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Subject: Quasimidi Polymorph - buy or not?


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Original Message 1/14             06-Sep-98  @  01:16 PM   -   Quasimidi Polymorph - buy or not?

DJ Phallus the anal one

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Okay, I'll soon have quite some money. What should I buy? (I've already got an MPC
2000, a little DJ mixer and a bass with amp and fx...
First I was going to buy a Rave-O-Lution 309. But I think it's somewhat limited, it can't
create all the sounds I want...
Then I tought the Virus might be better - but it's very expensive. I can afford it, but
then I'll have no more money to buy stuff like compressors etc...
I could also buy a Waldorf Pulse - it may only be able to cre8 one sound at a time,
but it's supposed to sound great and I could sample everything and add more stuff...

BUT!!! Now I've learned about the new Quasimidi Polymorph, which looks like a
beast. I just got an email from quasimidi, and they said it only costs 1898DM. (they're German, y'know...) That's a lot less than a virus, yet they claim:

"The polymorph has a much more powerful sound-engine than the 309. It's more
compareable with instrument like the nordlead or the virus. The polymorph offers up
to 3 oscillators per voice with sync, powerful wavetables and also samples of analog
killers like the minimoog and the Vector VS synth. You get a lowpass and a highpass
filter at the same time. You can assign them seriell or parallel. For that reason you
can use them as notch and bandpass-filters.A speciality are the included morphing
sequencers. They work like the analog-sequencers of modular synths. The polymorph
has 4 16 step sequencers - each with 4 rows. They can control all parameters of the
polymorph. This is ideal for programming Kraftwerk-like sequences like on the man
machine album. (Kraftwerk were using 2 prototypes of the polymorph live on stage on
their world tour 98).

The polymorph doesn't contain drum-samples. But you can program drummachine
grooves with the morphing-sequencer when using noise and sine waves for the
oscilators and modulate the filters and envelopes at every step of the sequencer."


Sounds like a pretty good deal, no? Well, should I buy this? They've got a demo at their site, but it doesn't give me a clue... What do you guys think???

TNX!
-CU-





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Message 2/14             06-Sep-98  @  01:20 PM   -   Quasimidi Polymorph - buy or not?

DJ Phallus the anal one

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Okay, I'll soon have quite some money. What should I buy? (I've already got an MPC
2000, a little DJ mixer and a bass with amp and fx...
First I was going to buy a Rave-O-Lution 309. But I think it's somewhat limited, it can't
create all the sounds I want...
Then I tought the Virus might be better - but it's very expensive. I can afford it, but
then I'll have no more money to buy stuff like compressors etc...
I could also buy a Waldorf Pulse - it may only be able to cre8 one sound at a time,
but it's supposed to sound great and I could sample everything and add more stuff...

BUT!!! Now I've learned about the new Quasimidi Polymorph, which looks like a
beast. I just got an email from quasimidi, and they said it only costs 1898DM. (they're German, y'know...) That's a lot less than a virus, yet they claim:

"The polymorph has a much more powerful sound-engine than the 309. It's more
compareable with instrument like the nordlead or the virus. The polymorph offers up
to 3 oscillators per voice with sync, powerful wavetables and also samples of analog
killers like the minimoog and the Vector VS synth. You get a lowpass and a highpass
filter at the same time. You can assign them seriell or parallel. For that reason you
can use them as notch and bandpass-filters.A speciality are the included morphing
sequencers. They work like the analog-sequencers of modular synths. The polymorph
has 4 16 step sequencers - each with 4 rows. They can control all parameters of the
polymorph. This is ideal for programming Kraftwerk-like sequences like on the man
machine album. (Kraftwerk were using 2 prototypes of the polymorph live on stage on
their world tour 98).

The polymorph doesn't contain drum-samples. But you can program drummachine
grooves with the morphing-sequencer when using noise and sine waves for the
oscilators and modulate the filters and envelopes at every step of the sequencer."


Sounds like a pretty good deal, no? Well, should I buy this? They've got a demo at their site, but it doesn't give me a clue... What do you guys think???

TNX!
-CU-





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Message 3/14             06-Sep-98  @  03:11 PM   -   RE: Quasimidi Polymorph - buy or not?

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hmmm..

normally Quasimidi - Products totally suck !!!!
normally Quasimidi really sucks !
(just have a look at their WebSite - Design :-)

but this PolyMorph seems to be intresting and
also the MP3 sounds quite fine...

maybe, with this product, they get adult now ?!?!

Holger



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Message 4/14             06-Sep-98  @  06:09 PM   -   RE: Quasimidi Polymorph - buy or not?

kilo

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get the supernova if you can afford it.... hatz, & kiks in abundance...cant get a hard 909 snare out of it... (yet)... but lots of CR and other analog type snares are there ..... with a sampler (which you have to an extent with the MPC), this will get you a total system.... with all parameters midi-able..... why spend dosh on all the units with a built in sequencer, when you have the sequencer already??..... the arpeggiator section on the supernova is fucking huge by the way if you want triggered arpegiatted lines ..and .. each channel has independent arpeggiator... and you can clock the arp to a different midi channel even with a different time sig' !! ...

the cream on the cake is the fx per channel.... 6....mate...yes 6 independent per channel (5 + eq comb filters)..and 8 outs.... (poly).... it makes all the difference... and the comb filter are so brilliant that even a mixer is not needed to tweak the mix of the sounds..... like you can get fat box'y 909 type kiks with easy... or bloody great fat booming ones... and gorgeous metalic hats with beautiful control of the filter, tone and decay etc of the hatz.....

yup... the fx, and the TOTAL ease of use.... makes it a dream to work with... i seriously have only needed to glance at the manual about twice to get all the functions with ease..... and for getting sounds it is incredibly fast........

no need for anything else... no need for outboard fx.....ok... maybe a compressor is nice if you want to sample compressed sounds... but there no need to use a comp to get the nova sounds fat & under control at all...... ok...it is dear.... (expensive - uk term!)....a bit more than the others.. but bloody hell.... it is pretty amazing.... and expandable to 32 note poly if 16 note poly aint enuff (!!!... like if you wanna dio lots of big chord stuff with sustaining parts that may dissapera with other lesser spec'd units).... as it comes as standard, it is more than enuff for ambitious compositions even if you dedicate some of the nova to a few drum sounds, you are still left with tons of polyphony and multimode use...

what i have NOT tried yet.... and donnt know if i can do is:.... to have a keymap made with different drum edits on the same midi channel...... but outputs are polyphonic, so several drum sounds can go to one or stereo pair out... and they can be eq'd in the synth for a perfect mix.....

look.... i know i got one for free..... but mate..... it is so easy to work with... imagine all that power, and almost no need to refer to the manual to work it !!!, i've never come across that in a synth before..... it is so well thought out... and that i am SURE, is because Phil (at Novation) is a practicing gigging techno/dance/trance musician.....and made the damned thing how you or i would want it to be, as opposed to some lab tech's idea of a synth hierarcy should be... belive me... it shows..... and ok it's more.... butt unless at some point you give up analog sounds (and it does fm & drums too y'know!)..... it'll carry you into the future and be still a totally viable tool in years to come i reckon...

this in no way is detracting from quasimidi...who i say make good product too...... maybe the polymorph is excellent... but...... i sat with a 309... and without a book, was totally fucked up...all those bloody menu's and sub-sections etc (and again, that does NOT detract from quasi's stuff, it's just how it is with units.... when it comes to multi-mode use etc , compromises appear in terms of routing, fx etc...... this Nova is like 8 analogs in a box.... truly !!.... and as simple to use as if you had 8 analogs in front of you... but with a common interface.... think like that....

8 poly-synths... one interface.... you know how it is with an old unit right..... you dont have to fuck about going thru menu's etc.... what you see in front of you, is what you get..... you see the knobs... and tweak 'em to set up a sound..... ok... well this is 8 of those.... but when you switch from one synth to another, it just hops from one to the next... SIMPLE AS PIE !!!..... and it's never a case of... "Oh... i have to set this to get reverb on that independently... and then if i want to add delay to that sound it has to go to this output, but cant be on that sound too"...etc etc... nope..... add reverb?.... just tweak the reverb.... add delay.....just add it...... add eq?... just add it.... alll with independent controls...... nuff said !?

oh... and one last thing which is a dream of dreams... when your messing about building a track, you grab a sound to a midi channel ....... as you tweak it, and mess with it in context of the overalll performance you're hearing..... each time you save the multi-setup/song.... it saves the edits to the sounds asssigned to the performance!!!!!!!....... no more jumping from programme mode to performance mode, and having to remember where sounds were for a track/performance.... tHAT is killler i must say..... it made me laugh out loud when i realised it did it.... worth a thought mate belive me...... it is a trance-techno dream... and it'd be awesome for industrial stuff too.... you can get very metalic sounds, hi-hats like anvils etc.... distorted guitars etc etc, and all the harsh 303 style sounds you could ask for....... even for r'n'b/swing/hip-hop etc it's packed with organs, strings, and fat-as-fuck beefy basses..... and fm a'plenty for jungle, drum'n'bass & house/garage.... not alot of styles it wont cover.... very versatile



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Message 5/14             06-Sep-98  @  09:30 PM   -   RE: Quasimidi Polymorph - buy or not?

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hmmm... kilo... send me the box for a review :-)

H



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Message 6/14             07-Sep-98  @  08:08 PM   -   RE: Quasimidi Polymorph - buy or not?

DJ Phallus

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Thanks, Kilo, I know the supernova is great... but I'm 18 years old, and still studying, so how the
hell am I supposed to afford it? I'm currently working, and by 11 september I'll have about, let's
think, 850£... Enough for a polymorph, maybe a Virus if I ask some money for my birthday and
xmas, but, unless you send me yours, the Supernova is a bit out of reach for me...
So I'd like some more advice on that Polymorph - has no one got it?

Well, thanks anyway... (did you type all that text just for me? Or is it grabbed from the review?)

DJ Phallus



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Message 7/14             07-Sep-98  @  08:15 PM   -   RE: Quasimidi Polymorph - buy or not?

DJ Phallus

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Erm... Kilo, could you compare the Supernova to the Virus? Is there really that much difference?
Would the Virus be good for me? (drum'n'bass, chemical beats...) Or should I wait untill I've got the
dosh and get a Supernova? Maybe you could get me a good deal?
Thanks...





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Message 8/14             08-Sep-98  @  12:03 AM   -   RE: Quasimidi Polymorph - buy or not?

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the virus is a cool machine !
you can also think about a microwave 1/2/XT/PC



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Message 9/14             08-Sep-98  @  02:21 AM   -   RE: Quasimidi Polymorph - buy or not?

kilo

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yeah i was talkibng toa mate today , he's had one at home, and owns a nova too... he says the virus is ok... sounding more like the nord..... more euro/hardfloor midrange sorta feel to the sound....(as far as the demo sequencees and the majority of the presets go, wheras the nova is copying a fatter more full rounded analog sound from which you can tweak with inbuilt eq etc to get that sound if you want it... he was saying that if you rool off the bass on the nova, it starts to take on the character of the eq curve of the virus... all in all he said it's ok.... not as versatile, but a respectable unit.... well lookit, after all there are only a few contenders really in the modelled multimode stakes... (unless the Jp8080 has upped the multitimbrelity alot from the original Jp).... the nova, nord, and virus... now enter the polymorph..... i'm sure they are all viable.... according to pocket..... like a sampler... any decent sampler from a cheapie to a 3k unit will do a job if you work to the constrains of the sampler.... and it's the same with these units too..... they will all get you several layers of midi channeled analog modelling.... you make the sounds.... and there ya go.... the option otherwise is older non-midi or the few dco/vco/vca midi'd units that were built, sync'd to a system..... creativity is the key.... lets not get into synth semantics...... we are so lucky to have the option of so many excellent items to choose from at a choice for all pockets, midi ready, and easy to work with ..... so lets make some noise ..... :-)... get happy.....

yeah it was for you mate that mini 'war & peace'....... hey.... you can work thru to xmas tho part time mate and bank some more regardless of wether you get the nova or whatever.... i did 48 hours part-time per week when i was at college for a year.... !!. (straight up !)... bought a real les paul & amp at the end of the year.... it was worth the wait compared to going for a cheaper Ibanez or Aria i can tell you.... (and hey, i'm not suggesting that only the nova is good by saying that, cos that'd be bull....).... goodluck with it mate.... go for it....



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Message 10/14             08-Sep-98  @  02:23 AM   -   RE: Quasimidi Polymorph - buy or not?

kilo

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oh by the way.... are you sure a sampler aint more what you need with a monosynth??... for the styles you quote on a budget that is?.... or do you have the sampler?..... also, where are y based mate?



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Message 11/14             08-Sep-98  @  01:10 PM   -   RE: Quasimidi Polymorph - buy or not?

JAWA

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At the end of the day its really what's the most you can get for you cash...... and as much as i hate to admit it ;-) you'd be better off with the nova, why do i hate to admit it so much? cos i wish i'd waited until it had come out and bought one myself.......

You've got a tune in your head you wanna put it down on tape and the nova is soooo quick, and easy, and great sounding, and blue, and british for fucks sake...... bugger i want one.....



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Message 12/14             08-Sep-98  @  02:23 PM   -   RE: Quasimidi Polymorph - buy or not?

kilo

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yeah but mate....an old 106 or whatever and a decent sampler with a fex fx pedals will also turn out premium product too.... so it aint just about money, cos in a way i am sad at atimes about the quality of the creative stuff i used to churn out when i only had a few bitz of kit.... now i've got tons, i couldnt hand on heart say i make better music....



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Message 13/14             08-Sep-98  @  07:12 PM   -   RE: Quasimidi Polymorph - buy or not?

DJ Phallus

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Yeah Kilo, I've got a sampler - an MPC 2000, remember?
I can't work part-time, because, well, there'll be no time left to go out and enjoy myself. I know
music is great, but I still want a life...
Anyway, my dad said that if I pass this year, he'll give me half the money I need for the Supernova.
Only problem: I'll have to wait 10 more months!!! Maybe I'll buy something cheaper in the mean-
time, just to get myself some analog sounds...
I might still go for the Polymorph, tho... Anyone got actual experience with it?
I've got anather question... I'm affraid the problem with exp. gear like the Supernova is that you've
got so much sounds, a lot of them will suck. I've got no experience with synths, so wouldn't some
piece of kit that can only create a limited number of sounds, but all cool sounds, be better? I
dunno...
BTW, Kilo, I'm from Belgium...
-CU-



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Message 14/14             08-Sep-98  @  07:41 PM   -   RE: Quasimidi Polymorph - buy or not?

DJ Phallus

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Yeah Kilo, I've got a sampler - an MPC 2000, remember?
I can't work part-time, because, well, there'll be no time left to go out and enjoy myself. I know
music is great, but I still want a life...
Anyway, my dad said that if I pass this year, he'll give me half the money I need for the Supernova.
Only problem: I'll have to wait 10 more months!!! Maybe I'll buy something cheaper in the mean-
time, just to get myself some analog sounds...
I might still go for the Polymorph, tho... Anyone got actual experience with it?
I've got anather question... I'm affraid the problem with exp. gear like the Supernova is that you've
got so much sounds, a lot of them will suck. I've got no experience with synths, so wouldn't some
piece of kit that can only create a limited number of sounds, but all cool sounds, be better? I
dunno...
BTW, Kilo, I'm from Belgium...
-CU-



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