here's my gear listed in order of need/use:Kawai ES4 piano (most often)Hammond XK3c organ (most often)Yamaha CP300 - studio use only (often)Yamaha 9000 Pro - studio use only (occasionally)Yamaha 9000 Pro - gig unit (rarely but about to change)Novation X-Station (rarely but so handy)Access Virus T1 Polar (rarely)Radio Shack Piano (Casio CDP-100) (spot-use) Pro... I thought you were an Yammer S90 guy. Did you replace it with the Kawai? Maybe I'm thinking of someone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dan88z Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 The only boards I don't use are my JX10 and Juno 106. They stay in the basement and I use them once in a while. S90ES, Electro, Nord Lead 2 are all used live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Real MC Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 I use all my boards in the studio. Live gigging I only take Andromeda, Hammond XK-3, and Yamaha P-90. If I'm playing LH bass I take the Voyager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChristianRock Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 Well I don't have much stuff I hardly use the NS5R these days, I pretty much just get all the sounds I need from my Fusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wheresgrant3 Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 Well I don't have much stuff I hardly use the NS5R these days, I pretty much just get all the sounds I need from my Fusion. Christian... are you using the Hollow Sun patches. If so how do you like them and how easy was it to install on your Fusion sampler/HD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChristianRock Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 Christian... are you using the Hollow Sun patches. If so how do you like them and how easy was it to install on your Fusion sampler/HD? Yes, the Hollow Sun programs are generally much better than the Alesis programs. Not hard to do the update at all. There's even a video that shows how to do it: I recommend getting the commercial Hollow Sun "Nebulae" package. I use those pad sounds a lot - they do sound a bit early 90s at times, but the FS1R pads especially are very very nice. So... get all the stuff from the Alesis website you don't have yet (Hollow Sun presets, Sampleheads drums - excellent!), and the Hollow Sun freepacks from the Hollow Sun website, including very good Rhodes and Grand Piano samples (which I had to tweak quite a bit to my taste, and I posted the patches on the Fusion Club forum). If you haven't used the Hollow Sun patches and if you don't program the synth that much, it's no wonder you're selling it... the sounds that came originally from Alesis are crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomkeen Posted April 30, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 I'm gonna go ahead and sell some of my stuff. The JD-990 might already be gone next week and if Flat reads this I'm pretty sure he'll want that EX8000. WANT AN EX-8000 FLAT_EARTH? I can use the money to buy a car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChristianRock Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 I thought that judging by your musical style, the EX-8000 would be a no-brainer for leads. The only reason I'm not using it that much is because I still need to practice my leads more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Logicat Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 I buy synths mostly because they're so good looking (so what ? There are people who get married because the wives seem good looking ) For the most i use the Promega for skills improvement, and the Triton to practice composition. The synths that i use the less are the MicroQ and the ES1 MKII, but i'm not saying that they're not good, they're just less beautiful than the others Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomkeen Posted April 30, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 I still think that it's an awesome machine, I just don't use it enough to justify keeping it.. Besides, I have some awesome lead sounds programmed on my Blofeld. I tend to only use those these days (and sometimes some leads from the Kurz). Seriously, it just got out of hand. I told myself that I could and would use all those things but I just don't. I've written that like 10 times already in this thread so it must be getting anoying now. I'll stop it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wheresgrant3 Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 I still think that it's an awesome machine, I just don't use it enough to justify keeping it.. Besides, I have some awesome lead sounds programmed on my Blofeld. I tend to only use those these days (and sometimes some leads from the Kurz). Seriously, it just got out of hand. I told myself that I could and would use all those things but I just don't. I've written that like 10 times already in this thread so it must be getting anoying now. I'll stop it Do you have a buyer for the JD-990 yet? If not PM me... I may be interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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