/prod/

/prod/ - zynthesizer edition

youtube.com/watch?v=fyMZ2vV0zqg
youtube.com/watch?v=atvtBE6t48M

Other urls found in this thread:

clyp.it/4ihcfjek
clyp.it/pnafugxb
clyp.it/navo33b0
youtube.com/watch?v=0JzOV1MjhJE
roland.com/products/a-88/specifications/
youtube.com/watch?v=NVaqc8eQ2YQ
youtube.com/watch?v=32epQgWiGJo
twitter.com/NSFWRedditVideo

Does anyone have that program that plays notes really fast so you can get a pseudo poly effect out of a mono midi cable?

Should I fix the MC-303 someone gave me or just trade it for a Volca or something
Will romplers make a comeback once the analog craze is over?

What's a good cheap-ish midi controller? I only really want one for synth VSTs and shit like that but it'd be cool if it had pads too--something like the MPK25 but better i guess.

I don't really see why the analog gear craze would end. Software is getting better and better, there really isn't a point to buying digital synths unless you play live.

Just get the cheapest one you can find that suits your needs, as long as it's class-compliant (99% are) you should be fine.
But if you use ableton the automap function on the launchkey is heavenly

I've been using Reaper cus it's easiest but I wanna switch to Ableton soon so I'll keep that in mind ;^)

I know analog is not going anywhere, but maybe the 90s trance/big beat comes back in style and the 303 and Xtreme Lead1 (just to mention the two most 90s sounding pieces of gear I had) start raising their value.
After all, Grimes uses a fucking GAIA, a synth nobody wanted 5yrs ago and now hipsters praise it

might post some snippets from my Mopho x4 today after work.

It has this weird issue where it goes like a 1/4 tone flat if I touch the pitch wheel, so I think DSI is going to send me a replacement wheel.

Do you mean a mono synth?

No it's a polysynth, but I only have a mono midi cable atm.

Should I get an Alesis Multimix? It's the firewire model, I found one for kind of cheap

>mono midi cable
wut?

It's kinda uncommon/rare. It was to reduce latency on like shitty mid 80s stuff with slow processors.

Forced meme.
Don't believe a word he says.

That's got nothing to do with the cable though. it's a hardware thing.

DIN is a meme to right?
should have specified it's a serial to mono midi computer cable

clyp.it/4ihcfjek
can I get a second opinion on this mix?

are the hi hats too loud?

i'm in headphones so you know..fukn kill me heh he

I use an MPK mini

8 pads, 8 knobs, 25 keys, $99

...

How is it? I've been looking at getting one

No complaints. Does what I need it to, lots of versatility. It's definitely a jack of all, master of none thing given that it has half the pads of an mpc and only 25 keys but that's more than enough to produce some bangin tunes.

My sole complaint is that the joystick thing that functions as a mod wheel doesnt have the smoothest action.

>are the hi hats too loud?Your Hi hats sound fine to me off my laptop speakers, but I'd consider adding more texture to it. It's pleasant, but doesn't have a whole lot of character

Help me out prodders.

Which of these versions is better and why? My ears are tired.

clyp.it/pnafugxb

clyp.it/navo33b0

.

Does anyone here have experience with Novation products? I heard they were good, and I can find some good deals for them on my local Craigslist. I heard the impulse series is superior to the launchkey series. There's also some 'nova' series keyboards up for tempting prices that look good, but they were more expensive.

To clarify, the keyboards I was looking at were:

Novation Mininova + vocoder (37-key)
Novation Ultranova keyboard (seemingly including the vocoder and 37-key)
Novation Impulse 25-key
Novation Impulse 49-key

I looked at some Alesis keyboards a while back, but can't find any on CL now. As I see it, Korg is very expensive, and Akai is slightly overpriced.

I would appreciate input on this, or simply some recommendations beyond "buy an MPK Mini". I'm just sick of not being able to make anything because of not having a keyboard, but not buying anything because the keyboard market is difficult for me to read. I don't mind shelling out for quality, but I don't need the creme de la creme, nor do I want cheap, poor quality equipment.

Just buy an MPK mini stepfam

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

the second one but you need to work on your build it goes on just a bit too long

What's wrong with buying an MPK mini

Where can I aquire this model Buchlabox?
youtube.com/watch?v=0JzOV1MjhJE

prod whats the best way to learning ableton? Should i watch all of sadowicks videos or do the lynda tutorials? Or should i just fuck around until i get it?

Fuck around duh.

It's probably fine, but I would want to invest my money in something better. I don't think I would be satisfied with one. There are alternative keyboards that have more functions and seem to have better build qualities.

It's like getting a guitar. I'd rather get a decent guitar now by spending a little more than what I would have spent on an inferior one, then upgrading to said decent one later. I would have a better experience for less total expenditure.

I'd see your point if the MPK mini were a piece of shit like a $99 guitar would be, but they're pretty solid units at one hell of a price, so

Thanks for listening pham.

That intro ain't gettin' any shorter tho.

Looks like a 200 series. You'll just have to find a collector and spend $x0,000 to get one

I don't believe I said the Akai brand wasn't solid, just overpriced (though admittedly, the MPK mini is a well-priced exception).

>I'm just sick of not being able to make anything because of not having a keyboard, but not buying anything because the keyboard market is difficult for me to read.

another suggestion here
Roland/Eridol midi controllers tend to be fantastic.

no... mpk mini is literal shit quality , anything is better

Do you have anything to suggest? Any comments about those Novation series keyboards I listed, or Novation as a brand?

Nah, thanks for the shitpost though

not that user but roland.com/products/a-88/specifications/

I likely won't play anything like a traditional piano, so I don't think I would need a full size keyboard. Space itself might show to be an issue in such a case too. Don't all those knobs and wheels provided in many MIDI keyboards offer a lot of variety in music production as well? I should have specified that I'm looking for a MIDI keyboard.

Thanks for the suggestion.

I've got a MiniNova. I'm pretty happy with it, although I wouldn't say I'm an authority on synth equipment.

Only flaw I would say is that, at least in my set up, there seems to be a bit of recording delay, so I usually have to move tracks back like a quarter second. But, there's probably a way to offset that that I don't know.

why this beat is so comfy? i could listen to instrumental hip hop all night

youtube.com/watch?v=NVaqc8eQ2YQ

I'm tempted to pick it up just because I've found a good price for it, and like it offers a lot. I imagine a delay would push your work back a lot, though.

Do you use the vocoder? I'm given the impression that I would just screw with it once or twice, then go back to just using everything else unless I was making weird sound effects.

Isn't it powered and connected solely through a single USB plug?

>move tracks back like a quarter second
in most daws there a way to adjust for that delay so it records on time.

The delay isnt bad. And its not noticeable while playing and recording, its just the track may be a little off on playback.

I don't really use the vocoder much. Its fun, and has a fair bit of options. But, I only use to goof around or just map out vocals on some tracks. I don't see it as a great too for recording actual vocals.

Needs to plugged in outlet.

I've got ableton. I've assumed so, I just never took time to learn how.

I want to switch from analog to digital, should I get Ableton or Reaper?

Going to concur here. I have one that hasn't been used in like 3 years.

Do you know about the Ultranova? I just found one online which includes the vocoder and bag for $350 shipped. Any opinions between that and a mininova? There's a mininova in my local CL with a vocoder for $200 OBO.

The mini 2 (current model) is streets ahead of the one you've got in terms of quality

god, mono midi guy, you are terminally unfunny

>implying its one person

memes aside

reaper if you're a jew
ableton if you make complicated electronic tunes/you can afford it

doesn't matter in the end

kek

I'm not a jew reaper just seems easier :^(

I'll just torrent ableton I guess, I'm sure there are more tutorials for it too considering how many ppl make electronic music now

>I'm not a jew
>I'll just torrent

;^0

But if I was a jew I'd actually have money ya dingus

So they got rid of the minikeys, expanded it to more than 25 keys, and added real pitch and mod wheels?

Why the fuck did you ever buy one in the first place if these were your concerns

Does /prod/ have an IRC? Are there any other Sup Forums IRCs related to music production?

What are some /prod/ recommended albums? I want to gain a better understanding of music by listening.

None of that has anything to do with the build quality which is what was being discussed

Got it for $20 and it fit in my backpack. Turns out that wouldn't make me use it.
I was simply agreeing with the dude about how it sucks.

UGK - Self titled. The drum programming is better than a lot of mediocre IDM albums.

youtube.com/watch?v=32epQgWiGJo

Except we were talking about build quality and you're talking about design

What you did is like walking into a discussion about some artist's lyrics and going "yeah totally man I hate their production it's awful" and then acting like you contributed meaningfully to to conversation

Either way though if you can't make tunes with a mini, it's you that sucks, not the tool

Post battle stations
Got a couple more synths and various hardware but this is my current setup

>Either way though if you can't make tunes with a mini, it's you that sucks, not the tool.
So now you're doing the same exact thing you whine about me doing?

I said I agree with the dude that it sucks, not that I can't make music. Learn some reading comprehension, and don't get so whiny when somebody doesn't like the things that you like. Just because you don't like how people have differing opinions doesn't mean you need to sperg out when they bring them up.

>Aussie
Yea m8, fucking top stuff innit

Your complaints are all related to design and the obvious implication is that you don't feel a mini has the tools you need to make music with, to which I say: it is you that sucks, not the tool. Stay mad tho.

brb guize, trading my 88 keys for a mini to prove to myself and internet strangers that i'm gud at music

fuck this place is dumb sometimes lol

stop it mom and dad you're tearing this family apart

If you complain about a midi controller only having 25 keys, you're admitting that you can't get the job done with 25 keys, i.e. you suck.

Sorry stepfam, that's just how it be

There you go again bringing up things that have nothing to do with the discussion.

It sucks, stay mad that people will continue to point that out, and how your only argument is that I suck because I don't like what you like. It really says more about you than it says about my skill.

Lmao, not even the same guy. Just stop before you make yourself look even more stupid.

I'm doing you a favor at this point by telling you how stupid you look when your only argument is "hurr you must suck if 25 keys isn't enough"

I just wanted a keyboard, not a civil war.

...

Dude, never piss off the minikey daw warriors, they're the ones that shitpost the most when people don't do it their way.

You basically started it when you mentioned you didn't want the most budget keyboard on the market.

>you're admitting that you can't get the job done with 25 keys
no you're not lol, i could use my daw with a 25 key or even without any midi controllers, i just dont because why the fuck would i?

Its nothing to do with what I like. If you can't get the job done with 25 keys, you suck at making music; that's just a fact.

You're getting really mad and defensive about this, so I think you already knew that on some level

>get the job done
why are you so obsessed with this phrase?

So if I don't like having only 25 keys, I suck at music? Doesn't it usually go the other way around? As in wanting more keys is a sign that your keyboard proficiency has exceeded the limits of the keyboard.

It's nice that you've finally figured out how to make a umad argument though. It's cute to see how you can't help yourself from replying even though you're outnumbered.

>yet again /prod/ waylaid by a child who thinks their uninformed and irrelevant opinion is somehow pearls before swine

no one praises gaia lol

Now I'm even less sure of what to get. I've been on the fence so long I'm close to dropping the ball and heading home.

"This mininova looks good. Oh, but I can get the ultra for a good price point too. It's better, isn't it? I could probably go with those little keys in the mini, but apparently the larger keys are easier/better to work with, right? Oh, but apparently the ultra has a worse vocoder, doesn't have an arpeggiator, and has inferior knobs to the mini which improves on those negatives. Though, isn't that more of a personal preference thing? Wait, someone said to get some 88 key roland. I don't even think I can fit that in my room."

That's an example of my thought process, and in the end, I have solved less problems than I have made.

He's just sticking up for the guys who want to post their soundcloud man.

kek all these autists getting this mad

>someone actually bought a DAW
lol
you ever went to for example native instruments hq?
you wouldn ever feel bad about pirating if uve seen how much of a corpo shits they are

wiccans do... or whichever weird religion the whole gaia thing is from
i'm not the minikey guy, i was one of the people telling him he was an idiot

Ignore the haters, get an mpk

Why is this the case for keyboards, but when it comes to guitar, playing with more than six strings is mocked viciously?

Dude, just get something you can live with and don't look back.

Because standard pianos have 88 keys, like standard guitars have 6. It's the deviation that drives autists bonkers.

I did, although I waited until I was earning money from music to do it. It felt wrong to be making a profit from software I hadn't paid for.

IMHO:
Ultra has great keys, minikeys suck for anything velocity related, so keep that in mind.

In my past experience, minikeys are fine for monophonic stuff but my fingers are too big for polyphonic minikey playing, I get too many extra notes.

Idk about the specs of both synths, I only played an unltranova floor model for about 10 minutes like 4 years ago. It sounded good, better than a microkorg.

As per midi controllers, 49 and 61 seem to be the sweet spot for dedicated keyboard controllers for full sized keys. They hardly make 72 and 76 key models anymore, and 88 is just too damn huge unless it's actually an acoustic piano.

Arpeggiators are great fun, but make sure you're informed. I don't really like having a monophonic arpeggiator on a polyphonic synth, to me it seems like you're wasting voices.

That said, get either nova, I'm sure you'll be happy with it. It's a lot of fun, compared to buying a controller and realizing everything is the same but now you have keys and can work faster.

I think the difference here is that, like a 1 string guitar, your performance of complex pieces is severely hindered by a lack of keys.

If you're playing a 4 note melody into your daw which you'll quantize anyway a 25 key controller is more than adequate.