Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave - I Almost Missed the Synth of the Decade

video upload by JimDaneker

"I thought the 3rd Wave was a mere PPG clone so I ignored it. After seeing a few compelling videos on it, I took a chance on one. After pre-judging it based on presets, I almost returned it. SO glad I gave it another chance - it has blown me away. Don't miss this one!

The Miles Away patch bank that led to all this: [posted here]

Table of contents:

00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:07 - Tragically misunderstanding the 3rd Wave
00:04:28 - Features overview
00:06:35 - First surprise: stunningly good ANALOG!
00:07:25 - Analog Filter

CLICK FOR MORE »

The Legacy Series for BackStage Pass

video upload by JimDaneker

"Introducing The Legacy Series: 5 new deep-sampled instruments for the BackStage Pass family. With an intense focus on quality, The Legacy Series capture the heart and soul of some of the best synths ever made.

4 of the 5 are sourced from iconic vintage synths from the 70s and 80s, and all are extremely detailed, using advanced sampling & recording techniques to give you jaw-dropping, playable instruments that sound and respond exactly like their hardware counterparts. These aren't boring, lifeless sampled instruments: they capture all the instability, motion, and warmth of analog.

Available now for MainStage and Logic Pro, with Kontakt versions following shortly.

More info & details at:
https://backstagepass.store"

Playlist:
The Legacy Series for BackStage Pass - 80s Synths Teaser
Prophetic Dreams for BackStage Pass - Complete Patch Walkthrough
OB-City for BackStage Pass - Complete Patch Walkthrough
The Matrix for BackStage Pass - Complete Patch Walkthrough
Model 85 for BackStage Pass - Complete Patch Walkthrough
DX Dreams II - Complete Patch Walkthrough

The 80s Synth Sounds of ARCADE ORCHESTRA - The 80s Reimagined

video upload by JimDaneker

"Here we show some of the 80s synth & drum machine sounds being used from the BackStage Pass series of virtual instruments, for the ARCADE ORCHESTRA project by Jim Daneker. All of these synth sounds are from DX Dreams - get them here:

https://backstagepass.store/dxd

ARCADE ORCHESTRA an epic reimagining of the biggest hits of the 80s. It's a series of album releases as well as an immersive live experience that will debut in late 2023/early 2024.

Featuring major guest artists, a live orchestra, epic percussion ensemble, A-list rhythm section, and choir, ARCADE ORCHESTRA is bringing the 80s back in an epic, cinematic way you will have to see to believe.

Stay in touch and follow the journey back...FROM the future:

Website: https://www.arcadeorchestra.com"

Epic Synth Studio Tour 2022 DEEP DIVE!

video upload by JimDaneker

"A complete tear-down and rebuild of the Fortress of Synthetude: all the major gear I use, and why. I also play each synth a bit so you can hear them all and get an idea of their character."

00:00:00 - Intro & background
00:03:22 - Why rebuild?
00:05:00 - What needs improvement?
00:11:40 - Rebuild
00:17:21 - Results
00:18:04 - Yamaha DX7IIFD & Roland D-50
00:20:03 - Oberheim Matrix 6 & Ensoniq VFX
00:22:34 - Oberheim OB-X8 & Roland Jupiter-X
00:29:50 - Arturia MatrixBrute & Roland System 8
00:36:56 - Sequential Pro 3 SE
00:40:47 - Sequential Prophet 5 & Prophet Rev 2/16
00:45:24 - Moog Subsequent 37
00:47:37 - Hydrasynth & Access Virus TI
00:52:59 - Control Central
00:53:25 - Grace M905 Monitor Controller
00:54:54 - Stream Deck
00:56:52 - Pedals: Specular Tempus & Microcosm Hologram
00:57:52 - MIDI CC controller: Novation Launch Control XL
01:00:20 - Thunderbolt dock & SSDs
01:02:12 - Line6 Helix
01:02:47 - Main monitors: PMC IB1SAIII
01:03:37 - Nearfield monitors: Yamaha, iLoud, ADAM
01:05:09 - Original DX7 & Yamaha YC88
01:06:08 - Standtastic keyboard stands

You can find additional synth demos by JimDaneker in previous posts here.

Making Mono Synths Stereo - Chorus vs Double Tracking with Oberheim OB-X8

video upload by JimDaneker

"A quick comparison on using chorus vs. double tracking mono synths to make big, wide sounds.

©2022 by Jim Daneker

00:00 - Comparisons with video
01:53 - Quick audio-only comparisons"

Oberheim OB-X8 vs The Prophets (Prophet 5 & Rev 2)

video upload by JimDaneker

"A super 'macro' overview of the differences between 3 closely related analog powerhouse synths: the Oberheim OB-X8, Sequential Prophet 5, and Rev 2.

DISCLAIMERS

1. I did this as fast as possible, so the production & editing isn’t up to my usual picky standards. I just wanted to get the ideas across ASAP. It’s a nerdy, lengthy over-the-shoulder synth dive, but it does the job ;-)

2. The camera focused on the Rev2 slipped after I started recording, so unfortunately you never really get a shot of that one. So sorry! You can hear what I’m doing though - that’s the important part.

3. This whole thing really focuses on just one type of sound, with 2 variations. It’s way too difficult to really show how different these 3 synths are, let alone their strengths. I just wanted to demo their overall character traits. As always with YouTube videos, take it all with a grain of salt!"

Oberheim OB-X8 - Creative Sound Design Synth of Dreams

Oberheim OB-X8 Sounds STUNNING! video upload by JimDaneker

"My first real spin on the new Oberheim OB-X8. I wanted to just twist knobs and see where it took me, and as a huge Oberheim fan, I have to say I was incredibly impressed. Any of my skepticism about resurrecting the OB series was happily unfounded. This thing is TOTALLY worthy of the name, and every bit a real OB.

Reverb is from my all-time favorite, the GFI Specular Tempus, which has a remarkable ability to be 'wet' while not getting in the way. No other processing was used; you're hearing the dry synth with the reverb return at about 80%. If you'd like both dry & wet tracks as isolated WAV files, let me know! You can reach me via my website below.

Table of contents:

00:00 - Fifth Swell
03:15 - Seismic Bass
05:30 - String Masheen - playing with various filters
08:08 -Tangerine State - arpeggiator, filter resonance
10:35 - Rippler - LFO experiments
12:09 - Notta Delay - more arpeggiator goodness
14:07 - Rossum8or - haunted Wurlitzer vibes?
15:50 - StrawBent - an analog benediction of sorts"

Website: https://www.jimdaneker.com

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This one was spotted and sent in via Soviet Space Child.

The Surprising Complexity of the Sequential Prophet 5

video upload by JimDaneker

"One of many late-night synth improvs showcases the surprising complexity of the Sequential Prophet 5 synthesizer; recorded through a Line 6 Helix.
Recorded March 28, 2022. © Jim Daneker, all rights reserved."

Sequential Pro 3 First Impression (No Talking)

video upload by JimDaneker

"An unedited improv with the very first patch on the Sequential Pro 3 SE. I wasn't familiar with this synth yet and just wanted to get an idea of the 3 filter models, so that's really all I focused on for this video - hence the sloppy playing. You can definitely tell it's got proper VCOs and gorgeous analogue filters - it's a monster synth!

The background arp stuff is from a Sequential Rev2 through a GFI Specular Tempus reverb; piano is from the BackStage Pass library (see link below), and the percussion was programmed with various libraries.

The Pro 3 itself was recorded live straight to Logic, through the Logic stereo delay and a little bit of GFI Specular Tempus reverb."

Prophet Rev2 vs Prophet 5 - Quick Comparison

video upload by JimDaneker

"Just a super-quick, on-the-fly comparison showing the tonal differences between the Prophet Rev2 and Prophet 5. Also highlights the dual-layered "binaural" stereo capability of the Rev2, vs. the Prophet 5, which is mono."

Roland JX-10 with Retroaktiv MPG-70

video upload by JimDaneker

"5 minute deep dive into one of the best analog synths ever made: the Roland JX-10, controlled by the Retroaktiv MPG-70 Programmer. The MPG-70 is a brilliant piece of gear in that it completely opens up the JX-10, bringing every parameter to a physical control surface. It even lets you control both upper and lower tones simultaneously - something no other controller can do. The icing on the cake is that it can control ANY synth - hardware or software, using standard MIDI CCs!

My JX-10 has the optional Vecoven ROM, which is a must-have to bring this glorious synth into the 21st century and allow it to be controlled via MIDI CCs."