Anybody use a separate computer as synth machine?

honkyjonk · Post by **honkyjonk** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 3:44 pm

I'm not into programming stuff with midi, but I do like the idea of having a computer, a sound card and a midi keyboard specifically as a VST (or other sort of synth) machine.

I have no idea where to start in this regard though. I have an old G3 imac sitting around. I'm not sure what kind of processing power, RAM, or which program I might need or want to use as a host for soft synths, in order to play these things in real time without a bunch of latency.

Just seems like a no-brainer to tap into the software world for synths because of the amount of sounds available, sometimes for free, and the lack of space they take up.

Just looking for some suggestions and curious if anybody else does this sort of thing.

rjd2 · Post by **rjd2** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 4:48 pm

i use my laptop to run the m-tron fake mellotron as a standalone, run thru an amp, miked into PT on my desktop. its doable, for sure. running the same program as a PT plugin is goofy as hell.

;ivlunsdystf · Post by **;ivlunsdystf** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 8:22 pm

I have set that kind of 2nd computer up in the past and had fun with it. As a windows user I would use energyxt or something equally light on CPU to run plugins. I don't know what the mac equivalent would be. You shouldn't have any trouble running a single synth vst instrument on a G3 with pretty low latency. Actually the biggest reason I don't still have this set up, though, is that it's a pain to start up both computers and consequently the 2nd one just ends up in the way, or I cannibalize it for its HD, or whatever. In that broad sense a 2nd computer that you don't really need can be very 'unstable' because it is such a convenient source of parts for the primary 'puter!

desdinova · Post by **desdinova** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 4:01 pm

I use computers as synths, I just use MIDI and route the audio analogue. There's ethernet solutions for doing that, but last time I looked into it, they weren't cheap.

The best solution at this point with regards to ease of use and price/performance is to just get an intel mac mini and mount it to the back of your LCD. There's VESA mounting cages out there for doing just that.
You've got a low latency audio interface out of the box and if you're not an OSX guy, it'll run XP. If I didn't already have laptops doing the job, I'd have minis.

RefD · Post by **RefD** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 6:05 pm

i have a Roland SCC-1 (JV-880 on an 8 bit ISA card) inside a 486DX33 i built in the early 90s running as a standalone with MS-DOS 6.22.

i need to find a small LCD monitor to hook up to its 1MB Trident SVGA card.

joel hamilton · Post by **joel hamilton** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 6:52 pm

Yes.
I run stuff on my laptop and record it like an instrument, either through a couple of DI's, or through an amp, or whatever. even patching straight into an eventide or a spring reverb or something... anything to break it out of the box, and treat it like an instrument instead of a laptop....

Like setting someone up like RJ said, with a single sound like a mellotron and playing it. I have done that for certain things that i really like the sound of, including mutant synth patches I have built in reason.. just using it as a sound module with a midi keyboard.

armanbohn · Post by **armanbohn** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 9:27 am

I've been using a TINY Lenovo S10 netbook for this. Ever since the EEE came out, I've been wondering if these netbooks could handle VST duty.

I don't know how it will turn out but you can see some stuff over here on my blog:

http://armanbohn.com/blog/2008/10/13/le ... s-vst-rig/

The computer is friggin' tiny.

JGriffin · Post by **JGriffin** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 9:35 am

I have an old PC that I keep around just to run a virtual instrument called Delay Lama.

desdinova · Post by **desdinova** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 9:41 am

RefD wrote:i need to find a small LCD monitor to hook up to its 1MB Trident SVGA card.

You might want to look into Lunchbox machines (Dolch are generally the cheapest used). I used to have a Dolch PAC for my ISA HardSID card.
It'd probably cost the same as a small LCD and you'd get a semi-portable machine for the card.

Circuit Scream · Post by **Circuit Scream** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 9:47 am

I use an iMac for this, using the free CM Studio suite (from Computer Music magazine), Reason, and Metasynth 2.5, plus a few other tools.

I'll sequence tracks and just export a stereo mix if I'm just putting down ideas, or export tracks or loops if I'm doing a full production. Sometimes I'll also just play sequences from it real-time into my recording machine.

kenl666 · Post by **kenl666** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 11:52 am

Yep. I have an old mac G4 that I picked up for $20. It's running an old Korg Oasys (the PCI DSP synth/FX card) and the editor for Clavia's Nord Micromodular. These are two items that I personally can't live without, and require OS9.

I have the G4 setup headless, I just access it via VNC. I just run some outputs from the micromodular and the Oasys to my patchbay, and I also have a MIDI out running to it.

Took a while to setup, but after I got it working I just stuffed it back in a corner.

wren · Post by **wren** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 6:14 pm

dwlb wrote:I have an old PC that I keep around just to run a virtual instrument called Delay Lama.

As much as I love that plugin, I don't think I've ever actually decided to use it in a song.

RefD · Post by **RefD** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 9:01 pm

wren wrote:
dwlb wrote:I have an old PC that I keep around just to run a virtual instrument called Delay Lama.
As much as I love that plugin, I don't think I've ever actually decided to use it in a song.

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Anybody use a separate computer as synth machine?

Anybody use a separate computer as synth machine?

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