A synth to compliment the PEK for about 500$

[zahush76]

I have enough money for the new edition of the PEK, after i sold my Virus TI and (sometime this week) also the MEK.

I'll have about 500$ left, and i had two options in mind.

One is to get a desktop evolver that can give a fifth voice for the PEK.

Another options is to get a Blofeld, but someone told me that the specific combination of the two - soundwise - is "more of the same", although they're different beasts.

I still have some time to research and decide before i pull the trigger on this.

Happy for your opinions - and maybe ideas about other gear that can compliment the PEK, in this price range.

[Atomic Shadow]

Wow,

It depends a lot on what sort of music you play. But you might want to see if you can get your hands on a standard ROMpler type keyboard. like an older Fantom, Motif, Triton. Then you will have a wide range of sounds at your beck and call. If you are just looking for another synth you are pretty limited by your budget to the Micron, R3 Korg, Akai Miniak or maybe a second hand Ion.

[frogmonkey]

Yeah, something digital with sampling capability.. Fantom you might find a fantom-s for that much.

[Moog_Man]

I think most synths that can be had for $500 will be pretty disappointing compared to a PEK. The sampling option on the Blofeld will give you a different avenue for creating sounds but I think you will be much more happy if you save up for a Little Phatty, a Voyager, a modular, FR XS, Omega, etc.

[zahush76]

I should have mentioned that i have a Nord Stage for B&B sounds. I'm not very interested in a rompler.

Btw, the sample expansion on the Blofeld is only for playing samples that are provided by waldorf on their web-site. There are no "user" samples, like on the Nord Wave.

 

When i'm looking for a companion to the PEK, i was thinking about a synth for electronic music. Virtual or true analog. The Blofeld seems like one of the options since it costs 500$ and packs a lot undedr its hood. There are other options as well. I looked at the monophonic Dark Energy synth from doepfer (though it has the same curtis filter as the PEK...), and there are others in that general direction.

The idea is to give a contrast sound to the PEK, and maybe to add something to cover its limited polyphony.

That's why one of the other options is to get a desktop mono evolver to poly-chain to the PEK for 5 voices. Or just to get a different, small synth, to compliment it.

 

Moog man - i would love to have one of the synths you mentioned, but most of them costs way way more than 500$. Voyager, Omega - you're talking about 2500$ - 5000$. Way out of my budget.

Maybe i can scrape another 100$-200$, but that's about it.

 

Ideas?

[Tom Fiala]

For that price range, my first thought would be a VST soft-synth. Otherwise, save your pennies....

[Tusker]

I think most synths that can be had for $500 will be pretty disappointing compared to a PEK. The sampling option on the Blofeld will give you a different avenue for creating sounds but I think you will be much more happy if you save up for a Little Phatty, a Voyager, a modular, FR XS, Omega, etc.

 

+1

 

Maybe go to a sophisticated midi controllable outboard efx route like a fireworx or KSP8 for dressing up the PEK ...?

 

One second thoughts the PEK really doesn't want to be dressed up.

 

Jerry

[zahush76]

I've narrowed my options to two:

 

1) Get a desktop evolver to expand the PEK's polyphony to 5 voices

 

or

 

2) Get a Blofeld for more digital, wavetable kind of sounds.

[b3keys]

Roland SH-201?

[zahush76]

Roland SH-201?

 

I'm not into toys

[eric]

It sounds like you have not yet received the PEK, right? If not, I would recommend that you wait until it arrives and you figure out what its role will be with your rig and what gaps there are. It is hard to assess the gaps until you have the gear in hand. I think you've come up with a pretty good list of options here, but would make the final call after using the PEK in your rig. I've often pined away for gear and then wondered why I had it once I spent time with it.

 

Regards,

Eric

[zahush76]

It sounds like you have not yet received the PEK, right? If not, I would recommend that you wait until it arrives and you figure out what its role will be with your rig and what gaps there are. It is hard to assess the gaps until you have the gear in hand. I think you've come up with a pretty good list of options here, but would make the final call after using the PEK in your rig. I've often pined away for gear and then wondered why I had it once I spent time with it.

 

Regards,

Eric

 

I know...

You are right, and that's exactly what i would do, in an ideal situation.

The thing is this: i'm getting all this stuff from U.S.A. My sister is coming to Israel from New York, about once a year. My only option to get this gear (since there are no distributers of dsi in Israel) - and especially for this price (with the dollar vs shekel, etc) is by buying this gear in the U.S.A., and have it brought to here.

That is why i only have one shot, and one shot alone - without the possibility or the time to figure out the things that you've mentioned.

 

Now, i already had a MEK. I don't know how 4 voice polyphony would be like, and if it's worth the 500$ for the extra voice - or get along with 4 voices and expand the kind of sounds i can produce if i get the Blofeld instead.

[eric]

How about a Tetra or Mopho?

[zahush76]

How about a Tetra or Mopho?

 

I thought about it, but i dunno, for two reasons:

1) I started my affair with dsi with the MEK and the Desktop Prophet 08. While connecting with the evolver immediatly and spending endless fun time with it - i found the Prophet sound a bit boring and limiting to me.

I know the Tetra is a bit different since it has the feedback that gives it options for more distorted sounds, but i'm not sure if it is that basically different from the Prophet 08. I'm affraid i'll be bored with it, but who knows.

 

2) The tetra is, after all, another dsi synth - with the same curtis filter (even though with a pure analog signal flow). I think there's a chance of overlap of sounds between the PEK and the Tetra, if i'll get both. Won't it be more of the same?

 

Would you get both? Do you think it's not "overkill" to get both?

[Bill H.]

This:

 

http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/msg/1465292367.html

 

So OK it's listed at more than $500 but if you keep searching NYC CL you will find one cheaper. But this one's decent because it's V2 with the D-50 card. And I would bet it can be talked down a hundred or two. I've never paid asking price on a CL item.

 

I'm buying for myself here. Get whatever you want.

[zahush76]

Just sold the MEK, and now i have enough money (in addition for the money i got from selling the Virus TI) for the PEK PE - and then some.

So, i guess the question remains:

Do i use the extra money for a desktop evolver to get a 5 voice PEK - or is it wiser to "sacrifice" that fifth voice for a Blofeld and get different kind of sounds?

 

I think the main - debated - question is how many evolver voices are enough. Some say that one is more than enough, and some say that a 4 voice PEK is a monster already. Some others say that the 4 voice polyphony limits them when it comes to more complex chords.

Don't know what to decide...

[frogmonkey]

Does anybody actually play complex chords on a PEK? My guess is "no".

 

Personally, I think complex chords sound bad on anything except a piano. Rhodes can do it too, but even that calls for simpler voicings to my ear.

 

The PEK is about evolving timbre and texture, not about complex chords (IMO). If you want upper structure chords and harmonic extensions, you're barking up the wrong tree.

 

You have a Stage. You have a PEK. What you don't have is sample-mangle capability. Or a resonant high-pass filter.

 

I stand by my suggestion of the fantom. Not for it's canned rompler sounds, but for its sample/synth capability. (and because it's cheaper than a v-synth).

[mate stubb]

$500 would get you an Alesis Fusion. Rompler, decent VA engine with lots of filter types, more complex FM than the Stage has, plus a limited Modelling synth section.

[zahush76]

Does anybody actually play complex chords on a PEK? My guess is "no".

 

Personally, I think complex chords sound bad on anything except a piano. Rhodes can do it too, but even that calls for simpler voicings to my ear.

 

The PEK is about evolving timbre and texture, not about complex chords (IMO). If you want upper structure chords and harmonic extensions, you're barking up the wrong tree.

 

You have a Stage. You have a PEK. What you don't have is sample-mangle capability. Or a resonant high-pass filter.

 

I stand by my suggestion of the fantom. Not for it's canned rompler sounds, but for its sample/synth capability. (and because it's cheaper than a v-synth).

 

By complex chords i don't mean Cm13# and such. With 4 voice polyphony you can get a single bass with your left hand, and a triad with your right. When i say "complex" i mean anything more than just a simple major or minor chord. You can do a major 7 - but then you'll have to give up the bass.

I won't take a roland fantom because i don't enough room for it, i don't want it very much - and even if i did - it's more than 500$ even if in used condition.

 

The PEK isn't just about evolving timbres and textures. It can do that if you like, but it can do other stuff as well.

 

If it's going to be anything other than additional voice for the PEK - than my direction is the Waldorf Blofeld. VA, wavetables, interesting arp - and of course, polyphony.

[zahush76]

$500 would get you an Alesis Fusion. Rompler, decent VA engine with lots of filter types, more complex FM than the Stage has, plus a limited Modelling synth section.

 

I think the only synth to compliment the PEK i'd be willing to spend more than 500$ on, and make an effort getting the extra money - is if Clavia would release a rack version of the Nord Wave.

[mate stubb]

The Wave is interesting to me - I'd love to get my hands on one to try.

[zahush76]

Realistically speaking, since there is no Nord Wave Rack - i even thought about maybe picking up a Nord Lead 2x rack on ebay. Question is - how will it pair up with the PEK - in comparison to combining a Blofeld with the PEK.

[zahush76]

How about a Tetra or Mopho?

 

Changed my mind a bit. Heard and seen some demos of the Tetra, and i must say it sounds far more interesting than the P08. Maybe due to the feedback option that can create more overdriven sounds that the P08 can't. Also, you get more sequences, since it's like four mophos in one box.

 

But, a week away from making the purchase, i'm still asking myself what would be better. This - or a Virus Snow. The Tetra is analog and sounds great - but will it compliment my PEK or be "more of the same" since a dsi is still a dsi, and the curtis filter sound is still a curtis filter sound?

Or, maybe go for a digital sound with wavetables, multimode filters, formants etc?

 

Help!!

[Mark Schmieder]

I know this was mentioned in the NAMM thread, but could be missed by someone searching later, so thought I should add the new possibility of the Mopho Keyboard edition to the mix.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if a keyboard version of the Tetr4 follows closely on its heels.

[gregorya]

I Poly-chained my Evolver Desktop to the PEK to achieve a fifth voice and I think it really makes a big difference.

 

It is true that the PEK can produce an amazing amount of sound with 4 voices, but I like having the option of that 5th voice for some types of sounds and voicings.

[Mark Schmieder]

I think it's unlikely there will be a Tetr4 keyboard.

 

I didn't try the Mopho keyboard as my only interest at this point would be in a polyhonic module or keyboard based on Evolver or some new technology. But I can say that it is put together well and has a very appealing and direct front panel. I am sorry though that I forgot to ask its price point.