CyberGene

I always update to the latest version the very moment a macOS or iOS update is available. I even use betas sometimes. I’ve rarely had issues. And I have never had any issues with the audio software (Logic Pro, third-party plugins, MainStage, Audacity) on my Mac even with betas. But I’m not a pro musician and don’t earn money with making music on my Mac, so I can understand people who are afraid to update. Lowering/disabling your security settings is insane though.

One of my earliest encounters with jazz was learning to play the transcribed piano introduction to Strange Meadow Lark off a Soviet jazz book that I found in the city's library when I was a kid. At the time I was interested in jazz a lot but didn't know how they made it sound "jazz" and discovering that using chords with more than three tones (triads) was what I was seeking, was like the first big revelation in my life. And that notated intro kept me busy for years, there's so much in it. I can still play it perfectly by heart and still find it great. Dave Brubeck is a genius! And it's sad that a jazz pianist could buy such residence in the 1950s but nowadays the same guy might struggle finding gigs.

https://www.thomann.de/intl/behringer_ub_xa.htm Wow, €1299 at Thomann. Really tempting. I’m currently selling my Take 5 for the same money. The UB-Xa is definitely the more interesting synth.

No way this can be better than the GForce I recently purchased, so I’m not tempted, even though it’s free. No wonder it’s free 😀 Does it require any software center or external licensing apps? If so, then even more reasons to not install it. I can’t believe I’m lukewarm about a free plugin but the market is so overcrowded with plugins nowadays, it gets ridiculous already.

That's an excellent point. Sometimes we tend to overanalyze things in isolation (I am guilty too) and we can easily declare how yes, in a blind test a VA will be indistinguishable from a real analog synth. Hence (the wrong conclusion) how analog synths are not worth it. And again, I am guilty and sometimes fall for this same way of thinking. But then I remember how I replaced the aluminum cheeks of my Hydrasynth with hand-made wooden cheeks from pear wood made by a very skilled Italian guy and I suddenly started liking its sound more 😀 Because I love how it looks and it makes me feel good and when I feel good, things sound good to me. Silly perhaps.

Diva is the best synth I own. As funny and absurd as it may sound, I try to use it less in order to not overuse it because it’s just so good I can’t get enough out of it 😀 If I have to keep only one plugin (of course next to my standard Logic library and Garritan CFX as piano) it would be Diva without even thinking twice.

Basically I agree with you, which you should know by the thumbs up I usually give you. I mean, I know where you are coming from. But for a moment I will be the devil's advocate. People nowadays are not so appreciative of those keyboardist that can play improvised type of music such as jazz, funk, gospel, R&B and the likes. And I can't blame them. Yes, these musicians are all great musicians possessing excellent improvisation skills and excellent production skills (including synth programming, arrangement, etc). But we've already heard it all so many times for way so long. Ironically, the very essence of that type of music is also its own biggest enemy. Because that type of music is a lot about mastery and mastery can be trained. Many young kids are ardent followers, they have the gift, they train their skills and they become one. One of many... And then there's decline. Synth sounds in the past were iconic because it was the first time audiences heard those sounds and there were the pioneers of those styles and there was a vast empty field of exploration. Unfortunately it got exhausted long ago. There's been some revival and that's where people like J3PO, Nick Semrad, Mike Pensini, etc. come but I don't think they can have any serious impact.

Got the GForce OB-bundle and the Korg Collection 4. I considered upgrading Arturia V Collection from 8 to 9 but for now I’m skipping.

Indeed. I’m not a huge fan of the typical in-your-face 80s drum madness but it’s how it is and what makes that sound. The remaster moves the drums way too subdued in the mix and the song loses its 80s power pop appeal (even if a bit kitschy). And don’t get me wrong, I occasionally have guilty pleasures with those songs, there was warn and earthy feel to them that is completely lost in the modern overly perfected production. That being said, I think we shouldn’t try to make the same sound and music nowadays, it’s kind of a cultural appropriation in a way, although I oppose that term.

Indeed, some years ago I also found that Arturia emulations were all a variation of the same synth, and not really close to the original, however they upped their game somehow, not sure, maybe a proprietary algorithms, analysis, more workforce, better CPU-s nowadays or all of the above but their recent emulations are excellent. Not everything in the Arturia suite is good though, but they have been consistently updating their models.

Are Cherry Audio plugins any good? Listening to their different demos they sound all too similar, like they used one and same underlying synth engine with a few tweaks.

Novation Peak receives poly AT, I’ve used it myself.

I've been using polyphonic aftertouch on my XKey Air 37 long before HS was a thing. Of course, it's not everyone's cup of tea with what are basically keys that feel like computer keyboard switches (they actually are), however I find its poly AT very controllable and linear and for me personally the general playability is good enough, certainly not as bas as some people may say it is.

I feel the same way, bought the GForce bundle the other day and already loving it. And I have the Hydrasynth that I can use as a poly AT controller.

I don't know a lot about Oberheims but isn't the OB-X8 a modern recreation of the OB-X, whereas the Behringer is a copy of the OB-Xa, so these are different source synths? Although I'm not pretty sure what the difference between the OB-X and the OB-Xa is either...

Poly aftertouch, 16-voice polyphony, bi-timbral and 8 vintage circuit mods (not sure if it's electronics based or is a software mod such as the Vintage knob on the Sequential synths). All that for $1500. But yeah, it's the B-brand 😀 P.S. The demo seems to have a creamy reverb, yet I don't see any FX section in the specs which would be a pretty silly decision. Why would you offer a highly desirable synth with many modern features and omit even a basic reverb...

Thank you all, I got the Korg Collection 4 🙂

I remember that I liked that bell patch as a kid, hearing it in numerous local TV-programs used for various children song arrangements but it’s been so enormously overused I can hardly make myself not throw up when hearing it again and again…

Just discovered that deal and very tempted too. Anyone having the collection, is it worth it?

YC61 is definitely better than CK61 but it's also twice the price, no battery powered, no speakers, no FX can be applied to external audio input and I believe a few other minor advantages of the CK61, so while the YC61 is the more professional and road worthy instrument, the CK61 is a very nice ultra-portable budget warrior.

I think he meant the non-weighted action in the CK61. The CK88 has a hammer action which is not bad. I’d also consider the Numa X Piano 73 or 88.

I keep reading about how MIDI 2.0 will drastically improve piano playing and call that BS. From my experience with how scanning switch-based keyboard works, there’s always the issue with accuracy. Or, in other words, if a hammer velocity of say 2m/s should produce a MIDI value of 120, but your scanning controller isn’t accurate enough and will randomly produce 119 and 121, then it’s meaningless to switch from 7-bit value range (0-127) to a 16-bit one (0-65535).

I’ve asked my L5/S1 disc and he said he loved It 😀 Who am I to argue…

This is why I bought a CK61. Thank me later 😀

This all sounds scary! 😱 I wish you speedy recovery!