Vintage Synth Explorer Forums

ha!!

let the wars begin.

For bass/leads...and if you could have only one...which would you pick?

The SE-1x I'm considering is the Nova edition with the snap envelopes, fuzz and sine wave.

Ive been considering a very similar conundrum!

However I had an SE1x and exchanged it for an ATC1. I liked the ATC more as it had faster envelopes, faster LFOs and despite the SE1 having more knobs-you still needed to be inside the menues most of the time which I found a pain-the ATC has it all laid out on the front and is quite cheap! I preferred the ATC which was to be my source of Moog-like sounds...

Then I made the mistake of trying a Phatty! Damn. Its just so damn cute and playable. even though it has significantly less modulation capabilities I cant ignore that to me it sounds straight-up just better and more punchy.....I find the ATC V bulky in the low end-and with the filter open-the OSC are quite bright....the phatty however-I cant make it sound bad! I cant stand by this thought for the newer SE stuff-but I have a feeling the geniune Moog just sounds a little superior to SE. That said SE make very good synths all the same...and the Nova edition looks very nice with the fuzz and better envelopes...

I WAS GASsing over an XS and which to choose-but I think a phatty and XS are quite different sounding beasts. The XS sounds more acidy and suitable for leads and strange sounds with its different filter types. Also sounds V aggressive. Its more versatile than the phatty-but I honestly think in a dream set-up they would compliment eachother well.

I can see the Phatty being more of a GO TO bass synth and thus more essential for me ATM and sometime down the line I hope to pick up an XS when we have more demos around and more opinions...

So with that in mind-it depends on what you like/need in your music-and listen to those synths/try as much as possible. They are all great-so choose the one that makes your heart sing-not the one thats best on paper.

Personally I think the phatty + XS (down the line) would be an awesome combo. Ok the Phatty is quite limited comparitively to some synths today-but it can do a lot of sounds-and the key thing is-it does those sounds REALLY well-and is a joy to use! That seems to be the general opinion around here....

I think we're totally on the same page.

I agree with everything you said. I had a ATC1 and your description expresses my thoughts 100%. it has a very tight sound which I liked but the phatty just kills it. In fact I prefer the phatty to the voyager. I had a tribute and sold it with the idea of getting a stage later on because of the 2nd mod destination.

My needs are mostly for bass sounds atm as well, so I think I'm really going for the phatty for now and get a XS later on. I think they'll complement well like you said.

my main doubt was between phatty vs SE1x. The SE1x ends up having lots of modulations and possibilities (multi filters, ring mod, etc). But you're right. I was also afraid of the menu system which totally makes a synth uninteresting for me after a while.

pix wrote:My needs are mostly for bass sounds atm as well, so I think I'm really going for the phatty for now and get a XS later on.

Hmm... For basses, I'd go with the XS. And no, I have not tried the Phatty nor the XS for myself. My opinion is purely based on sound examples and Shagghie's praise

And like I said in my reply in Gearslutz, SE1X's three oscillators are killer for leads.

- CM

I've been curious about the ATC myself. The idea of a stand-alone modern analog synth with memory and changeable filters that are meant to clone great synths of the past is an exciting concept on paper. I think it might be nice to have the 303, 2600 and SEM filters to compliment my little phatty. Problem is, I don't really see people hype these much or get too excited about them which leads me to believe maybe the ATC just isn’t that exciting sounding after all. I mean I completely understand that the full architecture and components within a synth make it’s sound, not just the filters. Still seems like a cool idea.

From what I’ve seen and heard the XS is really cool. I would probably buy an XS before I would by an MS-20. However, I find I work better when I can save patches which kind of eliminates the XS. I can’t say anything bad about the LP at all, it’s great.

I always reach for the phatty for basses, HIGHLY recommended! Especially for real deep basses, or basses with a little movement in the envelope

The Moog LP does do great bass. You can give it that at the very least.

I'd go for the LP... built in keys, patch storage, and midi...at the cheapest price... plus you can't knock its sound.

ok guys,

just got a way to go for a XS and went for it...the moog LP is really sweet but the XS offers more possibilities...namely by adding more foogers and other modules (.com/modcan/MOTM)...

It's going to be my only mono so I prefer it to be flexible.

but thanks for your opinions!

pix wrote:ok guys,

just got a way to go for a XS and went for it...the moog LP is really sweet but the XS offers more possibilities...namely by adding more foogers and other modules (.com/modcan/MOTM)...

It's going to be my only mono so I prefer it to be flexible.

but thanks for your opinions!

yes-shaggies latest XS video has put me in a spin despite my Pro Phatty post above...I think Im gonna try one before I make my mono decision...

otto wrote:I don't really see people hype these much or get too excited about them which leads me to believe maybe the ATC just isn’t that exciting sounding after all.

SE is a tiny company that doesn't advertise and the ATC has been out for years. Thus, little hype.

The XS is brand new and hard to get. Thus, maximum hype.

Other things to consider:

-- only LP has a keyboard

-- XS has no patch memory

meatballfulton wrote:

otto wrote:I don't really see people hype these much or get too excited about them which leads me to believe maybe the ATC just isn’t that exciting sounding after all.

SE is a tiny company that doesn't advertise and the ATC has been out for years. Thus, little hype.

The XS is brand new and hard to get. Thus, maximum hype.

Other things to consider:

-- only LP has a keyboard

-- XS has no patch memory

Yeah, I wasn't the one that started the thread. I already own the LP and am happy with it. I realize the limitations of both the LP and the XS. My main point/question was about the ATC not really the ATC compared to the XS. Again, I haven’t heard much gushing over the ATC, really more of a "yeah it's analog and does the job" kind of vibe. I love the idea of modern mono’s w/patch memory which is why I find the ATC interesting and why I'm a lot less interested in the XS, red square, etc.

The XS is pretty much the only analogue synth I want at the moment, the demos sound freakin awesome! Would be more of a studio piece for me though, but my live setup is already sorted.