Please help! FX and MIDI..

[readingnleeds!:)]

Hi, im in a band which has recently decided on having a synth incOrperated into our tracks . I have played the piano for quite a while but have no cLue On synths. I currently play bass but miGht Swap over. WouId anyone please be able to help me by telling me what i need tO be able to record and play live synth wwiith a generic rock band setup as cheaply as possible.i know almost nothing about them.

is it possible to buy an effects box or something that i can just connect to the midi output of any keyboardand then have an output in the effects boox running to an amp, pa system or recording device?

thanks

 

[Moogulator]

2.) it is possible, there are lots of FX Boxes out there, even performable ones like the http://www.sequencer.de/syns/korg Korg Kaoss Pads

0) Welcome to the Forum

1) Hmm, thats not so much about your real wishes about sounds. It sounds more like your band wanted it and you "have to do it" but you do not really enjoy that feeling? If so it will be a hard job, since a good and real synthesizer player needs to know a bit about synthesis and how to play sounds. aaaand: you possibly need sounds to keep up with guitars..

I / we do not know anything about the sounds you'd like to make or do you just want "another piano" - there are simple Sample-based Synthesizers out there and Workstations that are made for those not so visionary to "do the standards". most of these also make a nice synth, too..

pleaaase, don't feel bad about this - it's just to check what you really want and like. there's much you might love. at least there's http://www.sequencer.de/syns/moog Moog - easy to use analog synths to those sample based synths and everything between.

so tell us, what kind of sound do you want to play and perform?

 

[readingnleeds!:)]

hi,thanks for the quick reply, it was erm...quick. interesting thinking. i am often in charge or coming up with songs and the band have just decided we are a bit bored witht the currrent monotonous same old route and we would like to broaden out and experiment a bit. recently i have got into alot of drum and bass music and i especially like pendulum. if i were to be writing songs it would be simular to their stuf when they play live as when the play live apart they play with guitars, bass and drums onstage and just have the one synth player for effects. so i dont really know what sounds but something that would suit that. seeingg as i know nothing about synths i cant really describe the sounds pendulum use but you may have heard of them!

 

[readingnleeds!:)]

oh also i do play quite a bit of piano so it would just be mastering the sounds i would need to do but i have plenty of spare time and i normally pick things up relatively quickly

thanks

 

[Moogulator]

Ah, good to hear.

Well, they sound much like you need at least one cool synth (can be analog, but doesn't HAVe to be), a sample based drummachine or computer.

ever considered a microkorg or is it too small? if so try the ms2000 (used). why? you seem to be into DnB kind of sounds - Thats something these synth can do. of course you need to build cool sounds on it, but that one comes with the fascination.

I mean: authentic kind of sounds. Those 2 will do synth sounds, not really "natural" kind of sounds.
Imo you can do cool "club" (well, the euro-kind of clubs - don't know the US kind of club sound - means: electro). Cheap: The Novation Synths - they aren't bad..

do you have something to make those drums or do you plan your drummer do that job? some of these pendulum tracks are strictly 2step (that means: the snare is always on and at the same place)..
anyway: ..

Of course there's many more, but maybe a good and not so expensive test..?

the drummachine: well, the easiest way is to have one that is based on samples, your own samples..
depends..

 

[readingnleeds!:)]

hi again, i suppose sounds arent that important, well i want them to be good but there doesnt have to be a huuuuge variety. i mean, im just starting out and seeing how it goes. Are you saying that if i have a drum machine i would be able to put effects that i had bought onto it and have pretty much any sounds? if i had a drum machine would i be able to operate it from the box or would i also need a keyboard to plug into it? I really just want the cheapest possible way to run a synth that i could play with a band.

The drummer would be erm...drumming and i would not be using loops on a computer or a drum machine for that part. how much are the cheapest korg synths?i am on a really low budget. would the chepapest way be to run a usb keyboard through a computer with some kinda software? (if you can do that kinda thing). would it be possible to do that with a live band becasue there may be some lag and a delay between pressing a key and the sounds actually coming out?

 

[Moogulator]

Hmm, not exactly about drummachines: I just wanted to be able to perform drums and change sounds on stage. it will be possible to process ext. sounds on some of them (electribes, elektron..)
you do NOT need any keyboard for performing on one but you need some fingers to get it sound LIVE instead of some dull pattern hammering though your tracks and thats it..

so, you can change FX on the drum sounds, changes pitches and rhythm, flam and shuffle etc. change the hihats a little bit or add another dynamics to it. It's possible to program stuff of course, too.

your drummer should be able and willing to play with a click or to have some patterns playing along with it and some without.
you can use all loops from that machine (if it's a sampling machine).

korg synths or electribes (beat stuffs)? the tribe s is about 250-300€ and falling, the SX is the bigger one holding better, longer quality samples at 400€. in the UK it might a bit more atm.
software: works fine, too: reason! even the older 3.0 one is ok.
it featuers samplers and something which is quite like the electribes, not as "knobby" as hardware but nice and cool enough.

you do not NEED to use "chase light" sequencing, but it helps on stage - or just play on those pads in real time and record. there are other machines of course.

lag time: imho it is no problem as long as your latency is below 6ms, if you want it as "FX box" (the computer) yuo need 3ms to get no more than 6ms total latency.

 

[readingnleeds!:)]

right ok. im really sorry but i lost you a bit on that last post. i really have almost absolutely no knowledge at all on this stuff. would you please be able to just tell me the cheapest and best way you recomend me to do this. if the computer is the way forward would i have to have the sound coming out of the computers sound output - would this effect qualoty and would i then need a really good pc? thanks

 

[Moogulator]

better a nice macbook in that case since ALL built in sound systems of PC are unusable and got unacceptable latency, it's about 999€, but of course any dual core laptop with Win will do, too. The important thing is to have a low latency with your audio interface, so at least it MUSt be below 3ms per i/o then which is nice with firewire and with newer USB 2.0 audio interfaces as well.

maybe a nice FX box is cooler for live if you really only want FX on something, but with audio clips and tracks and recording on stage you'd be well with ableton live

looks like I've overlooked this post, deep sorry.