2023: A Year in Gear (What You've Bought or Want to Buy in 2023)

[serge]

Allow me to share my "Sensible" 2023 Shopping Spree, and take you on a brief Journey from Minimalism to...Not-so-minimalism

A mere month ago, I was a beacon of restraint in a world of gear temptation. My setup? Just a DAW, few VST collections (i.e. All of Melda, Komplete Collector's, Waves, PA, Izotope, ...), and an NI S61 MK2 controller with a paired Maschine MK3. A temple of simplicity, if you will.

Then one evening, under a soft glow of desk lamp, Arturia's MicroFreak gave me a cheeky wink. I thought, "What's the harm in a little peek?" And oh boy, that was a Pandora’s box moment.

With the MicroFreak charming my senses, I was diagnosed with a caught a little GAS. But fear not! I believe I’m on the mend. To assist my MicroFreak in achieving its maximum potential, I adopted a few indispensable buddies: Hologram Microcosm reverb, Empress Zoia multi-fx, Eventide H90 multi-fx, Meris Enzo, Meris Hedra, Mooer GE250 Multi-fx, and a Electro Harmonix Compressor Limiter to glue these gems together. Some might say overkill; I'm thinking, thorough.

With such an army of effects, it seemed only fair to extend the invite to the Elektron Trinity (Digitone, Syntakt, and Digitakt) for support. Naturally, the Octatrack MK2 was crucial to play the role of the musical maestro, binding them in sonic harmony.

This, of course, left my poor Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 out of its depth. So, enter Scarlett 18i20, coupled with the Radial KL-8 and a Behringer RX1602 to ensure everyone has a seat at the table.

However, a new conundrum emerged: more channels but not enough synths. Well, this wouldn't do! So, a quick dial-up brought the ASM Hydrasynth, Novation Peak, and the Waldorf Iridium to the party. Feeling nostalgic, I also ushered in Roland's MC-101 & TR-6s for some good old classic vibes. The Korg Minilogue XD did drop in but, after a bit of reflection, our paths diverged. Still, that joystick of XD haunts my dreams.

Now, orchestrating this ensemble needed finesse. Enter the Oxi One MIDI sequencer, along with the matching MIDI expander. And for the final touches? Waiting on a few items, including: The Elektron Heat +FX (on preorder, can't wait!) to sprinkle some analog warmth, the Norand Mono MK2 to lay down the bass like a pro, and the NDLR 2 to spin some generative MIDI magic.

And before you ask, yes, I've shown tremendous restraint recently. Not a purchase in days! But rumor has it there's a new Native Instruments S61 MK3 on the horizon... And well, 2023 isn't over yet, is it?

Of course if I don't end up writing a single track, it's not a waste: A. I'm surrounded by lots of pretty lights (developers, take notice & make sure to add some cool screen savers & light shows when equipment is idling) and B. at least I'll be warm for the winter since all of these generate a little bit of heat.

[WatchTheGuitar]

After watching some more demos, I went for the Hypnosis -- the stereo one like I tried personally…

…I feel like a lot of the design decisions that went into it were about cutting costs more than doing the best thing.

I find it a little disingenuous for a manufacturer to release a product under the same name as a prior one but with a more limited feature set. Smacks of shrinkflation like we’re seeing in uk shops where each time you shop the prices of things may not have gone up but you get less of them per unit.

[classic]

According to the threads name, I will also name a few things I bought and what I think about them.

First I bought Breverb2, second hand. Its on of those reverbs, that gives you the sound of the 80, warm and really delicious for my ears, great plugin.

Steinberg Cubase 12 as my DAW.
Learnt lots about it, shortcuts, lots of tricks from Doms videos on youtube. He is doing a perfect job, with lots of inspiration and dedication.
Cubase itself is rock solid and I could manage to arrange it to my taste(changed keycomands, colors and so on)
Love it.

[DrGonzo]

That damn GAS bug bit me again. Elektron Analog Heat FX. I am inventing a hundred reasons to snag it.

[whyterabbyt]

Surprised not to have seen comments on the 4mS Meta Module. VCV inna module. Thoughts?

[foosnark]

Surprised not to have seen comments on the 4mS Meta Module. VCV inna module. Thoughts?

I completely missed it at Knobcon. The 4ms table was pretty low-key and the first I saw of it was checking Instagram when I stopped for lunch on the drive home Sunday.

It seemed like a joke at first, but no, they really built it -- put in quite an effort. Apparently it boots in two seconds. It's really looking like an upcoming product and not just an experimental prototype like the spin was just two days ago.

This is for the modular users who don't want to use a computer to make music, but want the things a computer can do for them musically But it makes sense for live performers.

Since I don't play live, I'll just stick to the "real" computer with its big screens, more than adequate CPU, ample storage and RAM. Much better ergonomics and more flexibility.

I had an ER-301 Sound Computer for a while. It was very cool in a lot of ways, and I wish Bitwig had the flexible audio buffer thing going on that it does -- but building patches with a couple of encoders on small screens could still be pretty tedious, compared to software modular. And Disting EX was even more of a compromise.

For me the buried lede is 4ms Ensemble Oscillator in VCV Rack. Hopefully we will be seeing their modules in "real" VCV as well!

[elxsound]

Hopefully we will be seeing their modules in "real" VCV as well!

4ms developer said on MW that they’re bringing all their modules to VCV and they will be free. Someone posted the link in that future of Softube Modular thread.

And of course timing is great… a few days ago, I just purchased my first Softube Modular add-on, 4ms PEG. It was $15, so not the worst thing to have happen.

[WatchTheGuitar]

4ms modules in VCV would be pretty cool. I do wonder if any manufacturers will try and block the Meta for their modules because if they are DSP hardware you can kind of save a bundle, thinking of that recent move by ALM to bring things like the MSX and Tyso-Daiko into VCV.

The module itself doesn’t really offer me anything as I’m happy to use my PC and DAW with my modular.

[Examigan]

This year I bought:
Softube Model 84
Roland JV-880
HALion 7 - upgrade from v6
Unfiltered Audio SpecOps

For the want-to-buy category:
Cubase 12 (upgrade from 9)
61-key keyboard controller

[cptgone]

If anyone is looking for an excellent overdrive modeled on the Neve 1073, I can recommend my newest pedal:
viewtopic.php?p=8743842#p8743842

Allow me to share my "Sensible" 2023 Shopping Spree, and take you on a brief Journey from Minimalism to...Not-so-minimalism

I'm sure many people here have made the journey from a "temple of simplicity" to "not-so-minimalism" (and back) at least once, and got a chuckle from your entertaining write up.
Have fun with your new toys.

[roman.i]

Waiting for Mogami Gold cables for my monitors

[Examigan]

I also would like the Behringer Pro 800, but a new keyboard would be more useful at this time.

[simmo75]

Just picked up a Soma Labs Pulsar 23 drum synth, it’s lush! Wow.

[Shabdahbriah]

Surprised not to have seen comments on the 4mS Meta Module. VCV inna module. Thoughts?

I think it is interesting, and the amount of I/O is impressive, though I doubt I'll bite, even though they will most likely make a larger screen available (via HDMI) and even if they were to make an interface which loaded into VCV which would allow one to route things within it (VCV) to and from said interface, including midi (learn) assignments, which could then be saved and transferred to the device as a preset.

I'm guessing it will come in at around $500 (+/- $50-75) which though I can certainly see and entertain some uses/utility for it, is simply not feasible for me. Cool project though, with lots of potential. [2c]

VCV host.png

specs:

For the past 3 years, 4ms Company has been working on a new module that lets you run virtual patches and control them with real-world knobs and jacks. It's called the Meta Module.

The Meta Module is an all-purpose module that lets you patch together virtual modules to create a "Meta" module.

- A macro controller for a custom patch that you create
- A module that can be any of a hundred modules
- A hardware player for VCV Rack patches
- A preset manager
- A versatile utility module that lets you save and recall common functions which you re-use from patch to patch, so you can focus on the more interesting parts of your music
- A DSP development platform

Patches are typically created on the computer using VCV Rack and then transferred to the Meta Module over USB, SD Card or WiFi. In case you don't have a computer handy, you can create and modify patches using the Meta Module itself. The Meta Module can run hundreds of virtual modules and store/recall thousands of patch files.

There are 12 knobs, 8 audio or CV outputs, 1 USB MIDI jack, 6 audio/CV inputs, and 2 gate inputs, all of which can be mapped to any of the virtual knobs and jacks within the patch. You can map a physical knob to multiple virtual knobs and assign a different response range for each knob (including inverting the motion). In case that's not enough, there are expanders to give you more knobs and jacks (and even buttons)!

The audio/CV jacks are DC-coupled and run at 48kHz, 24bit and can be mapped to any of the jacks in the patch. You can plug a MIDI controller into the USB jack to control knobs and jacks.

We are still adding new modules. The 4ms modules will be available as well as Befaco's modules and some Mutable Instruments clones. We're adding the HetrickCV and Nonlinear Circuit modules now, and more are planned.

--------
Some more details:

User Interface
The user interface is very simple and intuitive: you can view the entire patch, zoom in on one module, or view/edit your knob mappings or panel connections using the rotary encoder and button (It's not a touchscreen!).

Each knob has a color (red, yellow, blue, pink, orange, green) and a size (large or small). You also can create "Knob Sets", or groups of knob mappings, and quickly switch between them (for example, if you had a patch with eight oscillators, you could create a knob set for each one). This is great if you need more than 12 knobs mapped and don't want to use MIDI.
You also can make patch notes and give mapped knobs custom names, so there are a lot of options.

Creating a patch
The Meta Module will come with lots of example patches, so you can just power it up and play. Eventually you'll want to make your own patches!

Patching typically starts on the computer, using VCV Rack to create a patch and then saving it to the Meta Module.

However, you don't NEED a computer. You can patch virtual cables, turn virtual knobs, change knob mappings, and even add/remove modules from within the Meta Module. While it's not going to be anyone's preferred method of patching, it's reassuring to know that if you need to make a last minute change, or if you just want to play with some ideas on a long flight, you can do so without a computer.


Tech specs
The processor is more advanced than anything 4ms has used in the past, and is among the most powerful processors found in Eurorack.

It uses a dual-core Cortex-A7 running at 800Mhz, with a Cortex-M4 co-processor. There is 512MB of fast DDR3 RAM. It runs bare-metal without an OS, so startup time and latency are blazingly fast. If you're into bare-metal development, you can see our open-source platform on our github here.

The Meta Module can handle complex patches. For example, we recently ran a patch with four physically modeled Djembes, a custom stereo reverb, six clock dividers/multipliers, some FX, and a mixer, and had plenty of processing headroom. Or, you could run seven Ensemble Oscillators with no issue (each one has 16 dual crossfading oscillators, for a total of, well... it's a lot of oscillators!).

For anyone who knows how to create their own module in VCV Rack, it's easy to port it to the Meta Module. The framework also makes it simple to create your own module in C++. The source code will be open source from day 1 of the release and we are putting a lot of effort into documentation. It's a great platform for testing DSP code that would not run on other "roll your own DSP" devices.

[vurt]

i kinda like it, not so much for getting a full patch from the computer, but for maybe a couple of modules here n there, that otherwise might cost a fair bit and take up more space.

although i can see it being very useful to anyone playing live.
always have a few back up parches in case you rush the main set and have time left.