Blofeld is awesome, but I’d suggest trying single cycle waves in the Octatrack. Use the two effects (or more with neighbor tracks) to shape the oscillator (lofi and modulation effects work well), send it out the cue outputs and back into the inputs, then create a Thru track to add filters and further effects. Use sample chains to change up the waves for even more madness. I think there are videos on youtube demonstrating this. Oh and route the midi out back into the OT to use the midi tracks for further mangling of the audio tracks (extra envelopes, lfos, polyrhythmic modulations).
Pretty sure the free Adventure Kid single cycles have been turned into sample chains, too.
I should upload the track to my soundcloud @aeoner I keep forgetting to do that. We keep the tracks pretty hush hush until the album release so I didn’t upload it like I normally would. Speaking of, need to get my ass in gear for the next one, deadline is less than a week away now lol…
You people keep mentioning Brutes and Octatracks. How do you deal with their monophonic nature when creating pads?
@aeoner The Nave app and Blofeld have a lot of similarities, but are not exactly the same. The Blofeld I think is more complex with more filter types and drive types, but the nave Apis seriously solid and has a few tricks up its sleeve that the Blofeld does not. I’d say give it a whirl and see if you find it fairly straight forward, and if so I’d say you’re ready for a Blofeld. It’s an easy enough to understand machine with an editing matrix no more complex than changing pages on the octatrack.
After your amazing suggestions, I think I´ll give a try to the Microbrute! :) Reading some reviews, I found something that will be really welcome: the little matrix patchbay that will make the Microbrute talk with my Dark Energy, so I´ll get a duo-phonic synth. I´ll use the Octatrack for the effects and/or the Kaoss Pad 3. What do you good folks think?
Also, I have a doubt about the Microbrute. What´s the difference between the normal, black one and the SE Limited Version, beside the colors and the bag? (and I don´t really understand what the stackable jack cables are about. Are they patch cables?)
Some aditional comments:
@KrisM didn´t know about the Adventure Kid single cycles. Great stuff! And there´s also the Monolith template. Are you using it, @LaughingAnimal? And talking about that battle (?), it happens in an Ambient forum? Nice place?
@Lymtronics I´ll give it a try, thanks a lot! Any other iPad sugestion for ambient stuff?
I like iprophet, animoog, and mitosynth in addition to nave. All are nice for evolving textures. There are loads others (fm synths, modular, etc…) that will all take you to very ambient places too.
ALESIS MICRON is a pefect sweat pad maker ,i wish i havent trade it for a blofeld (buggy as hell bangin)
aeoner, how do you like your dark energy? Is it the first or second version? I’ve been craving it, especially since I’ve read and heard it can make some pretty sweet drum sounds - Considering it doesn’t have a noise osc for snares is pretty remarkable too.
@Kites Well, that´s a good question. I bought the first Dark Energy in 2011, when I went to crazy trip in Berlin and visited the legendary Schneider´s Büero, with all those modular stuff (which I didn´t know nothing about). It was a good school for learning the synthesis basics, because it´s very direct and didactic.
I like the DE sounds, although a bit metallic for my taste, and with not much effort you can do beautiful things (like this Sweet leads using Doepfer Dark Energy - YouTube) and warm basslines. I´m not really into synthesizing drum sounds, but it can pretty decent drum sounds (the manual presents some patches examples). But for the price range, maybe you should get a LXR Drum Synth (indeed, I´m thinking about selling mine).
I still think that the Dark Energy is a nice synth and I´m specially about controlling the DE with the Microbrute and getting a duophonic synth and a ghetto modular way 
@Gambler and anyone else who owns an A4 and is interested… As promised here’s the string pad patches…
Ugh sorry I ballsed it up…
Here it is (hopefully)
I’ve got to chime in on the Alesis Micron - I used to use it for live playing all the time and thought it sounded awesome for a fairly cheap, small digital synth. Then I picked up some analog synths (Sub Phatty, Microbrute) and put the Micron aside for a bit. I just pulled it out recently, and man, it suddenly sounded super cheesy to me. Like a weak digital emulation of analog.
Cool digital synths (eg OP-1) sound cool because they are apologetically digital. The Micron (now) just sounds like a cheap VA to my ears. I’d rather use most of the OP-1 engines any day. There are much better VAs out there, too (my old-ass Nord Micro Modular sounds twice as good). Plus, I always found programming sounds by scrolling around on the Micron’s little screen to be maddening. For about the same price, the Microbrute is much more fun to use. Yeah, it’s not poly, but the sound is much richer, especially if you throw a nice delay/verb on there, and it’s way more hands-on for tweaking sounds. YMMV.
Well, it´s done: I´ve just ordered the Microbrute! In April will be here! :)) Thanks a lot!!
@aeoner congrats on the Microbrute purchase! Did you get an original one? A white Microbrute semtaunts me on occasions, in fact, she’s been seducing my Minibrute SE. They want plug patch cables in each other. Mono synths these days… My reasoning for not snagging a Microburte would touch on the lines of going modular, and just diving in; hence, my Dark Energy/ semi modular interest.
I think the DE or a Pittsburgh Modular System 1-10 would be a hassle free starter kit for me.
Personally, it’s very satisfying and inspiring for me to create a drum kit from “nothing.” I love these drum sounds coming from this MiniBrute. My attempts to replicate the video have fallen short, and in fact I’m not sure how he actually does this. I don’t get key tracking… https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ5erfnfoy0
Anyways, I’ve ran into the LXR Drum Synth but haven’t been drawn to the sounds demoed in tube videos. Have you played with one?
@aeoner I didn’t solder my P6 – I bought it ready from the seller. It was a test synth he had built to see if soldering according to the instructions works.
@Kites I own an LXR. It is a great drum machine with a versatile and sophisticated sequencer and very outstanding drum synthesis engines. In my opinion its strength are live performance and raw digital sounds, although you can easily imitate some classic analog sounds. Every step can be pitched, so you can even play bass lines or melodic sequences. But I never have tried any pad-like patches with it…
there's someone on YouTube by the name of Xen Multigrin that does ambienty stuff with a MicroBrute and fx processors.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgYrbLIUR4w
Love this.
You people keep mentioning Brutes and Octatracks. How do you deal with their monophonic nature when creating pads?
Octatrack will let you create multiple layers of Brute in a hurry, either using the Pickup Machine (looper) or the Flex Machines to build up loops.
Another strategy available to me is the pitch shifting algorithms in my Eventide H9.
Yet another is simply using the Microbrute as a MIDI controller for another synth - the keyboard can play chords over MIDI.
That reminds me, I need to try running my OP-1 into the H9 and it’s numerous delay/reverb algorithms. Lots of ambient goodness to be found I’m sure.
Need to start checking out ambient tracks made with OP-1 for inspiration (bunch of them turn up in Google search)