[net.music.synth] topic idea: what's your axe?

etan@tellab1.UUCP (Nate Stelton) (02/12/85)

I've got an idea for this newsgroup.  Let's all talk about the synthesizers
we own, sort of like equipment reviews.  I'll go first (gee, isn't this fun?
kinda like a tupperware party!)

I have the following machines:

Korg Polysix

I like the sounds.  Good strings and other full sounds. The keyboard feels
pretty nice, altho it's not touch sensitive. The arpeggiator is dumb, because
it repeats the top and bottom notes when in the up and down mode.  Too bad
there is no sustain pedal.

Korg Poly 800

This one doesn't sound as good as the Polysix for some reason. Kinda cheepie.
It is a good composing tool, though. The programmable sequencer and MIDI are
nice features.  I had trouble reading the button panel in a live performance
situation because the numbering is lousy and you can't read it in the dark.
I thought I'd get into using it with a guitar strap, but it didn't feel
right, so I never did.  Again, no sustain pedal.

Minimoog

I used to like this most as a lead synth, but now the Polysix does better for
me.  I have a sample & hold add-on unit with this, and I get sounds that the
Korgs won't give me at all.  It also has glissando and a sustain pedal,
neither of which my Korgs have.

PAIA

First I had an analog kit version, then I digitalized it with the 8700
controller.  It was a piece of shit from day 1. I sold some of it, but kept a
few modules to plug my guitar in.  The guitar stuff sounds good, but I can't
get rid of the damn hum.

Here's some synths that some friends of mine had or still have.

Memorymoog

Very versatile.  Nice envelopes. Very hairy to program. Not too reliable.

Yamaha DX7

Very natural sounds, especially in the brass and percussion departments.
Lots of algorithms. Hairy to program. I never did figure out how to get the
pitch bend to work without changing pitch stairstep-style.

Rhodes Chroma

This was my fave for acoustic and natural sounds.  The keyboard was also the
best I ever played on.  Pretty easy to program, once you get the hang of it.
The foot pedal options were great.  The SOB was too big to be carrying
around, though.

Roland Jupiter 8

A good live-oriented instrument with all the features (except MIDI). The
arpeggiator is versatile, the sounds are lush and full.

ARP Oddysey & 2600

I thought both of these produced excellent electronic sound effects.  However
the obsolete non-presetability makes them nearly useless on the road.

Well, that's it for me, and it's getting late. Has anyone checked out the new
Korg 6000 (or whatever it's called)? Is it any good? How much does it list
for?

                             -etan

chenr@tilt.FUN (Ray Chen) (02/13/85)

> 
> I've got an idea for this newsgroup.  Let's all talk about the synthesizers
> we own, sort of like equipment reviews.  I'll go first (gee, isn't this fun?
> kinda like a tupperware party!)

Great idea.  Could you also list prices (retail and mail order if it's
possible to mail order this sort of stuff).  I'm considering getting into
synths but have no idea what is a good buy, where to buy, etc.

Thanks.

	Ray Chen
	princeton!tilt!chenr

gtaylor@lasspvax.UUCP (Greg Taylor) (02/25/85)

>> I've got an idea for this newsgroup.  Let's all talk about the synthesizers
>> we own, sort of like equipment reviews.

Okay. I suspect that I may wind up looking a bit odd for trying purposely to
use as little as is possible. What I have is what I decided was the all time
cheapest, best bang for the buck (given our finanaces, etc. and the fact that
I was using a Synclavier for most of my last recording):

1 electro-harmonix 16 second delay line. I know that guitarists hate their stuff(though the big muff fuzz box works wonders on a drum machine). This is a
massively useful machine for tape based compositional stuff. WIthin a couple
of simple changes you can record, overlay, loop and freeze nearly anything.
The high end tends to drop off on the long samples, bien sur. BUT, that is a
feature and not a bug. For my money, I tend to use the thing almost exclusively
for messing around with the excessively *clean* sound of most instruments I
process. It was also a spectacular buy-I picked the little sucker up for
about 280 big ones.

1 Casio MT-202. No rhythm box, no little chiclet keys. THis is the first of
the "full sized" instruments. It has about 15 marvelous pluck or bell timbres
on it, and the string and brass sounds lend themselves exceedingly well to
treatment. GIven a rack of equalizers, a good plate, and a decent mixing board,
this machine can sound like something that costs about 9 times as much. What's
more, lotsa people *Hate* them because they don't have the rhythm box, so
they show up on the market. It turns out that I know a fair number of road
people who use them because they're fast, light, and sound good.

1 Korg MS-20.(Now, I had two, but sold one to save for the DX). THe volkswagon
of the old time patheable 2 oscillator systems. A nice, neat little analog machine with a full patch panel in case you decide to use it to defeat the hardwiring and a frequency to voltage convertor for anything you want to use it for.

THese babies are on the used market for sure, you can get them for a song, and
there isn't much they won't do.

G(not low-tech, but appropriate tech)regory Taylor