New from NAMM

[Over The Edge]

I'll be heading for the show later today so I thought
I'd just start a thread for new goodies set to arrive.


http://www.rolandus.com/products/details.asp?catid=8&subcatid=36&prodid=Fantom%2DX8




FL
www.franklucas.net

[Shreddy]

Holy SHYTE!!!!!

Thats Intense! RAM expandable to half a Gig, when expanded a Gig of ROM, Color screen, 128 polyphony, and Mastering Tools. I have to hear that piano patch that uses 700 samples.

I've got a woody now.

Ed

[Deceit]

Do I have to cry again? It's been one year with my beloved Triton Le and now, in the releases season...I WANT THE NEWCOMERS!!! Especially TEx88.
I love it already.
Deceit.

[Over The Edge]

Will you have to cry some more?

Yes! Check THIS out!



http://www.kurzweilmusicsystems.com/whats-new.html?Id=1542




FL
www.franklucas.net

[Luca_Capozzi]

this make THE difference between a Synth and a "fillthy-rich" wave-player

[Scrap]

Where's that touch screen I'm looking for? :P

[Over The Edge]

Want an Access Virus and you have TC Elec. Powercore?


http://www.tcelectronic.com/Virus




FL
www.franklucas.net

[Justin]

Oh Suprise, Sur frigging prise, NAMM once again brings us the reworked workstation concept again. Yet another Fantom, and a Triton, but wait, do I hear the call of a new Motif ES, the Motif EES (extreme expanded system). Where is the Pro 88/76 note Midi controller keyboards which are so badly needed in the keyboardist world for controlling Software Virtual Instruments and the like, All the manufacturers want you to buy there latest workstation/synth etc which have great keyboards on them so that there technology does not become redundant through software. I hope the rest of the days of NAMM bring something good. :D

P.S I am not a crazed fanatic, its just that we see the same stuff being churned out but in a different case and with more rom sounds. ooooh a whopping 1 Gib of sounds in a new fantom. Whoopee do, how about 20Gb of sounds on a firewire drive with as much polyphony and multi-timbral parts as your computer can handle, thats what hardware has come up against. I feel better now... :lol:

[Tusker]

Hmmh, VA1 looks interesting. Frank, tell us how it sounds. Moogy? Prophetish?

Mixed feeling about Namm this year. The romplers leave me a little cold. And that V-synth card (Roland) for example. Since you have to reboot, and lose the original functionality, it pretty much sinks the v-synth and relegates it to studio use. The darn thing takes several seconds to load if you have a bunch of samples in it. The korg modellers are cute though (MS20 softsynth with an 84% size hardware controller).

Haven't heard anything yet about the Modular G2...

Best,

Jerry

[Angelic Layer]

I'm interested in the new kurz, I wish they could lower their price than heir usual price.

[Purator]

Frank, what are your opinions on Arturia's MiniMoog V...I'm really interested to hear this...

[Over The Edge]

I have the Moog Modular V, the Yamaha CS-80 V and soon the
Mini-Moog V. Simply put, these are the best analog emulations
I have ever heard of these beasts.

The Mini Moog V isn't out yet. It's scheduled for a March
release. It's spectacular! It even has features the original
doesn't have, like a new modulation matrix, a new LFO,
a new arpeggiator, new chorus, new stereo delay AND
IS POLYPHONIC. I was playing at least 10 voices at one
point yesterday on a beta version.

But don't take my word for it. Listen to them for yourself.

Visit www.arturia.com for more info. Hope this helps.



FL
www.franklucas.net

[Purator]

The Mini Moog V isn't out yet. It's scheduled for a March
release. It's spectacular! It even has features the original
doesn't have, like a new modulation matrix, a new LFO,
a new arpeggiator, new chorus, new stereo delay AND
IS POLYPHONIC. I was playing at least 10 voices at one
point yesterday on a beta version.

But don't take my word for it. Listen to them for yourself.

Visit www.arturia.com for more info. Hope this helps.



FL
www.franklucas.net

Yes, I know...asked it cos I've seen that you were at Arturia booth so you've probably heard something :wink:

[Over The Edge]

Jerry, the Kurz VA can pretty much sound like anything
you want it to. You want a thick, Prophet 5 pad with
authentic drift/detune? It's all there. You want that
rez bass that the Mini pulls off? Yep, can do too!
You want a VA sound? Yeah can do. This is going
to be an amazing board when it finally does come out
later this year I speculate. It was only about 80% finished
with many more features to come.

In a nutshell, it kicks ass!



FL
www.franklucas.net

[Over The Edge]

The 50th anniversary Moog Voyager is now available.
It is in black with a blue backlit interface. Very slick,
utilitarian.


http://www.e-trinity.org/namm04_6.html



FL
www.franklucas.net

[Luca_Capozzi]

Jerry, the Kurz VA can pretty much sound like anything
you want it to. You want a thick, Prophet 5 pad with
authentic drift/detune? It's all there. You want that
rez bass that the Mini pulls off? Yep, can do too!
You want a VA sound? Yeah can do. This is going
to be an amazing board when it finally does come out
later this year I speculate. It was only about 80% finished
with many more features to come.

In a nutshell, it kicks ass!


I'll ask the price to my pusher :) I really want a jewel like this VS.

see ya

[Over The Edge]

I tried out the Nord G2 Modular Synth at the Clavia booth.
This in conjunction with the editing software make for a very flexible
system. This rates high on the G.A.S. factor scale.


FL
www.franklucas.net

[Drusillus]

Very nice demo of the VA1 over at Sonic State:

http://www.sonicstate.com/news/shownews.cfm?newsid=1335

Sounds sweet! By the way can someone please tell me what GAS stands for? :D

[Over The Edge]

GAS = Gear Acquisition Syndrome



FL
www.franklucas.net

[Purator]

I tried out the Nord G2 Modular Synth at the Clavia booth.
This in conjunction with the editing software make for a very flexible
system. This rates high on the G.A.S. factor scale.


FL
www.franklucas.net

Same here...if it wins...I'll have all Nord keyboards (Lead, Electro and Modular) :lol:

[Over The Edge]

Then you'll have to get the ddrums. :lol:



FL
www.franklucas.net

[StandBuilder]

Finally, "he who is the oldest guy who's around is back"...*ugh*

Talking about drums...
Have you seen Neil Peart's kit at NAMM??? :shock: Or did you only hang around at the area, where you only see those instruments with black and white keys??? What's the name of these things??? :?:

Stainlessly,

PS

[Over The Edge]

Hey buddy, yeah great to be back.
I did see just about EVERYTHING out there,
including the drum kits. Bobby Rock was the
tour guide of everything drums.

Patrick, I totally thought of you as I saw some lame
keyboard stand manufacturer (that I'd never heard of)
and thought about how your designs would blow
anything else on the showroom floor out of the water.

Have you every contemplated showing your stands off
at a NAMM or MUSICMESSE? The show in Frankfurt is
in just couple of months away. Might there be a possibility?

Just wondering.



FL
www.franklucas.net

[Over The Edge]

Another instrument I remember seeing and hearing was
Dave Smith Instruments Evolver. Very cool analog sounds.
It's actually a hybrid with 2 analog and 2 digital oscillators.

New to the masses this year will be his polyphonic Evolver
with 4 times the power of the original.

Check it out at www.davesmithinstruments.com



FL
www.franklucas.net

[Over The Edge]

To answer the question...
Kurzweil's VA1 lists retail at $2399.00 USD




FL
www.franklucas.net

[Luca_Capozzi]

ciumbia! (in english: omg or wtf)

[Arkaitz]

Ohhhhh!!!!

How many new stuff is appearing in this world!!! Since I have recently introduced myself in the world of synths, it is sometimes difficult to understand which is the difference betweeen different kind of keyboards. For example, between analog an digital keyboards. I've been looking to VA1 specifications and there are many things that I've never heard about.

Kurzweil has changed the look of their website!!! Amazingly attractive!!

Don't forget to have fun with music!

Cheers,

Arkaitz.

[Tusker]

Jerry, the Kurz VA can pretty much sound like anything you want it to. You want a thick, Prophet 5 pad with
authentic drift/detune? It's all there. You want that
rez bass that the Mini pulls off? Yep, can do too!
You want a VA sound? Yeah can do. This is going
to be an amazing board when it finally does come out
later this year I speculate. It was only about 80% finished
with many more features to come.

In a nutshell, it kicks ass!


Frank:

I know it must have some range. But I was trying to understand the general tonal characteristics. For example, I would describe the VAST synths as being mid-rangy, but not particularly warm. Fairly precise sounding in most applications. The Roland romplers I would describe as detailed but thin. Better for blending than for soloing. For example I would think of the Q as having an attractive drifty thickness to it, but the filters sound very digital. The Ion, despite having some carefully modelled filters, comes across as a shade bright and brittle sounding. Does the VA1 appear to have the girth of any analog synths? Those thick pads ... are they warm? Are the leads thick enough to carry the tune without resorting to chorus/distortion tricks?

That sort of thing ...

Jerry

[Over The Edge]

Jerry, if you're looking for something to compare it to, I'd have
to say that to my ears it sounded a little like some of the synths
I currently own.

For instance, I happen to think that some of the analog pads I
heard were very reminiscent of my A6 and Supernova II; so a
little of real and a bit of VA sounds.

Another one of the Mini emulations I heard sounded just like one
of my own Voyager patches; very convincing.

That's what I meant by it all when I said that it can sound
almost like any VA or real analog you want it to since some of the
presets covered a lot of bases.

Let me reitterate once again...it's not fully complete yet.



FL
www.franklucas.net

[Over The Edge]

Here's a link to the new Alesis Micron which sounded,.
to my ears, exactly like the Ion.


http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM04/Content/Alesis/PR/Micron.html



FL
www.franklucas.net

[Georges]

For example, I would describe the VAST synths as being mid-rangy, but not particularly warm. Fairly precise sounding in most applications. The Roland romplers I would describe as detailed but thin.

Why compare Roland ROMplers with Kurzweil VA1 ? That sheds the wrong light on Roland. Roland's filters are reputated to be warm and I can only confirm that they are. How can you conclude on warmth of filters here or there if you are not even talking about the same synthesis algorithms ?

Of course, samples are more sterile than DSP generated waves, they are cleaner, more sterile, etc. but that's not conclusive to the filter character. Mentioning the preciseness criterium for warmth, I don't agree; you may confuse analog and digital (or dynamic/dirty and sterile/clean) with warm and cold, which ain't the same at all.

Also note: as for the VAST synths, they have the warmest filters of all modern ROMpler workstations.

[Jerry]

Frank thanks for your post. that was helpful. Georges I can empathize with many of your synth descriptions. I wasn't trying to diss any type of synth.

Best,

Jerry

[Over The Edge]

Jerry, check out this VA1 video.


http://www.sonicstate.com/news/shownews.cfm?newsid=1335




FL
www.franklucas.net