Hi everyone
I am new to here and I have just bought my new Fantom G6. This thing is amazing!!
I started with with a Juno G about a year ago, which is ok but I must say, this thing is in a different league.
To accompany the beast, I have a Nord Lead 1 (exp) and a Moog Little Phatty (st1). Both of which I love, but unfortunately only have space for one more. Obviously the LP provides me with that old style anologue and is quite meaty. The Nord is very good for creating sound and effects and is alot of fun (somethimes more than the LP).
Can anyone suggest a synth thats combines the strength of these 2 to use with my G6. Or should one just go?
Cheers
Synth to accompany my G6
Re: Synth to accompany my G6
I'd leave the Phatty if I had to choose. And frankly, this is pretty much the only synth I would buy today. All virtual analogs are an illusion.
However, do have a look at the V-Synth - it is in a league on it's own with the VariPhrase and COSM technologies that can make amazing sounds not possible with anything else. You can take any vocal sound or a drum loop sample and make some really amazing stuff out of them, like time traveling, freezing, chopping in realtime and so on.
However, do have a look at the V-Synth - it is in a league on it's own with the VariPhrase and COSM technologies that can make amazing sounds not possible with anything else. You can take any vocal sound or a drum loop sample and make some really amazing stuff out of them, like time traveling, freezing, chopping in realtime and so on.
Re: Synth to accompany my G6
Will check the V-Synth out cheers, any particular model?
I gather from your response, the Prophet 08 or Poly Evolver are not worth a look.
I gather from your response, the Prophet 08 or Poly Evolver are not worth a look.
Re: Synth to accompany my G6
Each of the synths you can buy today has a definite basic sound character, no matter how much you tewak, and no matter if you buy analog, virtual analog or digital. This counts especially for the V-Synth: if you like the basic sound, you will enjoy all the fine possibilities (and they ARE great), and if you prefer another basic sound, all the fine possibilities will not make you happy...
If you really want a machine which comes as close as possible to both sides of the spectrum (from warm analog-like to hard industrial, wave tables and weird fx) I see no alternative to the Access Virus TI. With the latest TI OS (including analog character models, the best overdrive/distortion section I know on ANY keyboard, and a well done analog tape type delay, ring modulator and frequncy shifter) I find it simply stunning, how close I can get to many analog sounds which I know from the classic machines (Moog, Arp, Oberheim, Jupiter etc.), without having to give up modern digital synth sounds and fx. It comes with a very rich modulation matrix and full onboard effects for up o 16 parts. You should really walk into a shop and check that machine (~ 3500 high quality presets through all genres and purposes on board to start with).
I used to carry my Moog LP to each rehearsal before Access OS update 3, just because the difference to the real analog deal was still a bit TOO big (especially for bass and solo sounds). Since OS 3 the LP can stay home. It is still delivering a sound unmatched(!) by any virtual analog device. But the TI at least has come close enough now to deliver all I need for rehearsals.
If you really want a machine which comes as close as possible to both sides of the spectrum (from warm analog-like to hard industrial, wave tables and weird fx) I see no alternative to the Access Virus TI. With the latest TI OS (including analog character models, the best overdrive/distortion section I know on ANY keyboard, and a well done analog tape type delay, ring modulator and frequncy shifter) I find it simply stunning, how close I can get to many analog sounds which I know from the classic machines (Moog, Arp, Oberheim, Jupiter etc.), without having to give up modern digital synth sounds and fx. It comes with a very rich modulation matrix and full onboard effects for up o 16 parts. You should really walk into a shop and check that machine (~ 3500 high quality presets through all genres and purposes on board to start with).
I used to carry my Moog LP to each rehearsal before Access OS update 3, just because the difference to the real analog deal was still a bit TOO big (especially for bass and solo sounds). Since OS 3 the LP can stay home. It is still delivering a sound unmatched(!) by any virtual analog device. But the TI at least has come close enough now to deliver all I need for rehearsals.
Re: Synth to accompany my G6
Jim, have you ever actually owned a V-Synth? If so, for how long have you used it? I am asking because you do not know much about this instrument judging by your saying.
Do you know what can VariPhrase do? It's the best sample post- and realtime-processing technology currently available, in terms of possibilities vs. ease of use vs. quality. Do you know what the COSM effects can do, like the Sideband Filter? Do you know that you can have up to 16 filter banks each with two COSM effects? And that you can resample any sound you make and turn it into a VariPhrase wave and process it more and more?
I am sure the TI is a very good synth, but only if we're talking subtractive synthesis. And a real analog cannot be beaten - ever. But if we talk about a synthesizer in general, the one that can make sounds no one has ever heard yet, the one that will define what we explore in the sound in the next 10 years, and the one that doesn't cost $10,000 - you only have the V-Synth.
Do you know what can VariPhrase do? It's the best sample post- and realtime-processing technology currently available, in terms of possibilities vs. ease of use vs. quality. Do you know what the COSM effects can do, like the Sideband Filter? Do you know that you can have up to 16 filter banks each with two COSM effects? And that you can resample any sound you make and turn it into a VariPhrase wave and process it more and more?
I am sure the TI is a very good synth, but only if we're talking subtractive synthesis. And a real analog cannot be beaten - ever. But if we talk about a synthesizer in general, the one that can make sounds no one has ever heard yet, the one that will define what we explore in the sound in the next 10 years, and the one that doesn't cost $10,000 - you only have the V-Synth.
Re: Synth to accompany my G6
Yes i have to agree, the V synth is the best addition to the Fantom.
I prefer the XT as it has everything, D50 synth, Vocoder, Vysynth+USB audio.
4 for the price of 1 and under one roof. (endless possibilities)
if you cannot afford it then the V synth original is also a good option..
I prefer the XT as it has everything, D50 synth, Vocoder, Vysynth+USB audio.
4 for the price of 1 and under one roof. (endless possibilities)
if you cannot afford it then the V synth original is also a good option..
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Igglethorpe
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Re: Synth to accompany my G6
The fact is, the V-Synth has always been under appreciated, simply because it actually requires work to get results. You have to tweak it. That is one instrument that you do not want to rely on presets with. The real strength with the V-Synth relies in using your own samples to mangle. This is something that you simply can not do with the Virus. You can not import samples into a Virus so therefore, you have to use whatever waveforms are available. While there are a nice variety, they are not an infinite variety such like what the V-Synth can offer. The V-Synth can sound completely different from patch to patch based on using sample waveforms that you import.
That said, if you are not interested in doing that kind of thing and are simply looking for a subtractive synth (with granular synthesis as well) then perhaps a Virus would be a good choice.
That said, if you are not interested in doing that kind of thing and are simply looking for a subtractive synth (with granular synthesis as well) then perhaps a Virus would be a good choice.
Re: Synth to accompany my G6
I agree about the V synth and the LP...I just added a mopho to my rig, since its so small....but it sounds amazing...best bang for the buck ever....1.5 lbs in a little yellow box...I have a g8 so lugging around anymore heavy gear wasnt desirable...
399, get one...i recommend it
399, get one...i recommend it
Re: Synth to accompany my G6
Artemiy, I never owned a V-Synth. I just tried it in stores and know some people who demonstrated some of the very nice possibilities you talk about to me, and saw some more videos.
Anyone really owning an instrument knows more about it. So everybody who enjoys it: enjoy it!
One reason I don't consider a V-Synth is it's basic sonic character. That's just a matter of taste: to me it always has that slight plastic sound touch (well, that's how I name it from my personal taste: but it is clearly an emotional taste statement and not meant as verdict), no matter how the sonic character of the material you use and tweak is.
In this thread I refer to a concrete question of someone wanting some analog character as well as modern synth sounds besides the Fantom G. For such a double purpose, no synth is better suited from my view than the TI. It's not analog, but certainly state of the art to come as close as you can get with virtual analog, and still capable of lots of very modern other sound scenarios.
For my personal purposes(!) and perhaps those of some others, the TI is the best possible addition to the Fantom, adding a dedicated other sonic colour and an exteremely broad sound palette at the same time to my gear, which is not at all reachable in a comparable way by any Roland synth. Even the V-Synth with its rich and creative technical power, and despite the variety of sample material you can use with it, basically sounds much closer to the G and delivers much less sonic contrast than gear from other brands does - no matter if we talk about a Mopho, a Prophet/Evolver, a Moog Voyager/LP, a TI or a Nord or whatever. Or don't you agree that a V-Synth despite being a completely other thing than the G, still has a certain Roland sound (basic sonic character) related to the G? Either you want that or not. I would prefer any other of the brands named to get more basic sonic diversity and richness in my limited(!) setup. If I would use 6 keyboards in any advanced pro situation, be sure the V-Synth would get its place.
I don't struggle about that, I just want to underline what you get either way. And of course I am biased by liking my TI so much, just as others are biased by liking their V-synth so much
It's all ok, relax...
Anyone really owning an instrument knows more about it. So everybody who enjoys it: enjoy it!
One reason I don't consider a V-Synth is it's basic sonic character. That's just a matter of taste: to me it always has that slight plastic sound touch (well, that's how I name it from my personal taste: but it is clearly an emotional taste statement and not meant as verdict), no matter how the sonic character of the material you use and tweak is.
In this thread I refer to a concrete question of someone wanting some analog character as well as modern synth sounds besides the Fantom G. For such a double purpose, no synth is better suited from my view than the TI. It's not analog, but certainly state of the art to come as close as you can get with virtual analog, and still capable of lots of very modern other sound scenarios.
For my personal purposes(!) and perhaps those of some others, the TI is the best possible addition to the Fantom, adding a dedicated other sonic colour and an exteremely broad sound palette at the same time to my gear, which is not at all reachable in a comparable way by any Roland synth. Even the V-Synth with its rich and creative technical power, and despite the variety of sample material you can use with it, basically sounds much closer to the G and delivers much less sonic contrast than gear from other brands does - no matter if we talk about a Mopho, a Prophet/Evolver, a Moog Voyager/LP, a TI or a Nord or whatever. Or don't you agree that a V-Synth despite being a completely other thing than the G, still has a certain Roland sound (basic sonic character) related to the G? Either you want that or not. I would prefer any other of the brands named to get more basic sonic diversity and richness in my limited(!) setup. If I would use 6 keyboards in any advanced pro situation, be sure the V-Synth would get its place.
I don't struggle about that, I just want to underline what you get either way. And of course I am biased by liking my TI so much, just as others are biased by liking their V-synth so much
It's all ok, relax...Re: Synth to accompany my G6
I also vote for a virus TI desktop.
Tried both the V-synth and a TI in a shop, and to be honest the virus TI just blew me away. The oscillators and filter are just unbeatable.
That is... to MY ears.
In the end you'd just have to decide for yourself.
Tried both the V-synth and a TI in a shop, and to be honest the virus TI just blew me away. The oscillators and filter are just unbeatable.
That is... to MY ears.
In the end you'd just have to decide for yourself.
Re: Synth to accompany my G6
Jim, let me put it this way... Both the V-Synth and TI are the best synths for their purpose. That is, TI is the best virtual analog. And the V is the best synthesizer for sample manipulation. Which leads to a conclusion that you cannot decide between them, it's like whether you need skates or skis. Similar and different at the same time.
However, I still completely disagree with you when you say that the V has a "basic sonic character". In 30 minutes, maybe that's what you heard. But if you worked with it for 5 years like I did, you would say that the V has an unbelievably charismatic, original, yet very organic and polished sound. You really could not dig it, but maybe you will in future. Have a listen to my Drums and Organics expansions for the G, for instance, most of this stuff comes from the V and I really think you can say of these sounds having a "basic sonic character".
However, I still completely disagree with you when you say that the V has a "basic sonic character". In 30 minutes, maybe that's what you heard. But if you worked with it for 5 years like I did, you would say that the V has an unbelievably charismatic, original, yet very organic and polished sound. You really could not dig it, but maybe you will in future. Have a listen to my Drums and Organics expansions for the G, for instance, most of this stuff comes from the V and I really think you can say of these sounds having a "basic sonic character".
Re: Synth to accompany my G6
All I can say is that the Fantom G does NOT have a "basic sonic character". It is very transparent, so whatever you load into it, it will play back transparently.
I know what people mean with a "basic sonic character".. I think that has a lot to do with analog out output transformers, op amps, circuits etc more than the software design / code in general. The Roland JP-8000 is a good example. So is the Novation Nova or Korg MS-2000, or Quasimidi Sirius, or almost any other VA from the late 90's - early 2000's. It's like the whole synth is encapsulated in this tone-wrapping, no matter how you tweak, it will still have that "basic sonic character".
I was amazed that I could capture the JP-8000 "basic sonic character" into the Fantom G by sampling it. That to me really showcased the transparency.
From the few minutes of having the opportunity to test a V-synth, I got a picture it is a lot like the G in this aspect - Transparent.
but... I think I would still pick a Virus Ti from the lot. Specially seeing their customer support, value added upgrades and general enthusiasm towards the better... and then compare that to Rolands...
I know what people mean with a "basic sonic character".. I think that has a lot to do with analog out output transformers, op amps, circuits etc more than the software design / code in general. The Roland JP-8000 is a good example. So is the Novation Nova or Korg MS-2000, or Quasimidi Sirius, or almost any other VA from the late 90's - early 2000's. It's like the whole synth is encapsulated in this tone-wrapping, no matter how you tweak, it will still have that "basic sonic character".
I was amazed that I could capture the JP-8000 "basic sonic character" into the Fantom G by sampling it. That to me really showcased the transparency.
From the few minutes of having the opportunity to test a V-synth, I got a picture it is a lot like the G in this aspect - Transparent.
but... I think I would still pick a Virus Ti from the lot. Specially seeing their customer support, value added upgrades and general enthusiasm towards the better... and then compare that to Rolands...
Re: Synth to accompany my G6
If I were to buy a couple of analog or virtual analog keyboards or modules to accompany my Fantom-G and DAW, certainly I would consider the V-Synth XT, just because the GT would not fit in my studio due to space issues. A module version of the GT would be just perfect. Another synth that I'd love using in my music could certainly be the Virus TI (the "regular" desktop or the Snow version), or an up-to-date version of the Clavia Modular G2 (not the engine, maybe something like the keyboard version - minus the keys - I wish the sweds have something like this in mind, ya never know...).
Re: Synth to accompany my G6
jessej,
pure samples shouldn't show much difference between machines with similar technical specs.
But: as soon as you use filters and modulation, in short the whole synth board design, even digital machines DO have a certain basic sonic character. At least that is my impression comparing gear, including all digital gear I ever heard.
Of course, Art, you are right, that you get a much broader and deeper impression working for years with something than doing the classical first curiosity checks. But, strange as you may find it: the V-Synth examples from your collection you mention do have a certain sonic charcter to me. They are not just general sound as something which could come from any digital gear.
Anyway, we discuss too much about gear and too little about what you can do with it. My everyday musical reality rather consists in getting musical ideas into shape with what I have, than in considering all possible gear in the world, which I could never remotely use with full understanding.
Let's get back to personal sound taste (as opposed to pseudo-objective statements) and making music, ok?
pure samples shouldn't show much difference between machines with similar technical specs.
But: as soon as you use filters and modulation, in short the whole synth board design, even digital machines DO have a certain basic sonic character. At least that is my impression comparing gear, including all digital gear I ever heard.
Of course, Art, you are right, that you get a much broader and deeper impression working for years with something than doing the classical first curiosity checks. But, strange as you may find it: the V-Synth examples from your collection you mention do have a certain sonic charcter to me. They are not just general sound as something which could come from any digital gear.
Anyway, we discuss too much about gear and too little about what you can do with it. My everyday musical reality rather consists in getting musical ideas into shape with what I have, than in considering all possible gear in the world, which I could never remotely use with full understanding.
Let's get back to personal sound taste (as opposed to pseudo-objective statements) and making music, ok?
Re: Synth to accompany my G6
Yes Jimknopf, you're right. I haven't heard a single VSTi or other synth than the JP-8000 that does the supersaw like it does. The do the supersaw, but it's not the same. Just like some Analog string synths are just so damn pretty and no-one has nailed any imitation of those. And the Polivox is unique, mostly due to its irregularities and its filter (thanks to Art to making some of that sound available to us trough the sound expansions).
Filters are probably the #1 thing that comes in mind when comparing synths.. analog or VA... I wish we can talk more filters in the "Fantom G effects loop" -thread.
I'm planning on building some analog filters to run in the effect loop of the Fantom G, drawing a PCB as we speak...
But I wasn't really taking about samples as such when I was describing the "basic sonic character" capturement, more the recording of an audio track performance of the JP onto the G and playing it back. It kept that "sonic character" intact. If that recording would have happened in digital domain, I am not sure if much of that "sonic character" had been there..
Filters are probably the #1 thing that comes in mind when comparing synths.. analog or VA... I wish we can talk more filters in the "Fantom G effects loop" -thread.
I'm planning on building some analog filters to run in the effect loop of the Fantom G, drawing a PCB as we speak...
But I wasn't really taking about samples as such when I was describing the "basic sonic character" capturement, more the recording of an audio track performance of the JP onto the G and playing it back. It kept that "sonic character" intact. If that recording would have happened in digital domain, I am not sure if much of that "sonic character" had been there..