Synth For Psychedelic Rock?

[se7en]

Well, I have had a couple synths in the past. I'm primarily a guitar player, so I'm still somewhat new to all of it. I have the Nord Lead 2X and it just seemed to be too digital and cold (sorry, don't mean to offend any of you that own one...there are plenty of great things about the Nord as well)...most recently I bought a Moog Little Phatty, but being that it is monophonic and mostly does that Moog thing best, it wasn't quite what I needed - great synth, but I need polyphony.

Anyways, I'm basically looking to do Pink Floyd-esque sounds and other trippy stuff that will work well in a guitar-oriented rock band. I'm not looking for techno/dance sounds. Looking for something with some warmth to it and something than can get aggressive/gritty if need be as well. I appreciate your thoughts...

[space6oy]

way too many options. i'd suggest you look up some bands like pink floyd that you're into and see what they've used.

[se7en]

way too many options. i'd suggest you look up some bands like pink floyd that you're into and see what they've used.

well, i know richard wright used Kurzweil mostly. I'd like a PC3K, or X but can't afford it. i'm thinking maybe an access virus c or a korg ms2000 would be a good choice...

[rharris07]

To be honest you can get a lot of weirdness with polyphony and some modeled classic analog sounds out of a very cheap micro korg. I know its not very fashionable at this point, but with time taken in to tweak it, and effects added on - it can sound awesome.

If you want higher class - I have a dsi prophet '08 and an access indigo 2 (based on the virus C engine) - both can do some very awesome sounds...two totally different machines, but both can create great atmospheres, vintage strings, good leads...lots of vintage sound goodness in both. I would suggest taking a look at either one of those as well.

[se7en]

To be honest you can get a lot of weirdness with polyphony and some modeled classic analog sounds out of a very cheap micro korg. I know its not very fashionable at this point, but with time taken in to tweak it, and effects added on - it can sound awesome.

If you want higher class - I have a dsi prophet '08 and an access indigo 2 (based on the virus C engine) - both can do some very awesome sounds...two totally different machines, but both can create great atmospheres, vintage strings, good leads...lots of vintage sound goodness in both. I would suggest taking a look at either one of those as well.

thanks for the reply. how does the indigo 2 compare to a normal virus c? vintage strings would be a big plus, as I like john paul jones/led zeppelin stuff a lot, too.

[rharris07]

I've never played with a virus C, but apparently its the exact same engine, so you'll get pretty close to the same results if I'm not mistaken. It does have some great filters on it, lots of effects, FM, ring mod...believe me, it can sound super f**k awesome. It is nice and compact too, so you get a ton of power in a pretty small synth.

As for vintage strings - you could just go find a cheap string machine - an arp quartet, elka rhapsody. You could go for the higher end string machine like an Arp Solina Ensemble or Synth, or you go could a totally different route and pick up a sampler synth...I'm currently being torn between a Roland V-Synth or a Nord Wave...but regardless, if you pick up a nice sampler you could load in classic string sounds and add effects to your liking from there.

I personally have an elka rhapsody and arp quartet - I put phaser and flanger on both and looooooooove the results. They cannot do much other than the string sounds though obviously, so if you're looking for bigger diversity then I'd suggest a sampler synth. For more modern string/ensemble sounds, I use a Yamaha Motif 8.

[Mush]

Just get a multifx like the ensoniq dp4 and listen to your nordlead getting reborn and lovely...

[se7en]

Thanks, Rharris...I'll look into those. Can anyone tell me about the Korg MS2000? I've heard a lot of good things about it and it's of course cheaper than an Access. I know it has limited polphony (4 notes).

[sequentialsoftshock]

Thanks, Rharris...I'll look into those. Can anyone tell me about the Korg MS2000? I've heard a lot of good things about it and it's of course cheaper than an Access. I know it has limited polphony (4 notes).

You pretty much told yourself. Without anymore specifics, there aren't many more details to give, aside from the fact that the microKorg was essentially this.
What do you want to know?

[se7en]

Thanks, Rharris...I'll look into those. Can anyone tell me about the Korg MS2000? I've heard a lot of good things about it and it's of course cheaper than an Access. I know it has limited polphony (4 notes).

You pretty much told yourself. Without anymore specifics, there aren't many more details to give, aside from the fact that the microKorg was essentially this.
What do you want to know?

How the MS2000 stacks up against others. The microKorg was essentially what?

[sequentialsoftshock]

Stacks up against what others? Ya gotta be a little more specific..

Go to YouTube, look up some video demos of the MS2000 and MicroKorg.

http://www.vintagesynth.com/korg/microkorg.php

http://www.vintagesynth.com/korg/ms2000.php

Read these two articles, watch some demos, then come back with some specific questions.

[se7en]

I'm sorry, I'm really still a bit of a beginner with synthesis...If you put a guitar in my hands, I can tear it up and leave you breathless, but when it comes to synths, I might make your ears bleed and not in a good way. I've been reading reviews for awhile on a myriad of different synths and they are so extreme - some love it, some hate it...hard to tell what's truth and what isn't.

I'm just looking for something simple to tweak and fun, that can give me some great atmospheric pads, deep basses and just, generally warm, psychedelic sounds. I can't tell you specifics, because it's like computer science to me. I do know that a lot of it is in one's own ability and just about any VA can more or less do what I'm after...Idk, maybe I'll come back to synthesis at some other time in my life when I KNOW more, but it sure would be nice to find something that suits the place I'm at right now.

Some that I've liked so far: Novation K-Station, Korg MS2000 and the Access Virus line.

[sequentialsoftshock]

No problem, I'm really on trying to helpful in finding exactly what you want to know.
Well, basically, it's like this with the extreme hating and liking- Some people are going to hate it because it's NOT a vintage synthesizer, and some will like it for what it IS. And keep in mind, this goes for just about anything. For example, the DSI Prophet '08 is hated by some because it isn't a Prophet 5; even though that isn't what Dave intended to make.

Anyway, the MS2000 is more oriented to do analog emulations, and they aren't horrible either, the polyphony just sucks. The Access kit is usually more expensive, but offers you more sonic choices, though they seem more geared toward electronic music and the like. I honestly wouldn't suggest something this complicated if you're new to it. Best suggestion, if you want to tweak your own sounds and make patches, deal with the MS2000's four voice polyphony and use that. it has a lot of knobs for tweaking, a good sound engine and is fairly new. A lot of n00bs start out with a microkorg, which is good, but lacks a lot of knobs and has lame mini keys.

Another thing- have you looked into an Alesis Ion? It's much better than the MS2000. it has 8 voice polyphony, two mod wheels, three oscillators, and pretty good filter emulations. It's slightly more money, but worth it for the added features.

[se7en]

Yes, I have looked at the Ion...Some issues with build quality and some reviews that said it can't get very gritty/aggressive turned me off, but other than that I had been strongly considering it. I'm really liking the Novation K-Station demos that I've been hearing and it has a very logical, intuitive layout which would be great to learn on. Are you familiar with it?

So, I guess I'm basically between the MS2000, Ion and K-Station at the moment. Thanks again for your help.

[rharris07]

Honestly from what all you say - you'd really do yourself a service by picking up a microkorg - they are ultra cheap, you can find used ones for sale everywhere - ebay, craigslist, pawn shops, music stores....for around $200 to $250, it can be a great gateway synth...something for you to not spend a lot on, but learn a lot from. I learned a lot from playing around on my microkorg each day just a little here and there, and from there I felt more comfortable picking up heavier duty synths. The mk can create great pads, semi-good leads, you can do pretty neat arps with it...it sounds limited but you really can do a lot once you sit down with it and dive in. I still won't get rid of my microkorg, and use it often in recordings...if nothing else will do, i can create a sound that will on my micro.

some prefer the alesis ion or micron over the microkorg - i think its more of a personal preference in sound...I've never been into the micron or ion at all, but there are tons of people who are so you might just watch a few preset patch videos on youtube of each and see what you think.

I wouldn't go out all hardcore yet on synths till you know what you really want, and getting some of these affordable analog modeling synths can really help out in teaching you what you need to know, and what sounds you want to have.


As for the MS2000 - I've heard it in person quite a few times now, and just never heard a sound of it I ever really liked...it can be punchy and thin, and a bit boring if you ask me....BUT some synth guys swear by it, so who knows...to me a microkorg is a safer way to go, as it can sound just like the ms2000 but without you having to spend as much money.