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So its been a year, i dove into production pretty fast and have been learning so much from the resources on DSF as well as other sites based around music theory.
I feel its time to buy some hardware.

Just wanted to know what you guys suggest, not looking to go over 2G's. I would prefer to stay in the range of 500-1500. Just the goods and bads about certain synths you guys own or want to own.

I am of coarse going to do tons of research on all that are suggested, just wanted to know what you like to use.

Dude, in this day and age software is where its at.

Not the same, Software is a set algorithm, you get a different sound from hardware. Ive played around with some hardware and its awesome.
I love the fact that you have set controls for different parameters, rather then having to map all different parameters to knobs.
It is being run through actual filters/compressors/amps/ect so it does have a distinctly different sound then the VST version of that synth (arguably)

http://www.arturia.com/evolution/en/pro ... intro.html

or whatever moog you decide is the best bang for your buck.

Software can do everything hardware can do, and tons more. I don't know what analog magic you're expecting to get, but perhaps you should learn to use the stuff you already have? For example, you don't have to map your midi controls every time, you can set up templates and track presets on most daws.

LOL You cant say analog has the same sound as the VST version of the same synth. Even if you set exactly the same parameters. On an analog synth you have infinite ways to set your knob, on Midi its 1-127...... Even if you get it right on the money there is noise/distortion that gets picked up as the signal travels through the hardware. This gives every hardware synth a different "feel" and sound.

This is not Hardware vs Software, im not prepared to fight this war. I love ableton and massive. I just want to know (from EXPERIENCE) what hardware you guys like to work with.

outdropt wrote:This is not Hardware vs Software, im not prepared to fight this war. I love ableton and massive. I just want to know (from EXPERIENCE) what hardware you guys like to work with.

I have a RedSound Dark Star synth for virus type bass-y noises which is awesome, and a Chimera BC-8 waveform generator for battery operated nonsense. I'd recommend either as cheap introductory synths.

Here are your next two purchases: sp404sx and arturia mini brute.

nowaysj wrote:Here are your next two purchases: sp404sx and arturia mini brute.

You could pretty much bin everything else if you had those.

Any day now

nowaysj wrote:Here are your next two purchases: sp404sx and arturia mini brute.

Just saw the arturia mini brute in action on youtube. I gotta do some more research but i think its love at first sight. Thanks for the suggestions!A

Welcome to more. Just doing research on features/functionality now. Probably not going to make a purchase for about a month.

But i cant lie, I'm excited

i have a moog lil phatty. its not too expensive and has the great moog sound and the moog filter on it kicks ass. great for bass sounds. i run ableton and i also find it fun to sample a lead or pad type sound from it and then load it into Sampler and play chords since the little phatty is monophonic.

But i agree about the 404sx. that is my next purchase and probably last purchase for a while.

500-1500 in what currency?

I'll guess USD and with that budget I'd be looking into:
Korg Polysix & Mono/Poly
Roland Jupiter models & SH-101
SCi Prophet & Pro One
ARP Odyssey
Octave Cat (ARP/Moog clone good enough to get them sued)
DSI Evolver
Waldorf Pulse 2

Most have different models with varying prices and can be found within that price range.

outdropt wrote:LOL You cant say analog has the same sound as the VST version of the same synth. Even if you set exactly the same parameters. On an analog synth you have infinite ways to set your knob, on Midi its 1-127...... Even if you get it right on the money there is noise/distortion that gets picked up as the signal travels through the hardware. This gives every hardware synth a different "feel" and sound.

This is not Hardware vs Software, im not prepared to fight this war. I love ableton and massive. I just want to know (from EXPERIENCE) what hardware you guys like to work with.

I've thought about getting an analog synth before, but now i've tried u-he diva i love it. Only problem is it sucks cpu. This synth works by emulating actual electronic circuits, its a ground up method and is supposed to be real accurate. I think dcam synth squad does a similar thing, i know it can make some great sounds.

I'm just not sold on the whole analog thing, the only reason people used to use them is because that's all they had. Vst's didn't exist. Now we have so much choice in software its unreal, and its only going to get better. And after owning a virus ti, i've found that i find hardware annoying to work with as i can't freeze tracks, and have to export in real time.

But each to their own, as others have said the minibrute looks ok. I've also thought about getting a moog little phatty before, may still buy one in the future.

Well analogues have been making big comebacks in the last few years, and analogue processing never went away. It's a matter of taste and workflow though yeah. IMO the extra time you have to put into hardware is one of the main reasons to keep them. That and getting away from computers during sound designing. It can really make a difference when you have such a limited method of programming rather than one click controls to every parameter ever.

Just got a vim that my mini brute should arrive in about 2 weeks, which is exciting. Just did a session w a dsi mopho, which is a great ill synth.

Little phatty and slim phatty are fun, but def not a voyager.

Still use my microkorg daily.

Really it depends on what u want to do. Could be that a used Juno is really what u want.

Sharmaji wrote:Just got a vim

Jelly! Trying to find my dude's number, "cleaned" up my studio the other day...

wub wrote:I have a RedSound Dark Star synth for virus type bass-y noises which is awesome.

Moog Minitaur is another cheap-ish (around 700 US I think?...) bass synth that is very fun.

Doepfer Dark Energy is another that springs to mind, in a similar vein to the Minitaur without the "moog" sound. Their hardware sequencers are really good, no real relevance to the OP, i'm just sayin.

If versatility is what you're after, if you can pick up a Jupiter on the cheap then that would be another recommendation.

As soon as I have the money I'm probably going to get the moog little phatty. I had the chance to mess around with it and I absolutely loved it. I also messed around with the virus and it was incredible, but it's a bit higher than I want to spend, and I don't know that I have the patience to use the desktop version.

Assuming you mean the TI2... the Virus C is cheaper and has the Moog filters to get that sound. The keyboard versions are about the same price as a Little Phatty. It's not analogue though, but what's great about the Virus is it can replicate pretty much any analogue synth very convincingly. The Little Phatty is a great synth, but monophonic and quite limited. However, what it does... it definitely does extremely well!