Your favorite virtual analog synth?

[Over The Edge]

I have a Novation Supernova II synth.
I love the liquidy sound, but I just might light
the biting sound of the Access Virus C even more.

What do you guys like out there?



FL
www.franklucas.net

[JackJens]

My WONDERFULL

<<<<<<<<<<<< NORD LEAD III >>>>>>>>>>>>>

[Spacehog]

Out of the ones I've heard and played, I'd say either the ION or the Novation KS4/5... If the ION had 61 keys, it'd win hands down, but I don't really like 4 octave keyboards. Sounds great though :)

What'd be really cool would be if Alesis brought out a rackmount version :)

Martin

[Tusker]

The An1X is my hands down favorite out of ALL my virtual analog synths. :wink: :D

[Over The Edge]

I love the Alesis Ion. I know it's a VA but man does
it sound more analog than the others out there.
8 voice polyphony is kinda skimpy but then again
it was that way on the Memorymoog too, right?



FL
www.franklucas.net

[Digilog]

I love my Ion! I also love the character of the virus series.

[Over The Edge]

The effects section of the Virus C is awesome.
Not quite as flexible as my Novation but
add quite a bit of bite to the sound overall.



FL
www.franklucas.net

[Digilog]

Not to mention how smooth and lush the stings and pads are on the Virus C! :)

[maJ estY]

Do you think that it was worth for you to buy your virtual analog synths? I mean, as cool their sounds are, you cannot use them without using something else and they're always very expensive, aren't they?

[Over The Edge]

Majesty,

Listen carefully on the next DT album for very fresh sounding
textures and leads. You'll hear a lot of Novation Supernova.
Then you decide what you think of VA's.



FL
www.franklucas.net

[maJ estY]

Yes, I know... ;)
But I meant that it wouldn't be worth for a "hobby" musician like me for example.

[Over The Edge]

Yeah,

A hobbyist like you needs a fully loaded Kurzweil K2600XS
with a rotating stand.



FL
www.franklucas.net

[synthguy]

I suppose if there's a "bad" VA, it's the Roland SH-32, which is a little silvery tabletop synth, with a slightly less authentic, ruder sound, or perhaps the old Roland JP8000, because it had only 8 voices, limited effects and filter types. I still love mine tho. However, you can make some wonderful sounds with any of the VAs.

Even tho they all sound great, the general consensus as far as I can tell is that these are the cream of the crop:

Yamaha AN1x
Nord Lead 3
Novation Supernova - or any Novation
Alesis Ion

Probably the coolest "cheap" VAs are the Novation KS synths and the Alesis Ion, which almost everyone is lusting after. But like I say, the differences among the VAs are fairly slight. If you want lots of effects, the kings are the Novation and Access Virus synths, which are both wonderful. And the Nord Modulars are incredible machines with nearly infinite soundmaking power. I want one of those VERY badly.

When you end up with a decent income, the things to consider are the Alesis Andromeda and Moog Voyager, as nothing beats real analog for juice and liveness.

Woops, I forgot to say what my favorite is. I think I would have to say the Alesis Ion, tho the Nord Modular is a close second. Both very powerful synths.

[Over The Edge]

Very nice lineup there!



FL
www.franklucas.net

[Purator]

My WONDERFULL

<<<<<<<<<<<< NORD LEAD III >>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hell yeah!

That or Alesis Ion...

[Over The Edge]

How about two Alesis Ions?

'Cause two would be about the same price as one
Nord Lead III.



FL
www.franklucas.net

[maJ estY]

Yeah,

A hobbyist like you needs a fully loaded Kurzweil K2600XS
with a rotating stand.



FL
www.franklucas.net

I guess you're correct, but let's leave out the "X", because I don't like so much weighted keyboards that much. Thanks for the proposal, Frank. I'll start to save money now and buy it in 10 years then... :evil: 8) :P

[Jerry]

I suppose if there's a "bad" VA, it's the Roland SH-32, which is a little silvery tabletop synth, with a slightly less authentic, ruder sound, or perhaps the old Roland JP8000, because it had only 8 voices, limited effects and filter types. I still love mine tho. However, you can make some wonderful sounds with any of the VAs.


Yeah, I tried to like the SH too. The filter sounds a lot like the JV/XV romplers to me. That JP feedback oscillator is something else though. Hands down my favorite feature on the instrument and one of my favorite VA features. It's a shame, Roland came out thinking ahead, using DSP to do what you couldn't do easily with analog. Then they got all conservative on us. I'm afraid they might take a step back again. Based on a friend of mine who runs the keyboard department for a well endowed GC, the V-Synth is NOT flying off the shelves. :(

Cheers,

Jerry

[synthguy]

I have an update on the Access Virus that increases my lust for that particular synth considerably. In the 6.5 update, they included a new filter that is supposed to be modelled on the Minimoog, and does it sound juicy!

http://www.accessmusic.de

[Over The Edge]

I guess Moog's can sound juicy too.
Phat and juicy...there, I've said it. :lol:



FL
www.franklucas.net

[Kirby]

Well,

i love the Waldorf Pulse, it's not virtual analog and only monophonic. But it has a really cutting sound. When i conpared it to Waldorf Microwave with 25 Voices, the Pulse was really the winner.

A cool virtual analog Synth: Redsound Darkstar XP2. Thats a very unexpensive (not cheap) racksynth for about 180$. 8 Voices and great sounds (leads are maybe not his domain).

www.redsound.com

[Over The Edge]

Waldorf's Q+ is really nice.
The Holy Grail though is the Wave.





FL
www.franklucas.net