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lilbeefer posted:Hi goons Cheap 303 clones in order of cheapness: Behringer TD-3, Donner B-1, Cyclone TT-303 mk2. Would recommend the donner as a good price / features sweetspot. Cheap drums: Behringer RD-6, Korg Volca Drum / Beats, Teenage Engineering PO-33 (no midi).
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Aug 13, 2022 18:11
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lilbeefer posted:Talk to me about a lot of cheap or free software! The most interesting free software I can think of would be: vcv rack (already mentioned, fun but it's a rabbit hole and the learning curve is steep) bespoke synth/daw (new, poorly documented, but 100% free) surge xt (a vst synth, presents you with a horrifying display of knobs and sliders but you're gonna have to get comfortable with them anyways so might as well do it on a decent synth) vital (another very good vst synth, same complexity as surge but looks a bit nicer) chowdsp (makes a handful of free vst effect plugins. you're gonna need ALL the effects there is no such thing as too much effect) sunvox (a fairly complex tracker but it has a fun modular sound design interface) lsdj in bgb emulator (kind of an edge case but if you want to make vintage beeps restricted to the capabilities of 30 year old hardware this is a place to start) edit - oh, forgot: decent sampler vst. There's an enormous array of freebie instruments for it so you can make a lot of noises without having to mess with synth parameters. xzzy fucked around with this message at 18:46 on Aug 13, 2022 |
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Aug 13, 2022 18:23
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Arturia microbrute is also a good candidate for a beginner analog monosynth. Regular keyboard so you don't have to deal with weird 303 sequencers, a few patch points to get you used to that whole ecosystem. Just writing about it makes me kinda regret I sold mine years ago. Wanna make that baby scream. Then again I spent 3 years in a school where I had access to a whole rear end matrixbrute...maybe some day...
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Aug 13, 2022 18:32
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lilbeefer posted:Thank you. I had no idea this poo poo existed. I just assumed everything is like it was in 2005 Get yourself a copy of Reaper. http://reaper.fm/ Or, if you used programs like Screamtracker in the 90s, https://www.renoise.com/ Flinger posted:Arturia microbrute is also a good candidate for a beginner analog monosynth. Regular keyboard so you don't have to deal with weird 303 sequencers, a few patch points to get you used to that whole ecosystem. Just writing about it makes me kinda regret I sold mine years ago. Wanna make that baby scream. Then again I spent 3 years in a school where I had access to a whole rear end matrixbrute...maybe some day... The first time I ever played with a hardware synthesizer, it was a Moog Minitaur being controlled by a Microbrute in a music store. God drat, the Minitaur sounds awesome, and I plan on getting one someday, but for now, I have to make do with Cherry Audio's Lowdown https://cherryaudio.com/products/lowdown. im_sorry fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Aug 13, 2022 |
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Aug 13, 2022 19:12
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Hey I can throw some other recommendations in the ring. Cakewalk is a free, full feature DAW. If you enjoyed the ds10, and have a switch, Korg Gadget in the eshop is a sort of spiritual successor.
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Aug 13, 2022 19:34
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Arturia V Collection (or the bigger one that includes Pigments, all the effects, kitchen sink, etc), when it’s on sale, is a no-brainer if you decide you’re in it.
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Aug 13, 2022 19:39
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These are some free synth VSTs I've been getting a lot of use out of https://u-he.com/products/#synths
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Aug 13, 2022 20:47
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Hmm, when I run Hydrasynth clock out -> beatstep pro clock in, it kind of works, but the Beatstep seems to detect a much lower BPM? That is, if I have the Hydra at 120bpm it comes across to the beatstep at around 30, and if I crank the hydra up to 240 it comes through as about 40. Is there something obvious I'm overlooking?
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Aug 13, 2022 20:49
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PPQ?
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Aug 13, 2022 21:09
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Cabbages and Kings posted:Hmm, when I run Hydrasynth clock out -> beatstep pro clock in, it kind of works, but the Beatstep seems to detect a much lower BPM? That is, if I have the Hydra at 120bpm it comes across to the beatstep at around 30, and if I crank the hydra up to 240 it comes through as about 40. Is there something obvious I'm overlooking? I'm guessing the PPQ (Pulses Per Quarter-note) don't match. See if you there's a place in either where you can edit them and get them to match. If you use a DAW, look up its default PPQ and set them to that. If one can't be edited, you'll just have to set the other one to whatever that devices ppq is.
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Aug 13, 2022 21:10
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or make a little latch circuit to get them to match up
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Aug 13, 2022 21:13
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thanks!!
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Aug 14, 2022 01:47
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lilbeefer posted:Thank you. I had no idea this poo poo existed. I just assumed everything is like it was in 2005 Everyone here has already made so many good recommendations for software, and I wish I had asked these same questions when I got interested in this last year. I've spent a bunch of money on hardware because I wanted to try to make music without working with a computer but I wish this video was made and shared with me when I started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32qvbi5OM28 With that said, I haven't seen a recommendation here for a Digitakt yet, which is basically 90s techno in a box, I feel like you can make entire tracks and even small sets with it and I've been having a lot of fun with mine lately. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5bHONbDXDI Ihor has been a big inspiration for me and this little black box has a lot of potential that I've barely scratched the surface of. Alternatively the Volca Sample (or Sample 2) is a great little sample based drum machine if you treat it that way. I think I'm most interested in Bitwig as a DAW to complement my hardware, it's newer and has a really cool grid for visualizing patching things together. Might be worth a look into!
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Aug 14, 2022 03:20
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If you just want a couple links to click for free synthesizer software: - Vital - VCV Rack That's enough for fun on a Saturday night.
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Aug 14, 2022 04:02
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Holy poo poo thanks for all the reccomendations. I am going down the free software route, even though I love the idea of having some hardware. I downloaded vcv but have nfi what I am doing. poo poo looks intense. I genuinely thank everyone for these recommendations, I will check it all out Have bookmarked this page and will go look at it all.
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Aug 14, 2022 04:39
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Moog Grandmother update: so turns out when I "fixed it" earlier, it was a fix that didn't last long; the reverb tank went back to crackly and distorted by the next time I had turned the synth on. Tonight, I finally decided to just tear the thing apart, and figure out what the hell was going on. Turns out the maybe 1 foot 3.5mm to RCA cable Moog has in there wasn't nearly long enough; the white output just wouldn't fit snugly in its jack from the stress of being stretched out to it. My solution: a $5 4 ft long cable I grabbed from Walmart at 10 PM. I plugged it in, put it back together, and eureka! The reverb tank was working perfectly...not that I could use it all that much, because the Grandmother's keybed suddenly stopped working. I thought I heard a weird clunk as I picked it back up. As it turned out, the cord got tangled in the ribbon cable connecting the keybed to the main board, and it was a mighty struggle to put back in (I couldn't even take apart the top board to make things easier; 2 of the 3 screws just refused to come out). Eventually though, after several false starts, and even more having to take apart the Grandmother again because the drat ribbon cables keep slipping out and getting caught in-between the synth enclosure and the keybed GODDAMMIT, I finally got it put back together, with a fully working keybed, and a fully working reverb. gently caress you RCA cable, your 3 year reign of terror is at an end. 
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Aug 14, 2022 06:22
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Just successfully performed the ritual to summon magic smoke. It had, apparently, been too long!
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Aug 14, 2022 09:11
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JamesKPolk posted:Just successfully performed the ritual to summon magic smoke. It had, apparently, been too long! Burn up an IC did you?
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Aug 14, 2022 09:24
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Coolnezzz posted:I think I'm most interested in Bitwig as a DAW to complement my hardware, it's newer and has a really cool grid for visualizing patching things together. Might be worth a look into! Bitwig rules and you should definitely give it a go. There's a demo and a cut down version.
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Aug 14, 2022 10:54
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^^^ There's also a monthly rental for the full version on Splice now, I think. Fifteen bucks or something? Bitwig is the first DAW I have ever used where I will just sit down and bash out weird sound design/instrument/fx ideas on a regular basis with no song in mind. It's a great DAW but more than that there's something about it that just really puts me into an exploratory, experimental mindset.
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Aug 14, 2022 13:28
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lilbeefer posted:Holy poo poo thanks for all the reccomendations. I am going down the free software route, even though I love the idea of having some hardware. I downloaded vcv but have nfi what I am doing. poo poo looks intense. That should help get yah started. Try to not get too overwhelmed.
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Aug 14, 2022 14:56
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I know small racks never stay small but I want to build a small rack to supplement my mother32/0coast, but also to act as a drum box by itself. I figure I will get the niftykeyz bundle (the included 2 modules may be kind of poo poo but for $30 each, meh, fine) and stick a Plonk in it, and then I was thinking of sticking Make Noise Pressure Points + Brains next to it... but Brains appears to be discontinued and getting harder to track down. I could certainly chase that down, but if my goal is "adding a module or 3, hopefully not insanely expensive, to make it easier to use the Plonk as a sequencable drum machine without having to lean on my other controllers", what should I be looking at?
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Aug 14, 2022 16:14
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I think generally drums are too expensive in eurorack, but if I was going to do it then I would probably use something like squid salmple and pams.
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Aug 14, 2022 16:35
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I have a friend with a blck_noir and it sounds cool and has a lot of drums but also takes up a lot of rack space. I agree with the above that it might be better to get a drum machine that can interface with your existing stuff but also I'm not yet in modular land so grain of salt and all that.
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Aug 14, 2022 16:39
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If you gotta eurorack drums, do it in vcv. The Vult series is my favorite for that.
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Aug 14, 2022 17:05
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Cabbages and Kings posted:I know small racks never stay small but I want to build a small rack to supplement my mother32/0coast, but also to act as a drum box by itself. Guessing you mean NiftyCase if you're referring to the bundle (the Keyz would not be a great idea for your use-case). Honestly, I'd just skip the bundle and get the case itself. There's a reason those modules get dumped on Reverb constantly. They're a great starting point if you're starting from scratch, but you aren't. And neither will help you enough with what you're trying to do to be worth the rackspace. For each drum, you'll need a separate source of CV coming in to trigger it. So you're looking at multiple sequences running concurrently. And when you're considering sequencers, remember that (with most) you're manually entering each note, so interface matters. Pressure Points seems like it'd really NEED Brains to be useful for your setup, so you'd probably want to lump them together in your consideration. For cheap and easy, you could just get a Korg SQ-1 to start things off. It can talk to your Plonk and can run two eight-step sequences concurrently. It's outside your rack, but it has a small footprint. For a slight price bump, Mutable Instruments' Grids is basically designed for controlling stuff like Plonk and will allow you to control up to three drums, but you don't control the sequence directly -- you kinda browse through existing drum beats and layer in how often you want each drum to trigger based on that. Try it in VCV. (MI Marbles/Pachinko is good, too, but way more pricey.) If you're comfortable with digital modules, Ornaments & Crime with the Hemispheres firmware gives you access to a few different types of sequencers that you can run simultaneously. Some cool generative stuff, but also the ability to dial in your own -- though you'd be doing so through encoders. That said, there's at least one app on there that would allow you to control four drums simultaneously. (Does a bunch of other stuff, too.) There are a million sequencers out there. Just consider how many distinct drums you're going to want, then go from there. Kraven Moorhed fucked around with this message at 18:45 on Aug 14, 2022 |
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Aug 14, 2022 18:31
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Cabbages and Kings posted:I know small racks never stay small but I want to build a small rack to supplement my mother32/0coast, but also to act as a drum box by itself. I would recommend peaks or a peaks clone. You can use it to generate envelopes and lfos to control your sounds and it can make its own drum sounds. Brains is decent but far too big IMO. I have one and kind of regret that I could fit 2 smaller plaits clones in the space it takes up. Cowbell is fun at least. Kraven Moorhed posted:Guessing you mean NiftyCase if you're referring to the bundle (the Keyz would not be a great idea for your use-case). Honestly, I'd just skip the bundle and get the case itself. There's a reason those modules get dumped on Reverb constantly. They're a great starting point if you're starting from scratch, but you aren't. And neither will help you enough with what you're trying to do to be worth the rackspace. I think cellz is really handy even on a drum rack. Chipz is pretty horrible though.
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Aug 14, 2022 18:43
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petit choux posted:Burn up an IC did you? I think just a reverse protection diode (my fingers are crossed *and* I'm knocking on wood) but I'm worried I have more to find still
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Aug 14, 2022 18:43
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I just got a Pam’s on Monday and it’s already one of my favorite modules. It’s not just clocks, it’s also LFOs, envelopes, and Euclidean sequencing. Oh, and quantizing, but I like O&C better for that. If I had to start over from scratch again, I’d probably be happy with a VCA (I’d probably go Zlob Vnlcursal VCA, though I don’t have one), a Noise Plethora, a uO&C, a Maths, and a Pam’s. I mean other stuff is great, too, but I think that’s the minimum setup I need to make the kind of sounds I want to make.
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Aug 14, 2022 18:57
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I'll throw this out there as a good sequencer for someone transitioning into euro. Great module, room and features to grow into. https://reverb.com/item/59317990-westlicht-performer-2022-black Also does midi to cv which is hella convenient.
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Aug 14, 2022 19:28
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Rod Hoofhearted posted:I just got a Pam’s on Monday and it’s already one of my favorite modules. It’s not just clocks, it’s also LFOs, envelopes, and Euclidean sequencing. Oh, and quantizing, but I like O&C better for that. lol I just racked a 2hp quant next to my O+C bank. was thinking about the absurdity that needing a quantizer for my 4 ch quantizer module was
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Aug 14, 2022 20:21
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Also anyone on the fence about euro sequencers check out the Korg SQ-1 and 64. Both are much cheaper than they should be and USB powered and take 0 hp. SQ-64 especially has a few things that are crippling for a couple common midi sequence workflows but it's a stupid full featured thing for the $200 I see it regularly on craigslist
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Aug 14, 2022 20:23
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I think for the price an sq1 is an absolute no brainer, modular or just regular synths. re: eurorack drum sequencing, I'm pretty sure one of the alt firmwares for o_c has a grids clone (benisphere?)
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Aug 14, 2022 21:24
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Cabbages and Kings posted:I know small racks never stay small but I want to build a small rack to supplement my mother32/0coast, but also to act as a drum box by itself. Pam's New Workout and a uGrids will take you very, very far. Some of the sequencer modes on o_C (especially with Hemispheres) can be useful too.
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Aug 14, 2022 21:58
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I love drumming, I have wanted to play some kind of percussion for as long as I can remember having musical goals, got into dance music precisely because it was the easiest way to realize that in a dorm w/o taking music classes, drum machines are a vice of mine, I love chopping breaks and chasing lights and the number configuration X0X, etc etc Have had a uGrids for years and I am constantly on the verge of selling it (it would be gone if we weren't kinda flooded locally from the run this one is from) It takes away a lot of the fun, clever parts for me. The rhythms are too samey. And the range of the encoders/cv just isn't that awesome. Does do the sequencing for you, but LFSR stuff gets you there too w/ a bit more variation (Zorlon Cannon Mk1 is the obvious comparison for me, given that they fight for rackspace, but O+C and TU both do similar in various modes) and CMOS stuff even more so in a fun logic puzzle kinda way. It just kinda reminds me of a CR-78, which sure, classic, but all the stuff I think about liking them for is like someone going really hard on the keys and barely noticing the drums. So maybe perfect for someone w/ different musical goals Anyway, taking offers on a uGrids I guess?
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Aug 14, 2022 22:06
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thanks everyone, thats much to read on while I think about cash I've played Magic twice since 2021 and I am thinking of maybe just.... selling my last legacy deck and set of Revised, pay off a bunch of housework, still prolly have Dumb Money left over to get modules and maybe a Matriarch too because GAS. It would take me weeks to work all that out though so plenty of time to read. Matriarch is probably a bad idea right now, seems distracting.
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Aug 14, 2022 22:20
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The SQ-1 would be worth twice the price if it had a drat reset CV input.
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Aug 14, 2022 23:33
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xzzy posted:Also Bad Gear usually ends up liking everything anyways. But it's not his fault, even lovely gear is capable of making fun tunes if one puts the effort in. 99% of musical gear does what it says on the tin; the only time it really doesn't is if: - You can't easy/reliably get a played note off it - The line noise is so bad it's not usable. - It straight-up lies about its functionality Everything else comes down to: - Does this sound like something you like - Does it have the variety in sound you want - How much effort does it take to get what you want out of it Once you put a piece of gear in a position to do what it was meant to do (or what it's accidentally good at) and put it in a mix with FX and other instruments it's meant to work alongside it generally works okay. The rest is purely expectations. Does that make a lot of gear good? Hell no, but it makes it functional enough to shine in the right places. People don't rate a synth based on what it does, they rate it based on what they imagine they'd be able to do once they got their hands on it, which is like buying a jacket based on how it looks on a supermodel. I am incredibly guilty of this too, but I like to pretend I'm not when I write stuff like this. Also if you get gear early in the release and put the gear name in your video title you'll get a few thousand extra views on that alone, provided they haven't sent it to every influencer on the market.
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Aug 14, 2022 23:36
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the trick is to impulse by weirdo fm poo poo on deep discount i have no idea how fm synthesis works, despite having spent a few hours with rym2612 and chipsynth md. actually if any of y'all have something to read or watch that does for fm what that dan friedman series for subtractive synthesis i'd really appreciate it
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Aug 15, 2022 00:30
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Achmed Jones posted:the trick is to impulse by weirdo fm poo poo on deep discount Two books were massively ace in helping me grok what's happening in FM synthesis: The first is the OG, FM Theory and Applications, Chowning and Bristow's own book. Written for musicians that remember enough math from high school, so it's not a hard read at all. It approaches FM from a mathematical and algorithmic approach and is great for understanding the basics (which is more than enough to tool around). The second is FM Synthesis of Real Instruments. This book covers a little bit of FM theory but focuses more on how to reverse engineer real-world timbres into FM-ish equivalents. This book is better for understanding how patches are actually made and what makes them unique/interesting.
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Aug 15, 2022 00:56
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