Software Hoarding

[concealed identity]

just substitute musical tools for books

Great advice, this is exactly what I'll do. Thanks!

[IvyBirds]

Not so much synths in these old photos. They take a lot of space but there is only 8 synths at the time of Equinoxe. But I agree with you Jarre is saying thnigs he doesn’t care about. He just wants to stay alive.

The liner notes for the album indicate that he had an ARP 2600, EMS VCS 3, EMS Synthi AKS, Yamaha CS-60, Oberheim Polyphonic Synthesizer, RMI Harmonic Synthesizer, ELKA 707, Korg Polyphonic Ensemble, Eminent 310 Unique, and Mellotron in his home studio in addition to several sequencers and a Korg KR 55 drum machine

That was in early 1978 and probably represented one of the largest hoards of Synths in any home studio anywhere on Earth at the time. In 1978 there were just not that many Synth Models available to choose from

What's interesting from that list is that he chose about as wide of a sonic pallet as you could get in a 1978 electronic/keyboard studio and had an emphasis on polyphony

In all of his albums from the 70s and 80s when you look at the synths he used his goal was clear, he wanted the ability to be able to make any sound he wanted and was able to pull off with the technology that was available to him at the time

That is my goal also

[Shabdahbriah]

That is my goal also

Have you tried Reaper?

[vurt]

That is my goal also

Have you tried Reaper?

[SebAV]

Not so much synths in these old photos. They take a lot of space but there is only 8 synths at the time of Equinoxe. But I agree with you Jarre is saying thnigs he doesn’t care about. He just wants to stay alive.

The liner notes for the album indicate that he had an ARP 2600, EMS VCS 3, EMS Synthi AKS, Yamaha CS-60, Oberheim Polyphonic Synthesizer, RMI Harmonic Synthesizer, ELKA 707, Korg Polyphonic Ensemble, Eminent 310 Unique, and Mellotron in his home studio in addition to several sequencers and a Korg KR 55 drum machine

That was in early 1978 and probably represented one of the largest hoards of Synths in any home studio anywhere on Earth at the time. In 1978 there were just not that many Synth Models available to choose from

What's interesting from that list is that he chose about as wide of a sonic pallet as you could get in a 1978 electronic/keyboard studio and had an emphasis on polyphony

In all of his albums from the 70s and 80s when you look at the synths he used his goal was clear, he wanted the ability to be able to make any sound he wanted and was able to pull off with the technology that was available to him at the time

That is my goal also

No kr55 on Equinoxe (used on Chants magnétiques)

[IvyBirds]

No kr55 on Equinoxe (used on Chants magnétiques)

And yet the CD plainly states it was

Screenshot_20250406-164525.jpg

[CrystalWizard]

.... ...



I have to disagree. I think you could say this 40 years ago. But that fact is that since then so many organizations have paid cumulatively tens of billions of dollars to make everything more addictive. 40 years of food ingredients having the scientific method applied to tuning them to be more compulsive. Facebook/app/all software companies have paid cumulatively billions on psych teams research with a focus on repetitive use compulsion/conversion to more and more sales. Media companies have researched how to consume more media. Advertising companies have researched and then disseminated the techniques to their clients either with specific intention or just harmless 'techniques that work to improve sales'.

I mean imagine someone studying how to beat me at chess for 140,000 years, and then me walking up to a chess table in the park and saying 'well, it's all up to my mental strength'. Advertisers have spent well over that amount of human research years on how to overcome my internal objections/voice.

I'm here barely stumbling through life the same as the previous generations of my ancestors while hundreds of billions of dollars worth (translating to literally hundreds of thousands of human years of research effort into manipulating me) of cumulative research/refinement/and intention to manipulate me is infusing into me from every direction in ways previous generations propagandists/manipulators could never dream. Basic 101 of software sales is now full of all the wisdom from the billions of dollars of 'how to manipulate people' app companies/social media have put in as it's just 2025s normal business.

It's like comparing someone in the 80s who casually chased the dragon to someone smoking fent today. Technically chasing the same high but damn in today's version you are hit. The last 40 years are WILD. There has been around 350 million human years of software development, 250 million human years of scientific research, 900 million human years put into advertising since then (human year equals one person putting one year of effort as their main job).

The world today has had billions of human years of development/though/change/refinement put into it since 40 years ago but we act like it's basically the same place. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

so good, imo, that i reposted.

As for hoarding music software if you are just buying it for that sweet hit of dopamine, and you're not going to use it, consider giving it away to someone. Not everyone on this list has such unbearable first world problems.

[BONES]

I think you could say this 40 years ago. But that fact is that since then so many organizations have paid cumulatively tens of billions of dollars to make everything more addictive. 40 years of food ingredients having the scientific method applied to tuning them to be more compulsive. Facebook/app/all software companies have paid cumulatively billions on psych teams research with a focus on repetitive use compulsion/conversion to more and more sales. Media companies have researched how to consume more media. Advertising companies have researched and then disseminated the techniques to their clients either with specific intention or just harmless 'techniques that work to improve sales'.

Yes, it all sounds terribly bad but the reality is that most of that research is necessary because we are so much better informed today. 150 years ago most sovereign nations were monocultures, or strictly stratified. Everyone in your "class" - Working, Middle, Upper - wore the same clothes, read the same books and listened to the same music because that's all they were ever exposed to. A working class person would never have been able to attend the opera and if you couldn't attend, you'd never hear it. Therefore marketing was largely pointless. That's no longer true, so companies have had no choice but to get down and dirty to be seen by potential customers. It's not some vast conspiracy, it is simply a reaction to a different culture. In simpler times, simpler strategies worked. In these very complex times, more complex strategies are needed.

It's like comparing someone in the 80s who casually chased the dragon to someone smoking fent today. Technically chasing the same high but damn in today's version you are hit.

Fentanyl is no more addictive than heroin. Yes, it's far more potent but uncut heroin will kill you just as easily as a Fentanyl overdose.

[pdxindy]

As for hoarding music software if you are just buying it for that sweet hit of dopamine, and you're not going to use it, consider giving it away to someone. Not everyone on this list has such unbearable first world problems.

Regarding hoarding music software, a while ago I got rid of 80% of my installed plugins and my productivity went up. It was a relief.

[ROTMetro]

It's not some vast conspiracy, it is simply a reaction to a different culture.

I wish that was true but it's not. Starting with Candy Crush the research/science was weaponized against people by psychology teams/research in ways it never was prior and Silicone Valley is the type of place where they will justify doing anything once they find out someone else is doing it. Once Facebook learned what the Swede's at King were doing in Candy Crush things got bad fast. Before that companies didn't build negative stimuli into their products, the only businesses using that were news companies. Facebook was actually benign prior to exposure to what King was doing. But when you have a free game and you need to encourage people to buy your power up whatevers, you need to agitate them into action to get past your agitating, but not agitate them into quitting the game. Takes building complex models of behavior, automatic refining of those models. Adjusting those models based on action to maximize abuse of your users for dollar extraction.

Now that sort of manipulation is in everything fine tuned to an art and A/B tested on you continuously to know exactly which buttons works specifically on you. At this point Tech companies don't consider anything off limits unless it's specifically illegal in your jurisdiction. Nothing like it has ever existed in human history. Psychology has never before been weaponized on people at this scale, with this level of tracking/knowledge/continuous personality model building/manipulation. Facebook enrages you. I post ten times more (and they post 10 times more posting back) when I'm in a flame war with someone here than when I'm chill.

[jamcat]

someone in the 80s who casually chased the dragon

[SebAV]

No kr55 on Equinoxe (used on Chants magnétiques)

And yet the CD plainly states it was

Screenshot_20250406-164525.jpg

You’re right but the CD sleeve is wrong. It’s one of the faulty re-editions.
Originals can be found on the web (https://www.discogs.com/master/49172-Je ... e-Equinoxe). Anyway the kr55 was released in 79 while Équinoxe have been done the 1st half of 78.

[IvyBirds]

No kr55 on Equinoxe (used on Chants magnétiques)

And yet the CD plainly states it was

Screenshot_20250406-164525.jpg

You’re right but the CD sleeve is wrong. It’s one of the faulty re-editions.
Originals can be found on the web (https://www.discogs.com/master/49172-Je ... e-Equinoxe). Anyway the kr55 was released in 79 while Équinoxe have been done the 1st half of 78.

I have the original pressing on vinyl there is no gear list on the original, that didn't come to the 2nd CD release

And you are ignoring the reality that big name artists like JMJ would get pre-release gear ahead of the general release. Do you think the KR55 just appeared one day with no product development cycle? That Korg designed it in a day, manufactured it in a day, and then it was magically in shops?

Yes the KR55 was available in shops to regular consumers in early 1979 but had been in development for quite some time

Giving pre production units to famous musicians in the 1970s to use on records was like synth manufacturers giving preproduction units to social media influencers in 2025

It also provided valuable feedback to engineers to have working musicians beta test new hardware

[Timfonie]

just substitute musical tools for books

Great advice, this is exactly what I'll do. Thanks!

What about having both? Too many books on the shelves AND too many audio plugins available. That's where I find myself these days. The difference is: you cannot hide paper books. Plugins on the other hand can be made totally invisible, demanding no cognitive load at all.

[crimsonwarlock]

I have the original pressing on vinyl there is no gear list on the original, that didn't come to the 2nd CD release

I have the original LP release, bought it around the time it came out, and there is definitely a gear list on the back of the sleeve. And there is no mention of the KR-55 (it lists the Rhythmi-computer).

photo_2025-04-07_16-29-34.jpg