Sunday Synth Jam: This video, via ux256, is part synth jam and part tech demo.
It explores using the Zoom CDR 70 Chorus/Delay/Reverb Pedal with synths – in this case, a Dave Smith Instruments Prophet ’08. Though targeted to guitarists, it sounds great with synth pads, too.
The MS-70CDR offers 16 chorus, 26 delay and 29 reverbs, plus more than a dozen flangers, tremolos, vibratos, phasers and other modulation effects. You can use up to six effects simultaneously and arrange them in any order you like.
I use it gently after my compressor on the way to the PA. Combo up two subtle reverbs, a close one on my highs and a distant one on my mids.
It sounds kind of brittle to me, on this video anyway
very cool change from the usual $100-synth-through-$2000-fx: $2000-synth-through-$100-fx 😉
Very nice piece, but then, its hard for a P’08 to actually sound bad. I’m mostly DAW-centric now, but as much as I love onboard effects, it builds character to run an instrument through pedals, especially now. $299 will buy an amazing new Roland delay that’s like a library of all of their old rack-mounts, with modern pluses. Sure, go for a major Eventide if you can, but it doesn’t cost the Moon to buy well. I started on a MiniMoog. I was one of those doofuses who was let down that it didn’t do chords. *Then* I started running it though a Boss delay pedal and it effing blossomed. If you have several monosynths in particular, build a little pedalboard you can use as Sends. It’ll triple your powers. Holy Crom, what a wad of name-dropping, huh, but all true, I swear it.
I suspect most electronic musicians would probably disagree, but in general…I don’t like effects on my synths! Maybe I never owned extremely good effects processiors,but almost everything I tried I ended discarding or not using. I have a P’08 (which we all know doesn’t have any built-in effects) and I thing it just sounds fantastic by itself. Every time I tried to add reverb or delay to it, I ended up turning it off. Hell, the synth envelopes and the sequencer themselves can create all kinds of echo, delay and reverb effects…it is just part of the programming process. On the other hand, Effects are almost essential for vocals, guitars, acoustic drums, etc. YMMV
…well I disagree with myself LOL, in the case of lead synth sounds, where I have been known to use Big Mufff, phaser, delay, etc