m4ntr0n1c

The power in this one is in the modulation possibilities and expressiveness. The sounds themselves (ROMs) are ok, but the sound engine is really good when you start adding all that modulation capability and expressiveness.

They literally plowed their TCM badges over the bit99 lettering top and back. Otherwise a classic Italian synthesizer where they got adventurous with the memory options and the parameters dialed in. I do not like the quality of the sliders and buttons, but otherwise great powerful sound. Useful stuff.

Hey that's a relevant question for everyone looking at it at a distance... Actually, when you open the owner's manual, you do have the impression that Moog wanted to sell synths that would be easier to use for people starting of on synthesizers. So they only left in one single value knob in there, and they put in a spill safe surface, for the clumsy people... But when you start using this machine, it's easy to get in touch with the Moog sound, with the very powerful filter, accessible with that value knob :P So is it really usable? Of course! Well you don't have one value knob for each parameter, but you can easily switch parameters just by a press, and keep your hand on that dial, but at the same time you can not modify two values at once. Sooooo... Well you have the pitch bend and the mod wheel, what is there to complain about? Ok so compared to a Mini Moog, there are two oscillators instead of 3, but here we're talking about the CEM3340 (which came back into production not so long ago). CEM3340 is a legendary VCO,. Every single Synth that used the 3340 is legendary; EVERY ONE OF THEM; Roland Jupiter series, Prophet 5 / 10, Pro One, SH-101 / MC-202, Oberheim OB-8 / OB-Xa, Memorymoog, Voyetra 8... It sounds fat, powerful, in fact you will never play this on maximum volume form the unit, it is that loud, similar to the Pro One in that regard. What curious is that it doesn't have the same tonality as the Pro One. I find the Pro One to sound rougher / grittier most of the time. The Source has a creamier sound in many instances. I also prefer the keybed of the Source over the Pro One, but really we are talking about two mono synths using the CEM3340 but with a totally different implementation and very different filter capabilities and sound. So you may like one or the other, but liking both means you have a wide taste. To be enjoyed.

Great synth when working with what it CAN DO, because some might argue rthat it is unflexible. Once you open that section of possibilities, it's easy to see there are some really awesome sounds possible from it. Expressiveness is not that great because of the options it has, but otherwise it does have some great possibilities, so for those who get easily deceived or can't program a patch, this one is easy to program and use.

I find this is a beautifully implemented machine, not too complex to program compared to all the other FM synths of that era and more powerful just because of the effects section. Essentially you get a DX11 / TX81Z sound, but the way you design the sound has no real typical FM structure, which makes it both weird and cool to work with. If you ever played with those PSS-470s or any of those other Yamahas home FM synths that has the synth drawbars, well imagine having 20x the features on 4-OP + the effects and the proper MIDI implementation. This is basically a beast on top of the FM mountain, with the DX7, as simple as that.

I really fell in love with it the moment I started designing my own sounds. It is actually quite powerful. It's like a blend of Poly800 with Kawai K3 technology. Very useful sounds, specially soft sounds,not like a Moog or a Pro One (!) This sound is really expressive even if it doesn't have velocity control or aftertouch, you can still design some deeply felt tones.

Honestly, it will not make you the best leads or the most punchy percussive, but for anything requiring extensive control and effects, it does that and it shines! I like the sounds and it has boat load. I do not do trance music, but some of the stuff in there is good for any sci-fi or soundtrack music.

I think everyone should have a lot of FM banks just in case. These units are massive as they hold 8x a mono DX7 with 32 patches. The outputs are XLR, but they often get their capacitors dried out and bulging (need replacement). Once you replaced all 8 batteries and the op-amp caps, you are good to go (unless you need to recap the PSU, which is most likely). I keep two of those, but I wish I had more :P

For now, I mostly produced with it using internal voice sounds, and so my rating is mostly for that. But just for that it is super useful, specially as the voice tones don't take a lot of bandwidth. Well done!

What to say... It's bulky!!! I mean it's bigger than any other rack mounted line mixer I can think of. But, it has MIDI, which is very unique for an analog mixer. Also the controls are all value pots and sliders, which means they can easily mess up values when they get dirty, and they will. The obvious benefit of this unit is the type of automation you may do with it. The onboard EQ levels are nice. Even at that size it is a welcomed tool just for the MIDI and XLR connectivity.

This is a no brainer type of mixer. It will never let you down, and sounds really good; low noise, high ceiling, useful EQ, great effects patching. For the 5U size it offers the most packed full of features mixers one can find. I keep two of these. Love the FX routing.

These Roland mixers are true transparent soldiers. Love them, yet the headroom is not that great, but they keep the gear sounding clean. They also allow 8 mic inputs which is great and they have AUX inputs and sends. Effects patching with them is limited but does the job. I keep a few since I need to wire up a lot of rack units.

It's a pretty neat keyboard when you think of what it all boils down to; 4OP TX81Z type of FM, blended with a limited but effective effects unit (closely derived from the REX50) and with a good keybed, matched with the biggest volume control in the world.