Best Ambient Synth Shootout #90: Ensoniq SQ-R Plus - Song 3

Published on May 22, 2020 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the third song with the SQ-R Plus/32. It's a 32 voice 8-part multitimbral synthesizer. It features 9 Transwaves, Ensoniq's kind of wave tables.

I used for the recording the following FX chain:
SQ-R Plus/32 - Digitech Obscura - Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe - GFI System Specular Reverb 2. Depending on the recorded track some FX are deactivated

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PC via USB for recording. To create the complete song I recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track.

Well, I decided to go back to the basics, but at the same time make something useful for the synth community and do a kind of competition (I like competitions;-). What's my best synth for ambient music :-)

If you like it check out my other stuff and please support me on:
http://synthroton.bandcamp.com/

Enjoy :-)

#Ambientmusic #synthesizer"

Best Ambient Synth Shootouts

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #89: Wersi DX 1000 - Song 2

Published on May 12, 2020 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the second song with the Wersi DX 1000. It's a 54-note polyphonic, 16-part multitimbral ROM-based sound module using the so called ASIC-Technology. It features 256 ROM sounds, 256 RAM sounds and 6 drum sets with overall 120 drum sounds. Somehow there is almost nothing known about this unit, expect the above features that I found here and there. There is neither an operation manual available nor any deeper description. Well, it has RAM sounds, which implies that one should be able to change sounds, but so far I couldn't discover yet how because the setup knob guides just to some cryptic performance related settings. I guess the unit is from the early 90s and for that age it sounds to me surprisingly good.

I used for the recording the following FX chain:
DX 1000 - DigiTech Obscura - Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe - GFI System Specular Reverb 2. Depending on the recorded track some FX are deactivated

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PCfor recording. To create the complete song I recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track."

Song 1 here

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #88: Casio VZ-10m - Song 2

Published on May 3, 2020 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the second song with the VZ-10m. It's a 16 voice 8-part multitimbral digital synthesizer based on Casio's iPD Phase Distortion Synthesis.

I used for the recording the following FX:
Pigtronix Envelope Phaser - Pigtronix Tremvelope - DigiTech Polara - Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe - GFI System Specular Reverb 2

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PC for recording. To create the complete song I created and recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track."

Christian's Sonic Spaces Casio VZ-10m

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #87: Wersi DX 1000 - Song 1

Published on Apr 25, 2020 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the first song with the Wersi DX 1000. It's a 54-note polyphonic, 16-part multitimbral ROM-based sound module using the so called ASIC-Technology. It features 256 ROM sounds, 256 RAM sounds and 6 drum sets with overall 120 drum sounds. Somehow there is almost nothing known about this unit, expect the above features that I found here and there. There is neither an operation manual available nor any deeper description. Well, it has RAM sounds, which implies that one should be able to change sounds, but so far I couldn't discover yet how because the setup knob guides just to some cryptic performance related settings. I guess the unit is from the early 90s and for that age it sounds to me surprisingly good.

I used for the recording the following FX chain:
DX 1000 - Alesis Philtre - Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe - GFI System Specular Reverb 2. Depending on the recorded track some FX are deactivated

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PCfor recording. To create the complete song I recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track."

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #85: Modal Craft Synth 2.0 - Song 3

Published on Apr 10, 2020 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the third song with the Craft Synth 2. Still enjoy to tweak sound patches and discover the huge sonic potential of this tiny mono synth.

I used for the recording the following FX chain:
CraftSynth 2 - DigiTech Obscura - Alesis Ampliton - Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe - GFI System Specular Reverb 2. Depending on the recorded track some FX are modiefied or deactivated.

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PC for recording. To create the complete song I recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track."

Christian's Sonic Spaces Ambient Synth Shootout posts

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #84: Peavey DPM V2 - Song 1

Published on Mar 29, 2020 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the first song with the DPM V2. It's a 32 voice 16-part multitimbral ROM-based synthesizer with resonant digital filter from the early 90s.

I used for the recording the following FX chain:
DPM V2 - Digitech Obscura - Alesis Ampliton - Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe - GFI System Specular Reverb 2. Depending on the recorded track some FX are deactivated

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PC via USB for recording. To create the complete song I recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track."

Christian's Sonic Spaces Best Ambient Synth Shootout

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #83: Ensoniq SQ-R Plus - Song 2

Published on Mar 26, 2020 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the second song with the SQ-R Plus/32. It's a 32 voice 8-part multitimbral synthesizer. It features 9 Transwaves, Ensoniq's kind of wave tables.

I used for the recording the following FX chain:
SQ-R Plus/32 - Digitech Obscura - Alesis Ampliton - Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe - GFI System Specular Reverb 2. Depending on the recorded track some FX are deactivated

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PC via USB for recording. To create the complete song I recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track."

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #82: Kawai K1r - Song 3

Published on Mar 15, 2020 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the third song with the K1r. It's a 16 voice 8-part multitimbral synthesizer based on 256 PCM waveforms. One interesting feature is the ringmodulation (AM) between two oscillators.

I used for the recording the following FX chain:
K1r - Sony DPS V-77 - Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe - GFI System Specular Reverb 2. Depending on the recorded track some FX are deactivated

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PC for recording. To create the complete song I recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track."

Kawai K1r videos by Christian's Sonic Spaces

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #81: Böhm Dynamic 4x9 - Song 2

Published on Mar 1, 2020 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the second song with the Boehm Dynamic 4x9. It's a German FM-synthesizer from mid-80s that were only available as DIY project. It uses 12(!) Yamaha ICs of the type YM2203, which were commonly used in home computers from NEC as well as in arcade games until the early 90s. Each of the ICs has 3 FM-voices for an overall 36 voices 4-part polyphony.

I used for the recording the following FX for the song:

T-Rex Twister, DigiTech Obscura, Alesis Ampliton, Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe, GFI System Specular Reverb 2.

Depending on the recorded track some FX are deactivated.The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PC for recording. To create the complete song I recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track."

Additional Böhm Dynamic 4x9 posts

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #80: Roland D-05 - Song 1

Published on Feb 16, 2020 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the first song with the Roland D-05 Synth. It's a remake of the famous D-50 first released in 1987, a digital synth using the so called ‘Linear Arithmetic’ (LA) synthesis.

I used for the recording the following FX chain:
D-05 - Alesis Ampliton - Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe - GFI System Specular Reverb 2. Depending on the recorded track some FX are deactivated

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PCfor recording. To create the complete song I recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track.

Well, I decided to go back to the basics, but at the same time make something useful for the synth community and do a kind of competition (I like competitions;-). What's my best synth for ambient music :-)"

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #79: Kasser DAFM Synth - Song 1

Published on Feb 10, 2020 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the first song with the DAFM Synth [see here for details]. It's an FM synthesizer based on either the YM2612 yamaha chip (used in SEGA Genesis / Megadrive home consoles and various SEGA arcade game systems, including the Mega-Play, System 18, and System 32) or the cleaner sounding YM3438 chip without the crossover distortion in the output. Both sound chips has six channels with four operators per channel.

I used for the recording the following FX chain:
K1r - Alesis Ampliton - Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe - GFI System Specular Reverb 2. Depending on the recorded track some FX are deactivated

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PCfor recording. To create the complete song I recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track.

Well, I decided to go back to the basics, but at the same time make something useful for the synth community and do a kind of competition (I like competitions;-). What's my best synth for ambient music :-)"

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #78: Kawai K1r - Song 2

Published on Feb 7, 2020 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the second song with the K1r. It's a 16 voice 8-part multitimbral synthesizer based on 256 PCM waveforms. One interesting feature is the ringmodulation (AM) between two oscillators.

I used for the recording the following FX chain:
K1r - Alesis Philtre - Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe - GFI System Specular Reverb 2. Depending on the recorded track some FX are deactivated

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PCfor recording. To create the complete song I recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track.

Well, I decided to go back to the basics, but at the same time make something useful for the synth community and do a kind of competition (I like competitions;-). What's my best synth for ambient music :-)"

Kawai K1r Christian's Sonic Spaces

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #77: Korg M1R - Song 3

Published on Feb 2, 2020 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"After moving to another city my studio is (at least partially) ready, so that after 6 months I can start to do music again, yeah :-D

This is the third song with the M1R. It's a 16 voice 8-part multitimbral synthesizer based on PCM waveforms. This time the outcome of the session was a minimal soundscape track.

I used for the recording the following FX:
Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe, GFI System Specular Reverb 2

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PC for recording. To create the complete song I created and recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track.

Well, I decided to go back to the basics, but at the same time make something useful for the synth community and do a kind of competition (I like competitions;-). What's my best synth for ambient music :-)"

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #76: Casio VZ-10m - Song 1

Published on Jul 18, 2019 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the first song with the VZ-10m. It's a 16 voice 8-part multitimbral digital synthesizer based on Casio's iPD Phase Distortion Synthesis. This time the outcome of the session was a relaxing, dreamy track.

I used for the recording the following FX:
Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe, GFI System Specular Reverb 2

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PC via USB for recording. To create the complete song I created and recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track."

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #75: Korg M1R - Song 2

Published on Jul 12, 2019 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the second song with the M1R. It's a 16 voice 8-part multitimbral synthesizer based on PCM waveforms. This time the outcome of the session was a minimal soundscape track.

I used for the recording the following FX:
Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe, GFI System Specular Reverb 2

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PC via USB for recording. To create the complete song I created and recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track."

Song 1 here. More videos by Christian's Sonic Spaces here.

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #74: Access Virus A - Song 3

Published on Jul 11, 2019 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the third song with the Access Virus A. It's a 12 voice polyphonic virtual analog synth with two OSC per voice and two independent resonant filters.

I used for the recording the following FX:
Alesis Ampliton, Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe, GFI System Specular Reverb 2. Depending on the recorded track some FX are deactivated

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PC via USB for recording. To create the complete song I recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track."

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #73: Boehm Dynamic 4x9 - Song 1

Published on Jul 8, 2019 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the first song with the Boehm Dynamic 4x9. It's a German FM-synthesizer from mid-80s that were only available as DIY project. It uses 12(!) Yamaha ICs of the type YM2203, which were commonly used in home computers from NEC as well as in arcade games until the early 90s. Each of the ICs has 3 FM-voices for an overall 36 voices 4-part polyphony.

I used for the recording the following FX for the song:
Sony DPS-V77 (for chorus only), Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe, GFI System Specular Reverb 2. Depending on the recorded track some FX are deactivated.

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PC via USB for recording. To create the complete song I recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track."

Playlist of Technics WSA1 Videos

This one is in via Jusuf in the comments of this post. Many have been featured on the site before, some haven't. Enjoy! :)

Playlist at the time of this post:
Technics sx-WSA1R demo - that other acoustic modeling synth from the 90s - Floyd Steinberg
Best Ambient Synth Shootout #26: Technics WSA1- Song 1 - Christian's Sonic Spaces
Best Ambient Synth Shootout #27: Technics WSA1- Song 2 - Christian's Sonic Spaces
MOV 0217 - hien trinh
Technics SX-WSA1 MarkovModels - Tom Noopher
technics wsa synthesizer - some physical modelled sounds - borgmechaniker
puredata-algorithmicsequencer-02.mp4 with Technics WSA - borgmechaniker
Demo technics sx-WSA1 part1 - gravili
Technics WSA 1 Sound Demos mit 4 von mir improvisierten Songs - Musiker Lanze
both units are now sold. bye bye my synths. - myRegression
Korg JP8000 JP-8000 Review (Technics WSA1 WSA-1) - TR0LLreviews
LooPing petit bout de piano - LooPingVideoHome
Stay with me - Andreas Fechner
Improvisation 2 - Andreas Fechner
Koródi Csaba - Improvizáció - Szintimánia
Technics WSA 1 Film Demo - Dave Blackburn
BuddyN-Trance masterclip - BuddyMYT
Technics SX-WSA1 Ambient Demo - Blake Foster
TECHNICS WSA1 - Demo Song - Szintimánia
Tax-5 - The Labyrinth (Dark Ambient) - Technics WSA1 - Stephan S
Technics SX WSA 1R Synthesizer - Chillout Demo, by Clouds Testers - Alexander Bobrov
Demo Technics sx-WSA1 part2 - gravili
WSA1- Technics - Piano Steinway & Sons - Por Rogelson.mpg - Roger Syst Gama
technics wsa1 view sơ qua phần FX chỉnh tiếng. - hien trinh
Short Technics WSA1 Jam with Ryan - "Garbage Truck" :) - CoolColJ
Technics WSA1R Sounds - borututu forte
Technics WSA1 - Changing the display - 01 - roghelson
Cool/Funny ad - Technics WSA - lbulbu
groove - mruebsam
T.W.G music: lost - T . W . G
Magic World - Andreas Fechner
Live Jam #18 (LXR, acid8, DCM8, JP-08, Shruthi-1, V-Machine, System-1m, Atmegatron, SX-WSA1, etc.) - Christian's Sonic Spaces
Best Ambient Synth Shootout #28: Technics WSA1- Song 3 - Christian's Sonic Spaces
RS - Song for C (featuring Technics WSA1) - stratomoto
Technics WSA1 / WSAr - Synt Hudba

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #71: Korg M1R - Song 1

Published on Jun 15, 2019 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the first song with the M1R. It's a 16 voice 8-part multitimbral synthesizer based on PCM waveforms.

I used for the recording the following FX chain:
M1R - Alesis Ampliton - Alesis Philtre - Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe - GFI System Specular Reverb 2. Depending on the recorded track some FX are deactivated

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PC via USB for recording. To create the complete song I created and recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track."

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #70: JVC KB-500 - Song 1

Published on Jun 12, 2019 Christian's Sonic Spaces

"This is the first song with the KB-500. You might ask now, what the heck is a JVC KB-500? Well, it's a stereo keyboard from the early 80s. But the sound section seems to be fully analog. And it sounds surprisingly beautiful. Just that it's not possible make any changes to the preset sounds. But that hasn't stoped me to do some ambient with it ;-)

I used for the recording the following FX chain:
KB-500 - Zoom MS-70CDR - Alesis Ampliton - Alesis Philtre - Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe - GFI System Specular Reverb 2. Depending on the recorded track some FX are deactivated.

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PC via USB for recording. To create the complete song I recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. The final song was then mastered with a bit EQ and compression on some tracks and some limiting on the master track."