Members Mr Lucky Pants Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 Hi, I'm in the process of selling a Nord Lead 2x. It just wasn't for me. It had some cool sounds, but ultimately not useful enough for what my band does. In my next synth I'm looking for some cool soundscape sounds I can layer underneath my guitar playing. Psychedelic sounds, pads, just trippy sounds basically...a nice piano wouldn't hurt either. Here's an example of some of the sounds I'd like to get going over my band's music: I'd embed a youtube link, but it never works for some reason. Thanks in advance for your thoughts, guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tspit74 Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 Just about any synth. Just don't forget to invest in a really good delay/looper and phaser. My ambient synth of choice is the FIZMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members robotsquid Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 Yeah what he said, psychedelic sounds all come from the effects so you can put pretty much any synth through the right effects or you can get a synth with lots of good effects built in. My choice is a Roland V-Synth, which has quite a few effects built in and is a bargain at their current price, coupled with an Eventide Timefactor delay unit. The guy who plays keys in one of my favourite psych bands (http://www.myspace.com/ladystrangelove) just has a Casio home keyboard with speakers in it but he runs it through some effects and it sounds great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tjwett Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 bigtime FIZMO advocate here as well. but if you can't find one or just want something new that takes up a lot less space then the Blofeld might suit you quite nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr Lucky Pants Posted December 12, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 Just about any synth. Just don't forget to invest in a really good delay/looper and phaser. My ambient synth of choice is the FIZMO. Thanks, I'll look into that one. I should also say I used to own a Roland Fantom X and couldn't quite get on with the sounds. I'm been watching some Korg videos that seem closer to what I'm looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr Lucky Pants Posted December 12, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 Thanks guys. I guess a lot of people prefer the Fizmo. Unfortunately these are hard to find. So, currently I'm looking at the Blofeld stuff and V-Synth. Any other ones to consider? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members drxcm Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 Waldorf Microwave XT is great for pads / atmospheres, the Blofeld is probably easier to get though. A decent multieffects processor is essential IMO... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Obsidious Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 The ultimate pad machine available right now would have to be the A6 (no pianos though) but I wouldn't recommend it if you are gonna be gigging with it. Matrix6r/1000 would also be great for this sort of stuff, much warmer sounding than v-synths and blofelds and far cheaper for that matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Obsidious Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 +1 on the effects, a matrix/kaos pad combo would be awesome and cost effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members drxcm Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 Kaoss pad 3 is a GREAT way to layer sounds, especially for ambient soundscapes, tweak effects, and most importantly have FUN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zoink Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 Wavestation. Ambient and pads supreme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr Lucky Pants Posted December 12, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 The ultimate pad machine available right now would have to be the A6 (no pianos though) but I wouldn't recommend it if you are gonna be gigging with it. Matrix6r/1000 would also be great for this sort of stuff, much warmer sounding than v-synths and blofelds and far cheaper for that matter. Yeah, I'm going to be gigging with it. Found some a demo of the Matrix 6r on youtube. Sounds pretty warm which a huge plus. How does the 6r differ from the 1000? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members drxcm Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 Yeah, I'm going to be gigging with it. Found some a demo of the Matrix 6r on youtube. Sounds pretty warm which a huge plus. How does the 6r differ from the 1000? You can edit it without a computer (the 6R).. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Obsidious Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 The 1000 is basically 1000 6r patches ready to go, which is convenient apart from aforementioned editing capabilities. Can't remember what it is, but I think theres also a slight difference in circuitry that gives the 6 the edge sonically. They both seem to go at about the same price at any rate, at least last time I checked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr Lucky Pants Posted December 12, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 I don't mean to offend anyone and maybe it's just the presets, but I'm finding the Oberheim stuff to be a little too 80's sounding for what I'm looking for. I'm trying to find something that fits in with modern, trippy/psychedelic/rock music ideally... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Obsidious Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 How about a Virus then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr Lucky Pants Posted December 12, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 How about a Virus then? Well, unfortunately most of the videos don't probably showcase these as I'd use them. They go into a lot of techno lines, which I really could care less for. Maybe that's how the Virus is best suited though, idk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MuzikB Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 Korg Wavestation EX If you've got the loot, Korg M3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr Lucky Pants Posted December 12, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 Korg Wavestation EX If you've got the loot, Korg M3 Hmm...found one video for the EX and it's techno blitzkreig once again...lol.Yeah, I'd have enough for the M3 if it was a real stellar machine in my eyes. I'm difficult to satisfy here I suppose...it seems so many synths are geared towards techno and dance and I just want something that works with rock. But, yeah, thanks...I'll check out some M3 videos now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Re-Member Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 Hi, I'm in the process of selling a Nord Lead 2x. It just wasn't for me. It had some cool sounds, but ultimately not useful enough for what my band does. But the Nord Lead 2x is a VA synth, in which you are supposed to create your own sounds. It's not supposed to have cool sounds for all-around use, just design ideas. I had a room mate that bought one of these and we maxed out the user patches with our own weird ass sounds within a week. Perhaps you need a Rompler? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr Lucky Pants Posted December 12, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 But the Nord Lead 2x is a VA synth, in which you are supposed to create your own sounds. It doesn't have cool sounds, just design ideas. I had a room mate that bought one of these and we maxed out the user patches with our own weird ass sounds within a week.Perhaps you need a Rompler? Well, I tried tweaking the sounds on my 2x and they usually ended up mariginally better than the presets if they didn't end up as some uncontrollable mess. Maybe, I just wasn't getting the most out of it. A rompler is what I think I need after feeling confined by the Nord's palette. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MuzikB Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 Hmm...found one video for the EX and it's techno blitzkreig once again...lol.Yeah, I'd have enough for the M3 if it was a real stellar machine in my eyes. I'm difficult to satisfy here I suppose...it seems so many synths are geared towards techno and dance and I just want something that works with rock. But, yeah, thanks...I'll check out some M3 videos now. Joe Zawinul used a Wavestation unto his death. You Tube is not a good staple to judge older synths buy. Those into electronica tend to express and innovate using cheaper and older stuff. Now thinking about it some more, check out the Waldorf Blofeld as well. The M3's features are more geared to electronica IMHO but not it's sounds. I find it just as capable for my Contemporary Jazz as I do for House Music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Obsidious Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 A rompler for pads and psychedelic trippy stuff... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AfroRouge Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 I think it's important to realize that all of these synths are at bottom synths, which means you can change how they sound (if you know what you're doing) to suite your specific needs. They are sold on the internet as techno machines because that's the market for them, but that's not all they can do. I think this is especially true of the powerful machines like the Viruses, Nord Leads, and other quality VAs. And frankly, words like "psychedelic" and "trippy" and "crazy" don't mean a thing, but they are often used by people who ask these kinds of questions. There aren't many synths that can't do "psychedelic" if adjusted properly. The issue is whether you have the patience to learn to patch the kinds of sounds you're looking for. I agree with some other comments that effects are a huge part of the game when it comes to "atmospheric" (because that term generally refers to issues of reverb and delays, at least the way I understand it). Have you thought about buying a really good effects unit to go with your Nord, instead of replacing your Nord? Something like the Fireworx? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members robotsquid Posted December 12, 2008 Members Share Posted December 12, 2008 I'm difficult to satisfy here I suppose...it seems so many synths are geared towards techno and dance and I just want something that works with rock. But, yeah, thanks...I'll check out some M3 videos now. As has been mentioned, synths aren't geared to one kind of music any more than guitars are. With the right effects and programming you can use anything for anything. Check out some of my band's songs here, they're not exactly the kind of thing you're after but they demonstrate what you can do with any old synth and some effects. The second track is just V-Synth through a tape delay simulator, the forth is an Alesis Micron through a wah and phaser. One sound I use a lot for psych stuff is an organ sound through distortion, wah, phaser and delay. String sounds work too. Programming it to get it the way you want is the key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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