The New M Audio Venom VA synth (HELLO BEAUTIFUL WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE!)

Unfortunately, not even close to enough knobs for a VA synth...for me at least. HELLO SYNTH DESIGNERS, WE WANT LOTS OF KNOBS! MORE BIG KNOBS! LESS MENUS!!! I love to tweak and make my own sounds though, so what the hell do I know? I do like the fact that it has multiple types of distortion. Also, just realized my boy Richard Devine helped in the sound design area...f**king geek. :)
 
had a chance to hear/play with it at namm, it sounds great, based on samples (I thought it was va synth totally) but has a very raw sound, I wish it had more knobs as well, the "deep editing" is done with the software editor.
 
Not terribly impressed. Like others said, the interface is a bit lacking and I just fail to see where it differs from the rest of the pack - of course they're eagerly throwing around words like "gritty" and "edgy" and "toobz"...but it seems like another bog-standard VA. I'm sure it sounds just ok - as most modern VAs do - just not yet convinced it's significantly better-sounding than, say, something like Zebra that probably costs less than half of the Venom...
 
I won't know if it's good till i demo one at a store. But I do like that it has an expression pedal input. I have an expression pedal on my M-Audio Axiom 25 and it's opened up doors for modulation that wouldn't be there since I can keep playing with both hands while modulating with my foot.

On the downside, I wish people were into developing smoother sounds more than distorted junk. Distortion seems to have gotten more and more popular since Access Virus, NIN Year Zero, and the popularity of DubStep. Personally I think it causes a lot of ear fatigue and I'm sick of it. I like smoother sounds much better. Hopefully the Venom will be tweakable for smooth sounds too if their filters and modulation matrixes are good. But I'm glad that people are still developing hardware synths, and M-Audio MIDI controllers are pretty high quality already. I also like seeing synths with FM and Ring Modulation and Subtractive Synthesis options.

Full Features

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="3" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
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</td></tr> <tr><td>49-key, full-size, synth-action keyboard </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
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</td></tr> <tr><td>12-voice polyphony, each voice including:
  • 3 oscillators with 41 waveforms and 53 drum sounds sampled from vintage analog synths, FM digital synths, and drum machines
  • pulse-width modulation, sync, FM, and ring modulation
  • resonant multimode filter with tube saturation limiting
    • 12 dB/octave (2-pole) low pass
    • 12 dB/octave (2-pole) band pass
    • 12 dB/octave (2-pole) high pass
    • 24 dB/octave (4-pole) low pass
    • 24 dB/octave (4-pole) band pass
    • 24 dB/octave (4-pole) high pass
  • 3 LFOs with selectable sample-and-hold
  • 3 AHDSR envelopes
  • 16 modulation routes
</td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
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</td></tr> <tr><td>4-part multitimbral operation with independent MIDI-syncable phrase sequencers </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
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</td></tr> <tr><td>512 onboard Single patches </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
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</td></tr> <tr><td>256 onboard Multi (layered) patches </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
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</td></tr> <tr><td>2 global bus effects
  • Reverb, Delay, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser
</td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
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</td></tr> <tr><td>1 insert effect per multitimbral part (4 total)
  • Compression, EQ, Distortion, Bit Reduction, Decimation
</td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
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</td></tr> <tr><td>classic arpeggiator with up, down, and alternating patterns </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
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</td></tr> <tr><td>tap-tempo and manual BPM control from top panel </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
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</td></tr> <tr><td>built-in USB 2.0 audio/MIDI interface (USB 1.1 backward compatible)
  • 2 x 2 24-bit, 44.1 kHz operation
  • mic, instrument, and stereo line level inputs route to DAW
  • synth sounds route to DAW
  • DAW audio output mixes into main outputs
  • stereo main audio outputs (1/4" TS)
  • stereo headphone output (1/4" TRS)
  • master volume knob; instrument and mic gain knobs
  • MIDI In and MIDI Out (5-pin DIN)
</td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
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</td></tr> <tr><td>large custom LCD </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
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</td></tr> <tr><td>4 rotary encoders and 1 button for performance control and editing </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
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</td></tr> <tr><td>dual-function octave up/down and transpose controls </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
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</td></tr> <tr><td>assignable pitch bend and modulation wheels </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
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</td></tr> <tr><td>sustain (1/4" TS) and expression (1/4" TRS) pedal inputs </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
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</td></tr> <tr><td>included Vyzex Venom software editor
  • arrange sounds into banks, rename patches, and save backups
  • patch collider feature mashes up multiple patches to create new hybrid sounds
  • 16-cell modulation matrix offers comprehensive routing configurations
</td></tr></tbody></table>
 
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They might have earned my cash with this one. I had the chance to play with one of these. It is very nice.
 
like said earlier it doesn't have enough knobs for quick real-time editing.
the sound is okay, it actually reminded me of the virus ti, but way more of a plastic sound. It does seem like a good synth for the price with its on board interface and tweak ability.
 
Edit: since my last two posts were from the store..lmfaooo


Ok so i just ordered it at GC...so i should have it in 3-5 days. I was pissed b/c i am frequently there and missed the $100 discount if you purchase a single item over $499 by 2 days (1/30). They did however knock off $50 bucks for me.

I'm hyped for this. I really hope it is sturdy though. My first midi controller was the m-audio radium 49...and now looking back at it...it was extremely cheap and poorly made. I then upgraded recently to the m-audio axom 49 (2nd gen) which seems to be build like a tank compared to the radium.

only time will tell i guess. i plan on giving a full review and maybe even a youtube video when i get it.

It states nothing about other DAWS (Except for it being Pro Tools compatible) in any of the material i read so far that is compatible with the M-Audio Venom. I assume that is b/c it's a Avid product. My luck it somehow won't work with Logic 9....smh
 
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why wouldnt it work in Logic? its a synth not a midi controller u just record ur parts as normal
 
Xabiton said:
why wouldnt it work in Logic? its a synth not a midi controller u just record ur parts as normal
Click to expand...

i just wasn't thinking logically...or even thinking for that matter...lol


:cheers:

---------- Post added at 01:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:04 AM ----------

eeeeeek



---------- Post added 02-06-2011 at 08:02 PM ---------- Previous post was 02-02-2011 at 01:05 AM ----------

picking it up tomorrow...i was on gearslutz and there's been a lot of negative feedback from that side...
:bigeyes:
 
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Looks very nice! I need to take a trip out to my local GC to see if there's one I can mess around with.
 
The Venom sounds pretty good to me. You have to consider, at its pricing point, you can't expect too much to have been spent on dedicated knobs and build quality. But overall, I think it's a decent product. Enjoy it for what it is.
 
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In the youtube video on the venom, i think it might be m-audios official video, where the crystal method says something like "my favorite synthesizer in the last 10 years" its weird how a lot of people are giving it negative feedback on these forums and on gearslutz.

Maybe you could say crystal method were getting paid to say that? :(
Hmmm... I would like to believe the people who are on the consumer side
 
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BruteXL said:
Maybe you could say crystal method were getting paid to say that? :(
Click to expand...

LOL, just maybe they are paid endorsees? Didn't seem like they were too familiar with the product at the time of that video shoot. But, I don't fault them for that. Regardless, I think it's a cool product. And it comes with a GREAT editor.

Gearslutz...eh. You'll always find a mixed bag of opinions there. :rofl: Research for yourself.
 
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