The Synth Thread...

All instruments that aren't guitars (or bass guitars).
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Maggieo
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Re: The Synth Thread...

Post by Maggieo » Sun Oct 14, 2018 5:59 pm

Oh god, they do a VL-1, too.
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Re: The Synth Thread...

Post by UlricvonCatalyst » Sun Oct 14, 2018 8:08 pm

I've never seen a circuit-bending video that I've found in any way inspiring. They're probably the only genre that's actually worse than shredders demo'ing guitars or pedals. Never anything approximating actual music you'd want to listen to.

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Re: The Synth Thread...

Post by mackerelmint » Sun Oct 14, 2018 8:38 pm

UlricvonCatalyst wrote:
Sun Oct 14, 2018 8:08 pm
I've never seen a circuit-bending video that I've found in any way inspiring. They're probably the only genre that's actually worse than shredders demo'ing guitars or pedals. Never anything approximating actual music I'd want to listen to.
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Re: The Synth Thread...

Post by Maggieo » Mon Oct 15, 2018 9:10 am

mackerelmint wrote:
Sun Oct 14, 2018 8:38 pm
UlricvonCatalyst wrote:
Sun Oct 14, 2018 8:08 pm
I've never seen a circuit-bending video that I've found in any way inspiring. They're probably the only genre that's actually worse than shredders demo'ing guitars or pedals. Never anything approximating actual music I'd want to listen to.
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Yep.

And the thing is, there's almost always a sound or two or more that I hear and think, "I can do something cool with THAT."
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Re: The Synth Thread...

Post by mackerelmint » Mon Oct 15, 2018 1:11 pm

The filtering effects in that video were fantastic. I've never seen something like that in a circuit bent gizmo. I heard a LOT of sounds that could be put to good use.

I mean, it's not like a circuit bent speak n spell is gonna be musical, and chiptune sounds don't really appeal to me either, but they put a lot of thought and good work into modding that casio and got something exceptional and plenty musical for their efforts.
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Re: The Synth Thread...

Post by StevenO » Mon Oct 15, 2018 2:43 pm

I agree with Unicorn about circuit bent demos generally, but that one was the exception. Lots of cool stuff in that video.

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Re: The Synth Thread...

Post by Maggieo » Mon Oct 15, 2018 3:09 pm

StevenO wrote:
Mon Oct 15, 2018 2:43 pm
I agree with Unicorn about circuit bent demos generally, but that one was the exception. Lots of cool stuff in that video.
Right there with ya, pardner!
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Re: The Synth Thread...

Post by StevenO » Tue Oct 16, 2018 3:31 am

I've been wanting something like what's in that video for different added textures. Lately when I've been sitting down at my synths, I've been trying to do stuff that's more soundtrack-like and ambient, almost like what's in the movies It Follows and Mandy. Vaguely melodic, lots of drones, etc. Maybe pedals would help instead?

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Re: The Synth Thread...

Post by Telliot » Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:49 am

StevenO wrote:
Tue Oct 16, 2018 3:31 am
I've been wanting something like what's in that video for different added textures. Lately when I've been sitting down at my synths, I've been trying to do stuff that's more soundtrack-like and ambient, almost like what's in the movies It Follows and Mandy. Vaguely melodic, lots of drones, etc. Maybe pedals would help instead?
I highly recommend using OD and fuzz pedals. I’ve also found, those pedals that you might have tried in the past, thinking, I can’t think of a single application for that in what I play actually work with weird, textual synth stuff.
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.

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Re: The Synth Thread...

Post by StevenO » Tue Oct 16, 2018 7:50 am

Honestly, I have yet to find a single gain pedal that works with keyboards. A Rhodes or Wurlitzer? I could see that working, but synths seem to leave me wanting with gain pedals.

I agree with other pedals though. Phasers, flangers, Chorus pedals... Definitely!

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Re: The Synth Thread...

Post by Telliot » Tue Oct 16, 2018 10:32 am

StevenO wrote:
Tue Oct 16, 2018 7:50 am
Honestly, I have yet to find a single gain pedal that works with keyboards. A Rhodes or Wurlitzer? I could see that working, but synths seem to leave me wanting with gain pedals.

I agree with other pedals though. Phasers, flangers, Chorus pedals... Definitely!
I have a Plimsoul that does magical things with my Prodigy, just sayin.
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Re: The Synth Thread...

Post by StevenO » Tue Oct 16, 2018 11:12 am

Oh dang. :o

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Re: The Synth Thread...

Post by Telliot » Tue Oct 16, 2018 11:19 am

StevenO wrote:
Tue Oct 16, 2018 11:12 am
Oh dang. :o
You can here that combo quite a bit in this song. :whistle:
Last edited by Telliot on Wed Oct 17, 2018 10:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Synth Thread...

Post by oid » Tue Oct 16, 2018 12:19 pm

StevenO wrote:
Tue Oct 16, 2018 7:50 am
Honestly, I have yet to find a single gain pedal that works with keyboards. A Rhodes or Wurlitzer? I could see that working, but synths seem to leave me wanting with gain pedals.
Those sans-amp type pedals like the Tech 21 Character series or the Joyo knock-offs do quite well with synth. I really find a sluggish optical compressors like the DOD-280 helps a great deal before the dirt, it smooths off those sharp, quick transients that synths tend to produce and helps keep the distortion from being so aggressive. On waveforms with high harmonic content like pulse and saw, rolling the tone all the way back on the pedal and mixing in some of the clean signal to get the high end back in can do wonders, BigMuffs excel here.

Generally I try and put and high gain distortion before the VCF, post synth dirt is just for a little grit. If you can not get the high gain dirt before the VCF you can put it on the output and run into the external audio input of a second synth, slave them together so you can retain the keyboard tracking and proper envelope/LFO triggering. A VCF that tracks the keyboard last in the chain does wonders to keep things sounding like a synth and not synth through effects.

My favorite way to add grit to a synth will likely always be a champ type SE amp playing into a 12" or 15"
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Re: The Synth Thread...

Post by Telliot » Wed Oct 17, 2018 10:15 am

I suddenly want this setup very badly. :fp:
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.

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