Good Presets?

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 5:25 pm

I've used a couple of presets... but generally I don't. Even if you like a preset, you have to tweak it a bit to fit your song.

BluMunk · Post by **BluMunk** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 5:56 pm

I love many of the presets from my Alesis QS7.1

Quadratix, number 90 bank A (or is it number 80?), is the best out-of-the-box "Jump" patch I've ever used.

I really like a lot of the electric and FM piano sounds.

The "flugel solo" is an awesome trumpet patch.

Alex E · Post by **Alex E** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 9:56 pm

thestreets wrote: However, one synth I refuse to use presets in is the microkorg. For some reason it pisses me off whenever I hear I song that just has a blatant MK preset driving it.

I've noticed Microkorg presets here and there too. I've even seen a short bump (picture only) on adult swim that only had Mk presets overdubbed for the music.

The Mk presets never do justice to it's nasty side. It can sound pretty hardcore.

I like some presets, but there is no way I'd ever rely on them.

Johnny Lenin · Post by **Johnny Lenin** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 10:39 pm

Well... some of the presets I use and like include the the Trem. Organ and Euro Organ on the Fantom X6, as well as a couple of the Wurlitzer EP patches. For some reason, I have never heard a half-decent combo-organ emulation on any synth-workstation [the Nord C1 excepted], which is why I'm shopping for a new combo. I like the Jupiter-X pad and the "Clean?" lead, though with some tweaking. There are a few others. On the Korg Poly-800, I quite like #75 as well as #44 and #83. I also quite like some the brass.

Okay... I admit it... I reuse patches that I like, even if they're presets. SO shoot me.

i_watch_stars · Post by **i_watch_stars** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 4:08 am

The D-50 has some of the best presets of all time;

-STAR-TREK voices (see post above, possibly the best preset of all time)
Living CALLIOPE (there is something about this patch...I'm not sure what it is. It doesn't sound at all like a panflute, but it somehow transcends what it was suppost to do)
-Glass Voices (1 & 2)
-Digital Native Dance
-Metal Harp
-ISIS
-Fantasia
-Deep Analog Strings
-Combi Strings
-Star Peace Chorus
-Android

In the JD-800/990

-Pure Glass
-Dawn Sweep
-LOOK INTO THE ABYSS <----awesome
-990 Strings
-Swimmotion
-Alice
-Killer Pad
-Deep Breath Pad
-CHERISH (This preset nearly gave me an eargasm when I first heard it. Effing brilliant! This is A-17 on the 990)

JP-8080

-Tunnel of Pirate
-Sandstorm
-LFO Boy
-Men at work (I think that is what its called)
-Fiesta (one of the best Hoovers)
-BIO-FEEDBACK

NO, THERE IS NO SUPERSAW "trance lead" PRESET on the Jp-80x0. Remember, these preset were probably programmed around 96, before the hay-day of the supersaw. Furthermore, a supersaw trance lead is more than just a supersaw wave (at least a good one is). Now there are a couple on the Virus B, though.

On the Virus;

-Monolith
-Rotterdam
-Outpost
-Nowhere BC
-Infected
-Prions
-Cutoff
-"KillerBees" (something like that)
-Uck Muck (this preset by Rob Papen was used in Lasgo's "something")
-Impact
-

Matrix 1000 has only one good preset, "patch 751". Awesome unison sound with FM on the filter.

The SuperNova has a few, but overall not really impressive, more on the perfunctory side. I can't think of their names right now.

otto · Post by **otto** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 6:25 am

I really don't like presets that are supposed to emulate acoustic instruments. Presets can be good starting places and I'm not against using one in a song if it fits.

realpolitik · Post by **realpolitik** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 6:41 am

for a 2osc synth, the korg ms2000b's "reactor pad" patch is f**k lush. yes, i said it.

also the "uni synth" is extremely nice.

Synthprophet · Post by **Synthprophet** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 11:05 am

i_watch_stars wrote: ...

JP-8080

-Tunnel of Pirate
-Sandstorm
-LFO Boy
-Men at work (I think that is what its called)
-Fiesta (one of the best Hoovers)
-BIO-FEEDBACK

Do you have a demo with this preset? I heard it some years ago that Darude's track "Sandstorm" was taken from that, so I have been wondering about how it actually sounds. I once heard that Darude claimed that he used samples for the Sandstorm lead.

custom synth · Post by **custom synth** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 11:57 am

vox humana on the polymoog , classic

i_watch_stars · Post by **i_watch_stars** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 4:49 pm

Synthprophet wrote:
i_watch_stars wrote: ...

JP-8080

-Tunnel of Pirate
-Sandstorm
-LFO Boy
-Men at work (I think that is what its called)
-Fiesta (one of the best Hoovers)
-BIO-FEEDBACK

Do you have a demo with this preset? I heard it some years ago that Darude's track "Sandstorm" was taken from that, so I have been wondering about how it actually sounds. I once heard that Darude claimed that he used samples for the Sandstorm lead.

Ask and ye shall recieve...

SAND STORM

Synthprophet · Post by **Synthprophet** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 4:55 pm

i_watch_stars wrote:
Synthprophet wrote:
i_watch_stars wrote: ...

JP-8080

-Tunnel of Pirate
-Sandstorm
-LFO Boy
-Men at work (I think that is what its called)
-Fiesta (one of the best Hoovers)
-BIO-FEEDBACK

Do you have a demo with this preset? I heard it some years ago that Darude's track "Sandstorm" was taken from that, so I have been wondering about how it actually sounds. I once heard that Darude claimed that he used samples for the Sandstorm lead.
Ask and ye shall recieve...

SAND STORM

Thanks

Huppo · Post by **Huppo** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 5:27 pm

Depends a lot on the synth. Some very capable synths have really dull, generally unusable presets. On the other hand, something like 'New Solo Reed' on the Z1 doesn't need any tweaking since it's supposed to sound like an expressive sax and it already does, so tweaking it is likely to make it sound less realistic. If that's what you're after, fine. But if you wanted a sax sound, you'd leave it the way it is and there's no good reason not to do so. Here's a tune that uses that preset from a Z1 but it's not glaringly obvious:

Phil's Shadow

Another reason to use presets is if your programming skills aren't up to the task or you aren't familiar with a particular synth. Still, I try to avoid recording with presets of synthetic sounds because I generally don't want anything I record to have an immediately identifiable preset from any synth in it. If it's decent, chances are it's already been used by someone for something, anyway. Here's a great example. It uses an obvious preset from a Wavestation:

aroma

When I'm recording something I usually hear in my head what I want in a certain place in the music. If I recall something on one of my synths that's something like it I might pull up that preset and tweak until it's what I want. On the other hand, I can also start from scratch to get the sound in some cases. In other cases I find inspiration in sounds I create from scratch and the music assembles itself around that sound.

JonnyL, For organ presets and so forth did you ever look at an Alesis Fusion? I had to do a recording gig that consisted mainly of organ sounds, both combo type and also Hammondesque. Piano was required on a few tunes and I also needed a synthetic siren of sorts for another tune. The Fusion did all this stuff very, very well. I assembled a whole bunch of organ presets in one bank to have them ready for the producer to hear and choose from. I EQed them a little to alter them for his taste but basically used them as I found them. No orignal sounding synthetic stuff was required (though I did put together the siren on the spot from the VA engine), so using presets was really appropriate in that case.

Johnny Lenin · Post by **Johnny Lenin** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 5:54 pm

Huppo wrote: JonnyL, For organ presets and so forth did you ever look at an Alesis Fusion? I had to do a recording gig that consisted mainly of organ sounds, both combo type and also Hammondesque. Piano was required on a few tunes and I also needed a synthetic siren of sorts for another tune. The Fusion did all this stuff very, very well. I assembled a whole bunch of organ presets in one bank to have them ready for the producer to hear and choose from. I EQed them a little to alter them for his taste but basically used them as I found them. No orignal sounding synthetic stuff was required (though I did put together the siren on the spot from the VA engine), so using presets was really appropriate in that case.

I've never had a chance to play with a Fusion, though I'd like to. If you have anything I can hear, I'd really appreciate it.

The Fantom does Hammond stuff pretty well, but I wonder if the programmers have ever heard a Vox or Farfisa. There's one patch called "Transistor Organ" which should be a combo sound, and I think they were trying to go for a Howard combo sound, but it's really awful. It was a basic organ patch stacked on top of a couple of really buzzy saws. I've replaced that patch with a passable attempt at a Farfisa-Compact-all-tabs, but I haven't found a way to replicate some of the Farfisa's peculiarities, like higher volume of the lowest two-and-a-half octaves. Still working on it.

Like I said, though, the Fantom does the Hammond thing pretty well -- probably thanks to their VK line.

sequence · Post by **sequence** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 8:26 pm

I like the presets on my Fizzy because they are GREAT starting points for doing something even more personal and fantastic, in a weird sort of way

Ditto for my Microwave XT before it imploded on me....

And words cannot describe how special my Planet Earth's presets are to my music!

Also my Triton has some wonderful organ presets, and I love some of my MEK's drones. I always find something positive about presets, because to BIATCH about them (like the other thread) is a silly and stupid waste of time. Appreciate and build on what U have, and if U dont like what's there, change/save or move the f**k on!!

Synthaholic · Post by **Synthaholic** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 9:37 pm

For me, it depends on the synth. On analogs and VAs my tendency is to either tweak the presets or overwrite them completely with my own creations, probably because the presets don't agree with me, or I don't agree with the presets, or whatever.

I tend to use more presets on romplers, especially for meat & potatoes acoustic stuff. I'll tweak them if I want to change the sound for my needs. I often tweak the synth presets, particularly the envelopes. Many times I find I need a faster attack or a slower release on something, so that edit button comes in handy.

When I had a D-50, it had a number of GREAT presets on it (Staccato Heaven was my first "i want that" preset), and I used a lot of them. Plus I created some of my own.

Now I'm getting into classic FM with a TX802. I like Full Tines, but the other presets haven't grown much on me. They make good starting points for creating my own sounds though. I recently created a nice tubular bell sound based on the original DX7 "TUB ERUPT" preset.