vintage gear needed for electro / industrial music?

[synthy]

hi all...new here!...i own a waldorf blofeld, roland sh-201 and korg microkorgxl. now i'm looking for some older vintage synths. hope to learn more from all here! looking for a used AN1x to add or a roland sh-101. good choice? i'm into electro and industrial music. I heard the AN1X has killer strings and pads and the sh-101 can sound pretty sick as well!
any info on some other synths will help alot~

[Hair]

an1x is another VA which won't add a whole lot to what you have, sh-101s are a little pricey for what they are these days though, I mean the 101's cool as h**l, but imo there are other vintage monos which offer more bang for the buck (yamaha CS series as of late) and also some modern monos like the spectral audio neptune II and the dave smith stuff

[Joey]

check out the ensoniq esq1, great for getting sounds like skinny puppy

[matia]

Hello:

If I may ask, which electro/industrial are you pursuing. Is the aesthetic more in the vein of Cabaret Voltaire, early Skinny Puppy/Wax Trax! and New Beat or are you more into Suicide Commando and Combichrist. Depending on the aesthetic I would suggest different equipment. For the earlier stuff I highly recommend a Sequential Circuits Pro One over the SH 101. The Pro One is aggressive, capable of many sounds, and pretty much did the bulk of basslines on many Industrial and EBM records (FLA's Tactical Neural Implant comes to mind). The SH 101 is more in the techno side of things. Nitzer Ebb used it quiet a bit, but its sound is squelchier and less aggressive/tight than the Pro One. It is also smoother than the Pro One, which sounds very raw. Both have an onboard sequencer that is not to be overlooked. I've used both and currently I have a Roland SH 1 instead of the 101. I find the SH 1 deeper and better for certain bass sounds (like really smooth drones) and it has a uniquely vintage character (think warmth of 1970's synths). The Pro One is never leaving my mitts

Perhaps, if I were in your shoes, I would look at the modern analog market. If I were looking to make industrial music these days I would really invest in modern analog equipment. Something like an MFB Kraftzwerg is excellent, fully capable, and unique for studio production (even live if you don't mind repatching between sets). It has bass for days and all the weird cacophonous modular synthesizer sounds I would want for this kind of music. As for the vintage vibe, personally I would pick up a sampler or drum machine. You can't go wrong with an Akai S950 or any 12 bit sampler that can be had for pennies. Coupled with a really good noise gate, some of the hardest and deepest drum sounds are possible and will make you stand outside of the crowd (if I go to death guild I have to pack my ears with cotton to avoid that really harsh sounding digital software synth sounds that people seem to love these days).

Personally I would ditch the SH 201 and the MicroKorg. A used Roland V-Synth rev. 1 keyboard can be had for about 800 - 900 USD and will do SO much more than those two boxes can. You get a variable architecture that's easy to program and will generate a palette that can do so much, including sampling. There's a reason why Skinny Puppy use it live. Personally the AN 1x would not be my choice for strings. My old MS 2000 was better than the Yamaha as far as my aesthetical preference is concerned. I would rather pursue something like a Prophet 08, the V Synth, or a Roland Juno 60.

Anyways, hope that helps. I hope you are into programming as most of my suggestions really depend on you to sculpt your sound but the return is better than riding factory presets.

-matia

[Blue Monster 65]

I'm going to more or less second what Matia has posted, but with the following qualifications:

1. let us know what/who your influences are, as that will lead to different suggestions.

2. Newer analog gear may be in order, depending on what you want to sound like

3. Budget, budget, budget ...

4. Why not use what you have and do something different than your influences, but in the same vein? This is where programming REALLY comes into play.

Good luck!

Scott

[synthy]

thanks. i'm into a bit of both old school and new school electro-industrial styles and want to do a blend of both. i never use presets alone. i tweak them up or chop them up to my taste and add effects and so forth. i dig the look of the microkorgxl. that is what sold me on it. love that retro look. it seems like it will work for me in the end. cool sounds and vocoder. i like the 201 as well and the blofeld is a monster! OH NO GODZILLA!!! i really don't need the other two with that beasty but i like having many synths in my studio....lol. hard to have just one! i'm going to ditch the idea of the 101 and an1x then and go for the ones mentioned. i'm an old school ensoniq eps 16 plus user! man was i stupid for letting that go! i miss it. may have to hunt one down again. I miss that sampler. i still have all my sample discs! the drver was getting shotty so i let it go! a bad move seeing they now have replacements via the net. thanks for the killer info!

dig-it

[matia]

I also wanted to add one other bit of info. Most of the older records that are still relevant had some major productions and good engineering behind them. When you have Adrian Sherwood, Flood, or John Fryer working on your record, the plot changes a bit.

What I wanted to add equipment wise was that a good front end is a worthy investment. While I may have been spoiled working at Asphodel (our A room had a modded Neve VR) I still learned that proper recording etiquette and good outboard can really make your sound that much more polished. I would seriously advise at some point investing in some good recording equipment. I don't know your outboard but if you are slim on some mic pre's, eq's, or compressors, I would recommend saving some money and maybe pursuing something like an API Lunchbox. I use the Purple Biz mic pre and the API 512c and a Fireface 800 for my A/D conversion. There is something really really different about recording with these pre's versus going line in straight into the Fireface.

Hope that helps and believe me ... I love a crowded studio. I can barely move with how much equipment I've got.

-matia

[Ashe37]

You have a pretty good bit of kit already, though you may want some kind of sampler/rompler... are you using a computer for your drum machine?

[synthy]

funny you asked about a sampler. i just found my old ensoniq eps 16+ today for $197.00 out the door. had to get it! thought it might be cool to take a step back with that sampler board. i always got very creative with it looping stuff. then i found out today it's hard to find those old blank 3.5 dd disks now. i heard they are only high density now ( HD ) and i believe someone told me the eps wont take them?....is this true?......c**p if so! maybe i can change out the driver? drums:.... i use a cheap new zoom rythm track drum machine and some loop drums on various sony acid loop cd's. i record into acid 6.0 with my alesis usb mixer. not very high tech but it works for laying down tracks. i need to learn way more about recording gear. i have monster keyboard cables but i seem to still get some hum? maybe from the computer? thanks again to all for the feedback!!! lots to learn but having fun trying.

[Ashe37]

Hmmm... i have a box of double density disks here... 21 of them never used, from my amiga days...

[synthy]

i would be interested please....wink! maybe you could ebay them and hit me with the item #. looks like i can only find the HD ones here. yours are not HD? i'm trying to understand this. so they upgraded them to HD i guess since the 90's?...help!

[Ashe37]

PCs moved to high density disks in the early 90s. Amiga computers stuck with them longer hence why i still have some.

[synthy]

just found a 50 pack of DSDD 3.5 micro floppy disks on ebay for $37.00 not the new HD ones. so these will work.

[Blue Monster 65]

Your very own EPS? How funny! Glad you did. I'd say grab it and run. When/if it dies, get something else.

I would have to say as long as you're comfortable with your gear, it doesn't really matter what it is - just use it to the fullest extent possible.

As Matia was mentioning Adrian Sherwood, I had to think of some of the old, wigged-out records that were made with what today would be considered bottom-line equipment, but the guys using it figured out the strengths and weaknesses of what they had, then expoited those as they saw fit. You do the same and you'll get to where you want to be.

On a related note, I find it funny how so many people seem to dislike the 201. Every time I've played it, it really seemed like a fun instrument that would be capable of a lot with a bit of tweaking (sound-wise). Were I to find one for under $300, I'd scoop it up immediately!

Scott

[synthy]

i love my sh-201. i love to tweak and turn for long periods of time!....lol. now to stop buying gear and use what i have..... it's so addictive looking at synths! i would have 20 if i could!....and i love sherwoods work on nin's pretty hate machine. they really made his sound then. he learned alot from those guys who produced it like keith leblanc and flood. i knew trent here in cleveland when he was a struggling musician in the exotic birds. he drove a rusted out red honda accord and worked at pie keyboards.... he was a smart a*s but a talented dude. funny story...my friend lent him 50 cents for a pop one time! we saw him out alot at clubs.