Creamware ASB

[mooghead]

Hi guys.

 

Does anybody of you has experience or only knowledge about the Minimax and Profit 5...supposed to be emulating the Minimoog and the Prophet?

 

I play in a cover band, with songs ranging from the '50s to the '90s; we a kind of "hard" approach to songs which sometimes slides into funky. My present set-up is RD700SX with Orchestral and Vintage expansion and a Nord Electro 73.

 

My idea is to assemble a "self-made" keyboard with a Studiologic 161 and one of the Creamware ASBs put together inside a nice custom cherry cabinet I can easily obtain.

 

Considering my present set-up, and music we play...

 

do you suggest the sound of a poli-moog or the sound of a prophet?

 

Your opinions appreciated

[alfonso]

Hehe...do you like chocolate more or cream?

 

They are both very good emulations, I own both the plugs for the Scope platform and they are the closest emulation I've ever heard, they are wonderful sounding synthesizers. The Profit 5 has been changed name, now it will be Pro12, reflecting the real polyphony of the ASB boxes.

 

Considering that you are playing stuff that has been composed before the 80's, the Minimax would be a more logic choice, but they are both awesome.

[mooghead]

Thank you for the answer Alfonso.

 

I knew it was a matter of comparing apples and oranges... :-)

 

I probably tend more to the Minimax. I'm afraid maybe it's too fat for the mix of a classic rock band, wondering wether the Pro12 sits better in the mix.

 

I'm sure I'd love them both by myself...but

 

-Which one sits better in a mix?

-Which one is better to learn real sinthesis on?(I know all the concepts behind but never had a real sinthesizer, only romplers or organs)

 

Thanks for your replies :-)

[alfonso]

They are both very dynamic and detailed, no problem for the mix....I wouldn't even say they are as apples and oranges, you can cover a wide palette with both of them, each one is a synth capable of covering all synth roles, it's just they have a different taste...

 

Where do you live in Italy? I'm near Rome, on the sea, if you are in this area too you can come and have a listen to them...

[mooghead]

Ciao Alfonso :-)

 

I live in the north, between Milan and Switzerland.

 

Thanks for inviting me for a listen, I'd love to, as I love Rome as well...but I'm afraid the way down there is too long for testing a sinth ;-)

 

Ciao.

[Carbon111]

Originally posted by mooghead:

-Which one sits better in a mix?

-Which one is better to learn real sinthesis on?(I know all the concepts behind but never had a real sinthesizer, only romplers or organs)

 

Thanks for your replies :-)

They both probably sit pretty well in a mix depending on the particular patch of course.

 

The Pro-12 would probably be better to learn synthesis on as it has more of the features you'll find on a "standard" synth - full ADSR generators, PW modulation, a dedicated LFO, etc...

 

I Really like my Minimax ASB but will probably pass on the Pro-12 because I have a DSI Polyevolver Keyboard

[marino]

Andrea, I've played the software versions of both the Minimax and Profit (in fact, I've played them at Alfonso's place!), and I can confirm they're among the best digital emulations of analog gear I've ever heard. I prefer the Minimax to the Profit, and I like the Pro-One emulation even better (Regrettably, it lacks a hardware version for now).

 

In my opinion, there's no such a thing as 'too fat' for synth sounds, *especially* when playing in a band and fighting with electric guitars and drums. You can make a sound 'too thick', maybe (too many layers, which end up canceling each other), but a good fat single analog sound can only be a good thing. My opinion, of course.

[ZioGuido]

I've just received a Minimax ASB for writing an article on an italian magazine and just tested it for a few minutes (I'll have a deeper look at it maybe tomorrow) but for now all I can say is it sounds really amazing, for my tastes it's a little too clean and precise to be analog but enough fat and "alive" to be digital. Really good emulation. Not to mention the 12-notes polyphony and other features like velocity response and last-note priority. I don't like the built-in effects though.

 

I look forward to test the Pro-12 as well, I'm a Prophet5 lover! If I had to decide between the two, I'd go for the Pro-12, assuming it's as good as its brother.

 

Guido.

[marino]

Wow - we should start an Italian forum!

 

Guido, if you don't mind - on which magazine we can read your review?

[mooghead]

That's true. An italian forum written in english language...cool! :-)

 

Considering foreing languages skills of the average italian I'm afraid we couldn't be too many ;-)

 

Thank you for suggestions.

I think I'll wait till the Pro12 is out and both are bug-free, then I'll make a decision.

Last year I was really near to buying a Voyager, then I realized I'm not such a good soloist to let me "afford" such a piece...but a poliphonic "moog", that does mean "real G.A.S." :-)

[Andre Lower]

Apart from the now defunct Noah, does anyone know of a hardware piece that could carry both the Pro and the Minimax to a gig? I mean, except for a laptop? And does anyone have an idea of the price range of such a hardware piece?

[Tom Fiala]

Well, you could get a Receptor, and load the Arturia or other minimoog type VST's, and use the NI Pro-53 or soft synth of your choice.....not exactly the same, but it could get close.

 

Alternatively, a DSI poly-evolver rack would probably do all the Prophet sounds you like, and could probably do a fair Mini imitation.

 

I'm keeping my Noah!!

[Andre Lower]

Originally posted by Tom Fiala:

...Alternatively, a DSI poly-evolver rack would probably do all the Prophet sounds you like, and could probably do a fair Mini imitation. I'm keeping my Noah!!

Nice Tom, you just hit the nail on the head for me. My standard plan up to now was getting a Poly Evolver rack as soon as I can. However I do realize that the majority of the sounds I tend to crave for were originally yielded by a Moog, not a Prophet (in fact Obies would be the 2nd most frequent among my "wish for" list, and only then the Prophet sounds).

 

That leads to the question I was afraid to ask: How well can a Prophet/prophet-like synth cover sounds originally created on a Moog? I was afraid to ask because this is so subjective and tends to bring up heated, unobjective debates.

 

Then again I am now much more cautious about jumping headlong into any gear choice. I learned the lesson the hard way, spending a lot on a Clavia Nord Modular which, although versatile and a powerful synth on its own right, was a bad choice for the sounds I really wanted.

 

Back to the subject, I wonder why Creamware dropped the Noah idea. It sure looked promising, a sort of Nord Electro equivalent for analog sounds, and I can see no reason for it to not have achieved the same popularity as have the electro achieved among those who are into quality reproduction of specific keyboard sounds.