bastard..!!!

enjoy..

I feel your pain bro! I was planning on going your euro route with a Tonestar. No one sells SE instruments in NZ and with our crazy import duty, bits of modular kit are cheaper to accumulate than bringing in a full price synth. But then a second hand 4075 popped up. The family doesn't need to eat for a week or so....

Sorry, I didn't see this quote earlier, but it seems like rids nailed it. I just did a side by side and while they occupy similar territory, they're pretty different. First thing I notice is that the frequency range of the Boomstar's filter isn't as wide. It seems to top out at 11.5 khz, while the ATC keeps going all the way though the range. The envelopes are different, but not as crazy different as people seem to make them out to be. One of the most noticeable differences seems to be that with the filter envelope amount (filter 1) set all the way up on the ATC-X, I get oscillator bleed though even if the sustain is set to zero. The EG doesn't seem to really moving the filter though the entire range. The Boomstar behaves more like you'd expect.

If I were to wax poetic, as I'm known to do, I'd say that the ATC-X is funky. Funk factor 10. If you were to ask me what I'd use for a hiphop, Dub or R&B tone, I'd say ATC, all the way. The Boomstar is tighter. I'd say it was perfect for harder music styles. Of course, these are generalities. I can get pretty harsh with the ATC, and the Boomstar can get pretty funky.

Sorry about the slightly delayed response also! Yeah, rids gave a very informative response which I thumbed up a while back. It was more a thing of curiosity as said rather than a question of an imminent buy, though definitely of real interest given the crossover aspect of the various SE offerings.

Good day, good people. I'm contemplating a step sequencer.
From what I've read so far, the Beatstep and Korg SQ-1 have a 10v gate that are hazardous to most Moogs, which have a 5v gate. I see the Boomstars also have 5v so I'm guessing these sequencers are not a good choice?
I would love a Dark Time (they look so beautiful!) but to get one imported would cost about NZ 900. On the other hand a Mother 32 costs NZ 1100, so it would mean another synth (yay) with cv to play with the Boomstar. Does anyone know if the Mother 32 sequencer plays nice with the Boomstars?

the Korg SQ1 is your best bet or failing that try a Beatstep pro..

I have a question about my Boomstar 5096.

Despite having both oscillators up at the highest range the pitch always seems to be never above c3 or so. Even with the oscillator 2 tuning to the far right.

I can really only use it for bass. The lower 3 feet switch positions are useless as they are far too low in pitch.

Is this correct behaviour?

@ lineofcontrol - It seems something is wrong, it's normal synthesizer so only lowest switch pitch position should be useless (lfo range), rest should be of normal sonic usage

Bugger...thanks for letting me know.

My wife stole my new Boomstar

I have another art project I am working on through January, so when I got it on Friday I thought I would let her jam with it. Two days later I have been told that she is keeping it. She has been jamming with it nonstop and making some insect call techno bleeps in no time.

:(

...Plus side is that it sounds really good! Best monosynth on the market IMO. Also it shipped with the LFO and ring mod broken, so hopefully in the time that I get it repaired I can steal it back somehow

The worst thing I can say about my 4075 is that it's a monosynth with no patch memory ...

IDK if i should write - congrats!
Which filter version did you buy?

3003 ! Sounds similar enough to my old SH-2, but fresh enough and with enough synthesis (even with a broken LFO and ring mod) to be totally floored. It is like a mini modular with so many possibilities, and a Roland tone ...

...which is why she loves it too

Our new plan is to get a second Boomie so we can both have one, we're looking at the SEM. It will be after a few other bits of gear, but at least I can sample from my (ex) 3003 Boomstar for the time being.

Have you mentioned the broken LFO and ring mod to Studio Electronics? Their customer service has been really helpful for me when I broke a module I bought from them.

I sent off an email already, I am sure they will respond soon. It was the first thing I did.
The LFO is stuck in a downramp sawtooth and doesn't change the rate when you turn the rate knob, nor does it react to MIDI sync. You would think it only is either 'broken without sound' or 'fully working'

Ring mod however is fully silent when you turn a knob

Greg help you with this yet?

Thought I'd post my Boomstar trio.

Not yet. I emailed support, Greg hasn't written back. I sent it at the start of NAMM though

I've heard it's better to call ...

You need to call. Email is much tougher to get a response sooner. So while email can be hit or miss, they have great support over the phone.

Here is my Boomstar setup. I like the smaller color coded knobs they offer best. I came up with this layout and here is a link to some sound samples I created: http://blog.invinciblemusic.com/boom...sound-samples/

very nice picture

Did you put those white dashes on the bottom row of shafts or do they come like that now? I thought about going with the color coded route too, like section based, but realized the more I've used it I know where and what everything is.

They offer to do that as a mod along with a new knob set, but I don't think doing it yourself would be that hard ....

They did the upgrades at studio electronics and I requested having the white marks on the small knobs. Not sure if they just painted them on or if they are actually different pots. They look all the same and perfectly done.

What is the turn around time for getting a Boomstar fixed? Going to send off the 3003 tomorrow, I hope its not a long wait. It seems like my issues are pretty minor (they are going to update the EPROM since its an older model, but they said the MIDI issue is likely a loose cable. They're not sure about the ring mod though.)

Is it correct that a Boomstar 4075 and a Tonestar 2600 are basically the same, beyond their respective interface and form factor differences (the Tonestar has a few knobs but many CV options, the Boomstar having many knobs to twist but just a few CV options, euro rack vs desktop box)?

Similarly, would a Tonestar 2600 and the SEM Filter yield the same sound options as a Tonestar and the Boomstar SEM, ignoring the fact that you could only do one at a time in this scenario vs if you had two separate units? Generally, I'm unclear on the crossover between the lines and would like some clarification on the cost/benefits of one format vs the other.

What I really want, I think, is the combination of both... the knobs of the Boomstar with the CV options of the Tonestar...

Similar, but not quite the same:

Boomstar: 2 VCO + SUB - 2 ADSR's - LFO with 8 waveforms (link to image).
Tonestar: 1 VCO + SUB - 1 ADSR - 1 AD/AR - LFO with 2 waveforms (link to image).

Simply put, a Tonestar plus SEM filter would not be the same as a Boomstar SEM in functionality.

Hi, may I ask a few questions about a boomstar compared to an Atcxi, I love soulwax and know they specifically used Atc's and am thinking of getting one if possible but don't know what I'm gaining or losing if I was to choose a boomstar instead? Are the filters the same between the atc,s and the boomstars? I if I go for the atc I get all 4 filters right? Seems like a no brainer? What does a boom offer that atc does not?

Can any boomstar owners here tell me if their midi sync LFO is working for 16ths. I have a 5089 and it skips straight from 1/4 triplet to 16th triplet, missing the 16th and 8th triplet values.

I've been in touch with SE and they're looking into the problem, but I thought I'd check here too.