Looking for a Pad/String synth

[analoghaze]

Purchase an iPad 2.
Get the irig MIDI.
Install Animoog.
Use either headphone out or a Logitech Bluetooth audio receiver to monitor.

[analoghaze]

Of course the Alesis Andromeda, with its 16 pure analog voices, won't have any polyphony problems with really long envelope release times on pads... if you can get your hands on one. And if you can afford it.

That's a lot of IF's...since the A6 was discontinued, prices have nearly doubled! I kid you not, I saw one on e-Bay a while back sell for $5600!

That is crazy. I paid $1,400 new for mine. (final run)
It is a great synth, but when I want lush warm evolving pads, I reach for my Q+.
The A6 is a monster that distorts easily and in many ways. Quite experimental sounding. Great for arps and insane rhythm textures.

[Kenneth]

Juno 6/60/106. Otherwise there are lots of great string synths from the late 70's/early 80's that are absolutely wondrous in the string/pad section (Crumar Orchestrator, Korg Lambda, Moog Opus 3, Yamaha SK15/20/30, ARP Solina, ARP Omni, Roland had a bunch of good ones..). Also, this one is a bit more out there, but I just bought an old Casiotone 405 and use it for really warm strings. I run it through effects (delay, reverb, chorus, and tube overdrive) and get REALLY thick, really complex pads out of it. You don't even have to spend 1k if you ask me.

http://www.vintagesynth.com has a great tool called "synthfinder" where you just plug in what you're looking for (price; mono/poly; analog/digital; synthetic/realistic; and so on...) and it turns out several options for you. Great way to find out what it is you're looking for.

[thealien666]

That is crazy. I paid $1,400 new for mine. (final run)

Are you sure about that ? The lowest I've seen the A6, and it was the store demo, was $2,400.
Heck, even a Prophet 08 goes for $1,850 (open box demo) at NovaMusik !

Can I ask you where you bought your Andy ?

Anyway, I would have believed that with such high polyphony and real analog oscillators and Moog filters, it would be easy to program lush pads and strings on an A6 ... And aren't there any good sounding preset pads and strings on that machine ?

My Alesis Ion has a few good ones already, and it's quite easy to program some, even if it's only a virtual analog synth.

[analoghaze]

That is crazy. I paid $1,400 new for mine. (final run)

Are you sure about that ? The lowest I've seen the A6, and it was the store demo, was $2,400.
Heck, even a Prophet 08 goes for $1,850 (open box demo) at NovaMusik !

Can I ask you where you bought your Andy ?

Anyway, I would have believed that with such high polyphony and real analog oscillators and Moog filters, it would be easy to program lush pads and strings on an A6 ... And aren't there any good sounding preset pads and strings on that machine ?

My Alesis Ion has a few good ones already, and it's quite easy to program some, even if it's only a virtual analog synth.

My A6 purchased the day the final run was anounced for release. (at the time I did not know that it would end up being the final run)
I purchased it locally.
There are some good sounding presets on the A6 I would imagine. I am not a preset type of person. I use a memory card for my A6 and start from scratch on everything. (init programs)
Even with my Voyager. I have never ever even heard more than 10 of the presets. I initialize it and go from there. I never have the time for presets. The Old School would have been perfect for me, but that came out years after I had my Performer.
It is possible with the Andromeda, but there are so many ways for it to distort and enter a world of kaoss that sometimes it is a rabbit hole. The synthesizer is hard to tame and turning back is not always an option.
What I have been having fun with lately is using an iPad to sequence the A6.
Maybe I'll do a demo, but since this is a Moog forum, maybe I sequence the Voyager instead.

[Elhardt]

My A6 purchased the day the final run was anounced for release. (at the time I did not know that it would end up being the final run) I purchased it locally.

When I heard you say you paid $1400 new for your A6, I said to myself that can't be possible. Then somebody asked exactly what I wanted to ask, and that's where did you buy it for that price? Of course, you didn't answer the question. You say you purchased it locally, but where locally? Guitar Center? Musician's Friend? Sam Ash? 8th Street Music?

They were still being priced at $3000 at those places (list price $3500) up until they were discontinued. I got mine for $2600 at 8th Street Music. $1400 seems like way below dealer cost. So again, the question has to be asked, where did you get it for $1400 new? Thanks for any answer.

[Mr Shave]

Wait, now I'm confused... Was there even a Nord Lead 3? I cant seem to find any place that sells one... I do a search for Nord Lead 3 and i either get Nord Lead 2x results, or Nord Electro 3 results...

Was it a limited run?

[Elhardt]

Wait, now I'm confused... Was there even a Nord Lead 3? I cant seem to find any place that sells one... I do a search for Nord Lead 3 and i either get Nord Lead 2x results, or Nord Electro 3 results...

Was it a limited run?

It wasn't supposed to be a limited run, but from what I remember, people thought the 2 sounded better and they didn't seem to care that the 3 was more advanced with more features and capable of more interesting sounds. The deadbeat synth buyers killed off the 3 the same way they killed off the Nord Modular.

[Voltor07]

http://www.vintagesynth.com/clavia/nordmod.php The Nord Modular looks like a joke, to me. So, you'd need a $2-3k computer to run it, (and I'm talking 1998 USD) plus you'd need to spend another how much on the controller or module? Basically, it was a hardware-based VST, if that's the case. Wow...just...wow. No WONDER it was discontinued! It was ahead of it's time!

[stiiiiiiive]

No, it isn't any VST.

It is a hybrid modular synth. Modular, I guess you know. But why hybrid ?

The patching is performed through a software editor, as well as the panel buttons assignments andsome others functions. That's where you need a computer. However the editor alone is not producing any sound: the DSP are in the hardare synth/rack. This is not a VST.
Once your patches are flashed into the hardare memory, the instrument is autonomous. You can use it on stage without any computer. You patched a DX7? Use a DX7 on stage. You patched a MS20? Use a MS20 on stage. (I won't enter the sound debate, huh? )

The G2 is even more autonomous, if I dare. The only thing you cannot do without the computer is add/remove modules or patch/unpatch them. Assigments can be performed on the hardware synth. I used to connect it to the editor to patch all night long, but ended using a couple of patches just as I would on any other synth.

I think the cost a bunch to Clavia in regard of the moderate success they had. Plus the fact the are software dependant was harmful to their evolution. Still some guys developed a freeware editor in order to make them live forever.

Great creative, pedagogical instruments, really. Amongst the best I've ever known. They were even part of some music course at IRCAM in France. The MicroModular is a very valuable Swiss army knife for a musician...

[bhrama]

Roland Paraphonic RS-505 + verb/delay

[MC]

I played around with a Nord Wave in a store and that made some nice pad/string sounds.