Hey guys, I am a producer for a long time but have always been a believer in my method of analog sounds = use analog outboard gear, digital synthesis (after hearing an ultranova play a saw in unison and detuned (not full unison after filter, just speaking about the oscillator which for some reason along with the sync on that synth sounds like garbage and seeing many virus ti that can supposedly take 16 channel multibimbral shit their pants with 4 of those 16 patches)=just use some software but, lately i have some spare change and torn between many options... would love to hear some input because as I am in China, shit is hella expensive after import tax (150% the price of USA) and, after I buy it I'm pretty much stuck with it because I won't find another producer in 1000 miles to sell 2nd hand gear to so gotta think it through. Im thinking of buying a beastly new mac of sorts whatever2500 usd gets or around those parts or so, or access virus ti2, roland fa-06 (I've heard good things from many people but, workstations seem to be very shitty in the synth sound department, or anything similar...my goal is to find some gear to either help create digital synthesis sounds or build a buy a beastly(er) computer to help with CPU load that I am dealing with from time to time lately. Just trying to make workflow more effective and less time doing nothing, if anyone has 2 cents to throw in please do so! thanks!

 

by the way, I don't give a damn about any sound other than synth. I have guitars and Kontakt..... I am not trying to buy a keyboard that sounds like eddie van halen or a violinist I just want huge pads/super saws/ pwm etc.

 

But you can do it... with an 'Oberheim OB-Xa' !!! *yes*
For reference : Just the 'mythical' Intro (and all along the Song too !) of 'JUMP'...

 

prophet 2

 

basically just trying to speed up workflow maybe new mac is the answer.

 

OK, first, it seems like you need real polyphony, so prophet 2 is out of discussion.

If you want to go multitimbral, you will usually hit the hardware synth limitations soon enough. Some are better (e.g. Yamaha), some are worse (like most weak-CPU-equipped Roland Synths), but I would use a hardware synth for ONE voice only.
Now it depends if you create your own sounds. If you do, the older Hardware Clavia Nord Lead 3 or its rack version, or the Roland JD800 or JP8000/JP8080, or Korg MS2000(R) are all nice options.

Waldorf blofeld can be a beast - fiddly to program but if you do create your own sounds, you have a powerhouse of a synth for a very low price, and it optionally has 60MB of samples flash ram that’s instantly available without loading times. You can also import your own wavetables, and that’s great for outworldish pads.

If you’re out for an effective workflow, a soft synth is probably the better choice.
I can whole-heartily recommend U-He Diva because, apart from sounding very “analog”, it is very flexible in that you have several options for both oscillators and filters. Bazille is another great U-He option that you could check - even more flexible but its programming would take a bit more time. Both offer reduced-cpu-load, lower quality options should you hit the CPU limit anytime.

If, and only if you’re into wavetable sounds, Xfer Serum and PPG WaveMapper are for me the best options. Serum can do a lot, but WaveMapper has a very innovative “Sound Matrix” in which you can drag and drop oscillator/filter/envelope/etc. elements on a matrix of sounds and wildly interchange these elements from different sounds. It can be a very intuitive way of “programming” without going deep into parameter tweaking and supports a fast workflow. Deep editing is available, however, if you need it.

Speaking of hardware, I have installed myself OSX on a Lenovo laptop (Dell, HP and other options exist) for under $300 and it works well enough. You need to dive deep however, and it can take a few days do make it work properly.

Also don’t forget the Mac Mini, the older one with the i7-quad core CPU for less than half the price of a MacBook Pro. Great small but strong machine.

 

So it was an OBx-a? Good to know!

 

A workstation is nothing you need, I think. There is no need for large inboard sound libraries or arranging functionalities if you have a computer.
The virus is something I wouldn't buy either. It's only a virtual analog synthesizer, that means it's a box with a chip in it that makes the sound. I already have one of those. It's big and it has more than one chip, but it makes all virtual analog sounds possible. Guess what - it's the computer!

If you make music based on a computer, there are things to invest in that will make your soundquality skyrocket.
If I had some spare money to invest (and already have a computer), this would be my priority:

1. good monitors. There is no point in buying expensive synths if you can't hear what's going on. As a matter of fact, there is no point in buying anything if you don't hear what's going on.
2. a good audio interface. From RME or the liking. The lowest possible latency is what you want when working with outboard gear and that's what you get from RME. Besides, they have the best a/d d/a converters on the market.
3. a solid controller. Like ableton push or what you prefer. No cheap crap.
4. If you want to record stuff, a good microphone and a good preamp.
5. a good analog stereo bus signal chain.

If you want to dive into the analog world, you will need a mixer.

 

ffm, don't you think your list is going to sum up to another MACbook Pro?
With 1. and 5. I agree completely however.

I might stand for a minority when I say that even the headphones output of a Mac is good enough to make professional mixes with. Not for recording, but for monitoring.
But that's off the topic.

 

I wouldn't touch a mac with a 10 yard poking stick so I don't know
But besides that it is not possible to do a professional mix with headphones.

Sure, the list adds up. And if you buy the good stuff the pc (as a stationary producing workstation never buy a laptop) will be the smallest attack on your wallet. But anyhow, it was not supposed to be a shopping list, it's rather my ranking of priorities.

 

maybe the new mac pro with 500GB ssd and 8/16GB ram could be your answer for the cpu issue (for sure).

talking about synthesis and synth;Acces Virut TI; Clavia Nord Lead 4 ; Prophet 12 ; super Moog Voyager XL (i love that particular one),
they are a bit different but at least they wont lost any value time after time.

 

I'd look at the new Pittsburgh synth

 

prophet 12 if it fits your budget.

 

The Alesis Andromeda everything you could want and more if you want integration between your synth and DAW then get a Access Virus TI2 with enhanced 3.0 plug-in blah blah blah who cares the Andromeda is Synthesizer Greatness & for most the only synth you will ever need and why it has held it's value better than anything from it's day you might find something different but you won't find anything better ... if you have a keyboard already with CV you could go the Module route with Moog/Waldorf/Dave Smith/Pittsburgh Modular etc and add sounds/Modules as you go, but it sounds like you want a do it all piece and the Andromeda is just that - but aside from the Andromeda the Dave Smith Instruments Prophet 12 - Moog Minimoog Voyager XL & Tom Oberheim Two Voice Pro are all nice units if you need something brand new but if i had to pick just one hands down id take the Andromeda it came out at the right time and feels like a bridge between the classic 70's & today with better workmanship i say this not to discourage you from buying a brand new synth just to say new is not always better iv'e been producing music professionally since i was 16 and i'm twice that age now iv'e seen everything from new then to new now, vintage and everything in between everyone is different in terms of the tools they use some people are fine with (software everything) of course i use software a lot but i will never give up my hardware as long as i make music the hybrid between the two is the best of both worlds and that's kind of what the Andromeda is - some will say the Access Virus TI2 is exactly what that is ? but sound for sound pound for pound forget about it the Andromeda kills the Virus the AA is thicker bigger bad and nothing short of "that's the sound i was looking for" Perfect Leads Saws Detuned ... Whatever if nothing else at least hear one in up close if you can and Good Luck




http://alesis.com/andromeda

The ultimate polyphonic analog synth.

In a world filled with “almost-analog” and “sort-of-analog” synthesizers, Andromeda is the real deal: a high-performance instrument fueled by true analog synth technology. In a single, powerful package you’ll find a huge range of tonal possibilities: searing leads, warm pads, fat bass lines, extreme sound effects and more. With Andromeda you can get all these sounds simultaneously, while enjoying the creative control to reach out, grab knobs and instantly reshape Andromeda’s mind-blowing sonics.

 

one thing i might have mentioned is the cost 3-4k for one in near mint condition and a little less with a few dings some people love how they look others not as much but at the end of the day nobody cares what the thing you used to make a great song looks like right >?

 

A lot of ppl switched from all-analog to all-computer directly, without any digital hardware in between.
But some keep analog for things plugins are not going to do anytime soon. Like ppl collecting modular euroracks, Doepfer...

If you want to spend less time tweaking sounds, real time recording and such, buying a new computer is the best option.
To me, most affordable analog synths are not creating fresh sounds. And the most impressive ones are several thousands.

So, at the end, you buy cheap analog without anything new to provide, or cheap digital with a lot of possibilities...but you can almost replace them all by plugins and sound banks.

Final conclusion : you are rich, and buy expansive analog synths/modular racks to complete computer based plugs.
Or you are poor, and you'd better spend money on computer itself, monitors, headphones, MIDI controllers, sound card, preamps... before even thinking to invest in hardware synth

May be an "old fart" point of view, but it is what you become when you lost too many time and money with useless "solutions"