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petitsynthe « Strings pocket »
Published on 08/29/14 at 15:15
Best value:
Excellent
The Streichfett (what a name!) Is small enough to be portable but big enough to handle so nice (to give you an idea of its size, it is a square with each side is the length of an outstretched hand) .
Its size also makes it can be put on the side of too much synths provided with knobs (eg a Kronos 88): This is very convenient!
The overall build quality seems pretty good against a small square buttons transparent sound select me seem fragile: robustness check on time.
As for the quality / price ratio, it looks very good to me.
To avoid confusion, I recall that this is not an analog machine, but a kind of VA (ie digital) specializing in string machine sounds.
(No samples either).
I have bone 1.07, OS 1.08 available soon should improve the sound and eliminate a relative "aggressiveness" in the treble.
UTILIZATION
In terms of ergonomics: it can not be simpler and efficient, comes to hand (except 2 or 3 settings like choosing the midi channel).
SOUNDS
I said that although they had a lot of vintage synths and hovering adoring sounds, I have never owned a string curiously machines era (or imitating VST). But I can make a comparison with the sounds of string embedded in my workstation (so based on samples) machine:
- Vintage roland SRJV-04 card on my Roland XP-50 (well, ok this time!) Patch Solina was not bad at all, but being stuck on a single registry setting that limits a little ... from plus he was suffering from acute aliasing in octaves that made it unusable in this frequency range. This is obviously not the case on the Streichfett!
- As for the Korg Kronos, I just looked for Outer Banks dedicated "string machine" but they do not exist (I point against an excellent mellotron!)
In Kronos, the internal sounds of string machines are very few and I must say pretty average although you can certainly greatly improve things through the power of synthesis and effects.
- Regarding my Yamaha Motif XS, like, two or three sounds passable string machines.
Compared with samples machines cited above we have:
- A much better presence across the spectrum, especially in the treble.
- We have all the records of string Machine is so much more diverse!
- We all just settings (although to quickly tailor the sound to a song or to test a sound).
Some still negative as regards the effects (but certainly correctable in future OS) point
The effect of "all" is essential to machine strings is successful but I wanted to make some adjustments or at least be able to measure its effect.
Too bad that one can also adjust the speed of phaser regardless of its depth because I like when he scans both long and deep.
Musically speaking, the fact Streichfett on immediately evokes a lot of music of 74-81 years, it's going to progressive music (eg pink floyd "whish you were here", "animals"), to the space music (eg klaus schulze "Timewind" tangerine dream "Force Majeure" and "Tangram" jar "oxygen") at the beginning of the new wave / cold wave (eg, joy division "atmosphere" / "love wil tear us apart", "closer").
But it does not stop there since the machines were present in string also quite generic TV (eg Francois de Roubaix), Japanese cartoons and even movies "olé Oles" (or just those girls take off their strings!).
In short, both say they have marked the time when it was the only way to get closer to the sound of a set of acoustic strings without breaking the bank. In fact, it did poorly because too synthetic but in hindsight what makes their charm! (Much like the mellotron).
But the machines string were discontinued in the 80s precisely because too connoted 70's: the first samplers, better mimicking the real strings, and the breaking DX7 have been there ...
It seems to me that there was still a slight "revival" in the late 90's with bands like Air ("moon safari") and other groups of the same style.
Somewhat forgotten nowadays so these sounds have a strong personality and grit of their own: they immediately evoke memories for those who lived through that era.
OVERALL OPINION
I'm always amazed that no one had the idea before Waldorf string out a machine dedicated hardware, so we have an abundance of new analog synths often recreate sounds "retro."
This type of machine is definitely a niche market but since this niche is completely empty, I think Waldorf ultimately may not sell bad!
Personally I love is the complement machine I had been waiting a long time but it may not suit everyone as strongly linked to specific styles of music.
And as it is a very typical machine, it will obviously be used with some parsimony in your tracks.
It is certainly highly recommendable for "nostalgic" or lovers of musical styles in a certain time.
Its size also makes it can be put on the side of too much synths provided with knobs (eg a Kronos 88): This is very convenient!
The overall build quality seems pretty good against a small square buttons transparent sound select me seem fragile: robustness check on time.
As for the quality / price ratio, it looks very good to me.
To avoid confusion, I recall that this is not an analog machine, but a kind of VA (ie digital) specializing in string machine sounds.
(No samples either).
I have bone 1.07, OS 1.08 available soon should improve the sound and eliminate a relative "aggressiveness" in the treble.
UTILIZATION
In terms of ergonomics: it can not be simpler and efficient, comes to hand (except 2 or 3 settings like choosing the midi channel).
SOUNDS
I said that although they had a lot of vintage synths and hovering adoring sounds, I have never owned a string curiously machines era (or imitating VST). But I can make a comparison with the sounds of string embedded in my workstation (so based on samples) machine:
- Vintage roland SRJV-04 card on my Roland XP-50 (well, ok this time!) Patch Solina was not bad at all, but being stuck on a single registry setting that limits a little ... from plus he was suffering from acute aliasing in octaves that made it unusable in this frequency range. This is obviously not the case on the Streichfett!
- As for the Korg Kronos, I just looked for Outer Banks dedicated "string machine" but they do not exist (I point against an excellent mellotron!)
In Kronos, the internal sounds of string machines are very few and I must say pretty average although you can certainly greatly improve things through the power of synthesis and effects.
- Regarding my Yamaha Motif XS, like, two or three sounds passable string machines.
Compared with samples machines cited above we have:
- A much better presence across the spectrum, especially in the treble.
- We have all the records of string Machine is so much more diverse!
- We all just settings (although to quickly tailor the sound to a song or to test a sound).
Some still negative as regards the effects (but certainly correctable in future OS) point
The effect of "all" is essential to machine strings is successful but I wanted to make some adjustments or at least be able to measure its effect.
Too bad that one can also adjust the speed of phaser regardless of its depth because I like when he scans both long and deep.
Musically speaking, the fact Streichfett on immediately evokes a lot of music of 74-81 years, it's going to progressive music (eg pink floyd "whish you were here", "animals"), to the space music (eg klaus schulze "Timewind" tangerine dream "Force Majeure" and "Tangram" jar "oxygen") at the beginning of the new wave / cold wave (eg, joy division "atmosphere" / "love wil tear us apart", "closer").
But it does not stop there since the machines were present in string also quite generic TV (eg Francois de Roubaix), Japanese cartoons and even movies "olé Oles" (or just those girls take off their strings!).
In short, both say they have marked the time when it was the only way to get closer to the sound of a set of acoustic strings without breaking the bank. In fact, it did poorly because too synthetic but in hindsight what makes their charm! (Much like the mellotron).
But the machines string were discontinued in the 80s precisely because too connoted 70's: the first samplers, better mimicking the real strings, and the breaking DX7 have been there ...
It seems to me that there was still a slight "revival" in the late 90's with bands like Air ("moon safari") and other groups of the same style.
Somewhat forgotten nowadays so these sounds have a strong personality and grit of their own: they immediately evoke memories for those who lived through that era.
OVERALL OPINION
I'm always amazed that no one had the idea before Waldorf string out a machine dedicated hardware, so we have an abundance of new analog synths often recreate sounds "retro."
This type of machine is definitely a niche market but since this niche is completely empty, I think Waldorf ultimately may not sell bad!
Personally I love is the complement machine I had been waiting a long time but it may not suit everyone as strongly linked to specific styles of music.
And as it is a very typical machine, it will obviously be used with some parsimony in your tracks.
It is certainly highly recommendable for "nostalgic" or lovers of musical styles in a certain time.