Thanks to Christian Schroeder(his
DSS-1 page) for the great tip on getting this working. Looks like
Christian's page is down...any info anyone?
UTILITIES
Here's the great CopyQM program -> CopyQM. You can
also get it from the above site (for european connections): CopyQM.
Here's
some instructions you can download (again, from the above site): Documentation. OR,
follow the below: To: Copy a DSS-1 disk to your hard drive: Place the disk
in the drive. Type the following command: copyqm a: record=
blind bios It will then do the copy.
To: Copy a DSS-1 disk from your
hard drive to a floppy: Place a blank disk in the drive. Type the following
command: copyqm a: playback= blind bios It will then do the
copy.
The above are zipped copies. Here's some from my library
(and others): Also thanks to Jeff mailto:duke@twave.net who has graciously
volunteered to host a bunch of these on his web space....if you use this write
him and thank him! Also, retrosynth (http://www.retrosynth.com) for holding
the ENTIRE archive. For the below, site 1 is the retrosynth site, and site 2 is
Jeff's site (since he's not quite archiving the whole thing, this will look
simpler). UPDATE(11/22/02) - Well, Jeff's site has actually been down for a while. I'll fix all the references eventually, but use retrosynth instead.. Still with us? Factory disks:
Well, that should get you started. More to follow....
REPLACING THE DSS-1 DISK DRIVE
I know some people have had the drive go
bad on them. Well, I got some info from Christian who has had
some success with this. He used a Copal (Fujitsu?) drive. Set the jumpers for
drive select to 0, and set jumper drive RDY to ground. This worked for him. Larry Hendry has sent me information that
Sony drives definitely do NOT work. So, you may have to experiment, but there
are reports of successful replacement. Hopefully this info is useful to
someone... Here's some more info I pulled off of usenet. This information
came from Doug (mailto:huseby@poke.srv.net, and was posted
to rec.music.makers.synth:
I finally got a replacement drive installed for my Korg DSS-1. It
works great. FYI, the current compatible replacement drive is a Teac
FD235HF-A529 (which replaces the -7500 which replaced the -6500 which replaced
the original Canon FD). Make sure you get a -A529 and not a -A291 or
something. The A291 is easier to find, but is jumperless and won't work with
the DSS-1 Out of several dozen Teac distributors, I found 2 that carried
the -A529 and would sell them singly to a private individual. They are Arrow
(phone: 800-833-3557) and Bell Industries (phone: 800-buy bell). Bell
industries has a $100 minimum order, so I went with Arrow. Arrow charged me
$50 for the drive (expensive, but better the $175 through Korg). The -A529
has jumpers that need to be configured properly. The jumpers are configured
the same way as on Korg's 01W and T series as shown on this web
page: http://net.indra.com/~cliffcan/01fdd.htm
Hope that
helps someone. Search dejanews if you need to see the original article (although
it is posted in its entirety above).
Ok, this one was slightly more
complicated. For this to work for me, I had to use the BIOS option to the
command line. So, use the above lines but add BIOS to the end of it.
PROPHET 3000 DISKS
Not much yet, but more to come soon. For now, enjoy
the following: OS Versions:
Program disks:
None here anymore, sorry... i sold the P3000, and the other site was destroyed before i could save any data.
The system disk above has a small drum set on it as well.
DIGITAL KEYBOARDS SYNERGY II
I don't have one of these, but I do have
the software. Get it here: Disk 1 Disk 2 It
includes a CP/M emulator for MS-DOS. Enjoy! PS: Not enough room to keep this up,
mail me and i'll mail it to you. BTW, I thought i had lost one of these disks,
and told several people I no longer had them, but I have found them. So if you
asked for them, ask again...
ADDITIONS TO THIS PAGE
If you've got anything to add to this page
(either software/patches for odd synths that don't have a home elsewhere, or
additions to what is already here) please mail me at corley.brigman@intel.com. Thanks!
Note: If there's interest, I'll make a p2000 section too. But I'll need
submissions - I don't have a p2000/2002.
MYSTERY WAVE FILES
Ok, they're not a 'mystery' any more. Just making sure these are still accessible. They were originally for a short 'is this analog or digital?' thing. A couple below are snippets of longer files; these longer files are up. Note that they are unedited, single-session recording and a bit rough...
Mystery 1 - This one is actually IIRC just the CS15 doing filter FM stuff. Now the entire file.
Mystery 2 - This one is a combination pad-like sound; the raw sound bed was a CZ101 doing some raspy noise, and the CS15 was used to filter it down (that's where the sweep comes from; the CZ101 sound was pretty static).
Now the entire file.
Mystery 3 - This one is a combination vocoder sound; the vocoder used was the Boss SE-70's 21-band; the carrier here is a patch on the Polaris, and the modulator is a drum loop from the Prophet 3000.
Mystery 5 - A feedback pad. The feedback was from CS15 output, to SE-70 set to delay/reverb, back to CS15 input. The sweeping is done by using a resonant bandpass filter and sweeping it with the LFO. The distortion at the end, well basically everything started distorting.
Now the entire file.
I'll try to find some pictures to throw up here soon (so you
can see everything). They'll just be web pictures (i.e. already existing),
though, because I don't have a scanner or a digital camera.
Current
Synths
KORG DSS-1 - Lovely sampling synthesizer. Not a sampler, it's a
synth with lovely fat filters. Great for taking your own short waveforms and
throwing subtractive synthesis over it. It has some harmonic synthesis
capabilities you can use with this as well. Make some mayhem with the twin
DDLs as well. Of course, if you're at this page you probably already know this
:) Slow disk drive, monotimbrality and the lack of memory are its only
drawbacks... BTW, this was one of only 2 Korg samplers ever made (the other
was the DSM-1, its somewhat-related rackmount module...)...although there are
some Korgs that can play user samples (the T2 will read disks made with a
DSM-1 for example)... Picture: DSS-1
WALDORF MICROWAVE XT - Wow, what changes since last time i edited
this. Most everything has been changed. The analog is (unfortunately) almost
all out, replaced with powerful and complicated digitals. Am i more
efficient? No. oh well. The XT is a lovely beast, and i absolutely love
wavetable synthesis. It has so many cool features. The sound may not
be for everyone, but personally I like it. Try the waveshaper, the
multiple oscillator modules, the 16 entry mod matrix...
KAWAI K5000S - I thought i wanted additive, so i bought this
from a friend. It really is a wonderful and unique board, though i
personally have not had much time to delve into its depth. Just the
patches i've gotten from others are so clean, clear, and beautiful,
i have high hopes for it.
YAMAHA RS7000 - I mostly got this to better learn drum
programming, since i suck at it. The grid is a vast improvement from
my old Q80EX; it is both a sequencer and a sound source. I don't
think the sampler sounds as good as my prophet 3000 (but what does? :)
Overall, i think it's a good choice.
Effects
BOSS SE-70 - What CAN'T this do? it's not a master of anything, but
all its effects sound pretty good, and it has TONS of them. Including 2 cool
vocoders, a ring mod, and many other strange effects. Good on guitar and
keyboards, and includes an analog distortion section. An important part of my
rig. There are newer units which can probably do a lot more than
that and perhaps better (i've heard good things about the newer VF1,
which i was told is "as much better than the se70 as the se70 is
better than the se50"... which is a decent amount!). But, they are VERY
cheap now (not worth getting rid of), and... THE VOCODER! The vocoder
on this thing really is nice, it sounds better than the electrix
demos i've heard (the only thing cheaper i know of), and the newer
VF1, while better in almost every other way, got rid of the 21-band vocoder!
Only the 11 band. So this is staying.
KORG A2 - Just got this, and my first reaction was "noisy!" But
with some tweaking of the gain in and out, and now it's sounding nice. Effects
with character, that's the strength of this box. And the reverbs are very nice
too, some of them are as good as the Reflex below, but bigger sounding.
Incredible - if you see one cheap, grab it! There are some interesting new
effects too, like "dynamic modulation", a chorus or flange that gets deeper as
the sound gets louder. Plus, some very nice tubish distortions, better than
the SE70 in this department. I now have the FC6 with it, and it
definitely add a lot to it when playing guitar... nice to be able
to page through the patches with my foot. I don't use it much for the
distortions anymore (occasionally) but it still gets used... the exciter
sounds GREAT with the Blues Master for one. The multi-tap chorus
is nice as well.
RSP INTELLIVERB - OK, i got this to get some decent reverb
effects and it was cheaper (even cheaper now... i've seen them close
on ebay for less than $150!) It's basically an Intellifex, but with an
additional (and VERY impressive!) 'Virtual Room' algorithm. It doesn't
do much, but the few things it does (mostly reverb, chorus, delay) it
does VERY well. Every piece of gear i own has built-in effects now
(though not necessarily a full range, most limited: the DSS-1), so
i had thought of getting rid of one of my boxes. After all, how
many effects do I need? The SE70 was the vocoder, the A2 is still
used on my guitar, this one is staying JUST for the vocal reverb.
It might not be right for everyone, but it works for me, nice and smooth.
HUGHES AND KETTNER TUBEMAN - I had the cream machine, and
it was great but pretty noisy (it is designed for high gain; clean
and slight overdrive it can do but at a price). So eventually i picked
this up, one of the 'first' versions (it's black, with 4 presets). It
is a pretty nice little box. It sounds a lot better than my A2 most of
the time, and it does from clean to a decent hi-gain rock sound.
It even works pretty good with my bass! Make sure you put a decent
tube in it (got mine from
Triode Electronics (not working for them, just a happy customer).
I use an Ei 12ax7 in this, and a pair of JJ/Teslas below; none
of them were over $10 and they sound great!
HUGHES AND KETTNER BLUES MASTER - But i always wanted a blues
master, finally i got one. It can't go as high-gain as either the cream
machine or the tubeman, but for clean and crunch (and medium-gain!) sounds,
it is INCREDIBLE. with a distortion in front of it i can kick it up
even a little farther. But it's best, and you get the right amp
distortion, using it for clean and crunch. I tried using this with
my bass, maybe i need to play with it more but i wasn't too impressed
so far. I was going to get rid of the tubeman (this is a lot better
for guitar), but it's staying for the bass and for higher gain sounds.
PROCO TURBO RAT - Not an overly harsh distortion, which makes it
GREAT to put synths through to warm it up or give it a touch of overdrive.
One of my favorite distortions, and usable for much higher distorted
stuff than either of the above...
BOSS ROD-10 - OK, this isn't necessarily my favorite
distortion box, but it's very flexible, sounds pretty good, and works
well with the blues master for those types of sounds. Really doesn't
work well with keyboards though, this just gets used for my guitar.
ART PRO VLA - A fairly nice sounding and practical compressor,
and not expensive. I tried upgrading mine and busted one of the channels,
but the other gets used for vocals on occasion and still sounds just
as good.
SYMETRIX 522 - I actually have a pair of these, they are cheap
and decent utility compressors. Both of mine are upgraded, which is easy
because most of the important stuff is socketed... one got the 4560s
upgraded to 5532s (better) and the other to Burr-Brown OPA2604s (perhaps
a little over the top, this one is even better but maybe not as much
better as 2604s are more expensive than 5532s...) Does a lot, a good
tool to have around when i need it. I don't use them too often (i don't
always need compression). I used to have these permanently inserted
on the XT and K5000s, but i'm more of the minimalist school, and
they're just on the patchbay now (ready to be patched in if necessary).
PEAVEY ROCKMASTER - OK, i've had this for a while too
(though it is currently on long term loan at a friend's house). Has
a couple issues, so i can only use clean and ultra gain. I don't
really use a lot of gain much, and this mostly gets used on keyboards,
so just clean even would be fine. Little noisy, but sounds OK. Did
some magic on my prophet 3000, but i haven't been really impressed
with it otherwise. I haven't gotten to try it with the tubeman or
blues master though, perhaps that will change my opinion.
Other
STUDIOMASTER 16-2 PROLINE MIXER - An old mixer. Has nice eq. Traded
up to this from an Alesis 1622 - features aren't as good, but the board is
noticeably quieter and the EQ is MUCH better. I don't regret it at all :) A
weird design, kind of: has 16 inputs, the first 12 are mono and the last 4 are
stereo. The last 4 also double as subgroups, the fader for input 13 also
controls subgroup 1, and input 13 also goes to the 1-2 bus. Has 4 aux sends,
but no returns, and no tape in/outs. Obviously intended for live use (but
usable in a studio). Mine supposedly came off of a cruise ship :) Decent mic
pres (i think, honestly I probably wouldn't know the difference). Serves my
needs quite nicely..... Mine has been upgraded from stock to a variety
of different improved op amps, this helps a lot. A stock version might
not sound quite as good. Though i lost a couple channels in the process :(
I also wish it had EQ bypass (remember i'm minimalist?) since i don't
use it all the time. It could use a good cleaning again. There's something
to be said for reliability... this board has developed a good number
of issues, it acts alive. I think a Crest XR20 is calling my name...
now, to find a spare $1600 :(
MAM SLE-82 STEREO MIXER - This is an interesting utility
submixer. Mixes 4 stereo sends, 1 rack space. This is pretty much submixing my
effects returns; the mixer above doesn't have any and i was running
out of channels! It is very basic, just level and pan (and this model
has a mono effects send which i don't use), but it sounds decent
and has served its purpose well. I think if I were doing it now,
i'd probably try to find an Ashly LX308 or something instead (or just
get a mixer with returns in the first place :).
ENSONIQ KMX-8 MIDI PATCHBAY - Good: Easy patching. No pages (like
an Akai ME30P), just 8 buttons for inputs, and 8 buttons for outputs. It's got
memory, I don't use them though. Bad: No merging. That would be kind of nice.
It's useful though for doing sample dumps and remote editing. Very easy to
use...
TURTLE BEACH PINNACLE - A new addition, not much experience yet.
Just got the patch editor (Everest) for it, we'll see how it works out.
Quieter than my mixing board though. Includes a Kurzweil synth with some
strange filters... I really don't use the synth anymore. But i've been
pretty impressed with the sonics of this thing. Sure, there are newer
and probably better cards out there by this point, and i really
should move to something PCI. But this is still working and sounding great;
one part of the studio i really haven't felt the need to upgrade.
At some point i might try to get something like a Lucid ADA1000, but
i'm not even sure it would be an improvement...
SKB 12 SPACE RACK CASE - Just got these, they seem to work well,
although I wish they were a little deeper, just for the MKS70. But they work
great, and they have simplified life a little bit.....
JACKSON JD-R '94 GUITAR - Heh, one day I'll learn how to play this
thing. I like it just fine for now though, the lowest pickup was replaced with
a Seymour Duncan Screamin' Demon, and it sounds very different from the other
two, for a good variety of tones. Not terribly noisy, and stays in tune pretty
well. The more i play it, the more I love it, though i must admit it
sounds quite a bit different from a Strat or Les Paul. Fits me though.
Probably not for everyone.
DEAN 88 BASS - A pretty cheap bass. Sounds pretty good though (but
what do I know?) Harder to learn than I thought (but i've had it all of two
weeks :) It's a bass, P/J configuration, 4 string.
More info: It's a basic design, but I like the
way it sounds. The low string is not that great (and it's only a 4-string!)
but i think it's more my style than the bass, as another guy who's been
playing 20+ years tried it out and it was fine for him. he liked its sound
too, saying it's better than any of the other cheap basses he'd tried (like
Fender Squier P-bass, etc.) the P pickup is better than the J pickup (or maybe
i just like its sound better). The EQ doesn't do that much either, i just
leave it all the way up. Lots of fun to play though, and suits my needs
perfectly. And though i don't have a bass amp, it works ok through
the tubeman (or the peavey) and then through the 20/20s...
EVENT 20/20BAS - Not bad at all! For a while after moving
i only had my headphones (audio technica M40s, they are nice headphones
but headphones are not ideal). Picked up these locally. They do have
a few flaws (they have something weird going on in the upper mids
i think) but overall they seem pretty flat, put out enough bass for me, etc.
I've been happy with them so far, but would like to get a set of
Hafler TRM8s or Paradigm Active 20s, or maybe some mackies one day...
ELECTROVOICE N/D 757B MICROPHONE - Well, i mentioned vocals,
should probably mention my microphones. I don't have anything very expensive.
These work great for me on vocals (i have a pair). I'd imagine the
'cone' is a bit tight (they're 'supercardioid') for most other uses,
but i haven't really tried. Got mine for $85 each, they are vastly
superior to an SM58.
AUDIO TECHNICA PRO 37R - This is my representative condenser.
I first used these at a church, and they were so much better on vocals
and guitars than i assumed they were a lot more expensive. Boy was
i surprised to find they are not expensive at all! 8th street is/was
blowing these out for $99 each (when i got mine). We used these on
everything from vocals, to an acoustic guitar, to a pair on a small choir,
and it sounded very nice to me! We even used it on the kick drum a few
times, it wasn't as good there but worked. There are lots of decent
mics nowadays, and i'm not sure this is the bargain it once was, but it
is a decent cheap mic. Note that they really don't work for live
vocals very well; it's a small cylinder that doesn't hand-hold easily,
it should be on a stand for that...
Past residents of the nomad studio
There's a lot of these...the synths I
own are rather nomadic as well :)
Synths
FENDER CHROMA POLARIS - The heart of my rig. Well, it's at least
what I've had the longest. A great box, somewhat harsh though. A midi analog
with enough sliders to keep you busy for a while. The sliders all transmit
midi CCs as well (and receive), so you can easily sequence your tweaks. Plus,
this thing is 8-way multitimbral! (but only 6 voices) and the sliders can be
tweaked on all the channels. It has all kinds of sync options for use to sync
to/from midi and to/from regular analog sync, and can tranlate between the
two. And it sounds great.... Picture: (b&w) Chroma Polaris
One of my favorites for a long time, this is sadly now sold. But i think it will work out for the best. In the meantime, enjoy these short rough samples:
SEQUENTIAL CIRCUITS PROPHET 3000 SAMPLER - The "other" heart of my
rig. All my drums are coming out of it right now (disk to go up when it is
finished :). My only wish is that it had more voices/memory. SUPER easy to
use, decent modulation, GREAT filters with lots of resonance (gets whistly at
the highest values though). The only better than one of these is...two of
these :) ... This one was really hard to let go of, but I used it mostly for
drums, and it just wasn't happening for me, I still have trouble with drums.
So this helped pay for the RS7000 above. As much as I miss the sound, i think
it will end up being a good thing. But there really isn't anything i've
ever heard that sounds quite like a Prophet 3000.
SEQUENTIAL CIRCUITS PRO ONE - What? more sci gear? actually TWO
things from the same manufacturer? :) This is a GREAT sounding monophonic
classic analog. I had to clean the key contacts when I got it, a common
problem in these old beasts, but at least it was the J-wire version. The sound
is huge, as you'd expect, and using Osc B as a modulation source sending it to
the filter cutoff makes some wild sounds! It also has a filter input, although
I haven't used it much. No midi, but midi/cv converters aren't that hard to
find. Huge basses and wild leads will probably be its use in my studio...
Here are two files which were the results of a sampling session one time.
The first is just a few basses; the second was intended for my sampler;
it has the raw waves of the pro-one, as well as some filter sweeps,
FM movement, etc. I haven't edited it in any way, so you might need to skip
around, but it might give you an idea of what this sounds like. Pro One Basses...
Pro One Misc
ROLAND MKS-70 - This box is an incredible sounding box, even more
so for the money. Incredible digital and analog thickness, this one can do
both. And it's huge sounding. Very smooth, or harsh if you want. I used to
have a JX8P, so I'm not surprised by this, but this is quickly becoming my
favorite of my boxes....can't believe I got rid of not one, but TWO
JX8Ps....this has an optional programmer that is VERY EXPENSIVE ($200-250),
but worth it, with something like 56 sliders...so full programmability in a 2U
rack...It was nice, and i've love another (as well as another EX-8000, the
only two I really miss and would replace), but i wanted a REAL analog, as i
had enough of polysynths, and someone offered to trade a Pro One for it. I'm
still not sure it was the right choice, but the Pro One is a KILLER synth and
I've had a lot of fun with it...see above....
NOVATION BASS STATION RACK - I got this primarily because a) it has
a MIDI/CV converter, which can run on a separate channel from the synth, so it
can control my Pro-One, and b) it has a synth attached for not too much more
than I would pay for say a Kenton Pro-Solo. I could have gotten a Philip Rees
MCV for around $135, but this was only $320, and I get a synth. True, the
synth isn't fabulous (it pales when put next to the Pro One, sad because i was
auditioning them together) but it's a different beast, it has its own sound
and it's better than many polysynths. The knobs on the front panel are a boon,
and they will transmit/receive Midi CCs, just like the polaris. I haven't
tried a 303 emulation on it, but I doubt it will get VERY close, maybe
somewhat close, but it can do quite a bit more than a 303 too. It's actually a
nice synth, just not quite a Pro-One. Cheaper than a Pulse Plus, although if i
didn't need Midi/CV i probably would have gone with a regular Pulse
instead....
CASIO VZ-10M - Okay, i haven't spent a huge amount of time with
this. Mostly because I don't have a lot of time, and the Pro-One and
BassStation Rack are more immediate. But I have gone through the presets. They
certainly chose a wider range of stuff than the TX81Z. The big LCD screen is
nice, and will be helpful when i actually do start programming it. It's got a
lot of power, 8 oscillators in pairs with funky modulations between them. The
TX81Z had a little bit of "brightness" that you usually associate with digital
synths (not necessarily a bad thing), the Casio doesn't really have that as
much, but is maybe slightly noisier. i think it is an edgier sound though.
More info after i get into it more (whenever that is, I think i'd rather have
a K5000s...but those are more expensive....)
YAMAHA FS1R - I had a beta version FS1R for a short time.
Being the freak i am, i thought it would be good to have another synthesis
type around (like i even do enough programming on the ones i have!;
i did manage a couple clangorous patches on the TX81Z.
However, i'm not sure if it was just that it was a beta, or the machine
itself, but we really didn't get along that well. At least for the
DX7 presets (which i had lost most of the other patches, or they
weren't working), it really didn't do it for me. At some time i'd
like to give another (non-beta version!) another shot, but after i've
learned to program the synths i already have...
KORG EX-8000 - The DSS-1's earlier relative. However, it is a quite
different beast. Still has digital samples for waveforms, they are single
cycle though. Very fat. Great in unison mode too, has that classic analog
bigness. Wouldn't mind another one, this is a nice sounding box. Perhaps
limited in what it can do, but what it CAN do, it does well. It's different
enough sounding from the DSS-1 to make it worth having both, although in a
limited studio (like mine) they cover a lot of the same sonic territory.
YAMAHA TX81Z - Well, not much to say about this one. Haven't gotten
into it enough to say. Interesting sounding at least. Needs to be programmed,
the presets aren't that great...it can do some very weird noisy leads. I think
I will like it, once I get into it more....This was replaced with a Casio
VZ10M, which is a little more interesting, different sound, more voices,
easier to edit (at least easier to change the parameters...it's still a
beast). Picture: TX81Z
ROLAND MKS-30 w/PG-200 PROGRAMMER - Some may shoot me for this, but
it reminds me of the Juno 106 I used to have. It is quite a bit more versatile
though. The DCOs really show here, as the squarewave doesn't sound good very
low. There is an upgrade in the works for this box, mail me and I'll point you
in the direction of the guy working on it. It didn't work on mine (yet) but
we'll see. This is also a very classic sounding box. The metal option can make
for some weird sounds too (although I don't know exactly what it is...) I
finally heard a JX-3P in a store near me, and I would say that even though the
architectures are similar, the MKS30 is warmer, not as "brittle" and "clear"
as the JX3P. I actually prefer the JX3P's sound.... Pictures: MKS-30PG-200
OBERHEIM MATRIX 6/6R - I've had both of these, they sound the same.
A pain to program, but worth it. Sound was OK - not incredible, but not weak
(IMHO). I currently have a 6R that is under repair. They are VERY
programmable, and everything can modulate everything (just about). The
keyboard version is a real joy; in addition to the pitchbend has a push/pull
lever that acts like two levers (both transmit midi CC, in addition to two
pedals = 5 midiable control sources including pitchbend, which doesn't HAVE to
be routed to pitch...), velocity, release velocity, usable aftertouch, and a
nice, synthy feel (not weighted, but felt nice for playing it like a synth).
If I get another it will be a keyboard just for this reason....how many
keyboard even DO release velocity? Anyway it's worth a look just for the sheer
variety of sounds it can produce. And if you want to do something, you
probably can on here somehow....envs modulating envs, and all kinds of cool
stuff....As much as I try to like this box, I just can't. I don't like it. I
traded it for a Peavey SP (bad idea). Not that the SP is bad, just that I
ended up losing money on the deal :)
The matrix really is a programming beast though; not much else like
it for reasonably cheap. At least there wasn't; the only other really
'cheap, programmable' option is the ESQ-M. But now there are many more
options. A friend had the micromodular; this is far far more programmable
than the matrix-6, with (aside from the fact you need a computer) a far
easier programming interface. I really wanted to like it, but alas,
i much prefer the sound of the matrix even; i just couldn't get into it.
I didn't try too advanced stuff, but if i don't like the basic sound
of the filters and oscillators... well, you get the picture.
Currently, the microwave XT is filling this hole nicely though. The XT
sounds incredibly nice if you ask me. Quite different from a matrix;
some will have different opinions on the sound i'm sure. But for programming,
not only does it match the matrix, it far surpasses it... if you're
interested, grab the manual from Waldorf's web site. These are getting
pretty cheap now as well, not as cheap as a matrix-6 but in the $650-700
range. Occasionally microwave IIs will go for around $400, and these
also have the same features. I know the Q has the same matrix, and i
believe the micro-Q does as well (~$450), that might another choice
for a 'cheap programmer's dream'...
Pictures: Matrix 6Matrix 6R
PEAVEY SP SAMPLER & SXII SAMPLE EXPANDER - I dunno why they
call it a "sample expander", it's like the S expansion for K2000s, it just
acts as the A/D converters, the SP doesn't have any of its own. Decent basic
sampler. Not a lot of flashy features, but cheap, and sound quality is good.
Fulfilled a need I didn't have, so I sold it, and the money went towards the
BassStation Rack above.
CASIO CZ-101, CZ-1000, CZ-1 - The CZ-101 was my very first synth,
and a great introduction to synthesis. It's still a good-sounding little
keyboard, although I wish there was a rackmount. Multitimbral, too, which is
rare for synths of that day. 8-stage envelopes allow it to make some complex
sounds, and tone mix allows layering. I still wonder why I traded my CZ-1
away, with velocity and aftertouch it added some much-needed external
controls... Pictures: CZ-101CZ-1000 A few
sounds: Misc
1Misc
2A
"world" soundA single
noteThe Fairy
Tale preset.
ROLAND JX8P w/PG-800 PROGRAMMER - Another one of those that I wish
I had kept. I'm hoping to acquire an MKS70 soon, which is two JX8P's in a box.
Much more versatile than a Juno 106 for about the same price, even with a
programmer. Big sounding synth. Onboard chorus helps a lot too. The aftertouch
on many of these though is way stiff, you have to practically break the keys
off to get it to engage. There's a mod for this, but I never did it to the one
I had. Well, I got the MKS70 - see above! Picture: JX-8PPG-800
KORG DW-8000 - Pretty much the same as the EX-8000, with a data
slider. Mine was a Turbo, with the Angel City upgrade, which added some
features: duotimbral, random LFO, some arpeggiator sync features. Pretty cool
arpeggiator, didn't quite sound the same as the EX-8000..but I didn't have
them at even near the same time, and I listened to them through two different
monitor systems. The EX-8000 is a bit warmer, the DW-8000 more crisp. It's
very slight though.... Picture: DW-8000
EMU EMAX I HD SE - Decent filters, but kind of muddy sound, and not
much memory. Really should be a sampling synth, not a sampler. Honestly didn't
have it that long, sold it soon after I got it to get the Prophet 3000 I now
own (which is much better, definitely worth it). They aren't awful, and the
SSM filters sound pretty good and different from your average moog or
CEM styled variety. But in general it sounds kinda dark, small, and lo-fi. If
that's your thing, this might be your box...
Picture: Emax I HD (kbd and
rack)
ROLAND JUNO 106 - Actually a nice-sounding synth. Warm sound, just
didn't excite me as much as I thought it would though. The MKS-30 sounds
similar and is more powerful. The MKS-30 doesn't have the same amount of bass,
though, so keep that in mind when comparing them. The Juno DOES do better
bass, but is that what you're paying $400-500 for? Picture: Juno 106
ROLAND ALPHA JUNO 2 - Nice as a small controller. Reminded me of a
weak JX8P. Similar filters, but just didn't have the power. Didn't have this
one long either, although the reason was similar to the Emax (found a JX8P
cheap - my second - and needed to grab it). It is about the smallest
controller with 61 keys and velocity/aftertouch i know of though...
Pictures: Alpha Juno 2
KORG DSM-1 - If you've got a filter bank to spare (or a few extra
unused synths with audio ins..) pick one of these up. Only 12 bit sampling,
but it's clean. It DOES have a filter, but it's kind of weak (no resonant and
not very big sounding). Lots of modulation options, though, 4-way
multitimbral, 16 individual outs. I didn't need another sampler, and you can
see from the list above I have no synths with audio-ins or filters (and I'm
not (yet) into the DIY thing yet, not enough time), so it wasn't useful to me
(in fact, I traded it for the DSS-1 above). Some of these have SCSI, which
makes it nice too. A pretty cool little box if just for the abundance of
individual outs. Mono only....
OBERHEIM OB-XA - I REALLY wish this was not in this section.
BEAUTIFUL synth, well worth the price. Not a lot of modulation options, but
absolutely beautiful, and a huge sound, esp. with 8 voices and unison mode
enabled. No midi though, and no CV/Gate, so unless you can find a midi kit
(the only one available now is ~$400) it won't integrate into your setup very
well (the reason I got rid of it). Should have kept it for sampling, but I'm
better off with stuff I can actually use, don't need any more pretty toys.
It's huge, but not too heavy. Definitely recommended....esp. if you see one
with midi.....i think eventually i will have another, or its
'big brother' the OB-8... Picture: OB-Xa
SIEL DK-600 (OPERA 6)/MIDI EXPANDER (EX-600) - I've heard bad
things about Siel, but this was actually a pretty cool little synth. A strange
setup, but a pretty good sound. They are usually cheap. They're midi, they're
analog, they use the SSM 2044 filter. great for filter sweeps and some funky
strange effects. very clear sound.... The Midi Expander is exactly the same as
the dk-600, it's just in a box (not quite a rackmount, though - longer than
19", and angles up in front so you can see the panel. Weird box).... Forgot
to mention, this one also has a nice assortment of knobs. The midi
spec could be a little better, but how many synths do you know of with
midi, knobs, and analog filters for $300?
YAMAHA TG-33 - Another strange box. Not really a "synth" in the
traditional sense, there are up to 4 layers which you can vector between.
Includes FM and waveform presets. Actually a nice sounding box. Not much to do
with it though. Great for doing pads in realtime though....
ENSONIQ ESQ-M - It is not quite as programmable as the matrix 6,
but I liked the sound better. Much crisper, but still plenty of analog power.
Great pads, can slightly overdrive a bit inside the box too. 9-way
multitimbral makes it a good basic box as well. 40 grungy samples to play
with, more on the SQ80. Much thinner than most of the above, this isn't all
bad though.
KAWAI SX-240 - Well, mine has a couple minor problems, but it's
still a good sounding synth. Very cool "ensemble" chorus section, coupled with
the PWM makes nice strings. Decent bass, and with its SSM 2044 filter it can
scream & howl too....
Effects
LEXICON REFLEX - Better reverbs than the Quadraverb. After using
other reverbs, this is impressing me more. Decent depth, terrible front panel
programming but midi editing makes this decent. For the casual user you don't
even need to edit it....will sync delays to midi. I recently re-acquired
another one, and it reminds me again. BEAUTIFUL reverbs. Reverb tails die to
nothing without noise. OTOH, they aren't very "huge" sounding, a little delay
with it helps. It sounds great, but not as much character as the Korg
above....Traded it towards a Peavey amp. Probably a bad idea, but I find i
don't miss it too much.. not that it was bad, I just didn't need the extra
reverb much. Probably will get an Intellifex instead if i ever do get another
effect....
BOSS HM-2 - Pretty good distortion pedal. Lots of gain with a
not-too-harsh overdrive, nice for synths. Maybe not right for guitar though.
ADA MP-1 - This is a rack tube preamp. Sounds nice, but I don't
like the chunkiness of the controls or the editing interface (no knobs, just
up/down buttons). Changing tubes helps the noisiness of it some, although it's
not that bad to begin with (what do you expect from a distortion unit?) Great
tube cleans and distortions, the solid state part wasn't that great. Also has
an OK chorus. I would probably go with something different now. So I did. This
was traded for the Dean Bass mentioned above. Definitely a worthy trade, the
bass has been a lot of fun and I like the way it sounds. And there are better
tube preamps out there...I would like to try another one though, and replace
the 2nd tube with a 12au7, my Cream Machine has this configuration and it
sounds GREAT for tubish amp-type distortion. I'm not sure how much the tube
type contributes to the sound (as opposed to the overall design) but it might
be fun to try it...the MP-1 does have EQ (for what it's worth) so if it could
sound as good as the Cream Machine it might be worth it....
ART MULTIVERB III - Decent delays, not too decent reverbs. Some
cool special effects considering how cheap they are, and multitap delays.
Really chunky reverbs....
ALESIS QUADRAVERB - Better than the multiverb, but not by too much
(IMHO only!) Warmer, but still very chunky. Didn't have this long, traded it
for a lexicon reflex.
BOSS CE-3 - Don't use it. It's not a very deep chorus, IMHO. It's
OK, and may sound better on guitar. The RCE-10 is much better, and I can even
get decent choruses out of my delays if I try hard. But maybe none of these
are "real" choruses....they are all digital.... This was sacrificed to the
MKS70 as well, which has a very nice chorus :) Time for some DYI work to get
all those effects back....
ALESIS MIDIVERB II - I actually like this thing. For as cheap as
they are, they're worth it for the reverse reverbs & blooms alone. OK
other effects. No feedbacking delays, you'll have to do the feedback in your
console...and only one effect at a time...and funky midi spec...but cheap....
ALESIS MIDIVERB III - It has one really nice reverb, the PT4
algorithm. That's all the nice things I have to say about it really. Pretty
noisy, great for guitar though. Definitely a lot of character, i guess that's
a good thing....
HUGHES AND KETTNER CREAM MACHINE - Wow. If you're looking for true
amp distortion, here it is, in a 1/2 rack box, for about $100. No kidding. Ok,
so I haven't played guitar for long, and have never played a true tube amp.
But this has the sounds I was looking for. You can get metal distortions,
crunch, tubish blues overdrive and even clean if you try hard enough. it's not
very noisy. I'd like to try replacing the first tube with a 12au7 and see if I
can get even better tube amp type distortion. Haven't tried this on synths
yet, but it is positively amazing on guitar..... ended up not using it
very much. but see above.
DOD FX-17 WAH/VOLUME/EXP PEDAL - I'm really just using it as a CV
pedal (it outputs CV 0-5V through a little minijack on its side), it was
cheaper than an EV-5 or any "new" pedal I could find. It doesn't really feel
that good, but it doubles as a wah/volume as well. The wah is quite weird, not
crybaby-like at all. I didn't like it a whole lot, but it works well as an
expression pedal, so it's staying around....
MISC BOSS EFFECTS Ok, I have a bunch of these 1/2-rack effects.
They all sound pretty good: Boss RPQ-10, Boss RCE-10, Boss ROD-10, Boss
RBF-10, Boss RDD-10, Boss RPH-10, Boss RPW-7. The ROD-10 is kind of harsh to
my ears, and the RBF-10 I've never really used, but the others sound good to
my ears (except the RPW-7, which is a power module :) The cool thing is the
modulation bus: all of them take an expression pedal you can use to modulate
something (even the delay can modulate delay time with the pedal). So lots of
expressiveness possible. And I liked the ability on the phaser to set the
phase depth to 0 and sweep it manually up and down, or leave it set, which
just kind of fuzzes the sound a little bit. These aren't too expensive either,
the misc effects are usually <$60 and the delay is usually <$80. I think
it's a little warmer than the digitech (and it's got a tone knob), but only
400ms delay... The only one I have left of these is the RPH-10, the rest of
them were sacrificed to the MKS70....
BOSS RCE-10 CHORUS - The first of a bunch of boss 1/2 rack effects
in the series. I used to have more, but they got sacrificed to the MKS-70 :) A
very nice chorus. Seems to work better on guitar than synths, but is nice on
both. Finally given away because I wasn't using it.
BOSS RPH-10 PHASER - Another of the 1/2 rack effects. This one has
a footpedal input you can use to manually sweep the phaser. Not quite as
"crisp" as the Small Stone I used to own, but much more versatile, and it does
still sound good. Three modes. Ended up giving this away too.
DOD FX82B COMPRESSOR - A little pedal. I never really used it, so I
can't judge it too much. I got rid of it though, i guess that says
something....
ARION SAD-1 STEREO DELAY - A very strange little pedal, you don't
see them that often. It's cooler than most delay pedals though, for two
reasons: 1) the sound. It's not necessarily crisp, or "warm", or any given
catchphrase, but it does have character, and one that I like. 2) It's the only
delay pedal i've seen that does ping-pong delays. That by itself is worth the
price of admission, usually very cheap. Only got rid of it when I got the Korg
A2, this paid for a small part of it...and the A2 does delays too..
IBANEZ DL5 - Might have been a DL10, I never did get it straight. A
soundtank delay. This is the opposite of the above - It had no character of
its own, the purest delays I've heard out of a stomp. What you put it is what
you get out, with almost no coloration. Good when you don't want any change in
your sound. Went for the same reason as the above....
PROCO RAT - The older brother of the Turbo Rat, and sounds good
just the same. Pretty much the same, except the "drive" doesn't go quite as
high. Gave it to my sister when she started guitar, who needs two of the same
sound? :)
KORG A5 - This is nothing like the A2, but cool just the same. It's
definitely nice sounding for a cheap pedalboard. Not very programmable, and
the distortions are very chunky (think punk, you won't get very good tube
sounds out of here :), but chunky in a cool way. At least it does cool things
to keyboards. The reverb is pretty cool too, nothing like a lexicon but cool
in a lo-fi sort of way. Left same way as the Rat.
DIGITECH RDS-1900 - I had an IPS-33B once, and thought I've never
have another Digitech device as long as I live. Then I found this cheap,
wanted a second delay, and thought "what the heck". I'm glad I jumped. This is
a cool little box, with knobs for all you modulators. Adjustable delay time
from something like 1ms-1900ms, modulation rate/depth, feedback amount, repeat
hold, inverted feedback (for reverse-reverb type effects). Has a phase out for
pseudo-stereo as well.I run all my stuff through it now, and got rid of my
reverb - it has its own sound. Recommended if you can get it cheap. I have
enough effects though, this was traded for the racks, which hopefully will be
more useful (i've been neglecting studio furniture for a while...)
BOSS DS-2 - Haven't had it long enough. Harsher than the Turbo Rat.
We'll see...this has been on vacation for a while. Yep, still not great, but
OK. My second-to-last pedal, this one disappeared not long ago.
Other
HAFLER DH200 POWER AMP - Sounds good to me...100 watts/side. Not
rack-mountable, it's got the heatsink fins on the sides. Pretty cool...still
operates for several seconds after you cut the power....true class A. I don't
use anything near the full power of this thing yet in my small studio....
TURTLE BEACH MAUI - Decently quiet, decently easy to use. Basic
sampler, no filters but lots of modulation abilities. Hardly has been
explored. I sometimes use it as a basic sampler, but don't use it much at all
anymore...This thing is NOISY though! Beware!
PEAVEY KB100 AMP - Speaking of which, I forgot to mention it. These
are cheap, have 3 inputs including 1 mic input, fx loop, reverb, 4-band EQ,
15" woofer + horn. They're not exactly hi-fi, but they do the job. I got one
of them for $100, and it's at least worth that. They can double as a bass amp
in a pinch too. I have two of these, until i can get better monitors and/or
afford separate monitors and PA gear (i use one of these for playing bass at
church too, so i can't just sell them both and get some Paradigm Mini-Monitors
for instance). They're decent for bass, for full range they are missing
something, and the bass is overly heavy. But they work OK. They seem very
reliable. Not much else to say I guess.
ALTEC LANSING BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS - Ok, they're not monitor quality,
but they work OK. Good enough for now, I'm not ready to record an album
yet....
MIRO CONNECT 34 WAVE - Well, I guess it works OK. Noisier than the
Maui, but decent frequency response. I don't use it for recording,
though....(i'm not convinced it's actually noisier anymore :)
YAMAHA DD12 DRUM PADS - Kinda like an octapad I suppose. they have
8 pads + a kick drum input with a dinky little pedal (momentary-on I think,
you could probably use any sustain-type pedal, converted to mini-jack like
theirs). This is currently on loan with a friend. And my sampler was on the
fritz when I got this, so I didn't get to try the midi stuff too much (it does
work). The triggers can be set to just about any midi note by setting up your
own kit. It has a funky "scratch" ribbon on it too that doesn't transmit midi,
good for those old skool "scratch" effects heh :) (it's just a sample,
btw...don't get too excited...) Lots of other useless features too, thankfully
you can turn them off...rhythms, SSP (super session drummer, plays along with
you or something), ABC (auto bass and chord, it will play a whole song without
you! no talent needed!). decent for a basic midi trigger unit. the pads are 4"
each and seem to have decent velocity response. It has some internal sounds
too, and a midi input, although they are really nothing special. I'm getting
this back soon, and hope to try my hand at playing drums live.....over midi of
course....
SHURE SM-58 - I know this is the 'standard' for
live vocal microphones, but i just don't like it all that much.
It's not awful, it just has this 'grainy' texture that i'm not
particularly fond of. It also has an awful hump in the upper midrange
that paired with the wrong vocalist can lead to a very raspy and
harsh sound (and that has happened a few too many times!) These are
incredibly reliable though, which is probably why they are still around.
YAMAHA G100-II AMP - This is a 2x12 guitar combo, solid state. I'm
using it currently as a keyboard amp. It works pretty well for this purpose,
although the speakers will overload a little if you throw too much bass at it
(maybe new speakers are needed - they're whatever Yamaha originally installed
with the amp). Pretty clean sounding, distortions don't go all out for guitar
but sound decent. Not bad for as cheap as they go.... Really couldn't handle
the bass of synths, so I sold it and replaced it with a Peavey KB100. It was a
good decision, although I really wish I had kept the amp, I didn't get much
for it and I really did love the way it sounds. It can go loud pretty clean if
you want it to, and with the Cream Machine above I think it could take care of
any amp needs.....