DAWless because I don’t want to work in front of a screen for music. Personal choice.
My plan is to make random sounds and store in a library, to then lay onto the timeline when I need them.
Thanks. I’m not going to make scores. I’m making sound effects. Risers, impacts, whooshes etc
Behringer Producer series seems unbelievable value for money.
Apologies, I managed to miss this.
I understand the SOMA Ether recommendation now.
Each to their own but I’d approach this as folly, invest in a few good microphones. If it’s for fun then I can understand the desire to use a synth to perform this kind of sound design, but it will be a challenging pursuit, and you will need a deep understanding of synthesis techniques.
Or, and I appreciate it will be unwanted advice at this point, but stick to a DAW. You will lack control and fidelity with hardware for this task. At the very least you will be taking the sounds you create and processing them in a DAW either way.
If this is GAS, which is not a criticism, then just buy anything that you think looks fun and with lots of options - there is no perfect gear for this task - as ultimately you just want to explore. A Pittsburgh Taiga might be a fun choice.
2 Likes
GAS can be more easily survived if you carefully take stock of the market and buy cheap, undervalued stuff instead of the new hotness.
When I was operating with a razor thin budget, I made a long list of cool, oldish synths that were underloved. I watched eBay and Craigslist to get a feel for market prices and bought the best examples I could find at the lowest prices. Almost everything I bought in that era could later be resold for what I paid for or sometimes significantly more.
Buying new on release day makes this much harder, but that’s totally fine if your budget can handle it.
Buying old stuff that has been out of fashion for a while also makes it easier to create unique sounds. And if it’s been out of fashion long enough (which is always hard to determine) then it might not be long until it’s the hotness.
3 Likes
Love this approach a lot.
I’ve been also eyeing the analog four mk1, and recently the blofeld.
I have both, upgraded from the 4mk1 to keys. Keys is amazing but I miss the compact size of the Mk1.
This thread says it better than I ever could.
Blofeld has its charm, but I do not love its UI. It is one of the few synths that I’d probably prefer as a VST. (Haven’t tried the VST version though). Take a look at the Iridium or M instead.
Yep, Blofeld was exactly what I thought of with this comment.
A MK1 A4 is very good value for money, and a very powerful synth.
If anything it might be a bit overkill for what you need.
1 Like
Another thing to consider if you want to get away from computers is to learn to solder and build some DIY synths. You absolutely will not save money, but it’s a fun and easy skill to pick up and can lead to synth repair.
2 Likes
can lead to synth repair sounds like it’s a good thing! I mean yeah maybe… I once had a flatmate who did that. Like buying old broken CS80-era synths … I am still traumatised from his repairs. I can still hear him beeping with his multimeter. Beep. Beep.Beepbeep. Beep.
1 Like
Just come across the Moffenzeef Stargazer, could be exactly what I’m after!!!
Jorb has some good videos on this on his YT channel. Not that many, but maybe if there’s demand he’ll make more.
Bug brand chirper board. My secret analog synth for cinematic sound design and all sorts of fx.
A plinky synth can do interesting stuff too, polyphonic and granular sampling too.
https://www.thonk.co.uk/shop/plinky-kit-001/
The first is just a crazy sound source so you’ll need to edit the heck out of your jams and experiments.
The second is a diy kit, but can interface with other hardware later if you want, but it’s still fun on its own.
2 Likes
I was also going to recommend the Microfreak (or the Behringer Grind, which has the same oscillators), but based on our cost/ vibes/ needs, I’m instead going to recommend a Behringer Cat and the shittiest delay/reverb pedal you can find, plus a couple of patch cables so you can feed the pedal back into the Cat’s inputs. Here’s why, a 40 minute video demonstrating the Cat in drone mode:
While the Cat only has a low pass filter and limited patchability, it really delivers the sort of sounds you’re looking for, has good connectivity, TWO sub oscillators (which is very unusual - the Analog Four is the only other example I can think of), and can be used (para-) duophonically.
3 Likes
I thought you said you didn’t have hardware? Also, if you can’t get wild sound effects out of a Digitone you might be suffering from GAS. I have an Analog Four and it’s great, but given the large number of parameters it’s considerably less immediate than the Digitone (to the point that I have considered trading it for the latter). I do not think they are really complementary unless you are really in love with the A4 sound (and you would already know if it you were).
If you like the Cat sounds form the vid above, you’ll be able to sequence it (on one or two tracks) with the DN and run it into the DN effects, delivering instant gratification in spades and a super-thick analog sound that contrasts nicely with the DN’s chillier tones.
1 Like
Most (all?) Behringer synths are. Can’t speak for the Crave/Grind etc but I’ve got their semis and keyboards and I’m more than happy with them. Cat, Marvin, Pro800, Kobol and Model D are some of my faves of the bunch that I’ve got (in no particular order)
Did I see you have a digitone?
Use that no?
You cant get any lower price than zero because you dont need gear because you have some.
3 Likes
For me, those wouldn’t be sound-design tools for filmmaking in general - maybe for 80/90ies ambiences … 
Behringers are almost all remakes of successful brands and synths often used in pop, progressive-rock, or electronic genres during the last decades. If the sounds your are after have been made with those original machines - I would say - you can do it with Behringers as well.
In many cases the sounds we listen to is a combination of the sound of a sound generator (aka synth) and some processing with FX - sometimes heavy processing .
IMO the most affordable and filmmaking suitable solution is ITB. Some DAWs allow to preview the movie and create the sound track directly at the correct position and length of the shot. Most DAWs come with enough synths and FX to start to do the job providing pro audio quality.
If you search for creative sound design equipment, which might take you on the next level, you might consider modular gear, special FX units, or a synth like Solar 42.
Love these suggestions thank you.
They have a Digitone, but they also have no hardware.