Synclavier Regen 1st Impressions
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 พ.ค. 2023
- I have been playing with a Synclavier Regen for about a week and a half now. I created my first sound about a week ago and there was no turning back… (It’s addicting). Anyway, I decided to put together a real quick, down and dirty “1st Impressions” video. From the time I started until I finished was about two hours - that is very fast, particularly since I had no ideas in mind when I started that session. I would improvise a section, then improvise each part above it, no planning, no practice (I hope it doesn’t show too much).
I swear I did not plan on it being a rip off of Ennio Morricone, particularly his music for “The Dollars Trilogy”, but, well, that is how it turned out.
Anyway, all sounds are the Regen. I created them all from scratch over a period of a week. They are all Additive with FM added, though I think one of the sounds uses a “subtractive” partial (virtual analog) and a filter. Maybe two? No samples or resynthesis, though. I'll explore those things later...
As always with this type of thing, it sounded much, much better on the good studio speakers than my normal computer speakers, and much better there than the phone, but I hope you still get the flavor and enjoy the sounds! It is a great synth… - เพลง
The way it sits in the stereo field is very trippy 👽
The sounds are real clear and are easy to mix - my mix job was super minimal. Also, the Regen allows sounds to evolve over the stereo field using frames, which I used on a couple of sounds here.
I love the sounds that it makes and it's awesome to actually own a SynClavier--something that I could only dream about in High School. But I'm less enthused with some of the design decisions. The most memorable feature of the original was a huge encoder--this is even carrried over into the app. But the Regen has no encoders at all--not even a volume knob. There is a touch-sensative slider and up-down buttons, but a couple of knobs would have made things much more convenient. Still it's a great, although, pricey synth, and a nice alternative or addition to an Iridium or Quantum.
Actually, I'm a little surprised at how well I get on with the interface - I am very much a knob-per-function man when it comes to my analog synths, but I do OK with the Regen. Maybe because of all my years with the K5. OK, if they released the big stand alone knob again, I'd get it. And, yeah, I wish there was a separate volume knob. I wouldn't use it often, but when I need it...
Overall, though I love it. As you said, to actually be able to own a Synclavier, and it does sound great. Been having a lot of fun with it.
Very tempting, especially compared to the price of the original, 40+ years ago. I'm thinking I would also need a new computer, to make full use of it, as mine are either XP or OS10.3, which works fine with my Super6, but not my Modwave. Some of my older gear is completely locked out of getting new samples and waveforms, due to being dependant on a certain computer, that I never had.
I upgraded my Win XP DAW about 3 years ago. The problem is I had to replace everything - the audio interface, a new version of Cubase, etc. The Synclavier Regen cost a lot less... I do love the Regen. It's been a lot of fun (I like to spend a lot of time tweaking sounds) and sounds great. Yes, compared to the price back in the day, doesn't seem too bad...
Thank you.
Well, thank you :)
i agree it's addictive, there's so much you can do with it, form complex sampling weirdness to very modern sounding digital sounds, to very organically sounding instrument emulations, to... well anything in fact. Nedd a hammond organ? emulate it ! need a melotron? or maybe you want your drums to sound like the samples in a linndrum, or samples to sound like enerated by an s950? no problem... Spend time creating any kind of waveform is pure pleasure on this. Not an fm synth with the definition most of us would give to operator fm synthesis, but fm here is used as a tool, not as an esoteric philosopjy; you can do the yam algo fm topology, but there isnt a sound, or type of sound, or texture that you casn do with a dx style op synth, the you copulnt do with the synclavier regen; reverse is not true. you need to understand the topology of the unit; an analog synth guy might get lost, and i think this is why people are afraid of it, and you even see some guys completely lost allthough they are 60 and been using synths since theyre 20's ("a cold unboxing" lol), allthough, if you have used mpc's and samplers, the topology (not the sound design... yet.. unless the sample part) might be more comprehensive to you. but damn! I woyuldnt call it revolutionary, but it's defo a pelet of sound and a sound design experience you want to add to your options, and that you wont find as a whole in any other unit. they invented the terms a t a time where they were none, so you got to grasp the function names and the structure, and it will take some time, but really, possibillitys are tremendously wide. one last thing for those who want to cal it a vst in a box; NAHAh, it's a computer fully dedicated to sound design, where you can pile up 12 synths/samplers/drum machines; i'de love to see someomne do that with a computer and 12 vst complex generatorsa at a time just to compare witch hits limits first... and about the lack of knobs, there are too many functions, but having a button for each and every module allows fast workflow once used to it, as anyhow you need a visual monitoring to understand what the heck you are doing, so with the left hand on the swipper and the left hand for navigating, you are real comfy, external controls for needs is easy aswell, but this is not what i would call menu diving, as you have a spot per function on the facep[late, you are not struggling to dive in sub menus using an up, a down, and an enter button; it feels nothing like menu diving AT all. tyhe more time i spend with my regen,. the more i love it. i'm gonna mke me a drum machine studio (progrmed and saved topology depending on what you are emulating or doing...) cheers! (havnt got in the samples yet either, i was allready overwhelmed without it, but man hybrid mode look crazy, i cant wait to see wht new firmwares come with...)
There really is a lot to this synth. Even though this video is over a year old, I haven't taken it too much farther and have barely scratched the surface. It is a huge amount of fun!
Subscribed. I'm sure you tinkered with Synclavier V and Go before you made the purchase? Do you find a noticeable difference in the sound from the V and Go in comparison to the Regen? Hows the workflow? Thanks!
May be surprising, but I haven't played with either app. I did spend users with additive on the kawai K5, which I think is a huge help for me getting into this even though the they are very different - a lot of the concepts are the same.
I do use some of the Regen only stuff in my sound design, such as reverb and chorus (I think those are Regen only). And the sound over all is great - DACs do a great job to make for a super clean sound, I think at least as good as any interface I have used on my computer - if you need to play live, I would think this would be a better choice just for that.
Also, I really like the interface. In the analog world I am very much a one knob per function person (I grew to hate Arturia's analog virtual synths for that reason), so I am surprised at how well just having some buttons and the swiper work, but the work flow is very intuitive to me. Again, is it because of the K5? Maybe... I am assuming Go would be the better of the two virtual since you can mimic some of the hardware flow.
Thanks!
Cool stuff! But okay, Trent, I have to confess,,, the timbre, the basic tones, in so many ways these combine to remind me of '70's Brittish "sleuth" movies,,, intro music to a who-done-it! Sorry!
Thanks! A 70s who-done-it and not a 60s spaghetti-western or 80s action film? lol. I guess I can see that, particularly the part with the string-type sounds near the end and with the "voices" doing those odd moans. Oh, and the 'water pan" sound. A lot of the themes are based on Ennio Morricone's score for the spaghetti westerns and instrument I used is an evolution of the sound engine used by many film composers in the 80s and 90s.