I’ve been playing about with the Midi CC settings on the Digitakt and it’s got me thinking, are there any devices which are essentially just a sound chip with a midi in/audio out which can almost be used as a synth voice expander for the device?
So far, I’ve been controlling my Roland Boutique Tb-03 using the Midi CC controls, sequencing the unit then routing the audio back into the Digitakt. Essentially this gives me another voice to control through the Digitakt without even touching the other piece of gear.
I’m always looking to reduce the footprint of my setup and I love the idea of controlling everything through the 'takt, so I was wondering what micro synths are available which consist of only a synth engine, a midi in and an audio out, which can be controlled by the Midi CC controls on the Digitakt.
Some ideas I’ve looked into:
-Korg NTS-1
-H-Pi/Mitxela FLASH
-Futur3soundz XFM
I’m pretty sold on the idea of the Korg NTS-1 so far, but I was wondering if anyone knows of any synths or projects which provide similar functionality?
I’ve been reading about soundblaster/early FM chips used in early computer gaming - I’m sure hooking something like this up in a tiny single board synth format could be fun. I’m sure there’s a few cool Raspberry Pi/Arduino related projects which provide a similar functionality too.
Let me know if you have any ideas or recommendations.
Currently looking for something similar, but possibly a little bigger.
The NTS-1 looks great but it’s a monosynth and I already have a Circuit Monostation, plus the Digitakt is a great monosynth using single cycle waveforms. I know that if (when) I buy one it will end up being employed as a midi-controlled effects unit at the end of my signal chain.
The Buzzzy from Fred’s lab looks a very interesting option at only £169. It’s 16 voice and has 4 parts (multitimbral), so you can put it to good use across 4 Digitakt midi channels. It’s got 4 different synth engines and built in effects. Not tonnes of parameters to control but some very nice sounds come out of it in the demos I’ve seen and I think it would lend itself well to MIDI CC control from the DT. It’s not a do everything synth though.
The other options I’m considering are the Roland JU-06a but not thrilled about only 4 voices, and the Argon8M which is a larger desktop module but also has tones of functionality. Only one part though.
The classic option everyone recommends is a Blofeld which can do 4 part multitimbral too. However, I borrowed one from a friend when starting out with my Digitakt and couldn’t gel with it.
Cheers for the suggestions! Yeah I’m not bothered about it being a monosynth - I only want something basic. I like using the single cycle waveforms on the Digitakt in that way, I suppose I just want this sort of synth for a bit of extra flavour/variety which i can just keep in the gig bag and plug in and play easily/route through a separate effects unit.
Not heard of the buzzy but looks really cool - will definitely check that one out, the option to control over 4 midi channels is a really attractive prospect. I’m not expecting any of these to do everything really as the emphasis is on being compact/functional.
I’ve already got a few of the boutique models which can be controlled pretty well through the Midi CC controls, some of the small Blofeld models look cool too and seem to be capable of a lot of different sounds.
For something that is as small as the NTS1 there aren’t so many options but if you’re OK with going up a bit in size then there are loads of options including many mentioned here and not forgetting stuff like Volcas - the FM and Drum would be particularly well suited to these scenarios.
I would say that the NTS1 is a great choice - the effects are worth the price of entry alone. The VPN oscillator has a pretty good range of timbres and if the user oscillators slots have the same Wavetable oscillator as the MinilogueXD then that’s also a good source of sounds. Plus you can get a lot of the Mutable Instruments Braids oscillator models and the Hammond Eggs oscs for free too.
The other obvious choice if you are wanting to stay real small is the Buzzzy synth mentioned up thread. I backed it on Kickstarter and it’s remarkable how much you can get out of such a small box. Decent midi spec on it too. The Pulse osc and Wave osc modes are both pretty solid for chip-tune style stuff and the filter is great for the price.
I appreciate there aren’t many options in that range and a lot of stuff is from indie manufacturers (hence the post!)
I’d not really considered the effects before but after reading they seem to be really good - all of the custom oscs sound cool too - those Mutable Instruments ones sound sick.
I’m pretty sure I’ll cop one at some point but they seem to be out of stock in quite a lot of places (in the UK).
Raspberry Pi running ORAC. I bought an rPi 4 to setup as some type of music device. Currently waiting on a HIFIBerry AD/DA hat for my Pi. I’ve tried, unsuccessfully, to get ORAC setup properly but it seems really intriguing. Has about 65+ modules for it and, I believe, it’s original intent was for the Organelle. The creator @thetechnobear coded it to be portable. I poked at it for an evening and got the base install in but have struggled to get the PureData interface setup on my computer so I can setup module chains. Super intriguing though. Was just a couple of frustrating setbacks that I didn’t have patience for when I was poking at it a few weeks ago. When the HIFIBerry DAC comes in though I’ll get it setup. Defos worth a look. Some Mutable Instruments ports for it which is what’s baiting me
