What color do you prefer?

stardust · Post by **stardust** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 9:09 am

I hope that you inform us John about the final color options before the production of the Solaris begins. At least when there will be new ones.

thanks Stardust

Tiitu · Post by **Tiitu** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 9:50 am

More decoration examples:
http://www.frankonia.de/images/cms/stil ... linte2.jpg
http://www.frankonia.de/shop/zoomPopup. ... annel=hunt
http://www.frankonia.de/shop/zoomPopup. ... annel=hunt
http://www.frankonia.de/shop/zoomPopup. ... annel=hunt
http://www.frankonia.de/shop/zoomPopup. ... annel=hunt
http://www.frankonia.de/shop/zoomPopup. ... annel=hunt
http://www.frankonia.de/shop/zoomPopup. ... annel=hunt

It appears that this kind of decorations etc. will add a zero to the price, heh.

Jackal · Post by **Jackal** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 7:31 am

Wow! I actually think the photoshopped rendering with the vents on the aluminum side panel is fantastic! I can't imagine it would add any to the cost. Imagine if those vents lit up! Hahaha! I guess that would add to the cost! Kudos to whoever provided the image. I think those side panels alone would give the Korg Oasys a run for its money! Nice touch!! I love it!!

Post by **John Bowen** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 7:35 am

Jackal wrote:Wow! I actually think the photoshopped rendering with the vents on the aluminum side panel is fantastic! I can't imagine it would add any to the cost. ... I think those side panels alone would give the Korg Oasys a run for its money! Nice touch!! I love it!!

How about anyone else? I'd like more opinions on this look...(especially compared to the thin aluminum end caps).

thanks,
john b.

drxcm · Post by **drxcm** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 10:23 am

Vents = dust.

I say no way, besides, not meaning to offend, but the vents are UGLY.

Simple understated design will always last the test of time.

seamonkey · Post by **seamonkey** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 1:06 pm

I'm going with wood so my opinion doesn't really matter but the aluminum with vents doesn't work for me.

scope4live · Post by **scope4live** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 2:53 pm

I like it.

Very sexy.

Does that incorporate fans also?

I could always have my Carpenter buddy add the wood after the fact.

vince66 · Post by **vince66** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:24 pm

My initial thought was, wow that looks great, gives the board a stronger , sort of 'aggressive' look. I guess the "vents" don't have to be all the way through or could have fine mesh behind them to reduce dust. I guess to be certain you'd have to see a real deal rather than a render.

I think my favourite is still the dark blue one from Namm but these
as marlon brando would say, could be a contender.

jws · Post by **jws** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 7:17 pm

Not digging the vents - or the aluminum sides, for that matter. I've always liked wood end caps on synths, personally. They add an organic vibe, warm things up a little. And from the pictures I've seen, the olive/off-white color looks a bit too much like generic PC tower beige for my tastes . . . I get cubicle flashbacks when I see that color.

The blue w/ dark wood end caps makes me nostalgic for the OBXa I could never afford as a wide-eyed pre-teen. Now I get to have a bigger, badder flagship of my own.

matocaster · Post by **matocaster** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 8:10 pm

I actually think it's nice. Maybe similar to the Oasys or Fantom endcaps.

Tiitu · Post by **Tiitu** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 12:35 am

My thought is the same. Oasys looks visually fairly cool (See: http://www.musicinstruments.it/keyboard ... _OASYS.jpg). I like the vents, but I still prefer wood. But, are the vents just visual or is there extra ventilation required in Solaris due to multiple DSP chips? If not, then the vents should not go throught in order to avoid dust collecting inside.

Please, let me atttach here still one more example of wood carving: http://www.envia.fi/pfluegerrelief.jpg
But, musical instrument, keys, notes, filter signs, or something related, much more abstract (like the turbo-vents), and cool, would ofcourse do better here. Aren't there any artists around (other than musicians, heh), who would have ideas on how to make the panels and the Solaris a piece of art outside? How about copying an ancient and simple relief of the Sun from South-America or Egypt, heh?

Jackal · Post by **Jackal** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 5:24 am

I was just chatting with some of the guys in our studio to see what they thought of the end caps of the Oasys (venting) in comparison to the Jupiter-8 (plain), as the J8 ends look similar to the ones in the current proto of the dark Solaris. Side by side, they liked the Oasys design better, though we all love the Jupiter-8 to death. Although, it's hard to really tell with a rendered image, it seems almost everyone here leans slightly in favour of the Solaris interpretation over the Oasys. I guess the narrow slits look sleeker. As for the look with wood end caps. Lovers of Virus TI's and Matrix 12's we all are. That version looks great too. It's quite possible that the "vents" in that image are not actually vents per se. To that point, the siding of our Oasys doesn't actually accumulate any more dust than the rest of the machine (but I guess that could depend on where we park it). The inlets do, however, give us a bit of extra grip when we have to park it elsewhere! Hahaha. When you look at the recent designs of Roland (Fantom G's, V-Synth GT) as well as Alesis (Fusion), it seems a lot of companies are investing extra attention to end panels. It could be to build the machine's aesthetic appeal or "character". I don't know, but it certainly helped the Fusion's sex appeal in a lot of mag reviews I've read. In any event, I'm happy whichever way John calls it. My investment is with the engine under the hood. What a shame it would be if the machine was pretty but sounded like crap which, from what I've heard and seen, the Solaris certainly won't. Talk about big sounds. This one's primed for NASCAR.

Post by **John Bowen** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 7:30 am

The intention of this design was only for looks; no vents are needed or planned for Solaris.

JB

stardust · Post by **stardust** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 8:19 am

I think the dark (grey) version with those vents could be a real alternative for my current blue with wood ends order.

It makes it look more like the starship bridhe console which underpins the solaris naming. At least when I think about the Lem science fiction.

seamonkey · Post by **seamonkey** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 8:45 am

Tiitu wrote: I
My current favourite is this: http://www.johnbowen.com/images/closeups/IMG_4013.jpg

I have to agree, when I look at this pic it reminds me of the first time I saw my wife some 31+years ago, I smiled from ear to ear when she said yes to go out on a date with me.

I think you may be on to something with the redesigned aluminum endcaps for those customers who are going with the aluminum.
I have a Virus Indigo with aluminum side panels and from the side it does look rather plain.

John Bowen Synth Design

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