"Covered"

[realtrance]

Hi, thought this might be amusing _if_ we don't turn it into a "this is better than that" debate:

 

At one point in my life, I felt like a Roland XP-80 and JP-8000 would basically have me covered, for where I was with my music. I really wasn't too far wrong; these are both flexible, wonderful-sounding instruments.

 

Every now and then I enjoy the exercise of wondering, today, if I were at the same point I was back then, what I'd choose as the equivalents.

 

Leaving out real analogue for a moment, as that's a kind of "super extra," if you were going to limit yourself to two _new_ keyboards, one sample-based, one DSP-based, which would you pick now?

 

Money no object.

 

My choices, to kick off, would be a Triton Studio (76-key) and Supernova II (48-voice).

 

Reasons: while I still love the Roland sound (call me lame, I don't care), the Triton Studio just has such a vast variety of capabilities that I think it would pretty much cover everything sample-based I'd want to do. While there are a host of great, separate efx units out there, the Triton would have "enough" there to keep me occupied, happy and involved until I really had the need to go between the 2 keyboards paradigm.

 

And while there's a huge array of great DSP-based synth design out there, for what I do, the SN II would just have the greatest flexibility in terms of the tonalities I'd want. It would really be a toss-up between that and a Q+, though.

 

Okay, your turn! Keep it simple.

 

rt

[Tusker]

K2600 and Nord Modular for me.

 

K2600 for VAST and because I like the warmth, size and clarity it excudes. I love Kurzweil's new triple strike piano on that thing.

 

The Nord Modular because I want to mess with FM and analogish stuff, and additional triggering and logic tricks and .......

 

I'd still need to buy some cd roms to augment the K's roms. I assume you'll pay for those too.

 

If you wouldn't be so darn anti-analog I'd get an Andromeda instead of the NM with your money.

 

Jest kidding.

 

Jerry

[Dave Bryce]

I'd probably go with either an S90 or PC2X on the bottom, and an Andromeda on the top.

 

I don't see why we have to observe the DSP restriction for the non-sample-based board - Andy costs the same as the 48-voice Supernova II. What makes the real analog "super-extra"?

 

Funny thing - I currently have a Supernova II sitting on top of an Andromeda on an Apex column about 2 feet from me even as we speak...it's been very interesting to compare and contrast the two...

 

dB

[Pim]

If I could play well (which is not the fact), I would buy a Nord Electro and an Andromeda.

 

Originally posted by Dave Bryce:

I currently have a Supernova II sitting on top of an Andromeda on an Apex column about 2 feet from me even as we speak...it's been very interesting to compare and contrast the two...

dB

Tell us more...

[realtrance]

We all can play! Assume you have as much money as you need, but have decided you want to strip things down to two keyboards, one sample-based, one non-sample-based (okay, I'll take the DSP restriction off Dave! ). This is not my reality, but it's what I felt like doing for fun this morning.

 

I drop the SNII and go for the A6 without question once I lose the DSP restriction, though.... sorry about that, everyone! Not trying to sound wishy-washy or anything, but...

 

There's been a warp to the topic I'd really like to hear about, though: Dave, do tell us more re: your SNII and A6 opportunity for comparison.

 

We know you can do this professionally.

 

We promise not to turn this into The Millionth Thread of Endless Carping.

 

Realize that, at one level or another, the fortunate thing for all of us is that almost _nothing_ out there at this point is truly, truly bad. Hence, not interested in a contest to prove which is absolutely better than what, but just your subjective, informed, interesting impressions on what you love, and why. Kind of a positive thing, for a change.

 

Eagerly awaiting Dave's Untrammeled Thoughts.

 

rt

[Dave Bryce]

Let me cut to the chase and just say that I was really surprised by just how good the Supernova is. I thought that Andy was going to wipe the floor up with it, but it just wasn't the case. The oscillators sound very realistic and the VA technology allows you to do a whole bunch of really cool tweaky things to the waveforms before they reach the filters. The filters scream and squeal and self-oscillate (you can even set the self-oscillation to track the keyboard, and use it as another sine-wave generating "voice". There are a whole bunch of different filter configurations (three slopes, nine special filter modes - six of them dual configuration) and options that are a ball to play with. And then there's the effects section, which just kicks the crap out of anything made by anyone - for those of you who don't know, SII can do up to seven individual effects on each of up to eight channels for a total of fifty-six simultaneous effects . I actually went into the Supernova in great detail in my review that'll be out in the next issue of EM.

 

As far as Andy's advantages - the highlights for me would be ability to use multiple waveforms from a single oscillator, more powerful envelopes with a much higher degree of control, much more flexible mod matrix...but the biggest difference for me was what my ear perceives to be richer, warmer more sizzly filters than the SII - I thought this was really where the Andromeda shone. Also, Andy's filter configurations are more flexible than the SII, which only lets you run them in parallel. I definitely preferred Andy's filter interface, with dedicated knobs for hi, lo and band pass for the multi-mode 2-pole and the LP on the 4-pole - I just love that...actually, while it was very apparent that the SII was thoughtfully designed by people who love synths, I found Andy's interface to be a bit more intuitive (although I do have to allow for the possibility that thius is because I am so familiar with it).

 

While Andy has a greatly inferior effects section to SII in terms of raw specs (as does everything else on the planet), I felt that the overall quality of effects in Andromeda was higher; specifically, the reverbs sounded more natural to me.

 

Another thing is that Andy just seemed to have more of, well, an analog feel. It felt a bit slower - the SII feels faster than all get-out...maybe I just need to upgrade to that Andromeda software with the super-fast envelopes, I dunno...

 

I also infinitely prefer Andy's display...I adore that - it's one of my favorite features on Andromeda. It''s much more informative than the two-line readout on the SII.

 

How's that for starters?

 

dB

[fv_dup1]

Hi,

 

With money no object, I'd probably go with a K2600XS and, like Dave, an A6 on top (I've been playing around on my dealer's A6 lately and am in love).

 

I'd need to bring along my Supernova I in a rack though. There are some sounds that I have programmed in it that I can't live without. It has a different sonic signature than the A6, yet, I agree with Dave that it sounds pretty amazing for a VA. I originally picked it up because I needed to replace my MKS-80 onstage as it was starting to cause me too much grief. I find the SN very Roland-like in its sound and was able to duplicate some of my favourite MKS-80 patches. Not the same in terms of fatness but the SN does not go into Auto Tune spontaneously onstage for an hour.

 

There you have it. Enough of my rambling.

 

fv

[realtrance]

Wonderful, Dave -- thanks!

 

I would just add that I _suspect_ the SNII can do bell-like/DX7-like FM with more "ring" to it than the Andy, in part because it is digital, in part because it's got a wider range of fm-oriented controls....??? What do you think about that aspect?

 

Now, for someone to ponder an A6 alongside a Q+, another interesting and valuable contrast....

 

rt

[Markyboard]

I will also go with the Andromeda (my all time favorite) and for sample playback - the FS1R. What? From another thread:

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Markyboard said:

I'm with you Steve on the DX7 thing. This is real synthesis not like all that sample playback crap.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Ironic, given the fact the sine wave in the DX7 is nothing more than a wavetable ROM sample, and a 1/4-sample mirrored-and-flipped to make the full cycle at that!

 

 

I assume the FS1R uses the same concept .

[Dave Bryce]

Originally posted by realtrance:

I would just add that I _suspect_ the SNII can do bell-like/DX7-like FM with more "ring" to it than the Andy, in part because it is digital, in part because it's got a wider range of fm-oriented controls....??? What do you think about that aspect?

You are correct, sir.

 

You can in fact use the SII as a three operator FM synth by using oscillators 1 and 2 as modulators, and oscillator 3 as a carrier. If you're a clever FM programmer, you can design two or more three-op stacks and use them together in performance mode for more complex FM timbres.

 

dB

[Tusker]

Very interesting information. Thank you.

 

Jerry