Here's a Weird One - I'm Buying Hardware Again!

[bones]

Yes, it's true. I bought a KORG Minilogue a couple of weeks ago and today I am picking up a new Roland JP-08 and the keyboard case/controller thing for it. I was super-interested in Korg's Arp Odyssey, until I discovered you can't save patches, which means it's as useless as all my old analogue gear was. I'd also been a bit put off my the mini keys but on the Minilogue they aren't too bad (about a thousand times better than the MS20 controller that came with the Legacy Collection). I'm surprised how easily I have adapted.

[funky koval]

What made you change your mind? I thought you were adamant about working in the box. But yes the minilogue is a fantastic synth.

[iam7zark7]

I've gone back to hardware again too! I am still using Orion as well, but sometimes it is just more fun to start by jamming on hardware. After purging all of my hardware years ago, I found I was missing something. I decided to trade the last piece of cool hardware that I had (a Quasimidi 309 Rave-O-Lution groovebox from my second wave of hardware), for a Korg MS20 Mini. I was immediately inspired and enjoying the tactile experience again. Currently, I have a completely synced and integrated hardware/Orion setup. Too much fun! In the past two years, I have picked up these bits of kit, in the following order:

Roland MC-307
Korg MS20 Mini
Korg SQ-1
Korg KP3
Korg Electribe Sampler 2
Korg Minilogue
Roland AIRA MX-1
Roland JD-Xi
Alesis Micron

-7zark7

[Kriminal]

You onviously dont live on a boat anymore then

[Solid Technica]

I have a chance to grab Korg Microkorg for 100$, is it worth it? For Goa Trance?

[Kriminal]

Not really no. You can get a better VSTi for that price.

[funky koval]

Yeah there really is no point in getting hardware VA's. Vsti equivalents like Dune2, spire etc. are better. Modern hardware analogs on the other hand are worth it.

[bones]

Actually, after spending the whole weekend playing with everything, I can't help but disagree. The Minilogue was to replace the Novation Ultranova for me on stage but there is just no way it is capable of doing that. The lack of effects alone becomes hugely limiting, as does the necessary low polyphony of analogue hardware.

The big problem I've discovered with the Minilogue, though, is that it is way too hard to program. You'd think having all those knobs and switches would be great but the problem is that their positions don't mean anything - I have no idea what settings go with any of the patches and it is all but impossible to program anything from scratch. I've tried the Patch Librarian but it seems to offer no help.

OTOH, the JP-08 has a MANUAL mode, where the sound you hear comes from the current positions of all the controls. It is a much better way of doing it. Unfortunately, the JP-08 has a whole different set of limitations, like no detuning in Unison mode and too many parameters locked away where you can't find them.

Meanwhile, the Ultranova sounds better because it has way more oscillator and filter options. It has five times the polyphony, stacks of effects and I can program it more easily than either of the other hardware synths. It also has a VSTi that I can use to program it from within Orion, plus USB audio I/O.

I really feel like I've dudded myself by getting carried away with how cool the Minilogue looked and how cheap the JP-08 was. Neither of them are as capable as any of the softsynths we use, nor do they sound any better. I'll talk to my bandmate first but I think I am going to return the Minilogue and I'm only keeping the JP-08 because it's a good size for using on my boat - it is a cm or so smaller than my 13" laptop in width and depth. I can't see myself using it on stage, it just doesn't sound good enough to warrant the hassle.

You onviously dont live on a boat anymore then

Of course I do, hence the mini-keys. It has actually been a hassle but I got to set up in someone's office over the weekend, which gave me a chance to really compare everything side-by-side, where I can only have one thing at a time set up on the boat.

[iam7zark7]

The big problem I've discovered with the Minilogue, though, is that it is way too hard to program. You'd think having all those knobs and switches would be great but the problem is that their positions don't mean anything - I have no idea what settings go with any of the patches and it is all but impossible to program anything from scratch. I've tried the Patch Librarian but it seems to offer no help.

Would this help?

From the manual:
Shift+Play Loads the state of the front panel switches and
knobs into the selected Program.
Used to make the sound match the state of the
controls on the front panel.

-7zark7

[bones]

Yes, indeed! Digital manuals is another thing I hate. I looked through it several times for exactly this and missed it. Thanks heaps for finding it. Just out of interest, what page is that on?

Mind you, it still doesn't solve the problem of not being able to see the settings for any of the presets but it will definitely make the Minilogue more useful.

[bones]

I made another interesting discovery last night - the JP-08 has a built-in USB audio interface. It only does 16/44.1, which is fine for live performance. I've got the latency way down and it is performing well. It is listed as a feature on Roland's site but only in a list, there is nothing else written about it and it doesn't get a mention in any reviews I've read.

[Kriminal]

My M-Audio Venom had that. I used to put the guitar thru it and use the FX live on songs i wasnt playing the synth.

[iam7zark7]

Just out of interest, what page is that on?

Shortcuts Page, which is page 49 of the OM_E2.pdf

-7zark7

[bones]

Thanks, mate. Who'd have thought a real analogue synth would have a shortcuts page?

[bones]

Oops! I did it again. I bought the JU-06 (Juno 106) module yesterday. It is finally one worth having. In fact, it sounds great. Unlike the JP-08, there are heaps of really usable sounds in the presets and because it is a much simpler synth, the controls are a lot better laid out and more usable (the sliders have almost twice the travel). I never really paid much attention to the Juno synths back in the day, they seemed far too basic to be worthwhile, but if this thing is any indication, that was a stupid thing to have done. It sounds absolutely huge when you want it to and it has a really fast envelope (yes, just one ADSR), so it's nice and sharp.

I've offloaded the Minilogue to my band-mate, so I'll probably never see it again but that doesn't bother me, really, it is the least interesting of my three purchases. The JU-06, however, is definitely a keeper and I will absolutely want to use it live. I might even find a few uses for the JP-08 on stage.