Members xpander Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 I'd say the most overrated is the Juno-106. i prefer the Juno 2- velocity sensitivity is exactly what the Juno series needs! i haven't used my J-106 in YEARS... my pick continues to be my Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MuzikB Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 I'll probably get flogged for this, but... the Nord Lead. Yes, yes, it was the first major VA synth made. But it just doesn't sound that great, at least to my ears. Took too long for Nord to add effects, the screen was too small for too long, the Modular's interface was slow to get around... Owned both a NL2 rack and Nord Modular keyboard. Didn't use either one very often. Always navigated toward the Virus B, MS2000, JP-8080, SH-32, or even Triton Classic first. Hmm, go figure. Blasphemous Heathen! Funny, I had all that stuff and always found myself going back to the Nord Lead and G2. Boy was I stupid for selling my 2X. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MuzikB Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 For as many people that sold their Prophet 08's, I'm surprised it hasn't showed up here. Now that I've got the filter where I want it to be, I'm starting to like it. Now it starting to be House. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Birdienumnum Posted July 7, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 Here's the comments of the great American jazz pianist McCoy Tyner (well, at least the poster calls himself McCoy Tyner, but if you read it you might agree with me that there is no reason to doubt that this is indeed him), born 1938, main pianist with John Coltrane and a great international solo artist, now living in France, on the Alesis QS8.1, from our very own HC user review section: Price Paid: 9990 (FF (french francs)) Ease of Use: 7 The key layout is quite good, and the menus are pretty easy to manipulate, but the screen is really cheap and mine blinks a bit on the left side. Features: 8 well, i'm not a synth expert (this is my first real synth) but I think there is almost everything you need for editing your patches. I don't use MIDI too much but I had no problem while sequencing with my computer. No onboard sequencer, but it's normal in this price range. The keyboard action is horrible, I'm a pianist and I can tell you that the action really sucks. The keys are too heavy and fake. For pop music or things like that it would be fine but for a jazz player like me the action is a crap. The Yamaha S80 has a much better keyboard. Expressiveness/Sounds: 1 SOUNDS hhmmmm This synth sounds like {censored}, sorry... The piano sounds are really poor, even if they are recorded on a Bosendorfer grand. There's too much reverb and the samples are too "dry". The electic pianos and organs sound quite good but not very realistic. (Who has heard a rhodes EP sound like the "Hard roads" patch ??). The winds are acceptable, but the saxes are awful, IMO. The drums are good. I think there are too many SFX, that could have been replaced by *good* piano patches. By the way, i like the bass sounds, except the 'fat upright'. This keyboard will not work well for classical, jazz. Reliability: 9 You can depend on this keyboard, it's very reliable but don't gig without a backup Customer Support: 8 I've had a problem with my main outputs. The keyboard has been repaired very quickly. Overall Rating: 1 If my synth was stolen, i would definitely not buy it again. Why ? The sounds really suck. I did not take enough time to choose it. If I had the extra money, I would buy a Yamaha S80, or a MIDI keyboard+ roland JV-3080. I've been really disappointed by this unit. I hope you wont do the same mistake as me ... Submitted by McCoy Tyner at 07/08/2001 15:28 * * * And here is the very next review. The writer, a geetar player, doesn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 13ghostsofscoobydoo Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 I totally disagree with the Minimoog and Polysix suggestions. RIDICULOUS! Yeah, the minimoog is crazy expensive in today's second-hand market, but so are a lot of things. Secondly, the Polysix sounds great and still isn't all THAT expensive... Anyway, my overwhelming #1 vote goes for the VIRUS. Waaaay overrated. A run of the mill VA with techno presets and lots of effects a good synth does not make. It wouldn't be half bad if it cost $1,000. You'd think it had analog guts for what it costs though. underrated: Kawai 240-SX Rhodes Chroma Polaris II Fizmo- this one I didn't play, but you have to love the uniqueness. I always wanted one...nothing sounds like it! Crumar- Anything! They're so damned cheap for vintage stuff. The problem is, much like the Chroma Polaris is finding one that works well...Software- It has become sooooo good. I used to be an only hardware guy, but some things make hardware obsolete (I never thought I'd say that). overrated: Nord Electro- I actually owned two. It may be the best at what it does, but to me it's still not good enough! Anything NEW from Roland/Yamaha/Korg/Alesis- except the Andromeda, and actually the Motif is pretty good (not a fan of the Fantom, but to each their own). PC's- Macs are just better!?!? They just work so much better (keep flames at bay, just my opinion) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mildbill Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 Birdy - So your point is?: That some people rated it high and some rated it low? I'm only trying to give some perspective. The other romplers available at that time mostly had 16 or 32 voices.64 voices was a big deal.88 weighted keys for that price was a big deal. The sounds don't stand up so well by today's standards, but they were OK for that time. You had one, and didn't like it. I don't think that's unusual - there's probably way more people that didn't like than did like it.So by that standard, I don't think it's correct to say that it's overrated or over-appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Birdienumnum Posted July 7, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 I wasn't trying to argue with you, mildbill. I read Tyner's comments years ago and always intended on adding it to my thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dave Bryce Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 Some people did rate the QS8 high, and some people did rate it low. Keith Emerson used one live for a few years - I wrote the programs he used. I understand Oscar Peterson had a QS7 as well. Some sounds were better than others. I don't think they all sucked, though - but then again, I wrote a bunch of them, so I'm not exactly objective. Alesis did manage to sell a bunch of them, though....it was the best selling synth in the US (any synth) for three years straight. My source was the fact that I was Alesis' representative to IAEKM at the time, so I had access to those numbers. dB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members whitepapagold Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 This is awesome. So far people think these are way overrated- Minimoog Nord Lead Waldorf Microwave Xt Im laughing so hard right now its ridiculous! Yup those synth suck! RRRRRRIIIIIGGGGGHHHHHHTTTTT.... I love it! This is why the internet is what the internet is... Rock on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members whitepapagold Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 Minimoog- muddiest sounding crap ever Dude... Turn the lowpass filter off or raise its cutoff.... Thats just ignorant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 WPG: Your minimoog sucks. Deal with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Birdienumnum Posted July 7, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 Some people did rate the QS8 high, and some people did rate it low. Keith Emerson used one live for a few years - I wrote the programs he used. I understand Oscar Peterson had a QS7 as well. Some sounds were better than others. I don't think they all sucked, though - but then again, I wrote a bunch of them, so I'm not exactly objective. Alesis did manage to sell a bunch of them, though....it was the best selling synth in the US (any synth) for three years straight. My source was the fact that I was Alesis' representative to IAEKM at the time, so I had access to those numbers. dB Boy, am I embarrassed . . . my old favorite mod, the highly esteemed DB himself. I'll just say that I'm sure Dave did the 50 patches that sucked the least . . . . . . . . probably the DM5 drums, I always used those . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NuSkoolTone Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 I grabbed a QSR when they were relatively new to the market for $675. I guess it was what? 12 years ago? I felt good at that price. For the time 64 poly, the sounds WERE good amongst it's contemporaries, and just the CONCEPT that you could load up an 8mb flash rom and make new sounds/samples (and it actually worked!) Now If I got $200 (Which honestly, I think it's worth more than that. I'm kinda shocked!) for it, I'd be lucky. So it's something that's good for adding another layer which is what I always did and was it's original intent. I'll probably end up using it as a sound source for MIDI Guitar someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members keybdwizrd Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 +1 In general, I would say that most vintage analog synths are overrated when considered simply as musical instruments. While broad, sweeping statements like this never apply to everyone or every situation, I think vintage synths are mostly appreciated more by collectors, tweakers, and those desiring a certain coolness factor. Please note that I am not passing judgement on this - I have certainly owned many things in my day based upon said coolness factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MuzikB Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 meh...whatever...I care only about noises. I like samplers and I like good VA. The V-Synth didn't turn out to be good at either IMHO. I tried hard to love it but I was surprised at how quickly I got rid of it even considering all its' potential. The GT is almost there but not quite. Maybe third time will be the charm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members marmorek Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 Yeah, baby! And Monster Cable. It's really good, but overpriced/overrated. There are small companies putting out hand wound cables that are just as good. Read the reviews for this cable! http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AKDL1-Dedicated-Link-Cable/dp/B000I1X6PM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1215410348&sr=8-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members droolmaster0 Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 By definition, the more overrated you think something is, the greater the number of other people really like it. Given that these things are all subjective, one shouldn't expect to agree with the answers. The minimoog is a perfect answer - all that's saying is that, hell - I just can't connect with this synth which is regarded as the ultimate by so many people. My most overrated would be the Virus, in all it's incarnations. But I appreciate what people like about it....it just doesn't do much for me. Given that this is so subjective, it seems silly to argue about any of the choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members droolmaster0 Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 +1 In general, I would say that most vintage analog synths are overrated when considered simply as musical instruments. While broad, sweeping statements like this never apply to everyone or every situation, I think vintage synths are mostly appreciated more by collectors, tweakers, and those desiring a certain coolness factor. Please note that I am not passing judgement on this - I have certainly owned many things in my day based upon said coolness factor. I'd say that saying that vintage synths are "mostly appreciated more by collectors, tweakers, and those desiring a certain coolness factor" IS passing judgement on this. I think that you're a good player, but obviously you assign a lesser value on a tweaker....personally, I think that good players are overrated, but that's another subject entirely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members keybdwizrd Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 ....personally, I think that good players are overrated, but that's another subject entirely. It is, but as we sit here in 2008, I agree with you completely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Birdienumnum Posted July 7, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 Read the reviews for this cable! http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AKDL1-Dedicated-Link-Cable/dp/B000I1X6PM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1215410348&sr=8-1 BWA-HA-HA! Funniest {censored} I've read in a long time. FIVE STARS "These cables made Huey come alive!, July 2, 2008 By E. Canas "Brainysmurph" (NY, NY) - See all my reviews Do you like Huey Lewis and the news? Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercial and artistically. " ETC FOUR STARS "It gets me closer to The Lord, June 11, 2008 By G. P. (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews If I could use a rusty boxcutter to carve a new orifice in my body that's compatible with this link cable, I would already be doing it. I can just imagine the pure musical goodness that would flow through this cable into the wound and fill me completely -- like white, holy light. Holding this cable in my hands actually makes me feel that much closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. I only make $6.25/hr at Jack In The Box, but I saved up for three months so I could have this cable. It sits in a shrine I constructed next to my futon in Mother's basement." FOUR STARS I don't remember this being in the product description, June 27, 2008 By Lee Bailiff "merc" (Fort Worth, TX USA) - See all my reviews This cable does allow for incredible sound. However, I believe a possible side-effect from the use of this cable has not been noted by the manufacturers. Upon playing Prince's "Kiss" my speakers ... how should I put this? ... Well, I think they ... climaxed. That's not the end of it. Oh, no. My stereo system is now sentient. And horny. ... Please, if anyone has any tips or advice, I'm getting desperate. My living room is some kind of sick, mechanical sex den and it's really freaking me out." FIVE STARS Dante's Cable, June 27, 2008 By Jared Yuster "metacodger" (New York) - See all my reviews I would betray my benefactors for a conductor assemblage of this shimmering pulchritude. Like Ugolino della Gherardesca in the second circle of the ninth ring of hell, I'll be gnawing on Ruggieri's skull in the tower of hunger as I dream ravenously of this talismanic telemeter of signal. From the inner depth of my very Ka, I writhe with desire, with a burning, keening need for its greased electrons, cruising along the silky smooth outer skin of the copper at .67c, gently but passionately kissing the dielectric insulation for the entire journey, from the molded plastic alpha connector to the omega. Buddha was right about desire being the cause of all suffering. Amen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Lozada Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 And this is a jewel too: What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item? 32% buy HDMI Cable 2M (6 Feet) (45) $1.72 What a deal! Use a $500 cable page to sell $1.72 cables Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members whitepapagold Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 +1 In general, I would say that most vintage analog synths are overrated when considered simply as musical instruments. While broad, sweeping statements like this never apply to everyone or every situation, I think vintage synths are mostly appreciated more by collectors, tweakers, and those desiring a certain coolness factor. Please note that I am not passing judgement on this - I have certainly owned many things in my day based upon said coolness factor. Man, sometimes it seems people forget completely about sound and get way too caught up in USB compatibility... And Im not suprised considering the synths you have- youre a TI fanatic correct? The minimoog changed the world... And I bought it as my 9th synth so I understand where youre coming from- not a lot of bang for the buck. BUT sonically you all are silly.... I wish it would cause prices to drop... You know cause its so overrated! BUT would you consider the Voyager overrated? Probably not because of its newage bells and whistles... Seriously, I think there is WAY too little emphasis SOUND and too much on capabilities(midi,modulation, etc.). And its funny, if you talk to synth composers, MANY keep coming back to their mini, prophet or Jupiter- even when clients AREN'T around! But I also understand an opinion is an opinion- to each his/her own! This one just has me amazed... Literally based off platinum records alone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Lozada Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Ok, you love the minimoog. Did it change the world? Maybe. I personally do not think the mini itself changed the world. Bob Moog, on the other hand, with all of his work and devotion, did. Now get to live with the fact there are some of us which can simply live without a minimoog in our arsenals. Perhaps for these days, it is simply overrated as many other vintage gear. "Sound" you say, great. Now think on the ones who do gigging for a living and better yet, the ones who play abroad and bringing a real minimoog, B3, Rhodes and acoustic piano is not an option and take features and practicity over purity of sound. Are we silly? I do not think so. Or maybe some of us simply do not like its sound. Or its architecture. Or its looks. Or size. Or weight. Or that it is monophonic. Or that it does not have presets, General MIDI, drum kits and a vocoder. Whatever. And then, some of us still own other pieces of analog gear because we love it, just like you love the minimoog. I guess drool nailed it perfectly: By definition, the more overrated you think something is, the greater the number of other people really like it. Given that these things are all subjective, one shouldn't expect to agree with the answers. The minimoog is a perfect answer - all that's saying is that, hell - I just can't connect with this synth which is regarded as the ultimate by so many people. Given that this is so subjective, it seems silly to argue about any of the choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members U&I Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 If I was to be brutally honest and this will not be a popular opinion.....that said it is only an opinion after all. 1.Roland TB 3032.Roland TR 8083.Roland TR 9094.Roland Juno 1067.PPG Wave 2.2 (and yes I've used one)8.Fairlight Series II9.JD800 (prefer the 990 with the Vintage Board myself)10.Korg MS10/2011.Korg M112.Access Virus13.Akai S100014.Any non Linn MPC15.Roland SH-0916. Mini Moog Keep in mind that some of my favourite synths I've used are Dx100, CZ101, TG33, Kawai K4 and K5, Matrix 6, Yamaha CS70m, Emu EII+, MPC60MkI , Emulator III, Fusion, WSA1, Prophecy, Wavestation, Pro One, Ensoniq VFXSD, Emu Command Station with full rom set, Yamaha RS7000 etc ...... so you may well think my taste is in my arse !!!!!!!(Some of it I NEVER SHOULD HAVE SOLD EITHER). I still own a Fusion 8HD, WSA1, Prophecy, SQ1+, EII+, Reaktor 5, Dimension Pro, Reason 4 (+ 20 odd professional refills) and Concrete FX Kubik (which I programmed the Ambient Textures soundbank for). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members evildragon Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 Oh yeah, Virus, definitely overrated as {censored}. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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