Ok here’s the setup… I own the Dark Trinity and MD UW+…
I have an OB-6 - VERY fat sound… super poly… excellent multi mode filter, but not multi timbral which means I only use 1 midi channel on the OT with 7 available and no other external gear…
Do I complete the circle and buy the MnM (which I’ve never owned)? Or try to buy back my old Virus Ti2 (got mega bored of the sound, LOVED the multi timbral part)…
Am fed up of not being able to find a fantastic multi timbral synth in this day and age…
There are many multi-timbral synths. What criteria do you have other than it should be “fantastic”?
Number of parts?
Polyphony?
Size?
Price?
Keyboard or not?
What will you use it for?
Haha, indeed. Multi timbral, polyphonic… analog would be too much to ask for.
Basically an alternative to the Virus Ti2… indifferent to keyboard or desktop.
Go for an Alesis Andromeda, if you find one, if your budget allows (not yet specified)
Ive never played with one… is it really that bad ass?
Analog multi timbral polyphonic right?
yes, if I reckon correctly…you can quick check about it on manual (huge manual) or other sources…for me is a dream synth…if I could spend 3k I’ll buy it…just double check that is a unit with no tuning issues. Happened that some was tough to get properly tuned due to a not well fixed PCB…
I met a guy who fixed it putting a spacer underneath the problematic board
How about blofeld, evolver or tetra?
Or Nordlead 1/2/2x/3/4. The 2/2x can sometimes be had for not much £/$. 4 part multitimbral, 16/20 voice poly, keys or rack/desktop.
Yes, check out demos by …
There is one issue, which should be mentioned. Alesis used dedicated customized ASICs, which, AFAIK, should be very rare today. If you need to repair a voice, you could have a real problem.
Wow guys yes there are quite a few options. On the DSI front, I dont really want to add another from the same brand and dont want to start chaining synths together for the sound (as I don’t have that much space). The beauty with the Virus was it was like a swiss army knife… the downside, it was a bitch to program and sounded too digital for my stuff.
I have never played with a blofeld believe it or not. I want a really warm sounding, mellow, lush, deep kind of sound. I dont want super digital - I guess that’s what the MnM is good at + drones so prob not for me?
The Andromeda looks fantastic but feels like it would be similar to buying a classic car… expensive and… good luck finding parts if things go wrong.
I will check out some demos of the blofeld too - pretty well priced too i guess.
Blofeld is good on paper and sound but the multimode interface is buggy as hell and a pain in the ass to navigate.
My 2 cents … I just got recently Ensoniq ESQ-M for multi-tibral action. It’s shared 8 voices across 8 channels only, wave oscillators and only 40 patch memory slots but those analog Curtis filters are really yummy. Easy to program. Multi’s are not stored but you can recall Program Changes per channel. If you can find one cheap, you’ll not regret.
Another small and cheap alternative could be E-MU Orbit rack or it’s siblings. A lot of voices and deep synthesis engine even though it’s a rompler. And you would need editor on computer to stay comfortable.
Blofeld works fine here in multi-timbral mode. So far I didn’t encounter any bugs that everyone is mentioning. But I’m not punishing it with any heavy multi-voice load. Not playing more than 3-4 sounds at a time with 3-4 voices each, maybe that’s why. Good thing is that Multi’s are stored separately so they don’t link to single programs like it is the case with Virus TI 2 where only first 16 Multi’s store their own program copies and above 16 they refer to patch bank programs.
Tempest? It’s a different sound from the OB6, definitely multi timbral and has its own sequencer with solid performance options.
MM is my favorite digital multi-timbral synth.
If you’re curious, you may as well give it a try.
It’s a lot more flexible than it’s competitors thanks to the various routing and synthesis machine schemes.
The only thing it lacks is a proper patch storage system a’la A4, but that can be a strength, as it makes you a better synthesist by encouraging patching from an init sound. You can always copy a sound from an existing kit, if you desire a more specific starting point.
I took various waves from various digipro packs to make a compilation pack so that my digipro machines have access to a range of sounds. Moog, Pulse, Oscar, Arp, Jupiter. It added to an already incredibly versatile machine. DigiPro definitely helps coax the lush sounds out.
hear the Minimoog waves here:
I would again recommend the Waldorf Blofeld. Great sounding little guy in my opinion. A touch weak on some things, but pretty deep in general. As others stated, working with it can be a bit buggy/jumpy. You have to exercise caution when editing. 16 part multitimbral.
I would also take a look at the Alesis ion. It may be my favorite synth I own. It can do so much. 4 part multitimbral. I had one go bad after someone spilt beer on it, so I’ve since bought another. Well built thing. I love it. I wish they still made them new.
I would recommend digital: Clavia Nord Modular G1 or G2 (with expansion board), it has 4 multi-timbral parts, and poliphony depends on the patches you load, I own a G1 and I’m fond of the sounds.
Also maybe Waldorf Microwave XT if you like wavetable?
If you are looking for analog, Alesis A6 Andromeda is ultra versatile as it has very complete signal routing path, incredible modulation options and can play up to 16 monophonic patches (so multi-timbral up to 16 parts), the enveloppes are incredibly flexible, etc. The only drawback I noticed on the engine is LFOs limited to 25hz, if you need faster than this you’ll need to use an enveloppe with looping.
Edit: also arpegiator is not as cool as monomachine one.
I’m curious what is wrong with the Virus TI?
Monomachine is a safe bet if you like the sound it can produce, but you’ll have to deal with restricted and strange AMP enveloppe and even more restricted filter enveloppe. I love the wavetable engine on it.
You could also look at the Roland Integra.
I have a JD-Xi (cut down sound engine of Integra), which soundwise is competitive to both my Virus and my A4.
The Integra gives you polyphonic multitimbrality and a wide range of good FX.
Blofeld ! You can have really impressive sounds out of this little beast !
Mine is solid, never had a trouble with it. And it’s tiny.