16 voice makes more sense when using it bitimbrally.
I donât know, Iâve got the 8 voice and itâs enough for me even on layered or splits. But I do have other synths.
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Yeah, it depends, I didnât say it was needed, just that it makes more sense.
By the way, the bitimbral/split aspect of the REV2 must not be overlooked, it makes this synth really powerful.
Yeah. I agree that 16 voices does make more sense if the bi-timbral side of the Rev2 is key to your use of it. Personally, Iâve barely made use of either layers or splits. Maybe a couple of times for complex drones or monophonic patches, but far more often I can get all the depth I need from a single layer.
That said, the extra voices are relatively inexpensive so going for 16 is perfectly understandable if you have a use for them.
I have the 8 voice version. I find myself trying to get to the sound I want with just one layer in order to avoid running out of voices (I am a bit of a pianist), but this limits the usage I make of the second layer. I might get the expansion.
Still, the sound design options are plenty and I usually get what I want from one layer only
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the only regret with mine. BUT I did get a great price on a 16 voice version, from someone I knew and trusted. and thatâs more important.
still kinda wish I could buy a new chassis for it thoughâŚ
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I finally got a few minutes to record one of these. I was talking about the open-VCA drones on the Rev2 above. I actually liked my older ones better, but this is the sort of thing I was talking about. You can either set it from the menu, or just assign the VCA to the mod-wheel for a little extra control. Stack two sounds, put one through reverb, one through a high-feedback BBD, and start twisting knobs. 
Couldnât stop at oneâŚ
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A couple days ago I bought an 8-voice desktop. Itâs my first analog polysynth, and it joins a DT/DN pairing, along with a Boog.
I had been a bit worried about it after reading some comments that its sound design, while deep, was not so accessible as some other polys, and that its sweet spots were perhaps harder to find. I meanâŚeven after just tinkering a bit, I am having an absolute blast with it.
Does anyone here have any particular pointers, tricks, tutorials, or approaches youâve discovered yourself that you wish youâd known right when you first got one? I am happy to keep turning the pots myself, but expect the community here has a deep pool of knowledge to share and would love to hear an insights.
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IMO itâs a synth that doesnât need a lot of hints and tips. Itâs as straight-forward a poly synth as Iâve ever used. Turn a knob, get a result. Want to go deeper, hit the modulation matrix (which is also super easy to use). To make most standard types of poly sounds is easy. The filter has its own envelope in its section for example.
Where it gets deeper is assigning the aux envelope, the four LFOs, etc. But even that is easy.
I think itâs probably better if you explore it a bit, and then ask questions if you hit something you donât get.
This is coming from someone though that has had countless poly synths over a couple of decades or so, so Iâm not much help with a fresh perspective. Maybe someone else will be of more help there.
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No hidden tricks except, donât overlook the gated sequencers. They are maybe the most fun part of this great synth.
Also, donât forget itâs bi-timbral.
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Very true, although I preferred the sequencer on the 08, with its knobby secondary functions, 16/3 styleâŚ
Is the gated sequencer fundamentally different than using PLocks on different mod destinations when I sequence it from my DN?
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Yeah, itâs polyphonic !
Edit: so is it on the DN.
Could you elaborate ? I never owned the 08.
Damn, I just checked some images of the 08, it could use 16 knobs as controllers for the gated sequencers ? Thatâs awesome !
I absolutely love mine
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Got an 8 voice kb couple of months back and love it so much, I just expanded to 16. I can recommend the CodeKnobs plugin. I donât use it for editing as I prefer to do that on the hardware. But itâs great for automation/instant recall in Bitwig and for easier layering and bi-timbral modes.
Also, +1 on the gated sequencer.
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That looks super useful! My DAW is my mixer, running the DT and DN through Overbridge, so this will fit perfectly in my workflow. Thanks
Useful tip? To make the Effects a bit more interesting use leftover LFOs/auxENV/aftertouch etc to warp the Effect parameters.
The âStandardâ. If youâre only using one layer, always take a shot a duplicating it to layer B and adding slop to B. Sometimes itâs meh, other times itâs amazing.
I can recommend SoundTower for the usual interface-librarian-patch morphing duties. Itâs a bit of a odd design with redundant/confusing functions, but it works and I got used to it quickly.
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Another great two-layer tip is to pan layer A hard left and layer B hard right and then twiddle filter parameters slightly. This creates phase differences between the two that widens the stereo field but collapses to mono usually quite well (though youâll want to check for mono compatibility just to be sure - sometimes you lose a little low end but for wide pad patches thatâs often desirable in mono to make room for the bass). Effectively you get a binaural synth this way.
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wow, I never did this, thatâs a great tip indeed.