Ya know... I have hesitated to bring this up. For one thing, I'm not
convinced that this is a direction you are interested in, and also, the cost may
exceed what you're willing to go for.... but-
In my quest for my primary keyboard/synth/midi production center/sampler,
etc. and so on... (basically, one device that would do nearly everything I
needed, without having X number of pieces of equipment
everywhere).... I ended-up buying a Yamaha Motif ES-8. Now hang
on... lemme get to the part about thick pads-n-sh!t, in a moment....
One of the things I do is to sample my dotcom modulars.... plus, there are
samples of all sorts of 'stuff', from instruments, old analog synths, strings,
brass, guitars pecussion, vocals/vox.... you name it... it's there... and
like I said, you can easily do your own. The great thing is, you can assign up
to four different sounds/samples to play at once, as well as assign up to four
different zones to play from on the keyboard. By sampling whatever kind or type
of analog modular sounds I want, I can save those as presets, and call them up
whenever I want. I can sample actual synth-temporal events (did I just make-up a
new phrase???) .... like a running sequencer... and if I want, the sampler
will chop-up each note and save it as a midi-event... or sample a LP filter/high
resonance thing.... whatever I want, and the sampler can trim and loop these
sounds if I want.... or- sample an unfiltered sound, and use the
onboard analog or digital filters (of any type)(12/18/24db), and apply the
onboard EG's to the onboard filters and VCA's.... so that basically, the
original osc.-sound is dotcom, but the rest is Yami. And- you can assign up to
four knobs for real-time control over whatever parameters you want. If you do
about four different samples, at four different octaves, you eliminate the
pitch-time variable.
So imagine... sampling your dotcom... just a sound/note.... and
saving four different variations of that one sample... alter them... filter(s),
EG's, VCA's, pitch/tuning, effects (phase/flange/reverb/panning... anything)....
all of it for each one of the four samples... and it's all saved as one sound to
be called-up as a preset, instantly. And- the ES's osc.s aren't at all shabby.
In fact, some of the factory samples are taken from the old 'classic synths'....
Ober... Prophet, Mellowtron, etc. .... so you really are getting the exact
original instrument sounds, as well as the ability to modify those, and/or
invent your own new sounds.
With the ES, I can use up to four of these samples at a time... tune
or detune them as I want... each with it's own independent parameters, which
gives you the warm analog, think-sounding pads (or whatever type of sound you
want). Add to that the onboard 16-trk. pattern sequencer, and 16-trk. song
sequencer... plus analog inputs/outputs... digital inputs/outputs... all
of the midi controls available, like any track can be assigned to any midi
channel (great for reassigning sequenced or keyboard work to the dotcom's midi
channel #1)(including mod. wheel, pitch-bend, and ribbon controller)....
and a whole lot more 'stuff'. And I'm sure the price of the Motif ES has come
down now for used, since Yami's introduction of the next line (which is based on
the ES's foundation). And, there's three different sizes... I have the 8-octave
with weighted keys... but I wouldn't hesitate to get a smaller one. Yami has
some incredible samples that you have to hear to believe... something they
spent a great deal of time and money on producing.
I just bring this up as an option to be considered... in that, it truely
can do all that you're wanting, and so much more... and I've found that it can
handle so many of the jobs in the studio (like even running audio thru it just
for the effects, then back out)(like an effect send/return).... the ES and my
Yami 4416 mixer/recorder are the very heart of my studio. Oh yeah... it has
multitrack software for your computer, and connects via USB.
Just a thought. If interested... you might want to check eBay, and see
what's up this week... or next. ; )
Show quoted textHide quoted text
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 11:54
AM
Subject: [dotcomformat] Re: Poly analog
pads (the big question)
Since you plan on putting together a 3 voice .com rig anyway the
questions are:
A) Would 3 note chords satisfy you?
B) Would
not having any patch memory be OK for your pad machine?
Even VERY
minimally set up you could do pads with a poly MIDI
interface, 3 VCOs,
VCF, VCA, EG by just using one of the 3 gates from
the MIDI DAC. Only on
CV for keyboard tracking, but with single hand
chording that would
generally not be too far off for any of the notes.
Since you are
building a 3 voice system anyway then the hurdle for
real 3 note pads
becomes filters. I could see having 2 Q107s and a
Q150 in a system, but 3
Q107s is pushing it. Still, if the pads you
could get from that would
suffice given the limitations then you also
get all the lack of
limitations from being a real modular.
(From what I read of the Mankato
I could maybe see having 3 of them
in a system and it being more or less
your 'main' filter. Of course
until I get enough pennies saved up to get
one for real...)
--- In dotcomformat@yahoogroups.com,
"phineousbonemachine"
...>
wrote:
>
> --- In dotcomformat@yahoogroups.com,
Scott Deyo wrote:
> >
> > As far as
modulars, I wouldn't do it for _pads_. There are a
million
> >
old and new synths that will do it a lot less painfully and less
> >
expensively.
>
> exactally....thus me question. I want a
modern poly analog synth.
Pads
> being its primary job, but not
limited to.
>
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