octa Posted August 27, 2008 Share Posted August 27, 2008 so i've got the nord lead 2x & the electro & am now looking for a module with orchestral sounds & other odds and ends. i've been reading about a few including emu proteus 2000 (which seems more synth oriented) and alesis qs8. i'm wondering if you guys could suggest some more choices. ----------- also i'm on the hunt for a good stereo effects rack unit (or pedal(s)). i like echo & booster/distortion type sounds especially. (some options i've been looking into are EHX 2ube & EHX hazarai memory man.) i've got a deluxe memory man that sounds great but no stereo inputs/outputs.. for booster/distortion i've also considered running out of the headphone jack into a mono guitar pedal into a separate channel on the mixer. hmm. any ideas about all this nonsense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay da cop Posted August 27, 2008 Share Posted August 27, 2008 I use an Alesis QSR, and also a Korg WavestationSR. Both are quite capable, and I am sure many will chime in. We went through this a few months ago, and there was a lot of great information. For FX, I also use the Alesis Quadraverb+. It is an older unit, but I love it. Again, there are so many to choose from now - make a run to the local music store and test drive some of the goodies out there. Welcome aboard. Jay "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming -- WOW -- What A Ride!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted August 27, 2008 Share Posted August 27, 2008 You might want to hunt down a used Lexicon Vortex. They're gaining in value as word is finally getting around well over a decade later. I briefly owned the Lexicon MPX1, which included many of the unique effects from the Vortex. It was capable of some scary sound mangling, but I had bought it mostly for its reverbs. I sold it once I switched to Altiverb and IK Multimedia CSR plug-ins. I don't recall if I tried the Lexicon stuff on keyboards or not. I would think it would be well-suited for electric keys in particular. Either the MPX1 or Vortex may fit the bill. And do not confuse the MPX1 with other MPX models, which are crap. The MPX1 is fairly close to the mid-range and even some older high-end Lexicon units. The MPX1 is still in production. It is a nightmare to program, and extremely inconvenient live, due to its obtuse and convoluted menu-driven system that does a very good job of hiding such basic functions as switching MIDI sync mode, etc. The guitar-oriented Vortex might be a more user-friendly unit. I don't think it has reverbs (or many of them), but it doesn't sound like that's what you're looking for anyway. Another unique effect you might consider is Demeter's Spring Reverb. A very different type of sound from a standard algorithmic reverb, convolution reverbs, or plate reverbs. Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moog_Man Posted August 27, 2008 Share Posted August 27, 2008 The EHX memory man w/hazarai is awesome. It's the best for the price. If you are really a delay freak though you will want to pony up for something like a pigtronix echolution or a timefactor. You will have way more stuff to play with. (I think the echolution only has a mono input, but it does have stereo out which is something to consider depending on what you are doing) I'm not aware of any stereo distortion boxes. I'm sure there are some out there I just can't think of any off the top of my head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timwat Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Speaking of distortion boxes, I have to give props to the Hermida Zen Drive. It's not stereo, it's not fast (waiting list can sometimes go a full year) and it's not cheap. But it's the smoothest, warmest pedal of its kind I've run across. If I was a guitar player, would be my first pedal purchase. .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
octa Posted August 28, 2008 Author Share Posted August 28, 2008 replies are helpful so far, thanks. --- i used a fulltone OCD pedal (mono) when i was using a keyboard amp & it felt real good. ---- tonight was my 1st gig with qsc 1804 & (1) accugroove tri 112 & the tone of this with the nord electro was unreal! it was a lower volume country show (charley pride cover band) but i can't wait to get another accugroove. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Kurzweil PC2R with Orchestral expansion Kurzweil Mangler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 I owned the Kurzweil Rumour for a year or so, until switching to Altiverb convolution reverbs for most of my work. The Mangler is the same box, with different presets (and possibly different exposed programming paframeters -- I never quite figured that out from the manual). These are the best bang for buck out there, so long as they include the effects that you actually need. The quality is almost as good as Kurzweil's high-end $2000 range. If you look up on-line user and trade mag reviews, you'll see that everyone who has ever got their hands on one has rated it about as high as is allowed by the rating systems. The Mangler is slightly less well-liked than the Rumour, but I forget why. I think it might have had to do with the ratio of certain effects, and maybe the absence of usable distortions for providing a full guitar effects setup (digital distortion just doesn't cut it for most people). A bit more specialised, out of print, gaining value on eBay, and pulled from a recent planned re-release, are the hybrid table-top/rack effects units from Electrix: http://www.floridamusicco.com/products~cat~187.htm I haven't found a solution yet myself (I decided against the Electrix models after further research, but they are good bang for buck and excellent audio quality -- just not quite the feature sets I'm looking for, as I mostly want an analog phaser to treat my Prophet '08 on-stage). Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niacin Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 The Emu Proteus 2000 has some good sounds but the orchestral stuff is not among them. Try a Kurzweil ME-1, which is like the PC2-r but cheaper as it has less effects, (the reverb is fine) no KB3 organ mode, and only midi controller functionality (again probably fine for your purposes). Gig keys: Hammond SKpro, Korg Vox Continental, Crumar Mojo 61, Crumar Mojo Pedals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
octa Posted September 29, 2008 Author Share Posted September 29, 2008 http://www.fullcompass.com/product/355706.html this line 6 m13 stompbox modeler has stereo ins & outs.. also has a lot of different options for distortion, echo & more. may be worth a try*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
octa Posted September 30, 2008 Author Share Posted September 30, 2008 after more research i've decided against the line 6 m13. according to several sources (one very reliable) the distortions sound bad. delay & loop are pretty good though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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