Razmo's Gear Rant Thread...

Razmo · « **Reply #920 on:** January 21, 2019, 12:32:09 PM »

Quote from: Sleep of Reason on January 21, 2019, 12:00:34 PM

Then what would you say makes the biggest difference between the character of analog drum sounds? It's hard to compare because there's no 4-pole mode on the Rytm; however, I found its filter to be weak and not to my liking for creating drum sounds regardless of its limited synth engine capabilities. How the filter is designed/tweaked makes a massive difference as far as I can tell. Furthermore, I like the filter for the synth side as well because with using the samples as attack transients, makes for great gritty type D-50-esque type sounds. A lusher sounding filter perhaps wouldn't allow for the same amount of textural character.

I was originally considering adding maybe a AS-1 or SE-02 for monophonic basslines, but so far I've been able to create quite busy sounding arrangements even with its six voice limit. Also I've been able to create bass that's fatter than I expected especially when adding in the digital sine waves. Then I thought about perhaps using it to sequence my OB-6 if I ever needed to run a stripped down rig sometime, yet it looks like that won't be happening...

I feel that the engine depth... the possible modulation makes a great deal of the impact... certainly the filter makes a difference, and of course different filters add their own character to the sound, but with synths people talk of thin, harsh, fat etc... i don't feel that is as important with percussion, as long as the oscillators are analog, and the filter too.

What i find much more interesting is the envelopes... if they are not fast, snappy and have peak time like the Tempest, you will have a harder time of creating punchy sounds with it... likewise, having a mod matrix to make EG feedback to change the curvature of the attack/decay/release phase makes a hell of a difference... the ability to reset the oscillators phase on key-on... Audio Mod for bellish/metal character... a lot of other factors than the filter is highly important in creating drumsounds in my opinion.

The Curtis chip is more than capable of creating the low bass frequencies needed for kicks too... the filter self resonates quite extremely which is pretty cool for good sounding kick drums... certainly a lot of other things I'd rather see than another filter type... though I surely would like to HEAR how it would sound with the other newer chip from the PX... but as far as i know, that chip is just a filter... it does not have any oscillators as they are not a "synth on a chip", so if put in the Tempest, it would only make sense on the sample oscillators i guess... unless the signal chain after the Curtis chip would benefit from a second analog filter in series (another interesting thought by the way, especially if there was an analog drive/distortion circuit between them).

Razmo · « **Reply #921 on:** January 25, 2019, 05:57:41 AM »

I decided to get rid of the KAOSS PAD ... it did not really click with me for several reasons... but I still need one of my three devices in my setup to be a sample player for different phrases, so I decided to order a Roland SP 404A instead, to see if that would serve me better... i actually think it will because it gives me loads of sampling time compared to the KAOSS PAD... 2G per sound max, and 6 voice polyphony in stereo (12 in mono)... it also have a few really important FX that I miss from the V-Synth, which is the Vinyl simulator and the ability to change formants in a vocal sample. Also, it seems like it is a possible extension to the Tempest for using drumsamples if i need that at some point.

My goal has been to use just three devices in a project (for some time), and the three basic devices i need are one polyphonic synth, one drummachine/synth that can act also like a sequencer for several synth sounds, and a sample player for triggering vocal phrases and sound effects from nature etc.

The Polyphonic synth MUST be a selfcontained synth with a keyboard since I'm not using a DAW with MIDI anymore. It will be used to play live synth parts in my compositions. Thus a built in keyboard is necessary.

The Multitimbral drummachine/synth must be able to run several monophonic sequenced synth sounds (mainly for Berlin School type of compositions)... thus it's important that it can do both a few drums and a few synth tracks, and also sequence these with good features to arrange patterns live... the Tempest is tailor made for this task... it can work as a cool drummmachine, but also as a six track pattern sequencer for synth and bassline sequences that i can trigger and mute at will while recording... the only thing that is missing here is a control keyboard to key in sequences with the synth tracks, but I've just fixed this by ordering a KeyStep controller... this is a good controller, it's compact and will serve it's purpose fine... this also gives me the ability to use the Tempest as a six voice synth from time to time if I want to.

The Phrase Sampler needs to be able to run stereo samples... that is a certain must. It must also be able to play back very long background tracks of nature like oceans, forests etc... playback of drones is also a must, and the occasional fixed FX samples... I want to trigger samples live, so it's also important to be able to do live FX changes, which the SP 404A can also do... that is the basic but essential needs... as a bonus I'll be able to create sample drumbeats via it's pattern function, and sync it up with the Tempest for this purpose... creating loops of real sampled instruments is also possible, and also a great bonus.

With these three devices, i can make pretty much anything I want... The Tempest and SP 404A will most likely be two hardwired devices that will always be present in a project since i cannot see anything else being able to replace them in their function, especially the Tempest... a new SP at some point in the future might replace the SP 404A, but that's about it... they both serve some essential aspects of any project...

The Synth though will be replaceable on a per project basis... and I intend on getting other keyboard synths to use in future projects... currently it's the REV2...

This approach keeps projects simple and minimalistic, but with the still occational GAS infection allowing me to get something new and exiting for the synth part.

This also makes my need for getting either a Quantum or Prophet X less important since I've got sampling capabilities now... I actually think that the next purchase will rather be some keyboard hybrid synth... either a Prophet 12 or whatever replaces it.

Razmo · « **Reply #922 on:** January 30, 2019, 07:56:11 AM »

I'm currently creating my homepage for sound design purposes, and the fundamental look (very simple, but I prefer it that way) can be seen here: https://razmo666.wixsite.com/website

I initially tried Wordpress, but damned it, that web designer is confusing and VERY unflexible... never could get any theme to give me what i wanted... I prefer a visually based interface, and found Wix today... and after half a day I made whaat is in the above link.

I'm actually pretty satisfied... though I want to change some things... i want my own video for the front page, and also use my own textures etc., but I'm taking this with babysteps

I have decided on another way to release sounds for various hardware synthesizers because I'm not good at these 7 months projects... it was pretty tiresome in the and with "Realms of Fantasy", so in the future I'll do it another way.

My idear is to release small specialized packages with 8 presets in each... I create one preset from scratch going to extreme details in getting this one sound absolutely perfect... then I'll do 7 derivative presets from that one preset... I'll sell these for about 3 dollars on my web page, and when enough has been made to fill out a bank, a full bank will be released too consisting of 16 such smaller packages for those who would rather buy them like a full bank... the advantage for the user is that you can choose more precisely what sounds you want, and which you do not... 3 dollars is a little bit more than the price for a full bank (about 48 dollars if you purchase 16 smaller sets, in contrast to 40 dollars for a full bank).

I think this is an alright way to do this, and the small banks will be pristine quality... the basic preset will be honed to perfection without using an FX slot (I'm talking REV2 here... other synths will come later)... then an FX slot will be added in the end... and only one layer.... this way that preset will have full polyphony, and is dry for use with external FX... this allow for 8 voice REV2s to also have a reasonable amount of polyphony... the derivative presets will use both FX and Layer B for extra ambience and complexity.

I'll post audio demo's along with a custom created picture on my homepage for each and every soundpack and soundbank, and hopefully with a simple PayPal icon to use for payment.

I think that creating presets is more me, than actual music making... though I'll also be featuring my forthcoming music on the homepage...

A bit of a task at hand... but I want to do more than just rant away on forums

Shaw · « **Reply #923 on:** January 30, 2019, 10:17:42 AM »

Quote from: Razmo on January 30, 2019, 07:56:11 AM

I'm currently creating my homepage for sound design purposes, and the fundamental look (very simple, but I prefer it that way) can be seen here: https://razmo666.wixsite.com/website

I initially tried Wordpress, but damned it, that web designer is confusing and VERY unflexible... never could get any theme to give me what i wanted... I prefer a visually based interface, and found Wix today... and after half a day I made whaat is in the above link.

I'm actually pretty satisfied... though I want to change some things... i want my own video for the front page, and also use my own textures etc., but I'm taking this with babysteps

I have decided on another way to release sounds for various hardware synthesizers because I'm not good at these 7 months projects... it was pretty tiresome in the and with "Realms of Fantasy", so in the future I'll do it another way.

My idear is to release small specialized packages with 8 presets in each... I create one preset from scratch going to extreme details in getting this one sound absolutely perfect... then I'll do 7 derivative presets from that one preset... I'll sell these for about 3 dollars on my web page, and when enough has been made to fill out a bank, a full bank will be released too consisting of 16 such smaller packages for those who would rather buy them like a full bank... the advantage for the user is that you can choose more precisely what sounds you want, and which you do not... 3 dollars is a little bit more than the price for a full bank (about 48 dollars if you purchase 16 smaller sets, in contrast to 40 dollars for a full bank).

I think this is an alright way to do this, and the small banks will be pristine quality... the basic preset will be honed to perfection without using an FX slot (I'm talking REV2 here... other synths will come later)... then an FX slot will be added in the end... and only one layer.... this way that preset will have full polyphony, and is dry for use with external FX... this allow for 8 voice REV2s to also have a reasonable amount of polyphony... the derivative presets will use both FX and Layer B for extra ambience and complexity.

I'll post audio demo's along with a custom created picture on my homepage for each and every soundpack and soundbank, and hopefully with a simple PayPal icon to use for payment.

I think that creating presets is more me, than actual music making... though I'll also be featuring my forthcoming music on the homepage...

A bit of a task at hand... but I want to do more than just rant away on forums

Sounds like a very logical way to do it. A lot of people sell Kemper profiles in a similar way... Which synths are you going to do this for?

Razmo · « **Reply #924 on:** January 30, 2019, 10:41:54 AM »

Quote from: Shaw on January 30, 2019, 10:17:42 AM

Quote from: Razmo on January 30, 2019, 07:56:11 AM
I'm currently creating my homepage for sound design purposes, and the fundamental look (very simple, but I prefer it that way) can be seen here: https://razmo666.wixsite.com/website

I initially tried Wordpress, but damned it, that web designer is confusing and VERY unflexible... never could get any theme to give me what i wanted... I prefer a visually based interface, and found Wix today... and after half a day I made whaat is in the above link.

I'm actually pretty satisfied... though I want to change some things... i want my own video for the front page, and also use my own textures etc., but I'm taking this with babysteps

I have decided on another way to release sounds for various hardware synthesizers because I'm not good at these 7 months projects... it was pretty tiresome in the and with "Realms of Fantasy", so in the future I'll do it another way.

My idear is to release small specialized packages with 8 presets in each... I create one preset from scratch going to extreme details in getting this one sound absolutely perfect... then I'll do 7 derivative presets from that one preset... I'll sell these for about 3 dollars on my web page, and when enough has been made to fill out a bank, a full bank will be released too consisting of 16 such smaller packages for those who would rather buy them like a full bank... the advantage for the user is that you can choose more precisely what sounds you want, and which you do not... 3 dollars is a little bit more than the price for a full bank (about 48 dollars if you purchase 16 smaller sets, in contrast to 40 dollars for a full bank).

I think this is an alright way to do this, and the small banks will be pristine quality... the basic preset will be honed to perfection without using an FX slot (I'm talking REV2 here... other synths will come later)... then an FX slot will be added in the end... and only one layer.... this way that preset will have full polyphony, and is dry for use with external FX... this allow for 8 voice REV2s to also have a reasonable amount of polyphony... the derivative presets will use both FX and Layer B for extra ambience and complexity.

I'll post audio demo's along with a custom created picture on my homepage for each and every soundpack and soundbank, and hopefully with a simple PayPal icon to use for payment.

I think that creating presets is more me, than actual music making... though I'll also be featuring my forthcoming music on the homepage...

A bit of a task at hand... but I want to do more than just rant away on forums
Sounds like a very logical way to do it. A lot of people sell Kemper profiles in a similar way... Which synths are you going to do this for?

Any synths that i have access to... which is not very many currently (as can also be seen in the menu of the site) ... But I have plans to aquire more synths when I have the funds to purchase them... but there will probably be quite a lot of time in between them... The next on the list is still a Prophet X or Quantum... time will tell what it will be, but it will not be until about summer I'll be able to buy one... they are not exactly the cheapest... I could end up getting either a P12 or PEAK before that though... very very tempting to get a PEAK to be honest.

jok3r · « **Reply #925 on:** January 30, 2019, 05:24:02 PM »

After listening to your great Rev2 patches I would be very interested in what you can achieve with a PEAK... please, please get one! ;-)

Razmo · « **Reply #926 on:** January 30, 2019, 07:11:49 PM »

Quote from: jok3r on January 30, 2019, 05:24:02 PM

After listening to your great Rev2 patches I would be very interested in what you can achieve with a PEAK... please, please get one! ;-)

I am strongly considering it

... If I get one it will probably be next month... But there is a chance I may return it because there are no specs on its sysex out there, and novation will not part with the information... I would require that I can create an editor for it, and without detailed info on sysex specs, it will be a daunting task at reverse engineering the sysex format... I have done this on earlier novation gear though with success, and would give it a go if I get one, but certain things could spoil the effort, and if that happens I would probably return it... I hate creating sounds on synths with multiple functions per knob... I want to be able to see all and every parameter

Razmo · « **Reply #927 on:** February 01, 2019, 05:51:45 PM »

I just ordered a PEAK... decided to wait saving up for the Prophet X... i still want to make 100% certain that the whole featureset of the Sample Import will become a reality... i simply do not trust Sequential when they give such responsibility to a company that also want to profit from making sample packs... so I'll wait and see... i want ALL the functionality in that sample import application to be there before i ever invest in a Prophet X.

On top of that, I'm wondering how much of it's steep price is down to the collaboration with 8DIO... personally I would have made all disk space free for user samples... at least the option to do this... i do not want to use others material when it comes to samples, so it's a waste of disk space in my case.

I decided on the peak after i did a thorough bit of research on it's SysEx specs, and i actually think I can pull of an editor in SoundDiver for it... i found SysEx info on the Basstation II, and can see that it's straightforward, so i believe that the PEAK will be too... I checked it's SysEx dump, and it looks to be what I expected without having any real details on it.

Why the PEAK? ... several reasons... the FPGA quality of the digital oscillators make it REALLY tempting because it lowers aliasing with both FM, AM but also the wavetable part of PEAK... I really want to have wavetable functionality because that gives many options for sounds in my genre (Ambient) .. .I do not care if they are not user importable because with all those available since OS 1.2, I'll be covered for most stuff, and also there will not be the added problem of making user wavetables accessible with presets as well... I like that everyone with a PEAK has the same stuff, no matter what... no need to import wavetables... they are already there. Also I'm fascinated that this synth has one of the best reverbs in a synth... especially for Ambient stuff... yes I can use external reverbs, but it's nice to be able to create soundbanks with "all included" so the reverb is a really nice touch.

I'm certainly looking forward to taking the PEAK on a serious Ambient journey

... so I've now added a menu item on my webpage that is for the PEAK... I'm still working hard on my homepage (mostly the layout, graphics and stuff)

Quatschmacher · « **Reply #928 on:** February 02, 2019, 02:05:26 AM »

Quote from: Razmo on February 01, 2019, 05:51:45 PM

I just ordered a PEAK... decided to wait saving up for the Prophet X... i still want to make 100% certain that the whole featureset of the Sample Import will become a reality... i simply do not trust Sequential when they give such responsibility to a company that also want to profit from making sample packs... so I'll wait and see... i want ALL the functionality in that sample import application to be there before i ever invest in a Prophet X.

On top of that, I'm wondering how much of it's steep price is down to the collaboration with 8DIO... personally I would have made all disk space free for user samples... at least the option to do this... i do not want to use others material when it comes to samples, so it's a waste of disk space in my case.

I decided on the peak after i did a thorough bit of research on it's SysEx specs, and i actually think I can pull of an editor in SoundDiver for it... i found SysEx info on the Basstation II, and can see that it's straightforward, so i believe that the PEAK will be too... I checked it's SysEx dump, and it looks to be what I expected without having any real details on it.

Why the PEAK? ... several reasons... the FPGA quality of the digital oscillators make it REALLY tempting because it lowers aliasing with both FM, AM but also the wavetable part of PEAK... I really want to have wavetable functionality because that gives many options for sounds in my genre (Ambient) .. .I do not care if they are not user importable because with all those available since OS 1.2, I'll be covered for most stuff, and also there will not be the added problem of making user wavetables accessible with presets as well... I like that everyone with a PEAK has the same stuff, no matter what... no need to import wavetables... they are already there. Also I'm fascinated that this synth has one of the best reverbs in a synth... especially for Ambient stuff... yes I can use external reverbs, but it's nice to be able to create soundbanks with "all included" so the reverb is a really nice touch.

I'm certainly looking forward to taking the PEAK on a serious Ambient journey ... so I've now added a menu item on my webpage that is for the PEAK... I'm still working hard on my homepage (mostly the layout, graphics and stuff)

Exciting! Looking forward to hearing what you create on this. When’s it due?

jok3r · « **Reply #929 on:** February 02, 2019, 05:46:35 AM »

Congratulations. I'm sure you will not regret it. It's a very very very nice synth. And as I said before: I'm very looking forward to your first sound examples.

Sleep of Reason · « **Reply #930 on:** February 02, 2019, 01:25:14 PM »

Prophet X and Peak are the two I'm most interested in as well, but I just pulled the trigger on an AS-1 because I wanted something with the SSM-based filter. Think I'll chill for now on synths until (or rather if) Sequential releases a Tempest type machine based on PX tech. Although I'm still not sure about having to be buggered with an endless amount of samples...

megamarkd · « **Reply #931 on:** February 04, 2019, 09:01:23 PM »

I am jealous of you Razmo.
Last time I played with a Peak in-store I did seriously question my spending on modules for the previous 4mths. It is the sort of synth I could program a texture on, hit a note and let it sit and evolve over a period of 5min, very happy that it'd be creating a sound which would engage the mind and not become just a drone in the background.

Razmo · « **Reply #932 on:** February 04, 2019, 09:15:48 PM »

Quote from: megamarkd on February 04, 2019, 09:01:23 PM

I am jealous of you Razmo.
Last time I played with a Peak in-store I did seriously question my spending on modules for the previous 4mths. It is the sort of synth I could program a texture on, hit a note and let it sit and evolve over a period of 5min, very happy that it'd be creating a sound which would engage the mind and not become just a drone in the background.

But drones are cool too... especially if you're into Ambient stuff

... but yes... that is also the impression I've got from watching a lot of demo's of the PEAK over the last week or two... it has a really big potential, and it certainly has all of the elements I'd look for in a unique hybrid synth... it only have the Prophet 12 as a contender in it's price range, but even then, those two are still quite different with each their strengths and weaknesses... so I WILL be getting myself a Prophet 12 one day in the future.

But I need a loooong break from buying gear now, and start being creative again... I've already got a Tempest sitting here looking at me for some love

... actually I broke my own wow to myself, waiting 6 months between purchases... not good... GAS is evil! ... but now I have to make up for it

Razmo · « **Reply #933 on:** February 04, 2019, 09:33:48 PM »

Basically, the reason that I did not wait another 6 months before getting the PEAK is that while I made sounds for the REV2, I really went deep in what I could squeeze out of the analog oscillators... I found that a lot of the magic in other tones than the usual Saw, Tri and Sqr was in the Shape parameter, and actually blending the two oscillators with different shape values... but still, the shape parameter sound more or less like PWM in different flavors, so I quickly saw the advantages of using wavetable oscillators instead.

The reason is that I've begun thinking about sound design at "single sound sources"... if you pluck a string, blow a flute or bow a string etc... it is always just one "oscillator"... this is what makes those sounds so pure... when you start to mix another oscillator you get beating and all other kind of fattening, that is generally two sound sources playing in unison... I like the sound design idea of concentrating a lot of the more playable sounds to one oscillator sounds.

With the REV2 there is not many options for tonal variation in a single oscillator... but you can use a few tricks to obtain it... one is to sync the oscillator waveforms of both oscillators and then set both to the same pitch, or in harmonically appropriate differences in pitch... then you will get what sounds like one oscillator, but can change both shape and waveforms on them to create new single oscillator timbres... you can also do this with Sync which gives even more options for this approach... but you do not get much modulation into these tones... you can modulate the shape parameter, and that's about it.

That is where wavetables become interesting... they allow me to make a lot of modulation that has much more subtle influence on the timbre... not just harsh PWM like modulation like with REV2... and with all those 60 wavetables on PEAK's OS 1.2 it should be fun to see what types of sounds I can come up with... at the same time I can use the other two oscillators to FM the first for even more control... summa summarum; the point is to have lots of modulation possibility of that one oscillator, so that it can sound both complex and modulated, but still be only ONE sound source... no beating frequencies etc.

I find that this "one oscillator approach" makes for a lot clearer and more distinct sounding instruments for playing melodies etc... also, it seems to make the sounds less muddy when played with chords etc... probably because too many sound sources ending up playing in the same frequency area will muddy things up... I just find that these single sound source instruments sounds much clearer... they also do not eat up all of the frequency spectrum.

I've been wanting to play with this idea for some time now, and I bought the PEAK just to be able to try out some idear like this...

Razmo · « **Reply #934 on:** February 05, 2019, 05:32:53 AM »

My website is basically up and ready for some content now: https://razmo666.wixsite.com/website

It has undergone quite some graphical changes lately, but i like the layout as it is now.. simple and to the point. I count on subscribing to one of WIX's plans, so that I can get more storage and get rid of those adds on the site... but I want to get the site running first, and see how it goes.

I earlier talked about selling my 8-presets sound packs for 3 US$, but decided against it simply because PayPal's fees would eat up way too much of the sale this way... instead I have decided to meet halfway on this, so instead of purchasing sounds a single pack at a time, you select 16 sound packs instead, from the ones available, and then I'll compile a full bank with these to any bank one would want (user 1-4 and factory 1-4). This way the user still have the freedom to choose what packs to purchase at least. It will be some time though, until sales can begin because I would have to create more than 16 sound packs for this to make any sense. I may create another option that allow you to mix sound packs from different synthesizers though... the idea is 128 presets for 40 US$, and sending two half banks for two different synth would not pose a problem for me.

When I start the project of creating these soundpacks, I'll pot a topic in the relevant forum with demo's and the usual rants about how I created them, with links to the demos etc. so stay tuned for that... the knowledge of preset creation is not something I intend to keep a secret (I've stated that before), so let's discuss sound design in that thread once it's up

Currently I'm waiting to get my PEAK home... i ordered it from France since there were some good offers on EBAY, and Thomann from where I usually buy my gear do not have them in their product range anymore... I asked them about it in an email, and the response was that it was not certain they would have this device anymore, but they did request their buyer's personel about it and would return... I'm still wondering why this is... but as things stand now, I really don't care anyway

Sleep of Reason · « **Reply #935 on:** February 05, 2019, 10:11:41 AM »

alread

Quote from: Sleep of Reason on February 02, 2019, 01:25:14 PM

I wanted something with the SSM-based filter.Although I'm still not sure about having to be buggered with an endless amount of samples...

I already added another machine with the same filter in the SP-16. Found too good of a deal to pass up, but now I have to deal with picking one hit samples to import. Grrr.

Hopefully my GAS has finally subsided...

Razmo · « **Reply #936 on:** February 05, 2019, 10:42:07 AM »

Quote from: Sleep of Reason on February 05, 2019, 10:11:41 AM

alread
Quote from: Sleep of Reason on February 02, 2019, 01:25:14 PM
I wanted something with the SSM-based filter.Although I'm still not sure about having to be buggered with an endless amount of samples...

I already added another machine with the same filter in the SP-16. Found too good of a deal to pass up, but now I have to deal with picking one hit samples to import. Grrr.

Hopefully my GAS has finally subsided...

That is also what makes me hesitate regarding both Quantum and Prophet X (besides the price tag of course)... all the hard work of creating and picking the samples to use, and set them up properly in the sampler/synth... but then again... i enjoy going out with my microphone and record all manner of crazy things that I have a lot of ideas for... but almost always, the sample work end up being cumbersome, boring and repetitive, and on top of that, the choices in what to include and what to leave out is tiring... that is why I actually like the idea of not using samples at all.

Many of the things I'd be using samples for is nothing but because of laziness, designing similar sounds with synthesis instead... but there are situations where samples is the only way, especially when it comes to vocals and sounds from nature... but these types of sounds rarely need much synthesis going on... they could be done using a simple sample player... but finding one that i like is hard to be honest, and when you're recording on harddisk tracks anyway, you could as well save that money and import the .wav files directly into a DAW track.... it's limited as to how much realtime performance action you would be doing on these types of samples anyway.

So I more or less decided to wait with a sample synthesizer for now... I'm still interested in the Prophet X for pure sample synthesis stuff, but the price is putting me off to say the least... i do not get why this machine has to cost almost the double of the other devices that Sequential produce... but I bet it has something to do with 8DIO and those samples that I'll NEVER be using anyway... and that thought piss me off... paying that much for something I'm not going to use anyway... I really wish they had made the Prophet X free from factory samples to get that price addition out of the way really... that is why I might end up with a Quantum instead actually... at least you can erase what you do not need in that... time will tell...

but right now, I'm happy with what I've got... REV2, PEAK and TEMPEST... I can already do quite a lot with just these three devices...

Sleep of Reason · « **Reply #937 on:** February 05, 2019, 11:05:44 AM »

Agreed, I really hope the SP-16 allows me to erase the factory content. I have no use for loops or house/EDM (or whatever they call it these days) samples that this machine seems to cater. Just knowing that stuff is there bugs me.

RobustAmerican · « **Reply #938 on:** February 05, 2019, 07:01:39 PM »

Quote

That is also what makes me hesitate regarding both Quantum and Prophet X (besides the price tag of course)... all the hard work of creating and picking the samples to use, and set them up properly in the sampler/synth... but then again... i enjoy going out with my microphone and record all manner of crazy things that I have a lot of ideas for... but almost always, the sample work end up being cumbersome, boring and repetitive, and on top of that, the choices in what to include and what to leave out is tiring... that is why I actually like the idea of not using samples at all.

Many of the things I'd be using samples for is nothing but because of laziness, designing similar sounds with synthesis instead... but there are situations where samples is the only way, especially when it comes to vocals and sounds from nature... but these types of sounds rarely need much synthesis going on... they could be done using a simple sample player... but finding one that i like is hard to be honest, and when you're recording on harddisk tracks anyway, you could as well save that money and import the .wav files directly into a DAW track.... it's limited as to how much realtime performance action you would be doing on these types of samples anyway.

So I more or less decided to wait with a sample synthesizer for now... I'm still interested in the Prophet X for pure sample synthesis stuff, but the price is putting me off to say the least... i do not get why this machine has to cost almost the double of the other devices that Sequential produce... but I bet it has something to do with 8DIO and those samples that I'll NEVER be using anyway... and that thought piss me off... paying that much for something I'm not going to use anyway... I really wish they had made the Prophet X free from factory samples to get that price addition out of the way really... that is why I might end up with a Quantum instead actually... at least you can erase what you do not need in that... time will tell...

but right now, I'm happy with what I've got... REV2, PEAK and TEMPEST... I can already do quite a lot with just these three devices...

Maybe Sequential could be convinced that a PX without the samples and inflated price could be marketable. From what I've read it seems like it isn't really a full blown sampler on the level of say even an old Akai S-5000. (I had 3 at one point) But what else is out there right now that...

1. Samples
2. Has 16 voices
3. Features a professional keybed.
4. Has lots of knobs for real time mangle mayhem?
5. Has stereo analogue filters.
6. Features a full on digital synth as well.

Besides the Quantum, I can't think of anything else on the market at the moment. Seems like it might be pretty easy to just strip it all out and sell the unit as an empty shell. People could always buy the samples later if they wanted. This would/could possibly even open it up to other 3rd party sample developers. Seems 8DIO have it locked up exclusively as is. I can't think of another professional sampler ever that was tied to one content developer exclusively. Maybe this isn't the case though?

Anyway, I would have to take a hard look at this fictional product if it came in under 3k.

Razmo · « **Reply #939 on:** February 05, 2019, 09:08:42 PM »

The problem is that Sequential, once again outsourced the sample work, and in this case also the software work for the sample import into the hands of a third party company... 8DIO has control of the sample import software and its development, leaving all users under their mercy... If Sequential released an empty PX, then 8DIO would probably charge users for the sample import utility...

In my opinion, Sequential should have taken the responsibility of both the samples and software themselves... But delivering 150GB of samples and the software to import was probably too much work and to boring for them to want to do it... And the result is clear... 8DIO is clearly sitting inside the PX with the keys to unlock the user sample part any way they want to... Exactly as when Sequential decided to go for a custom third party sample chip in the Tempest.

Sequential could release an empty PX if they would... And I hope they will... But they would have to create the sample import software themselves then i think, because I bet that some kind of contract was made with 8DIO that secure their ability to profit from their colaboration... The worst in my opinion is that they completely control the sample import features as things stand right now, and I am still waiting to see if they grab the whole PX community by the *** and leave out certain features, so they can profit on their own sample packs having better features than users... Otherwise anyone else could come out with competing sound packs... In fact that small 50GB free space could quickly get used up, as loads of other sample pack companies might create for the PX.

I already asked about the ability to erase the factory samples, but was wiped of the table instantly with a comment about "just pretend the factory samples are not there"... Like that would free up the space for other samples