electro-music.com   Dedicated to experimental electro-acoustic
and electronic music
 
    Front Page  |  Radio
 |  Media  |  Forum  |  Wiki  |  Links
Forum with support of Syndicator RSS
 FAQFAQ   CalendarCalendar   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   LinksLinks
 RegisterRegister   ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in  Chat RoomChat Room 
 Forum index » Clavia Nord Modular » Nord Modular G2 Discussion
For those on the fence about the sound of the G2....
Post new topic   Reply to topic Moderators: Nord Modular Editors
Page 1 of 5 [107 Posts]
View unread posts
View new posts in the last week
Mark the topic unread :: View previous topic :: View next topic
Goto page: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Next
Author Message
adamg



Joined: Jun 20, 2006
Posts: 3
Location: Cheltenham, PA USA

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 7:10 pm    Post subject:  For those on the fence about the sound of the G2....
Subject description: Warm up the G2
Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

No great revelation here. I just wanted to report my experience in case it could be helpful.

I was considering selling my G2X because I was a bit uncomfortable with the sound - namely that it lacked cajones, attitude, warmth, whatever you want to call it. I liked the sound as far as it went but I couldn't see it being at the center of my system. I saw all kinds of potential in this machine. The feature set is sick and the versatility is unrivaled. It's just that the overall sound character was leaving me a little cold.

For $300, I bought a used HHB Radius 30 stereo tube compressor off of ebay, mainly for utilitarian studio purposes. I thought, "Put the G2X through this thing and see what it sounds like before you sell it."

Well this was exactly what the doctor ordered. Even without engaging the compression circuit, just the tube stage was enough to really warm things without egregiously coloring the sound. The HHB has a tube drive LED that glows according to how much the tube is driven. With this visual cue combined with...well...my ears, and by playing with the output level of the G2X and the input and output levels of the HHB, I was able to control how much the tubes colored the sound. I found that I could achieve some very subtle warmth that allowed the G2X to be itself but "better." As you might expect, bass sounds and strings really benefit from this. The ability dial in the tube sound at will means that G2X can go from unchanged to something else entirely.

Now of course, many of you may be thinking "Well...duh! Tubes=warmth, fatness, etc. Stop the presses!" And I agree, BUT...I was pleasantly surprised that the HHB made enough sonic difference that I felt I was able to keep the G2X and be really satisfied with what I was hearing. For those of you on the fence about the sound of the G2X, you owe it to yourself to listen to it through a decent tube compressor. It may be the difference between buying or not. And for those of you already committed to this wonderful instrument, you may well fall in love all over again.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Afro88



Joined: Jun 20, 2004
Posts: 701
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Audio files: 12
G2 patch files: 79

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 7:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I would love to hear some before/after wav's. Any chance you could do a little recording? Thanks Very Happy
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
paul e.



Joined: Sep 22, 2003
Posts: 1567
Location: toronto, canada
Audio files: 2

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 9:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

makes complete sense to me.... this has also been an eye-opener for me recently

[altho not directly with a G2 per se...but synths in general...well, most things really]

then again

don;t forget what an excellent optical/solid state processor can bring to the party

but yeah....

_________________
Spiral Recordings
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Tim Kleinert



Joined: Mar 12, 2004
Posts: 1148
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Audio files: 7
G2 patch files: 236

PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I tried extensively playing the G2 through a Manley Voxbox. The resulting coloration was nice in the beginning, but started to bore me after a while. It sounded like an overlaying effect, which in fact it is. If it floats your boat, great.

I nevertheless didn't sell the G2. (Have two G2X standing here). I actually hate the "Clavia sound", but love the concept, unmatched flexibility and ease of use of this instrument.

Some folks claim that the G2 is so flexible that you can get any sound characteristic you want -that the dissatisfaction with the sound is due only to your lack of patching skills and therefore your own fault. I don't buy that anymore. I've been working intensively with the G2 over more than 2 years, and don't think that I'm all too unclever, patching-wise. And still, the G2 sounds like all Clavia synths do: punchy and crystal clear, but rather sober and cold. Hey, it is a Clavia synth, after all.Wink Nothing wrong with that.

(I mean, it cannot be true. Otherwise, nobody would buy analog hardware anymore. Everybody would just buy a G2 and download the respective patches. I don't think that all analog hardware folks are deluded gear-whores. Eg., I've heard many distortion circuits on the G2, and some are very nice by themselves. But even the lowly Proco Rat distortion pedal blows them all out of water. I hear that happen every day in the studio. Really. Sketch something out with a soft synth -"OK". Replace it with an analog sound source -"Ahaaaa!" Like Walter Sear said -it's like shooting fish in a barrel. That's why I don't discuss the A/D thing anymore. People who claim that there is no difference are deluding themselves, for whatever motive.)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jksuperstar



Joined: Aug 20, 2004
Posts: 2503
Location: Denver
Audio files: 1
G2 patch files: 18

PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Anyone try patching out the oscillators to the tubes via 3/4 in outs, then back in before the filters? Then it might not be such an overlay effect, but, you won't be getting anything more than mono...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
tombola



Joined: Mar 11, 2005
Posts: 84
Location: London
Audio files: 3
G2 patch files: 9

PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

tim wrote:
I actually hate the "Clavia sound", but love the concept, unmatched flexibility and ease of use of this instrument.


+1

Although every so often, it does surprise me by sounding really rich and warm and organic - like the Resonators patch I found a while back
http://electro-music.com/forum/post-82210.html#82210

_________________
http://www.musicthing.co.uk/
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
The Why Project



Joined: Dec 05, 2004
Posts: 118
Location: Ireland
G2 patch files: 3

PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 2:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

tim wrote:
Like Walter Sear said -it's like shooting fish in a barrel. That's why
I don't discuss the A/D thing anymore. People who claim that
there is no difference are deluding themselves, for whatever motive.)


Ah, Walter must be one of most recording-wise people on the planet!
His studio credo "The recorded sound sucks, we're trying to make it
better." is a whole truth too.
Now, listening to the latest Sonic Youth album, the recorded sound doesn't
really suck, and they managed to make it a lot better at Sear Sound Very Happy

Anyway, I think it's not right to speak about a "Clavia" sound... I still
haven't managed to make my G2 sound as 'biting' as my MM.
For me it comes back to flavours... I like to have as many flavours
available as possible, and the G2 is just one of them.
The problem comes with the fact that the G2 is capable of stuff that none
of my other devices is capable of (except the PC & packages like
Reaktor), but certainly none of my analogue stuff. That means that the
G2 isn't just a flavour anymore... and things get complicated
I don't have the space to start a full MOTM collection, and even if I would
have the space, it probably still couldn't do what the G2 can do...

So yes, I do resort to outboard to change the sound of the G2 to
something that's either more manageable or just better sounding in my
mixes. That's not a good or bad thing, as I do that most of the time with
most of my other devices in the studio too...


Regards,

The Why Project

Last edited by The Why Project on Thu Aug 03, 2006 5:41 am; edited 2 times in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Afro88



Joined: Jun 20, 2004
Posts: 701
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Audio files: 12
G2 patch files: 79

PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 2:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

tim wrote:
I tried extensively playing the G2 through a Manley Voxbox. The resulting coloration was nice in the beginning, but started to bore me after a while. It sounded like an overlaying effect, which in fact it is. If it floats your boat, great.

I nevertheless didn't sell the G2. (Have two G2X standing here). I actually hate the "Clavia sound", but love the concept, unmatched flexibility and ease of use of this instrument.


I know you've tried it, but I'll say it again - Rob's tilt. My G2 doesn't sound like a G2, it sounds like a really nice synth that I love playing. And it IS all in the top end. It's normally overbalanced toward the top, and that makes it sound weak, because the top end grabs your attention before the bottom can. Tilt it. Cool
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
cebec



Joined: Apr 19, 2004
Posts: 1098
Location: Virginia
Audio files: 3
G2 patch files: 31

PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 8:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Afro88 wrote:
tim wrote:
I tried extensively playing the G2 through a Manley Voxbox. The resulting coloration was nice in the beginning, but started to bore me after a while. It sounded like an overlaying effect, which in fact it is. If it floats your boat, great.

I nevertheless didn't sell the G2. (Have two G2X standing here). I actually hate the "Clavia sound", but love the concept, unmatched flexibility and ease of use of this instrument.


I know you've tried it, but I'll say it again - Rob's tilt. My G2 doesn't sound like a G2, it sounds like a really nice synth that I love playing. And it IS all in the top end. It's normally overbalanced toward the top, and that makes it sound weak, because the top end grabs your attention before the bottom can. Tilt it. Cool


This has been my experience as well. I cannot recommend Rob's tilt filter enough. IMO, nearly all digital synthesis could use a little tilting, at the very least...

http://electro-music.com/forum/post-46613.html#46613

I'm not sure I buy into a 'Clavia' sound, per se, either, especially when you can DIY so much on the G2. Yes, D/A has an effect on what we hear but after it's passed through my soundcard's A/D/A and out my headphones and speakers, and perhaps via Rob's tilt circuit, and is mixed in with other signals, I think it's moot at this point. In any case, I like the sound very much, and I've seen performances which were solely G2 and the audience went wild and the sound was stunning through the modest PA.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
mosc
Site Admin


Joined: Jan 31, 2003
Posts: 18197
Location: Durham, NC
Audio files: 212
G2 patch files: 60

PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 11:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

cebec wrote:
I've seen performances which were solely G2 and the audience went wild and the sound was stunning through the modest PA.

I think I have a good idea of where you might have heard this. Wink

_________________
--Howard
my music and other stuff
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website AIM Address
Kassen
Janitor
Janitor


Joined: Jul 06, 2004
Posts: 7678
Location: The Hague, NL
G2 patch files: 3

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 7:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I dunno, there is a whole host of things that affect the G2's end sound... Some are fixable, others not still others are there because of trade-offs.


For some reason these days people believe a synth needs to sound finished out of the box. Well, newsflash; buying a minimoog won't instatnly make you sound like Air. It's actually quire are for tracks to feature un treated 909's as well.

_________________
Kassen
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
sheridan



Joined: Jun 05, 2005
Posts: 473
Location: London, England
Audio files: 27
G2 patch files: 60

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

While I do understand the above complainants' points about the 'overall' or 'typical' sound that comes from a G2 as I too have been somewhat disappointed on occasion, I also agree with the Spectrum Tilters' point for the most part. Having experimented with Rob's Spectrum Tilter though, I would have to add that it doesn't work its magic on all sounds - I remember trying it on some and thinking that it sounded better without it.

To me, the benefit of the G2 is that if I need the filter to be more pronounced, I can add a band pass filter to shadow the 1st filter's movement, or if I want more bass in a sound, I can add a sine oscillator, or if I want more modulation options, I can just patch them in... basically, sonic possibilities are endless.

The downside of this (in my opinion) is the time it takes to build and tweak my patches. It's an investment... the more time you put in, the more you get out of it. Nowadays, people just want everything now and without wanting to put any effort into it... those people will be bored of the G2 before long because the current factory sets are... well, you know what they are.

Anyone buying a G2 thinking it was a Virus would surely be dissapointed as it does have a different 'flavour', but to buy a G2 with a Virus would be most beneficial... so rather than selling a G2, surely it would be better to save up and buy another synth to compliment it - it's not like you can't get any good sounds out of one, is it? Just look on this website for some great sounds! Very Happy

Great topic by the way!

_________________
transformer Sheridan

Hear music and Nord Modular G2 patches and find out music production tips at
http://www.nitetimeproductions.co.uk
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
paul e.



Joined: Sep 22, 2003
Posts: 1567
Location: toronto, canada
Audio files: 2

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

tim wrote:
I tried extensively playing the G2 through a Manley Voxbox. The resulting coloration was nice in the beginning, but started to bore me after a while. It sounded like an overlaying effect, which in fact it is. If it floats your boat, great.



an all or nothing approach?

obviously using the same sonic-technique for every sound will end up working against you

tubes have the colouring affect

a very good optical compressor can be very transparent, yet still add lots of 'umph' and alter tonal charactereistic without so much of an 'effect' on sounds

taken together, tubes and optical/VCA etc are really great ways to 'float a boat'

_________________
Spiral Recordings
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
paul e.



Joined: Sep 22, 2003
Posts: 1567
Location: toronto, canada
Audio files: 2

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 10:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Kassen wrote:


Well, newsflash; buying a minimoog won't instatnly make you sound like Air. It's actually quire are for tracks to feature un treated 909's as well.


the thread isn;t about this... and is not a newsflash to 99% of members here btw

_________________
Spiral Recordings
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Tim Kleinert



Joined: Mar 12, 2004
Posts: 1148
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Audio files: 7
G2 patch files: 236

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

paul e. wrote:
tim wrote:
I tried extensively playing the G2 through a Manley Voxbox. The resulting coloration was nice in the beginning, but started to bore me after a while. It sounded like an overlaying effect, which in fact it is. If it floats your boat, great.



an all or nothing approach?

obviously using the same sonic-technique for every sound will end up working against you

tubes have the colouring affect

a very good optical compressor can be very transparent, yet still add lots of 'umph' and alter tonal charactereistic without so much of an 'effect' on sounds

taken together, tubes and optical/VCA etc are really great ways to 'float a boat'



Nobody said otherwise.

Personally, I just don't agree anymore with the "tilt filter" concept. I don't agree with the notion that analog sounds have less energy in the higher sonic spectrum (think 3k+). It isn't consistent with fact. If I engage FM, ring mod or sync on good analog equipment (no filtering), I get high frequency energy that makes the G2 sound positively dull. But: the high frequency content is of far superior quality. (Anybody who has ever heard eg. linear FM on a Wiard VCO will know what I mean.)

So -the reason why a digital synth will benefit from a tilt filter isn't because this is closer to the frequency behaviour of analog circuitry -that just isn't true. The real reason why it will benefit from this is because its high frequency content is of vastly inferior quality compared to analog. Which is logical: The higher the signal frequency, the more it gets jittered by the sampling frequency. In a 96k system, the partials at 12k (the 'air' frequencies) are represented by approx. 8 samples. So, frequencies in that region, which are heavily non-integer to the sampling-frequency, will get some heavy bashing. Sure, that's what we have anti-alias filters for. But those are most commonly at the output of the signal chain. They are not necessarily present within the digital algorithm (as sinc filters). And -they are surely not present within the modular structures of a G2 patch. Which means that aliasing errors will accumulate within the most simple patch. Eg., even if oscillators use bandlimiting in order to prevent aliasing (they do), that doesn't mean that multiplying their outputs to obtain a ringmodulated signal will be aliasing free. (Even if I bandlimit the oscillator outputs to half the sampling rate, the sum frequencies of a ringmodulation process will be above half the sampling rate, and therefore fold back.)

In a digital modular system, you'd need bandlimited interpolation almost at every corner.

Everybody talks of "fat", "bass", "oomph" when talking about analog. But I must say -I have no problem whatsoever getting bass and oomph out of my digital equipment. That's just an issue of equalisation and transients -easy to do. Where the digital equipment fails, is the "air", the "sparkle" of the sound -the stuff above 8k.

When you use tubes, you just mask that inferior high frequency content with saturation harmonics. Or, if you use compressors, you mask it by shifting the ears attention away from the frequency content towards the transient of the sound. But -these are masking attempts. Nothing wrong with that. But just call it what it is. It's like using a strong spice to mask an unpleasant flavor in the food you intend to eat. Which is a way of "rocking your boat" -especially when you are hungry. Wink

Talking of Walter Sear: he built an analog desk himself (from API parts IIRC), which is linear up to 50k. His claim:"There's alot of music up there!" Go figure.

I'm not saying all this to bash the G2. I have two of these dudes here and they see heavy daily use, both of them. But I think one can like and use a piece of equipment and still be aware of its shortcomings.

cheers,
tim
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
paul e.



Joined: Sep 22, 2003
Posts: 1567
Location: toronto, canada
Audio files: 2

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 6:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Quote:


When you use tubes, you just mask that inferior high frequency content with saturation harmonics. Or, if you use compressors, you mask it by shifting the ears attention away from the frequency content towards the transient of the sound. But -these are masking attempts. Nothing wrong with that. But just call it what it is.

cheers,
tim


masking?...as in 'hiding' the 'pure' sound?

maybe...i find pure sound too pure anyway..and impossible

i also like dark ale

so i guess i like 'masking'..hehe

altho i dont like the word you used..'masking'..it is not quite correct and has a negative conotation



and, what do you mean 'inferior' high frequency content..inferior to what?

digital ?

again, we can all have opinions on what is 'superior'..

it's subjective..

------

this thread was about adding 'warmth' from a tube compressor on a G2..to give it a certain 'something' that some feel is lacking

not about digital vs analog... or even what the theory is behind it all ...altho it does sound very fancy ,it can trick one into thinking it is an objective science, and 'superiority' can be measured

it was just one individuals experience using tubes, and he wanted to share that

i happen to concur with him...subjectively

and i would also use many other options to add that 'something' to music...VCA..optical..tubes..radio shack mics..etc etc..or, very occasionaly, as close to a 'straight wire with gain' i.e cleanly as possible..altho i find this the least interesting of all approaches

i am not interested in pure sine waves or non-masked sound [whatever that is anyway]..

_________________
Spiral Recordings
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Afro88



Joined: Jun 20, 2004
Posts: 701
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Audio files: 12
G2 patch files: 79

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 6:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Fair call Tim. I didn't realise aliasing was that much of a problem in the G2...

To be completely honest, I much prefer the sound of a plain, anti-aliased saw/pulse osc with the tilt filter applied. This is actually one of the main reasons I use the tilt, so I can crank the filter wide open and it actually sounds really nice and "phat" (for want of a better word). Transients sound better too, because the top end of the click doesn't sound so... toppy. There is alot of research behind Rob's tilt, I don't think the reason it sounds good is because it masks aliasing present in the top end (although on badly aliasing synths it certainly would help to do this).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Tim Kleinert



Joined: Mar 12, 2004
Posts: 1148
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Audio files: 7
G2 patch files: 236

PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 2:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Well, I said I wasn't willing to discuss it -and here I am discussing it after all. Laughing Ah well... Never mind, folks.

Paul-- Sure, tubes are cool. Sorry if the word "masking" had a negative connotation to you. Call it "warming" or "masking" -do words matter? In the world of music, using words to describe sound is pretty inaccurate anyway. Why attach values to it? Anyhow, one could think of "warming" as "masking the cold". Laughing Wink

If the original poster says that you owe it to yourself to experience the G2 processed with tube equipment -who could disagree? I don't. I did that and it is useful -for some applications. And if Paul suggests to expand the range of processors to include compressors, VCAs and whatnot -hey, great! All I'm saying is that these are -uh, well Confused - masking, or warming, or polishing or-whatever-you-want-to-call-it procedures. This implies that the source signal needs such treatment. All I pointed out is why this is so.

But -the famous adage applies here: If you polish a turd it is still a turd. Not that the G2 is a turd by any means (again, I repeat, I have two of them and love them dearly!), but if your frequencies above 8-12k are fishy, no kind of processing will cure it. You can only mask it by means of -well- the tilt filter, EQ, saturation, or whatever. So, depending on the patch, if the high frequencies do not matter that much, then this is a viable way to "float your boat". I do that too. However, if you are looking for that "air", it won't work.

Ever tried to synthesize an acoustic string section? Filter FM is the secret. I've got scaringly realistic string sections out many analog synths this way -Prophet5, Sunsyn, Andromeda. Subtle filter FM coupled with a bit amout of resonance gives me an airy high frequency content that is pristine and clear. Do that on the G2 (or any digital synth)? Forget it. I've tried. After about 6 to 8k the highs start to get funky. Filter FM is very hard to nail digitally. (This isn't "subjective". It is a measurable and mathematically explainable fact.) So then I use the tilt filter and now? It just gets dull. The opposite of what I want. So here's a situation where the tilt filter, or tubes, or whatever, will not "float your boat". I run into this problem often. It is, unfortunately, a digital/analog issue. Sorry about that. Smile (And sure -you could argue "Who needs synthesized strings in the age of multisamples"? True. It's just me. I get a kick of synthesizing such things on analog equipment. Like in the 'good old days'. Just nostalgia. Smile )

So yeah, I do care about sine waves around 12k. I care about "pure sound" in the way that I don't like those frequencies being jittered by the sampling frequency. Just because the Nyquist theorem holds true for recording audio doesn't mean that it holds true for generating audio. The reason why all this came up in the first place is only beacuse tilting or saturating the signal is a good way to mask artefacts caused by the limits of a digital system. It works well -but not always. That's all I'm saying.

But, I said I wasn't going to discuss it Laughing ...so I'll shut up.

peace & cheers to all,
tim
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Afro88



Joined: Jun 20, 2004
Posts: 701
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Audio files: 12
G2 patch files: 79

PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 5:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Thanks for posting that Tim. We're coming from different areas of synthesis, or different styles of music even. I don't really do much FM stuff, so I don't run into the type of aliasing you're talking about. I agree, you can't polish a turd, and if the top end of FM stuff sounds off, there's no point putting the tilt filter or any other filter/saturation on it.

What I use the G2 for is traditional subtractive stuff taken in different directions (like osc/s -> filter/s with interesting modulation, colouration and playability options). For this, I think the tilt filter does wonders and makes these patches sound very nice. The top end doesn't sound off, it just sounds out of balance with the rest of the spectrum. My G2 gets most of it's use with these types of patches, and hence I'm a big fan of the tilt filter.

Sorry to push you to discuss Tim, I now understand where you're coming from, and realise maybe why I shy away from FM sounds on the G2. Thanks Smile
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Kassen
Janitor
Janitor


Joined: Jul 06, 2004
Posts: 7678
Location: The Hague, NL
G2 patch files: 3

PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 6:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

paul e. wrote:

the thread isn;t about this... and is not a newsflash to 99% of members here btw


Sorry, paul, I meant "newsflash" ironically.

Still; I don't think it's that off-topic... I mean Rob made his custom filter to change the character of the G2, many people feed the Mini's output back into the input to change it's character (putting positive feedback on it's filter).

I didn't mean that as a spectacular revelation, just as a little context.

_________________
Kassen
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
paul e.



Joined: Sep 22, 2003
Posts: 1567
Location: toronto, canada
Audio files: 2

PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 10:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

tim wrote:

If the original poster says that you owe it to yourself to experience the G2 processed with tube equipment -who could disagree? I don't. I did that and it is useful -for some applications.



actually you said "The resulting coloration [of tubes] was nice in the beginning, but started to bore me after a while. "

i pointed out to you using a VoxBox on a G2 each time you record, is probably the reason why it 'bored' you..

transparent compression may have provided whhat you were looking for

but now you are saying these 'masking' techniques are as good as 'polishing turds'...

it's not just a G2 that this technique applies to..i can;t comment on the G2 per se....i don;t use it

you seem to imply using processing like tubes, or VCA compressors is to 'hide' or mask something 'bad'..a pure sound..

in all cases? with all instruments ?

sorry, but i disagree ...
but yeah ,as you say..words...who needs 'em ?

(insert use of ironic emoticon here) Wink

_________________
Spiral Recordings
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
paul e.



Joined: Sep 22, 2003
Posts: 1567
Location: toronto, canada
Audio files: 2

PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 10:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

btw..is anyone else getting bored by the perpetual "Sound of the G2" threads?

some newish member makes a useful post regarding using post processing on a G2..i segued it into a more general disussion about using such devices...

and the thread ends up being a heavy dialogue about the ins and outs of the G2

i notice the orginal poster is nowhere to be seen now

scared off...maybe just disinterested

again....to the orginal poster....

yup, i agree....using tubes...vca..optical...eq's...reverbs..delays..on tthe G2..on a kazoo....on a guitar..on softsynth

it's worthwhile

why ? it 's fun...musical.......not boring...not masking/hiding...it's 'getting jiggy'

when that is lost, it's just science

put away the sliderules

_________________
Spiral Recordings
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Tim Kleinert



Joined: Mar 12, 2004
Posts: 1148
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Audio files: 7
G2 patch files: 236

PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 1:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

paul e. wrote:
tim wrote:

If the original poster says that you owe it to yourself to experience the G2 processed with tube equipment -who could disagree? I don't. I did that and it is useful -for some applications.


actually you said "The resulting coloration [of tubes] was nice in the beginning, but started to bore me after a while. "

i pointed out to you using a VoxBox on a G2 each time you record, is probably the reason why it 'bored' you..


No. What bored me was not getting the sound I wanted. If your high frequency content is clouded by digital inaccuracies, a Manley Voxbox will not cure that. Neither will transparent compression.

Quote:
but now you are saying these 'masking' techniques are as good as 'polishing turds'...


All I said that once your signal is wrecked by artefacts, no amount of treatment will magically "restore" it. You can only "mask" it. Lost information is lost -forever. Please read more carefully what I wrote. And yes, digital inaccuracies qualify as "turds" in my book. YMMV.

Quote:
you seem to imply using processing like tubes, or VCA compressors is to 'hide' or mask something 'bad'..a pure sound..


On the contrary. And I even apologized for the fact that my previous statements seemed to have a negative connotation for you. Again, you didn't really read what I wrote.

Quote:
but yeah ,as you say..words...who needs 'em ?

(insert use of ironic emoticon here) Wink


Well, if they aren't read properly, yeah -who needs them? Wink

Quote:
btw..is anyone else getting bored by the perpetual "Sound of the G2" threads?


If it bores you, why do you participate? This was a "G2 sound" thread from the very beginning: How to process the sound of the G2. And this is the G2 subsection of EM after all. Regarding this and the fact that you don't even own a G2, I don't quite see that you are justified to complain.

Maybe, if you had a G2, you'd be obsessing over the "G2 sound" too. Laughing Wink

Come on, Paul, let's not get into a row over this. Peace, buddy.

best to all,
tim

Last edited by Tim Kleinert on Sat Aug 05, 2006 1:39 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Tim Kleinert



Joined: Mar 12, 2004
Posts: 1148
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Audio files: 7
G2 patch files: 236

PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 1:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Afro88 wrote:
That I use the G2 for is traditional subtractive stuff taken in different directions (like osc/s -> filter/s with interesting modulation, colouration and playability options). For this, I think the tilt filter does wonders and makes these patches sound very nice. The top end doesn't sound off, it just sounds out of balance with the rest of the spectrum. My G2 gets most of it's use with these types of patches, and hence I'm a big fan of the tilt filter.


Ah, the tilter is great. I've also got alot of mileage out of the EQ modules, which I think are quite good actually. To my ears, they sound superior than eg. the EQs of a Yamaha 01V96 digital mixer. I like to take a peaking EQ at 3k, maximum width (2 octaves), and knock off 2 to 3 dBs around there. Takes out those "plasticky" frequencies, but retains the "air". Another favourite is to use static phasing filters with a few notches, tweaked so that some very subtle formants are introduced and the highs are rolled off too. I got some cool 70s vintage synth frequency responses this way.

On the outside: Don't underestimate a good analog mixer. I still use an old Mackie, but have been meaning to pick up one of those small Midas mixers. They sound very good.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
elektro80
Site Admin


Joined: Mar 25, 2003
Posts: 21959
Location: Norway
Audio files: 14

PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 1:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

tim wrote:


On the outside: Don't underestimate a good analog mixer. I still use an old Mackie, but have been meaning to pick up one of those small Midas mixers. They sound very good.


Midas mixers = excellent gear!

Good choice.

_________________
A Charity Pantomime in aid of Paranoid Schizophrenics descended into chaos yesterday when someone shouted, "He's behind you!"

MySpace
SoundCloud
Flickr
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic Moderators: Nord Modular Editors
Page 1 of 5 [107 Posts]
View unread posts
View new posts in the last week
Goto page: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Next
Mark the topic unread :: View previous topic :: View next topic
 Forum index » Clavia Nord Modular » Nord Modular G2 Discussion
Jump to:  

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum


Forum with support of Syndicator RSS
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
Copyright © 2003 through 2009 by electro-music.com - Conditions Of Use