Synthesizer Gear Porn ;-)

[Gizmotron]

Okay so first off, credit where due: thanks JimmyG for pointing this synth out to me last night

Secondly, holy GAWD the first 30 seconds of this video are what this thread is all about



It isn't the cheapest synth (around $180), but with the MPE possibilities I have to admit being tempted. Maybe a super-duper early (or super belated) Christmas present to myself!

Yup, Hanz Zimmer for the win; his studio absolutely fits the Thread title.
What an amazing artist; his work speaks for itself. I love his ability to pull in ethnic instruments in a seamless way. His “Live in Prague” BLU-ray is insanely wonderful…a real workout for one’s Surround System.

[battema]

Arturia is has a good price for their packagedeals, but not so much for seperate instruments. Cherry Audio is doing better for seperate instruments and I think they offer MPE on several instruments.

Agreed! I actually really love noodling around with the Cherry Audio Dreamsynth in MPE mode. I kind of wish the GX-80 had MPE abilities, but the polyphonic aftertouch is still pretty excellent.

Yup, Hanz Zimmer for the win; his studio absolutely fits the Thread title.
What an amazing artist; his work speaks for itself. I love his ability to pull in ethnic instruments in a seamless way. His “Live in Prague” BLU-ray is insanely wonderful…a real workout for one’s Surround System.

Absolutely His soundtracks are constant references for me when I'm thinking about mix and production stuff. I enjoyed stuff of his going back to things like Gladiator and whatnot, but I didn't really start to pay attention until Inception and The Dark Knight. Dune is indeed an amazing fusion of electronics and exotic instruments, symphony, and voice. Love love love the Sketchbook in particular!

[Jimmy Giant]

I hadn't seen that Legend video til now.
...I wet 'em!
Unfortunately my purchasing power is very limited right now, so I hope they have a sale. Would have thought there would be an intro price.
Good advertising for the SSL controllers. They're on my future wishlist.

[battema]

I hadn't seen that Legend video til now.
...I wet 'em!
Unfortunately my purchasing power is very limited right now, so I hope they have a sale. Would have thought there would be an intro price.
Good advertising for the SSL controllers. They're on my future wishlist.

Ok, that got me laughing

Yeah...I'm wishing there was a better intro or even more inclusive crossgrade price. Still...it does look pretty damned sweet.

[Rarebird]

At this moment the Behringer MS-5 is high on my wishlist, but it is not out yet and I still need to get the money.

[Rarebird]

While working on a sound for the CA-2600, more or less based on a sound I created for the ARP 2600 from Arturia, I discovered some differences between both synthesizers, though they are both based on the ARP 2600.

[hFx]

An ARP/Rhodes Chroma?

[battema]

An ARP/Rhodes Chroma?

Seems to be the consensus! We'll all find out together next week though

[Rarebird]

Tuesday the 14th. Almost can't wait. Not that I'm going to buy it, but who knows.

[battema]

I do rather like how they do a bit of buildup before their releases. It adds a bit to the fun.

[Rarebird]

I do rather like how they do a bit of buildup before their releases. It adds a bit to the fun.

Yeah, it's a clever marketing technique. Let the people guess what is coming and then hit the marked.

[battema]

Yeah, it's a clever marketing technique. Let the people guess what is coming and then hit the marked.

For me it's the sweet spot in marketing that I can appreciate...it builds anticipation and excitement but without any catches or FOMO nonsense (FOMO = Fear of Missing Out).

There was a product launch I followed some years ago (not music gear) and I was on their mailing list which was supposed to get early access. Only the day prior to launch, they blitzed ALL their social media channels. It sold out in seconds and most of us missed out, simply so the company could post on social media that "WOW! We sold out so fast! Be sure and follow us super duper closely on all our socials so that you don't miss out next time!" I've never walked away from a brand more quickly than I walked away from those assholes.

[Rarebird]

For me it's the sweet spot in marketing that I can appreciate...it builds anticipation and excitement but without any catches or FOMO nonsense (FOMO = Fear of Missing Out).

There was a product launch I followed some years ago (not music gear) and I was on their mailing list which was supposed to get early access. Only the day prior to launch, they blitzed ALL their social media channels. It sold out in seconds and most of us missed out, simply so the company could post on social media that "WOW! We sold out so fast! Be sure and follow us super duper closely on all our socials so that you don't miss out next time!" I've never walked away from a brand more quickly than I walked away from those assholes.

Yes you are quite right on that one. They don't make unrealistic promises and I really appreciate what they are doing. They only thing I think is strange is the pricing. They always come with a lowered price, but I never have seen them be sold for the full price.

[battema]

Yes you are quite right on that one. They don't make unrealistic promises and I really appreciate what they are doing. They only thing I think is strange is the pricing. They always come with a lowered price, but I never have seen them be sold for the full price.

Yeah, I've noticed that as well! Since it's pretty cheap even at the "full" price I let that slide. In general, I dislike companies who perpetually are running "sales" just to encourage people to buy more quickly.

[Rarebird]

Yeah, I've noticed that as well! Since it's pretty cheap even at the "full" price I let that slide. In general, I dislike companies who perpetually are running "sales" just to encourage people to buy more quickly.

Yes you are right. And if I compare the prices from Cherry Audio with those of the seperate instruments from Arturia and perhaps other companies, they are really cheap. With Arturia you are best served with the V Collection, while with Cherry Audio It might be a good idea to think about what instruments you like. And well, Cherry Audio came with the free Synthesizer Expander Module, which is something I really like.

[battema]

Yes you are right. And if I compare the prices from Cherry Audio with those of the seperate instruments from Arturia and perhaps other companies, they are really cheap. With Arturia you are best served with the V Collection, while with Cherry Audio It might be a good idea to think about what instruments you like. And well, Cherry Audio came with the free Synthesizer Expander Module, which is something I really like.

It IS really great, isn't it? I've used it in a number of songs and it sounds terrific.

And actually, the other free one (the Surrealistic MG-Plus) is exceptionally useful too. I used it a ton with that Mountain Village project because the leads absolutely could cut through ANY mix.

Gosh, Cherry Audio is terrific

[Rarebird]

It IS really great, isn't it? I've used it in a number of songs and it sounds terrific.

And actually, the other free one (the Surrealistic MG-Plus) is exceptionally useful too. I used it a ton with that Mountain Village project because the leads absolutely could cut through ANY mix.

Gosh, Cherry Audio is terrific

I'm a bit less into the Surrealistc MG-Plus. Perhaps because I don't know what to make of it. In a way it looks cheap and what's with the polyphonic thing.

[battema]

I'm a bit less into the Surrealistc MG-Plus. Perhaps because I don't know what to make of it. In a way it looks cheap and what's with the polyphonic thing.

It's a very limited synth for sure; in some ways it reminds me of my little Polivoks-M desktop synth. And like the Polivoks, despite the limited flexibility it does what it does really, really well. If you're looking for those basic wave mono leads (like a square or saw), it's terrific and can really stand out in a mix without much effort.

[Czyszy]

Okay so first off, credit where due: thanks JimmyG for pointing this synth out to me last night

Secondly, holy GAWD the first 30 seconds of this video are what this thread is all about



It isn't the cheapest synth (around $180), but with the MPE possibilities I have to admit being tempted. Maybe a super-duper early (or super belated) Christmas present to myself!

I love Synapse's The Legend. The basic one. It's a Minimoog clone. Nothing fancy. But, because its GUI is so clear and intuitive, it allows me to dial in patches in it super fast. Compared to Cherry Audio's Minimode, the latter feels way clunkier to operate for me personally.

[battema]

Seems to be the consensus! We'll all find out together next week though

AAaand....it's a Chroma

[Jimmy Giant]

....and sitting in my download folder!

[Rarebird]

Looks interesting, but well, I don't think I'm going to buy it anytime soon. It may sound weird but at this moment I have still the Behringer MS-5 high on my wishlist.

[battema]

....and sitting in my download folder!

Well hell, all the cool kids are doing it, might as well too

Looks interesting, but well, I don't think I'm going to buy it anytime soon. It may sound weird but at this moment I have still the Behringer MS-5 high on my wishlist.

Not weird at all! We all have our "holy grail" gadgets that we long to own and luckily yours might be on the horizon in the not-too-distant future

[Jimmy Giant]

Always loved the Chroma. Almost bought a Chroma Polaris when they came out as that would've been as close as I could've got. And clearly not that close.
I wanted something better than the UVI Krome for some time.

[battema]

Always loved the Chroma. Almost bought a Chroma Polaris when they came out as that would've been as close as I could've got. And clearly not that close.
I wanted something better than the UVI Krome for some time.

Cool....well, these days I'd say Cherry are at or very near the peak in terms of faithful/enhanced emulations. Chroma is clearly in great hands