http://www.cikira.com/gear/index.html

check this out...(i guess many of you already have seen this)

so much stuff!

scroll down and check her list.....

Notice she has no music on her site. Ridiculous.

Get the impression she has a few quid to blow on gear??

You're right though, a few mp3's wouldn't go amiss...

yepp i noticed that too

she is what i would call a freak
Ridiculous indeed! but nice looking stuff....

WHOA!! Girlfriend's got some toyZ!! I noticed a picture of
an OLD man in her wallpaper......Cikira's sugar daddy perhaps??

Cheers.....CL

i wonder is she pays for her software tho

Shit! Somebody hasn't been attending their gearaholics anonymous meetings. I wouldn't even know where to begin with all that shit, just give me a PC, some software, a midi controller, and I'm all set.

I wouldn't mind having the Access Viruses (Virii?), Nords and Oberheims.

o-v-e-r-k-i-l-l

I'd curious to find out how much of that stuff she uses on a daily basis. And what's with the shiny blue Vegas outfit in the photo?

uhhhhmmmmmmmmmm http://www.cikira.com/voyager/index.html

No Oberheim Matrix 12
No Memory Moog or MiniMoog (Voyager does not count)
No Roland Jupiter 4, 6, or 8
No Prophet 5, Prophet 10 or Prophet T8
No Arps
No Rhodes Chroma

But she has Peavy synths!

Lots of stuff but not a good variety and too much trash. She needs an trained purchasing agent to help her spend her money. Someone give her my card.

Robert

I didn't even know Peavey made synths until recently. Hee.

Quote:

I haven't acquired soft-synths or effects plug-ins--I'm inspired by instruments that stand alone and are not dependent on other system elements.

Oh well, atleast she has some limits.

Rabid wrote:

No Oberheim Matrix 12

She has two Xpanders, one with the VCA input mod going by the description... so she's not losing out by not having a Matric 12.

too much. entirely. personally i think i do a lot more with my ibook and a load of vsts. it doesnt hurt to have a dominatrix outfit! (note to self, dust off that black leather skirt and bustier as well as the high boots)

Can someone please tell me what's wrong with this woman?? I know penis envy has many manifestations, but that was rediculous! And for all that, & being a 'NAMM' member, where is the music? No demo tunes on her site whatsoever..very odd..an attractive older woman though..heh..would it be considered insensitive of one to exploit her obvious mental condition to thier advantage for a decadent evening of geriatric sex & intrument theft?

ok, lemme add the prerequisite "I'm only joking, hahah..."

Or am I...?

Ah, the mystery is solved! She's the one that does all those porn movie soundtracks. Must be good money, lol!

Woah! Now thats too much junk to deal with, even for xoxos

I would take the two mushrooms! the speakers and the weirdo turntable.

It's funny, it would be very hard for me to work there because:

she has a crappy computer
and no samplers
and no old vinyl
and not 1 GOOD tube compressor/preamp/eq

gimme a powerbook, a record player, some vinyl, and cubase
I'm happy.

also where's the big mixing desk? just a bunch of little mackies.. strange world indeed..

maybe she works in the industry and gets promo gear?

looks like a music warehouse blew up..

i bet that room gets rather hot...

she has 4 virii, 3 NL's, and an andromeda.. overkill indeed.. but it must be nice to have money like that to blow..

VitaminD wrote:

but it must be nice to have money like that to blow..

Yeah but if I had that money, I would have racks of computers all system linked together:)

yeah i'd forgo all the multiple virii and other hardware, buy a couple of computers, and buy this:


(where's the drool smiley)

.......and where is the free gallery of naked pics on her site...?

thats amanda pehlke. she and mark pulver got married a few years ago and probably created one of the biggest synth collections to be found under one roof.

all the gear you saw in those pics is hers. marks stuff can be see here http://www.midiwall.com/wall

those two are hard core gear heads. they are even good friends with bob moog.

-ugo

Yikes! Thats alot of hardware... I'd never be able to work in such a cluttered environment - though my pc isn't exactly well organized

reminds me of some other guy i saw with a similar collection.. he posted here.. and he had some clips up at mp3.com... anyone remember that post?

Is she married ?

I think I'm in love

Do you think shes ever said " theres a lead sound im after... if i just had one more synth it might give me inspiration "

I also notice she dosent have a stylophone.... but she does have about twice as many synths as all the music shops in my town put together!!


Gotta agree O V E R K I L L ! ! !

Here's a post from one of the EX5 formus where we had a similar conversation a few months earlier ( http://www.ex5tech.com/ex5ubb_cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=7&t=0 00429 ) :

---------------------------
Author : Merverus

1) How do you afford to buy all that stuff?

Well, I've slowed down now. I went through a fortunate but finite "good-income" time after an inheritance some years back. I knew it was finite, so I set the goals to develop my studio and build my own house. These
days, I can get by OK and if I'm careful, I can add a new toy every so
often.

2) I need a keyboard - can you send me a few (preferable "the virus")?

Heh, like maybe the Indigo2 with lotsa yummy little blue lights? Aw shucks,I'm out of stamps.

3) Is that really your stuff or did you sneak into sony studios and snap some pictures?

Indeed it is. Got built-in balanced power to it, too.

4) Assuming that all that gear really is yours, how can I get in your will so that I can inherit all of it when/if you pass?

Here ya go, search for *** omitted *** THEN, hang out for maybe 10 or 20 years in order to convince me that there is
such a thing as a (*snarl*) monogamous, freakin' faithful man with his
head on straight!

5) Do you rent out your studio for struggling musicians at either reduced rates of for sexual favours?

Haven't yet, but if there's a good one who promises to struggle nicely...

6) Are your robot dogs compatible with MIDI or USB interfaces and if so,
do they do sexual favours for you?

Now that would be handy! but no and no. (Fact is, they have great LAN capabilities I don't play with--the newer ones will read your email aloud to you and do gestures to accompany all kinds of words and phrases. Sheesh, I should set them up to read god knows what-all from the net and then put
'em on a webcam. I'm really slacking off here.)

7) Have I heard any of your music of is there somewhere where I can go to hear it?

I've been writing a program for Mac to create an environment for composing music without knowing much about music theory (see URL in signature). It's really getting cool (I think anyway) now, but it's nothing like the stuff people think they have to have. I just recently changed my saved-file format
and obsoleted every composing attempt I've made so far! But I haven't really been in "user mode" yet anyway. I'm on a long journey towards doing a CD and this is basically my personal tool for achieving that end.

Thanks for your time and inspiration.

Always ready to inspire! or something like that.

9) Your #1 Fan

Tsk, bet you say that to all the gear/robot collecting female MAX programmers you know.


--Amanda

maxWerk-GS mad scientists' tool-*coming soon*
|_) _ _||\/| _ _ ._ to www.redmoonmusic.com
> | \(/_(_|| |(_)(_)| | ~~~ evolutionary electronica

------------------------

Admit it everybody, we are all JEALOUS!! a) Because she has all that equipment that none of us ever hopes to have, and b) Because she is a !@#$%^%^&&** WOMAN!!! Hence all those sexist remarks. I know they are ment to be light and funny, but they reproduce the stereotypes in such a deep level that it is more dangerous than simply stating that women must cook and be f***ed period. It kind of makes me .

Now, who wants to know why women don't hang around this place?

Well that does it for me.I know there is a heaven because I've seen it.

Teksonik wrote:

Well that does it for me.I know there is a heaven because I've seen it.

LOL

cimoc wrote:

Admit it everybody, we are all JEALOUS!! a) Because she has all that equipment that none of us ever hopes to have

Maybe you are, but I'm not. Having that much shit is just stupid because one could never make use of it all. IMHO limitation allows one to be truly creative, while excess drowns one in possibilities that can never hope to be explored. Two or three synths will keep me busy doing different stuff for a long, long time.

Ive been into this shit fer a while, and I have to say that for me, limitation has definately done some good things for my creativity, but excess would do more

You're right... I am jealous, whoever said that!
Not 'cause she a girl tho'. 'Cause she has so many of the things that I dream of being able to afford one of. Well, that and that she sounds smarter than me, if you read some of the stuff on her page.

It's all good, tho'. Ya gotta be happy for someone with that kind of creative freedom.

As far as what I want from there... all of it! But I would settle for the shelf with tha two viri, (? is that correct plural for virus...? ) tha novation, tha cool x/y thingy that I think is by korg but can't remember right now, etc.
mmmmmm, sweet like sugar!

Anyway, I would never have the time to even try all that equipment, let alone learn how to use it. Once I was really lusting for gear, so now I got maybe 12 guitars taking up space, using one or two if I' m lucky enough to escape 2 hours from work-family-things-that-must-be-done etc. It is such a waste...But that studio is an even bigger waste.
What I am jealous of is not the gear, it's the fact that she can afford to have it all scattered around, and the obvious induction that she can therefore say "Hmm, today I feel like playing with this Oberheim, or would it be the Korg...let me see...". Which is probably unfair, after all she is a pro (still working on her first cd???) while I am just an engineer who likes music but has no time for it.

Quote:

Well that does it for me.I know there is a heaven because I've seen it.

No, heaven is a state of mind that should have to do with peace, harmony, creativity, things like that. If I found myself in such a studio, I am sure I would choke on it. On the other hand, it sure is nice to know you have options, even if you end up never using them.
And I still feel that, if it was a man, most of us would just go "wow! what a dude!". But seeing a woman automatically stimulates our reflexes

Quote:

...and where is the free gallery of naked pics on her site...?

Just an example of a thought that I admit I am not above. Now, if she were ugly and fat, we might just pay attention to the music.

[quote="kryos"]
You're right... I am jealous, whoever said that!
Not 'cause she a girl tho'. 'Cause she has so many of the things that I dream of being able to afford one of.
[/quote]

Things like breasts and such? They're available to buy for $4000, lots of women buy them.

Actually, maybe it's all a joke? That she made that page just to have geeks like you - ok, us - lust for all her gear? I kinda like that idea.

Oh and some links for more of her:
http://www.techtv.com/news/culture/story/0,24195,3385063,00.html
http://www.zdnet.com.au/newstech/enterprise/story/0,2000025001,2025977 6,00.htm

Anyway, her gearlust reminds me of my sample-cd lust - once you start collecting you feel you can never have too many - but the sad truth is of course that most of us get more done with less stuff. Too many tools = too many distractions and less music done.

they are all tools to and end. if they arent used for achieving that then they are a waste in my honest opinion. as for her, i am not jealous. i wouldnt trade my ibook and VSTis for all that kit just to look as scarey as she does.

Lady J wrote:

they are all tools to and end. if they arent used for achieving that then they are a waste in my honest opinion. as for her, i am not jealous. i wouldnt trade my ibook and VSTis for all that kit just to look as scarey as she does.

hey lady - someone said something about your music, but i didn't get to listen to it. any webpage where i can have some?

thanks

Why doesn't she sell everything and buy empty CD-r's for the money? Get herself a good inet connection and start downloading warez

Hmmm
nice boobs, I'd rather say! Woukd she like to pose for Playboy?

haven`t talked to her in a while
she has lot`s of knowledge on the stuff she uses
and she`s really a nice person to talk to

you could think in terms of "if she sold her stuff she could save a lot of children worldwide" but that really is a prejudice ..because we don't know how she's got it and why she has such a huge collection
how she spends her money and how she collects her money.

if she uses literally all stuff she has, it is no overkill

if she only uses 10 % it is a waste .. perhaps i should ask her about it.
fact is, she owns lots of synths i would love to have.
and fact is i had some very nice conversations with her after i wrote her a email ones about something i cant recall anymore (probably not so important)

if she looks beautiful or ugly or like you say scary is really not the issue lady

kvaksha wrote:

Hmmm nice boobs, I'd rather say! Woukd she like to pose for Playboy?

well, she's a "dancer", maybe an exotic one, who knows. but leave sexuality and nakedness out of this...it was not what we were talking about.

You can keep the instruments, just give me the house.

Robert

My music is on this page: http://www.dancetech.com/~Lady_J

have a listen to Chemistry, Touch, Untitled RnB 1 and 2, and some of the other tunes.

as for her looks, i will not comment other than say men are easily fooled.

Lady J wrote:

as for her looks, i will not comment other than say men are easily fooled.

Women are masters of the visual lie???

btw - great tunes Lady J.
Trés cool.

Quote:

as for her looks, i will not comment other than say men are easily fooled

well you started about her looks ... also i must add .... she is a nice person
also i must add ... when someone looks good they easily get pushed into the good looking favoured corner ! and no matter how good they are or how hard they work there will always be someone that tells them they get preference because of there looks.... how i know ? because i`m so handsome ...... j.k. (before people start to hate me again)

"7) Have I heard any of your music of is there somewhere where I can go to hear it?

I've been writing a program for Mac to create an environment for composing music without knowing much about music theory (see URL in signature). It's really getting cool (I think anyway) now, but it's nothing like the stuff people think they have to have. I just recently changed my saved-file format
and obsoleted every composing attempt I've made so far! But I haven't really been in "user mode" yet anyway. I'm on a long journey towards doing a CD and this is basically my personal tool for achieving that end."


AHA!! I knew it!! All that gear and not ONE bloody CD to show
for it!! If I had that mound of gear, I have a CD next friggin' week. It's
not overkill simply because she has it.....it's overkill because she's
obviously not using it to it's full potential......now me I NEED those
24 guitars!!

Cheers......CL

Actually, it's not surprising that she doesn't have a CD. With that much gear she might never have a CD...

You only have a finite amount of headspace for learning new things at once... It would take a lifetime to really wrap your head around all of that gear. Especially if you were trying to learn it all at the same time... It must feel overwhelming.

I was more prolific with my little 8-Track recorder than I am now with my full-blown studio...

It's nice to have, but I miss the days of a few choice pieces of gear and a fast working pace.

Quote:

I NEED those 24 guitars

if all the virtual freebees i have were hardware devices with the size of a modern hardware synth I'd have to buy me a bigger house as the one she has .. and i had to make me a new studio room, ten times the proportion as hers .... do i have a cd out ... no .... does it make me a spoiled brat probably ... do i feel guilty about it ... no .. if I'd save up my money could i go to India ... yep .. would the cost of that trip be enough to feed an African child from 0 to 20 yep .. if I'd make me a cd and make me a fortune would i be able to feed more children ... it would
is she planning to have a cd out ... probably .....

you guys all nag on ... but in the end she has a major orgasm by touching one key .. and you are sill wanking over a new freebee

wankers ... i think I'm the only one backing her and i don't even know why
perhaps i still have a tiny whish she is all alone and regards me as a heir to her estate

Lady J wrote:

i wouldnt trade my ibook and VSTis for all that kit just to look as scarey as she does.

She might be transsexual.

LOL, I'm a little late in this thread but how the hell does she gets the time to use all of this? There's just too much gear. All this costs big money also. Never seen anything like this before.

"Actually, it's not surprising that she doesn't have a CD. With that much gear she might never have a CD... "

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!! Yeah, I know what ya' mean. I used to be
pretty darn prolific with the 'ol portastudio and a coupla stompboxes!

Cheers.....CL

Oh....BTW...Cikira, if you're reading this, I'M SINGLE!!

I just have a pen and some Music Paper
ZgO

Tarkus wrote:

Lady J wrote: i wouldnt trade my ibook and VSTis for all that kit just to look as scarey as she does. She might be transsexual.

see my "men are so easily fooled" comment.

thats a lot of kit from

Flaps in yer lap -)

[quote="well, she's a "dancer", maybe an exotic one[/quote]

hmm its nice collection

but it be ather more insterested in this lot

http://rollerator.freewebspace.com/photo.html

cimoc wrote:

Admit it everybody, we are all JEALOUS!! a) Because she has all that equipment that none of us ever hopes to have,

Jealous? Hardly. That's just rediculous. Obviously it's not all used based on the way it's set up, or if she's triggering via midi, she ain't using it to the full potential, obviously. I've had a much more modest setup over the years, and I can't tell you how many times my body got sore trying to put myself into a position to use the equipment. The setup is stupid, and egonomic this studio is not. It's all show, and no go, trust me. Being uncomfortable is not inspirational.

Racks like those are designed for music stores, not for the comfort of a keyboard player. I recognize some of those racks because I own an identical rack. It's now used to hold ONE keyboard, instead of four.

But I'll bet she has more money wrapped up in cabling than most of you have wrapped up in equipment though. You never realize how expensive all that is, because you only buy it 2-4 pieces at a time usually.

Devon

An act of unmitigated cruelty would simply be to forward her a link to this thread, maybe it'll shame her into a garage sale..

Lady J wrote:

Tarkus wrote: Lady J wrote: i wouldnt trade my ibook and VSTis for all that kit just to look as scarey as she does. She might be transsexual. see my "men are so easily fooled" comment.

D'oh clearly she's a BIG Wendy Carlos fan .... and scary looking heir to the Botox fortune no less. Best quote is "I'm on a long journey towards doing a CD and this is basically my personal tool for achieving that end." Lock her in a cell with a kazoo and a reel-to-reel four track I say

Ye, her tool is probably what stands between her and a CD. Unless of course she is really strong mentally and able to keep herself to using just a few pieces of her gear at a time.
Still I wouldn't mind having a piece of her (gear) pie. Not too much, though, I get sick of too much pie
cheers, Jo

If I was her, I would sell most of the synths that she has, bought couple new computers, with lots of HD space, and lots of memory. Invested in all the major VSTi's, got 2 or 3 big LCD screens, RME sound card and RME or Appogee converters, and I would be all set.

All this hardware takes too much space. Is not as convenient.
I love using my current DAW and that's how I use it. I have computer, 2 monitors, nice speakers HR824, bunch of VSTis and I'm a very happy man.

She may very well be a nice person, and I'm happy she can satisfy her desires this way - and so, yes, I'm a bit jealous of her. Not because the 100s of synths, mind you, so much as the fact that she can afford them.

On the other hand, quite honestly the first adjective that came to my mind while looking at those photos is obscene. It's one thing to buy a synth that you've always dreamt about owning - or, for that matter, to buy all the synths that you've always dreamt about owning - but it's quite another to buy several pieces of all those synths...

If I counted correctly, just from top-of-the-line synthesizers alone she lists 66 (not including the mixers/controllers/effects/whatever). Why would you need 3 Viruses? Why would you need a JP8080 AND a JP8000? And why would you buy half that gear when you already have the Alesis Andromeda?

Yeah, like many people here I also have over 100 synths on my HD. On the other hand, 80% of them are zipped/archived or in hybernation; there are less than 25 in my active folder; and only 6 of those are sold-alone commercial products (not counting the CM collection), the rest are freeware or came with Orion Platinum. This doesn't make me better than her, but it's surely a more balanced approach?

By comparison, the equipment in that room, estimating its value conservatively speaking, has to be worth a minimum of U$300,000.

You can be a nice person indulging your desires, and there's nothing wrong with that; but gluttony is never appealing, no matter how nice the person is behind it...

Josmoker wrote:

Ye, her tool is probably what stands between her and a CD. Unless of course she is really strong mentally and able to keep herself to using just a few pieces of her gear at a time. Still I wouldn't mind having a piece of her (gear) pie. Not too much, though, I get sick of too much pie cheers, Jo

If she did limit her self and just took 3 or 4 or more synths at time to make a song with, and after that she changes to 3 or more of choice, that could be an interesting album....

and for sure she cant be able to master all synths, but instead she would know all different methods of syntesis and act upon that, and she would use lots of presets...

phu.... where to begin...

this is just bizarre
this is part of a long journey toward making a cd
a..long..long loooonnngg journey
I'm not jealous at all
I got me a yamaha psr-gx76 with a little mojo jojo
doll glued to it that I got me from burger king.
the head lights up red when you press on it.

AndrewW wrote:

If I was her, I would sell most of the synths that she has,

Yes...

Quote:

bought couple new computers, with lots of HD space, and lots of memory. Invested in all the major VSTi's,....

No! If all that hardware is in the way of making music, how is having a metric buttload of VSTis going to be any better?

V.

ericj23 wrote:

hmm its nice collection but it be ather more insterested in this lot http://rollerator.freewebspace.com/photo.html

HEY. I remember when Roland posted these pictures at the Keyboard Mag forum. I have not heard form him in a long time. And yes, I would take this collection over the other any day. All those GREAT analogs.

Robert

It's pretty telling that, out of 68 posts, Robert was the only one to point out the amazing house. The view, the modern architecture, the huge pentagon-shaped studio (no parallel walls)...does it get much better than that?

ericj23 wrote:

hmm its nice collection but it be ather more insterested in this lot http://rollerator.freewebspace.com/photo.html

I'm with you on this one. More quality, less quantity.

this thread makes me sad. I don't understand what all the negativity is for. There are a lot of people with setups like that, even bigger. If it wouldn't work for you, that doesn't mean it can't work for her. She is very knowlegeable regarding the stuff that she has. And the "tool" she refers to is not the gear, it is the computer program she has written/is currently re writing, which by all accounts is quite a tool.

One thing that I am even less comfortable with is the growing suspicion that if she was a he, or a much younger more svelte she, that our response would have been a lot more positive. I still hope that I'm mistaken... I don't think so though.

as far as the comments against her having more than one of something...!??! what???
So many times I have heard people expounding the virtues of one or another synth, saying things like "it just has something that is different from all the rest...", or "nothing beats my...." So if you really like the bass station, for instance, and it is your fave synth, wouldn't you like two? or would that be obscene? You already have one, that is all you can have! You have to have someting different - even if you like what you have better! Have you never ever loaded up multiple instances of the same VSTi, or four or five Subtractors in Reason? I used to use two Pro ones. I also used to use two s900's, along with the TX16W. Should I have traded in one of the s900's for a shite Roland sampler (they were at the time, in my opinion...) so that there was no repeats.... What seems like redundance to one person may just be consistency.
Oh well, stupid lecture over. I don't want to aim this at any one person. And if you think I am out of line please tell me. But don't just go off without thinking about it, because I really think this thread has brought out an ugly side of us, and it troubles me.

kryos wrote:

this thread makes me sad. I don't understand what all the negativity is for. ... And if you think I am out of line please tell me. But don't just go off without thinking about it, because I really think this thread has brought out an ugly side of us, and it troubles me.

You're not out of line, Kryos, of course - but I think you may be missing the context.

{...and before I go any further: I do agree with you that attacks on her physical appearance are cheap shots.}

Having all this humongous amount of very potent, very complex, very expensive gear is not obscene in and by itself.

Having several pieces from the same model, and even from the same kind of synths, is not obscene in and by itself.

Not having ever produced any music with any of it is not obscene in and by itself.

But the combination of all the above IS obscene.

Not because of any complex ideological reasons, but simply because this constellation of elements emphasizes something that may not be iimmediately visible in the photos: an obsession with possession instead of creation. As such, it represents a self that seeks self-realization through satisfying lower, more primitive instincts and not higher aspirations. It robs the whole process of making music from its essential function: bringing something new into your world, not collecting more of the old world around you.

And that implies a sense of dread, of static, of stagnation, of rigidity, of emptiness - which is repulsive to most artists, established or aspiring.

But then again, this is just my personal opinion.

Havent read all the thread, but had a quick looook at the pic...looks like gear wank to me. nice stuff, i'd love it all, but it would get in the way. No room for ashtrays, beer cans and Kylie posters

Greetings all,

I was going to say hello along about page 3 or so, but it has been a boggling exercise to watch some of you speculate and leap to conclusions about someone you don't know.

Many of the questions raised about me and my studio have answers on my websites if you read closely enough, and others of them intentionally don't. (In case anyone's interested: I was a longtime teacher, performer and choreographer of middle eastern dance or "traditional belly dance" as it's called--years of promoting the idea of women struttin' their stuff! That dance background is one of the reasons I'm into looped and pattern-based music. I have some other crazy collections not related to my studio, too.)

I have a few thoughts to convey in the form of advice to anyone who's casting about, as we all do, to find the studio tools that work for us best.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you must use the means to make music that are popular at a given point in time. Art is about individuality, not about software or hardware badges of peer-group membership. If the bleeding edge isn't your comfort zone, that's fine--it means you've beaten the system! Remember that there are still folks who swear by recording to analog tape! I'm in a sort of middle ground, where I prize a combination of hardware and software that I haven't seen equalled in terms of integration (I'm referring to serial-port MIDI stuff on older Macs, with the possibilities that there are to make custom applications.) The system that ties my synth collection together is vastly more important that any one of the synths, or the number of them.

*--continued next post*

My studio happens to be a monster, though of course it doesn't have to be, except that it gives me pleasure. Everything's potentially on line at once, so that the rig is effectively a big modular workstation with a few quirky friends and relations. (Which of course it why it would make no sense for me to collect pre-MIDI analog synths--why do I need the headaches?) But no matter how slick any setup is, it's only as effective as *one* critical component--that's the poor bastard (you or me) running it. A wonderful, technologically advanced piece of gear that its owner can't really relate to has very little creative worth. A ho-hum piece that perhaps has a great UI or a really engaging software editor may be a tremendously worthwhile creative catalyst. Often we can't tell the relative "creative value" of items by looking at a person's gear list.

I won't insult you all with a speech about the need to constrain one's tools to a manageable subset in order to get music off the ground; everyone knows this, or finds it out once they wallow around among too many synth choices. I'm just as extreme in that regard as I am about collecting synths--I compose using one lowly module, as folks who bother to read about my home-brewed app discover.

*--continued more!*

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you need to hang up music as soon as possible as a scorecard of you accomplishment, just because everyone else does! Listen around on mailing lists and discussion boards, and you'll hear endless moaning about lack of inspiration, and questing after musical direction. People beg for attention to forgettable, tuneless stuff that perhaps showcases interesting timbres obtainable from their gear, but otherwise does little to the listener's emotions. I'm on the same quest, but until have something damn good to say, I ain't saying it!

I'm not even sure I like the idea of putting up music in .mp3 format. It's not a pressing issue since I'm developing (I like to say "coming sideways at") a thematic collection of pieces, like story episodes, all at once--stuff I don't want to put up piecemeal or prematurely, or in an unfinished state. In the meantime, I feel good about having my programming work of the last several years (plus several years before that of messin' around trying to figure out what I was doing!) to share with those who may be interested.

I guess my bottom line is that I'd ask everyone to remember that not everyone plays by the same rules, and I for one try to respect that and regard my fellow electronic musician and/or gearhead as a species of critter whose habits I can't immediately know.

Cheers dears,

well, the lady replied as you can see, and jolly decent it was of her too.

but I would say it's pretty much common knowledge that if one puts themselves on exhibition (or someone else does) then there gonna get character asassanation.

it seems (especialy on a virtual instrument fx forum) that the Museum like studio is well and trully up for some bashing.

why doesnt anyone slag off my studio ? are we all just snobby modernists ?

kryos wrote:

this thread makes me sad. I don't understand what all the negativity is for. (

topaz quoth why doesnt anyone slag off my studio ?

Your studio is pants. Nyaaaaaa.

Happy now?

hey thanks, I was getting worried.

whyterabbyt wrote:

topaz quoth why doesnt anyone slag off my studio ? Your studio is pants. Nyaaaaaa. Happy now?

i maintain the following:

having a million synths and flaunting that does not in and off it self make you a musician. (a writer publishes, a musician records and releases)

having a load of ideas as yet unheard by the world does not mean they should matter to the world

having to learn to use a million synths does not make up for the fact that there is no music on offer.

collecting expensive things has no more merit than a squirrel's life of storing nuts for the winter. one might argue that the latter is more important infact, it is for survival.

tools do not equal talent

mass amounts of eyeliner, mascara, and leather clothing (yuck) do not equal true beauty

subtlety goes a long way

sincerity in message form does not negate brazen self agrandisement elsewhere. the inconsistency is blatant.

if you put yourself out there as 'sexy, beautiful, attractive, whatever' then you have must be willing to take the criticism to the contrary. male or female, it doesnt matter.

substance over style anyday

bigger is better is very american

novelty is just that. it wears off.

money does not make up for personal shortcomings. it just puts a microscope to them.

that's all. i've had my say.

you go girl

Hi!

Interesting topic, althought a little out of hand at times (in classic KVR style, I guess ).

I see many posters making some weird connection between the amount of gear one has and the quantity (quality?) of music produced. I don't really understand this. People make good or bad music on both large and small amounts of gear. People may have a big collection of gear, yet no record deal. Not everyone likes the idea of making mp3's of their music available. And sometimes stuff just isn't finished yet. There are many reasons why music may not be available for public listening - Cikira has already given us her reasons, and I don't have any problem understanding them.

Bottom line is, if she get's a kick out of this, then fine by me. If this is the way she wants to make music, then great! I don't think anyone needs to prove they're worthy of the gear they have aquired, no matter how large or small their collection is.

Now, would I like to have some of those synths? Yes, please! Jealous? Of course. But in a respectful way, mind you.

Just my 2 Norwegian Kroner,

Arne S.

as long as your lurking around Çikira

take a listen to the beautifull artists this site of the web covers !
i did a name search on you and found memberlists you were on and i learned about so many musicans i didn`t know about !
people like putte and matias and horse and markleford and donkeytugger hell so many others on this site are really good

in the end ... all people can learn a bit from eachother ... btw .... where did you buy these robodogs ? i want me one to talk too

oh and welcome in the Walhalla of the internet

Well. After all the negativity and personnel attacks, crude comments, and other juvenile remarks that had nothing to do with music or equipment Çikira still gives a direct but eloquent response. For some reason, reading her cool, calm replies put me in a good mood this morning. I guess that is the same demeanor that charmed Bob Moog into customizing an early Voyager in black. But I still think any real collection of keyboards needs a Prophet 5, or maybe a MiniMoog or Arp 2600.

And I hope she understands that if she hangs around here too long she will gain another addiction. Run Çikira. Run before you become a VSTi addict. It's too late for us but you can still save yourself.

Robert

Isn't that cool, a thread with such a lot of female participation?
Brings a comlpetely different perspective to KvR, I like that!

Concerning the gearhead thing - we all like to show off every now and then, don't we?
Cheers, Jo

Wow!

That was an impressive response, cikira...

Didn't really answer all the questions or put all the rumors to rest, but I give you a big hand for you eloquent and calm answers...

I'm a Gas head myself and own tons of trinkets that have one job (and currently that job is to collect dust).

However, though it's "covered" on the website, I'm curious to find out how the hell (s)he even RECORDS anything...I see a lot of synths, a lot of effx, a lot of rack units...that aren't connected to anything... I see only a couple of mixers that look as if they go no where and two or three old Kaleeekoh vision computers that don't seem to do anything...

I know there's no music, and I respect that....

But could someone be so kind as to walk me through how one would record, oh, I dunno, a lead line....Where does it start, where does it go, where's the signal recorded and more importantly...how is it monitored (in those pics (s)he has speakers aiming at speakers?!?!?!? Does (s)he have a switch that turns on different monitors at different times?!?!?)

That would shut me up...To me the collection is only impressive if (s)he knows HOW (s)he's PLANNING on using it....Otherwise they are no better than my A.R.T. Flanger that sits in a corner waiting for a purpose....

romanred wrote:

But could someone be so kind as to walk me through how one would record, oh, I dunno, a lead line....Where does it start, where does it go, where's the signal recorded and more importantly...how is it monitored (in those pics (s)he has speakers aiming at speakers?!?!?!? Does (s)he have a switch that turns on different monitors at different times?!?!?)

I can probably answer your questions actually -

1) For mixing, she probably has main outs of the 'sub mixers' running to a main mixer that's near the main mixing station. There is one problem that I can see though is since she's running analog, the sum of her noise floor is probably getting pretty high. It have to be carefully chosen which channels in the chain are on or off.

2) Speakers are perfectly fine. Take a look at other huge studios. It looks like from what I remember she has near fields and far field monitors. There are nears, mids and fars. Nears are usually for more trebbly stuff, and far fields are for bassier stuff. Has to do with the speed of sound travel at different frequencies. If I do so remember, bass travels faster than treble, so you'd want your bass speakers further away from you to get the 'timing' right so the sound is hitting you in the ears at the right time. If I'm wrong on this, someone please pipe up.

Devon

DevonB wrote:

I can probably answer your questions actually -

it might have been more informative if you had let her respond.

Hey!

Romanred, I realize looking at the pictures on Cikira's website may be more than most of us gearheads can handle, but actually reading through the gear-list might be a good idea anyway.

I think I counted roughly 68 tracks of recording possibilities spread over five different recorders (how the heck do you sync them all, Cikira?), not counting DAT-machines and other two-track equipment.

Now, 68 tracks might seem like a small track-count for all those synths, but I guess it can be done...

Cheers,

Arne S.

Lady J wrote:

DevonB wrote: I can probably answer your questions actually - it might have been more informative if you had let her respond.

Your point?

Devon

Lady J wrote:

tools do not equal talent

no one can argue against that and many other of the very true stuff Lady J writes, but I don't really understand why people get upset about Cikira and her impressive gear collection. It's like when some people collect cars or something - there's no way anyone can be in need of 30 cars, and that often isn't the purpose either - so why get upset? They're collectors - just like Cikira is a collector.

I don't even own a hardware synth myself, because as many others I think software synths are way more handy ... and cheaper, so I just plug my old old Korg DP-3000C into my computer and use that as a midi input to my software sequencer, and that's really the best way for me to work - but does that give me the right to be upset - no! And why should I?

I just think that it's really amusing to watch the pictures and her somewhat different taste, cause it's so far away from my own.

Regards

Megl

megl wrote:

Lady J wrote: tools do not equal talent no one can argue against that and many other of the very true stuff Lady J writes, but I don't really understand why people get upset about Cikira and her impressive gear collection. It's like when some people collect cars or something - there's no way anyone can be in need of 30 cars, and that often isn't the purpose either - so why get upset? They're collectors - just like Cikira is a collector.

Ditto that.

Apparently she also gets her kicks more out writing music software than writing music with it. Nothing wrong with that. Often when I read an interview with music software developers, these guys don't make a whole lot of music, just making the tool is enough for them. I guess Cikira is like that.

V.

well thats a matter of taste I guess.
but dont assume we are all impressed, I am sure not.

nothing personal against the Lady but as said back in thread, with the £$£$3 it takes to get all that old kit, man oh man could I have a Party day.

SX Or Lap6 Mixer perm on a nice big widescreen, 2 19" plasma's
a couple of big control surfaces, every vsti's out there worth having
2 Athlon 3200's 4 gig ram. hehehe. Scarbee, Garritan, East West Librarys
and then Hire a coder for half a year to build all your custom synths/fx

im not that far off now -)))))

megl wrote:

but I don't really understand why people get upset about Cikira and her impressive gear collection

DevonB wrote:

Lady J wrote: DevonB wrote: I can probably answer your questions actually - it might have been more informative if you had let her respond. Your point? Devon

erm .. bitches bitching at bitches for hells sake ladyj what the freezing hell is your problem ? makes me bloody nervous when people react that way.
your cute

Reading this I cant see what the problem is - each to their own (although I do feel a bit bourgoise at having 2 gitars!) Different people collect different thing. For example I have a huge collection of empty stryke 5 lager cans - must be worth a mint!

Lady J wrote:

mass amounts of eyeliner, mascara, and leather clothing (yuck) do not equal true beauty.

Whitney, Lauryn, Missy E, Mary J and Beyonce look fine to me when wearin' all of the above.

Come to think of it....so did Alvin Stardust

Hmmmm, I wonder how people would react if I put up some pictures of my VSTi Software boxes, would I then be perceived as crazy person as well, since I have been collecting way too many of these

donkey tugger wrote:

For example I have a huge collection of empty stryke 5 lager cans - must be worth a mint!

no probably as a Top Modern Geezer -))))

synthetica wrote:

Hmmmm, I wonder how people would react if I put up some pictures of my VSTi Software boxes, would I then be perceived as crazy person as well, since I have been collecting way too many of these

Lady J wrote:

as for her looks, i will not comment other than say men are easily fooled.

Lady J wrote:

mass amounts of eyeliner, mascara, and leather clothing (yuck) do not equal true beauty.

...and in a pink leather jacket....

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say, but in my opinion it's not even a contest - Lady J wins big time

(although it's a little hard to see you properly in the picture Lady J - can you please provide a bigger picture and preferable without any clothes ... sorry couldn't resist, just kidding of course)

/megl

heehee -

http://www2.b3ta.com/femaleorshemale


[i hope you take it as its meant girls]

slainte rob

Oh dear, I have a 1 in 4 chance to pick up the wrong tail...

I got 2 wrong -))))))))))))))


come on how many ?honest.

eXpeRIMentFOUR wrote:

heehee - http://www2.b3ta.com/femaleorshemale [i hope you take it as its meant girls] slainte rob

4 wrong

hahah.

Duff Paddy wrote:

4 wrong

megl wrote:

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say, but in my opinion it's not even a contest - Lady J wins big time (although it's a little hard to see you properly in the picture Lady J - can you please provide a bigger picture and preferable without any clothes ... sorry couldn't resist, just kidding of course) /megl

why thank you. although this picture is a bit bigger, i am fully clothed.
(bottom of thread)
http://www.kvr-vst.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19478&postdays=0&postorde r=asc&start=30

ps: the jacket in the photo above this post is very red (hard to tell due to the lighting) and matches my record box.

'SIZERS!!! Hmmmmmmm!

I think synth love comes in different shapes (or hats). These are a few types of synthmaniacs I had the opportunity to get involved with in music production:

The Player - He just likes to play the darn thing. Usually have a piano or other instrument background but not very technical oriented. Normally paired up with a techie partner for the music production.

The Sequencer - Not much of a player but likes to compose his own music. His favorite stage of song creation is the arrangement. The bigger his available pallette of sound is, the better.

The Collector - I knew a guy in a synthpop band that his only participation (aside from bringing all the synthesizers was to hold the arpeggiator down. Of course he knew all the history of synths and his gear was always in top shape.

The Engineer - This is the techie. What he doesn't know about notes, scales & chords, he compensates with gear knowledge, soft or hard. He loves to read entire synth manuals to the minimum details and never use factory preset sounds.

I think all these personalities are valid and I believe they all live within us overlaping at certain levels. Depending on the mood I am or what needs to be done I wear different hats. I think Cikira's hobby is great if I had the money. I got nothing against collecting synthsizers and just stare at them. Hey, I do this with my Star Wars action figure collection!!!

L8ter Oscill8ters!

I think I fit into all of your catagories except one. In addition you can add sound designer. I love to see what will come out of a synth. Also, what differences there are between the basic sounds of different synths. Evolving pads, the way analog oscillators play off of each other with overtones, replicating sounds with nothing but a noise source and LP filters.

Robert

Edit - I forgot to mention the one area I don't feel that I fit into. Techie. I have a tough time making myself read the manuals.

Ahh...Sound Designer...

Man, when I put that hat on I can go up to the wee wee hours turning knobs. Very dangerous when you are in the middle of creating a song and get side tracked.

I'm getting better at this though...

L8ter Oscill8ters!

Hmm.. i am a little of most of those. i started as a songwriter/player (5 years classical piano, 3 years classical guitar),became a sequencer by necessity, the collector (i'm on my way to having a good assortment of VSTis and i just ordered plugsound 2 eventhough i know how to play guitar!) and i just bought Modern Recording Techniques so i am learning engineering...

Me, I like writing and recording pop songs. A fucked up western guitar with three strings will do fine. But the more weapons I have at my disposal the better. I will use everything and anything that's within reach, but I also have no problems with not using stuff. Just because it's there, I don't have to use it. Setting oneself limitations can also be fun and inspiring.

Anybody bitching about all the stuff in her studio is a sad bugger. So bloody what that she's got all that gear. If she wants/needs it, that's her business.

And as for all that bullshit about her appearance or gender, well, I might be new here, but I reckon you lot are in the wrong bloody forum.

Or is this the trendy place for sniggering intolerant tossers? If so, it's probably better if I piss off and leave you lot to it.

Hmmm, better open another bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon...

Lady J wrote:

why thank you. although this picture is a bit bigger, i am fully clothed. (bottom of thread) http://www.kvr-vst.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19478&postdays=0&postorde r=asc&start=30

Yes! I knew it - you're looking hot! Or else you're just awfully good at the fooling men stuff

Lady J wrote:

ps: the jacket in the photo above this post is very red (hard to tell due to the lighting) and matches my record box.

Nice touch! Maybe it's time for me to go out and find a guitar case to match my purple leather jacket

Megl

Man-Machine wrote:

'SIZERS!!! Hmmmmmmm! I think synth love comes in different shapes (or hats). These are a few types of synthmaniacs I had the opportunity to get involved with in music production: The Player - He just likes to play the darn thing. Usually have a piano or other instrument background but not very technical oriented. Normally paired up with a techie partner for the music production. The Sequencer - Not much of a player but likes to compose his own music. His favorite stage of song creation is the arrangement. The bigger his available pallette of sound is, the better. The Collector - I knew a guy in a synthpop band that his only participation (aside from bringing all the synthesizers was to hold the arpeggiator down. Of course he knew all the history of synths and his gear was always in top shape. The Engineer - This is the techie. What he doesn't know about notes, scales & chords, he compensates with gear knowledge, soft or hard. He loves to read entire synth manuals to the minimum details and never use factory preset sounds. I think all these personalities are valid and I believe they all live within us overlaping at certain levels. Depending on the mood I am or what needs to be done I wear different hats. I think Cikira's hobby is great if I had the money. I got nothing against collecting synthsizers and just stare at them. Hey, I do this with my Star Wars action figure collection!!! L8ter Oscill8ters!

I could use these guys/girls... then i could sit down and watch the music get produced and make big bux!!

Another thing that Cikira does that does affect some of us-she does the proofing for the English versions of Waldorf manuals.Thank you Cikira for saving me from relying on my old college German
ew

CaptainMark quoth Anybody bitching about all the stuff in her studio is a sad bugger. So bloody what that she's got all that gear. If she wants/needs it, that's her business.

And as for all that bullshit about her appearance or gender, well, I might be new here, but I reckon you lot are in the wrong bloody forum.

Or is this the trendy place for sniggering intolerant tossers?

Amen to all of that....

If so, it's probably better if I piss off and leave you lot to it.

Its not all like that, and just some people some of the time. Point it ouit, stomp on it, whatever, but leaving them to it just lets them think its okay.

i wonder who pointed her to this discussion.
and indeed ... all you jealous wankers

Her studio is my ideal
I only would display it differently and i would place it in a different setting for convenience.

like i said before in this thread
you are welcome you gearfreak ....
the more gearfreaks the better
we can learn from them.

Now if only you and your man would have made that wonderfull
midi aplication for pc .... but ok ... i forgive you for that

Lady J wrote:

Hmm.. i am a little of most of those. i started as a songwriter/player (5 years classical piano, 3 years classical guitar),became a sequencer by necessity, the collector (i'm on my way to having a good assortment of VSTis and i just ordered plugsound 2 eventhough i know how to play guitar!) and i just bought Modern Recording Techniques so i am learning engineering...

perhaps a bit ot ... but erm lady j ... i admire you studied music
but ... why is the r&b song in your songlist so repetetive all over
i mean i copy and paste ..... but this was like one big paste
ok it was a paste of nice sounds and harmonies
and i liked it but i cant listen to it more as 3 times
i get bored. Having said that i must say the mix out is one of the best i heard lately (on the web that is) your sound is sublime .. i just which there were more changes.

does anyone have music from the gearfreak this thread is about ?
if so please convert it to mp3 ...i`m curious ...

Emerald Tablet wrote:

perhaps a bit ot ... but erm lady j ... i admire you studied music but ... why is the r&b song in your songlist so repetetive all over i mean i copy and paste ..... but this was like one big paste ok it was a paste of nice sounds and harmonies

i am not sure what song you mean but if it was one of the untitled instrumentals they are unfinished as the vocal parts are still being written. have you listened to the radio lately? take the vocal out of nearly any RnB or Hip Hop, Pop, Dance or Rock tune and it will sound repetive.

Quote:

and i liked it but i cant listen to it more as 3 times i get bored. Having said that i must say the mix out is one of the best i heard lately (on the web that is) your sound is sublime .. i just which there were more changes.

funny, some in the urban scene say i put too many changes in. i must be doing something right. there is a cultural difference in how many p