Lobo's Gear Rant Thread

LoboLives

Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« on: October 18, 2020, 02:08:22 PM »
You knew it was coming ;)


So my goal for my setup is to use modern gear to mimic John Carpenter/Alan Howarth's setup they used to score Big Trouble In Little China. I think it is the ultimate synth set up in history.

Prophet-5 and Prophet-10 (w/Poly Sequencers)
ARP Avatar (x2) w/ARP Sequencer.
Emulator 1 and 2.
Prophet VS.
Prophet 2000.
Kurzweil K250.
Oberheim SEM Four Voice.
Linn LM1 and Linn Drum and EMU SP-12 for a monster percussion/drum ensemble.


Right now. I'm thinking this for my settup

Prophet-6 and possibly a Prophet REV 2-This is to mimic the Prophet 5 and Prophet 10. The Prophet 6 I already have but I'm still undecided about the REV2. While I would love to see Sequential follow up the Prophet 6 with a monster VCO synth...I don't think it will happen....so the REV2 (8 Voice) might just be the only compromise.



ARP Odyssey Desktops (x2)-Avatars were essentially Odysseys-I'm interested in getting the ARP edition of the Korg SQ-1 but it's missing one crucial feature...the ability to transpose the sequence with the external synth. I may actually get a Linnstrument and use the sequencer on that to control the Odysseys. (This will also allow me to use the Linnstrument to articulate the Prophet X's violin and fretless bass samples when doing orchestral work)



Sequential Prophet X and XL to mimic the Emulator 1 and 2. Why the X and XL? Because I'm so comfortable with the interface and architecture and while I would prefer a Prophet XS (desktop module) I know it's unlikely to happen and there is something about having two of these things going at once. Especially with one doing more percussion and rhythm oriented sounds while you play melodies and leads over top with the other. Plus playing piano/organ sounds on the XL feels excellent.


Prophet VS.-This is what I'm hoping Sequential's next synth brings. Not a reissue but a synth that has the same type of wavetable oscillators in the Pro 3. Perhaps something along the lines of the VCO/Wavetable oscillators type architecture (which will hopefully include the Prophet VS waveforms as well as some more complex wavetables/user wavetables that you can sweep) If this is the case, then perhaps I can tick off the Prophet 10/Prophet VS in one go with a single synth.



For the Prophet 2000. I suppose technically the Prophet X would be the appropriate synth to go for for this but as the PX and XL are taking up the Emulator duties, I might try and find a desktop type sampler...perhaps a Tasty Chips GR-1 or I might just skip this all together.



Now for the Kurzweil K250 there are a lot of excellent options from Kurzweil currently and I've had my eye on the PC4 but I would really like to see Kurzweil bring out a desktop or module version of their V.A.S.T. engine. Truth be told, I was actually looking at the desktop module from Dexibell. Yes it's a completely different sound/company but I think having an 88 key synth is going to prove a bit problematic real estate wise. I was thinking about just having the PC4 and Prophet X together as opposed to the Prophet X and Prophet XL but I actually feel I wouldn't utilizing the scope of the Kurzweil engine enough as opposed to the PX/XL engines.


I was aiming for the Oberheim Two Voice Pro to mimic the duties of the Oberheim SEM Four Voice (Which was mostly used as a bass synth) but that plan did not work out as everyone knows. I still might try and get a second hand one but from the second hand prices I'm seeing (close to $8-9K) I might just have to find an alternative.


For the Linn LM1 and Linn Drum and EMU SP-12 ensemble I have the Tempest and ISLA S2400 drum machines....I was leaning towards an Arturia DrumBrute to add to the mix as well...which is obviously nothing like any of the Carpenter/Howarth setup but it would give me some more variety.....that being said if Sequential do come out with a new drum machine or when Roger Linn comes out with his new drum machine...I'd take that over the DrumBrute obviously)

Shaw

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Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2020, 03:32:55 PM »
You knew it was coming ;)


So my goal for my setup is to use modern gear to mimic John Carpenter/Alan Howarth's setup they used to score Big Trouble In Little China. I think it is the ultimate synth set up in history.

Prophet-5 and Prophet-10 (w/Poly Sequencers)
ARP Avatar (x2) w/ARP Sequencer.
Emulator 1 and 2.
Prophet VS.
Prophet 2000.
Kurzweil K250.
Oberheim SEM Four Voice.
Linn LM1 and Linn Drum and EMU SP-12 for a monster percussion/drum ensemble.

First, it’s about time. Welcome!


A few observations...


— I don’t think the REV 2 is going to be a precise enough replacement for a Prophet 5/10. Maybe, depends on the sounds you have in your head. But it seems the Prophet 5 sound is one of the cornerstones of Carpenter’s work. If you’re wanting to save on costs, that’s probably not the place to do it.

The Arp / Linnstrument Combo would be killer.... especially since you play guitar and are familiar with the voicings.  And aren’t the Arps with full size keys harder to find.  I hate mini keys... if you don’t, don’t tell us.  I don’t want to lose respect for you.

Sequential Prophet X and XL to mimic the Emulator 1 and 2.
.... solid.


For the Prophet VS... yeah, let's hope, but I have given up trying to guess Sequential's next move.



For the Prophet 2000.... you sometimes see these on Reverb, or find an Emulator on Reverb and let the Prophet X fulfill the duties of the Prophet 2000 and use the Emulator as.... itself.

The Kurzweil K2000, K2500 or PC3K6 would do nicely and are plentiful on Reverb.

The Oberheim TVS... well, you could get two (or 4) SEMs along with a Mutable Instruments Yarns (which would convert 4 voice MIDI data to four separate CV signals for the SEMs).  Or a couple of Studio Electronics Boomstars might also do the trick.  If you just planning to do bass, then two voices is plenty. If you’re looking a polyphonic pads, the price of putting together a four voice gets you into the territory of... brace yourself for a controversial statement... a Moog One which with its dual SVFs power voice, makes great Oberheim sounds.

Finally, LinnDrum samples would be really cool in a Prophet X... and for the price of a LinnDrum, you could get a *gasp* 3rd Prophet X.

I look forward to living through you vicariously in your quest to build this monster Setup..... it is clearly a young man’s task. 

Good luck!
"Classical musicians go to the conservatories, rock´n roll musicians go to the garages." --- Frank Zappa
| Linnstrument | Suhr Custom Modern | Mayones Jaba Custom | Godin Multiac Nylon | Roland TD-50 | Synergy Guitar Amps | Eventide Effects Galore |

LoboLives

Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2020, 03:57:02 PM »
You knew it was coming ;)


So my goal for my setup is to use modern gear to mimic John Carpenter/Alan Howarth's setup they used to score Big Trouble In Little China. I think it is the ultimate synth set up in history.

Prophet-5 and Prophet-10 (w/Poly Sequencers)
ARP Avatar (x2) w/ARP Sequencer.
Emulator 1 and 2.
Prophet VS.
Prophet 2000.
Kurzweil K250.
Oberheim SEM Four Voice.
Linn LM1 and Linn Drum and EMU SP-12 for a monster percussion/drum ensemble.

First, it’s about time. Welcome!


A few observations...


— I don’t think the REV 2 is going to be a precise enough replacement for a Prophet 5/10. Maybe, depends on the sounds you have in your head. But it seems the Prophet 5 sound is one of the cornerstones of Carpenter’s work. If you’re wanting to save on costs, that’s probably not the place to do it.

The Arp / Linnstrument Combo would be killer.... especially since you play guitar and are familiar with the voicings.  And aren’t the Arps with full size keys harder to find.  I hate mini keys... if you don’t, don’t tell us.  I don’t want to lose respect for you.

Sequential Prophet X and XL to mimic the Emulator 1 and 2.
.... solid.


For the Prophet VS... yeah, let's hope, but I have given up trying to guess Sequential's next move.



For the Prophet 2000.... you sometimes see these on Reverb, or find an Emulator on Reverb and let the Prophet X fulfill the duties of the Prophet 2000 and use the Emulator as.... itself.

The Kurzweil K2000, K2500 or PC3K6 would do nicely and are plentiful on Reverb.

The Oberheim TVS... well, you could get two (or 4) SEMs along with a Mutable Instruments Yarns (which would convert 4 voice MIDI data to four separate CV signals for the SEMs).  Or a couple of Studio Electronics Boomstars might also do the trick.  If you just planning to do bass, then two voices is plenty. If you’re looking a polyphonic pads, the price of putting together a four voice gets you into the territory of... brace yourself for a controversial statement... a Moog One which with its dual SVFs power voice, makes great Oberheim sounds.

Finally, LinnDrum samples would be really cool in a Prophet X... and for the price of a LinnDrum, you could get a *gasp* 3rd Prophet X.

I look forward to living through you vicariously in your quest to build this monster Setup..... it is clearly a young man’s task. 

Good luck!


I wouldn’t want to get into buying vintage gear off of Reverb so any vintage Emu, Sequential or Kurzweil stuff is a no go. Theres just a lot less options in terms of sampler synths these days.  I’m actually shocked Elektron haven’t developed a keyboard based sample synth. 

The ARPs would just be the desktop modules so no keys involved.

LoboLives

Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2020, 03:41:21 PM »
Part of me still considers every now and then that I do listen to and am influenced by other composers other than John Carpenter. The more I listen to the Yamaha Montage the more I start to hear David Michael Frank’s scores for films like Code Of Silence or Alan Silvestri’s Synclavier scores like The  Delta Force or even Jerry Goldsmith’s FM/Orchestral scores like Leviathan.  With it’s newly implemented and easy to use song mode, external sequencing, advanced FM and wonderful sampled sounds it really is a versatile machine that might suit me better in the long run than sticking to my Carpenter setup. Still though the Kurzweil PC4 is also another contender as well. It’s incredibly similar to the Montage in terms of features but I’ve heard the sequencing is a bit cumbersome and completely linear based compared to the Montage which is based around “scenes” that you can arrange into a composition. It feels a lot more stimulating and intuitive. Even when composing Orchestral pieces, that workflow might actually be really beneficial. Even listening to composers like Ennio Morricone, Akira Ifukube, Ronald Stein, Nicholas Carras, James Bernard And Henry Mancini, the arrangements are actually very simple and could easily be approached with modern electronic gear. Even things like drum machines....they don’t need to be regulated to synthwave, EDM, techno, etc....why not jazz drums? Why not timpani or Orchestral percussions?
« Last Edit: October 27, 2020, 03:54:34 PM by LoboLives »

A Thousand Eyes

Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #4 on: October 27, 2020, 04:34:53 PM »
So you've done a 180 on touchscreens as well?  ;D

LoboLives

Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #5 on: October 27, 2020, 04:50:15 PM »
So you've done a 180 on touchscreens as well?  ;D

No it’s actually holding me back from the Montage to be honest.

Shaw

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Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #6 on: October 27, 2020, 05:11:58 PM »
So you've done a 180 on touchscreens as well?  ;D

No it’s actually holding me back from the Montage to be honest.


Touchscreens can be a blessing or curse. 


I think it mostly comes down to integration and how well the touchscreen is integrated into the OS — and hopefully what can be done on the touchscreen is duplicated (as much as possible) in the hardware in case the touchscreen fails.


The Waldorf Quantum was great at this.  Not every parameter was duplicated with a knob, but it was pretty close.


At any rate, get thee to a music store and lay hands on a Montage first... you may find that the touchscreen is or isn’t a deal breaker one way or another.  And I also admit, the Montage sounds superb if you are after this FM tones. 
"Classical musicians go to the conservatories, rock´n roll musicians go to the garages." --- Frank Zappa
| Linnstrument | Suhr Custom Modern | Mayones Jaba Custom | Godin Multiac Nylon | Roland TD-50 | Synergy Guitar Amps | Eventide Effects Galore |

LoboLives

Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2020, 06:55:54 PM »
So you've done a 180 on touchscreens as well?  ;D

No it’s actually holding me back from the Montage to be honest.


Touchscreens can be a blessing or curse. 


I think it mostly comes down to integration and how well the touchscreen is integrated into the OS — and hopefully what can be done on the touchscreen is duplicated (as much as possible) in the hardware in case the touchscreen fails.


The Waldorf Quantum was great at this.  Not every parameter was duplicated with a knob, but it was pretty close.


At any rate, get thee to a music store and lay hands on a Montage first... you may find that the touchscreen is or isn’t a deal breaker one way or another.  And I also admit, the Montage sounds superb if you are after this FM tones.

I’ve played the Montage a few times and some of the Orchestral sounds are incredible as well as the FM tones. The floor model I played had some latency issues with the touch screen but you can still navigate around using the hardware buttons and knobs so it’s not too bad.

I also tried a PC4 as well and while it felt very plastic the sound was incredible and I was shocked at how easy it was to navigate.

Shaw

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Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #8 on: October 27, 2020, 07:00:03 PM »
I also tried a PC4 as well and while it felt very plastic the sound was incredible and I was shocked at how easy it was to navigate.


The Kurzweil UI and software are logical for sure.  And VAST synthesis its powerful to say the least.
"Classical musicians go to the conservatories, rock´n roll musicians go to the garages." --- Frank Zappa
| Linnstrument | Suhr Custom Modern | Mayones Jaba Custom | Godin Multiac Nylon | Roland TD-50 | Synergy Guitar Amps | Eventide Effects Galore |

LoboLives

Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #9 on: October 27, 2020, 11:49:27 PM »
I also tried a PC4 as well and while it felt very plastic the sound was incredible and I was shocked at how easy it was to navigate.


The Kurzweil UI and software are logical for sure.  And VAST synthesis its powerful to say the least.

The one thing I miss is they took out the arranger aspect of their sequencers and just went for pretty basic linear workstation sequencing. I'd have to really sit down with the PC4 to see if the sequencer is going to be intuitive or a headache.

jg666

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Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #10 on: October 28, 2020, 12:58:57 AM »
I do like my Montage. It is slightly slower than the MODX changing from one performance to another but I assume that's down to the fact that it needs to set all the lighting on the knobs, buttons and sliders which the MODX doesn't. I prefer using the Montage than the MODX because of this and because the keybed feels a lotter better to me (Comparing Montage6 with MODX6)

I mainly bought these for the FM engine but I've got a couple of 'vintage' packs as well and enjoy those.
DSI Prophet Rev2, DSI Pro 2, Moog Sub37, Korg Minilogue, Yamaha MOXF6, Yamaha MODX6, Yamaha Montage6

jg666

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Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #11 on: October 28, 2020, 01:39:52 AM »
Just had another thought about the Montage touch screen. I have all screen animation effects turned off because it runs so much smoother and makes the whole user experience a lot better.
DSI Prophet Rev2, DSI Pro 2, Moog Sub37, Korg Minilogue, Yamaha MOXF6, Yamaha MODX6, Yamaha Montage6

Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #12 on: October 28, 2021, 02:56:56 PM »
So I’ve done some reevaluating of my gear needs/desires.

Originally I was going to stick to my modernized Carpenter/Howarth set up but I realized it’s essentially chasing the dragon and a lot of the items I wanted originally would end up being used only sparingly on a few recordings here and there and with the headache of getting an Oberheim TVS I sat back and thought to myself, “Are Carpenter and Howarth my one and only synth influences? No.” There’s so many awesome synth based composers that inspire me and they also have different types of gear from Carpenter/Howarth. Why am I obsessed with trying to emulate this one set up when it’s essentially just a rabbit hole effect and eventually so much money and time will be spent trying to make excuses as to why something isn’t “good enough” rather than any musical effort into projects.

Do I go on the hunt for the dual ARP set up or do I get a Pro 3 which has much more flexibility, versatility and also memory and on-board effects? Nah, I’d much rather get the Pro 3 because not only can I emulate some of the Carpenter sequences, there’s also Tangerine Dream and Sylvester LaVey fast digital arpeggiator type tones with the Wavetable oscillator and Philian Bishop and Walter Sear dark Moog Mono synth type sounds as well as classic 70s style string machine tones from Italian composers like Stelvio Cirpiani.

In short, it’s not that I am opposed to getting more gear or becoming a minimalist but more just evaluating the gear I want to get and considering my application of them. How often will I use them? What am I using them for? Will they offer me a long term satisfaction? etc.

However, with the Prophet XL being discontinued...that is one item that I’m still conflicted on.

chysn

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Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #13 on: October 28, 2021, 07:54:21 PM »
One of the great things about the Pro 3 is that it scales very nicely. If you just want to dial in a quick patch, Minimoog-style, it’s easy. But then you can really go deep, make a full track by playing the sequencer. Pro 3 makes easy things are easy, and hard things possible.
Prophet 5 Rev 4 #2711

MPC One+ ∙ MuseScore 4

www.wav2pro3.comwww.soundcloud.com/beige-mazewww.github.com/chysnwww.beigemaze.com

he/him/his

Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #14 on: October 28, 2021, 09:10:11 PM »
One of the great things about the Pro 3 is that it scales very nicely. If you just want to dial in a quick patch, Minimoog-style, it’s easy. But then you can really go deep, make a full track by playing the sequencer. Pro 3 makes easy things are easy, and hard things possible.

Absolutely. I do wish that the new morphing feature allowed for splits or a gradual morph across the keybed or somehow just isolate a single oscillator for one side of the split while the other two are dedicated to the sequencer/arp...much like the MatrixBrute....which is also another contender as well for me.

Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #15 on: April 25, 2022, 04:31:57 AM »
With the announcement of Oberheim's return, I do wonder if we might see the Two Voice Pro return as well. Perhaps even Tom's SonOfFourVoice concept. I would really hate for this all just to be for an OBX/a reissue and be done with it.

Should a TVS Pro or SO4V come to fruition....I might have to rethink my idea of getting a Pro 3 over the dual ARP Odyssey. It's super tempting but at the same time I'm hesitant.

LPF83

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Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #16 on: April 25, 2022, 05:22:59 AM »
With the announcement of Oberheim's return, I do wonder if we might see the Two Voice Pro return as well. Perhaps even Tom's SonOfFourVoice concept. I would really hate for this all just to be for an OBX/a reissue and be done with it.

Should a TVS Pro or SO4V come to fruition....I might have to rethink my idea of getting a Pro 3 over the dual ARP Odyssey. It's super tempting but at the same time I'm hesitant.

I've wondered about this as well -- since Tom doesn't seem to be mentioning even the possibility of taking orders for the Two Voice on his site, it makes one think that maybe Focusrite is swallowing up the brand altogether and maybe making both the TVS and OBX/a (and perhaps other reissues) available.  Matrix 12 please.
Prophet 10, OB-X8m, Prophet 6, OB-6, 3rd Wave, Prophet 12m, Prophet Rev2-16, Toraiz AS-1, Pro 2, Virus TI2, Moog SlimPhatty, Hydrasynth desktop, Korg Minilogue XDm, Roland JP-8080, Roland System-8, Roland SPD-SX SE / Octapad, Maschine, Cubase/Ableton/Akai MPC

Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #17 on: April 25, 2022, 05:31:48 AM »
With the announcement of Oberheim's return, I do wonder if we might see the Two Voice Pro return as well. Perhaps even Tom's SonOfFourVoice concept. I would really hate for this all just to be for an OBX/a reissue and be done with it.

Should a TVS Pro or SO4V come to fruition....I might have to rethink my idea of getting a Pro 3 over the dual ARP Odyssey. It's super tempting but at the same time I'm hesitant.

I've wondered about this as well -- since Tom doesn't seem to be mentioning even the possibility of taking orders for the Two Voice on his site, it makes one think that maybe Focusrite is swallowing up the brand altogether and maybe making both the TVS and OBX/a (and perhaps other reissues) available.  Matrix 12 please.

This is why I think Focusrite is going to regulate Oberheim and Sequential to their "Golden Oldies" department while having Novation handle all the forward thinking and innovative synths. Shame really, even Tom said he wanted to do an updated version of the SEM and I was really hoping to see a VCO/Wavetable poly from Sequential but I think we are stuck with reissues. Not my bag but there's a market for it. Many people bought the Rossum SP1200 reissue over the ISLA S2400 just based on brand name alone and didn't even look at features or listened to any demos.

LPF83

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Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #18 on: April 25, 2022, 06:34:28 AM »
This is why I think Focusrite is going to regulate Oberheim and Sequential to their "Golden Oldies" department while having Novation handle all the forward thinking and innovative synths. Shame really, even Tom said he wanted to do an updated version of the SEM and I was really hoping to see a VCO/Wavetable poly from Sequential but I think we are stuck with reissues. Not my bag but there's a market for it. Many people bought the Rossum SP1200 reissue over the ISLA S2400 just based on brand name alone and didn't even look at features or listened to any demos.

I think that may be because there are at least a couple of different segments of buyers when it comes to vintage and vintage-inspired hardware products and reissues:

1)  Those who are interested in "inspired-by" products, which attempt to take what was popular about the original and modify or improve it in some way.
2)  Those who want to replicate the experience of the original hardware as much as possible, even to the extent of outright rejecting any incremental improvements that could be made.

As an analogy I'll use vintage cars... to some, owning a car from the 1960s or 70s would not be worthwhile or workable unless they put a modern stereo system in it, but others are going to be purists and would most appreciate (and be willing to pay a premium for) having the original working AM/FM radio in it.

Loosely mapping specific synth models to the two categories listed above, I would say the Prophet 6 is a type 1 product while the Prophet 5/10 is a type 2 product.
Prophet 10, OB-X8m, Prophet 6, OB-6, 3rd Wave, Prophet 12m, Prophet Rev2-16, Toraiz AS-1, Pro 2, Virus TI2, Moog SlimPhatty, Hydrasynth desktop, Korg Minilogue XDm, Roland JP-8080, Roland System-8, Roland SPD-SX SE / Octapad, Maschine, Cubase/Ableton/Akai MPC

Shaw

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Re: Lobo's Gear Rant Thread
« Reply #19 on: April 25, 2022, 07:00:05 AM »
With the announcement of Oberheim's return, I do wonder if we might see the Two Voice Pro return as well. Perhaps even Tom's SonOfFourVoice concept. I would really hate for this all just to be for an OBX/a reissue and be done with it.

Should a TVS Pro or SO4V come to fruition....I might have to rethink my idea of getting a Pro 3 over the dual ARP Odyssey. It's super tempting but at the same time I'm hesitant.

I've wondered about this as well -- since Tom doesn't seem to be mentioning even the possibility of taking orders for the Two Voice on his site, it makes one think that maybe Focusrite is swallowing up the brand altogether and maybe making both the TVS and OBX/a (and perhaps other reissues) available.  Matrix 12 please.

This is why I think Focusrite is going to regulate Oberheim and Sequential to their "Golden Oldies" department while having Novation handle all the forward thinking and innovative synths. Shame really, even Tom said he wanted to do an updated version of the SEM and I was really hoping to see a VCO/Wavetable poly from Sequential but I think we are stuck with reissues. Not my bag but there's a market for it. Many people bought the Rossum SP1200 reissue over the ISLA S2400 just based on brand name alone and didn't even look at features or listened to any demos.


I wouldn’t necessarily see that as a bad thing.  A Matrix 12 done in the same way Dave re-did the Prophet 5/10? Yes, please!   Some things just don’t need “improvements”… my humble 2¢ 
"Classical musicians go to the conservatories, rock´n roll musicians go to the garages." --- Frank Zappa
| Linnstrument | Suhr Custom Modern | Mayones Jaba Custom | Godin Multiac Nylon | Roland TD-50 | Synergy Guitar Amps | Eventide Effects Galore |