Looking to expand my set up- Which way to turn?

[Ori]

Hi all,

I own a Fantom X8 (no SRX boards), and am very pleased with the results I am getting from it. I am looking at buying a software sequencer to make midi work with the fantom easier, and in doing so have uncovered a lot about the software side of music production.

I was also looking into getting hold of an original v-synth to complement the fantom x (thanks to diametro...!), but now I'm not so sure. The way I see it I have several options in which to upgrade my set up alongside the sequencing software:-

1. Purchase a computer audio interface and several soft-synths. I have a relatively powerful PC already.
2. Upgrade the fantom with srx boards, and/or look into a seperate hardware synth. (v-synth etc).

So, which route would you all recommend, hardware or software, or somewhere in between?

I should say that I intend to make rock/pop and electronica music predominantly.

Thanks in advance.

Andrew.

[Artemiy]

Аt first, you should of course get a DIMM sample RAM expansion and get a Compact Flash card with a PC card to Compact Flash adaptor. This way you'll expand the sampling memory and storage memory.

Check out the Fantom Tweakbook if you want to learn your Fantom in good depths:

http://www.sinevibes.com/publications/fantom-tb/

Also, have a look at the Planet series of Fantom sound libraries from Sinevibes:

http://www.sinevibes.com/soundware/planet-v/
http://www.sinevibes.com/soundware/planet-x/
http://www.sinevibes.com/soundware/planet-f/

As for the V-Synth, well, you cannot put it against any software synthesizers, as there are none which can do such amazing sounds and transformations. Listen to these sound demos, for example:

http://www.sinevibes.com/media/soundwar ... otions.mp3
http://www.sinevibes.com/media/publicat ... 20demo.mp3

I would, anyway, suggest you have a look at synths such as MASSIVE from Native Instruments - you will get plenty of classic analog and digital sounds.

[Ori]

Thanks for the quick reply Art!

I have a 256mb DIMM installed (couldn't find a 512..) and a PC Card with a 2gb SD card, so I'm good to go on that front.

I am certainly impressed with your work with the Tweakbook and sound libraries, and will be purchasing them ASAP.

Trying to figure out which way to go is so frustrating, especially the thought of spending money I on something I won't use.

As it is, my heart is telling me to stick with hardware. To me there is nothing like the creativity produced by sitting at the Fantom and experimenting. Daft as it sounds, I feel I would enjoy playing the v-synth more than using software, even if I could obtain similar results in a shorter time on PC.

In my limited experience with software synths, I have found them less 'rewarding', but my head is still spinning with the sonic possibilities that software could offer.

Do people here actually use hardware synths exclusively? If not, how do you get hardware and software to co-exist peacefully? If software is a must, which audio interfaces are recommended? How do the SRX boards compare to high end soft synths?

Oh, and Diametro, you don't happen to have any more $600 V-Synths knocking about, do you?..!

Many thanks once again, and sorry for the plethora of questions..!

Andrew.

[Artemiy]

Ori, no problem, it is always my pleasure to be here and help you out.

First and foremost - calm down If you do not feel and do not really understand you need something - you really do not need it. Do not look at other's setups - you are unique, you must first understand what is your perfect setup.

I'll just say a few words on how I work. I have a V-Synth and the GT, these are my main workhorses - I do sound design 99% of the time, and no other hardware or software can even get close to their possibilities and charismatic results. Then there is my Mac where I use GarageBand, basically as a multi-track, and about a dozen select effect plug-ins to spice things up. I have Edirol R-1 for when I need to record voice and percussion. And... that's pretty much it.

See, the less you have, the more you try to overcome your limitations, the more tricks you learn, and finally, with one synth you come up with better results than if you had five.

I'd say, if you are passionate about your own sounds, get a V-Synth. Together with your Fantom, and a DAW on your computer, this is a dream setup. These two synths have totally different sound and possibilities, and they compliment each other perfectly.

[Jimknopf]

Ori, Art is right about considering all in a calm mood. The first thing you should do before deciding anything is thinking about

- a) what kind of music do you want to do? The choice of gear depends a lot on what you want to do with it.

- b) you should answer yourself the question what your strengths ad weaknesses as musician are. Are you one of the sound explorers with some technical understanding of what you do or rather the preset guy who hears a sound and says "Great, I can use that one", and you're done. What is your playing style?
Do you play with others or alone? Do you play gigs or tyring to build your own litltle home studio only for recording? Etc.

After you answered yourself these questions your chances are better to buy what you really need and not just spend money.


Concerning Hard- and Softsynths, some more hints:

- The V-Synth and the new Nord Wave are especially good at forming wave material. This means you can use sample material and do a lot with it.

- You get the best integration of a very powerful VA Synth with VST software with the Access Virus TI: this synth simply works as VSTi in Sequencers, and you get exactly the same sounds you play with it as hardware synth in sequencing, including automation of changing sounds during play.

- The by far best sounding and most powerful softsynth you can get at the moment is the u-he "Zebra 2". Just check their site at
http://www.u-he.com/zebra/

- If you especially like first class fat and silky analog sounds, the best sounding thing so far (better than all new Moogs and Prophets) is on its way to be released in first quarter 2008: The Arturia Origin, which comes *very* close to the best analog synth gear of the last decades. For me personally this is much more exciting than all the rest at the moment, but that's a personal choice depending on my playing purposes, playing style and personal taste ...


These are only some hints

[Ori]

Once again, thanks for the excellent reply, it has given a great sense of perspective. The fact that I see a hardware synth as part of my ideal setup when it seems the whole world and his dog are using software made me think i was 'missing something'.

It seems that the thing to do is to get an audio interface and sequencing software, along with a v-synth in time. This should allow a lot of possibilities and accomodate soft synths later on should the need arise.

@Jimknopf:- Thanks for the reply. I must admit to being a 'preset guy' in the past, but have since had a lot of fun and learned a lot creating my own sounds and would love to expand this further. As the V-Synth GT has just been released, my hope is to pick up an original V-Synth for a knockdown price. (optimistic I know!).


It is great that I can get such sound, unbiased advice from a dedicated Roland community. Many thanks!.

Andrew

[Shalako]

Hi I just joined this site and was looking for ways to upgrade my juno G (hey don't laugh it's what I can afford ok) when I came across this.

Anyway, stick to hardware. Don't go computer just because everyone else is. Computers have big timing problems so unless you go full computer set up you will find it near impossible to sync the two environments (PC/hardware) together. Plus I went computer a few years back and now I'm going back to hardware because I have RSI (medical condition that drummers and people who use computers too much get) and I can longer use a computer!

I found that when I used a PC I got some amazing results but it was too easy so the satisfaction wasn't there at the end.

Also when I used a PC I found that I always used the same synth over and over. I could have use many different ones but, once you find the one you like you just stick to it. If you already have a synth that you enjoy then why change.

On the topic of sound quality, Roland’s new synths are exactly the same quality and in some case better than what a PC produces. I have tested this side by side. I also have a Moog analog synth which I use for bass and I can say without any doubt that analog is much much much warmer than anything a PC can produce (ok I'm getting side tracked.)

Ok so this is just one poor souls opinion of the situation. So in the end it's up to you but as the others said "think about it" first, you will end up wasting countless hours being frustrated if you don't (speaking from experience here.)

One last note: Look at some of the famous acts (the chem bros/prodigy) who went form hardware to software. Compare the old albums with the newer ones, on the newer albums the sound quality is rubbish compared to the older hardware based albums.

[RevP]

Ori, if you are looking for a way into the V-Synth world without the huge expense, definitely get the Sound set that Art made. The sounds are fresh and inspiring.

If you need Piano for your rock & pop stuff, I would look into the Coakley Perfect Piano V (williamcoakley.com). It sounds great.

I am learning how to integrate my hardware into the software environment. I have been using Reaper (reaper.fm) and I love it. It is very user friendly.

SRX wise, you should listen to the demo of the SRX-05 and SRX-08 for drums/loops. They are slightly dated now but may still inspire you. For add'l sounds & keys, I think the SRX-07 and SRX-09 are must haves.

I hope it all goes well for you.

[sambasevam]

You can get shortcircuit (free) sampler and have loads of fun with it. Sample your fantom X into Shortcircuit, and use those sampled waveforms as raw sounds to create other sounds. You can do a ton of stuff in SC, and its free too!

If you have that kinda dough to spend, instead of getting a V-Synth, buy a computer for DAW purpose only, and load just two or three software instruments such as kontakt or Gigastudio in it. You'll get a lot more bang for your buck. just throwing my 2 cents out there.

[Artemiy]

sam, the thing is a few people want sounds and possibilities quite a bit beyond multisampled instruments and softsynths. For that, there is nothing better than the V-Synth.

[sambasevam]

Perhaps thats true. I don't own a V-Synth, but you can still have a lot of fun with using multisamples and samples in programs like Kontakt or shortcircuit, if thats what you're looking for. I highly doubt if getting a V-Synth is the only way to having "fun" with making music. There are other ways, is my point.

[Diametro]

Definately.

But the V-Synth — because of its highly configurable and expressive controllers — makes it about as fun and real-time as it can get.

I picked one up recently for $600 from a motivated seller ... dropped on it like a hawk and I was so right (in fact, my right shoulder is in pain because its on the second tier and it's a board that just begs to be tweaked and controlled ... )

I thought the keybed was the same as the Fantom, but it actually seems to be a little better, or I should say, the keys seem wider and a little thicker ... whether that is better is of course subjective ...