hardware synthesizers?

[Why-Fi]

is anybody messing with hardware synths? analog drum machines or what have you?
care to discuss it?

 

[Cal Cutta]

Hell yeah, lots.

It's not a huge advantage. There are plenty of softsynths that can hit just as hard (and on iOS they're cheap). And analog drum machines are typically overrated and requires a lot of external processing to get what you want (and some of that process may be digital so the analog signal factor's gone). All my favorite hardware drum machines that I've used (Korg ER-1, Korg Volca Drum, Roland TR-8) are digital (TR-8 being digital re-creation of analog source sounds).

Plus, almost no one records to tape anymore, so it winds up in a digital domain all the same.

In my opinion, the advantage you get with hardware usually is with sequencing and performance control. I prefer to use an MPC1000 for my sampling/sequencing stuff rather than software because I learned on it and having the ability to play out my sequences is nicer than manually plugging notes on a Piano Roll. MIDI controllers are nice too because then you can control elements of a softsynth/effect with hardware controls.

The success comes from careful processing, working on getting a synth to sit in a mix, and good composition.

edit: ha this is my 606th post. The Roland 606 is a great drum machine (which ya don't need, you can get the samples free from a million places).

 

[Why-Fi]

In my opinion, the advantage you get with hardware usually is with sequencing and performance control. I prefer to use an MPC1000 for my sampling/sequencing stuff rather than software because I learned on it and having the ability to play out my sequences is nicer than manually plugging notes on a Piano Roll. MIDI controllers are nice too because then you can control elements of a softsynth/effect with hardware controls.

i agree, you almost always end it all in a daw but i love being able to finish a whole song without a computer. right now im on the mpc live and analog four mkII and the workflow is lightning speed

the ipad synths are actually good too, but all the ones i had i could and did get vst's. all except figure

what synth do you have

 

[Youseenmywork]

Best 8 Synthesizers - Updated 2020

I plan on getting one of these down the line . I just purchased the live mk2 it pretty dope and it's my first MPC . I plan to mess around with it this week end . My heart and soul thoe is the Maschine MK3 that workflow on there is second to know
Word to 9th wonder

 

[Cal Cutta]

i agree, you almost always end it all in a daw but i love being able to finish a whole song without a computer. right now im on the mpc live and analog four mkII and the workflow is lightning speed

the ipad synths are actually good too, but all the ones i had i could and did get vst's. all except figure

what synth do you have

Damn you already have good hardware! Only Elektron hardware I've used is the Analog Heat and Analog Drive. They are both wonderful (esp. the Heat, the filter is really really good).

Alright bear with me, I'm just looking around my loft so and listing what I see (and it's just the synths, not effects/drum machines/etc):

Teenage Engineering OP-1 (lots of different kinds of synths but limited controls for all of it, but is has a very cool onboard 4-Track)
Make Noise O-Coast (one of the weirdest hardware synths ever, good if you like that sorta thing)
Arturia Minibrute 2S (beastly)
Behringer Model D (Minimoog clone)
Behringer K-2 (Korg MS-20 clone)
Arp Odyssey tabletop (don't use it enough but it can knock pictures off walls if you want)
Roland SH-01A (SH-101 clone)
Roland D-05 (D-50 clone, ton of cool presets and you can get wild stuff if you're patient with it, high learning curve)
Roland VP-03 (VP-300 clone, a vocoder, voice synthesis, it's fun)
Roland JU-06 (Juno-106 clone, I have 2 so it's 8-voice even though the original was 6 hahaha, one of the best Chorus effects ever)
Roland JP-08 (Jupiter-8 clone, also have 2 so it's a true 8-voice, not much I can say which hasn't been said before)
Roland TB-03 (TB-303 clone, if you told me I could only keep one hardware synth, it may be this, the 303 is the one synth where the hands-on component really adds to it)
Korg Volca FM (one of the cooler Volcas, love the sequencer/motion sequencing, can get really crazy stuff for techno with these cheap)
Korg Volca Bass (as you can see from this list, I really don't need it, like the filter though)
Roland XV-5080 (Roland's 2nd craziest rompler, had always wanted one, it's got an amazing synth engine in it but I mainly use it for presets because there's so many)
Yamaha DX200 (an actual FM Groovebox, one of the weirder hardware synths of all time, love the scene-morphing)
Roland SH-32 (my 2nd hardware synth and one I really learned synthesis on, unnecessary for my rig but I will never get rid of it 'cause I can work very fast on them and they're fun as hell)

 

[Tom Foolery]

I collect old school samplers and drum machines.

Never went into synths because it's cheaper to go VSTs.

 

[Why-Fi]

Damn you already have good hardware! Only Elektron hardware I've used is the Analog Heat and Analog Drive. They are both wonderful (esp. the Heat, the filter is really really good).

Alright bear with me, I'm just looking around my loft so and listing what I see (and it's just the synths, not effects/drum machines/etc):

Teenage Engineering OP-1 (lots of different kinds of synths but limited controls for all of it, but is has a very cool onboard 4-Track)
Make Noise O-Coast (one of the weirdest hardware synths ever, good if you like that sorta thing)
Arturia Minibrute 2S (beastly)
Behringer Model D (Minimoog clone)
Behringer K-2 (Korg MS-20 clone)
Arp Odyssey tabletop (don't use it enough but it can knock pictures off walls if you want)
Roland SH-01A (SH-101 clone)
Roland D-05 (D-50 clone, ton of cool presets and you can get wild stuff if you're patient with it, high learning curve)
Roland VP-03 (VP-300 clone, a vocoder, voice synthesis, it's fun)
Roland JU-06 (Juno-106 clone, I have 2 so it's 8-voice even though the original was 6 hahaha, one of the best Chorus effects ever)
Roland JP-08 (Jupiter-8 clone, also have 2 so it's a true 8-voice, not much I can say which hasn't been said before)
Roland TB-03 (TB-303 clone, if you told me I could only keep one hardware synth, it may be this, the 303 is the one synth where the hands-on component really adds to it)
Korg Volca FM (one of the cooler Volcas, love the sequencer/motion sequencing, can get really crazy stuff for techno with these cheap)
Korg Volca Bass (as you can see from this list, I really don't need it, like the filter though)
Roland XV-5080 (Roland's 2nd craziest rompler, had always wanted one, it's got an amazing synth engine in it but I mainly use it for presets because there's so many)
Yamaha DX200 (an actual FM Groovebox, one of the weirder hardware synths of all time, love the scene-morphing)
Roland SH-32 (my 2nd hardware synth and one I really learned synthesis on, unnecessary for my rig but I will never get rid of it 'cause I can work very fast on them and they're fun as hell)

good lord breh. you can play a song on your way to the bathroom

 

[DJ Mart-Kos]

I want these also:

Behringer Poly D (Minimoog clone and with keys)
Behringer K-2 (Korg MS-20 clone)

I have 2 drum-machines, 1 groovebox and 1 bass-synth:
Zoom Streetboxx
Akai XR-20
E-Mu MP-7
Behringer TD-3

 

[Cal Cutta]

I want these also:
Behringer Model D (Minimoog clone)
Behringer K-2 (Korg MS-20 clone)

Both are awesome. I'd recommend starting with the Model D. They show up cheap (around $200) 2nd hand a lot. They sound great. Has some features the original Minimoog doesn't (High Pass filter, more direct mod routing). Fun to use 'cause you can't automate anything (like the original Minimoog. Forces you to be hands on if you want to change the sound in the performance.

 

[DJ Mart-Kos]

Alright but I think I'm only gonna record single notes from it. Maybe while rotating the oscillators

 

[MurderToCassette]

Model D is mad dope, Sub Phatty is real ill, and don't sleep on the Microkorg XL cause they got a bad wrap. They got good bread and butter sounds out of the box and I've heard some incredible sounds come out of those things from brehs who get deep into patch editing.

OP 1 is also super ill, but I haven't gone real in depth with it.

 

[Payroll]

I really want an SH101

 

[DJ Mart-Kos]

I really want an SH101

I would go with Behringer MS-1 cause it's a real analog clone of the SH-101. (And still affordable for most)

 

[DJ Mart-Kos]

I just got the Behringer TD-3.
Its a fun tool!

 

[Jx2]

Just dipping my toe into music production and picked up an OP-1 because it had been on my radar for awhile along with the SP404 and MPC Live.

Trying to find any/all tutorial videos/lessons for the OP-1 if anyone knows of any...feel free to pass them along!