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THE SYNTHESIZER PAGE
EXAMPLES NOW INCLUDED !

FUTURERETRO 777

A monophonic analog bassline/pattern synth that fully reproduces and then goes far beyond the sound of the Roland TB-303. It has a 2 OSC + 2 sub-OSC VCO + noise soundsource as well as a similar design aesthetic to the SCI Pro-One. It is ideal for syncronizing analogs to MIDI as well as sequencing old voltage-controlled synths without using MIDI at all. It's sound quality is rich, full and BASSY. It is capable of some truly amazing Frequency and Filter Modulation effects. It's sounds are mostly aggressive and punchy, but is also capable of being quite delicate and beautiful when programmed just so. Discreet circuits enable a vast, rich fully VCO analog experience like no other. The deepest, thickest bass tones and searing analog FM timbres combine with esoteric cross-modulation and cv routing to deliver anything from lilting flutters to jackhammering motor-bass overload. The 7 db/oct LPF option can make notes practically kick through concrete. There's even more dirt - seperate filter gain, post-distortion AND resonance range knobs.
If you ever get a chance to play one, don't hesitate. Spend a few months with one if you can, it's got multiple personalities.
Probably one of the best analog mono's of all time, certainly one of the most unique. Less than 700 were made.
It would be nice to have a full ADSR envelopes for the Amp & Filter,but the 777 is intended for basslines, sequenced patterns, fx & beats - forget soft fade-in leads and portamento moog character; this does just what it does - as good as anything I've ever come across. Also there is the lack of a 'swing' function, which I have been able to get over somewhat by using gating from other gear.
I bought mine for slightly less than the original $777 price, but due to their rarity they can often sell for upwards of $1250-1500 USD today.

EXAMPLES

SAMPLE - this is the 777 running a variation on Brad Fiedel's 'TERMINATOR' score while I adjust settings on the fly
SAMPLE - VARIATION of same sequence
LIVE PA Sample - 777 on acid lines, ESX-1 on drums and samples (22 MB)

KORG PROPHECY

This is the first all-digital synthesizer keyboard to successfully emulate analog circuitry through physical modelling. It is derived from KORG's amazing OASYS system and is also where MOSS (Multi Oscillator Synthesis - FM, Comb, Analog Modelling, and Acoustic Modelling ) first arrived in a keyboard design. It will do decent Moog and VL-1 sounds and has A LOT of architecture under the hood: Analog modelling plus brass, reed and plucked acoustic models , multiple FX processors, 4 EG's and 6 LFO'S! Very few synthesizers ever made can produce such a range of different programmable sounds.
It's disadvantages are that it is not fun to program. This synth is so complex (and it's only monophonic!) that to have a dedicated knob for every function would require about 40 square feet of surface area, so you have to do a lot of menu-diving to adjust basic parameters.
Soundwise it is quite bassy and rather warm for a virtual (certainly much moreso than a Nord) and has a liquid character that is distinctly Korg. There is some stepping of parameters noticeable in fine adjustment and a slight latency(~8-10 millisec) that prevents it from being snappy enough for super-tight sequencing. I usually just play it freehand, like a Minimoog, which is how it was designed to be used. It performs well when being driven by an external sequencer.
Despite it's 'early v/a' drawbacks, this is still a piece of gear that is irreplaceable to me. For pure sound creation flexibility alone it is a tower of joy.

EXAMPLES are the Prophecy being driven by the 777's sequencer via MIDI

PERCUSSION SEQUENCE - noise modulation is possible, and rather tasty
SYNTHESIZER SEQUENCE 1 - square waves + EG modulation
SYNTHESIZER SEQUENCE 2 - a 'signature' Prophecy sound....dual resonant filters & ribbon controller modulating FX
SYNTHESIZER SEQUENCE 3 - how FAT can the Prophecy get....
SYNTHESIZER SEQUENCE 4 - love that aliasing, don't you?
SYNTHESIZER SEQUENCE 5 - how NASTY can the Prophecy get? That has yet to be determined....this soundfile is rather gentle

MOOG little phatty

The latest addition to the studio is sure to become a future classic! This is the last synthesizer designed by Bob Moog before he passed away.
For years I attempted to convice myself that a Moog was not necessary. Yes, I got by for years without one, but since you only lives once and some opportunities may be missed with great regret..... It must be hype, right? Not at all. The thing with the LP is that doesn't try to be anything it's not. It is the right oscillators, with the right filter(!!!), the right EGs, a superior keyboard, and not much more. It is very close architecture-wise to a Minimoog model D but with the 3rd OSC being dedicated to the LFO, minus noise gen, plus MIDI and patch memory! The interface is streamlined in order to bring the cost down, and it works beautifully. This is the first synthesizer I've ever owned that feels as comfortable to play as a nice guitar does. It truly is a synth for playing with your hands (and feet - I use a CV pedal ). It sounds fabumous sequenced, too, of course. It features an overload circuit in the filter that is really, really smooth and powerful., adding sizzling high-harmonics and growl giving this synth a unique, totally analog character.
It's disadvantages are a lack of : a 2nd LFO and dedicated knobs for each function (not much of a problem with RAC, though)
My model now sports Sample & Hold and Noise as well as a number of improvements thanks to an OS upgrade.

EXAMPLE

outro Bassline from Talking Heads' "Girlfriend is Better" - this is a patch I created named "Jae-Low"

YouTube video I made comparing LP with the DSI Evolver:

KORG EMX-1

An all-in-one dance machine that combines 5 monosynth VA parts with PCM drum parts. It sounds very raw and "dirty" thanks to filter overdrive and a tube-driven output stage. The synthesizers are very flexible compared to other Eletribes and the ability to get arrangements going quickly that work in many applications is what makes this box so good. The filters are absent from the drum section, however, so you have to use the FX filters to get around this limitation. The synths are very useful and varied (albeit not very warm) and can sound quite complex and professional with some careful arrangement. Some very unusual possibilities between the arpeggiator, glide, pitch modulation and roll functions give unique character to some of the sounds that can be produced using this box..

EXAMPLES

Moments In Love - Art of Noise cover, all done on the EMX. except the saxophone solo (Korg Prophecy) and the brassy pads (Supernova 2) It can sound smooth too!

SHERMAN FILTERBANK mk2

A wonderful piece of gear that has endless applications and sounds unbelievable. There is no substitute! Anyone that wants to know what digital cannot imitate should hear one of these! This is the definition of ANALOG POWER...it is actually a small modular synth minus the oscillators - you add the signal source and then take off! It can be interfaced using both MIDI and voltage control for extra snap and control functions. It's sound is positively alive. It can instantly add girth and balls to anything you run through it....but I find it has a delicate side that is very nice and smooth and warm, also. Most people neglect the entire left half of the input level dial and just let it distort all the time. I think they're missing out! It can sound clean and beautiful - just lay off the gain.and use the LFO and FM subtly to avoid noise buildup in the circuits.

Only disadvantage is that the input is mono, so no true stereo input processing is possible without linking 2 units...but the independent mono effects it can output are plenty impressive. Perfect for obese basslines, massive kickdrums and getting anything cold and thin to sound big and warm or otherwise...it will turn a puny Casio into the Incredible Hulk if desired.

EXAMPLE a simple loop from the Supernova being gradually mutated by the Sherman. You are hearing filters in parallel, then series, then modulation of filter via EG's, then LFO's, and then finally with more and more distortion.

KORG MS-2000

A real price/performance monster. What seperates this from other virtual analogs is A) a fantastic little row of 16-step knobs for real-time sequencing B) simplicity of programming yet still offering a wide range of options C) capable of a distinctly 'old' and tweezy sound that is positively eerie. D) it will WAVESEQUENCE!!! All for under $500 on E-Bay.
Disadvantages are that it can be tough to get a truly 'fat' sound from this until you how learn to program it, which is thankfully quite easy on the ms2000. It is only 4-note poly, but that is not nearly as bad as you might think...it's poly is really a bonus more than considering what else it was made to do. Build quality is a bit cheap in some ways (powersupply, modwheels and knobs can break after too much stress) but nothing to worry over - it's an inexpensive synth!
For someone determined to learn subtractive synthesis programming and perhaps a bit more, this is the perfect starter synthesizer.

EXAMPLES

FONKY - all sounds are from the ms2000 except the drums are from the ESX-1
FAR-OUT MAN - a long track, the latter two-thirds featuring ms2000's step sequencer in real-time usage.

KORG ESX-1

This ruby-metal contraption is one of the strangest instruments I've ever used. It is very different from an MPC in that it uses pattern-based chase-light sequencing. It is very limited as a full-song sequencer, but the sound manipulation is far more than any of the MPC's. Sample warpage to the maximum is the name of the game here. As a sampler, it has an advantage over the EMX in that every part has it's own dedicated filter and is reverseable. On the EMX it only provides for native filtering of the synthesizer parts, not drums. The ESX gives both and this makes it one of the best tools ever for beatmaking. It grooves better than any laptop or PC/Mac could ever hope to, and the interface is outstanding - far, far more intuitive and useful than any software-trapped system could ever dream of being. (ahem...Reason, Pro Tools etc).
Disadvantages are that it is not polyphonic and it has a slow sample management system.

EXAMPLES

SWEETPEA - 1st track I made with it; it's all ESX. This track has a surprisingly full and pleasing sound arrangement despite being PCM and the whole mix being summed through just one pair of the 4 outputs.

NOVATION SUPERNOVA mk2 Keyboard

A very well designed polyphonic, multitimbral supersynthesizer from the late 90s ! I 'm much better off with the keyboard as this is really where the Nova series shines. As rackmounts I think there is not much to distinguish them from other VA's (or other Novations for that matter), as they use the same DSP hardware as the Access Virus and Waldorf Q. Only when you get the full keyplayer's experience with this thing is it appreciable just how excellent this instrument is. It is so well integrated and smooth to work with it's like playing a Jaguar synthesizer! It's performance feature set is still unsurpassed amongst all hardware polysynths. Even if I had an A6 I would still keep this board around. No other synth can skew and lag it's waveforms like the SN2s, no other synth has a full knob-accessable FX section, per part, and the # of modwheel destinations is staggering....this is a top level performance synth that is in it's own class compared to the Kurzweils and Nords, etc...

EXAMPLE

Jenny Robertson

ORBUS MEDIT - all Supernova 2 improvised Performance mode played live

here's my YouTube Supernova video:

OBERHEIM MATRIX-1000

Analog 6-voice polysynth from the 80's. It is probably the least expensive way to get high-quality analog (DCO) sounds; they can be found for 200-300 USD. It has a versatile, smooth sound to it that excels at pads and slow evolving fx patches. Basses are good, brass is excellent (it's Oberheim!) , leads are OK. It is an ambient-lover's dream on-a-budget synthesizer.
It's disadvantages are that it is NOT programmable except using an external computer & sysex. It is an analog poly, so dead voices will occur eventually, and parts can be hard to find or non-existent on the aftermarket. One must change the battery every ten years or it may leak acid right through the circuit board.

mp3 of various patches from the Matrix 1000 soundset showing off pads and delicate brass through an external echo unit

ROLAND JV-2080

A very popular ROM-playback multitimbral rackmount polyphonic. I have added the Orchestra and World Asia cards for some additional sounds. This is a very 90's type unit and does not get much use these days thanks to Emulator X. It still has some very useful sounds and makes a great beginner's a-little-bit-of-everything synth box for under $500.

mp3 of various patches from the JV2080 soundset