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Can the MODX do this...?

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Can to MODX do this...?

 
Posted : 17/03/2022 11:19 pm
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Yes it can, also more and better.

 
Posted : 17/03/2022 11:40 pm
Jason
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I think if you are more general then yes. Like asking if a Dyson can clean a rug or can a Hoover. They don't do the same things exactly the same but, in the end, both end up collecting loose material from the rug into the device.

The sequencer is different with different capabilities. And I kind of have a difference with the video when it mentions no backing tracks. I sort of understand technically what this means - but the spirit of the claim is borderline. There's a pre-sequenced section that takes over the chords, drums, etc that wasn't "composed" during the real-time playing but was assembled previously. You could do this on a MODX - pre-assemble a sequence that's played back while you solo over it.

Before that last part there are only a few things that happen. Different sounds that are switched in by pressing a button. MODX has that - scenes. A button that's pressed that starts an arpeggio. Again, scenes can do that.

Do you get as many buttons? No. But the video didn't show using all 16 -- so the MODX could cover that amount of sound/arpeggio diversity.

Can you have a piano, then piano+strings, then piano+strings+choir, and mixed in there start a drum/bass groove? Yes. That's what was mentioned above -- but now I'm being more specific about what the scenes will do by sound personality.

There's a time when a bunch of buttons are pressed to bring up a menu to show some curve (like cutoff or resonance or similar) when the video turned a knob to change the curve to change the cutoff (or similar). I think this was just for show -- all of the button pressing. I'm sure both keyboards can do this without pressing buttons before turning a knob. On MODX I know you can setup an assignable knob, modwheel, superknob, a foot controller, or ... other controllers to accomplish this. You would program the controller of your choice to control the cutoff (or other parameter).

I wouldn't go as far as to say that one or the other keyboard does this better. I think both have details that are different. Not all keyboards "speak" to all users. Either in user interface, sound, capabilities, etc.

For what's shown on the video - they both cover the same bases even if not identically.

 
Posted : 18/03/2022 7:05 am
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Probably the hardest part to do on MODX would be the legato effects on the Nuclear Lead sound, as the ways to create that lead sound on MODX are limited in their responsiveness to legato/portamento, as per the wisdoms and insights of @AnotherScott's knowledge of the benefits of VA synthesis.

All the rest of it is kind of the point of these pattern sequencers and arps for drums and bass parts, on both instruments. This is the least impressive demo I've seen of the new Roland. There are more than a few things that it can do that the MODX cannot do.

There's only a couple of things the MODX does that the Roland's cannot. Motion Sequencing is not one of them, as the stepped LFOs (of which there are many) are pretty much a stronger, more capable equivalent.

If you're not a fan of powerfully customisable FM sine waved based sounds, I don't think there's any reason to choose the MODX over these new Fantoms, at the moment.

 
Posted : 18/03/2022 4:14 pm
Jason
Posts: 7910
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Other than different sets of things which may have you select one or the other. Keyboard feel, how closely the sound of one or the other "speaks" to you, the desire for past compatibility with either one of the keyboards to content you've already created, availability of one or the other 3rd party libraries, etc.

I'm not saying either is better - but there are a few more dimensions that one may use to decide on a keyboard where MODX has a different (not better/worse) counterpart.

There are certainly checkboxes the Fantom-0 has that MODX doesn't. These, of course, wouldn't be a reason to consider MODX so I'm not listing those.

However, to be fair - for me the ability to run Fantom-0's Zen Core in software (DAW) is a great option for sonic design while you're not at the keyboard. It'd also be great to be able to carry into practice a dumb MIDI controller and my laptop rather than the "full rig" - which is heavier.

 
Posted : 18/03/2022 4:33 pm
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