More synths please!

[EggyToast]

There's a lot of synth magazines out there, and there's not a lot of mystery regarding how to record them. They all have a stereo out; you just plug them in.

There's a lot of guitar amps out there, and not a lot of mystery regarding how to record them. They all have a speaker in front; you just put the microphone there.

You can't seriously think that an amp that projects sound into a room to be picked up by a microphone is at all similar to a stereo line-out that you can plug directly into a recording device.

[Jeff White]

You can't seriously think that an amp that projects sound into a room to be picked up by a microphone is at all similar to a stereo line-out that you can plug directly into a recording device.

No, but there is much more to recording synths than just that. You can run stuff through them, and you can run them through stuff, too. And in the present day of the killer free-bee soft-synths (Crystal, Automat, etc), as well as the new analog stuff (Evolver, Voyager, etc), it may be cool for some folks to discuss what quirky things they do to get good sounds.

For instance, I ReAmped some NI B4II tracks through a 1974 Fender Twin Reverb last summer and blended with the original tracks to taste. I used a variety of microphones and positions for this before deciding on the AT4047sv at approx 3ft from the grill with the amp cranked.

I've also been known to run bass tracks through my Electrix Filter Factory's Filter section and place it on top of the original bass track. I'm sure that many a synth person on here runs stuff through their Pro-1/MiniMoog/etc, or at least would like to hear about some quirky tricks regarding synths as sound shaping tools and not just keyboard presets with stereo outs.

But then again, maybe this would be better suited for Synth Programmer magazine.

Jeff

[eeldip]

for a lot of classic synth and drum machine sounds, the signals coming out of the "line out" are barely a start.

i've recently been playing with funny old ROMPLER sounds a lot, and getting those things anywhere near what i hear on old recordings takes a LOT of work.

[eeldip]

oh, here is one trick i've been happy with for drum machines and synths....

i aux out to a sample delay thats different for L and R and then do a 6db/octave HP filter on it cranked way up. gives that big juicy top end that i hear a lot on 80's records.

ohhh. i should try moving that filter point with an lfo, i bet that would be nice... anyway, yea. little trick

[EggyToast]

Those tricks are effect chains, though. I will agree that most synths go through effect chains to sweeten them up or fit them in a mix.... but *most* tracks do, regardless of their source sounds.

And then there's the question of what part of music recording does the effect chain for synths fit into? Is it part of the mixing process? Or is it sound design? Personally I think effect chains on synths are part of sound design, for the most part, and will change how a patch ends up played for the song/track it's destined for, which ties into what ipressrecord said about how it " would be better suited for Synth Programmer magazine."

I personally prefer more general uses of effects because it explains more how they actually work. Like, using LPFs and compressors can work on anything, and using the sound-sculpting afforded us by synths lets people realize that you can sculpt guitar, violin, drums, whatever. And, of course, this focus on effect chains works best because synths are a line-level sound source, so you can play with routing and effects without thinking about getting a good initial recording :D

I love synth trickery but effect stacks are not synth specific.

[eeldip]

wait, but what can a synth do to a guitar that an effect chain cant? post oscillator/tone generation/whatnot, an awful lot of what happens is totally normal to the recording world.

a filter? no need for a synth for sure? envelopes? pretty normal dynamic processing. and so on...

[percussion boy]

(Backtracking to the early discussion of synth talk in the OP:)

How about a separate Message Board section for synth stuff?

This would give us a forum to bring the Tape Op attitude to working with synths; as in, "I can't afford the $2K Moog Sound on Sound is pimping this month, so how do I make my twenty year old Akai sit up and talk?"

[eeldip]

why do you want to ghettoize synths. gear is gear. post under gear talk!

[percussion boy]

why do you want to ghettoize synths. gear is gear. post under gear talk!

I think it's a specialized interest, that involves gear talk, recording techniques, and sometimes diy. Computer stuff has its own section for the same reason, because it crosses category lines.

Anyway, Gear Talk exists so people have a sacred space to ask about the best $39 preamp, and to argue about banning the SM57. We shouldn't contaminate that environment with other information.

[AstroDan]

I would guess 90% of people here have or play synths, just as 90% of people who own synths record. But then it would be "well, what about a guitar forum?" and then "well, how about Fender and Gibson" and then the drummer would get all pissy...

[Knights Who Say Neve]

I love synth trickery but effect stacks are not synth specific.

1. Synths are not "trickery", they're musical instruments.

2. Use of signal processing varies greatly by application. EQ and compression, for example, is very differently applied on synths as opposed to drums or guitars. If we follow your advice we wouldn't be able to discuss specific applications of signal processing, but only "general uses of effects". WTF is the point of that?

3. Why be nitpicky? We record synths. We'd like them to sound good. So, let's discuss it. I do believe there's enough room on this message board.

[mjsemtex]

i agree with previous posts concerning other magazines (particularly sound on sound) doing a very good job at publishing synth reviews and articles.

granted, i'd love to see them publish all of those old reviews that are no longer available on their website but, i'm sure that'd be quite an undertaking in itself.

being a long time sound on sound reader and seeing them evolve so much into computer recordings (and more recently lots of guitar stuff) tape op is still refreshing to read with all of the outboard reviews that simply aren't covered elsewhere... it's a magazine covering gear that's not really featured in other magazines.

a visit to my local guitar center a few weeks ago had me realizing how much the synth industry is moving towards contollers and virtual instruments and away from drum machines and keyboards. yeah, there are still some great 'synths' out there (access, elektron, waldorf, etc. - just to name some of the big ones). but, for me it's sad to see so much is just moving into the virtual range.

i love my akai s612 and things like an old ddd-1, rz-1 or an hr-16... i don't care if you can buy samples of all of them.

i'm sorry, i think i've drifted away from the point of this thread.

i think what i may have been getting at is that i enjoy tape op as it is... maybe i can't afford half of the outboard they feature but, the reviews and interviews always get me to thinking of other ways of working / effecting / recording / approaching new ideas.