Synth for ambientz/drone/background stuff

[Meta-]

The MicroKorg was my first synth years ago and it's cool but I quickly outgrew the sounds. The MiniNova is a much better sounding mini synth in my opinion. It has a similar layout to the Korg but it's just better. The Korg sounds cheesy and harsh(not in a good way, like it's trying too hard) in comparison. My bandmate is using the MiniNova a lot. It's really versatile and sits well in the mix.

I've also owned a Micron and, while the sounds are good (and more immediately atmospheric than a MicroKorg), programming it is a bitch. Like not fun. Unless you're up for shit tons of menu diving pass it up.

I haven't played any of the Brutes enough to comment but they sound more in-your-face than atmospheric to me.

backwardsvoyaver mentioned the Bolfeld. I fucking love mine. Picked up the desktop version with expanded sound banks for like $400 on ebay. Fuck yes. The pads and atmos are amazing and I find it really easy and fun to edit. It can sound spacey sweet or nasty grimy. The little screen shows you a good visual of ADSR (attack, decay, sustain, release) and filter cutoff/resonance amongst other parameters. Awesome bass and perc sounds too. The Blofeld is a serious little machine so +1 for sure.

My gear is tailored for atmospherics so I'm always on the lookout for musical drone machines. The Streichfett looks like a strange little box that I would really want to put through delay and verb one day.

Also worth looking at is the Yamaha TG33 Vector synth. Dark drones, real-time morphing and just full of character. Mine is up in the BST. It's looking at me right now like fuck you sell me you bitch. Taunting me. I won't be upset if nobody buys it.

Whatever you choose do make sure you have a proper swath of effects to put it trough.

[Pepe]

Korg Monotribe is very fun and versatile, and inexpensive.

As long as you get along with the rubber "keyboard". I sold mine before the MS-20 was announced, because although I loved the true MS-10 sound of the monotribe I had needed a real keyboard to use it efficiently. I'm not a sequencer fan. When I heard of the MS-20 mini I was very happy and bought this one instead.

But the KORG MS series is not really suitable for ambient stuff. Noise? Yes. Drones? Yeah, maybe. Ambient? With one VCO only? For ambient stuff you need at least 4 note polyphony IMHO.

[Uncle Grandfather]

Korg Monotribe is very fun and versatile, and inexpensive.

As long as you get along with the rubber "keyboard". I sold mine before the MS-20 was announced, because although I loved the true MS-10 sound of the monotribe I had needed a real keyboard to use it efficiently. I'm not a sequencer fan. When I heard of the MS-20 mini I was very happy and bought this one instead.

But the KORG MS series is not really suitable for ambient stuff. Noise? Yes. Drones? Yeah, maybe. Ambient? With one VCO only? For ambient stuff you need at least 4 note polyphony IMHO.

Yeah, I like ribbons though and use it as such. I've got a ms-10, and a ms-20 mini too, big fan of their sound and love patching in other gear. I like using them for ambient projects, and agree they are great for noise and drones. Monosynths are probably not the first choice for ambient though.

[blakestree]

A proper ribbon controller is fine. The one on the Monotribe blows. (However, I have seen a YouTube video of a dude killing it on the Monotribe's controller.) I have a MIDI mod on my Monotribe that allows me to enter notes like a sane person.

[tremolo3]

OK, I will narrow it down even more:

I need a cheap small polyphonic synth with at least 25 keys.

[Uncle Grandfather]

A proper ribbon controller is fine. The one on the Monotribe blows. (However, I have seen a YouTube video of a dude killing it on the Monotribe's controller.) I have a MIDI mod on my Monotribe that allows me to enter notes like a sane person.

I find the ribbon is fine for how I use it.

[Bassus Sanguinis]

For some the problem with the Microbrute and Volca series synths is the actual keys: they really ARE small. Not a problem at home or when recording, or if You - like me and my band mates - don't loose Your good night sleep for random wrong notes. (usually my band doesn't even use a keyboard for synth live, it's just for fx 'n' noise). But if You do, and You want to play full chords and stuff, I recommend something with full size keys, especially if You intend to play live on dimly lit stages. However I'm sure some of You might handle the small keyboard better than me.

The mini or micro brute was the one I was leaning towards most heavily until I realized how difficult pads and other ambient textures would be, however I have an AKAI sampler pad/soft synths I could use for that? I'm thinking it would give me the best lead/melody lines with the option to get really nasty/weird sounding. Is there anything else I should be looking at/were you in my situation what route would you take?

Do try first with what You've already got and try out stuff in Your local music store to see what You feel You are missing? For funeral doom sort of organ sounds You can get away with really thin sounds, because You probably have a huge wall of fuzz guitars and serious low end, right? Try using a bit stereo reverb and perhaps send it to PA system.

When You have Your etheric pads and layers for backing, try sometime a more in Yur face approach, even a monophonic analog synth can sound huge through amplification, perfect for droning. For that You probably want something with gnarly distorting filter and some serious low end, possibly a suboctave (so You get a little high register too) and don't treat it like a backing instrument so You get the most of it.

[BoatRich]

For some the problem with the Microbrute and Volca series synths is the actual keys: they really ARE small. Not a problem at home or when recording, or if You - like me and my band mates - don't loose Your good night sleep for random wrong notes. (usually my band doesn't even use a keyboard for synth live, it's just for fx 'n' noise). But if You do, and You want to play full chords and stuff, I recommend something with full size keys, especially if You intend to play live on dimly lit stages. However I'm sure some of You might handle the small keyboard better than me.

The mini or micro brute was the one I was leaning towards most heavily until I realized how difficult pads and other ambient textures would be, however I have an AKAI sampler pad/soft synths I could use for that? I'm thinking it would give me the best lead/melody lines with the option to get really nasty/weird sounding. Is there anything else I should be looking at/were you in my situation what route would you take?

Do try first with what You've already got and try out stuff in Your local music store to see what You feel You are missing? For funeral doom sort of organ sounds You can get away with really thin sounds, because You probably have a huge wall of fuzz guitars and serious low end, right? Try using a bit stereo reverb and perhaps send it to PA system.

When You have Your etheric pads and layers for backing, try sometime a more in Yur face approach, even a monophonic analog synth can sound huge through amplification, perfect for droning. For that You probably want something with gnarly distorting filter and some serious low end, possibly a suboctave (so You get a little high register too) and don't treat it like a backing instrument so You get the most of it.

For now I'm using what I have entirely to make noise, drones, and pads, but overall the key based synth will be the primary lead instrument with the Bass VI+loops taking up a lot of the "rhythm" section. That's what I was leaning mini/microbrute with pedals.

[oscillateur]

For pads and stuff like that a wavetable synth like the Blofeld is indeed probably the best thing you can get for not too much money.

Note that if you have an iPad there are some very good synths on this platform, both by Wolfgang Palm (creator of the PPG line of hardware synths) : Wavemapper and WaveGenerator and by Waldorf : Nave. These + a small MIDI/USB controller would be a great inexpensive choice.

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

mininova?

[backwardsvoyager]

For pads and stuff like that a wavetable synth like the Blofeld is indeed probably the best thing you can get for not too much money.

Note that if you have an iPad there are some very good synths on this platform, both by Wolfgang Palm (creator of the PPG line of hardware synths) : Wavemapper and WaveGenerator and by Waldorf : Nave. These + a small MIDI/USB controller would be a great inexpensive choice.

All true. I hate hate hate programming the blofeld but the pads and ambient noise you can create with other synths in that price range don't even come close. It's sort of a weird size though where you can't throw it in a suitcase like a microkorg so it's not 'small' by that definition. I can't think of anything smaller with full size keys... maybe a roland gaia but even that's pretty big.

[Pepe]

The concept of the Blofeld is not that bad, if you're used to working at a KORG Poly-61 or DW-8000.

[hiorgos]

..

[Wes Mantooth]

I've been using an M-Audio Oxygen 25 with my iPad/Animoog. It's fucking awesome. Animoog always kills my synth GAS, it's a lifesaver.

[odontophobia]

I've been using an M-Audio Oxygen 25 with my iPad/Animoog. It's fucking awesome. Animoog always kills my synth GAS, it's a lifesaver.

Yeah. I need to get it back on my iPad and get my shit setup again. Lots of fun there.