zeronyne

I love this “living review” format, and I love seeing long format “prose” from you, Stephen. I have two comments and then some questions. When I first heard about the 2700, I thought the price was prohibitive…it’s amazing how fast that relative perception changes in light of world events. If they can actually keep it at 3k, it’s a serious contender. And while I appreciate everyone’s perspective here, I think maybe not having practical sample editing onboard is a HUGE MISS for a large population of potential buyers that are sorely unrepresented on this forum: hip hop, EDM, and other very electronic genres. The Korg Triton had a second wave of popularity after Timbaland and others started using it to manipulate samples, and the MPC generation is now old enough to have serious disposable income. I don’t pretend to know how features are prioritized in hybrid hardware/software development, but I would think it was a very conscious decision to leave those features out regardless of why. I would ask the product managers and designers to really consider the current economic landscape and develop accordingly. I’m sure it’s extremely complicated to design off of legacy code developed decades ago and half a globe away. Stephen, how is the aftertouch to you in actual playing? Hiw hard do you have to dig in?

This is interesting because while I grew up just after this era, and while I can name every member of their contemporaries, I could not name a single member of Supertramp except for Roger. Thanks for sharing.

This is a tiny clip with a long explanation. For the past year, I’ve been immersed into the KPop industry. I’ve been deep diving into everything from the production of videos and music to the eating habits of the idols. It’s an iceberg of insane proportions, and what people think about it on the surface is not remotely what is really happening in Korea. just by the nature of the genre, there is a slew of behind the scenes content, so you can get a pretty good (slightly edited) idea of how they live and work. And many of them play piano and guitar, but they all have that piano recital vibe, not a playing in a band vibe. But then there’s Sunmi. She is a legend in KPop, having been in a seminal band called Wonder Girls. She had a HUGE solo hit in the past few years, so she is current and relevant. And she plays bass. Maybe not better than you, but definitely better than me. Check her out here.

Good to see you again, brother! I still play your CD!

I don't really like the "today's dollars" comparison because it only contextualizes currency value at moments in time. It's definitely not what something would cost if made today vs 35 years ago, nor does it equate to what it would actually sell for today. ProfD points out the other factors that are much more important than when it was made. And I have stopped judging things as expensive or overpriced. Those terms are relative, but everyone seems to use them to gatekeep. That said, in the past 5 years or so, the O.G. celeb inventors in the synth game seem to have created (or recreated) that tier of instruments that are priced into the rarified air of studio and pro-only category. The funny thing is that most studios are deep into software and true vintage, and almost all of the Moog One and high end Prophet owners I know are not professional musicians, and only one of the 8 people actually work in the music industry. These seem to be targeted (if they even targeted a market at all...the VC guys must have done SOME diligence, right?) to the PRS guitar crowd...corporate attorneys and dentists who are weekend warriors and Soundcloud monkeys. Nothing wrong with that at all. I appreciate that their disposable income continues to fund these pioneers. This is their pension.

Dinosaurs were alive and well for 165 million years. Primates that you would absolutely call human first appeared 100,000 years ago. I doubt we'll make it to 100,100. We won't even be a blip in history. I'm hopeful that the next emergent species will use OUR corpses as an energy source. At least we will have been good for something.

Ah, the wild and wooly 80s, when we transitioned from side burns to Aquanet. Things were chaotic in the relatively new synth market, but there were a few agreed upon standards at that time. Obviously, MIDI was so profound a standard that it's only recently that we are talking about 2.0. But I want to talk about a different, more universal standard. When MIDI arrived and you no longer needed CV/Gate or an attached keyboard to trigger your synthesizer, modules exploded onto the market, and with a few notable exceptions, they went for the EIA/DIN/CEA/IEC standard 19" server rack form factor. And then, like magic, a combination of softsynths, USB, and changing tastes completely destroyed the 19" rack market. You used to be able to set your watch to the Big 3 manufacturers product cycles in that regard for workstations: every few years put out an 88 note weighted and 76 and 61 key unweighted workstations, and then a few months later, release the module equivalent(s). Now we have the Integra and some niche boutique products. I totally get it. Miniaturization, smaller homes and spaces, and the lack of a need for robust, gig-proof gear makes something that wide and big seem antiquated. The days of going to your local bar and seeing a Marshall full stack next to a 21 space rack of processing are over (for now), and the keyboard players I've seen recently are laptop-tethered, or they just have a Kronos/Nord/Montage. So with Behringer, Roland, Arturia, Waldorf, Moog, etc all making non-standard but similarly sized modules, do you think the environment is right to ask for some standards across these companies? I'm so tired of my studio looking like I've networked a bunch of calculators, handheld games, and remote controls.

This is the type of thing that will make me a lifelong loyal customer. I don't care if there are problems as long as the company admits it and is working towards a reasonable solution. Now I'm going to have to look into the Hydrasynth a little more seriously.

Dry transfers will most likely wear off even after clearcoating unless the technology has really changed since the 90s. Look into silkscreening, and Forat's ancient site may give you some inspiration with relabeling the panels. I have a Triton Pro X that I tried to sell for years, but last year, I gave up and just pimped it with SCSI, the synth board, two extra boards, and the floppy emulator. Now it's my weighted controller with some sounds from the 90s.

I bought a 1.0 firmware Yamaha VL1 in really horrible physical condition a long time ago, and Mike Martin was kind enough to source a 2.0 chip for me. I could not bear the look of the thing because it was so beat up, so when a shiny one showed up on eBay, I sold the one I had. But then the purchase of the nicer one fell through, and that's the last time i saw a VL1 for a sane price.

I have a decent complement of hardware and software synths and I always try to have two of the Big Three current ROMpler engines. But I’m going to stop at the Integra for a while in the Roland department. It’s perfect for all of my needs except I hate having to load a limited number of SN “boards”. But the iPad software is excellent, especially wirelessly, and I consider it the aggregate of all things JV/Fantom. I can tell you that if they made Kronos and Montage racks I would only own controller keyboards, but my use case is sadly no longer relevant to the market.

I used to move a frickin' Triton Pro X in towels. But the first time it slipped from my already-tenuous grip and slid down a flight of metal stairs was the last time I did that. Apart from the fibers and dust, I think your moving blanket idea had solid thinking behind it. As others have mentioned here with differing levels of friendliness, I think the only way something like a blanket of any sort would be OK would be if you sewed up three sides like a sleeve (as you mentioned originally) and velcro for the open end, but the opportunity cost there is probably higher than just buying a soft case. But I liked your out-of-box thinking! I also have these covers made out of spandex with a drawstring that would prevent dust and scratches but not a real ding. Maybe that would be enough if you were super careful?

It’s been a REALLY long time since I’ve seen one of these posts, so I’m proud to be the one to break the ice again. And I’m doubly proud to announce that I acquired this new fish from Dr Sweet Willie himself! G&L Kiloton 5 in a custom config which I believe is no longer available. Matching headstock in satin black, ebony fretboard. Alder body, maple neck, modern C profile, bone nut. I’ve seen pictures of William playing it live, but I see no dings or even scratches. And with this purchase, I’m done buying basses. I have a 4 string P, a 5 string Jazz, and a 4 string fretless Jazz. With this MM style, I can now cover all the bases I personally want to cover.

Has anyone actually seen firsthand this supposed trolling? It would still be a stretch to say they are complicit, but I’d like to also see the source that states he expressly commented on it. I’m not accusing anyone of disseminating false info…I just would like to see first sources.

Would love for this to not get political. Anyone who has seen the email from EHX or the YouTube videos from Know Your Gear or Rhett Schull and others already knows that Russia is no longer exporting tubes. Fender has cut their tube amp production in half, and EHX will no longer be taking tube orders. Obviously prices are not just spiking…some bulk sellers of tubes are already completely out of 6L6s and the like. If this permanently decreases the output of tube production to what is coming from Eastern Europe, do you think manufacturers will try to just increase price to make up for short supplies, or will we finally see modeling technology cross the uncanny valley for the purists? (I’m aware that this is not a binary answer…I hope you gave me enough credit to assume that)

Like many of us, I met him through a professional event, and he was as gracious and generous to this fanboy as he could possibly have been. Just before he passed, I happened to see a recent performance of his, and I couldn’t help but notice that his pinky and ring finer of his right hand kept curling under as he played, and I thought “uh oh”. A few weeks later he was gone. I know that when someone pours their entire life and being into the pursuit of a discipline, losing that ability can be (as in this case) tragic. I wish someone could have communicated to him that life is so much more than what you cannot do. The foibles of a human mind, I guess.

It's just shady genius. This barrage of fan-service announcements and prototypes and renderings does one thing: it prevents budget conscious shoppers from considering purchase of either vintage or new models by the original creators at what we would expect to be the price based on niche products like synths. I think the 2600 clones are the perfect example compared to the "sanctioned" Korg version.

I could and have written volumes about and to AT&T. LOL. I forgot to mention Sweetwater, so I'm glad you did. When music stores, namely GC and Sam Ash, simply stopped negotiating in any meaningful way, suddenly there was no reason NOT to consider Sweetwater, and in my experience, they have been exemplary. They aren't always perfect, but they TRY. Cymbalfusion I know very little about their brick & mortar presence in Houston, but I made a relatively major purchase from them last year. It was initially nerve-wracking because it was high-ticket (for me) and they had the double whammy of a sort of janky website and unrealistically low pricing on these boutique brands. But not only did they deliver ahead of time at a great price, but they followed up to make sure I was happy. And that little thing goes a long way with me. (by the way, I did try to purchase these items at Sweetwater even though they had a more logical (higher) price, but they were backordered 6 months)

This is a mildly self-serving post. I seem to recall one of these threads years ago where everyone chimed in with stores, manufacturers, and individuals with exemplary customer service. I know that lately, businesses are having trouble retaining good talent, so let’s share our great experiences, especially unexpected ones. I will start: Electro Harmonix I’m not a very good guitarist, but I love pedals…not as much as Josh Scott, but I collect the real oddballs to use with my Eurorack rig. So of course, I have plenty of EHX weird boxes. One of them, a Lester K (Leslie simulator designed expressly for keyboards) that simply stopped powering up. For months, I inquired locally about repair places and I was quoted diagnostic fees that were close to what I paid for it. On a whim, I thought I’d reach out to the company itself. I got back a form letter with an RA number, instructing me to send it in with a check for $25 and a letter explaining what the issue is. That’s pretty amazing in 2022. I will buy EHX pedals even more in the future. Zippo I’m hoping you will excuse this tangent. Zippo has always had a lifetime transferable warranty on their lighters since the beginning of time. I sent a slew of antique Zippos in with $7 for each, and they repaired all of them and included new inserts. All without human interaction. Amazing service.

They were not sexual harrassment "allegations". This is from HIS Instagram: “Recent public statements have led me to acknowledge that some of the interactions I have had with women have caused them harm” He was a known groomer. And by modern science standards, there is no "cure" for someone who grooms underage girls.

When I got my M1 Mini a few months ago, I freaked out a little because even some INSTALLERS were incompatible. For the last month, I’ve been setting up OBS and a Twitch/YouTube thing, so the studio has been dark. This week, I returned to the Mac Mini and updated Live, Reason, Presonus mixer software, and Arturia’s collection. All work flawlessly now for my workflow, and for only having 16 gigs on non-expandable RAM, I have yet to tax the machine. I may not be a billing studio, but I do push my mixes pretty heavily with virtual synths, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised…enough so that the Studio does not give me GAS, which is a first.

Hahahah. Say no more.

There is a lot to unpack here, and it’s a huge subject in both science and philosophy. I’ll chime in here because this has been something I’ve mulled over my whole life. I’ve always been fascinated by animals. We’ve owned almost every exotic and domestic animal you can legally own except for snakes and large birds. I even raised a lobster. And I now have two dogs that are attached to me like glue (especially since I work from home). They are the type that people would call Fur Babies (I do NOT) in terms of temperament and dependence. I think compassion and maybe love make sense in evolutionary terms, and we see degrees of it, at least the actions that SEEM compassionate to us, in most animals with a central nervous system. We also see selective suppression of compassion among higher-order primates. If you’ve ever seen a chimp eating a small monkey while it’s alive, you’ll understand what I mean. As much as I truly love my dogs and as much as they viscerally respond when I am sad, angry, or excited, I don’t think they experience compassion in the same way humans do. Or maybe we are conflating the action with something that is coincidentally similar. We see many examples of human interest stories where a dog is raising a baby cheetah or something. Is that compassion or a slight glitch in the wiring that causes the mothering instinct to kick in? We know baby animals have visual characteristics that trigger certain emotions in adult animals, and I’m wondering if cross-species compassion is just that biological function operating at a higher or tangential level. I WANT my dogs to love me in a very human way. I want them to be ashamed when they do something wrong because it’s wrong, and I want them to protect me because they love me. But those anthropomorphized behaviors have biological foundations that have nothing to do with empathy or morality. As much as I want animals to have shards of human values, I think what we are seeing, even in the human interest stories, are very logical biological imperatives viewed through our human centric lens. And I can’t get past that. Occam’s Razor, etc. I still put funny hats on them, though.

There are legitimate ways to help. I’m watching on Facebook as a friend of mine in Germany goes to the train station every day since this thing started to help bewildered Ukrainians get to somewhere safe. He has hosted people in his house overnight and comforted dozens of children. There are no men between 18 and 60 on these trains. He is doing this without any organization or entity telling him to…there is some mild volunteer organizing going on at the station itself. As usual, I feel pretty useless, but I’ve been checking in with my Ukrainian coworkers and friends, but with technology as advanced as it is now, there’s little I can do to help them…they can all do it themselves. I do argue with people here in the Midwest about the fallacy that this war is what is spiking oil prices. I guess the best I can do is dispel misinformation.

So let’s examine this with a real world example. Let’s use Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”. Clearly “artistic” from MOST people’s point of view even if they don’t like it, but also an almost immortal revenue stream. If they can’t serve two masters, are we saying the commercial success was inadvertent? One more example, but this one has a shakier foundation: Brill Building writers and Motown producers and the Wrecking Crew…can none of that be intentionally artistic AND intentionally designed to generate profit?