# Synthesists: What's your rig?



## GatodeCafe (Jan 17, 2009)

I rock a micron and a theremin, along with a bunch of softsynths that I use for chiptuning.

Anybody in her dig synths? Do you have a preference of digital or analog? TELL ME


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## beyondspecies (Jan 19, 2009)

Booya!

I compose electronic music. I've got a Korg Triton and I'm seriously considering buying a Roland synth for live performance.

www.soundclick.com/synthninja

I currently employ the features of Reason 4.0 to make my tunes, since I currently work alone. I just finished a couple commissions for upcoming stand-alone scenarios based on the game Marathon by Bungie Software.

I enjoy both digital and analog synths. I have both, so I get the best of both worlds.


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## protocollie (Jan 19, 2009)

I'm huge-huge-huge on NI massive which has some insane sound modeling and destruction capabilities. I use albino 2 or NI absynth for airy pads.

I'm big on AudioRealism Bassline (for the 303 sound) and AudioRealism Drums (which is the Roland 606, 808 and 909 rolled into one machine.)

Sometimes I dabble in Reaktor but I'm not huge on it because I really think it's a way-complicated means to an end.

I have Zebra 2 but rarely use it, Reason 4 but rarely use it.

I really like analogue (or analogue modelling) all the way, particularly monophonic patches with some portamento which gives you some really phat sounds.


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## beyondspecies (Jan 19, 2009)

I agree, portamento is great with mono patches (they are also great with delay effects). I find myself using delays and reverbs a lot. They do interesting things to the harmony.

I have Audacity, which I rarely use, but it's fun to fool around with.


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## ShaneO))) (Jan 20, 2009)

ANALOG BITCHES!!!!!

I have a Roland SH 201 and a roland juno, along with a macbook, Fender jazz bass and ampeg Combo(BA300 115)


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## greg-the-fox (Jan 20, 2009)

The only one worth mentioning is Sylenth1, along with the synths in Logic Express 8 and some freeware


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## Endless Humiliation (Jan 20, 2009)

Not that I am a huge synth fanatic


But the OBX8 is really cool



AND ALSO ANALOG SOUNDS BETTER


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## beyondspecies (Jan 20, 2009)

Analog always sounds better. I wish my computer had a vinyl drive.


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## protocollie (Jan 21, 2009)

beyondspecies said:


> Analog always sounds better. I wish my computer had a vinyl drive.



you could always just buy a turntable.


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## beyondspecies (Jan 23, 2009)

protocollie said:


> you could always just buy a turntable.



I could... Maybe later, but only if I can find a way to hook it up to my computer.


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## Sinister Exaggerator (Feb 7, 2009)

At the present:

Sirkut Electronics Synth Noise Box

View attachment 7560

Three oscillators and a series of filters and pitch range selectors. I have had very little time to play with this so far, but but it's proving to be a beastly machine. I've gotten everything from high-pitched shrieks, throbs, pulses and low, gurgly rumbling drones out of it - and that's using no effects at all. The oscillators interact with eachother in really bizarre ways and the filters help to fine-tune the sound to exactly where you need it. Add reverb and you've got instant Whitehouse-esque synth barrages.

I've also got a King Capitol Punishment Sleepdrone 5 coming to me fairly soon. This one has FOUR oscillators, optical pitch controls and a bunch of other options.  Looks like this:

View attachment 7561

Also, to a lesser extent as a synth, I also use a Sirkut Electronics Gnarler, which is intended to be used as a distortion box. It's got an insanely loud built-in oscillator that can be heard when nothing is running in the input jack. The two knobs (left and right) respectively control the low and high end of the sound. There's a surprising amount of variety for such a simple box. Sounds insane when feedback looped with an analog delay and octaver.

View attachment 7562


I've also started researching modular synthesis a little bit. Let's see where that leads.


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## protocollie (Feb 8, 2009)

Bathos said:


> I've also started researching modular synthesis a little bit. Let's see where that leads.



Probably to plugging some boxes into each other.

Really it's more trouble than its worth unless your end goal is to make the weirdest sound imaginable. Enough synths these days have variable routing for their signal paths that you can fake a modular style of synthesis (albeit with a few more rules) pretty well.


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## Sinister Exaggerator (Feb 8, 2009)

protocollie said:


> Really it's more trouble than its worth unless your end goal is to make the weirdest sound imaginable.=



That was always the goal.

I'm not a musician, after all.


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## QwertyQwert (Feb 9, 2009)

I've got a Roland FP-5 Digital Piano, and I use it along with Reason 4. I'm not so good with Reason 4 yet, and the only music I've made is extremely amateur at best (if that).


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## Sinister Exaggerator (Mar 16, 2009)

In one week I'll have a new 4ms Pedals Noise Swash. I opted for a design like this one, minus the colored LEDs, all stomps replaced with toggles, and labels for each control:

View attachment 7764

It's a chaotic distortion box with a self-oscillation mode, so it doubles as a noise synth. The sounds produced by this box are much like shrinking down analog-era Merzbow and locking him in a box, if that makes sense to any of you. 

Controls: Pregain, preclip, postgain, postclip, bass, treble, master volume, noise volume, noise gate, swash, low power simulation, LFO speed, LFO on/off, and self-oscillation.

NNNOOOIIISSSEEE.


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## Lyxen (Mar 28, 2009)

i am wanting to get korg ds10. and play the step sythn at the local pubs


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## Sinister Exaggerator (Apr 30, 2009)

New piece to add to the collection!

Zebranalogic Oscillator II. 

They're currently out of production, but I managed to score one second hand:

View attachment 7974


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## kurreltheraven (May 1, 2009)

I like analogue, gods know i do, but the only fully analogue unit i have at the moment is a Solina String Ensemble. I've also got a HardSID (albeit with a broken power adaptor). Everything else synthesisery lives on the computer.

And on the computer, alternately controlled by Jeskola Buzz or Cockos Reaper, i have u-he Zebra 2, LennarDigital Sylenth1, Admiral Quality PolyAna, Korg Legacy Analogue AND Digital (MS-20, Wavestation, MonoPoly, PolySix, M1), AAS Modelling Bundle (Tassman, Lounge Lizard, UltraAnalog, String Studio), BigTick Rhino, Cobalt, Fuzzpilz Oatmeal (i know the dev from Buzz, he is German and somewhat odd), GForce impOSCar + MiniMonsta + Oddity + M-Tron and a cool SQ-8L emulator in beta.

One day when i have nothing else planned i might figure out how Tassman works.


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## protocollie (May 7, 2009)

Can someone please tell me what happened to the minimoog VSTi?

There was definitely one. And a moog modular VSTi as well. They both seem to have disappeared.


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## Sinister Exaggerator (May 9, 2009)

protocollie said:


> Can someone please tell me what happened to the minimoog VSTi?
> 
> There was definitely one. And a moog modular VSTi as well. They both seem to have disappeared.



http://www.arturia.com/evolution/en/products.html

They've got them available.

Analog emulation is blasphemy, so I'd work towards owning the real thing instead.


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## GatodeCafe (May 9, 2009)

http://www.jasuto.com/site/I've been playing with this a whole lot lately, along with a bunch of other really wacky fucking VSTs. I've also been looking into PD and ChucK (Audio coding languages), really great for bleepy IDM beats and shit. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rpk461T6l4&feature=related


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## Kiffa_kitmouse (May 10, 2009)

I gots me a MicroKorg, and I love it. It's incredibly inexpensive for the amount of stuff it can do. I probably haven't even explored 5% of the possibilities yet.


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## Sinister Exaggerator (May 26, 2009)

Any of you weirdos own a Redsound Darkstar? 

I just traded for one and I'm waiting for it to arrive. It's loaded with the Vocoda chip, too, which is a nice bonus. I also like the fact that it has white, pink and blue noise generators and the ability to route external sound sources through the filter section. That's pretty goddamn useful. It's digital, but I plan to bury the thing behind a table full of stompboxes so I don't think that matters.


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## Canon (Jun 30, 2009)

Lots! (Since Organs also qualify as synths by definition!)

WurliTzer 4602
WurliTzer 4373
Orbit III Synth
Korg DW-6000 Digital/Analog Synth
Hammond L-133
Hammond L-143
Hammond Aurora Custom
Hammond M3
E-MU Classic Keys synth rack module
Alesis MIDIverb III
E-MU Controllers
And a few hand-built noisemakers. 

Sometimes I use MIDI composing, other times I multitrack on reel-to-reel. Depends on my mood and the sound I want. ^^


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