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Posted : Oct 3, 2006 17:38
So I met this keyboard player the other day at his recording studio and he had a couple of analog synths lying around there. Out of curiosity I asked him if he could play them so I could hear how they sounded. I was completely blown away by their sound. No plug-in has ever sounded like that on my MAC....
So now I've decided I want to get a nice synth but of course I don't have zillions to spend and being as I am a newbie to electronic music creation I would like something that is not too complicated but can still kick ass soundwise. I am into psytrance mainly but I don't want a one-trick pony machine (if that's even possible for a synthesizer...). My top budget is 1000€, any ideas?
THX for the advice.
jivamukti
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Oct 3, 2006 19:56
A secondhand Virus C or Indigo 2 would be a safe bet; they have a great sound and are very versatile. At least in Finland you can now get them for around 1K euros. They aren't the easiest synths around for learning synthesis (use a simple softsynth for that instead), but that's the price of their great flexibility.
But I think you are underestimating the power of softsynths. There are many softsynths that give hardware synths like Virus and Nord Lead a run for their money. They just sound different from hardware synths. Check Tera, Sytrus and Ultra Analog for example.
When rain dries, clouds form.
When clouds moisten, rain forms.
ess765
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Oct 3, 2006 23:59
Go after used ones and best prices cause you will never regret.
In another discussion, I d agree with you that hardware synths sound superior than software in matters of reaslism, presence, fatness and punch. But a nice pack of vstis can do really a perfect job and make you save lots of money.
Sometimes you listen to a very talented musician and think that if you have his equipment you ll imediatelly become as good as him. A great keyboard player with some vstis can also begin a war, or let you as impressed and amazed as you had never been before..believe me.
For instance, if you ever meet someone like this, he d convince you that the an old piano would sound better than a synth...he he..take a look:
zEr0
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Posted : Oct 5, 2006 16:10
THX a lot for the advice guys!
I've heard great things about those virus synths. I'm already looking for a second hand one around here, trouble is they are all rack versions... ;? I'd like one with the whole keyboard (not the one with just a few octaves). How does a Virus KB sound for 700 euros? Is that a good price?
THX for the input
BTW Is it true that the rack versions are somewhat inferior to the keyboard ones? I've heard this rumor around even though I'm not entirely convinced...
-dudi-
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Oct 6, 2006 12:21
hehe ,,, no man ,, there is ABSOLUTELY no difference between the engine of the rack and the keyboard version , apart from the fact tht one of them has the keyboard of course .
i would suggest u dont go for the virus kb ,, its quite an outdated synth ,, and not really tht great
instead spend a lil more money and a second hand access virus c !!
tht is an excellent synth also !!
also ,, for me ,, i dont see any point in getting a synth with keys ,, cuz i dont play the keyboard ,, so the engine module is enough for me
here ,, check tht website out ,, has great prices to offer for the synths ur looking for mate !!
bomski
diskOtek
Entek
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Posted : Oct 6, 2006 12:50
for something alternative and i mean analog,try the evolver keyboard by dave smith or save some more and get the littlephatty by moog(about1400eu).
i bet u wont regret it
keyop
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Oct 6, 2006 13:50
jivamukti
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Oct 6, 2006 19:12
700 euros for a kB is OK, but I'd try to find a kC, because it has more polyphony and other features.
Another feature-rich synth in the same price range would be Waldorf Q. I haven't played one myself (whereas I own a Virus C), but I've heard many demos of it and they sound very good, but perhaps a bit more digital than Virus.
When rain dries, clouds form.
When clouds moisten, rain forms.
Kane
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Oct 6, 2006 20:34
Get a controller and some plugins, and a sequencer..
FluoSamsara (Oxygen)
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Oct 7, 2006 14:54
I find it quite expensive 700 for a virus b...if seen them for about 500...
FluoSamsara (Oxygen)
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Oct 7, 2006 14:55
Quote:
On 2006-10-06 20:34, qane wrote:
Get a controller and some plugins, and a sequencer..
Did you actually read what was being asked...?
kajola
Kajola
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Posted : Oct 7, 2006 19:00
i would go for the new roland sh201..
his surface is like a synth tutorial..!!
verry nice sounds too and a vst editor too..
check it out
http://www.facebook.com/djkajola
jivamukti
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Oct 7, 2006 20:40
Quote:
On 2006-10-07 19:00, kajola wrote:
i would go for the new roland sh201..
his surface is like a synth tutorial..!!
verry nice sounds too and a vst editor too..
check it out
I don't think that's a good idea because it has far fewer features than a Virus.
When rain dries, clouds form.
When clouds moisten, rain forms.
zEr0
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Posted : Oct 7, 2006 22:25
First of all, THX for all the input guys. You are all being REALLY helpful. I really should come and hung out in this forum more often...
I'm not really sure I made myself clear with the model I'm being offered for 700€. Here's the one:
I'm so lost with all the VIRUS models I see floating around: (C, B, TI, Indigo). What's the difference between them?!?! Anyway, all I know is that I need one that has the full keyboard. Is there a full keyboard version of the C? Cause the ones I've seen around here only feature a couple of octaves.
BTW I've settled on a Virus at this point since it seems most people around here love them annd I want a sure bet.
THX again!
pants!
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Posted : Oct 8, 2006 02:27
the B/C/TI refer to the synth engines that generate the sound.
The B version was superceeded by the C engine, and the C engine was superceeded by the TI. The ti has some other stuff too that you can see on the access site if you're itnerested.
the engine generates the sound, and later versions have more oompf. they have greater polyphonoy/more voices which means you can generate "richer" sounds with more subtle variations. you can see a nice summary of the features and technological progressions here http://www.access-music.de/comparisonchart.php4
each engine has a rack/desktop version and a version with a keyboard (eg the kb model is a virus b engine with a full keyboard, and the kc model is the c engine with a full keyboard). the indigo has the virus b engine and 37 key keyboard. its a middle ground between the desktop version thats very portable but with no keys, and the full keyboard version thats no so easy to move around if you're touring etc. the indigo 2 is the same but with the virus c engine. the polar synth you see on the access site is basically an indigo with the ti engine, but they changed the name for some reason.
you'll be well served with a virus for writing psy, they are really cool synths. i have a nord and a ti now, and the nord is mostly gathering dust, unfortunately. nords are a lot simpler and good to learn about synthesis on, and also very quick and easy to program. viruses are more complex, but that opens the door to more expressive sounds. if i were you i'd try and get a c if you can, but if a b would still be a really great synth
