2020 a year in gear (what have you/are you bought/buying?)

[vurt]

I've already thought of some modules I'd like to add!
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you started your rig on modular grid yet?

gateeay drugs

[foosnark]

Got the Microfreak and did not resist setting it up and playing with it while I'm supposed to be working...

It's very much its own weird little thing. It doesn't really feel like using Plaits-in-a-keyboard.

It honestly feels strange to me to use a hardware synth that has presets -- my last non-modular synths being Microbrute, Lyra-8 and Reface CS. I feel like 90% of the first 128 presets are useless crap, FX and sequences and "look how weird this synth is!" stuff, but the "template" range is generally much better. Of course I didn't buy it for its presets though

I've heard that one should reserve judgement until using it in person before declaring it ugly. Well... it's kind of ugly. I don't mind the orange knobs so much, but I plan to cover up that graphic logo strip. It just makes an already busy looking design that much more crowded.

The keyboard felt very weird at first but I think I'm already getting used to it. I dig the mod matrix. I wanted it to be polyphonic at first, with a digital filter if necessary -- but now I actually like that it's paraphonic.

Why? Drones. The hold button is perfect for setting up drones, and running a chord through the SEM filter works very nicely for picking out particular harmonics out of the available content. I think this is going to be the instrument's main niche for me. LFO modulating one parameter, CycEnv modulating another, maybe a slow manual sweep of the cutoff... gorgeous stuff with a touch of some delay or reverb.

The arp/sequencer with spice+dice is a neat thing to have. I expect I'll make some use of that in my recordings as well.

[WatchTheGuitar]

The keyboard felt very weird at first but I think I'm already getting used to it. I dig the mod matrix. I wanted it to be polyphonic at first, with a digital filter if necessary -- but now I actually like that it's paraphonic.

Think it pushes out poly after touch or pressure in MIDI though doesn’t it?

[foosnark]

Think it pushes out poly after touch or pressure in MIDI though doesn’t it?

Heh, I hadn't even tried MIDI with it yet... but now that I experiment a little, it does send poly AT. For that matter, it uses poly AT itself as long as you assign it to an osc or envelope parameter.

[pekbro]

So the Cosmotronic Cosmix sounds really good, makes for an excellent sub mixer. Fully analog drive circuit built with coolaudio chips that are basically a behringer rip off from the BBE Sonic Maximizer.

[foosnark]

I'm putting up my Lyra-8 for sale... as much as I appreciate it as a weird instrument and drone machine, I have kind of gotten tired of the way it sounds as a synth, and there's not a whole lot I can do to fix it.

I'm pondering what to replace it with, but thinking probably a Quadrantid Swarm. Something of a similar nature (touch plates with tunable oscillators) but there's a lot more synth to it. Other options could be a Dreadbox Nyx, Subharmonicon, something like that.

[pekbro]

I'm putting up my Lyra-8 for sale... as much as I appreciate it as a weird instrument and drone machine, I have kind of gotten tired of the way it sounds as a synth, and there's not a whole lot I can do to fix it.

I'm pondering what to replace it with, but thinking probably a Quadrantid Swarm. Something of a similar nature (touch plates with tunable oscillators) but there's a lot more synth to it. Other options could be a Dreadbox Nyx, Subharmonicon, something like that.

Bummer about the Lyra-8, no interest in maybe getting the sequencer they made for it.
As a set it might be more interesting. Although I would want the drum synth as well,
and certainly that's a fair amount of coin.

[justin3am]

I'm pondering what to replace it with, but thinking probably a Quadrantid Swarm. Something of a similar nature (touch plates with tunable oscillators) but there's a lot more synth to it. Other options could be a Dreadbox Nyx, Subharmonicon, something like that.

Have you seen any of the Infernal Noise Machine demos? It looks like f(h) will be making them again. I really wanna pair one with my QPB.
Also take a look at the different variations of the Grendel Drone Commander. Maybe not as full featured as other drone boxes but they are very playable and sound fantastic.

[Brett Lavallee]

I got the Elektron Model Samples, and Model Cycles. I love them both, especially the sampler!

[foosnark]

Have you seen any of the Infernal Noise Machine demos? It looks like f(h) will be making them again. I really wanna pair one with my QPB.
Also take a look at the different variations of the Grendel Drone Commander. Maybe not as full featured as other drone boxes but they are very playable and sound fantastic.

I'll check them out, thanks for the suggestion. I seem to remember looking at a Drone Commander briefly a few years back but I was doing different stuff then.

[SLiC]

I pledged not to buy another thing this year but broke down with 'Guitar Lust' and bough the new Gretsch 'Rat Rod' It wasn't my fault, its beautiful, not too expensive and I wanted her (sorry, I mean it).

In my defence I sold my TE OP-Z so the 1 in 1 out rule applies...gadgets go, guitars increase....

[WatchTheGuitar]

Very nice. I’ve had a White Falcon on my wish list ever since seeing Billy Duffy play one on She Sells Sanctuary.

[SLiC]

Very nice. I’ve had a White Falcon on my wish list ever since seeing Billy Duffy play one on She Sells Sanctuary.

Thanks, I was also lusting over the White Falcon but I actually prefer the chrome over gold hardware (like on the Player edition) but I love this one even more and it was only £630 not 2K plus. Very happy with the build quality and the sound is great, even unplugged!

[WatchTheGuitar]

Very nice. I’ve had a White Falcon on my wish list ever since seeing Billy Duffy play one on She Sells Sanctuary.

Thanks, I was also lusting over the White Falcon but I actually prefer the chrome over gold hardware (like on the Player edition) but I love this one even more and it was only £630 not 2K plus. Very happy with the build quality and the sound is great, even unplugged!

Yeah, the Billy Duffy sig has chrome instead of gold, looks much better.

I’ve only ever picked up one guitar that had gold plated hardware that I thought was worthwhile and that was a BB King sig Lucille copy, looked amazing

I swear I’m not obsessed with signature guitars

[pekbro]

Just got this in the mail today: Black Corp Deckard's Voice
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