Razmo's Gear Rant Thread...

[dslsynth]

Will start on a SoundDiver editor right away, so I guess I'm off to analyze every byte of the dump like I did with the P12, since DSI has stopped providing information on this on their synths (a really bad move in my opinion... puts a hell of a lot of work on people wanting to make editors).

And I should put myself together to send off an information request to DSI. This information will enable me to do slight better than the current state of sysex specifications for the newer instruments.

[Razmo]

Have been looking at the MIDI specs of the REV2 closely this afternoon... and it looks like the usual DSI specs (without SysEx structure unfortunately), but one thing caught my eye... the NRPN value range for the 6 polyphonic sequencer steps has values from 128-255 ... I find that a bit odd... I wonder why that is, and why it is not from 0-127 ...

[dslsynth]

The good thing is that once you have the instrument in front of you its very easy to check what NRPN values are actually produced.

[Razmo]

The good thing is that once you have the instrument in front of you its very easy to check what NRPN values are actually produced.

Yeah... the weird thing is that it's only for the velocity... the note values are 0-127... i wonder if it's an internal "and" thing of the two that makes something easier to program... Note on data are note first, then velocity after... maybe that is why the velocity values range from 128-255 ... but only DSI will know why they made it this way I guess.

I'll see what problems this can make for me in SoundDiver... because if the SysEx structure has values of 0-127 for velocity, but NRPNs that you use to send changes from SoundDiver til REV2, then it might give some headaches as I need to store the value in memory being 0-127 for the SysEx dumps to work, but 128-255 when sending NRPNs out to edit the synth at the same time... I'm not sure SoundDiver can do this.... but at least it can drop sending single NRPNs out, and make a full SysEx dump instead... this just takes quite a bit of MIDI bandwith sending out a whole dump for changing just ONE parameter... but maybe with USB you will not really sense the difference as this is a hell of a lot faster...

[dslsynth]

Do check out the sequences in Pro 2. Could be a related problem. Besides that: maybe ask DSI directly once instrument have arrived and described values are actually produced by the instrument.

[Razmo]

Besides... I'm not so sure I'll even need an editor for it... I'll do one anyway, simply because I need SoundDiver's abillities in bank management and library functions, but when I look at the REV2 interface you almost have a full one-function-per-knob interface... I do not think I'll get that much easier programming by doing this from the computer at all... it's different with the P12 which I also plan to get next, even though the module is easy to program, there is still a lot of parameters not accessible at the same time, making an editor more reasonable..

[Razmo]

I'm finally at the end of my 25+ year long road to finding the perfect studio for me, and the workflow that works best.

I recently talked about having only 3-4 synths... I actually decided that I can easily make a piece of Ambient music with just ONE synth, when I do harddisk recording in layer style, so the number has now been reduced to just ONE!

Yes... ONE synthesizer (with build in keyboard always), routed into my Lexicon PCM92 for FX, and then from there into my DAW's soundcard for recording. A bit of EQ on my DAW may be used if necessary, otherwise nothing else.

It's probably the smallest setup you can have with external gear I'd say, but it's very intuitive, and it's easy to deal with... synth must have a well working frontpanel editor because SoundDiver WILL be history... do not want to make editors anymore, it takes too long time and has too many compromises.

The ideer is to only buy keyboard synths in the future... because I still want a few more synths that finds my interest and compliment each other... I might use just one on a track sometimes, at other times I'll swap the synth while making a track... but the ideer is that at any one time, only ONE synth is connected.

The REV2 is the first and only synth I've got for this setup for quite some time... it will take some time to save up for other keyboard synths since they are quite expensive, but sometime early next year I hope to buy a Prophet 12 Keyboard as my second one... in the future I'll be looking out to see if I can find a used Poly Evolver Keyboard as well, but that might be hard to find... just have to keep my eyes open... A Quantum may also be a candidate at some point, but in general, very few manufacturers deliver the needed criteria for what I want.... Polyphony, and 100% analog or Hybrids... I want no 100% digital keyboards... if I ever get one, it'll be a Roland - V-Synth GT once again... it's the only digital synth that seriously catch my interest...

So next week will be a time for creating presets for REV2, and also sort in all the Prophet presets available to store the best of them in the REV2's memory... thank god DSI has started to allow you to overwrite the factory presets... I REALLY need those slots when I'm not using SoundDiver as a browser ever again... A lot of preset must also be created for the Lexicon PCM92, so that I have a lot of ready made presets fit for Ambient... that is the cool thing about recording it directly into the DAW... this way I have no limits anymore... I can use the synth as many times as I want, and the FX can be changed for every sound I want something special for.

This setup is really relieving my studio stress level... technically everything is kept to a minimum... minimum cable clutter, no external mixer.... just ONE synth standing in the middle of my desktop, connected to the PCM92 placed right above it on a shelf where I can easily reach it, which is right below my 4K monitor which I have mounted on the wall to save shelf space.... a mouse and a qwerty keyboard in front of the keyboard... and that's it... a pair of small monitors is to be bought and placed on the shelfs two ends, otherwise the rest will be just inspiring art decorations to further fuel my imagination when composing.

This also made any MIDI interface redundant... I need only one MIDI port, and that is included in my RME AIO soundcard, along with both the stereo analog I/O I need for speakers, phones and the synth.

Everything is kept at a minimum... I like this

Rant over...

[Shaw]

I'm finally at the end of my 25+ year long road to finding the perfect studio for me,... Rant over...

Somehow I doubt that... 


In a similar vein, I recently started building a “synth cabinet”... a place to store synths not actively in use.  Out of sight, out of mind, concentrate on making music with the piece of gear in front of you.  When I want another synth, they will be accessible.  Pull out a drawer, there’s my OB6; pull out another drawer, there’s my P12....


Cheers!

[Razmo]

I'm finally at the end of my 25+ year long road to finding the perfect studio for me,... Rant over...

Somehow I doubt that... 


In a similar vein, I recently started building a “synth cabinet”... a place to store synths not actively in use.  Out of sight, out of mind, concentrate on making music with the piece of gear in front of you.  When I want another synth, they will be accessible.  Pull out a drawer, there’s my OB6; pull out another drawer, there’s my P12....


Cheers!

Well... I cannot say much to that, as I understand why you people would not believe me after all those times I've said that ... but yes... as you say... a synth cabinet is exactly what I'll be creating, though it'll be huge... only keyboard synths

[Razmo]

I've had the REV2 8-voice now for two days, and I'm really really impressed with it. I cannot say what it is, but I know others have said it sounds "better" than the P08... if that is because of the added features or just placebo I wanted to find out, so I tried a few of my old P08 presets, and I also find that something is "better"... it's hard to describe, but I'd say it is in the clarity... maybe the frequency response, do not know... does not matter anyway, it's a definite keeper, and as soon as I've gotten the money, I'm ordering the voice upgrade card for sure because I actually felt the shortness of voices, mainly because most of the factory presets use stacked mode.

The factory presets are also A LOT better than previous DSI synths in my opinion... a lot more playable, and actually (to my surprise), a lot of them can be used in Ambient music as well, so a thumbs up for that!

The keybed is simply amazing... I was a bit worried that I had gotten too much used to the TP/8S from my Roland A-70, and yes... the Roland is still a bit better, but it's so little it does not really matter at all... in fact I do not even miss it after just two days of playing the REV2... I also believe that the thing I like about the old TP/8S is that the keys themselves are more rounded, and not as square as the ones on the newer FATAR keybeds... that allow for better sliding of your finger between keys, where the REV2 ones are a bit more "edgy"... Also love the nice NORMAL pitch and mod wheels... was tired of Rolands joystick, and the ones that I remember from the Blofeld keys was horrible... slippery, and thin with an annoying tab.

If I have to make one complaint about the REV2, it would be that the programming of the gated sequencer is horribly unintuitive... but I understand that there is no space for the knobs... besides I'd really NOT like it to be like on the P08 where knobs double in function, so I'm on the other hand glad it is the way it is... but this is what will make it certain that I'll be doing a SoundDiver editor for the REV2 very soon... some editing will be done on this, if not all... depends on how easy it is for me to get used to e real physical editing interface... I've been used to SoundDiver for decades.

I REALLY like the build in effects too... they allow for sculpting presets with the FX as part of it, something I really like... I have only one external FX device (Lexicon PCM92) that is going to be used to create the joint space between all the instruments in my composition, and it's nice to not have to use this for other duties than reverb... REV2 will do all the other FX I need just fine.

I could not wish for a better poly analog synth than the REV2 ... very very happy about my purchase here.

The next one I'll buy sometime next year is a Prophet 12 keyboard... it will perfectly compliment the REV2 for anything it cannot do like wavetables, FM synthesis and other digital tricks... The interface looks almost as hands on as the REV2, and as I'll only be using one synth at a time (HD recording in layers) I'll be swapping them out as I need them in a project.

These two synths will practically cover must of the synthesis options that I need for doing ambient music... only ONE type is missing... sample synthesis oscillators... but you've heard me rant about this several times by now, so I will not torture you with more explanations of what it is that I want... I'll just have to wait and see what happens, with my fingers crossed

End of todays rant (I think)...

[Razmo]

A few words about the REV2 now that I've had it for a few days... still good (aside from a few bugs)... if I would have to put my finger on anything, I have two things:

1. The LEDs of the four LFOs seem to not vary that very much in intensity when the shape is Triangle... when the rate is set low enough you can clearly see that the light never fades to completely off in the cycle... I wonder why that is, when the other shapes do reach completely off... the LEDS actually look rather dull when set to Triangle shape... not that it matters much, I just find it a bit odd.

2. The Reverb effect... really not fond of it to be honest, but ok, I'm a rather demanding person when it comes to this, and when I have a Lexicon PCM92 running by it's site it may be an unfair judgement... it's no where near smooth, and have a rough metallic sound to it... also the decay of the reverb is not capable of reaching lengths I'd like for Ambient music.... it's probably good enough for shorter ambient tones, but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be using it much... the other FX sound remarkably good though... honestly I'd have liked to see a pingpong delay in there... more than that reverb to be honest.

The rest of this machine I simply love... when the "birth defects" has been taken care off, this will surely be a classic... at least for me... one thing I really like about this is that the pitch and mod wheel has been placed above the keys... that makes the keyboard a lot more compact, which is really cool when you do not have a lot of desktop space available.

And oh yes... one more thing I really miss from Dave's usual way of making his synths: The leds showing active voices... I do not know why he left these out, mostly because I saw in his video, when he was messing with a prototype, that the LEDS seems to actually be inside on the board... i could see them shift inside the prototype... there are plenty of space for these 16 LEDS on the right of the keyboard... I do think though, that I know why... probably because of the 8/16 voice versions... it would probably look weird on the 8 voice versions, having 8 LEDs that never will be used unless you upgrade it to 16 voices.... maybe also some cost saving reasons... I do not know what 16 holes extra would cost... I'm not certain either, if the LEDs I saw on the prototype is actually included on the curcuit board in the units out for sale.... I just love to be able to see how many voices are in use... maybe a feature update where we can see these on the OLED display instead... but dare I ask for a feature? ... who knows...

[Shaw]

I'm finally at the end of my 25+ year long road to finding the perfect studio for me,... Rant over...

Somehow I doubt that... 


In a similar vein, I recently started building a “synth cabinet”... a place to store synths not actively in use.  Out of sight, out of mind, concentrate on making music with the piece of gear in front of you.  When I want another synth, they will be accessible.  Pull out a drawer, there’s my OB6; pull out another drawer, there’s my P12....


Cheers!

Finished the "Synth Cabinet" (except for attaching doors) -- Notice the empty slot. 
Actually 2 empty slots.  The white one is an Arturia Controller. It's expendable.

[Razmo]

I'm finally at the end of my 25+ year long road to finding the perfect studio for me,... Rant over...

Somehow I doubt that... 


In a similar vein, I recently started building a “synth cabinet”... a place to store synths not actively in use.  Out of sight, out of mind, concentrate on making music with the piece of gear in front of you.  When I want another synth, they will be accessible.  Pull out a drawer, there’s my OB6; pull out another drawer, there’s my P12....


Cheers!

Finished the "Synth Cabinet" (except for attaching doors) -- Notice the empty slot. 
Actually 2 empty slots.  The white one is an Arturia Controller. It's expendable.

Nice! ... is it made for pulling them out when you need them, or is it just a storage facility?

[Shaw]

I'm finally at the end of my 25+ year long road to finding the perfect studio for me,... Rant over...

Somehow I doubt that... 


In a similar vein, I recently started building a “synth cabinet”... a place to store synths not actively in use.  Out of sight, out of mind, concentrate on making music with the piece of gear in front of you.  When I want another synth, they will be accessible.  Pull out a drawer, there’s my OB6; pull out another drawer, there’s my P12....


Cheers!

Finished the "Synth Cabinet" (except for attaching doors) -- Notice the empty slot. 
Actually 2 empty slots.  The white one is an Arturia Controller. It's expendable.

Nice! ... is it made for pulling them out when you need them, or is it just a storage facility?

Able to pull the shelves out. Simple, archaic, but functional design.

[dslsynth]

Wise words from the old master: https://youtu.be/NYWANrXNbMU?t=9m46s . o O ( )

[Razmo]

Wise words from the old master: https://youtu.be/NYWANrXNbMU?t=9m46s . o O ( )

Yep... takes quite some years before you realize what he is saying... I do not give much for his advertising though... it's so obvious... first he praise Erica Synths modules, and then you realize it's actually Erica Synths that are conducting the "interview"... I've seen him advertise more than once lately, so I do not buy any of the shit he's praising really...

[dslsynth]

Yep... takes quite some years before you realize what he is saying...

That was exactly my point. Wise word from an experienced gentleman.

I do not give much for his advertising though... it's so obvious...

Indeed! Maybe its all about getting the word out for the next generation and earning a little sponsor money?

In any case: I like to listen to him anyway. I think/hope that I can filter out the advertisement parts and enjoy his wise words by themselves. Obviously things are changing for him but I still see him as an important person in the synthesizer world that is well worth listening to.

[Razmo]

Yep... takes quite some years before you realize what he is saying...

That was exactly my point. Wise word from an experienced gentleman.

I do not give much for his advertising though... it's so obvious...

Indeed! Maybe its all about getting the word out for the next generation and earning a little sponsor money?

In any case: I like to listen to him anyway. I think/hope that I can filter out the advertisement parts and enjoy his wise words by themselves. Obviously things are changing for him but I still see him as an important person in the synthesizer world that is well worth listening to.

Absolutely!... he's still one of my top-favourites in electronic music... Jarre & Shultze probably share the top 1 for me ... probably along some Commodore64 SID composers like Rob Hubbard, Martin Galway, Ben Daglish, Fred Grey, David Whittaker and others...

[dslsynth]

Absolutely!... he's still one of my top-favourites in electronic music... Jarre & Shultze probably share the top 1 for me ... probably along some Commodore64 SID composers like Rob Hubbard, Martin Galway, Ben Daglish, Fred Grey, David Whittaker and others...

You mean Klaus Schulze? Think I have spend too much time listening to jazz instead of electronic music. Sounds like an interesting career!

PS: Seen this https://youtu.be/CYaRzXSCnDo video? Nice darker soundscapes!

[Razmo]

Absolutely!... he's still one of my top-favourites in electronic music... Jarre & Shultze probably share the top 1 for me ... probably along some Commodore64 SID composers like Rob Hubbard, Martin Galway, Ben Daglish, Fred Grey, David Whittaker and others...

You mean Klaus Schulze? Think I have spend too much time listening to jazz instead of electronic music. Sounds like an interesting career!

PS: Seen this https://youtu.be/CYaRzXSCnDo video? Nice darker soundscapes!

Yes... Klaus Shulze ... he's one of the first pioneers... think he even predates Jarre, and that Jarre got several inspirations from him as well... quite a big load of albums he has done, and he play them synths live.

Never heard that in your link, but I like it...