New synth day..

paulmapp8306 · March 2023

Yes another lol

Arturia Polybrute.

Had to make space by a careful re-arranging of things (including things bolted to a wall). Also means My Pro3 is sat out of reach and un connected on a top shelf. Obviously I can get it down when I need iot but its not ready to go. Might be sold if I rally dont miss it. It sounds great, but Im not a Mono guy at heart.

So far - couple of niggles which may be me, may be the synth, or may be a fault. Working on that one. apart from that its great.

so I now have 3 Analogue Polys, 1 Analogue Mono, 1 Hybrid Poly, 2 Digital Polys, a Workstation (ish), a stage piano, a drum machine and a hardware sequencer.....

Its pretty crowded lol.

Benm39 · March 2023

These look awesome enjoy!

paulmapp8306 · March 2023

Current pic:

https://i.imgur.com/yFyQLFF.jpg

but I have no space for my Pro3 top be hooked up ready to go. Need to think about that, currently sitting on the top shelf above the big rack.

https://i.imgur.com/FWWDG8a.jpg

Ill either come up with something, sell it, or forget its there lol.

monquixote · March 2023

This is a great video on the Polybrute:

paulmapp8306 · March 2023

monquixote said:

This is a great video on the Polybrute:

I watched pretty much everyone I could find.

I tried one once - and the keybed put me off totally - and its not different now. BUT its so capable in all other aspects..... I can always play if from fantom or iridium if Im not using the expressive controls live.

TeleMaster · March 2023

I've got a Polybrute. Congratulations!

It really is an amazingly versatile and complex synth.

paulmapp8306 · March 2023

TeleMaster said:

I've got a Polybrute. Congratulations!

It really is an amazingly versatile and complex synth.

shame about the keybed. Lets the whole synth down really.

The aftertouch is nicely balanced but the keys are 1.5mm narrower and 5mm shorter than standard. That means muscle memory if off when playing on autopilot (fast runs and such) - and makes the black keys really too thin.

Also means the throw (up to down) is shallow travel, again makes it feel odd.

Theres also only a 3mm lip under they keys v the average 6-8mm. With the bigger lip, when you press one key down, there is a plastic wall next to your finger from the adjacent key. with PB, you dont have that, you have a gap you can nip a finger in, and you can catch the edge of it which feels sharp.

All that plastic removed also means the keys are quite bendy and flexible - not a nice solid key. The whole thing makes it feel a little cheap, and not so easy to play. Im a;ready defaulting to playing it via the Iridium unless Im patch designing (can still use the expression bits on PB as the Iridium sits directly above it - and Iridium has Poly Aftertouch...and the morph function works polyphonically - which gives some really nice expression you cant actually do directly on PB).

Shame - It the only thing I dont really like about it.

Ive found a few FW bugs already too. They are to do with Midi routing though, only noticeable if you using external controllers to drive PB and also PB to drive other things. Confirmed with other users on the Gearspaces Polybrute page, tickets gone in to Arturis from about 15 of us and Ive sent them a video - hopefully well get a FW fix for that.

Overall - yes its a great synth. Like everything its not perfect. That keybed is a letdown - though I kind of knew that going in as I did play one at Synthfest so knew how it feels (its VERY slimilar to Hydrasynth, and I let that go for Iridium for the same reason - the feel of the keys).

TeleMaster · March 2023

paulmapp8306 said:

TeleMaster said:

I've got a Polybrute. Congratulations!

It really is an amazingly versatile and complex synth.

shame about the keybed. Lets the whole synth down really.

These things are personal aren't they, but I don't really agree that the whole synth is let down because of the keybed. I don't really worry too much about things like that and I just play the thing. It's the same with guitar, I don't like 7.25 radius massively but I have a couple of guitars with that radius and I just crack on with it, and I'm not bothered about scale length either. I'm lead guitarist for a busy pub and functions band and after 10 minutes with the guitar I'm used to it.

I have a Polybrute, a Grandmother, a Summit and a Minogue XD and quite a few other USB keyboards, and have owned a Prophet 6, Cobalt, and others so I really have had a variety of synths with different keybeds so I know they're all different and I don't expect them to be the same, so I just don't let it bother me if there are differences because I expect them to be different.

Personally I think the Polybrute is nailed on to be considered a classic and I don't find the keybed to be an issue, especially if you just play it and get used to it. Here's hoping you can ignore those issues too!

fretmeister · March 2023

Cor blimey that is a space station.

And here I am wondering about buying a Bass Station 2 as my first synth!

paulmapp8306 · March 2023

TeleMaster said:

paulmapp8306 said:

TeleMaster said:

I've got a Polybrute. Congratulations!

It really is an amazingly versatile and complex synth.

shame about the keybed. Lets the whole synth down really.

These things are personal aren't they, but I don't really agree that the whole synth is let down because of the keybed. I don't really worry too much about things like that and I just play the thing. It's the same with guitar, I don't like 7.25 radius massively but I have a couple of guitars with that radius and I just crack on with it, and I'm not bothered about scale length either. I'm lead guitarist for a busy pub and functions band and after 10 minutes with the guitar I'm used to it.

I have a Polybrute, a Grandmother, a Summit and a Minogue XD and quite a few other USB keyboards, and have owned a Prophet 6, Cobalt, and others so I really have had a variety of synths with different keybeds so I know they're all different and I don't expect them to be the same, so I just don't let it bother me if there are differences because I expect them to be different.

Personally I think the Polybrute is nailed on to be considered a classic and I don't find the keybed to be an issue, especially if you just play it and get used to it. Here's hoping you can ignore those issues too!

Your right, to a point of course.

The keybed is the most complained about feature of pb across forums though, so its not just me.

Quite a few midi implementation bugs too. I have 2 I found confirmed by attyria and there investigating the 3rd, which has been confirmed by several other users across forums.

It is what it is.

I want to try a 3rd wave too. Once that's more readily available I'll Keep the call. Keep what I have if I've got used to it or let pb and pro3 go and bring in the 3rd wave

monquixote · March 2023

fretmeister said:

Cor blimey that is a space station.

And here I am wondering about buying a Bass Station 2 as my first synth!

@fretmeister ;
I'll be interested to hear about your shortlist.
I'm thinking about getting a Mono at some point.
Current shortlist is:
* Typhon
* Roland SE-02
* Microbrute

octatonic · March 2023

BS2 is a good first synth but I wouldn't be so focussed on what it is- there are loads of good, cheap synths now.

Just buy one and figure out how to use it.

paulmapp8306 · March 2023

monquixote said:

fretmeister said:

Cor blimey that is a space station.

And here I am wondering about buying a Bass Station 2 as my first synth!

@fretmeister ;
I'll be interested to hear about your shortlist.
I'm thinking about getting a Mono at some point.
Current shortlist is:
* Typhon
* Roland SE-02
* Microbrute

All good choices.

Se02 is imo the nicest sounding. Typhon has great fx and sequencer. Microbrute is the most aggressive.

fretmeister · March 2023

As it happens I had a bit of wine on the evening I posted...

BS2 arriving this afternoon. I did have a look at other things, including plugin based with a keyboard controller but ultimately there's a lot of BS2 demos with sounds I really like.

I'm rather looking forward to it. Have to brush up on my very old piano skills!

octatonic · March 2023

fretmeister said:

As it happens I had a bit of wine on the evening I posted...

BS2 arriving this afternoon. I did have a look at other things, including plugin based with a keyboard controller but ultimately there's a lot of BS2 demos with sounds I really like.

I'm rather looking forward to it. Have to brush up on my very old piano skills!

This might not be news to you but worth mentioning that synths are very much not about your ability to play piano, unless you want to be a Jordan Rudess style shredder.

Think 'playing tone colour'.

monquixote · March 2023

octatonic said:

fretmeister said:

As it happens I had a bit of wine on the evening I posted...

BS2 arriving this afternoon. I did have a look at other things, including plugin based with a keyboard controller but ultimately there's a lot of BS2 demos with sounds I really like.

I'm rather looking forward to it. Have to brush up on my very old piano skills!

This might not be news to you but worth mentioning that synths are very much not about your ability to play piano, unless you want to be a Jordan Rudess style shredder.

Think 'playing tone colour'.

Indeed. I think having something like a sequencer is important so you can play the synthesis parameters without thinking about the notes.

fretmeister · March 2023

Noted.

I'm going to run it into an Aux In on my helix so I can add other FX to it.

Won't be long before I'm described as Vangelis with all the talent removed!

horse · March 2023

monquixote said:

fretmeister said:

Cor blimey that is a space station.

And here I am wondering about buying a Bass Station 2 as my first synth!

@fretmeister ;
I'll be interested to hear about your shortlist.
I'm thinking about getting a Mono at some point.
Current shortlist is:
* Typhon
* Roland SE-02
* Microbrute

I happen to have an se-02 going spare if it might be of interest.

monquixote · March 2023

horse said:

monquixote said:

fretmeister said:

Cor blimey that is a space station.

And here I am wondering about buying a Bass Station 2 as my first synth!

@fretmeister ;
I'll be interested to hear about your shortlist.
I'm thinking about getting a Mono at some point.
Current shortlist is:
* Typhon
* Roland SE-02
* Microbrute

I happen to have an se-02 going spare if it might be of interest.

Pmed

fretmeister · March 2023

I’ve had an hour or so with the BS2 tonight.

Just going through the presets at the mo. It’s great fun. Come up with some ideas for synth bass lines already. Need to get my drum plugins fired up next.

fretmeister · March 2023

The only thing that annoys me about the BS2 so far is that the pitch and mod wheels are on the left.

As I have a little bit of a piano background I want to play bass parts with my left hand an control stuff with the right.

I suppose I'll just have to get used to that.

paulmapp8306 · March 2023

fretmeister said:

The only thing that annoys me about the BS2 so far is that the pitch and mod wheels are on the left.

As I have a little bit of a piano background I want to play bass parts with my left hand an control stuff with the right.

I suppose I'll just have to get used to that.

If your going to use synths - get used to it. there always on the left.

hollywoodrox · March 2023

That looks a fun setup . I just bought an Arturia mini lab Mk ii controller as a portable ish fun sketch pad . I like 80s synths , DX7 Juno , D50 ,Korg K1 oberheim etc but mine are all software
just for fun composing

TeleMaster · March 2023

I bought a Waldorf Iridium, sold two guitars to get it. I feel like I need a degree to use it.

paulmapp8306 · April 2023

TeleMaster said:

I bought a Waldorf Iridium, sold two guitars to get it. I feel like I need a degree to use it.

lol.

Teh VA aspect is pretty simple to be fair. The wavetable stuff isnt THAT hard either.

FM.... well its FM. I know the theory behind it BUT in practice? designing sounds from scratch is still a black art - and of course your not just stuck to sine avers (as DX7 was) . In some ways thats easier - you could have 2 carriers in parallel with sawtooth waveforms and its not different from a typical subtractive twin osc sound at heat. Its not digging into this FM thats making me thing about the 3rd wave instead.

Resonator is OK. Just play around gets you a feel - though I tend to use ars one part to att an attack to a sound rather than a sound in it own right - Im not that deep into it.

Ive never known what to do regards sampling - and especially multisampling. Ive just never needed it - so never played with it. Im sure its not THAT hard but I dont find the urge personally.

I get granular as well - but again its not a synthesis type I have any rewal interest in - so not tackled that aspect either.

TeleMaster · April 2023

paulmapp8306 said:

TeleMaster said:

I bought a Waldorf Iridium, sold two guitars to get it. I feel like I need a degree to use it.

lol.

Teh VA aspect is pretty simple to be fair. The wavetable stuff isnt THAT hard either.

FM.... well its FM. I know the theory behind it BUT in practice? designing sounds from scratch is still a black art - and of course your not just stuck to sine avers (as DX7 was) . In some ways thats easier - you could have 2 carriers in parallel with sawtooth waveforms and its not different from a typical subtractive twin osc sound at heat. Its not digging into this FM thats making me thing about the 3rd wave instead.

Resonator is OK. Just play around gets you a feel - though I tend to use ars one part to att an attack to a sound rather than a sound in it own right - Im not that deep into it.

Ive never known what to do regards sampling - and especially multisampling. Ive just never needed it - so never played with it. Im sure its not THAT hard but I dont find the urge personally.

I get granular as well - but again its not a synthesis type I have any rewal interest in - so not tackled that aspect either.

Yea I'm creating sounds on it already. It was just a bit frustrating figuring out what screen, what knob does what at first, and the manual isn't that explanatory. The kernel feature is incredible. I got the keyboard version.

paulmapp8306 · April 2023

TeleMaster said:

paulmapp8306 said:

TeleMaster said:

I bought a Waldorf Iridium, sold two guitars to get it. I feel like I need a degree to use it.

lol.

Teh VA aspect is pretty simple to be fair. The wavetable stuff isnt THAT hard either.

FM.... well its FM. I know the theory behind it BUT in practice? designing sounds from scratch is still a black art - and of course your not just stuck to sine avers (as DX7 was) . In some ways thats easier - you could have 2 carriers in parallel with sawtooth waveforms and its not different from a typical subtractive twin osc sound at heat. Its not digging into this FM thats making me thing about the 3rd wave instead.

Resonator is OK. Just play around gets you a feel - though I tend to use ars one part to att an attack to a sound rather than a sound in it own right - Im not that deep into it.

Ive never known what to do regards sampling - and especially multisampling. Ive just never needed it - so never played with it. Im sure its not THAT hard but I dont find the urge personally.

I get granular as well - but again its not a synthesis type I have any rewal interest in - so not tackled that aspect either.

Yea I'm creating sounds on it already. It was just a bit frustrating figuring out what screen, what knob does what at first, and the manual isn't that explanatory. The kernel feature is incredible. I got the keyboard version.

yep, me too. the Poly Aftertouch keybed is a lot better than the one of hydrasynth

Creed_Clicks · May 2023

fretmeister said:

I’ve had an hour or so with the BS2 tonight.

Just going through the presets at the mo. It’s great fun. Come up with some ideas for synth bass lines already. Need to get my drum plugins fired up next.

Don't forget to try the paraphonic mode if not already installed/updated. I had a BS2 and stupidly sold it as it didn't do what I wanted RIGHT AWAY!

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