Post-Meta_Horizon: FIXED ARCHITECTURE SYNTH GENERAL

[D.o.S.]

I'm so confused about what category of synth I need - maybe I can get some comments. I'm a noise/drone musician, with a tabletop setup of sampler and various feedback loops stompboxes, etc.

One of my sound sources is starting to fail, and needs to be replaced: a fairly simple Etsy type "stepping" oscillator box with a filter and LFO (I think I said that right) and a bunch of toggles and pushbuttons which activate the step mode (gives me octaves etc). It's not powerful in features but simple and easy to use, and the pushbuttons and toggles are playable live. But after like 8 years of use, the oscillators drift, making it hard to use live. I need some other type of synth, drone box or even keyboard. But I'm not even sure what format this hardware should be.

Likes: playability (for live performance), not too deep, repeatability (or at least predictability). I already have a lot of randomness (feedback loops) and a lot of fixed elements (sampler). I need something I can play, which isn't totally random or totally preprogrammed.

Don't care about: rad tones (I have stompboxes if needed, so boring-sounding units can still work), arpeggiators, drum sounds, MIDI

I can't tell if I should get a JMT type drone box, some type of Arturia Brute synth (I am not a keyboardist but I see the usefulness of a calibrated pitch generator now) or maybe some type of keyboard-less synth unit like Dreadbox, Stargazer etc (I have zero knowledge of this category, and when I look at these units I don't really understand them... yet). I don't want anything really large or expensive. Less than $500 is good and less than $300 is even better. But I'll consider expensive ideas too.

I am kind of leaning towards a JMT type drone box (I see that Grendel pedal in B/S/T) which is probably the closest direct replacement for the failing unit I have now, and the quickest transition. But I wonder if I should try to grow into something else. I don't play keyboards (not since childhood) but theoretically I could re-learn enough for my current needs. Maybe.

Pics of the failing unit, this is really cool and was only like $110 on Ebay (from "Bent-It" who doesn't seem to be around any more). Kind of a steal, I sniped it. It's unrepairable, the insides were gooped.

Electro Faustus Drone Thing?
http://www.electrofaustus.com/ef109-drone-thing/

I had a Drone Commander for a few years. Those are pretty sweet. Not very Playable, though. You kinda have to let them do their own thing.

[mr. sound boy king]

My feet are kind of cold.

Anyone here use a Flame Echometer?

I need to swap notes with someone because the thing don't make no damn sense.

[lordgalvar]

My feet are kind of cold.

Anyone here use a Flame Echometer?

I need to swap notes with someone because the thing don't make no damn sense.

There was that good muffs post that I have to read every time I use it (kidding kind of). It's easier in hand than trying to talk about it haha. I've had some good grooves running on it. It's been a minute since everything was setup, but I seem to remember locking in loops using the knobs (like going between middle and right or left) instead of trying to do anything with those red buttons. The midi and CV sections are different.

K2000: was just thinking about those little reon driftbox synths. Some of those may work too.

[$harkToootth]

From the Buzz Box Thread...

Disclaimer - I don't play guitar through the Buzz Box, I put an oscillator/drone box through it. YMMV.

I'm curious... 1. What does your set up look like these days? 2. You have pictures, please? Between what you said about samplers and this... I'm very intrigued!

[K2000]

From the Buzz Box Thread...

Disclaimer - I don't play guitar through the Buzz Box, I put an oscillator/drone box through it. YMMV.

I'm curious... 1. What does your set up look like these days? 2. You have pictures, please? Between what you said about samplers and this... I'm very intrigued!

Here's my current setup, which I am looking to update. The unmarked pedals on the left are a mini Meathead clone and a MASF Osc3. On the right, the unmarked pedals are a Sirkut Electronics "gnarler" (horizontal) and a Parasit "raygun youth". There's a Mid-Fi Glitch Computer and a mini tuner which I run the oscillator drone box into (because it won't stay in tune). There's a Radio Shack reverb which I use as a feedback loop with the PM7.

I rely pretty heavily on the 404 now, but before that - a year or two ago - i would jam and play sets with just the stompboxes. But it was too unpredictable, sometimes it was good and other times "less good". But now with the 404 so central to everything, it's become slightly too predictable. I need more of a balance. A stable, playable drone box seems like the right thing to swap in. But I don't know.

I would also like a mixer with a couple more channels, but it seems like the mixers which are the next step up are much larger in size and weight.

Seems like the photo is too big and is being cut off - if you "open in new window" it shows everything.

[Pepe]

Yay! A KORG ToneWorks 301dl Dynamic Echo! I have two of these for true stereo situations. This pedal is awesome and one of my earliest acquisitions that I have never regretted.

[$harkToootth]

Wow... that's for posting K2000. I love the Raygun and Glitch Computer too!

[Eivind August]

Has anybody tried this? https://handmadeelectronicinstruments.c ... nthesizer/

It's obviously limited, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing (for me). Also, 8-bit noises.

[D.o.S.]

Haven't tried that one but Rucci stuff is great.

And now I'm lusting after a drone thing

[$harkToootth]

Haven't tried that one but Rucci stuff is great.

And now I'm lusting after a drone thing

Rucci stuff has great word of mouth. I'm not a minimalist though so I kind of look at what it does for the price and go from there.

D.o.S. I got a now public secret for you... I'm always lusting for another drone synth (Unless you mean specifically the drone thing?) Right now, I really want the purple stargazer but... probably not going to happen this year.

[D.o.S.]

Specifically the DT, yeah. I kind of want to turn my PS2 back into a pedal, but I'd need to replace it with something.

There are a few candidates out there at the moment though. So we'll see how that shakes out. Although I already have enough synths, truth be told.

[Eivind August]

Had a Rucci 8-step sequencer which was well-built and fun, though a bit too minimal even for me. That 8-bit synth still tickles my gas bone, though.

And yeah, sometimes miss having a drone synth around. I may suck at keys, but I twist a mean knob.

[spacelordmother]

Specifically the DT, yeah. I kind of want to turn my PS2 back into a pedal, but I'd need to replace it with something.

There are a few candidates out there at the moment though. So we'll see how that shakes out. Although I already have enough synths, truth be told.

You have an Axoloti. Making insane drone synths is easy and awesome af.

[D.o.S.]

I gave mine to ugly Cass.

And, running parallel to the Hey Everyone thread, I'm not looking for software for this one (I have a bunch of softsynths if I want to do that)

[spacelordmother]

I gave mine to ugly Cass.

And, running parallel to the Hey Everyone thread, I'm not looking for software for this one (I have a bunch of softsynths if I want to do that)

Mighty kind of you.

To each their own of course, but it's only software until you make it hardware. I'll go back in my hole now.