Advice on 1st synth for ambience/electronica-uses

[perfect-element]

Hi all!

Great board, been lurking here for some time.

So, my current situation is that I wish to integrate more synthetics into my music. I`m a guitar-player, and not really technically proficient on keys, so for lead lines and more technical stuff I usually use guitars. What I want in a synth is more oriented towards ambience and sound-enviorments, like the work of i.e "Ulver" and "Red Harvest" (key words are soundscapes, noise and dark and massive pads).

I`ve had some experience with softsynths, but I really miss the ability to manipulate sounds hands-on without the fiddling of a mouse, as well as the possibility for really great-looking sounds. Additionally, I like to jam on ideas and loops to really get my creative juices flowing, so the possibility for arpeggiation and drum loops and the possibility to jam with it is pretty important for me (since I find that to be the major distinction between a softsynth and a hardware synth). "Realistic" imitations of real instruments and sampling aren`t all that important to me, the ability to create lush soundscapes and jam with them are.

Puh, some rant. I always get carried away, but if anyone has any tips on what synth I should look into I would really appreciate it. Been looking into the Nord Lead III for a while, and I`m pretty set on getting that unless anyone has any objections?

[Ashe37]

Are you controlling it with keys, or are you gonna use a guitar-to-midi box?

[perfect-element]

I`ll probably control it with the keys, since the guitar-to-midi solution often results in me playing the synth as a guitar

[perfect-element]

Started considering getting the Alesis Micron also, since it`s really not that much more expensive than just buying a midi-controller, and it seems fun to play around with as well. The Nord G2 is like 4-5x the price, and if the editing software one can use with the micron isn`t totally horrid, it may be a good bargain for a guitar-player that just presses 2 keys and turns knobs at random?

[paugui]

The Nord Modular G2 is probably the best synth I ever played with.
Really nice sound and amazing features.
One of the features that might appeal to you the most are the step sequencers, which will allow you to jam along, as you want.

If they are too expensive, a Roland V-Synth would be cool.
It has a really nice arpeggiator (fully programable and polyphonic)
Unfortunately it doesn't allow you to use combis, so you cannot have a sound creating a groove and playing with other sound, as you can do on the Nord.

As I recommended in another thread (http://www.vintagesynth.com/forum/viewt ... 97&start=0), the AN1x would be a good synth and you can get one for quite cheap.
It also has a nice interface to edit and a step sequencer.

If you want to spend a small amount of money, I would probably recommend you the AN1x.
Despite cheap it is quite unique and sounds really good.
If you are wanting to use the step sequencer a lot, you probably will need another synth too, but you can pick a second synth and still spend less than on the V-Synth.
If you follow this route and want a synth to complement the AN1x, I would probably consider a Yamaha FM synth, a DX7 or a SY77. They might be complicated but are good for ambience and electronic sounds (the G2 has a DX7 emulation and I simply find it sounds amazing). This way you could have a nice synth line with the AN1x step sequencer and you'd still be able to play a nice drone, pad and strange effect on your FM synth.


Hope this helps,
Best regards

Paugui

[Hugo76]

Started considering getting the Alesis Micron also, since it`s really not that much more expensive than just buying a midi-controller, and it seems fun to play around with as well. The Nord G2 is like 4-5x the price, and if the editing software one can use with the micron isn`t totally horrid, it may be a good bargain for a guitar-player that just presses 2 keys and turns knobs at random?

I would advice you get a synth with a hands on interface, that is a lot of knobs. Menu diving can effectively kill all creativity. So, my advice would be a VA synth of some sort; personally I'd love to have one of the Access Virus synths. But it depends on your budget, of course. Maybe the Novation Xio-synth could be an option (no personal experience).
Bottom line: I'd avoid any synth that relies on editing via a computer, or through extensive menu diving.

[Stab Frenzy]

...If they are too expensive, a Roland V-Synth would be cool.
It has a really nice arpeggiator (fully programable and polyphonic)
Unfortunately it doesn't allow you to use combis, so you cannot have a sound creating a groove and playing with other sound, as you can do on the Nord...

Actually you can do zone splits on the V-Synth easily, so can have a loop, arpeggiator or sequence going on one part and play a melody with another. You can have up to 16 different patches going at once, but you might have to deal with voice-stealing if you're playing complicated patches polyphonically.

I would totally recommend the V-Synth as the ideal synth for the OP. It's got audio ins so you can run the guitar or whatever through it, has nice effects and is a totally awesome machine for pas, textures, soundscapes etc. Also they're stupidly cheap (still!), you can pick one up for US$800-900 if you look around. They also have some great performance controls (IR beam, XY touchpad) which can really help you put on an expressive performance. Has lots of knobs for programming and the menus are all on the touchscreen so navigating is really easy. Only downside is the manual is typically Rolandish, but there are some good guides out there online that make up for this.

[Hugo76]

Agree with Stab Frenzy on the V-Synth - it's a fantastic machine. Also, since it's so user friendly and intuitive, I feel the manual isn't that important (I've looked in mine only a couple of times - and I'm no genious). If you can afford it I'd say the V-Synth should be one of your top alternatives. Lately I've been using the VA section of the synth and must say it's very capable.

[perfect-element]

Thanks guys, lots of great advice here!

Will look around for the synths I`ve been recommended here, and see what I can find.

[perfect-element]

By the way, how do you guys feel with the synth vs. rackmodule + midi-controller combo? I`m thinking since I really suck at keys, and would probably have to program everything on a computer anyways, I really would presume I need the hardware mostly for tweaking sounds (and better sound-quality than most softsynths)?

Can`t really see myself playing something well enough for me to want to record it and have it in a song, given that it took me 7 years to get there on the guitar.

[Stab Frenzy]

By the way, how do you guys feel with the synth vs. rackmodule + midi-controller combo? I`m thinking since I really suck at keys, and would probably have to program everything on a computer anyways, I really would presume I need the hardware mostly for tweaking sounds (and better sound-quality than most softsynths)?

Can`t really see myself playing something well enough for me to want to record it and have it in a song, given that it took me 7 years to get there on the guitar.

I'm a fan of the all-in-one option for a few reasons but mostly cause you have more real estate for putting a better interface on and also cause I gig.

One of the things with synths is that you can get certain sounds working really well without having really good chops, a lot of the expression and variation can come from the programming and setting modulation to the right places, so the actual playing is pretty easy.

[meatballfulton]

What's your budget?

Of the recommendations so far they range from the xioSynth and Micron ($400 new) to the V-Synth ($2200 new).

BTW, the xioSynth doubles as a MIDI controller and audio interface for a computer, that plus a laptop running softsynths is a small but powerful gigging setup. On hazardous duty gigs you could still use the xio by itself.

[perfect-element]

Well, I`m working all summer and making quite a lot of money, so my budget can be anything from $400 to $2000, provided that I can find one used (I`m a sucker for bargains ) and that it`s an "optimal" choice for me (as far as this is possible).

[Stab Frenzy]

Of the recommendations so far they range from the xioSynth and Micron ($400 new) to the V-Synth ($2200 new).

The V-Synth GT is $2200 new, I was recommending the regular V-Synth which isn't available new any more, and goes for $800-1000 on the second-hand market.

[Jinsai]

You're going to need effects for the sounds you want - chorus, delay, and reverb. Make sure the synth you get has 'em or budget to buy an additional external unit.