What's your analogue mono "test" tone?

[gunark]

Just for fun - what's your goto sound when you get to try a mono synth out? You know, 5 mins in a shop, the knobs and sliders saying "tweak me!" - whats the end result? What do you do go to in order to get a handle or pass judgment?

For me, bass, the short delay type with VCF amount tweaking away. Let's me get a flavour of the filter and the envelopes. Tend to lay off the res, but that's just me...

[redchapterjubilee]

I have three patches I traditionally test out a synth with. The tight decay mid-res bass envelope, a filter wide open double saws portamento lead, and a basic Tom Sawyer filter sweep.

[soundxplorer]

Usually one of the first thing I test out is how the filter responds to audio-rate FM.

[Automatic Gainsay]

I listen to the oscillator waveforms first.
Then I test the various waveforms through various filter cutoff points.
A big test for me is how it sounds with envelope filter control without resonance. A really great synth always sounds really pleasant... rich, and warm. A not great synth sounds dull.
I test to see how much bass is lost with high resonance settings.
Then I pine for oscillator modulation of the filter, as synths rarely have that feature.
Then I play Axel F.*





*I do not really play Axel F

[gunark]

I listen to the oscillator waveforms first.
Then I test the various waveforms through various filter cutoff points.
A big test for me is how it sounds with envelope filter control without resonance. A really great synth always sounds really pleasant... rich, and warm. A not great synth sounds dull.
I test to see how much bass is lost with high resonance settings.
Then I pine for oscillator modulation of the filter, as synths rarely have that feature.
Then I play Axel F.*





*I do not really play Axel F

I'll put you down as "other" then...

[nathanscribe]

I put a cat on top and see how good it looks. Nothing else matters.

[Automatic Gainsay]

I'll put you down as "other" then...

It's for the best.

[Automatic Gainsay]

I put a cat on top and see how good it looks. Nothing else matters.

Thanks for the opportunity to trot this out again! ha ha ha ha ha

[GuyaGuy]

[calaverasgrande]

the Tom Sawyer is kind of the acid test. I did grow up in the late 70's early 80's. It has to be able to do some fairly fast LFO on the filter and have enough resonance to sound good without getting too squeaky!
Then I also like to see if it can do that Devo kind of PWM/LFO-ed pitch. Seems only certain Moogs and Rolands get the job done in that regard.

[BlackGnosis]

I listen to the oscillator waveforms first.
Then I test the various waveforms through various filter cutoff points.
A big test for me is how it sounds with envelope filter control without resonance. A really great synth always sounds really pleasant... rich, and warm. A not great synth sounds dull.
I test to see how much bass is lost with high resonance settings.

I do similar when I want to play with the synths existing sound engine, which is why I hold microkorgs towering over in quality of sound versus a nord lead 1&2

still need to get my paws ona mopho...

[Stab Frenzy]

I just do whatever occurs to me to do, and form my opinion from that. Certain UIs lead you to interact with different synths in different ways, that is as much a part of a synth's character as the sound of the oscillators or what the filter sweep sounds like or anything else.

[calaverasgrande]

oh yeah and the John carpenter pulsing bass/pad.

[gunark]

oh yeah and the John carpenter pulsing bass/pad.

Having worked out the notes for Assault on Precinct 13, I feel I have to apologise to music shop staff, its just too tempting to dial that sound in.

[Alex E]

I go through several different sounds in rapid succession.