Above: The Oberheim OB-X, responsible for (among other things)
many of the synth textures on Rush's classic Moving Pictures album.
many of the synth textures on Rush's classic Moving Pictures album.
This morning's subject of idle, passing rumination (for those into such things) is the merits of what I call "character synths" that provide a specific sonic texture vs. the "do-it-all" modern designs that offer everything but the kitchen sink.
For a while now, I've been kind of big on really deep, complex synths like u-he Zebra that provide a borader canvas on which to paint (sound-wise). It is kind of cool being able to keep stringing oscillators, filters, and all kinds of other components together at will when making a sound, knowing you've got a ton of options at your fingertips to do whatever you want. On the other hand, even synths that claim to be neutral and open-ended still have a certain "sound" of their own that becomes apparent after a while, and they often don't do certain things as well as synths that are dedicated to more specific purposes. The "jack of all trades" thing, I guess.
I've started playing around more with a handful of synths that have simpler layouts and more of a specific sound to them. The two main ones right now are GForce's ImpOSCar and SonicProjects' OP-X Pro. Both are software emulations of classic synths from the early 1980's (the "golden era" of the synthesizer, when synths were still relatively new and made hip by artists like The Eurythmics and Thomas Dolby). Back then, synths only came in the form of expensive and often very bulky hardware. They had far less capabilities, but the good ones had a thick, organic sound to them that software developers are still trying to duplicate in software over two decades later, with varying success.
What I like about ImpOSCar and OP-X is that their focus is on getting a really good fundamental sound with a lot of character rather than incorporating a huge array of complicated options. ImpOSCar in particular has what I think is probably the coolest-sounding filter in any softsynth I've ever heard...ballsy and aggressive and full of personality. OP-X, being an emulation of the classic Oberheim OB-X (used, in its day, by artists like Rush, Depeche Mode, Queen, etc.), has a very thick, substantial sound, especially when you put it into Unison mode and stack all six voices on every note.
You take a handful of "character" synths and mix and match them in an arrangement, and I think you can often end up with a somewhat more three-dimensional-sounding mix than just using one ultra-flexible mega synth for everything. Sort of like having a dash of burnt orange here and a splash of navy blue there instead of doing the whole painting in a dozen different shades of green.
That's what I was thinking about this morning, anyway. Now I'm ready to take a walk and clear my head before getting some recording done. Bit on the cool side for July, but it looks like it's going to be a nice day...
