ROdiculis said:
Well since you seem pretty knowledgeable why don't I just ask you the question I really want to. I'm pretty much in the hunting for a new synth. I'll be producing a wide range of stuff but mostly Hip hop/ R&b/ Rock/ pop /alternative . But nothing like whats really on the radio. I'm in a hip hop/rock band, think N.E.R.D. meets The Roots meets Rage Against the Machine meets Kenna. I want something that is very tweakable because i like creating really unique original sounds. I was looking at the virus's but they are too..eehh "techy", same with some of the Korg stuff. Maybe I didn't really get to dive into them, but that was my initial impression. Polyphony is very important, im a chordy player, at least 8 voices. I won't be playing live, it will mostly be in the studio. I'm not necessarily looking for a "all in one" synth, just something that complements my soft synths and provides some hands on inspiration.
The Virus is actually pretty good at doing analog emulations. You just have to dig into the engine to get what you want. Check out what this guy was able to squeeze out of his Virus KB:
http://www.perkristian.net/studio_viruskb.shtml
I've never owned a Virus though, because various other synths have done a better job at fitting my needs, and I've been pretty critical of what I thought were some real shortcomings in that engine. I still like the basic sound character of the Virus though, and I might get a Virus A or B sometime in the future, but it's towards the end of a very long list of things to get right now.
That said, my current "go to" synth is the Alesis Andromeda. Mainly because it has "that" raw analog sound that so many people seem to crave, but can't get out of softsynths and digital hardware synths. It's no wonder too, because when the engineers at Alesis set out to make the Andromeda, they studied all of the classic analog synths of yesteryear, and picked the functions and features which they deemed best and crammed them into one analog
supersynth. The result was a 16 voice polyphonic, voltage controlled, analog synth which shares features with the Moog Modular, Oberheim SEM, and Yamaha CS80.
It's been a pretty underrated synth ever since it debuted in 2000, with most people not really understanding what it's all about. The relatively recent surge in popularity that it's been getting can probably mostly be attributed to it showing up in youtube videos posted by hip hop artists like Ryan Leslie. Jamiroquai seems to be pretty partial to his Andromeda as well, but I don't think he has too many fans on this forum.
It's kind of hard to sum up what it sounds like though, because it's just so flexible. It excels at reproducing vintage synth tones, but it's also great at making punchy modern sounds. Here are a couple of demos which may give you an idea of what it's all about:
Some mellower vintage sounds (the sound at 2:09 is great):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0EnzRoVY6Y
A trance demo:
the (in)famous Ryan Leslie video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkL5o14edjQ
I would whole heartedly recommend getting one, especially if are into making your own sounds. The engine is so deep, and the sound is so rewarding, that one could foreseeably use it for a lifetime. That and it's pretty future proof. VST's will come and go, and digital synths will continue improving, but the Andromeda is analog, and won't benefit from an increase in sound quality unless people are willing to deal with astronomical component prices. It's also extremely unlikely that anyone will be producing another 16 voice analog synth anytime soon, let alone a voltage controlled one.
