CyberGene

I remember how obsessed I was with a track from my favorite game The Incredible Machine, a funky fusion jazz in the style of Mezzoforte. I had a SoundBlaster while the father of a friend of mine had a SC at home, I think he used to work for the TV and composed jingles with it. That same track sounded so good on the SC compared to the SB although the SB was in turn a dream come true for me. Here’s the track in SB: And here’s what I believe must be the SC, although it’s not mentioned explicitly:

Either I’m late to the party or it’s a new trend but a lot of current music, or more specifically the one that attempts to be on a dramatic/epic scale can just go on using i-VI chords forever (the VI often being maj7, thus keeping the minor triad and adding the VI bass note), e.g. Cm - Abmaj7. Is that the only way to create dramatic tension nowadays? 🧐 Where did all the other chord progressions go? OK, I’m generalizing but still 😀

So, let's summarize. People have fond memories purchasing their first guitar/keyboard in these stores. But nobody goes there anymore. Summary: good riddance?

The two big progressive metal keyboard shredders I know, Derek Sherinian and Jordan Rudess, both use Korg keyboards, I think Triton and Kronos.

So, seems like it’s possible to run software synths on Linux after all these years. The last time I tried using Linux for something outside server stuff, I felt I was the tool trying to make the OS run, rather than the OS being the tool helping me do my job.

I’m not much into saxophone, so can’t really say much about him but I remember when I first heard In a Sentimental Mood by Steps Ahead, I became so obsessed with that synth line! I thought it was Mike Mainieri on synth but many years later I realized it was actually Brecker on EWI ❤️ Here’s a live version:

To see the current value of a knob, you have to briefly turn off and then back on the corresponding button for that knob and it will show the value. But it’s still not ideal and I hope they implement something better as on the Nord.

I guess you know that already, but in Apple Music if you play digital files (MP3, Flac, Wav, AAC, etc.) on your Mac or on your iPhone through the Music app, it will automatically import them and upload to your private iCloud space (without counting against the quota) and then you can stream that music on all your devices. It works even if you remove the local files where you first imported them. I've been using that feature for a long time with my own rips of CD-s that are not available on Apple Music from the times when I owned CD-s. In some odd cases like with Wendy Carlos, I couldn't even find any purchasable digital files to import, nor I had an original CD to rip in the past while I still had a CD, which is why I found those rips on a pirated website and imported them in Apple Music and they are now streamable on all my Apple devices. I'd gladly donate some money directly to Wendy if she had such functionality on her website, to pay for listening to her wonderful music.

Being born in 1979 at the last moment before becoming a millennial, I really can’t find use for CD-s. Streaming all the way for me 😀 I’m always on the move and prefer asking Siri to play music off my library. No way I will be messing with thousands of CD-s, especially in the car while driving or on the move, or at the office.

I was in your situation some time ago. But I don’t even own a CD player. My last devices with a CD were a car that I sold in 2018 and an old MacBook that my daughter broke. And the available SOB CD-s were only second hand anyway. And I pirated it from a website. Yeah, I admit it. I hate that I pirated it since I adore Wendy Carlos and I hate piracy and haven’t pirated any music or films in ages but it’s a pity there’s no other way to listen to Wendy Carlos nowadays.

Not the place to post classical music but I've been spending a lot of time on this forum, while barely touching my piano, have not been playing with the amateur band for months, and I've been feeling a serious apathy lately. So, had to force myself to learn a new piece today and record it. Well, better post it then, right... 🤨

Indeed. I’d choose the Hydrasynth as my only synth. I’d take it over any single analog synth.

Based on: 1. My love for vintage records with various string machines 2. My trust for GForce after purchasing their OB-package some months ago 3. My preference for sampled instruments over modeled ones 4. The crazy number of instruments included 5. The fantastic demos I just purchased it 🥳

Yeah, that’s what I explained about it too. On the other hand, it’s very high frequency FPGA oscillators that support FM and shape modulation, including PWM. And arguably it’s the analog filters with drive that make something sound analog rather than the oscillators. Besides, many modern fully analog synths are way too stable and need digital cheats that intentionally introduce detuning and other similar tweaks that would make it sound vintage and not too “digital” 😀

Novation Summit, will get me through the widest spectrum of vintage type of sounds and approximate most of the vintage synths, albeit not perfectly. But one can argue its FPGA oscillators are not fully analog. If you demand really analog, then I'd probably get a Prophet Rev2, although the envelopes are still digital 😉

I’d probably reconsider it too. I loved the sounds on mine but the lack of good enough and varied analog type of sounds was the final straw for me (with the cryptic and non-intuitive WTF interface being my main gripe). Having FM-X and AN-X in a MODX form-factor, as well as sampled instruments contained entirely within a single part, that’s enough for me to warrant a MODX-M6 purchase.

I don’t know why this thread reminds me of another one where someone had his Nord malfunctioning due to bad power and had to pretend he was playing while actually the Nord was turned off during the entire gig and was then congratulated for his great playing by some hot lady.

A bit of on-topic and off-topic but how many of you struggle with memorizing things like dates, numbers, names, etc? I’ve been like that since a very small kid. I couldn’t remember a single f***n date in history, or geography facts, etc. It’s why I only liked math and physics because I could basically solve and deduce everything from the basics. No need to remember a lot of stuff. Fast forward. I can’t remember any workflow on a workstation/synth unless it’s something obvious and self-describing such as a Nord or my Yamaha CK61. Even the latter, there are some shortcuts requiring Exit or Settings button + something else and for the life of me I can’t remember what was what. How many of you are like that? I know people who remember things forever. Maybe those people see no issue with cryptic and long workflows like on the Montage/MODX.

Yamaha also use “job” for stuff that is commonly called Utils/Tools on other keyboards. On my Fuji camera they use the term “order” not as a noun e.g. “the order of pictures” but as the slightly awkward verb “order the camera to move these photos” 😀 Yeah, I’m not a native speaker and I certainly use funny words and bad English but how come a big corporation doesn’t hire somebody to use proper English terminology? 🧐

The world is moving on. I love the thrill of ordering instruments I haven’t tried. The fact I can test them at home for a few weeks rather than feeling pressured to try rather quickly in a store which is crowded and noisy, it’s just incomparable. Yeah, it may take time to order and return until you find what works best for you but it’s totally worth it.

I hadn’t heard the original song, I’m not even sure who Dua Lipa is but I think I’ve heard the name before and thought it was some modern BS. I am pleasantly surprised and actually like the original song. What’s interesting is, Justin’s rendition is not very different than the original, it’s like a bit more jazzy version but I’d say even the original is already pointing there and they are in the same ballpark. The Rudess video was about a song that is completely orthogonal to Rudess 😀 Besides, as I said in the other thread, leave it to jazz guys to improvise. Rudess is a shredder (that’s not a bad thing though!) but not an improviser. IMHO.

Superknob is just a macro: a single control that changes multiple parameters at a time with different depth. But Yamaha of course had to make it non-intuitive, so that’s it’s scary. Has to do something with Japanese culture, samurai, bushido, harakiri, seppuku and the likes…

In my jazz years I often read the wrong chords, e.g. reading the chord above the bar, rather than beneath. I’d just play some mechanical outline/pattern of what I thought was the right chord and would then feel embarrassed. But the guitarist once told me: you play outside so cool, I started reading some jazz theory lesson about playing outside but you should definitely show me how you do it. We laughed a lot when I admitted it 🤣 🤦🏻‍♂️

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