Muad’Dib Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 I have noticed over the years, the number of unpopular synths. Roland U-20, W-30, KORG DSS-1, KARMA, WAVESTATION, Yamaha V50, just a few examples, and I often wondered what were the manufactures, thinking, when they came up with some of these synths? I know KARMA sounds were integrated, into the TRITON. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowboyNQ Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I used to own a W-30 and loved it. I confess I wouldn't want one now, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marillo Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Is Karma hated? I know Mark Kelly from Marillion uses one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightbg Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 I owned a Korg DSS-1 and quite enjoyed it. There was a boot up time waiting for your disks to load, but otherwise it played great. It was the first 12 bit sampler and became the basis for the M1. No other keyboard at the time gave me the ability to have grand piano samples, brass, organ, and strings along with applause and toilet flushes available on a simple button press (and I admit to wasting at least 40 gallons of water before immortalizing the perfect flush - it worked great every time our singer tried a joke that bombed). Jake 1967 B-3 w/(2) 122's, Nord C1w/Leslie 2101 top, Nord PedalKeys 27, Nord Electro 4D, IK B3X, QSC K12.2, Yamaha reface YC+CS+CP "It needs a Hammond" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Ferguson Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 I played a Karma for a long time. It was a cheaper way to get all the Triton sounds, plus it was easy to carry. "If you can't dazzle them with dexterity, baffle them with bullshit." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 I know KARMA sounds were integrated, into the TRITON. The Triton came first. Then the red Karma keyboard. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Losendoskeys Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 You missed the ARP Quadra......but what a machine it was! Yamaha CP70B;Roland XP30/AXSynth/Fantom/FA76/XR;Hammond XK3C SK2; Korg Kronos 73;ProSoloist Rack+; ARP ProSoloist; Mellotron M4000D; GEM Promega2; Hohner Pianet N, Roland V-Grand,Voyager XL, RMI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marczellm Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Tony Banks used Wavestation sounds on later Genesis albums. Many cover acts got a Wavestation just to have those sounds. Life is subtractive.Genres: Jazz, funk, pop, Christian worship, BebHop Wishlist: 80s-ish (synth)pop, symph pop, prog rock, fusion, musical theatre Gear: NS2 + JUNO-G. KingKORG. SP6 at church. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Tony Banks used Wavestation sounds on later Genesis albums. Many cover acts got a Wavestation just to have those sounds. Tony also had a Synclavier before that, but not many cover acts ran out and bought one of those. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Burgess Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 I really liked my U20. Was a basic little thing but a handy go to synth for small gigs or if I wanted some nice digital strings. Looked pretty nice, too, IMO. Liked that clean look. Theres been a Karma for sale in a shop near me - for about 5 years - think hes still trying to sell it for the equivalent of around $1000USD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucktunes Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Not sure the Wavestation belongs on that list...IIRC it was a popular and well respected synth in its day, although it was unique in its synthesis approach. The others you mentioned certainly weren't bad synths. They were most likely just overshadowed by something else that was dominating the market at the time. ><> Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p19978 Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 We still use a Karma every Sunday for church services. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABECK Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Fizmo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Nord Least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucktunes Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 OTOH, I don't think many people cared for the Avid/M Audio Venom synth. I know I didn't... ><> Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Fizmo Beat me to it. Okay then...E-mu Morpheus. dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muad’Dib Posted November 13, 2018 Author Share Posted November 13, 2018 I owned a Venom, and I wasn't overly impressed with it. It lacks something. Mainly more knobs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muad’Dib Posted November 13, 2018 Author Share Posted November 13, 2018 I have seen people scramble to buy one of these. On eBay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muad’Dib Posted November 13, 2018 Author Share Posted November 13, 2018 Well, then what came after the Triton? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muad’Dib Posted November 13, 2018 Author Share Posted November 13, 2018 How about the KORG i- series, of interactive workstations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Motif Max Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Yamaha YS200/YS100/TQ5 would qualify I think. 4-op FM, "Easy Edit" which means you have to edit from an Atari application for anything deep. Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000 Kurzweil: PC3-76| Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT, Kurzweil PC4 (88) Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 I owned a Korg DSS-1 and quite enjoyed it. There was a boot up time waiting for your disks to load, but otherwise it played great. yup. DSS1 was a fantastic sounding board, and also had probably my favorite synth action. It had a unique waveform drawing feature, too. Downsides were the long loads, heavy travel weight, and the complexity of the interface for working with your own samples. But it was a great board, was it really unpopular? I know it still has its devotees, there were even aftermarket upgrades. Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIDI2XS Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Yamaha YS200/YS100/TQ5 would qualify I think. 4-op FM, "Easy Edit" which means you have to edit from an Atari application for anything deep. Beauty is only skin deep. You can thank (or blame) designer Masamichi Udagawa, who worked for Yamaha at the time of the YS200, for its look. He later worked for Apple. These were under-appreciated models. They were basically similar to the TX81Z/DX11 with certain differences. The YS series units have no micro tuning capability, no variable portamento, no sustain or chorus footswitch capability, and pitch envelope generator settings are fixed at center value. They do have built-in effects, however, and the YS200 has after-touch. So a TX81Z editor, for example, will work with a YS series synth, but you won't have total control of the available parameters. I solved the "Easy Edit" limitations for myself by writing a DOS-based editor/librarian for my YS200. Yamaha: Motif XF6 and XS6, A3000V2, A4000, YS200 | Korg: T3EX, 05R/W | Fender Chroma Polaris | Roland U-220 | Etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthizen2 Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 I owned a Korg DSS-1 and quite enjoyed it. There was a boot up time waiting for your disks to load, but otherwise it played great. yup. DSS1 was a fantastic sounding board, and also had probably my favorite synth action. It had a unique waveform drawing feature, too. Downsides were the long loads, heavy travel weight, and the complexity of the interface for working with your own samples. But it was a great board, was it really unpopular? I know it still has its devotees, there were even aftermarket upgrades. Yes, I also really enjoyed this synth while I had it. Up until I bought my PC3 recently, the DSS-1 had the best aftertouch sensitivity I'd ever experienced. It also had very nice analog filters, and allowed hard-sync on PCM waveforms. It was indeed a fat sounding beast. I created an entire web site devoted to it, over a decade ago (which is still up). Kurzweil PC3, Yamaha MOX8, Alesis Ion, Kawai K3M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 I actually loved my Emu Morpheus! I had a Proteus and a Morpheus, there was nothing I could not accomplish Now, my Moog Rogue could be on the list. My old poly-800 SHOULD be on the list as far as I am concerned...never liked it and it had tuning issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real MC Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 I owned a Korg DSS-1 and quite enjoyed it. There was a boot up time waiting for your disks to load, but otherwise it played great. yup. DSS1 was a fantastic sounding board, and also had probably my favorite synth action. It had a unique waveform drawing feature, too. Downsides were the long loads, heavy travel weight, and the complexity of the interface for working with your own samples. But it was a great board, was it really unpopular? I know it still has its devotees, there were even aftermarket upgrades. The DSS-1 earned a better appreciation during the analog renaissance due to the great sounding VCF in each voice. They used the CJM4069 - Korg's clone of the SSM2040 - and could be configured in 12dB or 24dB mode. The 4069 VCF was used in derivative products such as DSM-1, DW6000, DW8000 but they didn't sound as good as the DSS-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan_evett Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 This thread brings back memories of my ARP Quartet; one of many love/hate relationships from the 1980's, and not all of those were with gear. I was going to mention the Kawai K3 I owned for a couple years, but it was actually a pretty cool sounding synth. 'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo. We need a barfing cat emoticon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Motif Max Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Yamaha YS200/YS100/TQ5 would qualify I think. 4-op FM, "Easy Edit" which means you have to edit from an Atari application for anything deep. Beauty is only skin deep. You can thank (or blame) designer Masamichi Udagawa, who worked for Yamaha at the time of the YS200, for its look. He later worked for Apple. These were under-appreciated models. They were basically similar to the TX81Z/DX11 with certain differences. The YS series units have no micro tuning capability, no variable portamento, no sustain or chorus footswitch capability, and pitch envelope generator settings are fixed at center value. They do have built-in effects, however, and the YS200 has after-touch. So a TX81Z editor, for example, will work with a YS series synth, but you won't have total control of the available parameters. I solved the "Easy Edit" limitations for myself by writing a DOS-based editor/librarian for my YS200. I actually really like the look. But I'm weird that way with odd-looking items. Never had any luck running an Atari emulator on my Mac so I can use YSEditor unfortunately. Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000 Kurzweil: PC3-76| Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT, Kurzweil PC4 (88) Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MathOfInsects Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Moog Nausea Korg Pass-Aggro Roland Decapitator Kawai Silence Nord Leech Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material. www.joshweinstein.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABECK Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Oberheim OB-12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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