Howdy

There's a misconception that because something with tubes will sound "warmer" than something without. This isn't the case. I think you'll find a good set of transformers in a direct box will give you more of that "warm" sound than something where tubes exist simply for the sake of existing. I'd try a good DI with trannies, Radial, Aguilar, you can even make one yourself...I believe there are plans on Jensen's site. I have a bunch of transformers I plan to wire into my patchbay for "color".

Of course, this all depends on what "warm" means to you. Its different for everyone.

How does your stuff sound on other systems? If it sounds OK in other places, perhaps its your monitoring or D/A? If its "bad" everywhere, it could be your front end A/D.

You're using a lot of softsynths. I've noticed that softsynths sound a bit emasculated sometimes. I think this would make an excellent topic for discussion. What do people do to make softsynths _sound_ better?

So where's this diy DI box? Sounds like a good idea.

I find that upon mixdown, songs that sound good whilst unmixed tend to lose character as the mix nears completion. They start to sound empty. Maybe its my mixing, because I am totally self-taught (along with various forums like this one), but my mixes sound good. I've been told that they are a step away from 'pro', which to me is a huge compliment.

Its just the melodic instruments that give me a fit. My creations are usually sparse, (its hip hop) and so normally there are no more than two instruments filling the same frequency space. So when I eq to give them room, the mix starts to sound hollow and lifeless. When I do burn unfinished mixes to CD for testing purposes, the result is the same on most systems, especially the car. I'm using 20/20s in a naturally acoustically good room.

The OASYS is the only exception, that synth just sounds good no matter what. My MOTIF was also pretty good too, until it got stolen.

mitz

I think the key to making softsynths sound good is the run them through some sort of real hardware. I wanna test that theory, as soon as I can. I remember back when my studio consisted of my JV-1000, an ASR-X and a Fostex Digital 8 track, my drums (sampled on ASR-X) just sounded soooo full and meaty. I've yet to find that again, even using the same exact samples.

mitz

Oh and my A/D/A is all up to my Delta66. Adequate I guess.

Originally posted by Nate Tschetter:

What do people do to make softsynths _sound_ better?

turn them off ? :)

seriously there are some cool softsynths out there but the sound is still not there IMO

Turn them off....... yeaaahhhhhhggghhhahhhahhhahah!

L frickin OL!!!!

Turn them off. Man u r hillarious.

I like them, I think that in a number of cases they sound on par or better than the MOTIF I had. Especially my OASYS.

I also had a Juno 6 once upon a time, and, although I am not really into analog or virtual analog, I have not heard anything virtual even come close to the thickness of that beast.

But I'm really getting bored with sample based synthesis. So the only direction of growth I see is on the SW side. A fair compromise is to build an analog circuit to send those cold digital signals through. That's where the whole run-em-thru-a-tube idea originates. Or maybe I'll buy a LA2a reissue. (dream away young lad) I think this would help immensely for the EVP-88 for example, which just sounds so clinical.

So Mario-C. what do you use for sounds?

Originally posted by Mario-C.:

Originally posted by Nate Tschetter:

What do people do to make softsynths _sound_ better?

turn them off ? :)

seriously there are some cool softsynths out there but the sound is still not there IMO Heh, I know what you mean, Mario...I attribute it to, believe it or not, the D/A converters in the hardware. I think a lot of the sound is made at that point.

This _really_ seems to be the case (to me) on software reverbs. They're good...just a little...I dunno..."thin".

Originally posted by mitzelplik:
Turn them off....... yeaaahhhhhhggghhhahhhahhhahah!

L frickin OL!!!!

Turn them off. Man u r hillarious.

I like them, I think that in a number of cases they sound on par or better than the MOTIF I had. Especially my OASYS.

I also had a Juno 6 once upon a time, and, although I am not really into analog or virtual analog, I have not heard anything virtual even come close to the thickness of that beast.

But I'm really getting bored with sample based synthesis. So the only direction of growth I see is on the SW side. A fair compromise is to build an analog circuit to send those cold digital signals through. That's where the whole run-em-thru-a-tube idea originates. Or maybe I'll buy a LA2a reissue. (dream away young lad) I think this would help immensely for the EVP-88 for example, which just sounds so clinical.

So Mario-C. what do you use for sounds?

Well, I'll never disagree with being bored of Sample-based synthesis. Its a necessity for most bread and butter live gigs, though.

Another thing you can try is running your softsynths through some sort of speaker in a room and mic it. It will give it some "depth" and "character". Try some cheapo guitar pedals too...that's always fun.

Don't be obsessed with a tube simply because its a tube.

You can find the aforementioned direct box schematic [="http://www.jensen-transformers.com/as/as066.pdf"]here.[/]="http://www.jensen-t…"]here.[/]

Or check out the [[url=http://="http://www.jensen-t…"]Jensen Transformer[/]="http://www.jensen-t…"]Jensen Transformer[/] site.

Originally posted by mitzelplik:

So Mario-C. what do you use for sounds?

here's the list :

Korg Z1 VA + physical modelling synth
Waldorf Micro Q VA synth
Novation Nova VA synth
Yamaha AN1X VA synth
Yamaha EX5R sample playback + VA + physical modelling synth
Yamaha FS1R very complex FM+formant shaping synth
Yamaha A5000 sampler
Yamaha A4000 sampler
Digidesign Samplecell
Roland JV1080 rompler
Roland MC-505 rompler (sorry, I was a marketing victim)

I just added a Waldorf Microwave XT, a Nord Modular and an Access Virus Rack XL ...

All this stuff and I'm not even a keyboard player LOL, I'm more of a programmer arranger, that's why I use synths that will allow me to create sounds, I love to program synths...

As for software I use Sound Diver to control the midi stuff, Softsamplecell and Reason 2.5, but mainly for the graintable malmstrom synth, I find the other stuff in reason too "hard" sounding especially the filters, but I like it when you want to generate some crusty beats, I tried Reaktor about a year ago but it was too fiddly for me, maybe I'll try it again later...

The virus plug in for pro tools tdm sounds very good, I hear the arturia moog modular sounds great too, you might want to check those out.

I agree romplers can be very boring but they can be interesting with a little or A LOT of tweaking, the JV1080 for example has a capable synth engine but most presets use about 10 % of its synthesis power, the problem is many folks don't want to tweak their sounds

Software has some limitations too, distortion and aliasing come to mind, some algorythms have to compromise sound quality in order to be usable inside a computer that is running midi, audio, plug ins and softsynths at the same time, so I think as computers get more powerful the sound can only improve...

All this babbling and I haven't answered your question LOL,
I agree with Nate here, a thin synth thru a tube pre is still a thin synth thru a tube pre, I would try to tweak the synth patch without any processing and try to make them sound as good as possible, then turn it off ! no, joke, modify the filters, layer another sample, add some detuning, there are so many things you can try before you process the sound, if you start running everything through a tube pre you can end up with a muddy mix

Howdy

Mario is wise.

Be careful, Mario...you might get into that Nord Modular and never leave your house again. Its pretty deep!

Originally posted by Nate Tschetter:
Another thing you can try is running your softsynths through some sort of speaker in a room and mic it. It will give it some "depth" and "character". Try some cheapo guitar pedals too...that's always fun.

Good idea! I'll try it on my next composition. And I can record it in mono and make it sound dusty and old, like my stereo! As it is, my mixes usually sound better on my old 70's era harmon kardon tuner going thru my 80's speakers. Woohoo! (probably has tubes... lol!)

I'll even try my old rusty radio shack dynamic mic!

And its free to boot!

king mitz

Originally posted by Mario-C.:

Korg Z1 VA + physical modelling synth
Waldorf Micro Q VA synth
Novation Nova VA synth
Yamaha AN1X VA synth
Yamaha EX5R sample playback + VA + physical modelling synth
Yamaha FS1R very complex FM+formant shaping synth
Yamaha A5000 sampler
Yamaha A4000 sampler
Digidesign Samplecell
Roland JV1080 rompler
Roland MC-505 rompler (sorry, I was a marketing victim)

I just added a Waldorf Microwave XT, a Nord Modular and an Access Virus Rack XL ...

I stand humbled.

No seriously, I'm not really into VA, but I am still jealous. Always wanted an FS1R and a Z1 (and a K5000). I had extensive time to play with the EX5 and I absolutely think it is one of the best sample based synths ever. My JV-1000 IMO is a bit dated, but then again, I've never had the patience to tweak hardware synths. The interface and patch saving methods were too cumbersome, but when I did have to tweak the JV, I always ended up with something good.

How's the A/D on the A-Series samplers?

My favorite HW synth to tweak was my SY22 (also stolen, as was my Juno and my MOTIF - terrible luck). It had this random function that chose 4 waves to make a patch, so it was quick, easy and fun. All I had to do was pick a preset with the envelope, filter, etc. set close to what I wanted, tweak those settings, and push a button. Instant gratification!

I'm really heavy into hip hop. Its a very sparse music, instrumentation-wise, so its always important for me to make each instrument sound full. Otherwise I find myself adding one more element and screwing things up.

I think I can handle the DI box schematic, but I'm also gonna try the trusty old stereo. Maybe I'll mic the bass drum and synth bass lines from the back of the cabinet?

king mitz

Tubes?

Depends on whatcha wanna do. It can be cool as hell to take some screamin' synth tones and distort the hell out of it for a lead. Nothing distorts sweeter than a vacuum tube.

As a default part of your signal path? I don't advocate it.

As for your mixes sounding empty? You and I should get together. Mine are always way too full.

Originally posted by Todzilla:
Tubes?

Depends on whatcha wanna do. It can be cool as hell to take some screamin' synth tones and distort the hell out of it for a lead. Nothing distorts sweeter than a vacuum tube.

As a default part of your signal path? I don't advocate it.

As for your mixes sounding empty? You and I should get together. Mine are always way too full.

LOL I agree zilla.

My stuff has to be minimalist. In hip hop (btw please don't mistake my craft for that garbage you hear on the radio), its vocals first, drums second and then, if you have the gumption to even bother, everything else. For me, getting my stuff to be minimal and sound pleasingly full is a real challenge, and takes a significant amount of my mixing time.

I'm eyeing the RNP as a DI, I saw a review that said it made a cheap bass guitar sound pretty respectable, And all I ever hear about it as a mic pre is first rate, excellent, transparent, but with character, etc.

Howdy

The RNP is a good choice. You should get an RNC (compressor) to go with it.

I have had an RNC for almost 2 years now and I swear by it.

So what is it about a DI that makes synths sound better?

Originally posted by mitzelplik:

Originally posted by Mario-C.:

Korg Z1 VA + physical modelling synth
Waldorf Micro Q VA synth
Novation Nova VA synth
Yamaha AN1X VA synth
Yamaha EX5R sample playback + VA + physical modelling synth
Yamaha FS1R very complex FM+formant shaping synth
Yamaha A5000 sampler
Yamaha A4000 sampler
Digidesign Samplecell
Roland JV1080 rompler
Roland MC-505 rompler (sorry, I was a marketing victim)

I just added a Waldorf Microwave XT, a Nord Modular and an Access Virus Rack XL ...

I stand humbled.

No seriously, I'm not really into VA, but I am still jealous. Always wanted an FS1R and a Z1 (and a K5000). I had extensive time to play with the EX5 and I absolutely think it is one of the best sample based synths ever. My JV-1000 IMO is a bit dated, but then again, I've never had the patience to tweak hardware synths. The interface and patch saving methods were too cumbersome, but when I did have to tweak the JV, I always ended up with something good.

How's the A/D on the A-Series samplers?

My favorite HW synth to tweak was my SY22 (also stolen, as was my Juno and my MOTIF - terrible luck). It had this random function that chose 4 waves to make a patch, so it was quick, easy and fun. All I had to do was pick a preset with the envelope, filter, etc. set close to what I wanted, tweak those settings, and push a button. Instant gratification!

I'm really heavy into hip hop. Its a very sparse music, instrumentation-wise, so its always important for me to make each instrument sound full. Otherwise I find myself adding one more element and screwing things up.

I think I can handle the DI box schematic, but I'm also gonna try the trusty old stereo. Maybe I'll mic the bass drum and synth bass lines from the back of the cabinet?

king mitz hey,

IMO the yamaha samplers are among the best hardware samplers ever made, the envelopes are super fast, they are loaded with very cool features, really nice fx and they sound fantastic, they are quite deep and powerful, (an A5000 will give you 126 notes of polyphony) the only issue right now is RAM and hard drive compatibility, but I bought them loaded so I didn't have any problems...mmh scsi is a little slow but with a hard drive I don't really mind...
sampling from the front panel is very easy and quality is very nice and clean, but it can sound grungy too, you have a "lo-fi" sampling option @ different sample rates and you can sample through the effects section

Originally posted by Nate Tschetter:
Howdy

Mario is wise.

Be careful, Mario...you might get into that Nord Modular and never leave your house again. Its pretty deep!

thanks Nate, I'm actually looking forward to tweak that thing, it should be here next week...

but since I stopped watching tv I could use the time I was wasting channel surfing and do something productive with the nord
:c:

I think you guys missed my question. I'll post it again:
So what is it about a DI that makes synths sound better?

Howdy

They balance unbalanced signal. A balanced signal is less succeptable to noise and can run longer distances. They can also convert various operation levels (for example, instrument level...like what comes out of a guitar or bass) to line level.

Some DIs have features like pads, polarity reversal and filters.

Some DIs have transformers. This is where you'll get a lot of "character" from.

Originally posted by Nate Tschetter:

Some DIs have transformers. This is where you'll get a lot of "character" from.

Okay, that makes sense. So where do I get one of these transformered beasts? I'm really not a deceptacon!

Howdy

Well, Jensen is one of the better known transformer manufacturers. That DIY link I sent you should be one.

Aguilar makes a nice DI...lots of guys use it for Rhodes, Bass, etc. It even has a tube in it.

There's the Avalon U5 which is supposed to be good.

I posted a link to a new Telefunken box. Haven't heard it, don't know what its about.

The Radial stuff is really nice and built to last forever.

There are a few to get started with. Perhaps others have different suggestions.

Thanks Nate. Alas, my fiancee vetoed. :roll: I think I'll at least sneak in a RNP while she's not looking!