Markyboard

You may also want to check out this Moog Sub- Forum for additional information. There are still some remaining bugs- nothing catastrophic imo but it's always good to be aware.

Ah. So I guess along with that you have to give a sh*t.

American Concert D is the one I like the best out of the Ivory Grand Pianos and use almost exclusively. I also really like their uprights and VI-labs True Keys for a somewhat lighter- woodier sound. Congrats and enjoy!

Except for modulars it"s probably the ballsiest Moog synth available, different from a mini although on some sounds you can get very close. But also way more versatile and works equally well as a self contained synth or one where you integrate it with external modules and such. The keys feel wonderful but the velocity response sucks if you"re using it to control other midi gear. It"s almost impossible to generate low velocities. Velocity to CV works fine which is how I use it. Up until a couple of months ago the hidden globals were frustrating. Since then Moog released a new version which allows editing globals via midi. There are 2 editors now available ( one I got to participate in) but either works well and the hidden parameters are no longer hidden - at least in a studio environment. It"s easy to overdrive the mixer and filter, especially in paraphonic mode playing chords. I love paraphonic mode but it"s not a substitute for polyphonic. It"s another/ different flavor and I think people often make that mistake thinking they can get by with it for the 'wrong' purpose. Also the output isn"t as hot as other synths so there are times when the inclination is to turn up mixer levels and such. Better to boost the output externally. I almost never sell synths, even if a 'better' model comes out so take this for what it"s worth. The Matriarch is going down with the mothership. Edit: I have to add that one of my favorite features is the stereo filter combinations. Being able to "separate" the filters and route one to each output is awesome. The Voyager (and the Poly Evolver) also has this feature but the Matriarch takes it to the next level.

For gigging w/ his 2 ARP 2600, Joe Zawinul needed 2 Sequential Circuits Model 700 programmers, which stored CVs for filter- and amp- envelopes, cutoff frequency, OSC pitch and some other. No waveform selection though ... Kind of very basic "preset" storage system and the very 1st product Sequential Circuits released. Now find something like that today anmd think about if that would be acceptable at all today. At least Zawinul and Corea upgraded their gear always and already in the 90s you didn´t see most of the vintage gear on stage when they performed. Corea retired his Minimoog for the Voyager, Zawinul used KORG and NORD and retired all the analog dinos step-by-step,- except the Prophet T8, last but not least because of the action and flat top. A.C. How do you know/remember what these guys used back then? I can"t even remember what I had although I do know it was much less.

Let me ask you, why do you think it's any different than a classic minimoog or any number of other mono synths without patch storage? Or do you? Well yeah... no patch storage is definitely one reason. It just seems easier to play in real time or make patch changes on a board with a more streamlined front panel. Plus I thought it was more expressive to play a synth with pitch and mod wheels, or even those PPC pads - such as they were. All my heroes of the 1970s - Hammer, Corea, Wakeman, Lord - played primarily Minimoogs and Odysseys... with the outlier being Emerson on his modular Moog. When I think of the 2600, I think of stuff like the Frankenstein break and R2-D2. Yet there's a lot of love for this synth, so I know I'm missing something. Certainly for live use your reasons are valid IMO. Sometimes people mistake semi-modular for modular thinking you have to use patch cords to generate sound. I see now that"s not the case here. With streamline front panels comes more immediacy at the expense of functionality, something studio musicians and sound experimenters are adverse to. The 2600 is 'limited' compared to a full up modular. Still I think many find it packs just the right balance. As always it depends on what you already have and where you want to end up.

5:30 East Coast time

Let me ask you, why do you think it's any different than a classic minimoog or any number of other mono synths without patch storage? Or do you?

I get the C12H22O11 (ok I looked that part up) H2O reference. But who/what is this Behringer you refer to?

Carlo- Check your pm regarding possible Zoom demoing later this afternoon/tonight.

Thanks Mark. I added the Nectar to the list. If you can provide any missing information let us know and I'll add it. Btw the Source Audio Reflex is discontinued - has been for some time. Added a note for that as well.

It had a few shining moments. Happy New Year Mark and all!

We get this question a lot. Are there other devices in addition to the Babyface, MP7 and presumably monitors and computer? The 'hum' may or may not be related to the cables we"ve discussed thus far. If you can give us a detailed description of your set up and connectivity we may be able to help. Even better if you can do a video showing the setup. The basic approach is to eliminate connections until the culprit is found. Ground loops can be tricky if it turns out to be the problem.

Breaking news ... pre-COVID.

Since your MP-7 uses unbalance outputs the ring contact will be 'floating', i.e. unconnected. Theoretically it"s susceptible to noise. But I would try it ( your original balanced cables) and if you don"t detect any unexpected noise it"s fine. If you do than probably best to use unbalanced TS plug on one end and xlr on the other.

I just purchased this through Akai for $9.99. No iLok. Sounds great but damn those graphics are small. Not sure how much I"ll be using this.

This thread reminded me of a project I had on the back-burner. I wanted to convert this ribbon to work like a standard cv expression pedal substituting the RJ45 phone plug for a 1/4' TRS plug. Unfortunately some measuring revealed that it"s actually 3 independent touch sensitive resistors/potentiometers, 1 per zone. Each is 5 kOhms. Kurzweil uses some clever logic handled by the processor to combine these 3 zones into a single long zone if desired. There"s no easy way I can think of to do this in hardware. Changing the connections between zones would require cutting into the strip which I think would destroy the thing. I could use each zone for a different synth but as someone indicated on Theo"s 'abandonment' thread, some things just ain"t worth pursuing.

Paolo- Nice exploration and discovery. But please be aware years from now, perhaps in your lifetime some android (not the tablet kind) will lay claim to the copyright on that "composition" as a direct descendant of the technology. Enjoy your premium royalty checks while you still can. And don't forget to buy beer for your supporting friends.

That"s really cool Theo. I can proudly claim I"ve never abandoned anything close to that complexity.

I've seen/heard him before and I find his work interesting and in part very enjoyable to listen to. No doubt from a live perspective what he and some of these other guys/gals are doing is mind blowing. But to have it also be music I want to just kick back and listen to - that's very rare and maybe it's just not kick-back music which is OK. Here's a long performance which contains things I like and others I don't. The near 10 minute sequencer backed improv beginning at about 12:30 soon gets tiresome for me. On the other hand the atonal extended soundscape starting at about 22:30 is wonderful. [video:youtube] For me JMJ is probably at the top of my short list. I've run across a few others that also fit my narrow scope but it's way less than 1% of anything that crosses my path. Like I stated its just my likes vs dislikes. That Eloquencer sounds very interesting. I wasn't aware something of that type existed. Again I'm not looking for anything for my own use. But if you can figure out how to get one into the hands of all the modular weenies out there that drive me nuts along with traditional music lessons that might be a great start. I think you make a good point Tim - a well equipped modular spans the price range of normal synths - no different. Just depends on your budget and what you want.

Back at you Paul. Happy Holidays to you and your family!

As Laurie Anderson used to say... 'only much, much, better'

Perhaps the next best thing:

You"re telling us to get over it? Really? Wtd Grey?

My comments are from a listening perspective. Aside from the occasional 'let"s see how this works, or doesn"t' I"m not much on sequencers. I much prefer establishing rhythmic elements using other time-centric modules like Maths, LFOs modulating LFOs and as mentioned randomizers. As the title implies modular for me is a toolbox to enhance playing other synths.