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VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Your Dead Gay Son posted:

I like the blofeld... I think. It almost feels too deep, my microbrute feels so safe. It's like paddling around in the shallow end, compared to the black abyss at the end of the pool with the diving board and the roving vacuum.

I've never used my Blofeld for drum sounds, but honestly, it's not that difficult a synth to wrap your head around, and this is coming from a guy who's just had it for about a week and really dove head first into robot fart noise making. Compared to my Virus C, the Blofeld is a Microbrute.

Also, guys, convince me not to buy a JD-990.

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VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Flipperwaldt posted:

JV-2080/JD-990 stuff

Thanks for the info. The parameters for each oscillator seems incredibly interesting but, as you say, frustrating, not to mention the whole sysex and not cc business. I'm gonna have to think about this some more. I mean, I love the sounds you can get from the JD-990 but going through that much trouble just to patch would frustrate the hell out of me.

quote:

Also, for the newcomers to this thread: if you can get a Blofeld with properly working encoders for cheap, there's no reason not to. It's a fun and easy decent polyphonic (and "eh" multitimbral) virtual analog. Workflow is really nice and barely ever makes you feel like there's not enough knobs on the thing. Which is more than can be said for some of the other options. There's a reasonable range of sounds it does well.

Seconded; the Blofeld is a wonderful synth and you shouldn't dismiss it just because it's a digital/VA. But holy hell, get rid of the majority of presets because the legends are true: they suck. First time I went through the presets, I thought they sounded incredibly sterile and lifeless and almost dismissed the Blofeld as a stereotypical digital/sterile synth. But then I started programming my own patches... :circlefap:

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

HotCanadianChick posted:

(Why did you move there, Hawaii makes Bay Area housing look reasonable but lacks any of the high-paying tech sector jobs that make up for it.)

As someone who currently lives in the Bay Area, I really hate how the tech sector has had a hand really driving up real estate prices. It's getting to the point where I can't afford to live anywhere in the Bay Area and that I'll have to move somewhere else (though that's getting to be a plus for me).

Back to synth talk... After reading through the JD-990 operator's manual, it seems fairly straight forward. I put in an offer for the module so maybe I'll get it if the guy agrees to the offer. But ugh, I really need a proper DAW setup to record music. I've got an entire album planned out but I'm tired of recording everything through an SM57 going into the unbalanced 3.5mm stereo plug of an old Hercules Gamesurround sound card.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

0dB posted:

You must get the Vintage Synth voice card for the JD990. It matters.

The guy ended up accepting my offer and it includes the Vintage Synth expansion card. I probably did overpay for the set (THANKS A LOT, GEARSLUTZ) but I guess that's the price for robot fart noises.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Griff Lee posted:

stop making me want to buy things :gonk:

I know what you mean. The Machinedrum is on my list of things to buy and I already have 3 (technically 4) synths.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!
Get a Waldorf Pulse 2. :getin:

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Sjoewe posted:

Oberheim OB-12

Watch Ujiie's video about it (turn on captions for English subtitles).

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!
Oh god, what have I done?

(it sounds nice, though I suspect it has a dead voice chip; there's a distinct thump/thud when I hit certain notes)

EDIT: Okay, so maybe not a dead voice chip, something odd it seems.

VoodooXT fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Apr 15, 2014

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Dotcom Jillionaire posted:

Post a sound demo maybe? What controller are you using to trigger the synth?

I'm using my Waldorf Blofeld as a keyboard controller. I'm going to have to see about getting an audio demo once I get a recording setup going.

To further elaborate, I've been trying to play the Microwave in mono by just connecting one of the LR outs to my practice amp. However, I did notice something weird: so, I was playing it in single patch mode and it's outputting through the standard LR stereo mix jacks, but it seems that one voice is outputting to the four individual outputs which shouldn't even be possible. I tried playing in multi mode and setting the pan control to middle and it seems to get all eight voices into mono rather than stereo. I tried setting the stereo width to mono in the global parameters but it seems to have no effect. I'm wondering if there's a setting that you can only access through a specialized controller or if I need to replace the internal battery or just do a factory reset. I should also try to use my other synth keyboard as a MIDI controller and see if I get the same problem.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

HotCanadianChick posted:

HotCanadianChick's av

Whoa, somebody got pissed.

Anyway, about the Microwave I just bought, from what I've been reading around on the Waldorf mailing list, losing a voice is an uncommon problem and could potentially be from a failing CEM3389 or Texas Instruments op-amp. In either case, they're a bit of a bitch to replace so I'm asking the guy I bought it from if I can just return it to him and get a refund.

I guess some things are just not meant to be. :smith:

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Radiapathy posted:

Waldorf Nave is insane. If that thing were a hardware instrument, I'd be all over it.

It was a hardware instrument; it was called the Waldorf Wave. :v:


:smith:

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!
So, an update regarding my Waldorf Microwave: the guy I bought it from doesn't accept returns and depending on how he responds, I may have to take this to arbitration with eBay.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Radiapathy posted:

Buying vintage stuff online is too drat risky. Out of 7 synths I bought in 2012, only TWO of them worked as described. Thing is, this poo poo's so old, the seller can just say, "well it was working fine when I shipped it," and who am I to say that it didn't finally crap out in transit.

I feel for ya though, man.

Yeah. The guy who sold it to me said it was in excellent condition though when I prodded him about when he last used it, he gave me a vague answer along the lines of "it was in storage for a really long time". I've had fairly good luck with buying synths off eBay; it's how I got my Access Virus KC, Waldorf Blofeld Black, and Roland JD-990 and they all work fantastically.

Sizone posted:

Besides the XT, that's one of the best synths. Raw, totally unique sound and plenty of modulation options. It's worth it to get it fixed. Also, it might be a weird software thing, like updating the o.s. may magically fix it. Don't be pissed, you got a piece of magic, just one that's going to cost more than you initially expected. It's still worth it though, and this gives you a chance to do some preventive stuff like get caps and batteries checked and replaced.

I love the sound of the Microwave. The OS is already updated to the last update (2.0) and the guy said to try reseating the chips. :shrug:

I actually asked one of my coworkers today about anyone around where we live who can repair/service Waldorf Microwaves and he gave me the name of a place. I'll give them a call next week and see if they still service them though it's going to be a drive just to have them take a look at it since they don't do quotes over the phone. I'm really glad to know this guy since he's a semi-famous and influential music/synthesizer guy who used to work with Daft Punk.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Dotcom Jillionaire posted:

drat good choice for a first piece of gear! I love my Virus C

Same here, Virus C brother. :hfive:

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!
So I finally got a temporary DAW setup going and I decided to make a demo song. I'm sorry if I failed you guys.

Pursuit (Demo)

VoodooXT fucked around with this message at 06:40 on Apr 23, 2014

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Rageaholic Monkey posted:

What's the difference between the C and the Ti?

TI has DAW integration, C doesn't; TI has hypersaw and wavetable waveforms, C doesn't; TI has more voices. Those are really the main differences I can think of off the top of my head but don't let that dissuade you. The C is loving awesome.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Radiapathy posted:

Got the MIDI all tracked out for a song I'd planned for my MKS-30. Ready to record the audio, so I powered the MKS up, got everything patched in and routed, and... discovered that voice 5 is dead.

:ughh:

Hey fellow voice-is-dead synth buddy. :smith::hf::smith:

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!
Update on my Waldorf Microwave situation:

So just now, I decided to fiddle with the internals and something interesting happened. I reseated the OS EPROMs, booted the Microwave into service mode, ran a voice test and ended up getting all eight voices which is a huge surprise. Ran a filter test and the noise I get from filter 8 is different than it was before. Now it's a really bassy hum with what sounds like minor pitch variations. I turned off the Microwave, took out the voice 8 CEM 3389 and put it into voice 6 and ran the voice and filter test. Turns out it works perfectly, so that means the CEM 3389 in voice 8 is actually perfectly fine. It also means that the problem is somewhere else, and I'm thinking it's either a bum CEM 5508H sample and hold chip (which is really tough to get to since it's surrounded by ceramic resistors) or a bum op-amp (which is also tough because it's soldered into the board). I'd like to test the CEM 5508H but I'm just having an incredibly tough time getting it out of its IC socket.

It never ends. :smith:

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Your Computer posted:

Update on this, I caved in and bought the Proteus 1/2/3, Orbit, Planet Phatt pack. ALL the cheesy old samples :3:

Had to give it a spin:
http://tindeck.com/listen/gokf

You magnificent bastard. :3: It makes me recall the days of 90s computer game soundtracks.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!
Anyone know if there's a program for OSX that lets you upload user wavetables to the Blofeld?

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Flipperwaldt posted:

Like you've got the sysex files for them already and you want to upload them, or like you want to make your own? Because I think you're poo poo out of luck for the latter.

The former can be done with anything that can send sysex to a midi port. Shouldn't be too hard to find.

More the former but possibly the latter down the road. Oh well, I guess it's SysEx Librarian for me then.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

sliderule posted:

I finally picked up a Proteus 2000 to fill my romper gap. After noticing it had fewer filters than the manual claimed, I found it needed new firmware. Luckily the firmware tool worked on windows 8, and now it's up to date.

There now appears to be an arpeggiator on board. Works pretty well, but there's a mysterious "pattern" option that I can't get to do anything. All 100 user bank entries are blank.

Anyone know how to populate the patterns? There's no hint of the arp in the manual, and my Google-fu has failed me.

Apparently it's the same as the one in the E-mu XL-7 Command Station, so try looking for the manual for that.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Dotcom Jillionaire posted:

Working off the floor sucks

That's a wonderful fire hazard. :v:

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!
Finally sent in my Waldorf Microwave for repair to the synth tech. Hopefully he'll be able to fix it (and not hit me in the wallet so hard :( ).

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!
Just got word from my synth tech: my Waldorf Microwave is fixed! :neckbeard:

So what was the problem? A bad cap in the filter control section. :downs: He had some trouble with the circuit layout since the schematics I provided were for the rev. B version but managed to figure it out in almost 3 hours.

I'm going to pick it up Monday since I'm out of town until tomorrow. Expect a sound demo.

So excited. :fap:

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!
IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!!!

Quick and dirty test of the Waldorf Microwave using the PPG Wave 2.3 soundset. Definitely not the best representation of me or the synth. :v:

VoodooXT fucked around with this message at 06:24 on Jun 3, 2014

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Rageaholic Monkey posted:

this sounding like the music from a sci fi movie from a few decades ago.

Ha thanks, that's what I was going for.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Sizone posted:

I guess Microwave's Mom would be the Wave. And, much like Microwave's Mom, I'd totally hit that.
Wanna meet that synth.

PPG Wave is the MILF of the synth world.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Dotcom Jillionaire posted:

Oh man the Preen FM kit with the metal case is very very tempting. If anyone wants one built get in touch with me, I might order a few.

Oh god don't tempt me. I can't afford another synth (or rather, I shouldn't buy one since I'm going back to school). :ohdear:

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Sizone posted:

What the gently caress do you think student loans are for?

Ugh, don't remind me. I haven't even started school yet and I'm already $60k in the hole.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!
He could always wait for Korg's Arp Odyssey reissue. :v:

But anyway, the Blofeld is awesome. I really need to do more with it since it has one of my favorite filters: the comb filter. That thing is just pure :circlefap:.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!
Oh god, which one am I? :ohdear:

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Number Two Stunna posted:

No, it's more like not knowing how to set up your gear so that you can actually write music with it from your DAW. There's a whole layer of midi/audio interface stuff that can be kind of a pain to deal with. I still haven't got a proper audio interface yet, so actually making music with my gear is a bit of a hackjob.

I was like you once then I wised up and got a proper DAW setup with a really good interface (Focusrite Saffire Pro 40). The old setup I had was a Shure SM57 going into the mic mini-jack of a Hercules Gamesurround Fortissimo III for recording guitars, bass, and vocals and an internal loopback for recording drums.

Get an interface. It's so much better.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

MrLonghair posted:

Way to put me onto the track of getting my first Waldorf :O

My holy grail would really be a racked Kurzweil with VA-1. I'd have the Forte if it wasn't for all the other things I need to put $3995 on like.

If you're dead set on a Waldorf AND analog, then get a Pulse 2. :v:

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Radiapathy posted:

I grew up on hardware synths, and I recorded for years like you described- laying down one track at a time (each part, full song, straight to tape, mistakes and all).

This is actually how I still do things (former session guitarist and audio engineer).

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

treasureplane posted:

I'd opt for an MI Shruthi instead.

I wish MI would officially do an Ambika with the Polivoks filter card. I would be so on that. :circlefap:

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!
Dave Smith revealed his new synth: The Pro 2.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Startyde posted:

"Comments are disabled for this video."

Well he certainly knows the GearSlutz crowd.

VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!
The Waldorf Pulse 2 has an 8 voice paraphonic mode but it's not as complex as the Pro 2's 4 voice.

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VoodooXT
Feb 24, 2006
I want Tong Po! Give me Tong Po!

Radiapathy posted:

The Rocket's got a couple paraphonic tricks too.

I keep forgetting about the Rocket, which is a neat little synth in itself. In any case, paraphony is a nice trick to get multiple voices with just a single oscillator, and Dave Smith's Pro 2 paraphony trick is actually pretty slick. Each paraphonic voice has its own envelope so it's a pretty sly way to getting close to real polyphony.

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