Vintage Synth Explorer Forums

Hello!

My current setup:
Laptop / Ableton LIVE 9
M-Audio Axiom 61
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
Roland FC-300 Midi foot controller

MY QUESTION: Please give me your suggestions on what board I should look into.
Is there a board where I can create my own sounds, that I can also have tons of presets?
Can I make my own presets in a program like "Omnisphere 2" and load them onto a standalone keyboard?


A month back I posted on this forum asking for a consensus on midi/laptop VS straight keyboard LIVE setups - because I was afraid of something failing during live shows with the laptop/midi setup.

Since I will mostly be going for a synth / industrial / new wave / electronic sound (rammstein, die krupps, depeche mode) I feel I should be looking for a board/workstation that will fit my sound/needs.

With the midi setup I pretty much have endless possibilities, however a higher chance of equipment failure LIVE - But with the standalone keyboard setup I might be limited with my choices but a very LOW chance of failure. I feel as if Ill have maybe 10 or so synth sounds and 6000 piano sounds... and it'll be useless to me

I have been looking at this board and researching it heavily: https://www.roland.com/global/products/fa-06/
This seems like a good instrument for the price.. however I am worried I will be limited in my "synth / industrial" sounds and won't be able to make my own with the ease I have in ableton - I see you can go onto the axial website and download more, but those are limited as well..

And then there's this guy, a full on synth workstation: https://www.roland.com/global/products/jd-xa/

Is Roland the way to go?


Thank you so much for reading!

You can make industrial sounds on an FA-06 just fine. It has a VA synthesis engine in addition to the sample-based one. Doesnt have osc sync, tho.

I make the same kind of music you are talking about, and either of your choices would be fine for what you want. I have used just about tons and tons of synths over the years and was able to achieve what you are looking for from just about anything. I was actually looking at those and possibly a Roland System-8 for my live rig.
Another obvious choice is an Access Virus TI.....just about every band in the industrial/EBM scene has used some Virus model at one time or another. Depeche Mode actually uses a Virus TI2 on stage now. At least they did the last time I saw them. They also have some patches available for download from the Access website. So I think that would be the most obvious choice.
Other options I recommend for very odd and unique sounding synths are the Waldorf Microwave XT and the Ensoniq ESQ-1. They have served me quite well. It all really depends on your price point and if you want brand new gear or used.

and i pretty much do the same kind of music as well, so...

Ashe37 wrote:and i pretty much do the same kind of music as well, so...

Yes, I remember.....very good at it too! I remember your Dr Who Remix....very fun!

About the artists you sound similar to.
Rammstein uses Ensoniq ASR10 and Roland VR760 live and also have used Korg X5D and Microkorg.
Depeche Mode have used just about every synth under the sun, but most of the analog sounds are simple square/saw wave leads and 2osc Moog basses (at least on speak and spell) and they used a lot of Emulator II/Emax in the 80's and used some customized samples on a Synclavier (the oboe/bagpipe on Everything Counts).
Die Krubbs used an MS20.
The FA06 will get you most of the way. I've played one at a Guitar Center and some of the presets are great for that stuff.

Most modern EBM and darkwave bands use a Virus. Many used to use Novas/Supernovas/K-Stations. These are liberally combined with softsynths in the studio and those are either sampled or turned into backing tracks or loops for live perfromance. When i went to the Das Bunker 20th anniversary mini-festival last fall, three different bands had OB-6es.

In the studio? they use a scattering of hardware , and the convenient reference site has been gone for like 4 years.

krzeppa wrote:I make the same kind of music you are talking about, and either of your choices would be fine for what you want. I have used just about tons and tons of synths over the years and was able to achieve what you are looking for from just about anything. I was actually looking at those and possibly a Roland System-8 for my live rig.
Another obvious choice is an Access Virus TI.....just about every band in the industrial/EBM scene has used some Virus model at one time or another. Depeche Mode actually uses a Virus TI2 on stage now. At least they did the last time I saw them. They also have some patches available for download from the Access website. So I think that would be the most obvious choice.
Other options I recommend for very odd and unique sounding synths are the Waldorf Microwave XT and the Ensoniq ESQ-1. They have served me quite well. It all really depends on your price point and if you want brand new gear or used.

You rock man, thank you so much! this helps for sure - Im learning a good amount right now.. basically im starting from scratch so this information is huge for me

I still have to decide.. Buy a better laptop and use my laptop/midi controller setup? or invest in a workstation..

I just have to keep tinkering and search around for tutorials of how to work ableton and or make my own sounds and presets -- then maybe ill graduate to a workstation.. but with these workstations and synth it seems im limited? what do you think?

Ashe37 wrote:and i pretty much do the same kind of music as well, so...

Send me a link i wanna hear!

krzeppa wrote:I was actually looking at those and possibly a Roland System-8 for my live rig.

If you wind up getting the System-8, I'd like to hear about it. What do you envision using it for in that style?

sonnyangell wrote:You rock man, thank you so much! this helps for sure - Im learning a good amount right now.. basically im starting from scratch so this information is huge for me

I still have to decide.. Buy a better laptop and use my laptop/midi controller setup? or invest in a workstation..

I just have to keep tinkering and search around for tutorials of how to work ableton and or make my own sounds and presets -- then maybe ill graduate to a workstation.. but with these workstations and synth it seems im limited? what do you think?

Thanks man....I don't think you are limited if you get a good synth, computer, and Live. I personally don't you Liv (Logic Pro 9), but I have used it on and off. Many EBM/Industrial bands of this era use Ableton for most of their stuff. I think any of the synths I mentioned earlier along with Ableton should treat you just fine. The JD-XA, System-8, or the FA-06 if you want Roland. Otherwise, I still think a Virus of some kind might serve you well too. PM me and I'll give you some more info and send you a demo of new stuff I'm working on.

sonnyangell wrote:

Ashe37 wrote:and i pretty much do the same kind of music as well, so...

Send me a link i wanna hear!

its a lot of half-done stuff, really.

Although I think the Access Virus is played out (or rinsed, if you're in the UK) for industrial/EBM especially, there IS a reason why it's so heavily used. In my opinion, it is one of the best synths ever (it's personally my favorite) and it's really hard to go wrong with it. It will almost definitely get you a whole bunch of sounds that you're looking for, and is an instant EBM song starter when using the arpeggiator.

You won't win any points for creativity though, and there's a heavy danger of being a "sound alike" band if you're going to use it as a main synth.

Rasputin wrote:Although I think the Access Virus is played out (or rinsed, if you're in the UK) for industrial/EBM especially, there IS a reason why it's so heavily used. In my opinion, it is one of the best synths ever (it's personally my favorite) and it's really hard to go wrong with it. It will almost definitely get you a whole bunch of sounds that you're looking for, and is an instant EBM song starter when using the arpeggiator.

You won't win any points for creativity though, and there's a heavy danger of being a "sound alike" band if you're going to use it as a main synth.

That is only partially true. If you stick the presets and such....then yeah, it does seem pretty rinsed/played out. However, your "won't win any points for creativity though" is not true at all. I have made so many different styles of songs with this synth....from 80s new wave, to ambient, to old school industrial, to synthpop/EBM, to trance etc. It is only limited by the user if you ask me. It definitely has the ability to be really creative and versatile, and it is capable of much more than just being a copycat synth. I will agree with you that it is one of the best synths in the VA world...perhaps of any type of synth....though I do have a sentimental attachment to my Supernova II....probably could just get by the Virus, but I love my blue monster too much to get rid of it.

which is why it gets used by Depeche Mode,and Gary Numan (on stage) - so, synthpop...