Could ROMpler like MOTIF hold analog / VA type sounds well?

[Shibeta]

Recently, I'm going to purchase a YAMAHA MODX for daily improvisation / rehersal and live performance. There is a former thread: Should I buy a workstation workhorse or start with software?

 

Some friends suggest me to add a Nord Lead 4R or Waldorf Blofeld, but I'm currently living in the metropolis and I don't want to take subway with second synth / laptop in gig bag.

 

I found these waveforms in data list, seems there are several basic subtractive synth waveshapes sampled from Prophet 5 / SH-101 etc.:

2111 Sync Lead1

2112 Sync Lead2

2113 Sync Lead3

2114 Sync Lead4

2115 Sync Lead5

2116 Sync LFO

2117 P5 SawDown 0 dg

2118 P5 SawDown 180 dg

2119 P5 SawDown PhaseRndm

2120 P5 SawUp 0 dg

2121 P5 SawUp 90 dg

2122 P5 SawUp 180 dg

2123 P5 SawUp 270 dg

2124 OB Saw

2125 Saw

2126 1o1 Saw

2127 1o1 Sub

2128 Saw Square

2129 Square Saw

2130 Mg Ramp

2131 P10-1

2132 P10-2

2133 P10-3

2134 P25-1

2135 P25-2

2136 P50-1

2137 P50-2

2138 Tri Wave

2139 Sine

2140 Heterodyning

 

Aside from FM-X part, of course there are no real variable pulse width / ring modulation / OSC sync things, and there is only 1 LFO per element in AWM2 part. Motion sequencers seems good and they can act like LFOs or cycled envelopes.

 

Do anyone here have experience using ROMpler for analog styled sound design? What about make custom multisamples from analog / VA gears / plugins with SampleRobot? How do you feel the quality?

[Music Bird]

P10, 25, 50 is pulse width of 10/25/50 percent.

[AnotherScott]

My very limited experience with playing with analog-style stuff on romplers showed its limitations in the portamento.

 

[Bill H.]

"Well" is a relative term here. Well enough for rehearsals and light casuals... sure (based on extensive experience programming analog sounds on Motif's and Fantoms).

 

Best results come from starting from scratch with an initialized patch... then configure your oscillators, filters, envelopes, modulation sources and destinations, and effects the way you want - just like you would with an analog or VA.

 

So the questions you need to ask yourself are:

 

"Do I have the time to extensively study a 100+ page manual and learn how to make a patch from scratch on a menu based system?"

"Do I have the patience to spend an hour making a patch that I could do in minutes on a knobby VA?"

[ProfD]

IMO, a ROMpler does "well enough" in covering analog sounds especially those used for live performance.

 

The lack of dedicated knobs for key parameters and the need for menu diving on a ROMpler makes real-time sound design more challenging.

 

Also, the approach manufacturers take to filter design/modeling is different which affects the outcome of the sound too.

 

Otherwise, most ROMplers have a reasonable facsimile of a desired analog sound. Scrolling through the presets, finding a sound that is close enough to whatever you have in mind and knowing how to tweak it is the workflow that makes a ROMpler less cumbersome.

 

A dedicated analog synth or VA would be the best choice. However, so many other factors (weight, cartage, transportation, etc.) determine the best KB for getting through rehearsals and gigs.

 

That's why ROMplers exist. Pick one with the best facsimile of desired sounds and a programming workflow that is relatively easy to learn.

 

[MikeT156]

If you want to load a sound that is not resident on a workstation, I have found that the Motif would load .WAV files directly into the synth. What TYPE of file you want to load is the common denominator. It could be placed into a Sequence channel and saved with a song. I never found it necessary to use anything other than the Yamaha Motif library into the workstation. If all else fails, you can sample just about anything and save it.