Hardware VA Synths

[mostapha]

HArdware synth guy myself, as much as I love the sound of some virtual synths, nothing comes close to dedicated knobs. In terms of an all around general purpose synth my own vote would be for the best Virus desktop you can afford, as those have comparitively more features for the price and sound great.

The Radias would be my second choice.

Why didn't I post this on ALDF, again? I'll correct that.

If I can find one, I can maybe afford a C some time this summer. AFAIK, that loses FM and the plugin IO compared to the TI/TI2.

I think that was what I was leaning towards anyway…I just wanted some options and have heard a lot of people on GS that liked the nords.

In your opinion, what puts the radias behind it?

I have had an MS2k and an R3, which has the same sound engine as the radius.

I quite like the sound of the MS2k. It is nice, dark, and gravely. Great for hard leads and big dirty bass. Not so great for warm pads or soft/layered bass lines.

The Radius is quite the opposite. It is soft but cold, as if you sanded off the rough bits of the MS2k. Nice for spacey or ariy leads. The Radius has better pads than the MS2k, but still not that great. The Radius has pretty nice built in effects; I use the tape delay a lot.

The arpeggiator on the Radius has some nice features. You can set a number of arp steps then turn some pf them off, eg you could have a 7 step pattern, but notes only play on steps 1, 4, and 6.

I think the MS2k would be a good compliment to the Minitaur, and the Radius would be a good compliment to the Minibrute.

I was under the impression that the ms2k and radias were more similar than that, baring some updates.

[Xonetacular]

This thread has got me looking at viruses and I'm intrigued. I was thinking I wanted an actual analog synth but I can't ignore what the virus offers with VST integration and general versatility- looks exactly like what I've been wanting. I might have to skip out on buying CDJs.

So I know the Virus TI and Ti2 run the same OS but does the C run the latest too? Do they all run the same version of the VST plug in as well?

[Tarekith]

No, the C is different. It uses different lower end D/A (some people think it's warmer), and it loses out a lot on the number of effects and kinds of voices it can run. The Ti's can to delay AND reverb on each part of instance/

I've had 5 Virii over the years (was on the beta team for years) and the TI2 was the best of them all IMO. I liked the way the C looked though, I loved that red LCD.

Personally, I always ignore the whole VST plug in aspect except for backing up my patches. It worked for the most part, but if I spend that much for a hardware synth, I want to use it like a hardware synth. If I want to use a plug in, I'm better off just using Omnisphere or Zebra2. Which ultimately is what I did.

[Xonetacular]

have you seen this?

Touch Digital Controllers makes a hardware controller for the soft synth ImpOSCar 2 with full integration.



Here's a review of both the software and the hardware controller.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gejxn...layer_embedded

The controller is expensive but it's pretty cool that it exists since I was looking for something like that- tons of knobs. I'll probably just get a virus but so many knobs...

[mostapha]

With shipping, it's also 900 quid.

For that money, I could get a DSI Prophet 08 or a Radias and upgrade to PT10 and buy a Big Knob. And I think that doesn't include the cost of the plugin.

[Xonetacular]

Yeah don't get me wrong I wouldn't buy it for that price, it's just a cool idea and too bad no one makes controllers like that in the $300-$400 range since there might be demand for it and it would solve some of the problems with VSTs.

As a side note- I would look at an MSC1 over a big knob for a home studio. Let's you switch between two sets of monitors, toggle a sub, has multiple inputs, has a big volume control knob, and also has room analysis and correction software that automatically creates room filters that you can toggle on and off on the unit for the same price as a a mackie big knob. http://www.jblpro.com/MSC1/MSC1_Overview.html

[mostapha]

The big knob doesn't require software. And I don't really believe in room analysis like that, mostly because those RTA mics aren't like ears. Plus, I learned a long time ago that same price + more features usually means less quality. If nothing else, it looks like the crossover is digital (digitally controlled abalog hardware might be too expensive for that price point). At any rate, the EQ is, which I wouldn't have a problem with except tht it defeats the purpose of good converters on the output side.

I think the big knob is about the cheapest thing I'd want to use for that kind of thing. And I haven't completely decided on it as opposed to just saving up for something better anyway.

[jackastro]

I was under the impression that the ms2k and radias were more similar than that, baring some updates.

To me they sound quite different. I like the Radius much better form some tasks. But it is a very personal thing.

Once you stick these in a mix with 4 or 5 other parts, any of the synths you listed will be difficult to identify. All of them sound good, and you can make great music with each of them.

[Xonetacular]

The big knob doesn't require software. And I don't really believe in room analysis like that, mostly because those RTA mics aren't like ears. Plus, I learned a long time ago that same price + more features usually means less quality. If nothing else, it looks like the crossover is digital (digitally controlled abalog hardware might be too expensive for that price point). At any rate, the EQ is, which I wouldn't have a problem with except tht it defeats the purpose of good converters on the output side.

I think the big knob is about the cheapest thing I'd want to use for that kind of thing. And I haven't completely decided on it as opposed to just saving up for something better anyway.

It only needs software to calibrate the room once then the filters get stored on the unit and it can be disconnected from the computer and you can toggle the filters on and off. As far as room correction stuff goes, it's just one more step after room treatment to identify problem frequencies in the room where it resonates and apply a filter for that frequency-I don't think it tries to EQ the monitors to get them to sound closer to what the mic is reading. Anyway, fair points on the other stuff I guess the crossover is digital and it is going through another DA conversion- didn't even think to look at that.

[mostapha]

RTA stuff all works the same way…play an impulse or a chirp, devise an EQ to try and get close to the source. If the mic isn't like a human head, it gets different results. Plus, EQs are phase distortions, so you're introducing a lot of weird stuff that might have other negative effects. Plus, it only corrects for the resonant frequencies of the room, which you can calculate. It does nothing for reflections and stereo imaging problems.

I don't think it's worth the hassle. Plus…I think it's pointless. If I were getting ready to publish a track, I'd send it to a mastering engineer. If I were confident enough in my production, I'd pay to mix it in a recording studio with NS-10s and good mains with a sub instead of my RP5s and a room "treated" by leaving the closets open and not cleaning up huge piles of crap in the corners. I'm a long way off 'till that matters. Getting close to being able to release something on soundcloud, but that's a completely different animal.

@jack, that's kind of what I'm gathering. I'm probably going to try to save up for a virus and see which ones I can find to play with in the mean time. But it'll probably come down to what I can find when I actually have the money.