the production thread

hugopal

Unbroken1 just my opinion, but whenever I’ve heard the Minilogue I’ve thought it sounded very thin, despite being analogue.

Unbroken1

303abuser …leads/pads, generally melodic elements but a bit of everything I guess, poly preferably. Budget not a major issue, I mean, I don’t have an infinite amount of cash, but would be prepared to wait if, say a £900 synth was worth investing-in over a £450 one (+ another toy).

hugopal …really? I’m quite surprised, most of the reviews I’ve watched have commented on how phat it sounds. This fella is a fan and I generally find him to be pretty spot-on:

303abuser

hugopal at that price point, i think it’s to be expected. the drumbrute is the same, but you’re going to process everything anyways. that’s why i asked a few questions too, there maybe better options, the a4 mki being the first that comes to mind. you can get a used one at a reasonable cost and it does everything from percussion to heavy pads and chords.

loopdokter

hugopal just my opinion, but whenever I’ve heard the Minilogue I’ve thought it sounded very thin, despite being analogue.

The original Minilogue isn’t fat whatsoever. The XD changes all of that however. Somehow the digital component in it really makes it thump and it sounds infinitely better.

I hated the sound of the original Minilogue. Let alone for the fact that filter audibly steps and aliases - which is a big no-no at the best of times, let alone in an analogue synth.

hugopal

Unbroken1 most of the reviews I’ve watched have commented on how phat it sounds. This fella is a fan and I generally find him to be pretty spot-on:

and I have a quick check of the review and again to my ears it sounds thin/whiny/metallic/nasal. Same impression when noodling with it at a music store a while back. You may like the sound character though.

303abuser

Unbroken1 ok that helps. the xd maybe sounds better than the original too, that’s likely. again you’re probably going to process it more anyways if it’s in a studio and not live.

i’m really partial to the elektron gear. you won’t find anything more versatile and the build quality is really good. check out the a4. it’s not the most “lush” sounding for pads, but that’s what a good reverb is for and the sequencer is worth the price alone.

if you don’t mind semi modular, i love the sounds of the moog stuff (subharmonicon and mother 32). they might be a bit techno, depends i guess on the sound you’re aiming for.

at the top of your price range, the peak is supposed to be really good and i like the prophet rev 2 desktop (8 voices should suffice). moog grandmother is in that range too.

below that, the deepmind maybe a good option. i know it’s behringer, but the reviews have been mostly positive (maybe some fan issues early on, but i’m not sure if that’s still a thing). roland se02 is worth checking out along with the other boutique models.

for me it comes down to two things: how it sounds and how it fits my workflow. the elektrons machines will never leave my studio and i’ll probably pick up more at some point. my ms20 mini sounds awesome and i can spend hours with it, but i really struggle to get it to sit in a mix so i’m likely going to sell it. just takes too much effort.

hope that helps a little. please ask if you have more questions too, i could talk about this stuff all day lol.

Unbroken1

hugopal …fair enough, you’ve played it, I haven’t. Maybe it’s because it seems to have a higher percentage of the type of sounds I’m after in its presets than some of the options, and the arps/sequencer look really versatile and fun.

303abuser …I know how there are real devotees of the Elektron gear and hear so many positive comments on here and elsewhere, but I’ll be honest, it all feels a bit like learning ANOTHER way of working, and I think a common factor in the kit that interests me is that a lot of the manipulation happens via the knobs on the front (certainly a lot of people say that about the Peak), and I don’t get that impression with the A4 etc.

Lusted after a Sub 37 for ages, but I do find some of those options a little less versatile (and yes, techno!) for my purposes. Went through a phase of wanting the Deepmind 12D, you can pick them up on eBay for crazy cheap and they seem incredible value for money, but watched loads of tutorials, and was ultimately put-off by the amount of menu deep-diving.

303abuser

Unbroken1 menu diving can be an issue, there’s a bit of it with the a4. the elektron learning curve is as much hype as anything else, it’s really not that bad, but that’s your call. if you want one function per knob, it probably isn’t for you.

the moog stuff has got my attention. if i can sell a few things, the dfam is probably my next purchase. best thing to do really is find a shop where you can spends some time trying out different synths and see what clicks. although that was probably easier pre covid.

loopdokter

303abuser menu diving can be an issue, there’s a bit of it with the a4. the elektron learning curve is as much hype as anything else, it’s really not that bad, but that’s your call. if you want one function per knob, it probably isn’t for you.

You’re recommending Elektron gear to a guy who hasn’t touched a hardware synth since the JP-8000?! Bwahahaha. You’re barking mad. Elektron kit is all about key combinations and memorizing them. You either love it or hate it. There’s no in between. Plus it’s bloody expensive.

I wouldn’t say it’s really at the level to which Damo should be looking to get back into things. Not that I think Damo is stupid, but it’s got a huge learning curve associated with it and is largely meant for DAWless application - even if you use one.

If you want poly Damo, the XD is a good look for the price. Otherwise the only real competitor is probably the Deepmind. Beyond that for a poly and you’re looking at spending north of $1,500 CAD (not sure of the conversion these days to the UKP) - at which point the competition heats up a great deal and comes down to the ‘sound’ of the synth you want versus what it does on the panel.

303abuser

just a little shameless self promotion here. i’m getting this K102 project off the ground and need to rebuild a following. if you like my other stuff and want more techno leaning dub music, you can follow pascal and in the usual places. we’ll have tons of new music out very soon and we greatly appreciate the support (feel free to share with other people you know too). 🙂

https://k102.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/k102techno

Unbroken1

…amazing production again, can really hear details in the frequencies/textures around the perc/low-end. Sounding terrific on the big speakers.

303abuser

Unbroken1 thanks, that’s what i want to hear. pascal is really good at keeping me from making tracks too dense and cluttered, i’m really looking forward to seeing what we can come up with.

Amps

Re production in general: absolute kick in the nuts when you don’t really know what you are doing and you know the only remedy is to spend more time poking yourself in the eye.

303abuser

Amps it’s a constant learning curve, there’s no way around it. i’m 5 years in, 3 years of real effort, and the last year i’ve worked my ass off. now i feel like i’ve learned the rules about how to start making music and can start to be creative by breaking them. in april i thought i had it, by september i had writer’s block and felt completely useless, and the last 2-3 weeks i feel like i’m back in a flow state. i couldn’t begin to tell you what the difference is.

the best advice i can give based on what i’ve gone through is to finish as many tracks as you can and get as much feedback from knowledgeable people as you can (that’s the tough one). finish everything you start. even if it sucks, finish it. get in the habit of finishing records because it’s a muscle you need to exercise, everything else is secondary until you really know what you’re doing.

loopdokter

Amps Re production in general: absolute kick in the nuts when you don’t really know what you are doing and you know the only remedy is to spend more time poking yourself in the eye.

Hire me. Seriously. I’m happy to show you the ropes via Zoom/Skype/etc. I won’t charge you a tonne of cash and you’ll be able to make the latest Drum Code banger before you can speak Swedish.

Amps

303abuser Yeah, it’s beyond painful. Currently little point in me trying to finish anything, I can barely get the keys in the car, let alone start the engine.

Unbroken1

…very interesting FB studio livestream with Nico from Kollektiv Turmstrasse (why did I not know he did these?)

Raved about the versatility of the Novation Peak… might have swung it for me!

303abuser

Unbroken1 everything i’ve seen regarding the peak has been pretty cool. watching demo videos is a horrible idea, makes you want to buy everything when you watch someone who really knows what they’re doing.

303abuser

Amps it’ll take you forever to finish something at the beginning and it’ll probably not be very good, but that’s ok. you’ll learn techniques along the way that you need. if you only focus on sound design, get really good at it, what happens when you try to arrange a track? the answer is you’ll be starting again. then you master that and you have to learn how to mix, so you start again.

trust me, finish everything, even if it’s complete shit.

Unbroken1

303abuser …this is true. I’m Tim Shoebridged out!

303abuser

Unbroken1 i only watch stuff if i’m actively in the market. broke that rule last week and now i want a dfam. 🤣

Unbroken1

…I’m in the market, and change my mind what I want twice a day

303abuser

haha that’s another problem. i’m actually going to sell some gear in the new future to make room for some new gear, as my workflow has changed and some stuff just doesn’t fit anymore. it’s a constant process.

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