Akai MFC42 Filter Module Vs. Sherman FilterBank

Which one is Better???? What is a Band pass anyway??



VS



Which is Better???

You can't really say one is better than the other. They're made for different purposes. I've owned the Akai and sold it to get the Sherman.

Basically the Akai is easy to use and does what you tell it to do. It has full midi spec so you can dump settings to the MPC or any other sequencer, and record knob movments too. It's stereo so you can filter whole drumloops in stereo. It gets a little predictable after a while, which for me made it less interesting for sound design, but also makes it easy to use. If you just want to filter stuff, it's great. The sound is very good. Not amazing, but very good.

The Sherman is mono, although you can set it up as two 12db filters working in tandem for stereo use. The sound, imho, is amazing. It gets dirty very quickly; the preamp sounds like a tube preamp (it's not), and can be overdriven from subtle to crazy. The best way to describe the sherman is to say it's ALIVE. The settings of almost all the knobs interact in intricate ways, witch makes it a little impredictable, but also gives you endless opportunity to come up with fresh, original sounds. If you like dirty, organic, analog sounds, the Sherman will not dissapoint.

Philly, I'm asking myself the same question lately, I think the mfc would be very nice. But I would like to get the Sherman, but that means more $$$.
At first i was thinking of getting the mfc to use mainly for sampling. But I reckon if I got the Sherman I could do that and more than the Akai.
It would nice if you could get a demo of the two and find out which one sounds better for you, and whether the extra money for the Filterbank would be worth it for what you want

If you want do do the stuff that the Sherman can do, I don't think the MFC will satisfy you. On the other hand, the Sherman won't let you work the way you can work with the MFC. You really shouldn't make this choice based on budget.

Like I said, they are two very different machines, but it's horses for courses. If you need to do one thing, one machine will be much better than the other, and with something else it will be the opposite.

Don't be fooled by the fact that on paper they are both analog filters and they look sort of similar. Read my previous post again. Does one description appeal to you more than the other? Again, the MFC is a very flexible and very good sounding filter for a rediculously low price. If you just want a flexible filter, look no further. If you prefer experimental or edgy sound-design, and if you can appreciate good distortion and overdrive, if you like to work with analog synths, then the Sherman is your best bet.

lo-fi wrote:If you want do do the stuff that the Sherman can do, I don't think the MFC will satisfy you. On the other hand, the Sherman won't let you work the way you can work with the MFC. You really shouldn't make this choice based on budget.

Like I said, they are two very different machines, but it's horses for courses. If you need to do one thing, one machine will be much better than the other, and with something else it will be the opposite.

Don't be fooled by the fact that on paper they are both analog filters and they look sort of similar. Read my previous post again. Does one description appeal to you more than the other? Again, the MFC is a very flexible and very good sounding filter for a rediculously low price. If you just want a flexible filter, look no further. If you prefer experimental or edgy sound-design, and if you can appreciate good distortion and overdrive, if you like to work with analog synths, then the Sherman is your best bet.

Thanks again lo-fi,when you gonna run off a list of gear you in the photo of your Studio?? Did you get my Private Message??

They're both sick, but the only word I can think of about the Sherman vs MCF is that the Sherman is "wilder." It sounds fatter...I dunno just more analog. I think the MCF might have more midi functions though, not too sure.

Philly Stress wrote:Thanks again lo-fi,when you gonna run off a list of gear you in the photo of your Studio?? Did you get my Private Message??

I posted my studio here.

Yeah, I got your e-mail, but I'm in the middle of the Red Bull Music Academy so I've been kinda busy...

If you go with a Sherman, the better your understanding of synthesis the more useful it will be.
The MFC is somewhat of a clone of the Electrix Filter Factory but has a thinner sound than the Electrix.
Both the MFC and the Electrix are pretty fast and easy to use, while the Sherman is more than just random knob grabbing.
BEFORE you go shopping for a filter you really need to know what you want it to do and have a relative understanding of how filters and envelope followers work.
The best way to know how a VCF and VCO's sound are to play with them and see how they respond and interact.
Lots of choices and prices:
Sherman Filterbank 1 & 2
Electrix Filter Factory
Electrix Filter Queen
Akai MFC-42
Mutron III
DOD FX-25 (original shinny green)
Ensoniq DP series (2, Pro, and 4)
Mutator
Roland SH-09
Roland JP-8080
Korg Electribes
and the list goes on.
My real point is there is really no such thing as the best filter or the perfect filter, it's just the sound that you are looking for.
Digital filters don't sound like analog and all analog don't sound the same.

def the sherman, if you cant afford one try the frostwave resinator...same filter as the krog ms20....can anyone say daft punk?

greg

i'd get the sherman as well...that's a beast of a machine and has multiple uses. the most powerful filter i've ever heard.

You guys don't have it so bad... The Sherman is 1,120 USD down here.

WDJ wrote:You guys don't have it so bad... The Sherman is 1,120 USD down here.

WTF? I paid about half that!

What's even better, the company is just this one guy and his wife. They live in Belgium, about 2 hours from Amsterdam. They'll help you out if you need anything. A friend of mine bought a second hand FB1 cheap because one function was AWOL. He took it to (S)Herman, who just said 'I won't have one of my units not functioning properly' and fixed it for free.

ntalec wrote:If you go with a Sherman, the better your understanding of synthesis the more useful it will be.
.....
My real point is there is really no such thing as the best filter or the perfect filter, it's just the sound that you are looking for.
.....
Digital filters don't sound like analog and all analog don't sound the same.

True, true, and true!

Is the Akai MFC 42 Analog or Digital?????

Analog.