http://razmo.ziphoid.com/REV2.mp3Link above is to a short demo of a few of my programs playing together... the demo is actually REV2 playing all by itself... no external FX was used... I wanted to see how satisfied I'd be if I only used the REV2's own built in FX.
And I've come to the conclusion, that it's really well capable of standing its own... at least for my usage... i know that many do not like it's reverb, but I've learned to actually like it as it is... you can make it sound quite ok, especially when you use layer tricks... usually the problem is a lack of modulation in the reverb algorithms, but using layer B you can actually "cheat" the reverb... if you was a lush reverb, then you need to have a bit of vibrato on the main dry sound... that is what makes the reverb sound less sterile, and more lush... but in many cases you do not want this so it must be done in another way... I simply copy Layer A to B, and set Layer B's FX Mix parameter to 100%... this way i only get the reverb from layer B... after this you can add some vibrato to Layer B's sound via normal LFO modulation... this way, the dry sound is playing from layer A with no vibrato, and layer B is doing the reverb 100% wet on layer B's sound with vibrato...
Why not just use external FX? ... because i actually like to tailor an FX specifically to a program... i like the idea that it's part of the program... so I'm strongly considering not using external FX in the future... also, if I am to create banks of programs to sell, the programs would have to stand on their own, and sound their best possible... it also simplifies using my DAW... I will only be using it to record the tracks and play them together... that's it...
With time I'll be getting more synths, and thus those would have to have internal FX as well... but I'm in no hurry to get any... I'm really fine with using just the REV2 at the moment... I'm learning A HELL OF A LOT about sound design these days... more than I have ever been because I only have this one synth to focus on... I want to be a "REV2 Master Ninja!" before i get anything else.
I do have a few synths on the list for the future now though... Prophet X is probably my "most wanted" and the one I'm now saving up for... by the end of 2018 it should be in my grasp, and at that time I will have created at least one full bank of presets for the REV2 and consider myself "REV2 graduated"
I've currently done about 40 programs, and I'm constantly revising them... I work with them in a rather special way... at first I try to create a program using only Layer A, without any FX, and making it sound as good as i can... that way I'm sure that even without FX added, it will sound as good as possible dry, and will have all 16 voices available in polyphony... next I add layer A FX to taste... now with that done the user can choose to stack Layer B on top, which will usually add a significant amount of depth to the sound, adding most of the ambience and stereo perspective to the sound... this way, if the user prefer external FX, they can switch off stack mode, and have full polyphony.
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