steves@kepler.UUCP (Steve Schlich) (11/14/85)
Can anyone out there tell me the truth?
I'm looking for a synthesizer (with or without keyboard attached) that will
play AT LEAST 8 (not 4, not 5, not 6, but EIGHT) separate and unique voices
at the same time. The catch is I'm a working stiff and can't afford rock
star prices. The most I can afford is about $2000.
I have Electronic Arts' Deluxe Music Construction Set for the Macintosh.
It can put out 8 separate and unique MIDI channels concurrently in real time.
Unfortunately, the Mac can only play back 4. I can't seem to find any
hardware that can turn that output into sound for less than $10,000.
Here's a sample configuration:
MIDI Channel 1: Trumpet (or, say, MIDI voice 65)
MIDI Channel 2: Trombone (or, say, MIDI voice 57)
MIDI Channel 3: Clarinet (or, say, MIDI voice 44)
MIDI Channel 4: Sax (or, say, MIDI voice 36)
MIDI Channel 5: French Horn (or, say, MIDI voice 77)
MIDI Channel 6: Flute (or, say, MIDI voice 22)
MIDI Channel 7: Tuba (or, say, MIDI voice 16)
MIDI Channel 8: Snare Drum (or, say, MIDI voice 10)
The voice numbers I pulled out of my imagination, but the point should be
clear: 8 different voices, all playing at once, in real time. I don't
want to do overdubbing. I want to stand back and listen to my eight-piece
band play.
Am I dreaming, or what? If the hardware isn't available at a price I can
afford, can I build it?
Please, someone, anyone, tell me straight.
--
Stevo
"If what you want is possible, you obviously don't want enough."
Stephen Schlich, MicroPro Product Development
{dual,hplabs,glacier,lll-crg}!well!micropro!kepler!stevesdan@rna.UUCP (Dan Ts'o) (11/16/85)
In article <361@kepler.UUCP> steves@kepler.UUCP (Steve Schlich) writes: >Can anyone out there tell me the truth? > >I'm looking for a synthesizer (with or without keyboard attached) that will >play AT LEAST 8 (not 4, not 5, not 6, but EIGHT) separate and unique voices >at the same time. The catch is I'm a working stiff and can't afford rock >star prices. The most I can afford is about $2000. One possibility is the Roland MKS-7 "Super Quartet". It has a 2-voice Melody section, a 4-voice Chord section, a Bass section and a Rhythm section. The Melody and Chord sections can be combined for a standard 6-voice poly- phonic source. The melody, chord and bass are all parameter programmable. No keyboard is included. There are 100 presets for the Melody and Chord, 20 for Bass and 11 for the Rhythm. However, it appears that each section can only generate a single sound/timbre. So, it is really only 4 separate sounds. But with a budget of $2000, you may be able to afford two of these. Sequential Circuits makes a Multitrak that has 6-voices/sounds for $1200. Perhaps you could get two of those... Or if two of your track will be rhythm, get a good rhythm machine and a 6 voice/sound synthesizer... Cheers, Dan Ts'o Dept. Neurobiology Rockefeller Univ. 1230 York Ave. NY, NY 10021 212-570-7671 ...cmcl2!rna!dan rna!dan@cmcl2.arpa
ach@pucc-h (Stephen Uitti) (11/19/85)
In article <361@kepler.UUCP> steves@kepler.UUCP (Steve Schlich) writes: >I'm looking for a synthesizer (with or without keyboard attached) that will >play AT LEAST 8 (not 4, not 5, not 6, but EIGHT) separate and unique voices >at the same time. The catch is I'm a working stiff and can't afford rock >star prices. The most I can afford is about $2000. >...I can't seem to find any >hardware that can turn that output into sound for less than $10,000. >Stevo For a list price of $4500, the Oberheim (sp?) Matrix-12 is 12 voices and does EVERYTHING you want. 12 things at a time. I've seen a dealer in Chicago offer this machine for $3000 (new). One hint is that there is seldom a good reason to pay list price. The Oberheim Expander (6 voice) can also act as 6 individual instruments. It's priced fairly high also. 8 Casio CZ-101's wouldn't be as good, nor would it be cheaper. Sequential Circuits (SCI) has several multi-timbral instraments: "Max", the "6 track" and the "multi-track" come to mind. I don't know the list prices on any of these. They are all 6 voice. They are all MIDI, but I remember one of them (Max) has been dropped or something due to the queer (non-standard) way it handles MIDI. Need 8 voices? Buy two. I think at least one of them can be had for less than $1K. I recommend getting a demo of whatever you're going to purchase *doing what you want it to do* before taking delivery. This goes double when MIDI is involved. My own daily MIDI experience is with SCI Prophet-10, Prophet T-8, Yamaha DX-7, and Commodore C64 running Passport's MIDI/4 4 track software. I've studied the manuals for the Rhodes (ARP) Chroma, Casio CZ-101, and the Oberheim Expander & Matrix-12 machines. Stephen Uitti (...pur-ee!pucc-h!ach)
steve@syne (11/20/85)
The Sequential Circuits MAX also does 6 different sounds, and it is a LOT cheaper than the multi-trak. Two of those would probably cost $1300 or so. Steve Parker (infoswx,texsun)!syne!steve
rgh@inmet.UUCP (11/22/85)
The Casio CZ-5000 (list $1200) offers eight voices multi-timbrally,
either as a MIDI slave or through the built-in 8-track sequencer.
[The instrument has the same basic voice as the CZ-101 or CZ-1000,
but twice as many of them, a full-size keyboard, and the 7000-event
sequencer.]
Each oscillator can take on one of 8 different digital
waveforms, and each two-oscillator voice has six eight-stage
envelope generators, two each for pitch, timbre, and amplitude.
The two oscillators can be given independent tones, mixed in any
loudness combination, and detuned.
See the Keyboard review, September 85.
- Randy Hudson {ihnp4,ima}!inmet!rghtre@sdcarl.UUCP (T. Richard Erbe) (11/23/85)
(Steve Schlich) writes: >>I'm looking for a synthesizer (with or without keyboard attached) that will >>play AT LEAST 8 (not 4, not 5, not 6, but EIGHT) separate and unique voices >>at the same time. The catch is I'm a working stiff and can't afford rock >>star prices. The most I can afford is about $2000. >>...I can't seem to find any >>hardware that can turn that output into sound for less than $10,000. >>Stevo (Stephen Uitti) writes: > For a list price of $4500, the Oberheim (sp?) Matrix-12 is 12 >voices and does EVERYTHING you want. 12 things at a time. I've seen >a dealer in Chicago offer this machine for $3000 (new). > One hint is that there is seldom a good reason to pay list >price. > The Oberheim Expander (6 voice) can also act as 6 individual >instruments. It's priced fairly high also. > 8 Casio CZ-101's wouldn't be as good, nor would it be cheaper. If one needs eight separate and unique voices (a multitambrel synth), all one would need is TWO Casio CZ-101s. Since they are available for under $300 each, one could buy 10 of them and have 40 voices for the same price as the Matrix 12. Yes, this would be excessive, but if only two Casios were bought, one would have money left for digital delays, reverbs and other nice things (all MIDI controlled, of course). If one likes piano-size keyboards, the CZ-1000 is available for about $500. -- thomas r. erbe {ucbvax,ihnp4,akgua,hplabs,sdcsvax}!sdcarl!tre