Aug 25, 2012 08:07 pm Sounds nice and thick and lush! I like it.
I'm having issues with a synth from reason that I was using for a song. The patch sounds good but when I put it in the mix and listen more closely, it's so thin sounding.
Quick synth pads sound:
Posted on Aug 25, 2012 04:34 am
J-bot
Byte-Mixer
Member Since: Dec 04, 2007
So, I've had my NL 2X for a couple months now, and thought I'd showcase one of the pad sounds.
Now, in all fairness, it's a VA synth, but it's a very nice punchy sounding VA synth. I managed to snag it for a total steal ($720-ish + shipping) so I got very lucky considering these things still often go for $1K+ used.
Anyway, I'm the 3rd owner of this beauty. There was an issue with the mod wheel being off-axis, but that was a simple repair. just had to open it up, tighten a washer, and it was good as new.
So, anyway, I thought I'd pop up a quick recording I did playing with some spacey chord progressions. :)
Now, to be fair, the synth does not have built-in FX, so I ran it through the EQ on my board to give the low end some beef, and I ran it through one of bootsy's plugs: NastyDLA, which is a chorus/delay effect that sounds quite nice IMO.
This thing is really capable of some pretty sounds. :D
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Aug 25, 2012 08:07 pm Sounds nice and thick and lush! I like it.
I'm having issues with a synth from reason that I was using for a song. The patch sounds good but when I put it in the mix and listen more closely, it's so thin sounding.
Aug 26, 2012 03:41 am You just using a patch, or did you tweak it a bit?
I never did get into using Reason. But depending on the type of patch, you could try high-shelving to warm it up a bit/tame some of the upper frequencies, maybe layer it/duplicate the track, or adding a smidge of chorus + a fast delay. Maybe not verb, don't want to go overboard xD
Or you could try fiddling with the filter on the synth itself, maybe a mild low-pass + some resonance to give it some character. See if that warms it up a bit.
Or, try running it through a guitar amp sim, or something like the free Camel-Crusher effect to add some warmth/punch to it.
There's a lot of ways to skin a cat I think. :D
Really all I did on mine was run it thorugh NastyDLA plug-in, and use a bit of low-freq boost on the 3-band EQ on my board (80hz) probably about 4dBU worth. That's really all I did on my sample, but the nord lead 2x is fairly punchy to begin with (though it can be a bit thin sounding in some cases, after all it's more of a punchy lead-synth for really cutting through the mix)
A bit off topic, but I think I might try to see if I can save up for the DSI Mopho X4 for Christmas if not a little sooner if I can find some good deals/specials/coupons/whatever, haha! It's a true analog synth (well, with DCO vs. VCO, but I prefer the stability of a DCO over the wandering nature of the VCO, eh, but that's neither here nor there) If you've ever seen the little yellow Mopho module or keyboard, well, it's basically like having 4 of those poly-chained, but in one hardware unit.
Unfortunately, it lacks the multi-timbrality of the Tetra. :P But, having never had a truly analog synth myself, I think I might try to spring for one. It's a bit cheaper than the Studiologic Sledge, and I think the NL2x covers my VA synth needs for now, hah!
It's quite nice looking IMO.
www.davesmithinstruments....phox4/index.php
Aug 27, 2012 03:14 am Ha, actually, I've got delay on it as well as a touch of reverb. And I've eq'd it many different ways trying to fatten it up. Probably needs some more layers or something to fill it in. I'll experiment with it more at some point.
That mopho x4 is pretty interesting sounding. I like how you can add more voices for it as you are playing it. A lot of the stuff the demonstrator was doing ended up sounding pretty distorted, which I'm not sure is my favorite sound, but it definitely has a place in certain pieces.
Aug 27, 2012 08:46 am This sounds pretty cool...I actually keep waiting to hear a pounding bass guitar and loud distorted guitar to come in and crank into some Ozzy style metal...seems like a good theatric intro to a raging metal show...
Aug 27, 2012 07:39 pm Maybe I'll keep that spacey ditty and expand on it or something, hehe. I mean it's just a patch that I tweaked settings on, so pretty easy to replicate the sound. :)
Yeah, the DSI sound isn't for everyone. I bet with some tweaks to existing patches, and/or creating your own patches you could get some really nice beefy clean sounds though.
On the X4, adding more voices is done by poly-chaining other DSI synths to it, so you'd need something like another mopho, or a tetra, etc. and poly-chain one of those synths to the X4 via midi cable to add more polyphony. Least I -THINK- that's how it works.
You could get something like up to 3 tetras, polychain them all, and then basically have a 16-poly analog beast. xD It would be pricey for all that though. Also, I think the tetra module is multi-timbral. So even adding just one tetra, having 8-voice poly, multi-timbral + audio-input to the tetra, it's like having a mini Prophet or Evolver without spending an arm and a leg, hah.
The X4 is based on the mopho though, so no multi-timbrality, and no audio-in. But it does have some nice features, like re-latchable Arp, and 16x4 sequencer, plus quite a bit of modular routing flexibility. I figure, I'll wait for some coupons, deals, maybe blow-outs or blemished units, then I might be able to save quite a bit, and get it closer down to about $1K instead of $1300.
Anyway, like I said, the reason I'm looking hard at it is that I've never had a mopho, and don't really like mono synths. I like a poly with a mono option, but since I'm primarily a keys player, chords are a must. xD The X4 pretty much has me interested.
Plus it's cheaper than the Studiologic Sledge, which has yet to make it over here, and is something like $1600 MSRP ($1400-1500ish street?) for a Virtual-Analogue. Though the sound engine is Waldorf based, so it's probably a quite nice VA. Lots of knobs, but as I understand, not as flexible as say a Blofeld, or a Q, since it doesn't have as many features. It's still a nice looking board though, er despite the yellow. :D
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