IDM Mailing Archive

When I started to pick up more gear, I thought it was a blessing, but as of late, I've almost all but stopped using over half the stuff I have. Using particular units to their fullest, I would argue, is the best way to create powerful music.. I come from the school of that effects are secondary to the sounds themselves.. In fact, if you hadn't noticed, I use very little more than reverb and distortion, if anything at all.. Sure, it's fun to go to a friends and turn on the 'ol juno, 909, 303, 202 combination, but in the end, it's just not as satisfying.. I think my biggest pet peeve is hearing a record that is drowned in effects.. I think things like flange and echoes and reverse, etc.. can be REALLY cheesy and predictable.. I think it's time that people started recognizing the power of wimpy sounds! BTW, could someone drop the address for the ambient list? JAmie

quoted 1 line fun to go to a friends and turn on the 'ol juno, 909, 303, 202 combination,

>fun to go to a friends and turn on the 'ol juno, 909, 303, 202 combination,

Yag. So, does anybody wanna give gear lists? I use an ol' juno, 909, 303 and 202 ;-) No, I don't (no 303 or 202)... ...but I used to use a DR-660 for all of my drum sounds. Now I have the "Originals" (i.e. roland drum machines from the past) and... let's just say my production/enthusiasm rate has dropped. I don't know if this is related to the machines or not, but regardless, it IS proof that having a 909 etc. doesn't = instant gratification. I also got a 101 and love(d) the sequencer in it, but now realize it was only fun b/c I could easily get a funky Roland bassline...I bought it, programmed some legato slide-ridden lines in, then would just let it and my 909 play for like 30 minutes...now I never use it that way...so it definitely pays to use what you have to its fullest. As Severed Heads' Tom Ellard has said, "Learn to use each piece of gear the way a violinist learns to use a violin." Or something like that... -morgan geist

quoted 4 lines Yag. So, does anybody wanna give gear lists? I use an ol' juno, 909,

>Yag. So, does anybody wanna give gear lists? I use an ol' juno, 909, >303 and 202 ;-) > >No, I don't (no 303 or 202)...

Sure... and apart from just listing, I'll mention what each one is used for... Kurzweil K2000 - this is the most incredible machine in current production. you can take any sound and warp the living crap out of it. pure techno in one box. has built in waveforms (including all the classic synthy ones) and you can sample into it as well. filters are the best of any current machine. sounds great, amazingly powerful and flexible... the powerhouse. Boss DR-660 - drum machine with lots of classic 808 & 909 sounds, as well as a lot of other good stuff. my pick for "best bang for buck" and "most suited to dance music". pluses: cheap, sounds great, built in fx. minuses: using the individual outputs loses the built in fx. :( Sequential Circuits MAX & Six-Trak - these are basically the same machine - a six voice analog synthesizer with full MIDI control of sound parameters in real time. they're so similar, they are patch compatible. the Six-Trak can do unison mode for phat analog stack sounds. nice grungy analog 70's sound. not quite as fat as oberheim, not quite as shiny as roland... again, good bang for buck. also one of the few true analog beasties that are multitimbral! Casio CZ-101 - it's starting to show its age but i've had it for so long that i am totally QUICK to program it. makes nice noises, cheap, doesn't sound as lame as pure FM even tho it's based on FM. don't ask me, i like it, and you can't beat it for $100! Yamaha DX7iiD - i use it only as a controller keyboard! i'm borrowing it from someone who never used it. i hate the sounds and i can't program FM worth shit. Yamaha ProMix01 - this is the first in a new generation of digital mixers. built in fx, total MIDI automation... all for under $2000. plus it has a digital output so you can just plug it straight into your DAT machine. my trax are now entirely assembled digitally... after they come into the mixer, they are never converted back to analog until they reach your ears...

quoted 2 lines As Severed Heads' Tom Ellard has said, "Learn to use each piece of gear the

>As Severed Heads' Tom Ellard has said, "Learn to use each piece of gear the >way a violinist learns to use a violin." Or something like that...

what he said was realize that a violinist learns one instrument incredibly well over the course of a career. also realize that you are never going to be that intimate with any synth, but try to make it a goal. i feel that i have a comfortable gear level right now... i know how to run most of it reasonably well but i still want to spend a lot of time delving into the mysteries of the k2000. Jon Drukman jsd@cyborganic.com

quoted 2 lines somebody asked about gear lists...

> > somebody asked about gear lists... > and Jon Drukman replied...

and I'll reply too...

quoted 5 lines Yag. So, does anybody wanna give gear lists? I use an ol' juno, 909,

> >Yag. So, does anybody wanna give gear lists? I use an ol' juno, 909, > > Sure... and apart from just listing, I'll mention what each one is used for... > > Kurzweil K2000 - this is the most incredible machine in current production.

Indeed. I have one, too. At this moment it is a bare bones version with OS 1.0 but it certainly is the first synth I absolutely love.

quoted 2 lines Boss DR-660 - drum machine with lots of classic 808 & 909 sounds, as well

> > Boss DR-660 - drum machine with lots of classic 808 & 909 sounds, as well

Well, I have 808 and 909 samples on disk for my K2000. I use them sometimes as raw material for percussion sounds. I have never really used drum machines and prefer sequencer programming. In addition of the K2000 I only have a Wavestation EX. It is a welcome addition since K2000 only has 24 voices and 1 effects processor. I usually do so that I take half of the K2000 sounds dry and half trough it's effects. The WS I use for different pads and "lead" sounds (often with legato). I take the K2k and WS outputs directly to a MidiMan minimixer that is a dumb line mixer without EQ or such. The drawback my setup is that I don't always get the best possible mix since I'll have to mix everything internally in the synths. The good thing is that I have a very compact system and I really like that I can store _everything_ on disks - mixing and all. Oh, and I use an Atari ST for sequencing. I guess the next thing I'll get is more memory for my ST and some kind of sampling option (either a 16-bit sampler cardridge for my ST and transfer the samples through MIDI to the K2k - slow but cheap OR the K2k sampling option - bit too steep for me now). I am very happy that I've found a setup that I feel comfortable with. I used to have the problem of constantly changing equipment. I've had a Korg M1, Korg MS20, Korg WS A/D, Casio FZ1, Casio CZ101, Kawai K4, Kawai K1II, Yamaha TX81Z and Roland MT32 plus some FX processors in the past (not all of this at the same time, though). I also had a NextStation computer but even if the software synthesis was very interesting the lack of real time composing and lack of user friendly software forced me to sell it... Greetings, Jouni

On Fri, 14 Oct 1994 08:14:01 -0700, Jon Drukman <jsd@cyborganic.com> wrote:

quoted 5 lines Kurzweil K2000 - this is the most incredible machine in current production.

>Kurzweil K2000 - this is the most incredible machine in current production. >you can take any sound and warp the living crap out of it. pure techno in >one box. has built in waveforms (including all the classic synthy ones) >and you can sample into it as well. filters are the best of any current >machine. sounds great, amazingly powerful and flexible... the powerhouse.

All I can say to this is ick. I know many people swear by these, but I can't stand them. Personal preference I guess. The day a synth comes out that is "pure techno in one box" is the day I retire from making music. Luckily the k2k is not it IMHO.

quoted 4 lines Casio CZ-101 - it's starting to show its age but i've had it for so long

>Casio CZ-101 - it's starting to show its age but i've had it for so long >that i am totally QUICK to program it. makes nice noises, cheap, doesn't >sound as lame as pure FM even tho it's based on FM. don't ask me, i like >it, and you can't beat it for $100!

As lame as pure FM? Ouch. It is a nice board though.

quoted 3 lines Yamaha DX7iiD - i use it only as a controller keyboard! i'm borrowing it

>Yamaha DX7iiD - i use it only as a controller keyboard! i'm borrowing it >from someone who never used it. i hate the sounds and i can't program FM >worth shit.

You should give it a try sometime. I have an sy99 which can get some of the most KILLER pads out of. Plus nice rez filters for a digital machine, tho I am not sure about the dx7's filters. FM can be a bit tricky, but worth fooling with IMHO. I will wager that your dx7 will do some things your k2k certainly cannot. Plus it is a true SYNTHESIZER not a glorified sample playback box.

quoted 1 line Yamaha ProMix01 - this is the first in a new generation of digital mixers.

>Yamaha ProMix01 - this is the first in a new generation of digital mixers.

So you bought one! Nice choice. After reading Jon's excellent review in RMMS I went out and tried one myself. This is a GREAT box and I am sure one is bound for my studio in the near future. Perfect for the home MIDI studio. I have a rather large selection of boxes, mostly analogue, which I won't bore everyone with. Rob -- mANnA/>tEMpESt<\fEED/>DBN<\iNFIdeLiTy rECoRdIng<\/>fEEd@maroon.tc.umn.edu "FILTER MAINTENANCE- After every 100 hours of operation apply a sine wave to the output of the FILTER to back flush the trapped overtones to unclog your filter." - EML 101 Manual

"fEEd" <fEEd@maroon.tc.umn.edu> writes:

quoted 4 lines All I can say to this is ick. I know many people swear by these, but I

> All I can say to this is ick. I know many people swear by these, but I > can't stand them. Personal preference I guess. The day a synth comes out > that is "pure techno in one box" is the day I retire from making music. > Luckily the k2k is not it IMHO.

amen. and anyway, who the hell wants "pure" techno? is Global Comm pure? is RDJ's stuff? good techno sounds like where it's coming from not what it's coming from! - Dan lo.fat.sig - The 8-Bit Collective/8-Bit Records * US/Finland - lo.fat.sig Dan Nicholson +1-908-687-3479 - moddan@vlad.bowker.com

quoted 2 lines As lame as pure FM? Ouch. It is a nice board though.

>As lame as pure FM? Ouch. It is a nice board though. >

There's nothing lame about pure FM is great if you know how to use it. Most people just don't understand the concept, which requires a bit more time to master than analogue synthesis (and I've heard PLENTY of cheesy analogue sounds). The problem w/ most FM sounds is that they're trying to sound like something else - Rhodes, organ, analogue, brass (uggh!).

quoted 4 lines Yamaha DX7iiD - i use it only as a controller keyboard! i'm borrowing it

>>Yamaha DX7iiD - i use it only as a controller keyboard! i'm borrowing it >>from someone who never used it. i hate the sounds and i can't program FM >>worth shit. >

99% of FM sounds are shit because very few people know how to use it. mu-ziq DEFINITELY know how to program FM, as do I.

quoted 3 lines You should give it a try sometime. I have an sy99 which can get some of

>You should give it a try sometime. I have an sy99 which can get some of >the most KILLER pads out of. Plus nice rez filters for a digital machine, >tho I am not sure about the dx7's filters.

The DXs have no filters, which is why I'm selling my MIDI'd Prophet 5 for $850 and my Prophet 600 (also MIDI) for $350. Email me for info.

quoted 4 lines FM can be a bit tricky, but worth fooling with IMHO. I will wager that

>FM can be a bit tricky, but worth fooling with IMHO. I will wager that >your dx7 will do some things your k2k certainly cannot. Plus it is a true >SYNTHESIZER not a glorified sample playback box. >

Maybe a K2K owner will clarify that the signal processing routines are INDEED synthesis PEACEOUT MR-808 Now on Sony: Are we here? remixes - Orbital

quoted 2 lines 99% of FM sounds are shit because very few people know how to use it.

>99% of FM sounds are shit because very few people know how to use it. >mu-ziq DEFINITELY know how to program FM, as do I.

y'know, i've tried to avoid commenting on u-ziq... but if anyone is holding him up as an example of anything good, i immediately question their taste/sanity/iq. (except teep, who can get away with it cos i know he likes real music too.) (i can hear the flamethrowers igniting...)

quoted 3 lines FM can be a bit tricky, but worth fooling with IMHO. I will wager that

>>FM can be a bit tricky, but worth fooling with IMHO. I will wager that >>your dx7 will do some things your k2k certainly cannot. Plus it is a true >>SYNTHESIZER not a glorified sample playback box.

quoted 2 lines Maybe a K2K owner will clarify that the signal processing routines are

>Maybe a K2K owner will clarify that the signal processing routines are >INDEED synthesis

forget it, i already tried arguing with fEEd about the K2000's worthiness and he refuses to accept that it's anything other than a "glorified sample playback box". to each his own... /j/