Good Presets?

Johnny Lenin · Post by **Johnny Lenin** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 3:34 am

Just curious... Does anyone actually like any presets? There are a couple on the Poly-800 that I found useful -- #75, for example -- and some of the synth [as opposed to acoustic] presets on the Fantom X6 work pretty well with some tweaking. Anyone else have a preset that they actually like?

i_watch_stars · Post by **i_watch_stars** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 5:48 am

I like tons of presets. People here do, they just won't admit it. Anyone who says they "hate all presets" is just being silly, and trying not to sound "uncool". Enjoying creating your own sounds and liking other people's creations are not mutually exclusive.

I give to you; THE GREATEST PRESET OF ALL TIME.

thestreets · Post by **thestreets** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 6:18 am

Totally man. I love presets. In fact right now, all I'm using from absynth is the presets. I've only had it about a month, and I finished going through all of the sounds and dumped all of my personal favs into the favorites folder. I have a small scroll bar even in that. I'm still working with the amazing presets that are there already.
It takes me awhile to get to know a synth before I feel comfortable creating patches. Presets also make great builing blocks for sculpting your own sounds. I rarely ever start from scratch, I usually edit the s**t out of a preset.
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. So many bands just use the mk's presets and don't bother putting any effort into making their own. Its just a weird little thing that annoys me. Maybe like a preset pad in the background or something.

I hate the break in that killers song "Somebody told Me" where flowers does that little trace lead thingy.

Maybe I'm just crazy

route_electrique · Post by **route_electrique** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 8:32 am

Theres no such a thing like 'good preset'. There might be 'this-might-get-me-somewhere-with-some-serious-editing' -preset (god, i hate that 'preset' word).

You always have to (thank god!) do some sound designing to blend sounds in the song. Even better, do your own sounds and your songs will sound fresh and not like those zillions allready published tracks out there.

mikewelch7 · Post by **mikewelch7** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 8:41 am

I'm a fan of some presets. I find many of them exist to 'show off' what the synth can do, and are therefore more sonically interesting, as opposed to being musically useful.

I do like the 'Ocean of Saws' and 'Archestra' presets on the V-Synth.

The 'Mountain Hall' patch on the DSI MEK inspired me to write my first song ever composed originally on keyboards (I composed on guitar prior). That preset is an absolutely spooky organ that blends wonderfully the analogue and digital oscillators of the instrument.

My 'secret weapon' synth for gigging is the Roland XP-30. I love that I got it cheap ($300), loaded it up with the World and Vintage Synth expansion boards, and have an amazing and versatile rompler that, paired with the MEK, makes up my performance rig. I don't worry too much about the board getting damaged, it is very light, and can do good organs, pianos, pads, leads, you name it.

On that synth, I really like a few presets, most particularly the patch #129 - AfroHarp on the World expansion board. This is another patch that inspired a song as soon as I heard it.

Post by **Stab Frenzy** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 8:51 am

I really like I'mTheBoss from my V-Synth, it's a great expressive lead sound. I think I might have tweaked it a little to get the glide to sit more like I wanted it to though.

clueless · Post by **clueless** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 10:04 am

While I agree there are good and bad presets.... it's not an easy thing to do really. Each piece that rolls off the production line has to have something completely new. That can't be easy can it. I would say that for every 30 sets that I create, if I'm honest, only about 2 or 3 would probably be considered usable by the major companies. Why is this? Maybe because I my stuff always seem to sound like something I heard somewhere before. That.... or maybe I'm just wank at being creative.

salwa · Post by **salwa** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 10:04 am

It's starting to sound like AA meeting: "My name is X and I like presets"...
I think I'm synthmakers dream - I mostly use presets on my synths. I'm a little lazy, that's a fact, but also programing TX802 or JV 2080 looks a bit complicated to me. Mayby one day I'll learn how to do that, but now I'd rather think of good melodies than superoriginal sounds.

Martin P268 · Post by **Martin P268** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 11:13 am

I like and use presets too (apart from doing extensive programming from init voice). I absolutely love E.Piano 1 DX7, both basses #15 and #16 on ROM 1A and #24 - the flute - they are totally amazing.

If my synth sounds such and such and I like it, I don't care who programmed the sound. I don't really understand why some people consider good presets to be lame.

Synthprophet · Post by **Synthprophet** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 1:38 pm

I do like some presets. Just think about the 80's how essential musicians used presets to death. Usually those presets are made by musicians and why do they have to be crappy, just because you got the sounds from the moment you open the box just from the store?

Syn303 · Post by **Syn303** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 1:48 pm

Sheesh it's the preset spotters club, better get that preset written down before you miss it

williamharris · Post by **williamharris** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 1:49 pm

When I first played the Alpha Juno, the Cheesy Organ patch really impressed me. To this day I think it makes for an excellent Farfisa.

Big Gnome · Post by **Big Gnome** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 1:50 pm

I've got nothing against presets, but it depends on the synth. I hated nearly every one of the DX presets, and cosequently the patches that occupy mine are either original or heavily tweaked. On the other hand, I really like most of the presets on my Quadrasynth (which is just as well, since you can't overwrite four of the five banks anyway). The Ion is somewhere in between--there's a fair number that I fancy, but I've overwritten most of them anyway.
In any case, I have nothing against presets in principle. Any time I get a new synth I do trawl through all its patches for anything I might find useful; I pick apart any that impress me, and once in a while I'll learn something in the process.

Analogue Crazy · Post by **Analogue Crazy** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 1:51 pm

I think the JP-4 Bass preset is really good. I think it was the sound used on 'Rio'.

CZ Rider · Post by **CZ Rider** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 5:21 pm

A great preset I have played is number 73 on the Casio CZ-230S, called "Feedback". No velocity, no mod wheel, only the pitch bender,but still one of my favorite CZ patches. It actually screams and howls!
Here is a small example with two tracks with that same preset. First track a simple rythm, and the second track with a lead over top.
CZ230S preset #73 in action!

Good Presets?

Good Presets?

Good presets