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Curious what folks are using as a drone synth if at all and how you use it.

I have been using the PurPLL lately and also have a Rucci 8 bit synth that also has a drone option and some patterns (and obviously the ability to play notes). Curious what other folks are using and liking.

200 series (202a & 206a)Hewlett Packard generators and Grass Instruments pulse generators are my reach to for "serious" drone. Some Tektronix 160 series modules (components of the 360 o-scope) can be fun for layering, but they lack the sense of depth and absolute power of the HP & GI units.

If I don't want to power up a bunch of tubes and just want to drone out, hitting a MIDI note(s) feeding an analog poly and then withholding the "note off" through selective use of a MIDI patch bay is delightful. Add in copious amounts of "natural" clipping and squishing and all is well.

cosmicevan wrote:Curious what folks are using as a drone synth if at all and how you use it.

I drone but I never use synths. I use elbow grease and my imagination

Not very exciting maybe, but I like droning with my Minibrute. I made a whole album just overdubbing that through a couple effects units, it was fun setup to work with

This is what I keep in my metaphorical drone drawer.

Bastl Kastle
Ellitone Multi-Synth
Arturia Microfreak
Gecho Loopsynth
Rare Waves Lite2Sound
Mixer (for no-input feedback)
Old AM radios
Electromagnetic microphones

Elektron Digitakt and Digitone
Korg Volca Kick (wonderful subbass drones in here!)
JMT Synth FN and SNB2n

I always have these going thru my guitar pedalboard, and then loop everything on a RC3 or 720 or Inifinity.

open tunings

Moog Mother 32, eurorack, great destroyer noise synth, microkorg, computer, guitars.

Everything, sometimes

Besides the Function Generator (which I have legit taken to gigs!) I like using my accordion for drones (like an extremely poor man's Pauline Oliveros!) but melodica is much lighter.

Originally used a HOG. Then started using the feedback on my baby thundaa to drone. Eventually found a Drone Thing used, which was cool. Still got that. Recently got a Fuzzrocious Empty Glass, which is prob my fave sounding drone so far and have a SOMMS coming in shortly which I'm really excited about. Yep, fallen down the drone hole.

mostly in conversation these days.

Well you took my real answer so...

I think (think) I have owned or used nearly every "real" drone synth on the market over the last seven or eight years. The only one I still own is the SOMMS, but that's not really something I would classify under the same banner. Once you know enough about synths you can "drone" with pretty much anything (which is why I don't own anymore dedicated drone synths, but have the modular & the standalone synths & the ableton patches, vsts and so on). Time Machines was made with little more than a multi-tracked MS-20... &c

Looking hard at the Lyra 8, but it's probably out of my budget until late next year.

Yeah you can really drone with pretty much anything.

One of my favourite drones lately was running a simple waveform from my modular into mode 3 of the CT5 and into Mood.

I also had a really fun drone going using my DX7 through a Boss DE200. I had the feedback up very high and used the hold mode on the DE200. It gave me a really nice drone with a weird rhythmic tick from the DE200's clock.

I also really love turning samples into drones, so both my Digitakt and Nebulae are favourites. I'm planning on using my 16n Faderbank to give me some more immediate control over some Digitakt features. Mainly thinking of controling the Digitakt mixer and filter cutoff. I just need to figure out how to update the 16n config.

I miss my Lyra-8. It was overkill for me at the time and really did one thing very well (droning), but I'd like to get another one. I'd also really like to get a Blippoo Box. Annoyingly, I was on the list for a Blippoo Box and my spot in the waitlist came up, but I had changed my email so I missed my chance. Oh well, joined the waitlist again.