Razmo's Gear Rant Thread...

[Gerry Havinga]

Today I made a new preset, and refined some of the earlier ones... I've decided, that since my sounds are so ambient oriented, using the built in reverb just is not really up to standards... I'm pretty picky with reverb, so I decided to create my sounds, using the built in FX, but leaving reverb for an external processor, simply because it usually is just a single reverb, set up for a whole score anyway... too many mixed reverbs can sound too much...

I also decided that I would try not to use stacked mode unless it's really necessary, so that full 16 polyphony is available, which is pretty essential for long pas sounds and atmospheres, so i dissected the ones that had FX on the second layer, and made them stand alone presets... it gives more flexibility to mix and match as I record a score.

I put together a test of two sounds... a new one called "Ethereal Organ" and the running water I already made for my other preset... refined it a bit, and then combined them into this:

http://razmo.ziphoid.com/2sounds.mp3

The external reverb is Valhalla Shimmer...

Thank you Razmo, this is a really nice piece, very atmospheric, tense and hauntingly beautiful. Please release it somewhere, someplace, sometime 

I agree with you for ambient type stuff I also prefer an external effects processor. Currently I have a Lexicon MX400 hooked up indirectly to the Rev2 and a Boss RV500 directly to the Evolver. I manage to simulate a shimmer reverb by routing one of the layers of the MX400 to the other using my mixing console.

[Razmo]

Today I made a new preset, and refined some of the earlier ones... I've decided, that since my sounds are so ambient oriented, using the built in reverb just is not really up to standards... I'm pretty picky with reverb, so I decided to create my sounds, using the built in FX, but leaving reverb for an external processor, simply because it usually is just a single reverb, set up for a whole score anyway... too many mixed reverbs can sound too much...

I also decided that I would try not to use stacked mode unless it's really necessary, so that full 16 polyphony is available, which is pretty essential for long pas sounds and atmospheres, so i dissected the ones that had FX on the second layer, and made them stand alone presets... it gives more flexibility to mix and match as I record a score.

I put together a test of two sounds... a new one called "Ethereal Organ" and the running water I already made for my other preset... refined it a bit, and then combined them into this:

http://razmo.ziphoid.com/2sounds.mp3

The external reverb is Valhalla Shimmer...

Thank you Razmo, this is a really nice piece, very atmospheric, tense and hauntingly beautiful. Please release it somewhere, someplace, sometime 

I agree with you for ambient type stuff I also prefer an external effects processor. Currently I have a Lexicon MX400 hooked up indirectly to the Rev2 and a Boss RV500 directly to the Evolver. I manage to simulate a shimmer reverb by routing one of the layers of the MX400 to the other using my mixing console.

I had the MX400 too... I even had a PCM92, but I found that since I'm recording layer-style in my DAW anyway, that it's much more convenient to use plugins... the PCM92 is available in plugin format, and I also use Valhalla Shimmer which I like a lot actually... using this technique, I can tailor a different FX plugin to each track, and when the track is done, I can simply freeze the track and release the CPU processing power for other tracks, and if I want to redo some parameters, I just unfreeze and do the changes.

Still, I try to make the best use of the internal FX of the REV2... it depends on how it sounds... if I feel it sounds good with the internal FX, I use them.... then, if I during composition feel that an external FX would be better, it's not that hard to simply switch off the internal FX on the REV2... point is, that if I am to release these preset banks someday, it's important that they sound as good as possible using just the REV2... then I'll leave the decision about external FX to the user.

The built in reverb is very limited... mostly it's number of parameters, but also it's ranges... i miss a MUCH LONGER decay time, but for giving a sound just a bit of space sense, it's alright.... besides, sometimes a verbed sound, put thru an external reverb will just make the reverb sound even more dense, which may actually be preferred in some cases.

so all in all: I'm trying to make the presets as good as possible... with just the REV2 alone... designing the presets like if I'd only ever have the REV2 alone... I think that is the best way to do it

[Gerry Havinga]

Today I made a new preset, and refined some of the earlier ones... I've decided, that since my sounds are so ambient oriented, using the built in reverb just is not really up to standards... I'm pretty picky with reverb, so I decided to create my sounds, using the built in FX, but leaving reverb for an external processor, simply because it usually is just a single reverb, set up for a whole score anyway... too many mixed reverbs can sound too much...

I also decided that I would try not to use stacked mode unless it's really necessary, so that full 16 polyphony is available, which is pretty essential for long pas sounds and atmospheres, so i dissected the ones that had FX on the second layer, and made them stand alone presets... it gives more flexibility to mix and match as I record a score.

I put together a test of two sounds... a new one called "Ethereal Organ" and the running water I already made for my other preset... refined it a bit, and then combined them into this:

http://razmo.ziphoid.com/2sounds.mp3

The external reverb is Valhalla Shimmer...

Thank you Razmo, this is a really nice piece, very atmospheric, tense and hauntingly beautiful. Please release it somewhere, someplace, sometime 

I agree with you for ambient type stuff I also prefer an external effects processor. Currently I have a Lexicon MX400 hooked up indirectly to the Rev2 and a Boss RV500 directly to the Evolver. I manage to simulate a shimmer reverb by routing one of the layers of the MX400 to the other using my mixing console.

I had the MX400 too... I even had a PCM92, but I found that since I'm recording layer-style in my DAW anyway, that it's much more convenient to use plugins... the PCM92 is available in plugin format, and I also use Valhalla Shimmer which I like a lot actually... using this technique, I can tailor a different FX plugin to each track, and when the track is done, I can simply freeze the track and release the CPU processing power for other tracks, and if I want to redo some parameters, I just unfreeze and do the changes.

Still, I try to make the best use of the internal FX of the REV2... it depends on how it sounds... if I feel it sounds good with the internal FX, I use them.... then, if I during composition feel that an external FX would be better, it's not that hard to simply switch off the internal FX on the REV2... point is, that if I am to release these preset banks someday, it's important that they sound as good as possible using just the REV2... then I'll leave the decision about external FX to the user.

The built in reverb is very limited... mostly it's number of parameters, but also it's ranges... i miss a MUCH LONGER decay time, but for giving a sound just a bit of space sense, it's alright.... besides, sometimes a verbed sound, put thru an external reverb will just make the reverb sound even more dense, which may actually be preferred in some cases.

so all in all: I'm trying to make the presets as good as possible... with just the REV2 alone... designing the presets like if I'd only ever have the REV2 alone... I think that is the best way to do it

Makes total sense. When you release the sound pack for the Rev2 you can always suggest to the buyer to extend the effects by using plugin processed or out board hardware effects. Count me in, I definitely want to buy when you are ready to release.

Ideally I want my studio setup to be exactly the same when I perform. But I am not that far yet.

My aim is to get away from the computer for composition and performing (in the not to far future). Just use Ubuntu with a real time kernel to record, mix and master.
My current released EP still uses quite a bit of VSTs on Bitwig. In the next few weeks I release my second EP, those tracks have more hardware and less VSTs. At the end of the year I am planning to release my third EP, of which most tracks only have 1 or 2 VST plugins. The third EP will also be my first release featuring the Rev2. In 2019 I want to release my first LP (more than 5 tracks), using only hardware (effects and sounds). Sequencer is still Bitwig. Slowly including the Digitone sequencer in my most recent compositions. Hopefully end of this year computer out - Cirklon in ;-).

[Razmo]

Normally I would also count myself as a 100% hardware guy too... but it's just too comprehensive technically to be that, with how I work... I want to be compact, but a 100% hardware setup would require a mixer, external FX, a harddisk recorder in hardware, and at least ONE synth to record from... it is possible, but the more technicallities I've got, the less focus I get... I can feel it even now that I settled with only the REV2, a pair of speaker, and my DAW... much less cable clutter, very much more streamlines workflow and I get a lot more sounds made right now than ever before... this is for me... ONE synth (with keys) connected directly to my RME AIO soundcard for recording, and using plugins for the FX... it's really all I need...

But I still have gearlust... still got GAS... still drool over new synths... that is an addiction I'll never get rid off, so I'll be purchasing other keyboard synths each half year... I'll just connect one of them on any given time, while the others will be stored away for next time... I aim at making scores that fit about 60 minutes, so I'll be using different keyboard synths thru such a project, just never more than one at a time... might make perhaps 3 minutes with a REV2, then evolve the end of that into the next using say; a Prophet 12... and so on.... the idea is simple: One synth at a time for simplicity, focus and dedication

[Gerry Havinga]

Normally I would also count myself as a 100% hardware guy too... but it's just too comprehensive technically to be that, with how I work... I want to be compact, but a 100% hardware setup would require a mixer, external FX, a harddisk recorder in hardware, and at least ONE synth to record from... it is possible, but the more technicallities I've got, the less focus I get... I can feel it even now that I settled with only the REV2, a pair of speaker, and my DAW... much less cable clutter, very much more streamlines workflow and I get a lot more sounds made right now than ever before... this is for me... ONE synth (with keys) connected directly to my RME AIO soundcard for recording, and using plugins for the FX... it's really all I need...

But I still have gearlust... still got GAS... still drool over new synths... that is an addiction I'll never get rid off, so I'll be purchasing other keyboard synths each half year... I'll just connect one of them on any given time, while the others will be stored away for next time... I aim at making scores that fit about 60 minutes, so I'll be using different keyboard synths thru such a project, just never more than one at a time... might make perhaps 3 minutes with a REV2, then evolve the end of that into the next using say; a Prophet 12... and so on.... the idea is simple: One synth at a time for simplicity, focus and dedication

Ah great such a different approach, nice. I am totally the opposite, working daily with advanced global corporate computer systems I want at home to get "my hands dirty" with buttons, encoders, pots, sliders, flashy LEDs, rack cases and all that jazz.

Sometimes, but not always, it takes a bit longer to get the sounds right and compose a track, but I find it 2000% more satisfactory than working with plugins on a (Windoze or Mac) laptop. Recording 12 or more stereo tracks, especially if I separate the outboard effects, is time consuming. In due course I want to be able to record 12 or more stereo tracks simultaneously. Unfortunately Linux compatible soundcards wih these kind of capabilities are very expensive.

Kind of like dreaming about Klaus Schulze setup in the 70's, surrounded by stacks of electronics  . Happily I have a loving partner, she will restrain my ambitions a bit.

[Razmo]

Normally I would also count myself as a 100% hardware guy too... but it's just too comprehensive technically to be that, with how I work... I want to be compact, but a 100% hardware setup would require a mixer, external FX, a harddisk recorder in hardware, and at least ONE synth to record from... it is possible, but the more technicallities I've got, the less focus I get... I can feel it even now that I settled with only the REV2, a pair of speaker, and my DAW... much less cable clutter, very much more streamlines workflow and I get a lot more sounds made right now than ever before... this is for me... ONE synth (with keys) connected directly to my RME AIO soundcard for recording, and using plugins for the FX... it's really all I need...

But I still have gearlust... still got GAS... still drool over new synths... that is an addiction I'll never get rid off, so I'll be purchasing other keyboard synths each half year... I'll just connect one of them on any given time, while the others will be stored away for next time... I aim at making scores that fit about 60 minutes, so I'll be using different keyboard synths thru such a project, just never more than one at a time... might make perhaps 3 minutes with a REV2, then evolve the end of that into the next using say; a Prophet 12... and so on.... the idea is simple: One synth at a time for simplicity, focus and dedication

Ah great such a different approach, nice. I am totally the opposite, working daily with advanced global corporate computer systems I want at home to get "my hands dirty" with buttons, encoders, pots, sliders, flashy LEDs, rack cases and all that jazz.

Sometimes, but not always, it takes a bit longer to get the sounds right and compose a track, but I find it 2000% more satisfactory than working with plugins on a (Windoze or Mac) laptop. Recording 12 or more stereo tracks, especially if I separate the outboard effects, is time consuming. In due course I want to be able to record 12 or more stereo tracks simultaneously. Unfortunately Linux compatible soundcards wih these kind of capabilities are very expensive.

Kind of like dreaming about Klaus Schulze setup in the 70's, surrounded by stacks of electronics  . Happily I have a loving partner, she will restrain my ambitions a bit.

Don't get me wrong... i do want to get away from the computer too... these days I hate programming arrangements... this is what makes my setup a bit different, simply because i need to go as much hardware as possible, and less computer at the same time... I do not "program" arrangements anymore, instead I record a whole track in one go, then switch to the next... actually I could as well have used a multi-track tape recorder, there is no real difference, except for the plugin system... I'm tired of cut/past/move... the reason I chose this setup is because it's both very flexible, but also very compact... i can reuse the same synth as many times as I want this way... thus I only need one really... if it was not for my GAS

Actually I've only hooked up the REV2 via MIDI to my computer because I need to program presets using an editor... that is the only thing I'll never be able to accept... programming a synth by it's front panel... I want ALL parameters on the screen at once... other than this, I don't even follow a metronome anymore... i just PLAY and RECORD... and when something must be layered, I follow the rhythm of previously recorded tracks... it's not that hard, especially with ambient music... in fact it makes the scores so much more dynamic because I can speed up and slow down when I want to... nothing is repeated, unless its done live... the compositions is much less static this way, sound much less "programmed".

So in a sense... I understand your urge to go away from the computer... I want the same, I just cannot go 100% hardware because I need the DAW as a recording medium and an FX processor... and when time comes, also mixing and mastering... but all else is hardware.

Actually the only time quantized sequences I'll have will be those that are played by the REV2's internal Arp or Gated/Poly sequencers... no MIDI tracks in the DAW at all...

But with that said... i sure admire Klaus Schultse and all his gear, and his ability to use it... point is, that there is no right or wrong way to make music, the main goal must always be that you actually DO something with what you have... that was my problem for MANY years because I kept on hoarding gear, never having a chance to get to know each instrument deeply before selling it, and buying something new, starting all over again...

[Razmo]

http://razmo.ziphoid.com/Ra%27sMusicbox.mp3

Another preset today... not even close to what I set out to create, but it ended up with a preset that is quite useable, and also organic sounding... the REV2 still amaze me with the kind of sounds it's capable of making... Name: "Ra's Musicbox"

[Paul Dither]

Very nice sounds you've programmed there—I like them all! Seems like your strategy is working out well.

[Razmo]

Very nice sounds you've programmed there—I like them all! Seems like your strategy is working out well.

Thank you for the compliment means a lot! ... and yes... my strategy is working out, though it's hard to resist buying other stuff... but I can see now, that having only one synth and sticking with it for half a years alone, makes me a lot more creative...

[Shaw]

Very nice sounds you've programmed there—I like them all! Seems like your strategy is working out well.

Thank you for the compliment means a lot! ... and yes... my strategy is working out, though it's hard to resist buying other stuff... but I can see now, that having only one synth and sticking with it for half a years alone, makes me a lot more creative...

The creativity of limitations.

[Razmo]

Now that I've been creating presets a lot on the REV2 lately, I've come to a confusing conclusion... I really feel that this keyboard synth lacks controllers. I have countless times felt that I needed an assignable knob, a slider or something to assign to a parameter... again and again I have to route several parameters to the same control (modwheel).

Am I the only user that have felt a lack of controller options on the REV2? ... i know they wanted it to be budget, but I as heck cannot understand why they did not throw in at least a pair of assignable controls above the wheels.

With a synth this deep, and a modulation matrix double the amount of the P08, it wonders me they did not include it. Yes... I know I can plug in a pedal, or use a MIDI controller thingy via the DIN input, but it should have been a standard feature on the REV2... I cannot make banks that others are to use, if they do not have those controllers too, so I feel restricted to the default possibilities, otherwise lots of users would not even use the control features... this is also why I'm hesitating to buy a pedal since I'm pretty certain most users don't even have one connected.

I know it makes no difference now that the REV2 is out, I just hope that DSI will read this, and think a little about it for other future products... other synths like the Prophet 12 and Prophet X has touch sliders... really... these should have been included on the REV2 in my opinion...

[Shaw]

... other synths like the Prophet 12 and Prophet X has touch sliders... really... these should have been included on the REV2 in my opinion...

Those touch sliders are pure GENIUS!  Two fingers controlling 4 modulators (position and pressure for each one).
Genius.

[Paul Dither]

... other synths like the Prophet 12 and Prophet X has touch sliders... really... these should have been included on the REV2 in my opinion...

Those touch sliders are pure GENIUS!  Two fingers controlling 4 modulators (position and pressure for each one).
Genius.

Only position on the Prophet X, though.

[Shaw]

... other synths like the Prophet 12 and Prophet X has touch sliders... really... these should have been included on the REV2 in my opinion...

Those touch sliders are pure GENIUS!  Two fingers controlling 4 modulators (position and pressure for each one).
Genius.

Only position on the Prophet X, though.

Seriously?!?!?

[Paul Dither]

Now that I've been creating presets a lot on the REV2 lately, I've come to a confusing conclusion... I really feel that this keyboard synth lacks controllers. I have countless times felt that I needed an assignable knob, a slider or something to assign to a parameter... again and again I have to route several parameters to the same control (modwheel).

Am I the only user that have felt a lack of controller options on the REV2? ... i know they wanted it to be budget, but I as heck cannot understand why they did not throw in at least a pair of assignable controls above the wheels.

With a synth this deep, and a modulation matrix double the amount of the P08, it wonders me they did not include it. Yes... I know I can plug in a pedal, or use a MIDI controller thingy via the DIN input, but it should have been a standard feature on the REV2... I cannot make banks that others are to use, if they do not have those controllers too, so I feel restricted to the default possibilities, otherwise lots of users would not even use the control features... this is also why I'm hesitating to buy a pedal since I'm pretty certain most users don't even have one connected.

I know it makes no difference now that the REV2 is out, I just hope that DSI will read this, and think a little about it for other future products... other synths like the Prophet 12 and Prophet X has touch sliders... really... these should have been included on the REV2 in my opinion...

I always found the addition of an expression pedal to be extremely helpful, as it keeps your hands free. That, plus aftertouch, velocity, and the mod wheel can be plenty, depending on how you organize your modulations.

In my Prophet '08 sound set, there are also a couple of mod slots assigned to an expression pedal. I just added a quick note about that and how to re-route it to something else in the PDF I send out with it. So I wouldn't worry about this at all.

[Paul Dither]

... other synths like the Prophet 12 and Prophet X has touch sliders... really... these should have been included on the REV2 in my opinion...

Those touch sliders are pure GENIUS!  Two fingers controlling 4 modulators (position and pressure for each one).
Genius.

Only position on the Prophet X, though.

Seriously?!?!?

Yes. Look at the list of modulation sources.

[Razmo]

Now that I've been creating presets a lot on the REV2 lately, I've come to a confusing conclusion... I really feel that this keyboard synth lacks controllers. I have countless times felt that I needed an assignable knob, a slider or something to assign to a parameter... again and again I have to route several parameters to the same control (modwheel).

Am I the only user that have felt a lack of controller options on the REV2? ... i know they wanted it to be budget, but I as heck cannot understand why they did not throw in at least a pair of assignable controls above the wheels.

With a synth this deep, and a modulation matrix double the amount of the P08, it wonders me they did not include it. Yes... I know I can plug in a pedal, or use a MIDI controller thingy via the DIN input, but it should have been a standard feature on the REV2... I cannot make banks that others are to use, if they do not have those controllers too, so I feel restricted to the default possibilities, otherwise lots of users would not even use the control features... this is also why I'm hesitating to buy a pedal since I'm pretty certain most users don't even have one connected.

I know it makes no difference now that the REV2 is out, I just hope that DSI will read this, and think a little about it for other future products... other synths like the Prophet 12 and Prophet X has touch sliders... really... these should have been included on the REV2 in my opinion...

I always found the addition of an expression pedal to be extremely helpful, as it keeps your hands free. That, plus aftertouch, velocity, and the mod wheel can be plenty, depending on how you organize your modulations.

In my Prophet '08 sound set, there are also a couple of mod slots assigned to an expression pedal. I just added a quick note about that and how to re-route it to something else in the PDF I send out with it. So I wouldn't worry about this at all.

I use all those modulation sources as well, but those i find to be more minded towards other kinds of modulation... all I ever use Aftertouch for is vibrato really because I find the sensitivity way too uncertain to use it for anything else... velocity is always used for the expression when playing light or hard, and is usually for dulling/brightening the sound... so i do not consider them the same type of modulator as the modwheel... even pitchbend is like that too... all of them is not a "set and forget" kind of control like the modwheel...

Many times, I have 2 or 3 parameters that can make a preset sound radically different if I manipulate them... but I only have one control to assign them to (modwheel) ... in my case it has often been cutoff, Audio Mod and an FX parameter or the VCA parameter... if I could assign these parameters to a physical control, I'd be able to get many more variations from a single preset, and even modulate between them in realtime for performance reasons.

I really wonder how many actually use DSI synths with external controllers, unless they use their desktop modules... in the ModMatrix you can use pedal and breath control, but who ever use these!?

Even if I wanted a separate control surface to make those sources available, I'd be hard pressed to find a controller that is not shit loaded with a lot of features I'd never use, and a size I would not accept... I wish I had never sold my Doepfer Pocket Control... that would have been a perfect companion.

But I guess I'll just have to create the presets in a way that the most essential parameter is assigned to the modwheel, and the next one to a pedal which can at least be connected to the REV2, and the last one assigned to Breath Conrol.

Seems I'm going to have to invest in a foot pedal then

[Razmo]

Another thing is that DSI never seems to include any MIDI controllers in their Mod Sources... most other synthesizers with a deep engine has the ability to use a few configurable CC controls in the Mod Sources which would be really nice for using with an external controller box, especially when they do not provide any assignable knobs on the front panel.

[Paul Dither]

Seems I'm going to have to invest in a foot pedal then

That'll be a good investment. As soon as one leaves behind the volume or filter pedal paradigm, it easily becomes indispensable. You could also use it to fade in effects, but of course I'm pointing out the obvious. On the other hand I still always find it cool to control more elaborate modulations with my foot, since the standard applications (VCA & filter) are stuck in everybody's head.

[Razmo]

Besides... i might go for something else than a pedal... as it seems you can plug in any kind of CV device... I know that Doepfer makes a Eurorack module with an antenna for a Theremin like kind of modulation... that would be fun, but then again... that is not a set and forget kind of control... still would be fun to try out though