Disappointment in hardware synths

Anything about hardware musical instruments.
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Back in the day we needed patch charts to "save" any sound from a non prog analog synth. Since then we've invented digital cameras to rapidly capture this info - I'm told that now some phones even have such a device.

Non-programmable just ain't what it used to be. I remember mixing in a "total recall" studio which meant that the SSL desk had a floppy drive to save the settings... except that it couldn't save the trim pots on the desk or tape deck, so there was a human element to "total recall", i.e. a tape op who had to write down everything including all of the settings on the outboard gear.

ok nostalgia, but there were plenty of global releases made with that gear.

They even had to distribute it via a unique scratch on a circular pieces of plastic which people went to shops to buy, but I won't continue with that one.

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cleverr1 wrote: Thu Jan 09, 2020 7:41 pm
They even had to distribute it via a unique scratch on a circular pieces of plastic which people went to shops to buy, but I won't continue with that one.
i nipped in to hmv just before xmas, looking for blu ray gifts...
i was suprised somewhat pleasantly to notice the vinyl section is as big as the cd section again.
i was less pleased to notice price tags of 20 and upwards :o while cds are all around 10 or less.

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vurt wrote: Thu Jan 09, 2020 7:49 pm
cleverr1 wrote: Thu Jan 09, 2020 7:41 pm
They even had to distribute it via a unique scratch on a circular pieces of plastic which people went to shops to buy, but I won't continue with that one.
i nipped in to hmv just before xmas, looking for blu ray gifts...
i was suprised somewhat pleasantly to notice the vinyl section is as big as the cd section again.
i was less pleased to notice price tags of 20 and upwards :o while cds are all around 10 or less.
hehe! great but chuffing expensive:( - alright I will continue with that one.... Back in the day doing indy releases meant lots of walking around distributors and record shops to see how many it was worth pressing prior to a visit to the mastering studio/pressing plant. It's interesting what the final mastering limiter's role was back then - to protect the inert gas cooled stylus (they were stupidly expensive). Days after that you'd have to physically deliver loads of boxes of records to every taker. I guess cutting acetates and pressing records is a dying art so prices of vinyl must have been driven up.

kids today - bedroom studio straight to Spotify. Don't know they're born etc. etc. :D

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I got hardware synths with present, editors and some kind of interaction for the DAW environment, even then I just can't work as fast as with the DAW and virtual instruments.

Hardware synths for me are just for enjoy playing, for composing the DAW is faster and less clunky for me.

ALso i realized i hate cables, like a shit ton, so the less the better.
dedication to flying

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Mushy Mushy wrote: Fri Dec 27, 2019 5:59 pm
mholloway wrote: Fri Dec 27, 2019 5:56 pm
roman.i wrote: Fri Dec 27, 2019 4:56 pm then I discovered that there is no way to save patches, and I have to record the synth every time I change the patch.
Some people do the slightest amount of basic research before throwing hundreds of dollars at new things.

Others, apparently, do not.... and get what they deserve.

I mean, it took more effort to sign up and post on KVR than it would have to learn about the synths you were buying.

I mean, this must be a troll, right? This is just too stupid.
Have to agree. Even if I'm spending £100 on something I still read countless reviews and watch hours and hours of YouTube to ensure it's right for me.

This would be like me walking into modularland blind, and then complaining about the wires.
I just noticed this thread and went back to page one. I agree with the above quotes.

I have been considering Behringer analog synths for a while now, having zero experience with analog anything. One of the things holding me back is the awareness of the work involved in programming and recall. I still am interested because I want to experience something outside the 0-127 step low resolution MIDI world, and because of the notion of live, hands-on tweaking, and happy accidents... but I also know myself well enough to realize this might not be for me. If eBay wasn’t hell for sellers, and if money wasn’t poverty-level tight, I’d just try it out and sell it off if it wasn’t for me. (As it turns out, the lack of live, hands-on experience with my digital gear and DAW has been one of my roadblocks to fun)

The OP is either just that well off financially as to just throw money at things without looking ahead first, or is trolling us. Or maybe they’re inadvertently trolling us after realizing their mistake in being so lacking in foresight and coming here to rant without acknowledging their own lack of reading about the gear at which they chose to throw money.
- dysamoria.com
my music @ SoundCloud

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elassi wrote: Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:09 pm To me, nothing beats the 'organic feel' that is given by turning and tweaking real knobs. It's remarkably different from the 'bookkeeping'-style of music that often comes out of pure sequencer work.

The price you pay for that is the lack of 'total recall'.

Well, you can't have it all.
Can’t we? Why don’t we? Is it all down to the lack of precision in MIDI 1.0?

MIDI 2.0’s resolution should make it possible, right?

High-speed, high-resolution, vast numbers of MIDI continuous-controllers... high-resolution digital control over analog circuits, with digital storage of their values. Using infinite encoders (maybe put optional pegs in if you want hard stops during play) and digitally-switched sockets for tracking modular wiring...

Yeah? Nah?
- dysamoria.com
my music @ SoundCloud

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roman.i wrote: Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:29 pm You're right I had NFI how to handle that gear, I just loved the sound of both, that's what happens when you have more budget than time.
And there it is. Money was plentiful.

I have all the time and no budget.
- dysamoria.com
my music @ SoundCloud

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Jace-BeOS wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 7:54 am money.
Start with something easy.. Volca bass or keys. If it's not for you, you'll only lose maybe 30€ while selling it forward. Unless you buy a used one, you can sell it again at the same price.

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vurt wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2020 3:15 pm you'll want this then for him to come back in...

https://youtu.be/jW1SOZQ_J8k
WTF did I just watch?
- dysamoria.com
my music @ SoundCloud

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noiseboyuk wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2020 6:10 pm
Fun video with Eric Persing talking about the early days of synths and programming, and - this could be relevant here - explaining what Asshole Mode was.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VwfLO0Hfts
But what is it? Just an animation? I can’t find any other info about “asshole mode”.
- dysamoria.com
my music @ SoundCloud

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Distorted Horizon wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 8:45 am
Jace-BeOS wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 7:54 am money.
Start with something easy.. Volca bass or keys. If it's not for you, you'll only lose maybe 30€ while selling it forward. Unless you buy a used one, you can sell it again at the same price.
Those tiny units just don’t appeal to me. They seem so clumsy.
- dysamoria.com
my music @ SoundCloud

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Jace-BeOS wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 9:36 am
Distorted Horizon wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 8:45 am
Jace-BeOS wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 7:54 am money.
Start with something easy.. Volca bass or keys. If it's not for you, you'll only lose maybe 30€ while selling it forward. Unless you buy a used one, you can sell it again at the same price.
Those tiny units just don’t appeal to me. They seem so clumsy.
But the fun is there. Keys is pretty much wysiwyg to operate and if you don't have fun with it, I can almost say that don't bother with anything more expensive.

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Distorted Horizon wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 9:43 am
Jace-BeOS wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 9:36 am
Distorted Horizon wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 8:45 am
Jace-BeOS wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 7:54 am money.
Start with something easy.. Volca bass or keys. If it's not for you, you'll only lose maybe 30€ while selling it forward. Unless you buy a used one, you can sell it again at the same price.
Those tiny units just don’t appeal to me. They seem so clumsy.
But the fun is there. Keys is pretty much wysiwyg to operate and if you don't have fun with it, I can almost say that don't bother with anything more expensive.
I don’t see those little sticks-as-knobs to be fun for tweaking. Also, there’s no modularity.
- dysamoria.com
my music @ SoundCloud

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Jace-BeOS wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 9:52 am
Distorted Horizon wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 9:43 am
Jace-BeOS wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 9:36 am
Distorted Horizon wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 8:45 am
Jace-BeOS wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 7:54 am money.
Start with something easy.. Volca bass or keys. If it's not for you, you'll only lose maybe 30€ while selling it forward. Unless you buy a used one, you can sell it again at the same price.
Those tiny units just don’t appeal to me. They seem so clumsy.
But the fun is there. Keys is pretty much wysiwyg to operate and if you don't have fun with it, I can almost say that don't bother with anything more expensive.
I don’t see those little sticks-as-knobs to be fun for tweaking. Also, there’s no modularity.
Then grab volca modular.. But the point is, you can't tell if you don't try.

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I'm not sure starting with a Volca (modular or not) is really the best way to get a feel for the hardware experience. Microbrute, 0-Coast, Neutron, Crave, DFAM etc. all seem like better choices.

I thought the Volca Modular was a neat toy, but it would never have gotten me to appreciate hardware the way some time with a Microbrute did.

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