ABOUT SELLING MY NEW SOLARIS - A DECISION AFTER 3 YEARS WAIT

Discuss John Bowen Synths - Solaris
galaxiesmerge
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2010 8:21 pm
Contact:

ABOUT SELLING MY NEW SOLARIS - A DECISION AFTER 3 YEARS WAIT

Post by galaxiesmerge »

Hi,

Today I set up my monitoring to listen to SOLARIS as I had planned that if it was not going to make the cut, I should just sell the damned instrument! I mean, it will sell quick, and, in the end all I really care about is whether or not I get an edge with it. Firstly, I thought I would post this since I waited 3 years for mine and I felt frustrated and wanted to share my feelings: but I guess that was when John was still getting started on the first batch and working throught the problems of how to get it built. Well, I have now been working with my SOLARIS for a little over 2 weeks. Secondly, by way of some background, I own: Yamaha CS80, Jomox Sunsyn, Alesis Andromeda, Oberheim Matrix 6, Jupiter-8, Prophet T8, Waldorf Microwave (Original Analog Version), Rhodes Chroma, Kyma, Modcan Modular (112 modules), Roland Vsynth GT 2 & XT, ... well, plenty of gear to compare, and on my computer (an 8-Core Mac with SSD drives, the NI Komplete, U-He, Waves etc.. Pro Tools HD ... ) ... I have an IMDB profile as "Arun Majumdar" with movie titles for sound that I worked on ... I won't list them here but there's also a good 200 episodes of TV (not listed on that site). And Thirdly, I was pretty pissed off with John Bowen when he got the wrong color on my SOLARIS synth since I had wanted mine changed to a WHITE model and I got a black one instead.

So, all in all, I think I was justified in wanting to sell it. Ebay would fetch a nice quick price and there's a lot of folks waiting for one on the forum ... easy deal!!! Anyway, today I sat down and began to *DESIGN* sounds on it along with some A/B comparisons, listening back to it, playing some more, listening and thinking about my personal frustrations, my anger and my experiences in dealing with John and his so-called "team" in Germany.

I started off by taking one of the BASS presets and playing with it - changing the filter types, and, most importantly changing the envelopes and velocity control: I wanted to get the bass-end "snap" and to feel the room. So, yeah, okay, I turned up the volume a bit. When I first hit the base note, I started up at the third octave to see how it sounded and then descended to the lowes octave, switched it down with the Octave Shift button, and played again. My next test was really a compare with my Prophet --- did the SOLARIS even come close to giving me that old Sequential Prophet magic? I played a String patch on the Prophet and then switched to SOLARIS because I wanted to keep the sound in my mind, in my memory, so it would remain present and fresh. I started with one of John's patches: pretty damned lousy if you ask me, so I began to modify it. I had to change the filter model, adjust the envelopes and modulation sources. I cheated a bit and looked at Ken Elhardt's patches, then, dissatisfied, frustrated, and annoyed, went back to my own tweaking. It took about 55 minutes of tweaking, playing, experimenting, testing, and adapting my fingering to the keyboard before I could make a decision on the sound. Lastly, after I got sick of the bass and string emulations that I had pulled together, I thought, why not create some new sounds, electronic sounds, perhaps even compose a piece of music for them and try a few compares in effort to the Jomox (amazing and rare synth, as well as the Waldorf Microwave). So, about an 87 minutes later, I had this wavetable based sound on the SOLARIS and a tune that I believe I could place into the Arpeggiator/Sequencer (yep!) and tweaked a while longer as I was playing to see if the sound, based on the modulation, and polyphonic velocity (from my MIDIBOARD) would soon, like with a lot of synths, start to sound stale or a bit repetitive.

Actually, I was so enamoured of the new SCHMIDT POLYPHONIC ANALOG 8-Voice synth that I was thinking how great it would be to sell this SOLARIS to some sucker and then use part of my recouperated monies toward the SCHMIDT synthesizer since the one thing I crave is that creamy, oozing, yet tight, but smooth, analog style of sound. Oh well, I digress ... and this is not the point. So I played some more and then tested out some sequences with Ableton, abd Pro-Tools HD. I compared the DIVA by U-HE as well as the Native Insruments KOMPLETE ( a few of their fun patches ) to the SOLARIS, as well as a the MACH-5 and a few of its sample libraries. I realized I had spent all the time until now (almost 2:00 AM in the morning as I write this post!!!!) to figure it out, and to realize my decision:

1) If anyone wants to buy my SOLARIS, I will sell it for about $8000.00 (yeah, I will buy another one and use the balance on a better pre-amp tube like the Thermionic Earlybird);
2) The SOLARIS really sounds analog and I attribute it to the 96KHz audio path --- I can instantly hear the difference between it and everything else except my analogs and the Kyma;
3) The Time I spent waiting, despite all the frustration, all the thoughts of cancelling my order with John, which I did not really share with anyone, I finally realized today would have been the STUPIDEST and DUMBEST move I could ever have made --- John Bowen is a brilliant designer and the truth is, I do not think he will survive, although I pray he does --- so all of you on the waiting list, if you loose your place, you will likely *never* ever get another chance like this to own one - after this production run is done (I think John has one more, I doubt from my own personal viewpoint, he could sustain another and this synthesizer will be one instrument that will be super hard to get - an instant classic). I am quite sure I will make double my money if I personally ever did choose to sell, but, that is highly unlikely. I hope that John makes many more - amazing piece of engineering and really a one-of-a-kind exclusive model.
4) I am totally blown away by sound quality - I mean, I read about it, heard Soundcloud, but, having done some A/B with my Jomox and Microwave, Prophet and Chroma, Andromeda and VSynth, I have to say that I am very stunned at how I feel - I was sure I was going to think it's no big deal and entirely replacable as a piece of gear. No way I am getting rid of my SOLARIS now.
5) The 3 years of waiting has been the MOST FRUSTRATING ANNOYING AND F*KED UP TIME I have ever spent waiting for a single piece of gear --- I feel *LUCKY* to get this, and anyone waiting even a few months or even a year extra will end up feeling like I do: I am so totally surprised at myself to admit this, but, that's the truth.

Well, so now you all know how I feel as an original owner that finally got his SOLARIS. To be fair, John told me he will work things out to get me a WHITE case and I am good with that, but, no matter the case, the reality is that on all counts, the sound has really got me thinking about my analog gear - I mean, my Andromeda is nice, but, its not really as nice as the SOLARIS and I can replicate everything the Andromeda does and much more. The Oberheim, Jupiter, Prophet and Andromeda are suddenly sitting here with less for me to do with them ... their sounds are near perfectly replaced by SOLARIS. Well, I cannot replace the Yamaha CS80 sound and I found that the about half the Jomox can be replaced (the Jomox has its own peculiar and usefull wavetables and filters as well as two analog VCO's) while the Chroma has its own character. But heck, I just replaced FOUR classic synths, the Jupiter, Oberheim, Prophet and Andromeda just got slaughetered in my own studio by the SOLARIS --- ARGHHH!!! Anyways, I am now thinking about selling those instead (and I only got the Jupiter recently). Definitely, I see no reason to buy the SCHMIDT analog given the sound and feel of the SOLARIS.

I don't know what this is worth to anyone but I hope my sharing provides food for thought. If you are going to buy a SOLARIS be prepared to wait it out --- this is not Roland or Yamaha and is a boutique operation. On the other hand, for myself, having waited it out, boy, am I one HAPPY synthesist!!!! And for all that don't have one, thank goodness, 'cause now you can't compete against me. It is well worth it and my prediction is that there will not be more than a third run (I pray that John succeeds but the business odds for a musical instrument maker are really not good).

Cheers,

Arun
Solaris, Jomox Sunsyn,Modcan, Prophet-T8, Rhodes-Chroma, Pacarana,CS-80, Andromeda,M3,Nord-G2X,DK-Synergy
Zahush76
Posts: 108
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2012 12:33 am
Contact:

Re: ABOUT SELLING MY NEW SOLARIS - A DECISION AFTER 3 YEARS

Post by Zahush76 »

Than you can sell the JP8, Oberheim, Andromeda and jomox - and have (i think) enough for the schmidt. That would give you the ultimate analog poly, combined with the ultimate digital poly.
Or just sell everything and get on of those korg volcas.
galaxiesmerge
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2010 8:21 pm
Contact:

Re: ABOUT SELLING MY NEW SOLARIS - A DECISION AFTER 3 YEARS

Post by galaxiesmerge »

Zahush76 wrote:Than you can sell the JP8, Oberheim, Andromeda and jomox - and have (i think) enough for the schmidt. That would give you the ultimate analog poly, combined with the ultimate digital poly.
Or just sell everything and get on of those korg volcas.
Having spent time on considering the Schmidt, I think my Chroma (which has a beautiful 96-Channel controller) matches the Schmidt as a one-knob per function system. The Schmidt does have the cascade of ring modulators to create "digital" tones in "analog" but I can do all that on the Kyma (if I want those kinds of cascades). But yeah, it is a temptation. However, I think that with the old Analogs that I have, I will move them into a "collection" for the sake of history and spend more time on SOLARIS. If I need the extra voices for a more complex "live" arrangement of play, well, it's always nice to patch in a MIDI cable and send an output from Ableton to another synth.

All in all, I am really happy I waited for the SOLARIS --- it really is very much well worth the waiting time.
Solaris, Jomox Sunsyn,Modcan, Prophet-T8, Rhodes-Chroma, Pacarana,CS-80, Andromeda,M3,Nord-G2X,DK-Synergy
scope4live
Posts: 546
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between 120 and 150bpm
Contact:

Re: ABOUT SELLING MY NEW SOLARIS - A DECISION AFTER 3 YEARS

Post by scope4live »

The Feedback to the Mixers, and AM1/AM2, and AP3 Filter are just not available in any synth, maybe Reaktor might pull it off but not with the sound quality.
FWIW, I know folks get upset at SonicCore, but I gave them money for over a year in advance to get serial # 001 for the XITE-1. They are slow but thorough, and they build botique items of the highest quality.
I knew I was in for a wait on the XITE-1 and Solaris, but it was worth the stretch as these are high quality live performance instruments.
For the first year it was fun beating up on the Receptor/Motiff crowd, now during soundchecks, there's just no honor in it anymore. But preset riders are busy pulling doubles all week to take home a couple large, so they are kind of busy and want the basic sounds. Hopefully I'll never fall into that rut.
But yes, Solaris is worth the jail term as my better half was all over my ass after 1 year. She acted like it was her money...?
So a few trips to the Ceasars Forum Shops held her at bay, and even she ( a vocalist/entertainer) heard Solaris and was impressed.

So I concur with galaxiesmerge, and marzzz.
Magnus C350 on a TV Dinner Tray Stand with 2 x PigNose Amps for stereo


https://soundcloud.com/jimmyvee/wormhole
Patate le mgae
Posts: 136
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:17 am
Contact:

Re: ABOUT SELLING MY NEW SOLARIS - A DECISION AFTER 3 YEARS

Post by Patate le mgae »

Now, i can't wait mine.....
Thank you, Arun, for your post, it gives me strenght and now i wriggle in anticipation.
Hopefully i have a cylonix from cyclebox wich help me in the waiting.
galaxiesmerge
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2010 8:21 pm
Contact:

Re: ABOUT SELLING MY NEW SOLARIS - A DECISION AFTER 3 YEARS

Post by galaxiesmerge »

scope4live wrote:The Feedback to the Mixers, and AM1/AM2, and AP3 Filter are just not available in any synth, maybe Reaktor might pull it off but not with the sound quality.
FWIW, I know folks get upset at SonicCore, but I gave them money for over a year in advance to get serial # 001 for the XITE-1. They are slow but thorough, and they build botique items of the highest quality.
I knew I was in for a wait on the XITE-1 and Solaris, but it was worth the stretch as these are high quality live performance instruments.
For the first year it was fun beating up on the Receptor/Motiff crowd, now during soundchecks, there's just no honor in it anymore. But preset riders are busy pulling doubles all week to take home a couple large, so they are kind of busy and want the basic sounds. Hopefully I'll never fall into that rut.
But yes, Solaris is worth the jail term as my better half was all over my ass after 1 year. She acted like it was her money...?
So a few trips to the Ceasars Forum Shops held her at bay, and even she ( a vocalist/entertainer) heard Solaris and was impressed.

So I concur with galaxiesmerge, and marzzz.
Well, programming Reaktor is a real pain - takes a long time - decent results but the time it takes is way too long: for that amount of effort, I really recommend KYMA for a patchable digital (instead of Max or Reaktor, which I also have). However, being able to work with the SOLARIS as a performance oriented synthesizer with quick tweaking is really a lot of fun: even my Nord Modular G2X takes a lot more effort. The Roland V-SYNTH series have too many pages to flip back and forth so once you have a setup on the SOLARIS you just reach out and tweak. It's funny, today I was comparing the V-SYNTH to SOLARIS and it is incredible how the difference between the V-SYNTH 48KHz and the SOLARIS 96KHz can be heard - really striking difference, especially on the very high notes and the bass sounds (I know it sounds weird but the bass has a lot of content).

I got a BRICASTI reverb and will be setting that up to play the SOLARIS with so that will be on a video soon - sorry John, the effects on SOLARIS are great, but when I need reverb, I'll take a great outboard piece like the Lexicon 480L or the Bricasti any day.

Thanks scope4live : now I am happy I waited too!!!
Solaris, Jomox Sunsyn,Modcan, Prophet-T8, Rhodes-Chroma, Pacarana,CS-80, Andromeda,M3,Nord-G2X,DK-Synergy
galaxiesmerge
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2010 8:21 pm
Contact:

Re: ABOUT SELLING MY NEW SOLARIS - A DECISION AFTER 3 YEARS

Post by galaxiesmerge »

Patate le mgae wrote:Now, i can't wait mine.....
Thank you, Arun, for your post, it gives me strenght and now i wriggle in anticipation.
Hopefully i have a cylonix from cyclebox wich help me in the waiting.
Hey Patate le mgae:

The wait is worth it. You won't be disappointed and I think this instrument will inspire.

I am playing my SOLARIS and will be posting a VIDEO of this as I know we would all like to see some playing on the machine so I will be doing my best to play on it for the camera and for you who are waiting. I am still learning it so please bear with me on it :)

Cheers!

-Arun
Solaris, Jomox Sunsyn,Modcan, Prophet-T8, Rhodes-Chroma, Pacarana,CS-80, Andromeda,M3,Nord-G2X,DK-Synergy
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 25 guests