# How many hardware synths do you own and do you use them much?



## mwarsell (Jun 10, 2017)

Just wondering...and do you have them all hooked up and ready to go? Or do you end up using plugins?


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## synthpunk (Jun 10, 2017)

Back in the day 25+. But ITB workflow and virtual quality along with vintage upkeep costs dwindled it down to just a Virus Ti.

More recently I have added useful things with emphasis on using them, fun, and not collecting, and little or no maintenance costs.

These days I have smallish Eurorack modular ( Moog Mother-32, Mutable, Make Noise mostly ), Moog Minitaur & Sub 37 , Electron A4 & Rytm, Oberheim Matrix 1000, Walödorf Blofeld. Recent additions include a Waldorf Pulse 1, and Nord Modular 1 and the Ti is still here.


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## wst3 (Jun 10, 2017)

I still have quite a few, presently they get hooked up when I need them, but I'm working on a machine to get 32 of the signals into VEPro, which will make it easier to use them, and thus they will get used more frequently.

The inventory today, with comments:


AKAI S1000PB - this will get sold eventually (if I can find a buyer) because I'm slowly importing my favorite sounds into Kontakt. It is not quite as straightforward as I'd like, but with a little tweaking I'm getting there. And newer Kontakt libraries have supplanted many of my old favorites.

Alesis D4- in the pile to be sold. I kept it around for a while for the triggers, but I just don't use it enough to justify the space

Emu Proteus 1 with the Invision expansion - I don't use it often, but I'm going to keep this around. There are libraries that cover these sounds well, but it is just so easy to dial things up on the hardware.

Emu Proteus 2 - Thought about keeping it, but it ended up on the sale pile

Emu Proformanc+ - didn't have to think, it's on the sale pile. I don't think I ended up using it much when it was new.
Ensoniq EPS - my alternate controller, not that I have the chops to use poly-aftertouch well, but I have it.

Ensoniq SQ-r- I might keep it just because (a) I grew up in West Chester, and (b) I have so much Ensoniq gear it's almost like a little museum.

Ensoniq ESQ-m- this is a keeper

Ensoniq Mirage - this has the Indian Valley Memory expander, which was great for live work. It also works really well with my guitar to MIDI converters. It will probably stay.

Ensoniq ASR-10- on the fence, I don't use that many ASR specific sounds, but it is convenient.

Kawai K5m- another keeper, at least until someone comes up with a great additive soft-synth.

Korg EX-800- this gets used more than I'd have ever expected, probably because it is so dead simple to use.

Oberheim DPX-1- this thing plays back Emulator, Mirage, and Sequential samples. I have a few discs, it'll probably stay.

Oberheim Matrix 1000- I updated the Firmware on this and now it is a keeper.

Oberheim Prommer - I probably use this to burn eeproms for other projects more than for the Drumtracks, but that alone gets it a home here. It is not used as a sound source though.

Roland MK-80- my main controller, and every once in a while I use the internal sounds, especially the faux piano sounds.

Roland MKS-80- never selling this one!

Sequential Circuits MultiTracks- I've considered chopping it up and making it a module, but I haven't done it yet. It's fun, relatively easy to program, and sounds ALMOST like an SCI<G>!

Sequential Circuits DrumTracks- there is something just plain fun about beating on those pads. Maybe it is nostalgia? Right now I need to replace a filter chip.

Yamaha TX81Z- I have two, used to be part of my MIDI Guitar rig, not sure if I'll keep them or not, FM8 covers an awful lot of this sonic territory

Yamaha TX-7 - on the sale pile, I prefer FM8 to this thing.
I still have two old analog synths, and I've been experimenting with Silent Way to integrate them into the studio better. Still not sure, sometimes it is just fun to play them!

ARP 2600- NEVER selling this one either

Korg MS-20- or this one.
And then there are the guitar driven synths:

Roland GR300 - still one of my favorites, and I use it to drive an IVL Pitchrider, so it stays.

Roland GR700 - what was I thinking?

360 Systems Spectre - this is currently connected, via CV&Gate, to the Arp 2600. 

ARP Avatar - this too is currently connected to the Arp 2600, but I might take a stab at getting it to work as a guitar driven synth again.
Clearly I'm an old guy, almost all of this stuff was purchased new, so I have gotten quite a bit of use out of it, and there is an ease of use that comes with familiarity, although I'm becoming less and less familiar as I turn to software synths more often.

I won't make much selling most of them, and the ones I might sell for real money I want to keep. 

Oh well.


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## synthpunk (Jun 10, 2017)

Bill, HGW tells the story of taking out a $100,000 loan for a rack of S-760's to work for HZ always kills me. He had his assistant sell them recently while he was on his sabbatical and he jokes that they got about $35 a piece for them


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## chillbot (Jun 10, 2017)

Oh good! I love a chance to brag about my synths!

Here's what I have hooked up and on at all times (with a gate on the outputs) ready to go and every patch meticulously recorded into Sonar for fast access:

Yamaha Motif XF8
Yamaha Motif Rack
Yamaha EX5R
Roland Integra-7
Roland V-Synth XT
Roland Fantom XR
Roland JP8080
Roland XV5080
Roland VK8-M
Roland TB-3
Korg Triton Rack
Nord Electro Rack
Access Virus C
Moog Slim Phatty
Minimoog Voyager
Arturia Matrix Brute
Dave Smith Morpho
Dave Smith Prophet 12
Novation Mininova

Also just for fun here's a list of synths I've had and sold over the years:

Akai S5000
Alesis DM5
Alesis DMPro
Alesis QSR
Clavia Nord Electro 73
Emu Carnaval
Emu Orbit V2
Emu Orbit V3
Emu Mo Phatt
Emu Planet Earth
Emu Xtreme Lead
Emu Planet Phatt
Emu Proteus 2000
Korg MS2000R
Korg 01R/W
Korg Wavestation SR
Kurzweil K2500R
Kurzweil PC88MX
Muse Receptor
Roland JV1080
Roland S760
Roland U220
Roland VK7
Roland V-Synth
Yamaha DX7
Yamaha DX21
Yamaha ES8
Yamaha MU100R

Not to mention a zillion outboard FX boxes over the years.... I love my hardware. I mean I love Omnisphere and Zebra, etc, but it's just not as fun...


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## wst3 (Jun 10, 2017)

synthpunk said:


> Bill, HGW tells the story of taking out a $100,000 loan for a rack of S-760's to work for HZ always kills me. He had his assistant sell them recently while he was on his sabbatical and he jokes that they got about $35 a piece for them



I don't have a problem believing that! Samplers are probably the WORST thing to have in your rack because modern software samplers just crush them in sound and capabilities.

Synthesizers fare a little better. There is noting, for example, that sounds like the MKS-80, even sampled versions of it come up short. The FM-8 is one of the few that - at least for me - is better than the hardware. I remain somewhat surprised that even the gentleman that holds the rights to the original Emu and Ensoniq libraries hasn't done well. If I could move all my EPS/ASR and Proteus sounds to the Kontakt I'd sell the hardware in a second.

Oddly I don't feel the same way about the MKS-80, the EX-800, etc. And while I absolutely love the TimewARP 2600, and even the Korg MS-20 emulation, neither completely replaces the hardware. Probably I need some therapy?


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## chillbot (Jun 10, 2017)

wst3 said:


> I don't have a problem believing that! Samplers are probably the WORST thing to have in your rack because modern software samplers just crush them in sound and capabilities.


You should have seen the fun I had trying to sell my Muse Receptor.


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## wst3 (Jun 10, 2017)

chillbot said:


> Oh good! I love a chance to brag about my synths!
> 
> <really cool list of current gear snipped>



Wow, so how do you have the audio connected? What are you using for that many inputs? Or do you bring them into a mixer first?

And wow again, you've mastered the Cakewalk Sysex/Master.ins thing? We need to talk! I'm still using MidiQuest, but I recently discovered CNTRLR, and that may become my realtime message tool. In the meantime you are my new hero.



chillbot said:


> Also just for fun here's a list of synths I've had and sold over the years:



I'd have to agree on most of those, though I'd probably have kept the Korg MS2000R and Wavestation SR. I used an MS2000R at a friends studio and have toyed with the idea of buying one used several times. There are just always other things that reach the top of the list first.



chillbot said:


> Not to mention a zillion outboard FX boxes over the years.... I love my hardware. I mean I love Omnisphere and Zebra, etc, but it's just not as fun...


And that's the key I think. At least for me, and obviously you, the hardware is still more fun.


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## wst3 (Jun 10, 2017)

chillbot said:


> You should have seen the fun I had trying to sell my Muse Receptor.


Guess I should ask about your magic tricks for selling these dinosaurs - I mean vintage gems!


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## chillbot (Jun 10, 2017)

mwarsell said:


> Just wondering...and do you have them all hooked up and ready to go?





wst3 said:


> Wow, so how do you have the audio connected? What are you using for that many inputs? Or do you bring them into a mixer first?



You know the fun thing about synths for me... yes I run MIDI to all of them both ways, but... I like to record them as audio instead of MIDI same as you would record a live piano or hammond organ. Or sometimes both, I'll record the MIDI notes first if I want both hands free for tweaking. Then I record the track as audio and I mess with the knobs and filters in real time. It's fun to do more of a real-time performance. Because you can control almost any knob from within Sonar if you set it up right, but then you might as well be using Omnisphere. Also printing the audio saves time for me because otherwise you can lose a day tweaking. And of course then you can still tweak the audio with all your plugins.

And yes I bring all the synth audio into a mixer... I think I have 112 inputs on my two 02R96s. But 72 of them are taken from the MOTU 2408s and the slave computers which I route to the mixers instead of back into Sonar. Everything external.



wst3 said:


> I'd probably have kept the Korg MS2000R and Wavestation SR.



I miss the Wavestation a ton, but I sold it probably 15 years ago when I was trying to downsize a bit. I think somebody sampled it and I have the samples somewhere but it's not the same. I remember thinking, oh I can get rid of this huge bank of Emu synth because they became available as patches for the Cakewalk Dimension Pro (https://www.digitalsoundfactory.com/e-mu-proteus-pack) but they don't sound the same and it's not the same, I've never actually used them. Actually I don't think I've ever used Dimension Pro. And I really loved that bank of Emu synths.

If I had room now I think I would pick up a Wavestation A/D I always wanted one of those. Come to think of it... maybe I could get rid of one of these rack drawers...

The Korg MS2000R was cool but more of a space issue. Pretty similar to the Roland JP8080 and I like the JP8080 better. At some point you start to wonder how many knobs and buttons you really need?



wst3 said:


> And wow again, you've mastered the Cakewalk Sysex/Master.ins thing?



Yeah I've used Sonar/Cakewalk for 25-30 years since the DOS programs so I kind of came in at the beginning. Some of the way they do things is pretty backward but it makes sense in my head since it's all I've ever known. I always make sure I have a patch list for every synth and I edit the patches to all contain the same categories like "synth" "lead" "pad" "guitar" "keys" etc so I can just type in "keys" and get all the keys patches for all the synths.


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## dgburns (Jun 10, 2017)

chillbot said:


> I miss the Wavestation a ton,



I still have a wavestation keyboard, not the AD, the original one, and gotta say, just the other day I compared it to the korg plugin. With my own sound patches, gotta say that plugin is really scary close, like 95 percent there. Not enough of a difference to make me miss the hardware. But I need the hardware there to remind me of that every once in a while.
The wavestation keyboard screen is emitting a high pitch tone, drives me freakin nuts.


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Jun 10, 2017)

I used to have 3, now 2. Trying to sell them. They used to be in my main rack and then when I never ended up using them I moved them to another rack I could carry into the studio. I had it set up so that I could just plug in 2 leads going to my interface and 1 power outlet and then everything would be ready to use but I never once actually did that so I'm trying to sell them.


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## mwarsell (Jun 10, 2017)

Huh..some setups.

I only have Korg 01w/, Roland D-550, JV-2080, Kurzweil K2000 and Yamaha KX-8 (just a controller). I've always dreamed of sort of Vangelis-like setup (who doesn't?)with tons of synths and all ready to go.

Currently on my wish list:
Waldorf Q, Microwave rev. 1...
Yamaha CS-10 to 80, FS1R, AN1X...
Korg Trinity, Polysix, Kronos...
Roland analog monsters Jupiter 8...

...to name a few.

One day.


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## guydoingmusic (Jun 10, 2017)

I have a few and they are all hooked up ready to play at a moments notice from my DAW.

Roland Juno 106
Roland JX8P
DSI Prophet 12
DSI Tetra
Moog Mother 32
Moog Minitaur
Roland JD-Xi
Arturia Microbrute
Korg Karma

Not a huge collection... but with all the software synths too, it's enough for what I need.


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## heisenberg (Jun 10, 2017)

I am wise to the maintenance cost of vintage synths so I stay away. Too much other stuff needed. The issue that hits me regularly is to keep my hands off buying ANY and all Eurorack stuff, even if it would just be an effects rack. Once you start, if you have an obsessive personality, you will not stop, ever. Must... not... touch.


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## chillbot (Jun 10, 2017)

heisenberg said:


> The issue that hits me regularly is to keep my hands off buying ANY and all Eurorack stuff


Totally agree with this... I keep considering buying a "starter" kit and then I start browsing around the internets and quickly realize the possibilities and how I will never get anything done and how quickly I'll go broke. At least with "normal" synths there is somewhat of a limit as to what's available...


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## heisenberg (Jun 10, 2017)

chillbot said:


> Totally agree with this... and then I start browsing around the internets and quickly realize the possibilities and how I will never get anything done and how quickly I'll go broke.



The irony is, most of us... well at least myself, have a massive & ridiculous software synth/sample library habit that is probably about as bad as it would be if I started "collecting" Eurorack modules. But at least I have instant recall with software midi instruments (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)!


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## mc_deli (Jun 10, 2017)

mwarsell said:


> Huh..some setups.
> 
> I only have Korg 01w/, Roland D-550, JV-2080, Kurzweil K2000 and Yamaha KX-8 (just a controller). I've always dreamed of sort of Vangelis-like setup (who doesn't?)with tons of synths and all ready to go.
> 
> ...


Come round and spur me to fix my Polysix!
I have the cleaner to fix the keys and the replacement rubber for the buttons but I haven't got round to it... one day...


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## chillbot (Jun 10, 2017)

heisenberg said:


> The irony is, most of us... well at least myself, have a massive & ridiculous software synth/sample library habit that is probably about as bad as it would be if I started "collecting" Eurorack modules. But at least I have instant recall with software midi instruments (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)!


You know I just realized I have the perfect space for a eurorack collection... in another room with PVC pipe already run into the main studio... I think I'm going to go for it, maybe next year or the year after. Save up and drop maybe $8k into it, that would get you a pretty respectable starting rig. I just started perusing the internets again and it looks like so much FUN.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Jun 10, 2017)

Yamaha VL1, and the Akai 3020m analog synth that's part of my EWI 3020's brain.

Kurzweil K2500X, but I just use it as a controller.

Yamaha FB-01 somewhere in my garage, but that really doesn't count.


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## JPQ (Jun 10, 2017)

I try use more them and my hardware side is:
Yamaha S30 now mainly controller
Novation KSR i feel i need it anymore for timbral reasons but is my second knobby synth...
Novation Basstation 2
Waldorf Blofeld tabletop version
Akai Miniak.
saddly i dont have money replace Miniak and S30. Miniak is so hard program. my current space allows something small but today i prefer software and acutaully want more samples now. for my ideas.


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## Wes Antczak (Jun 10, 2017)

I still have my collection and a lot of it has to do with my reluctance to sell for e.g. $35 something that I initially paid so much for! But I think it's nice to be able to make (electronic) music without always having to have the computer on. Some things are much better in software and some things perhaps not so much. It's nice to be able to move back and forth in whichever world seems most appropriate at the moment. Sometimes I also like to forego midi and just record as audio.

The software Wavestation is very nice indeed. I only wish the GUI was slightly bigger. The display on my hardware version is also dying a quick death and there is no place left around here that I'm aware of that fixes these things. I'm going to have to learn how to use a soldering iron and do it myself. I have a spare display kicking around here somewhere.


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## Karsten Vogt (Jun 10, 2017)

Korg Polysix, Korg Propecy, Yamaha AN1X+A3000, Quasimidi Rave-o-lution 309+Raven Max, Will Systems MAB303, Roland TR505 + TR606 + MC303. It's all wrapped in cloth collecting dust in the cellar. Softsynths are way more flexible and easy to use.


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## gsilbers (Jun 10, 2017)

chillbot said:


> Totally agree with this... I keep considering buying a "starter" kit and then I start browsing around the internets and quickly realize the possibilities and how I will never get anything done and how quickly I'll go broke. At least with "normal" synths there is somewhat of a limit as to what's available...



there are these type of deals
http://www.kraftmusic.com/studio-electronics-modstar-sensei-hybrid-carbon-cable-kit.html
that bring the decision factor to a minimum .


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## WindcryMusic (Jun 10, 2017)

dgburns said:


> I still have a wavestation keyboard, not the AD, the original one, and gotta say, just the other day I compared it to the korg plugin. With my own sound patches, gotta say that plugin is really scary close, like 95 percent there. Not enough of a difference to make me miss the hardware. But I need the hardware there to remind me of that every once in a while.
> The wavestation keyboard screen is emitting a high pitch tone, drives me freakin nuts.



Ha ha ... but also, get out of my mind! 

I have the wavestation EX keyboard (was the first keyboard I ever loved, really), and the screen makes the same noise, which is one of the two reasons why I don't turn it on anymore. The other is a few keys on the keybed that want to stay pressed, probably a simple fix for someone with the hardware skills that I lack, hehe.

I use the Korg plugin instead, too. Aside from the fact that I can have many simultaneous instances of the plugin as I want, it is incredibly close to the keyboard in sound, as you say ... which makes sense given that the Wavestation was digital through and through. Forgive me if I'm reporting information you already know, but one of the few known differences is that the source audio in the plugin version is stored at a higher frequency than those on the hardware were, so the plugin has more details in the high end that could be subjectively described as an "improvement" on the hardware. Doesn't always work that way, of course, but it is a lot easier to take those highs back out of the plugin sounds than it is to add them into the hardware, so I like them.

Besides the Wavestation, I also have the following synthesis hardware wired up in my studio and technically ready for use at any time:

Roland JV-1080, fully stocked with expansion cards
Roland SC-88 Pro ("Pro", hehe)
e-mu Audity 2000
Yamaha TX81Z (used to have two, sold one many years ago)
Kurzweil MicroPiano
Akai S3000XL (echo earlier comments about hardware samplers not having aged well at all!)
I almost never turn any of them on anymore ... I've got too much stuff of truly stunning capability in my computer at this point and virtually never feel the need to go outside of the box. (Except for acoustic instrument recordings, of course.)


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## Saxer (Jun 10, 2017)

I have a Yamaha EX5, VL1(Rack) and TG77, Emu Proteus3, two Matrix1000 with Programmer, a Roland JV2080, a Virus A (which is dead), a Waldorf MicrowaveXT and an Arturia MiniBrute SE. Sometimes I play around with some of the the synths but actually I don't use them in production. I do mostly the acoustic or virtual acoustic parts of music and nobody ever asks me for synth stuff except some additive plucks, drones or basses. But I will never sell the rack units because they would leave ugly holes in the wall racks and give view into my chaotic technique room.


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## joed (Jun 10, 2017)

Oberheim OBX-A, Korg MS10, Wavestation AD, T3, Karma, Kurzweil K2vx, K2500, Emu Emax, esi32, Proteus 3, Yamaha cs1x, SY77, Roland D50, XP50, XP80, JD990, V Synth. Also a Wurlie electric piano and a Hammond M3. Most are hooked up at my home studio. Some are in use at a local music facility.


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## SymphonicSamples (Jun 11, 2017)

I just looked at my gear text list and counted, slightly embarrassed to say it's over 30. I seriously have some oscillator issues clearly. I freely admit to having OCD* - *Oscillator-compulsive disorder. I actually picked one up this weekend, a Korg Trident mk2. I opened it today as she doesn't power up but give it a week and some parts I'll fix it and have some fun. About 10 are permanently connected and every time I fire one up I know why I love the sound. But I wouldn't want to be without my software either, love my U-he synths. I actually bought an old Drum machine a recently and have already burnt my own sample roms, thanks very much Junkie XL for adding to my god dame issues


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## mwarsell (Jun 11, 2017)

SymphonicSamples said:


> I just looked at my gear text list and counted, slightly embarrassed to say it's over 30. I seriously have some oscillator issues clearly. I freely admit to having OCD* - *Oscillator-compulsive disorder. I actually picked one up this weekend, a Korg Trident mk2. I opened it today as she doesn't power up but give it a week and some parts I'll fix it and have some fun. About 10 are permanently connected and every time I fire one up I know why I love the sound. But I wouldn't want to be without my software either, love my U-he synths. I actually bought an old Drum machine a recently and have already burnt my own sample roms, thanks very much Junkie XL for adding to my god dame issues


Over 30?


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## chillbot (Jun 11, 2017)

Saxer said:


> I have a Yamaha EX5


Random question, do you happen to have any of the expansion floppy 3 1/2" discs for the EX5? I've been trying forever to find a patch called "Nu Age Pad" (and others) but don't know what disc they are on...


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## synthpunk (Jun 11, 2017)

I have my outboard gear normalled into a quality patchbay that I can route into several things such as the Rupert Neve Designs RNDI, 4 different Eurorack pres, and UAD Apollo.


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## dgburns (Jun 11, 2017)

chillbot said:


> Random question, do you happen to have any of the expansion floppy 3 1/2" discs for the EX5? I've been trying forever to find a patch called "Nu Age Pad" (and others) but don't know what disc they are on...



I've seen you post this request a few times. You must REALLY want that patch. Did a quick search, do these sites offer hope? Ex5tech seems like some links don't work, but maybe you need to be a member to gain access??

http://www.ex5tech.com/

http://users.encounters.be/ex5/

http://www.ampfea.org/


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## Astronaut FX (Jun 11, 2017)

Before anyone else says so, yes, this is a ridiculous list. Especially since it's mostly modern stuff, and especially since my primary instrument is guitar, and especially since I don't earn my living with music. But gear is my one extravagance. I don't have and won't be having any kids, and I'm frugal with just about every other aspect of my spending. So with that said, on with the lists...


Synths with keys...


Behringer DeepMind12
Korg Triton Extreme 61
Roland A-01
Arturia MicroBrute

Synth modules/desktops...

Waldorf Blofeld
Waldorf Pulse 2
Moog Slim Phatty
Moog Minitaur
Vermona Mono Lancet '15
Cyclone Analogic BassBot TT-303
Access Virus TI2
DSI eVolver
DSI Tetra
DSI OB-6
Pioneer TORAIZ AS-1
Roland JV-1080
Roland U-220
E-MU Proteus FX
Roland JU-06
Moog Mother-32
Make Noise 0-Coast
Audiothingies Micromonsta
Other...

Teenage Engineering OP-1
Teenage Engineering PO-20
Teenage Engineering PO-28
Eurorack system
Novation Circuit
Korg Volca Sample
Korg Volca Kick
Drum machines/drum synths

Vermona DRM-1 mkiii
Elektron Machinedrum SPS-1UW+ MKII
Arturia DrumBrute
Nord Drum 2
Alexis HR-16B
Yamaha RX-15


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## SymphonicSamples (Jun 11, 2017)

chillbot said:


> Random question, do you happen to have any of the expansion floppy 3 1/2" discs for the EX5? I've been trying forever to find a patch called "Nu Age Pad" (and others) but don't know what disc they are on...


Hey chillbot, I still have a bunch of disk for my ex5. Was it on the 4 factory demo disks that came with it ?


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## noises on (Jun 11, 2017)

chillbot said:


> Random question, do you happen to have any of the expansion floppy 3 1/2" discs for the EX5? I've been trying forever to find a patch called "Nu Age Pad" (and others) but don't know what disc they are on...


I can send you a sysex of a file containing new age pad. Just send me your email and I will be glad to assist


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## chillbot (Jun 11, 2017)

dgburns said:


> I've seen you post this request a few times. You must REALLY want that patch.


Ha ha yes that's funny you remember that. Thanks I will check out the sites when I have time. Yes this patch was like glue for me, I've never found another quite like it.


SymphonicSamples said:


> Hey chillbot, I still have a bunch of disk for my ex5. Was it on the 4 factory demo disks that came with it ?


No it was on an expansion set separate from the factory. I didn't realize it until my original EX5R died, and I had lost the discs. I like the EX5R so much I bought a new (used) one on ebay but alas lost most of my favorite patches.


noises on said:


> I can send you a sysex of a file containing new age pad. Just send me your email and I will be glad to assist


This is amazing if you can...! My email is [[email protected]].


Astronaut FX said:


> Roland U-220


Such a classic.


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## Joram (Jun 11, 2017)

Ms-20 and sh-101, and investigating eurorack possibilities.


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## mc_deli (Jun 12, 2017)

Astronaut FX said:


> Before anyone else says so, yes, this is a ridiculous list. Especially since it's mostly modern stuff, and especially since my primary instrument is guitar, and especially since I don't earn my living with music. But gear is my one extravagance. I don't have and won't be having any kids, and I'm frugal with just about every other aspect of my spending. So with that said, on with the lists...
> 
> 
> Synths with keys...
> ...


Respect! My answer would be similar to yours but I got kids. So only the Polysix, Minitaur, MS20 mini, JU06 and beloved HR16 here  I can't count the monotrons I got "for the kids".


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## pdub (Jun 12, 2017)

I have my synths connected to a mixer with various effects and then a stereo feed in my system so they are always ready to go. I find if I have to go get something out of the closet and connect it it usually doesn't get used.

Roland Jupiter 8
Roland Jupiter 4
Oberheim OB-8
SCI Pro One
Roland SH-101
Moog Minimoog
Elektron A4

Akai MPC Live


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## gsilbers (Jun 12, 2017)

Astronaut FX said:


> Before anyone else says so, yes, this is a ridiculous list. Especially since it's mostly modern stuff, and especially since my primary instrument is guitar, and especially since I don't earn my living with music. But gear is my one extravagance. I don't have and won't be having any kids, and I'm frugal with just about every other aspect of my spending. So with that said, on with the lists...
> 
> 
> Synths with keys...
> ...




how are you liking the behringer deepmind12?


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## Astronaut FX (Jun 12, 2017)

gsilbers said:


> how are you liking the behringer deepmind12?



My first ever synth was a Juno 106, and at the time, I didn't fully appreciate it, or understand the concept of synth programming. Now that I do, I've wanted one again, but was concerned about the maintenance and cost of a vintage one. I tried to scratch that itch with the JU-06, and while it comes close, it just doesn't do it. 

I bought the DM12 hoping it would be an adequate surrogate, and it has not disappointed. Forget your preconceived notions or past experiences with Behringer quality; they stepped up their game with the DM12. It's an all metal chassis with real wooden sides. Sliders are a touch wobbly, but no more so than any other synth with sliders. Buttons are solid. 

The key bed won't win any awards, and is the weakest aspect. But it truly isn't any worse than much of what is out there. I only have three full sized key synths/controllers at home to compare directly. The DM12 is as good as my Arturia KeyLab49. My Triton Extreme beats the DM12, but just barely. The DM12 keys, IMO are what your should expect for a $999 synth. 

But the sound is exactly what I had hoped for. 

If you try one out, a couple of words of caution. They get a C- for factory patch creation, and I think it's because they rushed it to production. The factory patches, in order to show off the onboard FX, are almost without exception, overly awash with FX, which obscures a lot of the character of the synth. Turn them off or dial them back, and its character shines through. They did fail to include an easy way to disable all FX at once.

Secondly, the factory patches are very inconsistent in terms of volume balance, and some even distort in odd ways. Contrary to claims by some early adopters, this is not due to problems with the synth itself, it has to do with poor patch creation. Dial back the VCA on any of the offending patches, and resave, and problem solved. 

Behringer has been very much on top of minor bug fixes, and have released a couple of firmware updates already. They even went to what I thought was ridiculous lengths to include a factory patch tweak to the VCA with one update. They are listening to and responding to customer feedback. 

There is an editor/librarian available for free that works on my iMac and iPad (not sure about Windows, but I think so). It's fully functional and quite useful. 

Overall, I feel like I've gotten my Juno 106 back, complete with an amazingly powerful mod matrix, exponentially deep onboard FX, and with the benefits of new technology and a factory warranty. Very happy, home run Behringer!


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## wst3 (Jun 12, 2017)

I am a little bit surprised that so many are running all their synths to a mixer and sending just the stereo audio to the computer. I did that once, but found it very limiting, I was unable to do a lot of processing of individual synth audio tracks without patching in a bunch of hardware, and I don't have that many compressors, equalizers, or effects boxes<G>!

My first attempt was a big old line mixer, Roland or Tascam, don't remember, and quite possibly both. Simple, and it worked, but it was frustrating to be unable to treat the signals independently.

Then I bought a bunch of the Niche ACM MIDI Controlled attenuators. They worked really well, and I replaced the line mixers with a huge passive summing box. That worked quite well for a while, but the ACMs started to die, and they had been discontinued, and the chip I needed to repair them was unobtanium. I think I still have 3 or 4 working ACMs left, but I haven't put them back into service yet.

Eventually I realized that (a) I almost never use more than half a dozen modules at any one time, and (b) I don't need the best A/D converters money can buy, they just need to be quiet, and have ample headroom. The Frontier Dakota I was using as an audio interface at the time is capable of 32 channels of 24 bit / 48 kHz audio in and out, or 16 stereo synths. Good enough.

Except that right about then I moved up to an i7 CPU and lost "real" PCI slots. So good bye Dakota/Montana/Sierra/Tango.

All is not lost, VEPro supports audio channels, so I am (slowly) putting my previous DAW into service as an audio I/O box, it will stop at Win7, but that will work for a while. It has the Dakota/Montana cards, the Sierra MIDI interface, and four Tango A/D & D/A converters. The inputs will be used for the synths (which will run through a patchbay), and the outputs will be driven by Silent Way as CV and Gate signals for the really old beasts.

Not as simple as I'd have liked, but I will get it working.


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## chillbot (Jun 12, 2017)

wst3 said:


> I am a little bit surprised that so many are running all their synths to a mixer and sending just the stereo audio to the computer.


It's true that even my beloved Lexicon PCM91 and Yamaha SPX2000 can't compare to the sheer quantity if not quality of my VST FX collection. However I do a lot of simple EQ, comp, gate, verb, etc on the mixing board, which is where I mix everything anyway so if it's not a crucial part there's no need to bring the audio into the computer.

The solution is that when I need to mangle or mess with an external synth it's just a quick bounce into the computer as audio. Yes, you're printing the audio (though you still save the original midi, somewhat like "freezing" a track) but that has benefits as well... there are a lot of things you can do in the audio world that you can't do in the midi world such as chopping up the audio or time stretching it or reversing it, or even just being able to visually make sure it's lining up properly with no latency. Once you get used to it it's really a very efficient way of working... I think more efficient than using a patchbay, if you don't have enough inputs into the computer.

But yes, if I only had a few synths, and enough inputs, I would probably route them directly into the computer.


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## noises on (Jun 12, 2017)

chillbot said:


> Ha ha yes that's funny you remember that. Thanks I will check out the sites when I have time. Yes this patch was like glue for me, I've never found another quite like it.
> 
> No it was on an expansion set separate from the factory. I didn't realize it until my original EX5R died, and I had lost the discs. I like the EX5R so much I bought a new (used) one on ebay but alas lost most of my favorite patches.
> 
> ...


Here is the link to Marc E containing most of the patches that made the most out of this wonderful synth.
http://www.marce-music.com/patchesAbout.html
It contains the patch nuage...(I hope this is the one you were looking for)

Here is a text from his folder MarcE the end.
Very sad final message from Marc before he must have succumbed from a terminal illness, far too young.






I’m back, but I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news. The good news is that I have created one complete soundbank from the sounds I previous had made (from marcE ‘till Dreamscapes). So there are now two complete soundbanks (256 sounds) with all the sounds from marcE. I’ve also conjuncted some sounds into the performance mode, so there you will find another 93 (NEW!!) sounds. And like I had promessed before, I have placed some (23) samples that originate from the Novation Supernova and the Waldorf Q. In the soundbank you can find some new sounds that are created with the samples from these synths. You can also find 14 extra arpeggios. SO: 256 sounds + 93 performances + 23 samples (no loops) + 14 arpeggios all made by……ME! You will notice that all the sounds are grouped in order of their type (AWM – AN – FDSP – Arpeg).

So you will not be surprised if I tell you (again) that I have spend hours and hours making them, but I enjoyed doing it. Like always my sounds are free to be used.

Now the bad news: I regret to tell you guys that these will be my last sounds that I’ll be able to give you. That is the reason why I named them “The End of…”. I’ve just sold all my synths and the last one was the EX5.

This is the closure of my era I’ve spend in making music, what future will bring…..God only knows. So with pain in my heart I tell you goodbye and I hope that this communion will still go on for a long time. The friends I got to know on this site are an example for alle the other forums.

So my dearest friends, goodbye! I wish you all the best in your further (music) lives.


All my love and respect.


marcE


Special thanx to Ski, Fuse, Isaari, Dahwood, Lars, Iggy, Derek, Sayer, Wokus, and all the rest…


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## gsilbers (Jun 12, 2017)

Astronaut FX said:


> My first ever synth was a Juno 106, and at the time, I didn't fully appreciate it, or understand the concept of synth programming. Now that I do, I've wanted one again, but was concerned about the maintenance and cost of a vintage one. I tried to scratch that itch with the JU-06, and while it comes close, it just doesn't do it.
> 
> I bought the DM12 hoping it would be an adequate surrogate, and it has not disappointed. Forget your preconceived notions or past experiences with Behringer quality; they stepped up their game with the DM12. It's an all metal chassis with real wooden sides. Sliders are a touch wobbly, but no more so than any other synth with sliders. Buttons are solid.
> 
> ...



cool. good info.
I'm thinking on getting the rack version. I do feel they did a great job listening to what the market needs. the model moog d clone on the other hand, not so. but that's another story.

good to know about the fx and finding the character. doesn't seem the DP12 has a lot of "rawness" like some other synths out there but that's goes with the roland juno thing.


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## Astronaut FX (Jun 12, 2017)

To add to the ridiculousness of my list is the way I'm handling them within my system. I'm using a MOTU 16A as my primary audio interface. It has 16 line in inputs, and I'm expanding it to 32 tracks using an 18i20 and a Behringer ADA8200 via optical inputs. So with 32 total tracks, most of my synths have a dedicated direct track to my DAW. But even so, I have a few of them going into one of two small mixers, both of which are routed to the 18i20. 

This set up allows for everything to be connected all of the time, and about 80% or so of them to have dedicated tracks. Extreme? Probably, but it does save time and keeps everything readily available.


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## dpasdernick (Jun 12, 2017)

I love this thread. I've owned a ton of hardware over the years but as software became better and better at one point in my music life I was down to 1 hardware synth, a Roland XP-80, and was only using it as a controller. Then I got the hardware bug and started buying again. I have:

Roland XP-80 with 4 expansions
Roland Integra 7
Roland JD-990 with Vintage Synth Expansion
Roland D-550
Roland JV-2080 with 3 expansions (sensing a redundancy here )
Korg Triton Rack with multiple expansions
Another Korg Triton Rack (currently for sale on Reverb)
Yamaha TX802
Yamaha TG500
Yamaha SY99
Kurzweil K2XV
Korg M-50
Ensoniq TS12
Ensoniq Miarage
Novation MiniNova

I have them all wired up using two MOTO MidiExpress interfaces and two Behringer 1602 Line Mixers. I also have Midi Quest. 

It's truly a love/hate relationship. They sound beautiful but compared to software they are a pain in the arse to maintain and record. There's so many wires. Each synth has two midi cables, 2 audio cables and 1 power cable. The Behringer line mixers are pretty crap and can be noisy and intermittent. I just don't have the dough to buy a really good mixer as I'm busy spending it on more hardware.

I would like to add a Virus TI Polar and an EMU Emax for nostalgia.

Be warned though. Don't go down this path. It's a money pit and a complete time-suck. A typical day may be trying to turn on the TX802, it won't turn on, take it in for repair (all the way across town) find out the capacitors on the power supply have leaked and spend $200 getting new ones put in. Works great now. Haven't used it on a single track...

Still my studio looks cool and as we all know it isn't what you compose but how good you look composing that really matters... 

Thanks for letting me indulge.

Darren


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## dpasdernick (Jun 12, 2017)

noises on said:


> Here is the link to Marc E containing most of the patches that made the most out of this wonderful synth.
> http://www.marce-music.com/patchesAbout.html
> It contains the patch nuage...(I hope this is the one you were looking for)
> 
> ...



I had no idea marcE had passed away and Have edited my post here.
Forgive me if you read it and wondered about my response.
May he rest in peace.


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## mwarsell (Jun 14, 2017)

"Be warned though. Don't go down this path. It's a money pit and a complete time-suck. A typical day may be trying to turn on the TX802, it won't turn on, take it in for repair (all the way across town) find out the capacitors on the power supply have leaked and spend $200 getting new ones put in. Works great now. Haven't used it on a single track..."

LOL!  I want this path.

I have promised myself to use my JV-2080 with Orch 1 & 2 w exp in my next track.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Jun 14, 2017)

mwarsell said:


> I have promised myself to use my JV-2080 with Orch 1 & 2 w exp in my next track.



Funny you mention the JV-2080! I just took mine out of the box it's been in for the past ten years. It has the orchestral expansions, and I used it religiously in the 90's right up to about 2008. I was thinking the same thing; fire it up and find some inspirations...it's definitely no slouch. I may even place in it my rack because it looks cool 

There's a guy in my area selling a a Korg Triton rack for $300, I'm tempted. Would I ever use it for recording? Probably not, but there's just something I love about the "old school" synths, lots of inspiring sounds to choose from.


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## mwarsell (Jun 15, 2017)

I had the Triton for ages. Loved the MOSS exp board (sold it separately, got more from it than my triton), but disliked the overhyped sounds otherwise. I now crave for Trinity. I think it sounds better.


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## shmuelyosef (Nov 1, 2019)

Astronaut FX said:


> Before anyone else says so, yes, this is a ridiculous list. Especially since it's mostly modern stuff, and especially since my primary instrument is guitar, and especially since I don't earn my living with music. But gear is my one extravagance. I don't have and won't be having any kids, and I'm frugal with just about every other aspect of my spending. So with that said, on with the lists...
> 
> 
> Synths with keys...
> ...


What are your top five favorites? ...this is a daunting list (I am space constrained)


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## dpasdernick (Nov 2, 2019)

I am a sucker for hardware.

- Yamaha MODX8
- Yamaha TG-500
- Access Virus Snow
- Roland JD-990 with vintage synth expansion
- Roland JV-2080 with Asia, Bass and Drums, Orchestral 1, Session and vintage synth
- Roland XP-80 with Pop, Orchestral 2, World, and Special CD
- Ensoniq Mirage
- Ensoniq EPS 16 Plus
- Ensoniq TS-12
- Korg Triton Rack with expand
- Korg Karma
- Korg Krome
- Emu Emax 1
- Emu Emax 2

They are mostly all hooked up and ready to go. I use them rarely. They're great to look at and tinker with but software is just so much easier.


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## dgburns (Nov 2, 2019)

I get to places with hardware I don't always with software. It's not the sound, it's the way I find it inviting to explore. It doesn't feel like work like it sometimes does with the software synths.

No love for the 90's romplers though, gotta say.


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