suggestions on putting a system together
2006-05-02 by beschaving@gmail.com
hello everyone,
so i finally gave in to my desires and started to seriously think
about buying a few serge panels.
partly because of comments on this list, i'd like to try to get most
of my wishes fulfilled by a small selection of shop panels, mostly
because they should offer a kind of fool-proof ideal configuration
for new users like myself, and also because they should be relatively
easy to sell again should that be necessary.
on the one hand i think the only way to put together my ideal system
would be to hand-pick and combine modules myself, but it feels safer
to go with shop panels. i could try to get four panels, where the
last one would be a selection of the things i'm missing with three
shop panels.
a few general remarks about my ideas and uses for a serge:
predictably, i want a few oscillators, both kinds, as well as one or
more filters and vca and panning functions.
i want the system to be heavy on the processing modules. i play
experimental/improvised music doing a lot of processing of external
sounds and with a big emphasis on sound sculpting and noise making
rather than traditional synth or keyboard "voices" or rhythms.
i want cv sources, of course, but would be more likely to go with
relatively few modules and i would lean towards having a small number
of multipurpose cv sources rather than many of them with specific
uses. one reason is that i do a lot of manual control, and that i
tend towards "spontaneous", manually triggered events rather than
complex pre-programmed cv shapes. this is why i'm thinking of the tkb
manual controller rather than having many lfo/ar/adsr modules and
related cv processors.
the system should be small enough to be carried onto a plane! is
there any way to do this with four panels? how about a suitcase with
two panels in each lid, with the control panels almost touching each
other when the case is closed?
my idea for a three panel setup now comes down to this:
-blue voice
i know i want several oscillators, the ring mod, and the standard vcf.
i'm not all that familiar with the wave multiplier but it's been
consistently praised by others, and it's unique to the serge.
it has a mixer, we all need mixers.
the module on this panel that i would be least likely to hand-pick
myself is the uap. i want true stereo panning (like on the dcsm), and
cross-fading and dual vca functions can be gotten from the smaller
dedicated modules, with the benefit of both being available
simultaneously (in other words, i'd probably get a crossfader and a
dual vca rather then a uap, if it were up to me).
-soup kitchen
i do a lot of external processing, so a preamp detector is a must.
a frequency shifter would be great, but does the soup kitchen also
offer the version with external carrier?
the c/m is only there to fill up panel space behind which the frs is
located, and i'd prefer the c/m over an adapter module, because it
"does" more.
i'm extremely curious about the wad (not the most flattering
abbreviation). i'd love to hear comments about this module.
another mixer, ok.
of the two main filter types aside from the standard vcf the variable
slope one appeals to me most, and it would be great to have at least
two (different) filters.
i love the serge eq, i'd definitely get one of those.
phasing, i'm not so sure. what are the uses of this aside from the
familiar whooshing phasing sound we know from guitar fx boxes?
the dcsm, definitely. i want true stereo panning.
-tkb
although i can't seem y self ever playing melodies on a serge, or any
other synth, i'd like to have sophisticated manual control over the
synth, and a kind of "push button" access to sounds or modulations to
my sounds. sequencing...i'm not so sure, i've never used a sequencer
in my life
the trouble i run into:
no noise/random module! i must have a noise and random module...so
this would have to be on a fourth panel, but i'd kind of like to
stick with three, both because of cost and portability.
no dsg's! this seems like the most universal, flexible and not-to-be-
missed cv module in the system, and the line-up described above has
none and also nothing similar to it, so missing out on a dsg
altogether would be problematic.
i guess a cv 2 panel would solve these issues nicely, but i'm
thinking that would be a little over-the-top in the cv department for
my way of working. i'd probably rather add a few more audio modules
instead in case i'd really get a fourth panel.
any comment on these ideas would be immensely appreciated! i'm just
sort of thinking aloud here, so don't be shy to correct me. sorry for
the rambling post.
thanks very much
alex
so i finally gave in to my desires and started to seriously think
about buying a few serge panels.
partly because of comments on this list, i'd like to try to get most
of my wishes fulfilled by a small selection of shop panels, mostly
because they should offer a kind of fool-proof ideal configuration
for new users like myself, and also because they should be relatively
easy to sell again should that be necessary.
on the one hand i think the only way to put together my ideal system
would be to hand-pick and combine modules myself, but it feels safer
to go with shop panels. i could try to get four panels, where the
last one would be a selection of the things i'm missing with three
shop panels.
a few general remarks about my ideas and uses for a serge:
predictably, i want a few oscillators, both kinds, as well as one or
more filters and vca and panning functions.
i want the system to be heavy on the processing modules. i play
experimental/improvised music doing a lot of processing of external
sounds and with a big emphasis on sound sculpting and noise making
rather than traditional synth or keyboard "voices" or rhythms.
i want cv sources, of course, but would be more likely to go with
relatively few modules and i would lean towards having a small number
of multipurpose cv sources rather than many of them with specific
uses. one reason is that i do a lot of manual control, and that i
tend towards "spontaneous", manually triggered events rather than
complex pre-programmed cv shapes. this is why i'm thinking of the tkb
manual controller rather than having many lfo/ar/adsr modules and
related cv processors.
the system should be small enough to be carried onto a plane! is
there any way to do this with four panels? how about a suitcase with
two panels in each lid, with the control panels almost touching each
other when the case is closed?
my idea for a three panel setup now comes down to this:
-blue voice
i know i want several oscillators, the ring mod, and the standard vcf.
i'm not all that familiar with the wave multiplier but it's been
consistently praised by others, and it's unique to the serge.
it has a mixer, we all need mixers.
the module on this panel that i would be least likely to hand-pick
myself is the uap. i want true stereo panning (like on the dcsm), and
cross-fading and dual vca functions can be gotten from the smaller
dedicated modules, with the benefit of both being available
simultaneously (in other words, i'd probably get a crossfader and a
dual vca rather then a uap, if it were up to me).
-soup kitchen
i do a lot of external processing, so a preamp detector is a must.
a frequency shifter would be great, but does the soup kitchen also
offer the version with external carrier?
the c/m is only there to fill up panel space behind which the frs is
located, and i'd prefer the c/m over an adapter module, because it
"does" more.
i'm extremely curious about the wad (not the most flattering
abbreviation). i'd love to hear comments about this module.
another mixer, ok.
of the two main filter types aside from the standard vcf the variable
slope one appeals to me most, and it would be great to have at least
two (different) filters.
i love the serge eq, i'd definitely get one of those.
phasing, i'm not so sure. what are the uses of this aside from the
familiar whooshing phasing sound we know from guitar fx boxes?
the dcsm, definitely. i want true stereo panning.
-tkb
although i can't seem y self ever playing melodies on a serge, or any
other synth, i'd like to have sophisticated manual control over the
synth, and a kind of "push button" access to sounds or modulations to
my sounds. sequencing...i'm not so sure, i've never used a sequencer
in my life
the trouble i run into:
no noise/random module! i must have a noise and random module...so
this would have to be on a fourth panel, but i'd kind of like to
stick with three, both because of cost and portability.
no dsg's! this seems like the most universal, flexible and not-to-be-
missed cv module in the system, and the line-up described above has
none and also nothing similar to it, so missing out on a dsg
altogether would be problematic.
i guess a cv 2 panel would solve these issues nicely, but i'm
thinking that would be a little over-the-top in the cv department for
my way of working. i'd probably rather add a few more audio modules
instead in case i'd really get a fourth panel.
any comment on these ideas would be immensely appreciated! i'm just
sort of thinking aloud here, so don't be shy to correct me. sorry for
the rambling post.
thanks very much
alex